Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Aug 2005
Mechanical ventilation exacerbates alveolar macrophage dysfunction in the lungs of ethanol-fed rats.
Patients with alcohol abuse have a two- to three-fold increased risk of acute lung injury and respiratory failure after sepsis or trauma but are also at increased risk of nosocomial pneumonia. Mechanical ventilation exacerbates lung injury during critical illnesses. In this study we tested whether mechanical ventilation of the alcoholic lung promotes on balance a proinflammatory phenotype favoring ventilator-induced lung injury or an immunosuppressive phenotype favoring ventilator-associated pneumonia. ⋯ Ethanol ingestion dampens ventilator-induced inflammation but exacerbates macrophage immune dysfunction. These findings could explain at least in part why alcoholic patients are at increased risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia.
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Aug 2005
Comparative StudyAdolescent rats exposed to repeated ethanol treatment show lingering behavioral impairments.
Repeated ethanol treatment has been reported to differentially affect water maze performance in adolescent and adult rats. The present study was undertaken to determine the age-specific reversal of ethanol-induced deficit in water maze performance. ⋯ Adolescent rats exposed to ethanol showed deficits in water maze performance, had increased hug time, and failed to catch up with control rats during the weeks after the ethanol treatment period was over. Adult alcohol rats showed some behavioral dysfunction (increased latency and distance to find the hidden platform) but had problems swimming, and in the probe trial they performed as well as control rats. Also, in adult rats, ethanol-induced impairments were quickly reversed after the ethanol treatment was over, a finding that suggests impaired motor coordination more than a true learning deficit. Together, these data indicate that repeated ethanol treatment in adolescent rats, but not adult rats, show long-term impairments in maze performance.