Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Dec 2020
Associations Between Psychiatric Disorders and Alcohol Consumption Levels in an Adult Primary Care Population.
Unhealthy alcohol use frequently co-occurs with psychiatric disorders; however, little is known about the relationship between psychiatric disorders and alcohol consumption levels. Understanding varying levels of unhealthy alcohol use among individuals with a variety of psychiatric disorders in primary care would provide valuable insight for tailoring interventions. ⋯ Findings suggest that patients with anxiety disorder, depression, and bulimia nervosa who drink alcohol are more likely to exceed recommended limits, increasing risk of developing more serious problems. Health systems and clinicians may wish to consider implementing more robust screening, assessment, and intervention approaches to support these vulnerable subgroups in limiting their drinking.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Dec 2020
Red Blood Cell Distribution Width as a Predictor of 28-Day Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder.
Patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are common attendees of the intensive care unit (ICU). Early assessment of the prognosis for critically ill patients with AUD is conducive for formulating comprehensive treatment measures and improving survival rates. The purpose of this study was to explore the predictive value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) for 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with AUD. ⋯ High RDW was associated with increased short-term mortality risks in critically ill patients with AUD.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Oct 2020
Drinking to Cope During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of External and Internal Factors in Coping Motive Pathways to Alcohol Use, Solitary Drinking, and Alcohol Problems.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in massive disruptions to society, to the economy, and to daily life. Some people may turn to alcohol to cope with stress during the pandemic, which may put them at risk for heavy drinking and alcohol-related harms. Research is needed to identify factors that are relevant for coping-motivated drinking during these extraordinary circumstances to inform interventions. This study provides an empirical examination of coping motive pathways to alcohol problems during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Findings provide insight into coping-motivated drinking early in the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the need for longitudinal research to establish longer term outcomes of drinking to cope during the pandemic.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Jul 2020
Acute Alcohol Intake Produces Widespread Decreases in Cortical Resting Signal Variability in Healthy Social Drinkers.
Acute alcohol intoxication has wide-ranging neurobehavioral effects on psychomotor, attentional, inhibitory, and memory-related cognitive processes. These effects are mirrored in disruption of neural metabolism, functional activation, and functional network coherence. Metrics of intraregional neural dynamics such as regional signal variability (RSV) and brain entropy (BEN) may capture unique aspects of neural functional capacity in healthy and clinical populations; however, alcohol's influence on these metrics is unclear. The present study aimed to elucidate the influence of acute alcohol intoxication on RSV and to clarify these effects with subsequent BEN analyses. ⋯ Findings indicate that alcohol intake produces diffuse reductions in RSV among structures associated with attentional processes. Within these structures, signal complexity was also reduced in a subset of frontal regions. Neurobehavioral effects of acute alcohol consumption may be partially driven by disruption of intraregional neural dynamics among regions involved in higher-order cognitive and attentional processes.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Oct 2019
Chronic Alcohol Consumption, but not Acute Intoxication, Decreases In Vitro Skeletal Muscle Contractile Function.
Skeletal muscle myopathy accompanying chronic alcohol misuse results in part from a decrease in protein synthesis typically observed in type II-rich muscles that leads to muscle weakness. However, there is a paucity of studies investigating whether the alcohol-induced weakness is intrinsic to the muscle or results primarily from the loss of muscle mass. The present study determines whether acute alcohol (ethanol) intoxication or chronic alcohol consumption decreases the intrinsic contractile function of muscle. ⋯ These data demonstrate chronic alcohol consumption decreases isometric and tetanic tension development due to a reduction in muscle CSA, whereas the increased fatigability observed was independent of muscle mass. As none of the functional changes were produced by acute alcohol, which produced higher blood alcohol levels than chronic ingestion, our data suggest defects in intrinsic muscle contractility require sustained intake and appear independent of defects in basal energy production.