Alcohol

In this work, a solid phase spectrophotometric method in association with flow injection analysis for formaldehyde determination has been developed with direct measurement of light-absorption in C 18 material. The 3,5-diacetyl-1,4-dihydrolutidine produced from the reaction between ...

Objective There is a lack of consensus regarding the extent to which cognitive dysfunctions may recover upon cessation of alcohol intake by alcohol-dependents (AD), and the divergent findings are most likely due to methodological differences between the various studies. The present study was aimed at conducting a very strict longitudinal study of cognitive recovery in terms of assessment points, the duration of abstinence, control of age and duration of the addiction, and by use of individual analyses in addition to mean group comparisons. Our study further focused on the 2–3 week phase of alcohol detoxification that is already known to positively affect many biological, emotional, motivational, as well as neural variables, followed by longer-term therapies for which good cognitive functioning is needed. Methods 41 AD inpatients undergoing a detoxification program, and 41 matched controls, were evaluated twice in terms of five cognitive functions (i.e., short-term memory, working memory, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency) within a three-week interval [on the first day (T1) and the 18 th day (T2) of abstinence for AD patients]. Emotional (positive and negative affectivity and depression) and motivational (craving) variables were also measured at both evaluation times. Results Although verbal fluency, short-term memory, and cognitive flexibility did not appear to be affected, the patients exhibited impaired inhibition and working memory at T1. While no recovery of inhibition was found to occur, the average working memory performance of the patients was comparable to that of the controls at T2. Improvements in emotional and motivational dimensions were also observed, although they did not correlate with the ones in working memory. Individual analysis showed that not all participants were impaired or recover the same functions.

Conclusions
While inhibition deficits appear to persist after 18 days of detoxification, deficits in working memory, which is a central component of cognition, are greatly reduced after alcohol detoxification. Individual differences in the trajectory of recovery do arise however, and it might be worth implementing individual assessments of impaired functions at the end of the detoxification phase in order to maximize the chances of success in longer-term treatments and abstinence.

Aims: To examine the psychosocial correlates of substance use among adolescents in six European countries. Design: Cross-sectional school population survey (ESPAD) based on standardized methodological procedures. Setting: High schools in six European countries: ...

Abstract
Aim  To test whether alcohol is a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Design and setting  US epidemiological study using computerized death certificates, linked birth and infant death dataset, and Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
Participants  All SIDS cases (n = 129,090) and other infant deaths (n = 295,151) from 1973–2006; all persons involved in late‐night alcohol‐related crashes (n = 135,946) from 1994–2008.
Measurements  Three measures were used: the expected number of deaths on New Year versus the observed number (expected values were determined using a locally weighted scatterplot smoothing polynomial), the average number of weekend deaths versus the average number of weekday deaths, and the SIDS death rate for children of alcohol‐consuming versus non‐alcohol‐consuming mothers.
Findings  These measures indicate that the largest spikes in alcohol consumption and in SIDS (33%) occur on New Year, alcohol consumption and SIDS increase significantly on weekends, and children of alcohol‐consuming mothers are much more likely to die from SIDS than are children of non‐alcohol‐consuming mothers.
Conclusions  Alcohol consumption appears to be a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome, although it is unclear whether alcohol is an independent risk factor, a risk factor only in conjunction with other known risk factors (like co‐sleeping), or a proxy for other risk factors associated with occasions when alcohol consumption increases (like smoking). Our findings suggest that caretakers and authorities should be informed that alcohol impairs parental capacity and might be a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome; in addition, future research should further explore possible connections between sudden infant death syndrome and alcohol.

Prenatal and perinatal alcohol exposure caused by maternal alcohol intake during gestation and lactation periods can have long-lasting detrimental effects on the brain development and behaviour of offspring. Children diagnosed with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) display a wide range of cognitive, emotional and motor deficits, together with characteristic morphological abnormalities. Maternal alcohol binge drinking is particularly harmful for foetal and early postnatal brain development, as it involves exposure to high levels of alcohol over short periods of time. However, little is known about the long-term effects of maternal alcohol binge drinking on brain function and behaviour. To address this issue, we used pregnant C57BL/6 female mice with time-limited access to a 20% v/v alcohol solution as a procedure to model alcohol binge drinking during gestation and lactational periods. Male offspring were behaviourally tested during adolescence (30 days) and adulthood (60 days), and baseline neural metabolic capacity of brain regions sensitive to alcohol effects were also evaluated in adult animals from both groups. Our results show that prenatal and postnatal alcohol exposure caused age-dependent changes in spontaneous locomotor activity, increased anxiety-like behaviour and attenuated alcohol-induced conditioned place preference in adults. Also, significant changes in neural metabolic capacity using cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) quantitative histochemistry were found in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, the mammillary bodies, the ventral tegmental area, the lateral habenula and the central lobules of the cerebellum in adult mice with prenatal and postnatal alcohol exposure. In addition, the analysis of interregional CCO activity correlations in alcohol-exposed adult mice showed disrupted functional brain connectivity involving the limbic, brainstem, and cerebellar regions. Finally, increased neurogenesis was found in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus of alcohol-exposed offspring, suggesting neuroadaptive effects due to early alcohol exposure. Our results demonstrate that maternal binge-like alcohol drinking causes long-lasting effects on motor and emotional-related behaviours associated with impaired neuronal metabolic capacity and altered functional brain connectivity.

Background Disturbances in sleep patterns are a complicating factor in recovery from alcoholism. The effects of acute and chronic alcohol treatments on sleep in rats were determined.Methods Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were acclimated to a temperature-controlled chamber, and electromyograms and electroencephalograms (EEGs) were obtained during 23-hr recording sessions. Time spent in rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and non-REM sleep (NREMS), EEG slow-wave activity (SWA) during NREMS, a spectral analysis of the EEG by fast Fourier transform, and brain temperatures were determined.Results Acute exposure to alcohol (2.3 and 3.0 g/kg) by gastric intubation at the beginning of dark onset produced an increase in NREMS and a suppression of SWA. Spectral analysis revealed that during the first 4 hr there was a small increase in very-low-frequency bands (0.5–2 Hz), with a suppression of higher-frequency bands. This was followed by a suppression of low-frequency bands. A dose of 3.0 g/kg at light onset caused an increase in NREMS and a suppression of SWA. Spectral analysis revealed a suppression of low-frequency bands throughout the first 12 hr of recording but no change on high-frequency bands with light-onset alcohol. Chronic treatment with alcohol (6% alcohol in a liquid diet with pair-fed isocaloric controls) for 3 weeks produced an increase in NREMS and a decrease in EEG power density in frequency bands above 2 Hz. Chronic alcohol also reduced the circadian variation of REMS, an effect that showed a rebound 1 week after the alcohol treatment was terminated. Two weeks after the alcohol treatment was stopped, NREMS and REMS values returned to baseline.Conclusions These results demonstrate differences in the effect of acute alcohol on sleep depending on the time of administration and demonstrate that distinct alterations in sleep patterns are induced by chronic treatments in as little as 3 weeks.

Provincial wine policy paper written in July of 2015 in conjunction with my undergraduate practicum placement at Fools and Horses Coffee Co.
This Paper was originally distributed to the Premier's office, as well as to the Minister of Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection, and to executives at Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL).
This paper led to an audience with the CEO, CFO, and VP Liquor Operations at the MBLL to discuss the future of Manitoban wine policy.

El uso, abuso, y dependencia de drogas psicoactivas es un problema social de relevancia. La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) estima que 76.3 millones de personas sufren de algún desorden relacionado con el consumo del alcohol, mientras 15.3 millones padecen de algún desorden relacionado con otras drogas (OMS, 2004, 2011). Sin duda, el problema de las adicciones es heterogéneo, así como las aproximaciones que distintas ciencias aportan a su estudio.

Psychosocial factors may directly impact HIV health measures such as viral load (VL) whether or not patients are taking antiretroviral treatment (ART) consistently. Structural equation modeling plus Baron and Kenny's (1986) four-step approach were used to test a mediated model predicting VL among 246 HIV-infected adults who were on ART. Exogenous variables were social support, barriers to adherence, and stress. Moderators were alcohol use, marijuana use, and neurocognitive impairment. A small positive association between marijuana use and ART adherence approached significance. Only barriers to adherence predicted a decrease in adherence rates and an increase in VL. No other factors were significantly associated with either VL or adherence, and no interaction effects between exogenous variables and moderators were identified. The association between barriers to adherence and VL was partially mediated by ART adherence. Findings provide modest support for a direct link between psyc...

When alcohol was first used by ancient humans is a topic thats been fairly debatable in archaeology. This paper looks at the history of this debate and current evidence that has been found to make as clear of a history of the use of alcohol as possible. From ancient Sumeria to China, where was the first alcohol produced and for what possible reasons.

Heavy alcohol use is a significant problem in the military. Personnel often use alcohol in an attempt to cope with stress, boredom, loneliness, and the lack of other recreational activities. The easy availability of alcohol, ritualized drinking opportunities, and inconsistent policies contribute to a work culture that facilitates heavy and binge drinking in this population. Prevention strategies such as alcohol use policies combined with campaigns focusing on alcohol deglamorization, personal responsibility, and health promotion currently are being implemented to help reduce heavy alcohol use, but further research is needed to evaluate the effects of these efforts. Understanding the characteristics of military culture that encourage or allow heavy and binge drinking practices also will help in designing effective