Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Jul 2007
Comparative StudyAUDIT-C as a brief screen for alcohol misuse in primary care.
The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption (AUDIT-C) questions have been previously validated as a 3-item screen for alcohol misuse and implemented nationwide in Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinics. However, the AUDIT-C's validity and optimal screening threshold(s) in other clinical populations are unknown. ⋯ The AUDIT-C was an effective screening test for alcohol misuse in this primary care sample. Optimal screening thresholds for alcohol misuse among men (> or =4) and women (> or =3) were the same as in previously published VA studies.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Jul 2007
Comparative StudyChronic smoking is associated with differential neurocognitive recovery in abstinent alcoholic patients: a preliminary investigation.
Approximately 50 to 90% of individuals in North America seeking treatment for alcoholism are chronic smokers. A growing body of evidence suggests that chronic cigarette smokers show a pattern of neurocognitive dysfunction similar to that observed in alcoholic patients. However, previous studies investigating neurocognitive recovery in abstinent alcoholic patients did not specifically consider the potential effects of chronic cigarette smoking. ⋯ These preliminary results suggest that chronic smoking may modulate neurocognitive recovery in abstinent alcoholic patients. More generally, chronic smoking may impact neurocognition in other conditions where is it a prevalent behavior.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Jul 2007
Comparative StudyAlcohol use disorders increase the risk for mechanical ventilation in medical patients.
Annually, more than 300,000 patients receive mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit in the United States. The hospital mortality for ventilated patients may approach 50%, depending on the primary diagnosis. In trauma and surgical patients, a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is common and is associated with a prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation. The objective of this study is to determine whether the presence of AUD and the development of alcohol withdrawal are associated with an increased use and duration of mechanical ventilation in patients with medical disorders that commonly require intensive care unit admission. ⋯ In patients with medical diagnoses associated with intensive care unit admission, AUD increases the risk for mechanical ventilation while the development of alcohol withdrawal is associated with a longer duration of mechanical ventilation.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Jul 2007
Comparative StudyEffects of ethanol on midbrain neurons: role of opioid receptors.
Although ethanol addiction is believed to be mediated by the mesolimbic dopamine system, originating from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), how acute ethanol increases the activity of VTA dopaminergic (DA) neurons remains unclear. ⋯ Ethanol excites VTA DA neurons at least partly by increasing ongoing opioid-mediated suppression of local GABAergic inhibition. This indirect mechanism may contribute significantly to the positively reinforcing properties of ethanol.