Daily Alcohol Consumption Levels Research Articles

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in practice: A specific and proportional marker of alcohol consumption

Alcohol abuse causes more than three million deaths a year, or one in twenty, more than three-quarters of them men. Alcohol abuse accounts for over 5% of the global burden of disease. In this context, objective clinical and biochemical tests are essential to characterize drinking patterns, quantify the amount of ethanol ingested daily and enable effective management of these patients. We recently investigated the feasibility and benefits of measuring phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in daily medical practice for the management of alcohol dependence in the outpatient setting. We report the results of a quantification of palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphoethanol (PEth 16:0/18:1) in comparison with biological indicators (SGOT, SGPT GGT) on a group of volunteers followed as outpatients for alcohol problems. Methods: In this prospective study, a total population of 57 volunteers consulting a private addictology practice was recruited for PEth tests, 21 of which were complemented by biological tests including SGOT, SGPT GGT assays. A file was completed specifying the methods of alcohol use, the quantities consumed (AU) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score. Blood samples are collected in a 10 µL drop, using a medical device (VAMS from Neoteryx, USA), air-dried. The dry samples are extracted and reconstituted with methanol. The analyzes carried out by high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry. Results and discussion: 57 volunteers (19 F and 38 M) aged between 20 and 70 were included. These volunteers had the Quantities consumed (AU/d) at 6.7 (0-20) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score at 17.8 (0-30). A strong positive correlation of 0.88 (n=57) was observed between PEth concentrations and levels of daily alcohol consumption. The usual biology, the "hepatic assessment" provides little or no information on the risks associated with alcohol consumption with correlation coefficient estimated at 0.28 for GGT, 0.09 for SGOT and 0.00 for SGPT. PEth degradation was 13% for samples stored at room temperature, compared with those stored at +4°C and -80°C. Conclusion: PEth is a specific and proportional marker of alcohol consumption. Measuring PEth enables us to accurately gauge the reality of alcohol consumption and adapt it to care and prevention contexts. This measurement of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) can be carried out as part of a consultation, at a distance from the analysis centers. Finally, the PEth, along with the interpretation tools described in this article, is an important help in the management of alcohol dependence.

Alcohol-Related Behaviour in Freshmen University Students in Sardinia, Italy.

This study aims to provide a picture of University of Cagliari students’ alcohol-related behaviour and to explore factors associated with it. Data were collected by administering a questionnaire to 992 freshmen university students from different programs consisting of twelve closed questions, including three questions from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for Consumption (AUDIT-C short form). Three subgroups of alcohol-related behaviour were distinguished (risky drinkers, social drinkers and abstainers). In order to explore factors associated with patterns of alcohol consumption, a multivariate logistic regression was performed. The prevalence of risky drinkers was 35%. A binge-drinking behaviour at least once in the last twelve months was declared by 65% (more widespread in men and in students living away from their parents). Risky consumption is significantly associated with age of onset of alcohol use, living away from parents’ home, drinking outside meals and attending health courses. Regarding the levels of daily alcohol consumption perceived as a health risk, 66% of men and 88% of women indicate values higher than those recommended. The results underline the need for tailored prevention measures. University could be a promising setting to implement actions according to a health promotion perspective, to empower students to control their alcohol consumption.

Methodology used to estimate alcohol-attributable mortality in Spain, 2001-2017.

The objective is to describe and discuss methods and assumptions to estimate the mortality attributable to alcohol in Spain in 2001-2017. The annual mean number of deaths attributable to alcohol (DAAs) was estimated based on 19 groups of alcohol-related causes of death (18 partially attributable and one directly attributable), and 20 alcohol population-attributable fractions (PAFs), resulting from combining sex, 5 age groups, and the periods 2001-2009 and 2010-2017, for each cause group. Deaths from causes were obtained from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics. For partially attributable causes, Spain-specific PAFs were calculated using the Levin formula with alcohol exposure data from health surveys and sales statistics, and relative risks from international meta-analyses. Annual prevalences of ex-drinkers and seven levels of daily alcohol consumption were considered. The underestimation of self-reported daily average consumption with respect to the sales statistics was corrected by multiplying by a factor of 1.58-3.18, depending on the calendar year. DAA rates standardized by age and standardized proportions of general mortality attributable to alcohol, according to sex, age group, calendar period, type of drinker and autonomous community were calculated. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess how the DAA estimates changed when changing some methodological options, such as the ex-drinker criterion or the introduction of a latency period.

Abstract B40: Estrogen receptor activity levels among Mexican American women

Abstract Background: Breast cancer incidence varies greatly worldwide. In particular, the incidence of breast cancer in Mexico is lower than that in the U.S. Individuals of Hispanic or Latino origin in the U.S. represent 16% of the total population and 38% of the population of California. The migratory experience is accompanied by changes in lifestyle and environmental exposures, which in turn modify the individual's internal chemical environment. We expect that understanding the reasons behind breast cancer development in this seemingly protected population will be informative about relevant exposures that affect the probability of developing this disease more generally. Enzyme activation by exposure to hormone receptor disrupting compounds can lead to increased hormone catabolism, and compromise hormone signaling. Breast cancer is directly affected by the presence of endogenously produced hormones and likely also by hormone-like compounds of exogenous origin. We, therefore, used an untargeted cell-based assay to measure estrogen receptor activity among 90 Mexican American women from the San Francisco Bay Area Breast Cancer Study (SFBCS), 15 of whom developed breast cancer after blood sample collection. Methods: The estrogen receptor-mediated chemical-activated luciferase gene expression (ER-CALUX) assay was used to assess the presence of estrogenic substances in archived plasma for 90 U.S. Latina women. The plate design included multiple reference samples placed across and within plates. We first fitted a linear mixed effects model to the data including the technical sources of variation (plate as a random effect and row, column, row + column and row x column as fixed effects) and an indicator variable, to capture the distinct nature of the reference sample. Given that for each sample we had 4 measures of activity, we then fitted a linear mixed effect model using the residuals for the first regression, taking the individual level of variation into account, and including the following explanatory variables: case/control status, proportion of Indigenous American ancestry, menopausal status, use of hormone replacement therapy, use of oral contraceptives, socioeconomic status, education, body mass index and daily alcohol intake. Results: We did not observe a statistically significant difference between cases and controls in the estrogen receptor activity levels (p=0.12). We found a statistically significant difference in estrogen receptor activity levels by menopausal status in the expected direction, with mean equivalent estradiol level being 498±48 pM in pre-menopausal and 125±60 pM in post-menopausal women (p=0.001). Daily alcohol consumption also showed a statistically significant association with estrogen receptor activity levels (0.001), which disappeared when 1 woman with extremely high levels of daily alcohol consumption (75 Grams/daily) was excluded from the analysis (p=0.567). Conclusion: Despite the noisy nature of the untargeted measure of estrogen receptor activity, we were able to develop an experimental design that could capture technical variability and that allowed us to observed the expected association between levels of estrogen receptor activity and menopausal status in archived samples of U.S. Latina women. The present study included 15 women who developed breast cancer after specimen collection and 75 controls, and therefore was underpowered to detect modest differences between the two groups in estrogen receptor activity levels. Further studies are planned to examine this endpoint in a much larger sample set. Citation Format: Laura Fejerman, Reuben Thomas, Sylvia Sanchez, Phum Tachachartvanich, Esther M. John, Martyn Smith. Estrogen receptor activity levels among Mexican American women. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Seventh AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 9-12, 2014; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2015;24(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B40.

“Have a drink, you'll feel better.” Predictors of daily alcohol consumption among extraverts: the mediational role of coping

An abundance of information exists pertaining to individual differences in college drinking behaviors with much attention being provided to the role of personality. However, plausible explanations for what prompts engagement in or avoidance of these behaviors have remained largely ambiguous or underexplored, particularly with respect to extraversion (E). Research has since explored how coping behaviors contribute to these associations. The present study built on this research by evaluating differences in daily alcohol consumption as a function of coping choice. The mediational effects of two specific strategies frequently observed in high E individuals (i.e., problem-focused coping and social support) were examined. Using a daily diary approach, 365 undergraduates reported their most stressful experience, how they coped with it, and the number of drinks consumed for five consecutive days. Resulting multilevel-models were consistent with hypotheses indicating the relationship between E and alcohol consumption was partially mediated by problem-focused and support-seeking strategies. The use of problem-focused coping by high E individuals was associated with lower levels of daily alcohol consumption, suggesting this strategy may play a protective role in influencing drinking behaviors. Conversely, the positive effect observed for social support approached significance (p=.054) and was indicative of a potential risk-factor for daily alcohol consumption.

Prevalence and correlates of alcohol use among a sample of general MSM and money boys in Shanghai, China

The use and misuse of alcohol and their relation to risky sex have received modest scholarly attention in China. This type of research in high HIV/STI groups such as men who have sex with men (general MSM) and men who sell sex to other men (“money boys”) (MB) in China is essentially absent. Therefore, the primary purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the types of alcohol consumed and levels of daily alcohol consumption among Chinese general MSM and MB in Shanghai, China. A secondary purpose was to explore demographic, lifetime sexual behavior, and psychosocial correlates of daily consumption levels. The sample consisted of 404 MSM (200 MB) who live in Shanghai, China. Participants were recruited using respondent-driven sampling and filled out a cross-sectional behavioral survey. Where appropriate, comparisons were made between MB and general MSM. Over 73% of participants reported drinking at least moderately every day. MB reported drinking Western red wine and other Western hard liquors (e.g., vodka) more frequently than general MSM. Conversely, general MSM consumed Chinese white wine more frequently than MB. Results from the regression analyses showed that MSM having higher lifetime sexual risks were more likely to drink in excess; though MB with greater social provisions were less likely to drink in excess. These results begin to highlight high levels of drinking and drinking-sexual risk relationships among groups of general MSM and MB and are useful for guiding intervention efforts among high-risk groups in China.

Longitudinal Characteristics of Hospital Use Before and After Alcoholism Treatment

The frequency of inpatient hospital care for three years before and three years after alcoholism treatment was evaluated for a group of 255 patients of predominantly lower socioeconomic status treated for alcoholism at a rural midwestern medical center in 1983. Subjects were interviewed while in treatment to obtain information regarding alcoholism history and demographics. Hospital care was ascertained from an electronic data file of discharges from 172 acute care hospitals throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. One-third of the sample was never hospitalized for an alcohol-related condition in the years prior to or after alcoholism treatment, and 23% of the sample experienced no hospitalizations at all other than the treatment episode when interviewed. The majority of hospital stays before and after treatment were attributed to alcohol abuse. The frequency and total hospital length of stay for alcohol-related admissions increased yearly before treatment, peaked in the year after treatment, and then declined, but not to earliest pretreatment levels. Subjects experienced significantly more hospitalizations and length of stay after alcoholism treatment than before when comparing both the two three-year periods and the immediate 12 months before and after treatment. More frequent hospital care was also significantly associated with higher levels of daily alcohol consumption and drinking duration but not with sociodemographic indicators.