Alcoholic Research Articles

Role of Momentary Alcohol Cognitions in Event-Level Relations Between PTSD Symptoms and Alcohol Outcomes: Le rôle des cognitions momentanées liées à l'alcool au niveau de l'événement entre les symptômes du TSPT et la consommation d'alcool.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) commonly co-occur. Momentary alcohol cognitions may represent in-the-moment, modifiable risk factors to target in interventions for comorbid PTSD and AUD. However, the role of such cognitions in risk for problematic drinking as it emerges in response to individuals' fluctuating PTSD symptoms across their daily lives remains unknown. The present study aimed to test whether state-level PTSD-alcohol expectancies and/or drinking motives modulate in-the-moment associations between PTSD symptoms and alcohol outcomes. Frequent drinking adults with current PTSD (n = 54) reported on their posttraumatic symptoms and alcohol cognitions, craving, and consumption during four momentary surveys each day for 14 days (3,024 observations) in an ecological momentary assessment design. Multilevel moderation analyses tested whether in-the-moment PTSD-alcohol expectancies and/or drinking motives moderated relations of PTSD symptoms with alcohol craving and consumption. Findings demonstrated a significant interaction between PTSD symptoms and coping drinking motives on in-the-moment alcohol craving. Specifically, greater experience of PTSD symptoms related more strongly to craving for alcohol during events in which drinkers endorsed higher levels of coping drinking motives. There were no additional interaction effects for drinking motives or PTSD-alcohol expectancies on either alcohol craving or consumption. Coping drinking motives appear to convey strong in-the-moment risk for PTSD-related alcohol craving yet not subsequent alcohol consumption. Future research should delineate concurrent alcohol risk and possible protective processes active in the presence of PTSD symptoms to help identify targets for interventions tailored to the unique risk processes maintaining comorbid PTSD and AUD.

Things We Do for No Reason™: Avoiding naltrexone for alcohol use disorder in liver disease.

Hospitalizations related to alcohol use disorder (AUD) are common. Yet, few patients receive pharmacotherapy consistent with guideline recommendations. Previous concerns over the potential hepatotoxicity of naltrexone have been disproven and recent studies have shown its safety and efficacy in patients with cirrhosis. Naltrexone is an effective therapy to reduce heavy alcohol consumption, however, lack of knowledge among prescribers inhibits greater uptake. Hospitalization is an opportune time for change-naltrexone can promote the reduction or cessation of unhealthy alcohol consumption, as well as subsequent readmissions or progression of alcohol-related liver disease. Hospitalists should stop avoiding naltrexone in the treatment of AUD.

Trends in allergic sensitization and diseases in the Korean general population over a 9-year period.

The prevalence of allergic sensitization and diseases varies over time owing to climate, environment, and lifestyle changes. To analyze changes in sensitization to house dust mites (HDM) and dogs and the prevalence of allergic diseases in the Korean general population over a 9-year period and identify contributing factors. This cross-sectional study used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2010 and 2019. Participants were aged ≥10 years, with the analysis stratified by adolescents (10-18 years) and adults (≥19 years). We evaluated the prevalence of allergic sensitization and diseases, examining links to clinicodemographic factors, across the two years. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between sensitization and clinicopathological factors. In total, 4084 participants (2010: n=2,019; 2019: n=2,065) were enrolled. In 2010, HDM sensitization was 36.9%, declining to 36.6% in 2019. Dog sensitization decreased from 6.1% in 2010 to 5.8% in 2019. There were no significant differences between the two years in total participants; however, dog sensitization increased significantly among adolescents (2010: 8.7% vs. 2019: 15.3%; p=.027). In 2010, HDM sensitization was negatively associated with urban residence (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.76 [0.60-0.96]) and apartment dwelling (0.78 [0.64-0.95]), without significance in 2019. In adolescents, dog sensitization was strongly correlated with urban residence (8.06 [1.53-42.49]) in 2010, whereas HDM sensitization was associated with obesity (2.02 [1.04- 3.91]) in 2019. In adults, heavy drinking was linked to dog sensitization (2.35 [1.20-4.62]) in 2010, and HDM sensitization in 2019 (1.44 [1.03-2.02]). : The prevalence of HDM sensitization remained stable over 9 years, with an increase in dog sensitization among adolescents. Factors associated sensitization differed between age groups and years. Understanding these trends and related factors in the general population can inform healthcare providers in developing new strategies to reduce allergic sensitization and diseases.

What do women experiencing domestic violence expect from healthcare professionals? A qualitative study in Sri Lanka

ObjectivesFor healthcare professionals (HCPs) to provide optimal support for women experiencing domestic violence (DV), it is important to understand what type of support women expect from HCPs. The objective of...

A longitudinal study of alcohol consumption among adults in Victoria, Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whilst public health measures were effective in reducing COVID-19 transmission, unintended negative consequences may have occurred. This study aims to assess changes alcohol consumption and the heavy episodic drinking (HED) during the pandemic. Data were from the Optimise Study, a longitudinal cohort of Australian adults September 2020-August 2022 that over-sampled priority populations at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, developing severe COVID-19 or experiencing adverse consequences of lockdowns. Frequency of alcohol consumption (mean number of days per week) and past-week HED were self-reported. Generalised linear models estimated the association between time and (1) the frequency of alcohol consumption and (2) heavy episodic drinking. Data from 688 participants (mean age: 44.7 years, SD:17.0; 72.7% female) and 10,957 surveys were included. Mean days of alcohol consumption per week decreased from 1.92 (SD: 1.92) in 2020 to 1.54 (SD:1.94) in 2022. The proportion of participants reporting HED decreased from 25.4% in 2020 to 13.1% in 2022. During two lockdown periods, known as "lockdown five", (OR:0.65, 95%CI [0.47,0.90]) and "lockdown six" (OR:0.76, 95%CI [0.67,0.87]), participants were less likely to report HED. Participants alcohol drinking frequency and HED decreased during the pandemic. This study provides a strong description of alcohol consumption during the pandemic and suggests that lockdowns did not have the unintended consequences of increased alcohol consumption.

Current and emerging strategies for the prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, with incident cases expected to rise from 905,700 in 2020 to 1.4 million by 2040. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for about 80% of all primary liver cancers. Viral hepatitis and chronic excessive alcohol consumption are major risk factors for HCC, but metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease is also becoming a dominant cause. The increasing numbers of cases of HCC and changes in risk factors highlight the urgent need for updated and targeted prevention strategies. Preventive interventions encompass strategies to decrease the burden of chronic liver diseases and their progression to HCC. These strategies include nutritional interventions and medications that have shown promise in preclinical models. Although prevailing approaches focus on treating chronic liver disease, leveraging a wider range of interventions represents a promising area to safeguard at-risk populations. In this Review, we explore existing evidence for preventive strategies by highlighting established and potential paths to reducing HCC risk effectively and safely, especially in individuals with chronic liver diseases. We categorize the preventive strategies by the mechanism of action, including anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycaemic, lipid-lowering, nutrition and dietary, antiviral, and antifibrotic pathways. For each category, we discuss the efficacy and safety information derived from mechanistic, translational, observational and clinical trial data, pinpointing knowledge gaps and directions for future research.

Association between Alcohol Consumption and Stroke in Nigeria and Ghana: A Case-control Study.

The aim of the study was to examine the association between alcohol consumption and stroke in Nigeria and Ghana. The study is a multicentre, case-control study. Cases included consenting adults 18 years of age and older with acute stroke. The controls were age- and gender-matched, stroke-free adults. Alcohol consumption was self-reported. The participants were classified into three alcohol-drinking status groups, which included abstainers, former drinkers, and current drinkers. The current drinkers were further classified into different alcohol drinking levels, including infrequent drinkers, light drinkers, moderate drinkers, heavy drinkers, and binge drinkers. Conditional logistic regression was used to determine associations between the drinkers' status and stroke, respectively, as well as the association between the different levels of current drinkers and strokes, respectively. Five models were evaluated. Model 1 was unadjusted. Model 2 had adjustments for demographic characteristics. Model 3 included Model 2, lifestyle and psychosocial function adjustments. Model 4 includes Model 3 and dietary factor adjustments. Model 5 included Model 4 and metabolic factor adjustments. A total of 7,368 participants took part in the study. Half were stroke participants, and half were control participants. On the associations between drinking status and strokes, respectively, former drinkers showed no significant association with strokes; however, there were significant associations between current drinkers and strokes in models 1 and 2, and the odds ratio of stroke risk was 1.19 (95% CI: 1.04-1.38; p<0.05) and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.01-1.36; p<0.05), respectively. Regarding the various levels of current drinkers and their association with stroke, no significant association was observed between light drinkers and stroke in model 5. In contrast, moderate drinkers, binge drinkers, and heavy drinkers showed a persistent and significant association with stroke, respectively. There is a significant association between strokes and current alcohol consumption, especially among heavy, binge, and moderate drinkers.

The combination of a glucagon-like peptide-1 and amylin receptor agonists reduces alcohol consumption in both male and female rats.

Combining different pharmaceuticals may be beneficial when treating disorders with complex neurobiology, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). The gut-brain peptides amylin and GLP-1 may be of potential interest as they individually reduce alcohol intake in rodents. While the combination of amylin receptor (AMYR) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists have been found to decrease feeding and body weight in obese male rats synergistically, their combined impact on alcohol intake is unknown. Therefore, the effect of the combination of an AMYR (salmon calcitonin (sCT)) and a GLP-1R (dulaglutide) agonist on alcohol intake in rats of both sexes was explored in two separate alcohol-drinking experiments. The first alcohol-drinking experiment evaluated the potential of adding sCT to an ongoing dulaglutide treatment, whereas the second alcohol-drinking experiment examined the effect when adding sCT and dulaglutide simultaneously. When adding sCT to an ongoing dulaglutide treatment, a reduction in alcohol intake was observed in both male and female rats. However, when combining sCT and dulaglutide simultaneously, an initial reduction in alcohol intake was observed in rats of both sexes, whereas tolerance towards treatment was observed. In both alcohol-drinking experiments, this treatment combination consistently decreased food consumption and body weight in males and females. While the treatment combination did not affect inflammatory mediators, the gene expression of AMYR or GLP-1R, it changed fat tissue morphology. Further investigation needs to be done on the combination of AMYR and GLP-1R agonists to assess their combined effects on alcohol intake.

In case you haven't heard…

There has been an increasingly loud drumbeat of layperson articles about the dangers of drinking, first on the problems of moderate drinking, and now, surprisingly in the United States (although not England), on the risks of drinking any alcohol at all. Whether Americans will espouse the message is unclear; alcohol deaths related to heavy drinking are going up. This and other warnings were included in a Thanksgiving‐related article in The New York Times last month. Perhaps studies will find that such deaths are linked to any drinking at all. But the question is how the nation will respond. People who don't drink at all are in the majority. But most alcohol is consumed by only 10‐20% of the population. Dry January is just around the corner. As one of the world's most mysterious addictions, alcohol use disorder could stand a closer look, with maybe even a return to the idea of higher excise taxes, the most prominent prevention found yet.

Sexual Assault-Related Interactions and Social Reactions in the Initial Months Following Assault: A Daily Diary Study.

Most sexual assault survivors disclose to informal supporters and receive both negative and positive social reactions. Converging evidence suggests that the first months after sexual assault are a period of increased support-seeking that may be uniquely important to survivors' recovery, especially among survivors at risk of chronic post-traumatic stress and alcohol misuse. However, no research has examined when and how often survivors talk about their assault and what social reactions they receive during this time. As such, the goal of this study was to characterize the day-to-day assault-related interactions and social reactions received by a high-risk group of survivors during the first months following sexual assault. Adult female survivors of past-10-week sexual assault with elevated assault-related post-traumatic stress and alcohol use (N = 41) completed a baseline assessment and daily diaries over 21 days as part of a larger mHealth clinical trial. Results demonstrated that assault-related interactions occurred on an average of 24.4% of days (range: 1-14 days), were more likely to occur earlier in the daily dairy period, and decreased in frequency over time. Across days, most survivors (75%) received both positive and negative reactions in these interactions, whereas fewer (20%) received only positive reactions and no one received only negative reactions. These findings suggest that survivors commonly have assault-related interactions with their supporters in the initial aftermath of the assault and that receiving both positive and negative social reactions is typical. Findings could inform future early interventions aiming to improve supporter reactions and better support survivors' recovery.

Modulatory effects of CNNM4 on Protein-L-Isoaspartyl-O-Methyltransferase repair function during Alcohol-Induced hepatic damage.

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of liver-related mortality worldwide, with limited treatment options beyond abstinence and liver transplantation. Chronic alcohol consumption has been linked to magnesium (Mg2+) deficiency, which can influence the liver disease progression. The mechanisms underlying Mg2+ homeostasis dysregulation in ALD remain elusive. This study aimed to investigate the role of the Mg2+ transporter Cyclin M4 (CNNM4) in ALD by analyzing its expression patterns in ALD patients and preclinical animal models. In this study, CNNM4 is upregulated in the liver of both ALD patients and animal models. CNNM4 overexpression triggers Mg²⁺ homeostasis dysregulation, linked to ALD progression. We propose a novel therapeutic approach for ALD treatment using N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) silencing RNA (siRNA) technology to specifically modulate Cnnm4 expression in the liver, improving mitochondrial function and alleviating ER stress. Notably, silencing Cnnm4 restores protein isoaspartyl methyltransferase (PCMT1) activity, essential for repairing ethanol-induced protein damage. Enhancing mitochondrial activity through Cnnm4-dependent mechanisms increases SAMe levels, crucial for PCMT1 function, highlighting the interconnected roles of mitochondrial health and protein homeostasis in ALD treatment. These findings shed light on the dysregulation of Mg2+ homeostasis in ALD, providing a promising therapeutic approach targeting CNNM4. GalNAc siCnnm4 therapy boost the repair processes of ethanol damaged proteins through the upregulation of PCMT1 activity.

Prefrontal electrophysiological biomarkers and mechanism-based drug effects in a rat model of alcohol addiction

Patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who seek treatment show highly variable outcomes. A precision medicine approach with biomarkers responsive to new treatments is warranted to overcome this limitation. Promising biomarkers relate to prefrontal control mechanisms that are severely disturbed in AUD. This results in reduced inhibitory control of compulsive behavior and, eventually, relapse. We reasoned here that prefrontal dysfunction, which underlies vulnerability to relapse, is evidenced by altered neuroelectric signatures and should be restored by pharmacological interventions that specifically target prefrontal dysfunction. To test this, we applied our recently developed biocompatible neuroprosthesis to measure prefrontal neural function in a well-established rat model of alcohol addiction and relapse. We monitored neural oscillations and event-related potentials in awake alcohol-dependent rats during abstinence and following treatment with psilocybin or LY379268, agonists of the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR), and the metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGluR2), that are known to reduce prefrontal dysfunction and relapse. Electrophysiological impairments in alcohol-dependent rats are reduced amplitudes of P1N1 and N1P2 components and attenuated event-related oscillatory activity. Psilocybin and LY379268 were able to restore these impairments. Furthermore, alcohol-dependent animals displayed a dominance in higher beta frequencies indicative of a state of hyperarousal that is prone to relapse, which particularly psilocybin was able to counteract. In summary, we provide prefrontal markers indicative of relapse and treatment response, especially for psychedelic drugs.

Prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorder among Medical Students in New Delhi: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Introduction: Amid the global concern over alcohol consumption’s ramifications for public health, the escalating prevalence of alcohol misuse among young individuals, especially students, is alarming. This study examines the prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) among medical students, exploring its link to depression, anxiety, and socioeconomic factors. Material and Methods: We conducted this cross-sectional study at a medical college in New Delhi in the month of June, 2023. We determined a sample size of 425 using prevalence estimates for AUD, a 4% margin of error, and a 15% nonresponse rate. We selected participants using simple random sampling from the MBBS enrollment list and provided them with self-administered questionnaires. We utilized validated screening tools, including PHQ-9, GAD-7, AUDIT-C, and CAGE, to assess depression, anxiety, and AUD. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 18. AUD prevalence was presented with 95% confidence intervals. Associations between AUD and variables were examined using Chi-square tests. Significant variables (P &lt; 0.2) in univariate analysis were considered in multivariate logistic regression (P &lt; 0.05). Results: In our study, 413 students participated. The prevalence of AUD was 13.6%, depression was 31.5%, and anxiety was 24.2%. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression revealed significant associations between AUD and factors such as gender, current living space, tobacco use, and anxiety. Conclusion: The current study highlights worrisome levels of AUD, depression, and anxiety among medical students in New Delhi. Our research also reveals connections between AUD and factors like gender, living situation, tobacco use, and anxiety.

Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with utilization of alcohol use disorder treatment in a multicenter study of patients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment can help improve clinical outcomes among patients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis but is underutilized. Among socioeconomically disadvantaged patients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis, we examined rates of lifetime and past 12-month AUD treatment utilization and associated demographic and clinical characteristics. Racial/ethnically diverse patients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis who had at least one hepatology clinic visit in the prior 6 months were recruited from three Northern California medical centers serving veterans and safety-net populations. Participants self-reported their AUD treatment utilization, liver disease quality of life (LDQoL), history and current symptoms of anxiety and depression, and problematic drinking as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Clinical measures including liver disease severity were captured from medical records. Among 196 participants, the majority were male (88%) with a mean age of 62 years. Two-thirds of participants (67%) reported ever utilizing AUD treatment and 32% reported utilizing AUD treatment in the past 12 months. Compared with those who did not utilize AUD treatment, participants who utilized lifetime or past 12-month AUD treatment were younger, had lower LDQoL scores, and had higher scores on current symptoms of anxiety, depression, and problematic drinking. In multivariable analyses, the odds of ever utilizing pharmacological treatment alone or both behavioral and pharmacological treatment (vs. none) were lower with older age or higher LDQoL, and higher among those with a history of anxiety/depressive disorder. For past 12-month treatment utilization, odds were lower with older age, and higher among those with current clinically significant anxiety/depression or problematic drinking. Patients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis who were younger or had anxiety/depression and problematic drinking were more likely to utilize AUD treatment. To improve AUD treatment utilization, targeted outreach to patients less likely to receive care and the provision of integrated ALD and AUD treatment is warranted.

Type 2 Diabetes Health Care Outcomes for Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder Starting Addiction Treatment.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is common and may complicate type 2 diabetes (T2DM) management. Little research has examined diabetes outcomes for people with T2DM and AUD, including during the window when patients start specialty addiction treatment. To examine diabetes-related health monitoring, clinical outcomes, and acute health care use among patients with T2DM and AUD newly accessing specialty addiction treatment. This retrospective cohort study included electronic health record data from a large, integrated health care delivery system. Adults with T2DM and an index outpatient health care visit during 2016-2021 were included. Patients whose index visit was an initial AUD-related visit in specialty addiction treatment were in the AUD group. The comparison group had no AUD or addiction medicine visits. Outcomes were diabetes-related health monitoring, achievement of treatment targets, complications, and acute health care use during the 12months post-index visit. The study included 222,334 adults with T2DM, 1,998 with AUD. Relative to the comparison group, participants with AUD had elevated risk for hypoglycemia (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.49, 3.08), cardiovascular complications (aRR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.34, 1.53), and neuropathy (aRR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.14, 1.41), and were less likely to be non-smokers (aRR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.86, 0.90), after adjusting for confounding factors. In adjusted models, the AUD versus comparison group had similar or higher rates of diabetes monitoring (e.g., any glycemic test, aRR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.17, 1.22) and metabolic control (e.g., hemoglobin A1c < 8.0%, aRR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.11, 1.18). Patients with co-occurring T2DM and AUD in an integrated health care delivery system are vulnerable to diabetes complications that could be addressed during the early phase of specialty addiction treatment.

Childhood trauma is associated with developmental trajectories of EEG coherence, alcohol-related outcomes, and PTSD symptoms.

Associations between childhood trauma, neurodevelopment, alcohol use disorder (AUD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are understudied during adolescence. Using 1652 participants (51.75% female, baseline Mage = 14.3) from the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism, we employed latent growth curve models to (1) examine associations of childhood physical, sexual, and non-assaultive trauma (CPAT, CSAT, and CNAT) with repeated measures of alpha band EEG coherence (EEGc), and (2) assess whether EEGc trajectories were associated with AUD and PTSD symptoms. Sex-specific models accommodated sex differences in trauma exposure, AUD prevalence, and neural development. In females, CSAT was associated with higher mean levels of EEGc in left frontocentral (LFC, ß = 0.13, p = 0.01) and interhemispheric prefrontal (PFI, ß = 0.16, p < 0.01) regions, but diminished growth in LFC (ß = -0.07, p = 0.02) and PFI (ß = -0.07, p = 0.02). In males, CPAT was associated with lower mean levels (ß = -0.17, p = 0.01) and increased growth (ß = 0.11, p = 0.01) of LFC EEGc. Slope of LFC EEGc was inversely associated with AUD symptoms in females (ß = -1.81, p = 0.01). Intercept of right frontocentral and PFI EEGc were associated with AUD symptoms in males, but in opposite directions. Significant associations between EEGc and PTSD symptoms were also observed in trauma-exposed individuals. Childhood assaultive trauma is associated with changes in frontal alpha EEGc and subsequent AUD and PTSD symptoms, though patterns differ by sex and trauma type. EEGc findings may inform emerging treatments for PTSD and AUD.

Impact of alcohol use disorder on inpatient hospitalizations: A comparison of outcomes between urban and rural Veterans Affairs hospitals.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality that disproportionately affects rural residents and Veterans. To evaluate the burden of AUD in admissions at rural and urban hospitals within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) comparing patient characteristics, clinical outcomes, and 1-, 3-, and 5-year mortality rates. Retrospective cross-sectional study of patients admitted to VHA hospitals from 2016 to 2020, with a primary or secondary diagnosis related to AUD. Follow-up mortality data was collected through September 30, 2023. From 2.9 million qualifying admissions, AUD-related diagnoses were present in 14.3% of admitted patients (427,375 admissions among 190,152 unique patients in 129 facilities). Rural hospitals (n = 22) had a significantly higher overall admission rate for AUD-related diagnoses (21.6% vs. 14.8%, p = .011), higher 30-day readmission rates (17.8% vs. 15.3%, p < .001), but lower hospital-level average length of stay (median = 4.3 vs. 5.6, p < .001). Mortality in rural hospitals was lower than urban at 1 year (9.6% vs. 11.4%, p < .001), 3 years (20.7% vs. 23.1%, p < .001), and 5 years (30.4% vs. 32.9%, p < .001). Rural VHA hospitals have a higher proportion of patients admitted with AUD-related diagnoses and higher readmission rates, but lower mortality rates. Approximately, one in three patients admitted with an AUD-related diagnosis died within the 5-year follow-up period. The mortality rates observed are extraordinary and deserve urgent attention. A comprehensive plan to address AUD in the Veteran population, including how we approach and engage patients in treatment during hospitalizations with any primary or secondary AUD diagnoses, is needed.

Age at onset as an index of genetic heterogeneity in major psychiatric and substance use disorders.

Robust clinical indices of etiologic heterogeneity for psychiatric disorders are rare. We investigate whether age at onset (AAO) reflects genetic heterogeneity, utilizing Genetic Risk Ratios (GRR) derived from Family Genetic Risk Scores (FGRS). We examined, in individuals born in Sweden 1940-2003, whether AAO for five primary disorders -- drug use disorder (DUD), alcohol use disorder (AUD), major depression (MD), bipolar disorder (BD), and schizophrenia (SZ)-- was associated with varying levels of GRRs with a range of informative secondary disorders and traits. Our disorders displayed a varying pattern of change of GRRs with increasing AAO. At one end was SZ, where all GRRs rose with increasing AAO meaning that SZ became increasing genetically heterogeneous with later AAO. The most balanced disorder was AUD where, with increasing AAO, GRRs rose for AD, BD, and MD and declined for DUD, CB, and ADHD. That is, at young AAO, AUD had high levels of genetic risk for other externalizing disorders while at older AAO, high genetic risk for internalizing disorders were more prominent. MD was at the continuum's other end where all GRRs, except for AD, decreased with higher AAO, meaning that MD became increasingly genetically homogeneous with later AAO. Genetic heterogeneity was robustly associated with AAO across our five primary disorders with substantial inter-disorder differences in the observed patterns. In particular, young AAO was associated with maximal genetic homogeneity for SZ and DUD while older AAO had greater genetic homogeneity for MD with AUD falling in between.

Harms to children from men’s heavy drinking: A scoping review

Background: Research has examined a range of impacts of women’s drinking on children. However, fewer studies have addressed the consequences of men’s heavy drinking on children. This review aims to identify and describe the types of behaviours and actions that arise from men's drinking and are likely to cause harm to children and to identify and describe the types of harms that children experience that stem from men's drinking. Methods: Review articles from 1990 to September 2023 were included. Four health and social databases were searched for reviews that included terms relating to men, alcohol consumption, and child harms. From 1,873 identified articles, 19 articles met the criteria for inclusion. Results: Four broad topics were identified: relationships and families; violence and maltreatment; and health, social and education outcomes for children. Children may experience both direct and indirect harms associated with men’s drinking. The former includes examples where men’s drinking was linked to disinhibition, aggression, and physical assault. In the latter, men were absent resulting in being unavailable emotionally due to drinking. Internalising and externalising behaviours were common outcomes for children exposed to men’s drinking. Contextual factors such as poverty, cultural norms and patriarchal influences were interrelated and sometimes exacerbated harm to children from men’s drinking. Conclusions: This review highlights the immediate and longer-lasting consequences of men’s drinking for children, including family conflict, maltreatment, and emotional distress. Future studies should address gender disparities and consider the social factors present in cases where children are exposed to men’s drinking.

Synergistic‐like decreases in alcohol intake following combined pharmacotherapy with GLP‐1 and amylin in male rats

Background and PurposeThe limited effectiveness of current pharmacological treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) highlights the need for novel therapies. These may involve the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor or the amylin receptor, as treatment with agonists targeting either of these receptors lowers alcohol intake. The complexity of the mechanisms underlying AUD indicates that combining agents could enhance treatment efficacy. While a combination of amylin receptor and GLP‐1 receptor agonists reduced food intake and body weight synergistic‐like, its influence on alcohol intake is unknown.Experimental ApproachEffects of a range of dose‐combinations of GLP‐1 receptor (dulaglutide) and amylin receptor (salmon calcitonin; sCT) agonists on alcohol intake were explored in male and female rats. We used dose combinations that either lowered alcohol intake as monotherapy (0.1 mg·kg−1 + 5 μg·kg−1), or that did not affect alcohol consumption per se (0.075 mg·kg−1 + 2 μg·kg−1).Key ResultsAcute administration of dulaglutide and sCT (0.1 mg·kg−1 + 5 μg·kg−1) reduced alcohol intake in males, but not in females. When higher doses were evaluated in female rats, a decrease in alcohol intake was observed. Furthermore, the low dose combination (0.075 mg·kg−1 + 2 μg·kg−1) decreased, in in a synergistic‐like manner, alcohol intake and prevented abstinence‐induced drinking without affecting kaolin intake in males. However, tolerance developed during sub‐chronic treatment.Conclusion and ImplicationsCollectively, these findings show that the combination of dulaglutide and sCT decreased, in in a synergistic‐like manner, alcohol consumption in male rats. Contrarily, higher doses are required for females.