High Alcohol Tolerance Research Articles

Selbsteingeschätzte Alkoholtoleranz durch den Magdeburger Alkoholtoleranztest für Jugendliche (J-MATT)

Objectives: Based on the Magdeburger Alcohol Tolerance Test for adults (MATT), a respective questionnaire version for adolescents was developed (J-MATT). The goal was to help identify adolescents with respect to the extent of their alcohol tolerance in order to allow an earlie r detection of problematic alcohol consumption. Methods: The MATT (version with 50 items) was supplemented by 30 items addressing alcohol tolerance and consumption in adolescents. The J-MATT was completed by 160 subjects (aged 12 ‐ 26 years). Factor and item analyses were accomplished using these data. The results were compared with reference samples of the MATT [medical students (N = 164); adults without (N = 165) and with alcohol dependency (N = 41)]. Results: 23 items remained following factor and item analyses. Three factors of the J-MATT (alcohol tolerance/functional tolerance, physical performance, environment / function of alcohol consumption ) correlated with consumed amounts of alcohol. The age of first consumption of a lcohol was 12;10 ± 1;10 (years; months). The amount of alcohol needed to subjectively perceive an effect was 62 g. Adolescents had higher alcohol tolerance than medical students and adults without alcohol dependency. Only adults with alcohol dependency showed higher alcohol tolerance levels than adolescents. Conclusion: Reported alcohol consumption and tolerance levels of adolescents were alarmingly high and exceeded the established limits for very risky alcohol consumption. However, some of these effects may be explained by adolescents’ tendency to exaggerate.

Serotonin transporter gene polymorphism and psychiatric disorders: Is there a link?

Though still in infancy, the field of psychiatric genetics holds great potential to contribute to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic options to treat these disorders. Among a large number of existing neurotransmitter systems, the serotonin system dysfunction has been implicated in many psychiatric disorders and therapeutic efficacy of many drugs is also thought to be based on modulation of serotonin. Serotonin transporter gene polymorphism is one of the most extensively studied polymorphisms in psychiatric behavioral genetics. In this article, we review the status of evidence for association between the serotonin gene polymorphism and some common mental disorders like affective disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, suicide, autism, and other anxiety and personality disorders. Going beyond traditional association studies, gene-environment interaction, currently gaining momentum, is also discussed in the review. While the existing information of psychiatric genetics is inadequate for putting into practice genetic testing in the diagnostic work-up of the psychiatric patient, if consistent in future research attempts, such results can be of great help to improve the clinical care of a vast majority of patients suffering from such disorders.

Purification and characterization of a novel glycosidase from the china white jade snail ( Achatina fulica) showing transglycosylation activity

A broad specificity β- d-glycosidase, designated G I, was purified to homogeneity from the viscera of the China white jade snail ( Achatina fulica). The enzyme was a monomeric protein with molecular weight of 115 kDa. G I has broad glycone specificity towards p-nitrophenyl derivatives of β- d-glucose, β- d-fucose, β- d-galactose, α- d-glucose and some disaccharides. The optimum pH and temperature are 5.5 and 55 °C, respectively. It was stable over a wide pH range (5–10 at 30 °C for 24 h) and against a relatively high temperature (50 °C for 4 h). Moreover, it was also stable and active in the presence of various alcohols. With pNPGlu, pNPFuc and cellobiose as donor, G I showed high transglycosylation activity. Six transglycosylation products were isolated from the reaction mixture containing 20% alcohol as glycoside acceptor using a preparative thin layer chromatography (preparative TLC) and identified as alkyl-glucosides and alkyl-fucosides by mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Combining the high alcohol tolerance, moderate temperature and pH stability and alkyl glycosides production efficiency through transglycosylation, G I can be considered to be a promising candidate for the production of various alkyl glycosides.

Acute Moderate Alcohol Consumption Affects Cardiovascular Responses in Healthy Males with Different Tolerance Levels

We investigated the effect of acute moderate alcohol consumption or placebo on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in 48 healthy participants with different levels of alcohol tolerance but no abuse. In the electrocardiogram recording, auditory stimuli were presented at defined points in the respiratory cycle, which allows a non-invasive measure of CNS control over RSA. After alcohol consumption we found a decrease in RSA with auditory stimulation. Moreover, individuals with low tolerance showed only a slight change in the RSA after alcohol intake compared to baseline, whereas the placebo drink led to a reduced RSA. In subjects with high alcohol tolerance, alcohol consumption led to a reduction of RSA, with no change after placebo. These results suggest a centrally driven influence on RSA that is changed by alcohol ingestion depending upon subjects’ levels of alcohol tolerance.

High ethanol tolerance in two distantly related Drosophila species: A probable case of recent convergent adaptation

1. D. lebanonensis was found to be more abundant in wine cellars of Spain than outdoors. 2. This suggested that the species could have developed a high alcohol tolerance in a similar way to D. melanogaster. 3. Laboratory analysis confirmed this hypothesis and, surprisingly, showed that D. lebanonensis was much more tolerant to alcohol and more able to use it as as food than is D. melanogaster. 4. Environmental alcohol seems to be the selective factor which determined this convergent adaptation. 5. However the difference between the two species could also be explained by assuming that the main target of natural selection was not the same in the two species: ethanol detoxification in D. melanogaster and metabolic utilization in D. lebanonensis.