Family Alcohol Research Articles

The Influence of Family Experience and Environment on Alcohol Use in Patients with Mental Disorders

Background: environmental influences on alcohol use in patients with mental disorders have received little research, although they may be another determinant of alcohol use beyond illness. The aim was to study the influence of family traditions and social environment on alcohol consumption by patients with mental disorders. Patients: 106 patients with various mental disorders who received treatment in inpatient and outpatient settings. Methods: patient information was received from the medical record and interviews using questionnaire “Alcohol use: experience, pattern, treatment” and scales: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser Scale (UKU), Drug Attitude Inventory-10 (DAI-10). Results: the proportion of patients with high risk for alcohol use problems was 21% of all patients. Patients with a high level of risk differed in the style of drinking alcohol in the parental family: their parents drank alcohol more often. These patients also had their first experience of drinking alcohol in their parental family. There were more people who drank alcohol in large quantities in the past environment of such patients. Although high-risk patients had changed their current environment, they were still more likely to make situational alcohol choices, use it more often to cope with difficulties, and appeared to use previously established drinking styles. All high- risk patients began drinking alcohol before the onset of the disease. Conclusions: patients with a high risk of problems with alcohol use are more likely to have learned their drinking style from their parents, and they are more likely to drink alcohol under the influence of the situation. However, one third of patients were able to reduce their alcohol consumption during illness.

Genetic risk for trait aggression and alcohol use predict unique facets of alcohol-related aggression.

A propensity for aggression or alcohol use may be associated with alcohol-related aggression. Previous research has shown genetic overlap between alcohol use and aggression but has not looked at how alcohol-related aggression may be uniquely influenced by genetic risk for aggression or alcohol use. The present study examined the associations of genetic risk for trait aggression, alcohol use, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) with alcohol-related aggression using a polygenic risk score (PRS) approach. Using genome-wide association study summary statistics, PRSs were created for trait aggression, alcohol consumption, and AUD. These PRSs were used to predict the phenotype of alcohol-related aggression among drinkers in two independent samples: the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Family Alcoholism Study (n = 1,162) and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; n = 4,291). There were significant associations between the AUD PRS and lifetime alcohol-related aggression in the UCSF study sample. Additionally, the trait aggression PRS was associated with three or more experiences of hitting anyone else and getting into physical fights while under the influence of alcohol, along with a composite score of three or more experiences of alcohol-related aggression, in the UCSF study sample. No significant associations were observed in the Add Health sample. Limited sex-specific genetic effects were observed. These results provide preliminary evidence that genetic influences underlying alcohol use and aggression are uniquely associated with alcohol-related aggression and suggest that these associations may differ by type and frequency of alcohol-related aggression incidents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption and evaluation of associated factors in university students.

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption (HAC) according to gender among university students and associated factors. This is a cross-sectional study conducted on undergraduate students. We used a stratified sampling technique to represent 26036 students from all grade levels and 11 faculties, and the survey was administered to 2349 undergraduate students. The prevalence of HAC was determined with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). HAC was defined as getting 8 points or more from the AUDIT. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine HAC related factors in both genders. In this study, 53.2% of the participants were male. The prevalence of HAC in the study group was 13.5% and prevalence of lifetime drinker was 65.3%. In males; those whose fathers [OR = 1.72; 95% CI: (1.17-2.52)], mothers [1.49; (1.02-2.18)], close friends [2.42; (1.28-4.60)] drink alcohol and smoking [3.16; (2.09- 4.77)], use illicit substance [2.35; (1.66-3.34)], have mental health problems [1.65; (1.04-2.62)] were more likely to report HAC. Meanwhile in females, those whose fathers [OR = 1.92; 95%CI: (1.03-3.57)], close friends [5.81; (1.73-19.45)] drink alcohol and smoking [4.33; (2.31-8.15)], use illicit substance [4.34; (2.34-8.06)] have mental health problems [3.01; (1.67-5.43)] were more likely to report HAC. HAC prevalence is high among university students. The risk of HAC increases with the use of alcohol in family and circle of friends, smoking, illicit substance use and mental health problems. The factors associated with the risk of HAC in both genders are similar.

The role of monitoring skills in mediating the association between parent's hazardous alcohol consumption and adolescents' drinking.

This study aimed to investigate whether parental monitoring skills mediate the effect of hazardous parental alcohol consumption on adolescents' lifetime alcohol use. This three wave longitudinal study was conducted with 884 families (n = 1,768 participants) to evaluate the effectiveness of a family-based drug prevention program for adolescents and parents across 12 Brazilian cities. We used structural equation mediation modeling to analyze the effect of hazardous parental alcohol consumption at baseline on adolescents' lifetime alcohol use at 12-month follow-up, mediated by parental monitoring skills latent dimension at 6-month follow-up. We found a significant indirect effect of parents' hazardous alcohol use on adolescents' alcohol use through parental monitoring (OR:1.18, 95%CI:1.02;1.36). Our finding underscores the importance of comprehensive preventive family alcohol approaches targeting adolescent alcohol use, which should consider both parental drinking behavior and monitoring practices.

Social Exclusion and Hatred Towards Children from Alcoholic Families in Peer Environment. Peculiarities of Pedagogical Support

The article emphasizes that the family is the main environment of life. If it is a dysfunctional family, all its problems can have a negative impact on the development and upbringing of children. Unfortunately, the key dysfunction in the case of Poland is alcoholism. Therefore, the study emphasizes that the situation of a child growing up in an alcoholic family depends on many factors related to the functioning of the family environment. The addiction of one or both parents, the degree of degradation of family life and the availability of external support are of particular importance here. All of this can lead to social exclusion and hatred of children growing up in families with alcohol problems by their peers. The author proves the need to help children growing up in problematic families, since they are characterized not only by social isolation, but also by bullying or cyberbullying. It is pointed out that the traumatic experience and suffering of such children often go beyond the family environment, where they experience academic failures, difficulties in relationships with peers, etc. The article notes that the consequences of various traumas in the educational or family environment experienced in childhood can have a long-lasting impact on their lives; some of these minors may also become addicted to alcohol, imitating their parents. Therefore, it is important for educators and social workers to develop appropriate strategies for effective psychological and pedagogical support of such families, in particular while raising children.

Synthesis and Application of a New Class of Planar and Centrally Chiral Ferrocenyl Amino Alcohol Ligands

AbstractA family of ferrocenyl amino alcohols (14 examples) has been prepared from the corresponding planar chiral ketones and evaluated as a new class of chiral ligands for asymmetric ethyl‐ and phenylzinc additions to aldehydes. The highly enantioselective synthesis of these ligands is facile, scalable, robust and relies on the use of cheaply available starting materials. Asymmetric ethyl additions proceeded smoothly at ambient temperature, with reaction times as short as 1 hour furnishing the desired products in up to 90 % yield and 99 % ee. The corresponding phenyl additions afforded products in up to 81 % yield and 88 % ee. The observed stereochemical outcome for the addition of diethylzinc was rationalized and the key proposed transition state was supported by an analysis of the X‐ray structures of a series of amino alcohol ligands.

Prevalence and correlates of psychological distress among national community-based adult populations in Nauru, Tukelau and Tuvalu.

The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of psychological distress (PD) in three small Pacific Island countries. National cross-sectional data (pooled sample N = 3,088, 18-69 years) of participants from the STEPS surveys in Nauru (2015/16; N = 1382), Tukelau (2014; N = 554) and Tuvalu (2015; N = 1152) were analysed. In the pooled sample 30.4% participants had PD (⩾20 scores), 18.1% mild (20-24 scores), 7.8% moderate (25-29 scores) and 4.4% severe (30-50 scores) PD. The prevalence of PD in Nauru was 41.5%, in Tukelau 5.0% and in Tuvalu 22.7%. In the adjusted logistic regression analysis with the pooled sample, younger age (18-39 years), alcohol family problems, heart attack/stroke, current smoking, high salt intake and high sedentary behaviour were positively associated with PD, while male sex and being from Tukelau and Tuvalu were negatively associated with PD. Almost one in three participants reported PD and several associated factors were found that can be targeted in population interventions.

Recent advances in methanol production from methanotrophs.

Methanol, the simplest aliphatic molecule of the alcohol family, finds diverse range of applications as an industrial solvent, a precursor for producing other chemicals (e.g., dimethyl ether, acetic acid and formaldehyde), and a potential fuel. There are conventional chemical routes for methanol production such as, steam reforming of natural gas to form syngas, followed by catalytic conversion into methanol; direct catalytic oxidation of methane, or hydrogenation of carbon dioxide. However, these chemical routes are limited by the requirement for expensive catalysts and extreme process conditions, and plausible environmental implications. Alternatively, methanotrophic microorganisms are being explored as biological alternative for methanol production, under milder process conditions, bypassing the requirement for chemical catalysts, and without imposing any adverse environmental impact. Methanotrophs possess inherent metabolic pathways for methanol production via biological methane oxidation or carbon dioxide reduction, thus offering a surplus advantage pertaining to the sequestration of two major greenhouse gases. This review sheds light on the recent advances in methanotrophic methanol production including metabolic pathways, feedstocks, metabolic engineering, and bioprocess engineering approaches. Furthermore, various reactor configurations are discussed in view of the challenges associated with solubility and mass transfer limitations in methanotrophic gas fermentation systems.

Perceived problematic alcohol use in the family and adolescents’ stress-related complaints: examining the buffering role of the school’s degree of student focus as rated by its teachers

BackgroundA non-negligible proportion of children grow up with problematic alcohol use in the family. Problematic familial drinking can be regarded as a stressor, and prior studies have consistently reported poorer mental health among adolescents who are exposed. However, it is also of relevance to identify modifiable protective factors which may buffer against stress-related ill-health in this group of adolescents. One context where such factors may be present is the school. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between perceived problematic familial alcohol use and students’ stress-related complaints, and specifically to explore if the school’s degree of student focus can buffer against any such negative health consequences of problem drinking at home.MethodsData were drawn from four separate surveys, the Stockholm School Survey (SSS) and the Stockholm Teacher Survey (STS) conducted in 2014 and 2016 among 7,944 students (~ 15–16 years) and 2,024 teachers in 147 Stockholm senior-level school units. Perceived problematic familial alcohol use was measured by one item in the SSS. Stress-related complaints were captured by co-occurring somatic complaints and psychological distress, and reported by students in the SSS. The school’s student focus was measured by an index based on teachers’ ratings of four items in the STS. A set of covariates at the student and the school level were also included. Two-level binary logistic and linear regression models were performed.ResultsPerceived problematic familial alcohol use was linked with an increased likelihood of reporting co-occurring somatic complaints as well as psychological distress. Cross-level interactions revealed that the association between perceived problematic familial alcohol use and co-occurring somatic complaints was weaker among students attending schools with stronger teacher-rated student focus. Regarding psychological distress, the association was weaker for students attending schools with intermediate or strong teacher-rated student focus, compared with those attending schools with weaker teacher-rated student focus.ConclusionsThe findings provide support for the assumption that favourable conditions in schools can buffer against negative health consequences of problematic conditions in the family, thus serving a compensatory role.

Parent Alcohol Use and Problems in Children’s Alcohol-Related Learning and Subsequent Alcohol Use

Background: Alcohol cognitions can emerge early in life and have lasting associations with alcohol use behavior. Observational learning theories suggest that witnessing alcohol use and its consequences may be an important mechanism underlying early development of alcohol cognitions. Parents are among the earliest contributors to children’s alcohol-related learning, although findings regarding the association of parental alcohol use and problems with children’s alcohol-related beliefs and attitudes are considerably mixed. This study tested associations of parent alcohol use and problems with adolescent alcohol expectancies, motives, and subsequent alcohol use to help clarify this literature. Methods: Families (N = 227) comprising family alcohol use disorder cases and demographically matched controls were recruited as part of a longitudinal investigation on child development. Parents reported on their alcohol use and problems at seven assessments throughout the index adolescents’ childhood, and adolescents reported on their own alcohol expectancies in 6th grade, alcohol motives in 8th grade, and alcohol use in 12th grade. Results: Father alcohol problems and mother alcohol use were linked to more positive and less negative child alcohol expectancies, respectively. However, these cognitions did not contribute unique variance in adolescent alcohol use after accounting for additional risks included in the model. Conclusions: Findings highlight the need for future research aimed at modeling broader and potentially indirect sources of parent influences on adolescent alcohol-related learning and subsequent drinking behavior.

Suicidal behaviour among adults in Cabo Verde in 2020.

The aim of the investigation was to evaluate past 12-month suicidal behaviour (PSB) among adults in Cabo Verde. Data from 4,563 adults (mean age 41.4 years) that participated in the 2020 Cabo Verde STEPS survey were analysed. Results indicate that the proportion of PSB (attempt 0.6%, plan 1.5% and ideation 3.3%) was 3.7% (2.4% men/5.0% women). In adjusted logistic regression analysis, younger age, female sex, unemployed, widowed or divorced, alcohol family problem, heart attack, angina or stroke, current smokeless tobacco use and low fruit/vegetable intake were associated with PSB. Almost 4% of participants had PSB and several associated factors were identified that can guide public health interventions.

Multi-animal-model study reveals mutations in neural plasticity and nociception genes linked to excessive alcohol drinking.

The basis for familial alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains an enigma due to various biological and societal confounds. The present study used three of the most adopted and documented rat models, combining the alcohol-preferring/non-alcohol-preferring (P/NP) lines and high alcohol-drinking/low alcohol-drinking (HAD/LAD) replicated lines, of AUD as examined through the lens of whole genomic analyses. We used complete genome sequencing of the P/NP lines and previously published sequences of the HAD/LAD replicates to enhance the discovery of variants associated with AUD and to remove confounding with genetic background and random genetic drift. Specifically, we used high-order statistical methods to search for genetic variants whose frequency changes in whole sets of gene ontologies corresponded with phenotypic changes in the direction of selection, that is, ethanol-drinking preference. Our first finding was that in addition to variants causing translational changes, the principal genetic changes associated with drinking predisposition were silent mutations and mutations in the 3' untranslated regions (3'UTR) of genes. Neither of these types of mutations alters the amino acid sequence of the translated protein but they influence both the rate and conformation of gene transcription, including its stability and posttranslational events that alter gene efficacy. This finding argues for refocusing human genomic studies on changes in gene efficacy. Among the key ontologies identified were the central genes associated with the Na+ voltage-gated channels of neurons and glia (including the Scn1a, Scn2a, Scn2b, Scn3a, Scn7a, and Scn9a subtypes) and excitatory glutamatergic secretion (including Grm2 and Myo6), both of which are essential in neuroplasticity. In addition, we identified "Nociception or Sensory Perception of Pain," which contained variants in nociception (Arrb1, Ccl3, Ephb1) and enlist sodium (Scn1a, Scn2a, Scn2b, Scn3a, Scn7a), pain activation (Scn9a), and potassium channel (Kcna1) genes. The multi-model analyses used herein reduced the confounding effects of random drift and the "founders" genetic background. The most differentiated bidirectionally selected genes across all three animal models were Scn9a, Scn1a, and Kcna, all of which are annotated in the nociception ontology. The complexity of neuroplasticity and nociception adds strength to the hypothesis that neuroplasticity and pain (physical or psychological) are prominent phenotypes genetically linked to the development of AUD.

Problematic familial alcohol use and adolescent outcomes: Do associations differ by parental education?

Aim: To investigate the associations between problematic familial alcohol use and adolescent subjective health, binge drinking, relationships with parents, school performance, and future orientation, and to study whether these associations differ in relation to parental education. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the Stockholm School Survey (SSS) collected among students in the 9th and 11th grades in 2018 and in 2020 were used (n = 19,415). Subjective health, parent-youth relationships, and school performance were coded as continuous variables; binge drinking and future orientation were coded as binary variables. Familial drinking included three categories: problematic; don't know/missing; and not problematic. Parental university education distinguished between adolescents with two, one, or no university-educated parent(s). Control variables included gender, grade, family structure, migration background, parental unemployment, and survey year. Linear and binary logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Problematic familial alcohol use was associated with worsened subjective health, a higher likelihood of engaging in binge drinking, worse relationships with parents, and a higher likelihood of having a pessimistic future orientation, even when adjusting for all control variables. Having less than two university-educated parents was associated with a higher likelihood of reporting problematic familial alcohol use. Parental university education moderated the association between problematic familial alcohol use and binge drinking as this relationship was stronger for adolescents with no and one university-educated parent(s). Conclusions: Adolescents with problematic familial alcohol use fared worse with regards to all studied outcomes, except for school performance. Parental university education only moderated the association between problematic familial alcohol use and binge drinking. However, since problematic familial alcohol use was more common among adolescents with less than two university-educated parents, we argue that at the group level, this category may be more negatively affected by alcohol abuse in the family. Policy interventions could benefit from having a socioeconomic perspective on how children are affected by alcohol's harms to others.

Multilevel longitudinal relations among impulsive traits, positive expectancies, and binge drinking from late adolescence to adulthood: A developmental test of acquired preparedness.

The Acquired Preparedness Model (APM) posits that highly impulsive individuals develop stronger positive alcohol expectancies, which in turn predicts heavier drinking. However, most acquired preparedness studies have focused solely on between-person relations, despite the theory suggesting that there are potential developmental-specific within-person relations. Thus, the current study tested the APM from late adolescence into adulthood, while disaggregating within- from between-person relations. Data come from a multigenerational study of familial alcohol use disorder (N=653) spanning three waves 5 years apart. Participants reported their lack of conscientiousness, sensation seeking, positive alcohol expectancies, and binge drinking at each wave. First, missing data techniques were used to create a "ghost timepoint," allowing the specification of four developmental-specific timepoints representing late adolescence (age 18 to 20), emerging adulthood (age 21 to 25), young adulthood (age 26 to 29), and adulthood (age 30 to 39). Second, a Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model tested between-person and within-person relations among variables. At the between-person level, lower conscientiousness and sensation seeking were correlated with higher positive expectancies, and positive expectancies were correlated with more binge drinking. There were no within-person prospective relations among conscientiousness, sensation seeking, and positive expectancies. However, within-person increases in lack of conscientiousness during late adolescence predicted within-person increases in emerging adult binge drinking, and within-person increases in late adolescent and emerging adult binge drinking predicted within-person increases in lack of conscientiousness during emerging and young adulthood, respectively. Similarly, within-person increases in late adolescent and young adult sensation seeking predicted within-person increases in binge drinking during emerging adulthood and adulthood, respectively. Binge drinking did not reciprocally predict sensation seeking. Findings suggest that acquired preparedness effects may be between persons rather than within persons. However, several within-person developmental-specific relations among conscientiousness, sensation seeking, and binge drinking were observed, outside of expectancies. Findings are discussed in terms of theory and prevention.

Working with Patience: An Insight into Dealing with Difficult Emotions

Working with Patience:An Insight into Dealing with Difficult Emotions David Vilanova As the most trusted professionals in the nation, nurses are expected to care for their patients with empathy and freedom from bias. The reality is that nurses are human, and some form of implicit bias is inevitable. In my own experience, this issue has reared its head on several occasions. My nursing background is prominently in cardiac and intensive care. Seeing patients at their most vulnerable has become a regular part of my practice. Among some of the most challenging cases for me have been when I assume care of a patient withdrawing from alcohol. As an adult child with close alcoholic family members, many instances of abuse and pain stick with me today and these are brought to the surface when I care for patients with alcohol use disorder. In most cases, I easily find a healthy balance between remaining an understanding-and-empathetic provider and protecting my emotional and mental health as I navigate ethical and moral issues. However, with this patient population, walking that fine line is especially challenging. How do I navigate and manage intensely personal emotions and biases while providing the high-quality care I vowed to deliver regardless of my patient's life choices, addictions, and illnesses? How do I maintain an appropriate level of neutrality and clarity as this patient's behavior and attitude spark emotional triggers? In other words, how do I take care of someone I don't like? Mrs. H was a middle-aged Hispanic woman, barely coherent, but speaking clearly enough that I could understand her slurred speech. Immediate dread washed over me as I realized my assignment included a patient withdrawing from alcohol. The patient's affect, incoherence, and aggression were all too reminiscent of a traumatic past I still work to heal from. My coworkers couldn't understand her insults and obscenities and were therefore unphased except for noting her unruly and erratic behavior. On the other hand, I could understand much of what she was yelling at me and any other staff who bravely walked into her room. My immediate thoughts were that this woman clearly did not want our help. My every attempt to enter her room, speak with her, and provide care were met with an all too familiar rejection and denial that she even had a problem. Yet here she was in a hospital room, and I was her nurse. She verbalized denial of drinking too much when told that she was being treated for alcohol withdrawal. She stated this denial more to herself than to the health care providers in the room, and it was reminiscent of the denial I have seen in my loved ones. This was ironic, I always thought, as the need for such self-deception in and of itself points to the fact that something may be wrong and worth addressing. But denial or not, today, this patient—Mrs. H, was entrusted into my care. She refused treatments and medications, and this put me in a complex ethical predicament—treating a patient that I do not like for the personal issues she reminds me of, and the treatment of a patient against their refusal, as she was deemed incapable of making her own decisions. The latter of these two issues was easiest to put aside. Legally, this patient needed to be treated through her alcohol withdrawal. Once her mental status cleared up, she could sign out against medical advice or choose to remain until a safe discharge plan was in place. There was a protocol and legal guidelines for this situation. However, no guidelines [End Page 10] truly exist when it comes to the management of a patient that you simply do not like. The result can be a near-instantaneous dread each time you must answer that patient's bed alarm, call light, or most basic needs. A negative bias takes over, and it would be an understatement to say that this affects the quality of care. Patients in situations like this—with providers who judge them as I have been guilty of—can easily become subject to derogatory remarks, health inequities, and biased labeling...

Sustainable Biofuels from First Three Alcohol Families: A Critical Review

With its unique qualities, such as infinite supply, high octane number, and capacity to cut greenhouse gas emissions, alcohol is a viable alternative fuel for SI engines. This review article aims to reveal to readers the effects of alcohol on the performance, combustion behavior, and emission characteristics of SI engines by collecting the outcomes from previous research. This article looks at methanol, ethanol, and butanol fuel qualities. The performance of SI engines with butanol, ethanol, and methanol combined with gasoline is investigated in terms of brake torque, brake power, fuel consumption, thermal efficiency, volumetric efficiency, mean effective pressure, and coefficient of variation under various conditions. Second, in-cylinder pressure, mass fraction burnt, ignition delay, pressure increases, and heat release rates are also used to evaluate the combustion characteristic. Finally, the article discusses pollutant emissions such as CO, CO2, NOx, UHC, and exhaust gas temperature. Methanol, ethanol, and butanol mixed with gasoline increased fuel consumption and lowered spark-ignition engines’ thermal efficiency. When alcohol was combined with gasoline, most research found that CO, NOx, and UHC emissions were reduced due to improved combustion.

Association Between Social Determinants of Health and Deliberate Self-Harm Among Youths With Psychiatric Diagnoses.

The authors sought to examine the association between adverse social determinants of health (SDoHs) and risk for self-harm among youths. The authors performed a retrospective longitudinal analysis of Ohio Medicaid claims data (April 1, 2016-December 31, 2018) of 244,958 youths (ages 10-17 years) with a primary psychiatric diagnosis. SDoHs were identified from ICD-10 codes and classified into 14 categories, encompassing abuse and neglect, child welfare placement, educational problems, financial problems, exposure to violence, housing instability, legal issues, disappearance or death of a family member, family disruption by separation or divorce, family alcohol or drug use, parent-child conflict, other family problems, social and environmental problems, and nonspecific psychosocial needs. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to examine the association between SDoHs and self-harm (i.e., nonsuicidal self-injury or suicide attempt). Analyses controlled for demographic characteristics and comorbid psychiatric and general medical conditions. During follow-up after an index claim event, 51,796 youths (21.1%) had at least one adverse SDoH indicator, and 3,262 (1.3%) had at least one self-harm event. Abuse and neglect (hazard ratio [HR]=1.90, 99% CI=1.70-2.12), child welfare placement (HR=1.32, 99% CI=1.04-1.67), parent-child conflict (HR=1.52, 99% CI=1.23-1.87), other family problems (HR=1.25, 99% CI=1.01-1.54), and nonspecific psychosocial needs (HR=1.41, 99% CI=1.06-1.89) were associated with significantly increased hazard of self-harm. Adverse SDoHs were significantly associated with self-harm, even after controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics, underscoring the need for capturing SDoH information in medical records to identify youths at elevated suicide risk and to inform targeted interventions.

Does binge drinking mediate the relationship between four adverse childhood experiences and adult traumatic brain injury? Results from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Cohort

ObjectiveAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with increased risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Alcohol use may play an important role in this relationship. This study examines whether...

Влияние генетического варианта риска шизофрении в локусе ZNF804A и наличия алкоголизма в родительской семье на дефицит распознавания эмоций при шизофрении

В последние десятилетия особое внимание при изучении шизофрении уделяется особенностям распознавания эмоций и влияния как генетических так и средовых факторов на развитие индивида и риск развития психических заболеваний. Существует предположение, что нарушения распознавания эмоций являются одним из эндофенотипов заболевания. Установлена важная роль нарушения социальных когниций, и, в частности, распознавания эмоций, в социальной адаптации больных шизофренией. Установление роли генетических и средовых факторов риска шизофрении в этих нарушениях является важным шагом к формированию терапевтических подходов к их коррекции. Цель - оценить связь полиморфизма rs1344706 гена ZNF804A и неблагоприятной среды в детстве (наличия алкоголизма в родительской семье) на распознавание эмоций у больных. Методы. Выборка состояла из 854 больных, разделенных на две группы: с алкоголизмом в родительской семье и без него. Для оценки распознавания мимической экспрессии эмоций использовали фотографии шести базовых и трех социальных эмоций. Генотипирование проводили методом HRM. Результаты. Обнаружен эффект взаимодействия между генетическим вариантом ZNF804A (rs1344706) и злоупотреблением алкоголем одним из родителей пробанда на нарушение распознавания эмоций (p=0,02). Больные с генотипом АА хуже распознавали эмоции, чем больные с генотипом СС. Заключение. Результаты позволяют предположить важную роль взаимодействия генов риска шизофрении, связанных с нейроразвитием, и ранних средовых стрессоров в аномалиях социальных когниций при шизофрении. Background. In recent decades, special attention in the study of schizophrenia has been paid to the features of emotion recognition and the influence of both genetic and environmental factors on the development of the individual and the risk of developing mental illness. There is an assumption that disorders of emotion recognition are one of the endophenotypes of the disease. The important role of the violation of social cognitions, and in particular the recognition of emotions, in the social adaptation of patients with schizophrenia has been established. Establishing the role of genetic and environmental risk factors for schizophrenia in these disorders is an important step towards the formation of therapeutic approaches to their correction. Aim - to assess the contribution of the rs1344706 polymorphism of the ZNF804A gene and an unfavorable environment in childhood (the presence of alcoholism in the parental family) to the recognition of emotions in patients. Methods. The sample consisted of 854 patients divided into two groups: with alcoholism in the parental family and without it. To assess the recognition of mimic expression of emotions, photographs of six basic and three social emotions were used. Genotyping was performed by the HRM method. Results. An interaction effect between the genetic variant ZNF804A (rs1344706) and alcohol abuse by one of the proband’s parents on impairment of emotion recognition was found (p=0.02). Patients with the AA genotype were worse at recognizing emotions than those with the CC genotype. Conclusion. The results suggest an important role for the interaction of neurodevelopmentally associated schizophrenia risk genes and early environmental stressors in social cognition anomalies in schizophrenia.

Laurus azorica: Valorization through Its Phytochemical Study and Biological Activities

Laurus azorica (Seub.) Franco is an endemic species from the Azores, traditionally used in all the islands as a seasoning in cooking. The studies carried out with this species refer mainly to its essential oils. The study that was developed here allowed, for the first time, to determine the chemical composition and biological activities of the ethanol extract, fractions, and pure compounds from L. azorica. The hexane fraction was analyzed by GC–MS and revealed the presence of 48 compounds, comprising mainly fatty acids, fatty alcohols and terpenes, the family of fatty alcohols identified here for the first time in the genus Laurus. Three sesquiterpene lactones—costunolide, 11,13-dehydrosantonin and reynosin—were isolated for the first time in L. azorica from the same fraction, and structurally characterized using spectroscopic techniques. The compounds identified belong to families known to have relevant medicinal and nutritional properties. Regarding antioxidant activities, the results obtained showed a moderate radical scavenging effect of extracts and fractions, while in the β-carotene bleaching assay, costunolide was shown to be the most active (IC50 = 4.08 ± 0.76 μg/mL), about 3.6 times more active than the standard, gallic acid, which presented IC50 = 14.56 ± 0.13 μg/mL. Although the inhibition of extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes was not detected, the ethanol extract showed good inhibitory activity of tyrosinase, with an IC50 of 12.04 ± 0.23 μg/mL, only 6.6-fold lower than the control kojic acid. The results presented deepen the knowledge about a little studied species, opening new perspectives for the development of value-added applications in the food and cosmeceutical fields.