Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Feb 2015
Prevalence of alcohol-interactive prescription medication use among current drinkers: United States, 1999 to 2010.
The majority of Americans consume alcoholic beverages. Alcohol interacts negatively with numerous commonly prescribed medications. Yet, on a population level, little is known about use of alcohol-interactive (AI) prescription medications among drinkers. The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence of AI prescription medication use among current drinkers in the U.S. population. ⋯ Our results suggest that there could be substantial simultaneous exposure to alcohol and AI prescription medications in the U.S. population. Given the adverse health risks of combining alcohol with AI prescription medications, future efforts are needed to collect data to determine actual simultaneous prevalence.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Feb 2015
Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure produces persistent anxiety in adolescent and adult rats.
Ethanol (EtOH) dependence and tolerance in the adult are marked by increased function of NMDA receptors and decreased function of GABAA receptors, which coincide with altered receptor subunit expression in specific brain regions. Adolescents often use EtOH at levels greater than adults, yet the receptor subunit expression profiles following chronic intermittent EtOH (CIE) exposure in adolescents are not known. Persistent age-dependent changes in receptor subunit alterations coupled with withdrawal-related anxiety may help explain the increase in alcohol abuse following adolescent experimentation with the drug. ⋯ CIE exposure produced persistent anxiety-like behavior, which has important implications for alcohol cessation. Given the reported behavioral and neuropeptide expression changes in response to this dose of EtOH, it is important for future work to consider the circumstances under which these measures are altered by EtOH exposure.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Feb 2015
Association study of the SLC6A3 VNTR (DAT) and DRD2/ANKK1 Taq1A polymorphisms with alcohol dependence in a population from northeastern Brazil.
Alcohol dependence (AD) is a complex psychiatric disorder, affecting 5.4% of the general population lifetime, characterized by excessive alcohol consumption influenced by environmental risk factors and genetic factors. Genetic alterations in dopaminergic system are involved in the treatment and etiology of AD. The aim of this search was to test the association of the SLC6A3 40 bp-VNTR and DRD2/ANKK1 Taq1A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), a transporter and receptor of the dopaminergic system, with AD through a study in a population of northeastern Brazil. ⋯ These findings suggest that A9 allele and A9/A9 genotype of the SLC6A3 40 bp-VNTR are involved in the vulnerability to AD in the population studied. However, for the DRD2/ANKK1 SNP does not present contributions to the development of AD.
-
Lower-income populations are exposed to excess risks related to the presence of greater concentrations of alcohol outlets in their communities. Theory from economic geography suggests this is due to dynamic processes that shape urban retail markets (as outlets are attracted to areas of higher population density due to the increased demand but are excluded from higher-income areas due to land and structure rents). This mechanism may explain increased exposure to alcohol outlets for lower-income populations in rural areas. This study tests the hypothesis that the distribution of outlets between rural towns will reflect these market dynamics, such that outlets are concentrated in towns with (i) greater resident and temporary populations, (ii) with lower income, and (iii) which are adjacent to towns with higher income. ⋯ The economic geographic processes that lead to greater concentrations of alcohol outlets in lower-income areas are common to all retail markets. Lower-income populations are exposed to increased risk associated with the presence of additional outlets that service demand from nonresidents. In rural areas, these processes appear to operate between discrete towns.
-
Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Dec 2014
Characteristics of women who consume alcohol before and after pregnancy recognition in a Canadian sample: a prospective cohort study.
High levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy are teratogenic to fetal development, yet less is known about the effects of low levels of consumption. Only a few studies have reported on the predictors and maternal characteristics associated with different alcohol consumption patterns prior to and following pregnancy recognition. ⋯ Common risk factors for different alcohol consumption patterns are unintended pregnancy and substance use behaviors prior to pregnancy. Other risk factors were specific to the different patterns. Targeted strategies that address the needs of alcohol or nicotine using women and that can reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy may be beneficial.