Drinking Research Articles

Factors Predicting Mortality in Methyl Alcohol Intoxication: A Retrospective Clinical Trial

Factors Predicting Mortality in Methyl Alcohol Intoxication: A Retrospective Clinical Trial

Methyl alcohol intoxication in Izmir: A retrospective analysis

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate methyl alcohol poisoning cases in Izmir. Patients and methods: The retrospective study included 15 patients (14 males, 1 female; mean age: 56.1±9.3 years; range, 40 to 71 years) diagnosed with methyl alcohol poisoning due to counterfeit alcoholic beverage consumption between October 1, 2020, and October 30, 2020. Patients were grouped according to survival. The demographic and clinical data, including the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scoring and Glasgow Coma Scale scores, were compared. Results: Of the patients, eight (53.3%) died, and seven survived. There was no significant difference between deceased and surviving patients regarding optical nerve involvement, mechanical ventilation need, and dyspnea (p=0.057, p=0.467, and p=0.467, respectively). On the other hand, a significant difference was observed between deceased and surviving patients regarding radiological imaging, visual impairment, gastrointestinal symptoms, and vasopressor agent need (p=0.044, p<0.001, p=0.011, and p=0.026, respectively). Mortality was significantly correlated with vasopressor agent needs, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and Glasgow Coma Scale score (p=0.009; r=0.645, p=0.009; r=–0.652, p=0.008; and r=0.562, p=0.029; respectively). Conclusion: Methyl alcohol poisoning is a common and even accelerating problem in Türkiye and results in high mortality and morbidity. Clinical, social, and economic strategies should be developed by national authorities to combat the issue.

Особенности применения мер обеспечения производства по делам об административных правонарушениях в отношении несовершеннолетних

This article discusses the issues of applying measures to juvenile offenders to ensure proceedings in cases of administrative offenses, such as delivery, administrative detention, examination for alcohol intoxication. The categories of persons under the age of eighteen and in need of individual preventive measures are highlighted. The author, in order to reduce the level of administrative offenses committed by adolescents, has proposed a number of preventive measures.

Swallowing during provision of helmet ventilation: Review and provisional multidisciplinary guidance.

Use of noninvasive ventilation provided by a helmet increased globally during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This approach may reduce need for intubation and its associated clinical complications in critically ill patients. Use of helmet interface minimizes virus aerosolization while enabling verbal communication, oral feeding and coughing/expectoration of secretions during its administration. Although improved oral hydration is a recognized benefit of helmet NIV, relatively little is known about the safety and efficiency of swallowing during helmet NIV. Risk of aspiration is a key consideration given the fragile pulmonary status of critically ill patients requiring respiratory support, and therefore the decision to initiate oral intake is best made based on multidisciplinary input. We reviewed the current published evidence on NIV and its effects on upper airway physiology and swallowing function. We then presented a case example demonstrating preservation of swallowing performance with helmet NIV. Last, we offer provisional multidisciplinary guidance for clinical practice, and provide directions for future research.

Causes and prognosis of adults experiencing a first seizure in adulthood: A pilot cohort study conducted in five countries in Latin America.

There are limited data on first seizure (FS) among adults in low and middle-income countries. We describe findings from a prospective cohort study involving 180 adults presenting with seizures in emergency departments in five Latin American countries. Overall, 102 participants (56.7%) had acute symptomatic seizures (ASyS) while 78 (43.3%) had unprovoked seizures (UPS). Among patients with ASyS, 55 (53.9%) had structural causes, with stroke (n = 24, 23.5%), tumor (n = 10, 9.8%), and trauma (n = 3, 3%) being the most frequent. Nineteen patients (18.6%) had infectious causes, including four (4%) with meningoencephalitis, three (3%) neurocysticercosis, and two (2%) bacterial meningoencephalitis. Twenty patients (19.6%) had metabolic/toxic evidence, including four (4%) with uremic encephalopathy, two (2%) hyponatremia, and three (3%) acute alcohol intoxication. Immune dysfunction was present in seven (7%) patients and neurodegenerative in two (2%). Among participants with UPS, 45 (57.7%) had unknown etiology, 24 (30.7%) had evidence of structural disorders (remote symptomatic), four (5%) were related to infectious etiology (>7 days before the seizure), and five (6.4%) had genetic causes. During the 3- and 6-month follow-up, 29.8% and 14% of patients with UPS, respectively, experienced seizure recurrence, while 23.9% and 24.5% of patients with ASyS had seizure recurrence. Longer follow-up is necessary to assess seizure recurrence for patients with ASyS after the acute cause is resolved and to determine the 10-year risk of recurrence, which is part of the definition of epilepsy. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: We monitored 180 adults who presented with their first seizure in emergency departments across five Latin American countries. Among these patients, 57% had acute symptomatic seizures, with structural causes such as stroke (23%), infection (17%), or tumor (10%) being more prevalent. Among the 43% with unprovoked seizures, 58% showed no identifiable acute cause, while 6.4% were due to genetics. Within 3 months after their initial seizure, 26.6% of individuals experienced a second seizure, with 11.9% continuing to have seizures in Months 3-6. Between Months 3 and 6, an additional 20% of patients encountered a second seizure. Research is needed to better understand the cause and prognosis of these patients to improve outcomes.

The importance of individual characteristics on bicycle performance during alcohol intoxication

Corrections have been made to the original article version published on 14 February 2024 (e000042, vol. 6, 2024, https://doi.org/10.55329/vmgb9648).

The importance of individual characteristics on bicycle performance during alcohol intoxication

Bicycling accidents are a well-known problem for traffic safety globally. Alcohol intoxication is one possible factor, although the exact number of accidents due to intoxication is difficult to establish. Not all bicyclists act in the same way, particularly when under the influence of alcohol, i.e. bicycling performance might be related to a bicyclist's personal characteristics. This study aimed to investigate if the bicyclist's characteristics (bicycling experience, physical fitness, or sensation seeking scores) influence bicycling stability, cognitive performance, or self-rated bicycling ability ratings at different levels of alcohol intoxication. The experiment was completed on a wide treadmill, which allowed control of several influencing factors such as speed and physical effort. Intoxicated and sober participants bicycled on the treadmill five times for 10 minutes each time, and breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) levels were measured five times. Participants were given doses of alcohol up to a BrAC level of 0.8‰. The results revealed that alcohol intoxication had a significant effect on stability, cognitive executive functions, and self-rated ability to bicycle on the treadmill. Group characteristics had an effect on bicycling performance and on self-ratings of bicycling ability when intoxicated. Alcohol intoxication affects stability, cognitive performance, and perceived ability to bicycle. Group characteristics are important for examining possible self-regulated behavior, as some groups rate that they can bicycle safely, even when there is an objective decrease in stability and executive functions.

Effects of chronic alcohol intoxication on aerobic exercise-induced adaptations in female mice.

Chronic alcohol intoxication decreases muscle strength/function and causes mitochondrial dysfunction. Aerobic exercise training improves mitochondrial oxidative capacity and increases muscle mass and strength. Presently, the impact of chronic alcohol on aerobic exercise-induced adaptations was investigated. Female C57BL/6Hsd mice were randomly assigned to one of four groups: control sedentary (CON SED; n = 26), alcohol sedentary (ETOH SED; n = 27), control exercise (CON EX; n = 28), and alcohol exercise (ETOH EX; n = 25). Exercise mice had running wheel access for 2 h a day, 7 days a week. All mice were fed either control or an alcohol-containing liquid diet. Grip strength testing and EchoMRI were performed before and after the interventions. After 6 wk, hindlimb muscles were collected for molecular analyses. A subset of mice performed a treadmill run to fatigue (RTF), then abstained from alcohol for 2 wk and repeated the RTF. Alcohol decreased lean mass and forelimb grip strength compared with control-fed mice. Alcohol blunted the exercise-induced increase in muscle mass (plantaris and soleus), type IIa fiber percentage in the plantaris, and run time to fatigue. Mitochondrial markers (Citrate synthase activity and Complex I-IV, COXIV and Cytochrome C protein expression) were increased with exercise regardless of ETOH in the gastrocnemius but not tibialis anterior muscle. Two weeks of alcohol abstinence improved RTF time in ETOH EX but not in ETOH SED. These data suggest that alcohol impairs some exercise-induced adaptations in skeletal muscle, but not all were negatively affected, indicating that exercise may be a beneficial behavior even while consuming alcohol.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Alcohol consumption during an aerobic exercise training period prevented training-induced increases in run to fatigue time and grip strength. Cessation of alcohol allowed for recovery of endurance performance within 2 wk. The worsened exercise performance after alcohol was unrelated to impairments in markers of mitochondrial health. Therefore, some adaptations to exercise training are impaired with alcohol use (endurance performance, muscle growth, and strength), while others remain mostly unaffected (mitochondrial health).

Hypothesis of a CD137/Eomes activating axis for effector T cells in HPV oropharyngeal cancers

Chronic Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection is supplanting alcohol and tobacco intoxications as the leading cause of oropharyngeal cancer in developed countries. HPV-related squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx (HPV + OSC) present better survival and respond better to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Regulatory T cells (TREG) are mainly described as immunosuppressive and protumoral in most solid cancers. However, TREG are paradoxically associated with a better prognosis in HPV + OSCs. The transcription factor FoxP3 is the basis for the identification of TREG. Among CD4 + FoxP3 + T cells, some have effector functions. A medical hypothesis is formulated here: the existence of a CD137 (4.1BB)-Eomesodermin (Eomes) activated pathway downstream of TCR-specific activation in a subpopulation of CD4 + FoxP3 + T cells may explain this effector function. Evidence suggest that this axis may exist either in CD4 + FoxP3 + T cells or CD8 + T cells. This pathway could lead T cells to strong antitumor cytotoxic activity in a tumor-specific manner. Furthermore, CD137 is one of the most expected targets for the development of agonist immunotherapies. The identification of CD137 + Eomes + FoxP3+/- T cells could be a key element in the selective activation of the most anti-tumor cells in the HPV + OSC microenvironment.

Characteristics, toxicology and major organ pathology of deaths due to acute alcohol toxicity in Australia, 2011-2022.

Acute alcohol toxicity is a significant component of alcohol-related mortality. The study aimed to: (i) determine the circumstances of death and characteristics of fatal alcohol toxicity cases, 2011-2022; (ii) determine their toxicological profile and major autopsy findings; and (iii) determine trends in population mortality rates. Retrospective study of acute alcohol toxicity deaths in Australia, 2011-2022, retrieved from the National Coronial Information System. A total of 891 cases were identified, with a mean age of 49.2 years, 71.0% being male. Alcohol use problems were noted in 71.3%. In 57.5% death was attributed solely to acute alcohol toxicity, and combined acute alcohol toxicity/disease in 42.5%. There was evidence of sudden collapse in 24.9% of cases. The mean BAC was 0.331 g/100 mL (range 0.107-0.936), and spirits were the most commonly reported beverages (35.8%). Cases of combined toxicity/disease had significantly lower BACs than those attributed solely to alcohol toxicity (0.296 vs. 0.358 g/100 mL). Cardiomegaly was diagnosed in 32.5%, and severe coronary artery disease in 22.1%. Aspiration of vomitus was noted in 18.0%, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 19.6%. Severe liver steatosis was present in 33.4% and 13.6% had cirrhosis. There was an average annual percentage increase in deaths of 7.90. The 'typical' case was a long-standing, heavy spirits drinker. BACs showed enormous variation and no arbitrary concentration may be deemed lethal. Clinically significant disease was associated with death at a lower BAC and people with such disease may be at increased risk of alcohol poisoning.

Investigating the prevalence of halitosis and its associated factors amongst the general population of Karachi, Pakistan.

To assess the prevalence of halitosis among the general population of Karachi, and to identify factors contributing to its occurrence. The cross-sectional study was conducted from March to July 2022 in Karachi after approval from the ethics review board of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, and comprised the adult population of Karachi. Data was collected online using a questionnaire that was piloted before its link was distributed through social media platforms. The questionnaire evaluated the association of demographic features with self-perceived halitosis on the basis of which factors predictive of halitosis were determined. Data was analysed using SPSS 26. Of a total of 342 subjects, 182(53%) were females and 160(47%) were males. There were 141(41$) subjects aged 18-25 years, and 166(48%) were graduates. Overall, 240(70%) subjects reported to have self-perceived halitosis. Age, monthly household income, niswar and tea consumption, irregular use of dental floss and tongue cleaning were associated with higher incidence of halitosis (p<0.05). Carrying water bottle while outside was associated with decreased halitosis (p=0.007). Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, sinusitis, asthma, diabetes, hypertension and mental stress were associated with halitosis (p<0.05). Higher monthly household income and daily use of dental floss predicted lower odds of halitosis (p<0.05). Maintaining good oral hygiene and hydration reduced, while comorbid conditions increased the probability of halitosis.

Drinking alcohol appears to have no impact on self-perceptions of morality, aggressiveness, or intelligence.

People generally perceive themselves as moral but does this tendency change after alcohol consumption? In the current research, we tested whether alcoholic intoxication affects self-assessments of morality (i.e., the self-importance of moral identity and the moral self-concept), and we also tested self-assessment of aggressiveness and intelligence. We conducted a preregistered laboratory experiment with participants divided into three groups: alcohol intoxication (n = 106), placebo (n = 114), and control condition (n = 109). We did not detect statistically significant differences in self-assessments across conditions. These data are consistent with the conclusion that self-assessments of morality, aggressiveness, and intelligence may be too stable to be affected by the momentary changes in self-perception caused by alcoholic intoxication. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Higher Rates Of Homelessness Are Associated With Increases In Mortality From Accidental Drug And Alcohol Poisonings.

Alcohol and drug overdoses have multiple complex causes. In this article we contribute to the literature that links homelessness, the most extreme form of housing disruption, to accidental SUD-related poisonings. Using plausibly exogenous variation from a state's landlord-tenant policies that influence evictions, we estimated the causal impact of homelessness on SUD-related mortality. We found large effects of homelessness on SUD-related poisonings (for example, a 10percent increase in homelessness led to a 3.2percent increase in opioid poisonings in metropolitan areas). Our findings indicate that reducing local homelessness rates from the seventy-fifth to the fiftieth percentile levels could have saved more than 1,900 lives from opioid overdoses across all metropolitan localities in the final year of our study data. We conclude that strengthening the social safety net in terms of housing security could help curb the ongoing SUD-related poisoning epidemic in the US.

Mortal Systemic Exclusion Yielded Steep Mortality-Rate Increases In People Experiencing Homelessness, 2011-20.

The number and percentage of people in the US dying while homeless has increased in recent years. However, information about the causes of death most prevalent among this population, and about how cause-specific mortality rates may be shifting over time, has been limited to locally specific data. Using a unique data set of 22,143 homeless decedents in twenty-two localities across ten states and Washington, D.C., from the period 2011-20, we found large increases in all-cause and cause-specific homeless mortality rates. The largest increases in cause-specific homeless mortality rates in the ten-year period were for deaths related to drug and alcohol overdose, diabetes, infection, cancer, homicide, and traffic injury. We discuss implications of these results and posit that people experiencing homelessness are systematically excluded from the life-affirming institutions of housing and health care, in an example of mortal systemic exclusion. The findings have important implications for existing local and federal policy approaches to homelessness.

Food and alcohol disturbance, alcohol use, and negative consequences among college students engaging in binge drinking: A longitudinal examination of between- and within-person effects.

Researchers have documented robust associations between food and alcohol disturbance (FAD-intoxication; restricting caloric intake before or during alcohol consumption to experience a quicker and/or more intense alcohol intoxication) and alcohol use and related negative consequences. However, most of this research has utilized cross-sectional designs. Consequently, two crucial gaps have not yet been filled: (a) the separation of the relatively stable, between-person and the fluctuating, within-person components in the relations between FAD-intoxication and alcohol-related constructs; and (b) the examination of the directionality of these within-person relations. Participants were college students (n = 686) who reported past-month binge drinking. Most participants identified as White (71.3%), female (78.4%), non-Hispanic (87.8%), with a mean age of 20.64 (SD = 3.25). Participants completed three online surveys assessing FAD-intoxication (College Eating and Drinking Behaviors Scale), alcohol use (Daily Drinking Questionnaire), and related negative consequences (Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire). Analyses revealed that FAD-intoxication was positively associated with alcohol use and related negative consequences at the between-person level. Additionally, at the within-person level, FAD-intoxication at Time 2 significantly predicted alcohol use at Time 3. Notably, the cross-lagged effect from FAD-intoxication at Time 1 to alcohol use at Time 2 was not significant. FAD-intoxication did not significantly predict negative consequences. Neither use nor consequences significantly predicted FAD-intoxication. Our results suggest that FAD-intoxication is relevant to the study of alcohol use and related negative consequences and should be considered in interventions targeting alcohol use and related negative consequences among students who endorse binge drinking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Oral Water Hydration May Impact Hematocrit and Blood Sugar Levels in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction: Patients of diabetes repeatedly need blood glucose measurement, which may be falsely high due to less water intake and poor hydration of the patients. Aims &amp; Objectives: To determine the effect of water intake or hydration on hematocrit and blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes mellitus. Place and Duration of Study: Pathology Department and Diabetic Center of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan from January 2023 to July 2023. Material &amp; Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted in total 75 Type-1 &amp; Type-2 diabetes patients using convenient sampling technique. 5 ml blood samples were drawn before and 20 minutes after oral hydration with 500 ml of oral water in all these patients to determine the effect on hematocrit and blood sugar levels. The data was entered and analyzed on SPSS version 23. Pre and post observations were compared using paired t-test. p-value&lt;0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results: The mean value for age and BSR (before and after) of study subjects was 46±11 years, 200±97 mg/dl, and 199±94 mg/dl (p=0.8) respectively. While mean value of HCT before hydration was 39±5.8% and after hydration was 38±6.4% (p=0.006). Conclusion: Oral water hydration impacted mean hematocrit values in diabetic patients, significantly lowering them whereas their mean BSR values remained unaffected.

The detection of alcohol intoxication using electrooculography signals from smart glasses and machine learning techniques

The operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol poses a significant risk to the safety of the driver, passengers, and other road users. Electrooculographic (EOG) signal analysis can be used to understand the movements and behavior of the eyes while driving. In our study, we used smart glasses to collect EOG data from nine participants who used a driving simulator. Their level of alcoholic intoxication was simulated by drunk vision goggles at three different levels of inebriation (0, 1, 2, and 3‰ blood alcohol content). We used machine learning algorithms (decision trees, support vector machines, nearest-neighbor classifiers, boosted trees, bagged trees, subspace discriminant classifier, subspace k nearest-neighbor classifier, and RUSBoosted Trees) to analyze the data. The Bagged Trees achieved the highest accuracy of 79%. The most important features to detect simulated alcohol intoxication were the blink rate and the velocity of the saccade, a rapid simultaneous movement of both eyes in the same direction. Our study shows the potential of using smart glasses and machine learning for the automated detection of alcohol intoxication, even when alcohol consumption is simulated.

Experimental Model Of Renal Alcoholism And Their Correction Methods

Chronic ethanol intoxication leads to a noticeable increase in the morphometric parameters of parts of the nephron of the kidneys. At 12 months of age during the experiment, the greatest increase in the diameter of the glomerulus (19.8%), the thickness of the Shumlyansky-Bowman capsule (29.1%) and the collecting ducts (25.9%) occurs. The use of polaren syrup slightly reduces the dilated lumen of the tubules, selectively affecting the morphometric parameters of the glomerulus and nephron capsule

How Do Bystanders Help in Drinking Situations: The Bystanders to Alcohol Risk Scale--Strategies.

Bystander intervention (BI) is a promising approach for promoting collective behavior change that has been applied to several domains, including sexual assault, bullying, and more recently, problematic alcohol use. Accurately measuring the strategies that bystanders use to reduce others' alcohol-related risk is an essential step toward improving bystanders' ability to reduce alcohol-related harm in their communities, but current measures of BI are not easily modifiable and applicable for alcohol-related BI. The current study aimed to develop a valid and reliable measure of the bystander construct most proximal to the reduction of risk: bystander strategies. Young adults (N = 1,011) who reported being around someone who showed signs of alcohol intoxication in the past 3 months were recruited via Qualtrics Panels to participate in an online survey; a subsample (n = 345) completed a 2-week follow-up. Psychometric evaluation included exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, item response theory analyses, convergent validity, and test-retest reliability. An initial set of 52 items was reduced to 17 items, representing two different factors. The first factor, Level 1, reflected strategies used during circumstances of acute risk. The second factor, Level 2, reflected strategies used to reduce risk for more longstanding problems with alcohol. Both factors demonstrated good model fit, strong internal consistency, evidence of convergent validity, and moderate test-retest reliability. This novel measure can contribute to the production of knowledge about the use and efficacy of peer-focused strategies and the value of BI training for alcohol use.

Anaphylaxis as probable cause of death in a rare case of fatal Vipera berus bite.

This case report describes the death of a 52-year-old male who was bitten by a venomous snake, Vipera berus (common European adder), on his left wrist. Despite experiencing symptoms, the patient refused medical care and self-medicated with alcohol instead. He was later found dead in his residence. Autopsy and histological examination revealed evidence of an anaphylactic reaction in response to the snake bite, with additional findings of alcohol intoxication and other underlying medical conditions.