Alcohol and alcoholism : international journal of the Medical Council on Alcoholism
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Review Case Reports
Chronic excessive alcohol consumption and male fertility: a case report on reversible azoospermia and a literature review.
The aim of this work was to report on a heavy drinker whose azoospermia was reversed after alcohol withdrawal. We also review the literature on links between alcohol consumption and azoospermia. ⋯ Testicular biopsies should be countra-indicated for heavy drinkers, and in order to increase the chances of obtaining a pregnancy, alcohol abstinence should be encouraged in male with low-to-moderate alcohol intakes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of as-needed nalmefene in alcohol-dependent patients with at least a high drinking risk level: results from a subgroup analysis of two randomized controlled 6-month studies.
The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of as-needed use of nalmefene 18 mg versus placebo in reducing alcohol consumption in patients who did not reduce their alcohol consumption after an initial assessment, i.e. the pooled subgroup of patients with at least a high drinking risk level (men: >60 g/day; women: >40 g/day) at both screening and randomization from the two randomized controlled 6-month studies ESENSE 1 (NCT00811720) and ESENSE 2 (NCT00812461). ⋯ As-needed nalmefene was efficacious in reducing alcohol consumption in patients with at least a high drinking risk level at both screening and randomization, and the effect in this subgroup was larger than in the total population.
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The molecular epidemiological studies on the association of the opioid receptor µ-1 (OPRM1) polymorphism A118G (Asn40Asp, rs1799971) and alcohol use disorders have given conflicting results. The aim of this study was to test the possible association of A118G polymorphism and alcohol use disorders and alcohol consumption in three large cohort-based study samples. ⋯ These results suggest that A118G (Asn40Asp) polymorphism may not have a major effect on the development of alcohol use disorders at least in the Finnish population.
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Dopamine receptors are associated with reward and dependence towards alcohol. The polymorphisms of dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) genes have been reported to be involved in susceptibility to alcoholism. Therefore, we investigated the association of three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DRD2 and ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing one (ANKK1) genes with alcohol dependence in Korean subjects, who were classified by the criteria of the Lesch typology. ⋯ The present study showed a significant difference in DRD2 -141C and ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphisms between the AD patients and the controls. Our findings suggest that -141C Ins and TaqIA A1 alleles can be a predisposing factor for alcohol dependence in the Korean population.
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Observational Study
Relationship between blood alcohol concentration and observable symptoms of intoxication in patients presenting to an emergency department.
Clinical and medico-legal decisions often require knowledge of alcohol impairment that is not necessarily revealed by an individual's appearance, and in turn, may not necessarily reflect level of blood alcohol. This study compares clinical signs and symptoms with measured and estimated blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). ⋯ Measured BAC does not correlate well with the outward physical signs of intoxication, especially for chronic drinkers. There is a need for further education on how tolerance masks clinical signs of intoxication for the chronic drinker. BACs should be measured especially in the obtunded where no history (symptoms) can be given by the patient.