Low Alcohol Drinking Research Articles

Pre- and undiagnosed-hypertension in urban Chinese adults: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Hypertension is common in adults and often undiagnosed, and the prevalence of pre- and undiagnosed-hypertension remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of pre- and undiagnosed-hypertension and their correlates among urban Chinese adults. A total of 7435 participants aged 20-79 were included in this study. Data on demographics, lifestyle and medical history were collected through a structured interview. Pre- and undiagnosed-hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure/ diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) of 120-139/80-89 mm Hg and SBP⩾140 mm Hg and/or DBP⩾90 mm Hg, respectively, in participants without a history of hypertension and use of antihypertensive medication. Prevalence rates were calculated and standardized using local age- and gender-specific census data. Data were analysed using multinomial logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounders. Of all the participants, 2726 (36.7%) were diagnosed with pre-hypertension and 919 (12.3%) with undiagnosed-hypertension. Undiagnosed-hypertension accounted for 37.3% of all participants with hypertension. The prevalence of pre-hypertension gradually decreased with age, while undiagnosed-hypertension increased, although presenting different changing patterns among men and women. In a fully adjusted multinomial logistic regression, age, male sex, low socio-economic status (SES), abdominal obesity, alcohol drinking, physical inactivity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were significantly associated with increased odds of pre- and undiagnosed-hypertension. In conclusions, the prevalence of pre- and undiagnosed-hypertension was ~50% among urban Chinese adults. Abdominal obesity, low SES, alcohol drinking, physical inactivity and T2DM may be indicators for pre- and undiagnosed-hypertension.

Alcohol consumption and mortality after breast cancer diagnosis: The health and functioning in women study.

To determine the association of prediagnostic alcohol consumption with long-term mortality from breast cancer and other causes in a cohort of women with breast cancer. We studied a Michigan-based cohort of 939 women aged 40-84 years, who provided complete information about the type, amount and intensity of prediagnostic alcohol consumption. Associations of alcohol consumption, based on weekly volume of alcohol consumption during the year prior to breast cancer diagnosis, with mortality were evaluated in Cox proportional hazards models, with adjustment for sociodemographic factors, body mass index, smoking, comorbidity, tumor characteristics, and treatment. Differences among covariates were assessed with Pearson χ2 , Student t -tests and Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests. All statistical tests were two-sided. During a median follow-up of 11 years, 724 deaths occurred overall, with 303 from breast cancer. Fifty-five percent of the women were categorized as drinkers with volume of alcohol consumption ranging from 0.75 to 36.00 drinks/week. In multivariable models, a decreased risk of other-cause mortality was associated with low alcohol drinking (0.75-3.75 drinks/week; HR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.47-0.78), moderate volume alcohol drinking (4.00-9.75 drinks/week; HR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.39-0.85) and low frequency (0.75-3.75 drinks/week) beer and wine intake (HR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.50-0.96 and HR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.52-0.88 respectively). Although the risk of breast cancer-specific mortality was not statistically significantly associated with moderate (4.00-9.75 drinks/week) and high volume (10.00-36.00 drinks/week) alcohol drinking in the overall cohort (HR = 1.43, 95% CI = 95% 0.97-2.12 and HR = 1.53, 95% CI = 0.87-2.70 respectively), there was a positive association of alcohol consumption with breast cancer-specific mortality among current smokers (HR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.03-3.57; Pinteraction = 0.04). In this prospective cohort study, regular consumption of 0.75-36.00 alcoholic drinks per week during the year prior to breast cancer diagnosis was associated with a reduction in other-cause mortality and with an increase in breast cancer-specific mortality among current smokers, after taking into account clinical and sociodemographic factors.

Associations of blood pressure, glucose or lipids with stroke in different age or gender

To investigate the relationship between blood pressure, blood glucose or blood lipids and patients with cerebral infarction (CI) or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in different age or gender. Th e case-control study consecutively recruited patients with fi rst-ever-in-a-lifetime CI (n=358) and ICH (n=230) and community-acquired pneumonia (n=165) as controls between January 2010 and December 2013 at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. The patients with CI or ICH were divided into the young group, the middle-aged group and the older group, and the risk factors were compared between the 3 groups. The patients with CI or ICH were respectively further divided into the male group and the female group. The blood pressure, glucose and lipids were measured. Data from logistic regression models showed that CI was closely associated with high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM) or fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (P< 0.05), and ICH was closely related to high blood pressure, hypertension, low density lipoproteincholesterol (LDL-C), FPG, serum creatinine (SCr) or alcohol drinking (P< 0.05); hypertension was the main risk factor for stroke. The odds ratios for the young, the middle-aged and older group were 10.43, 4.74 and 7.39 respectively (P< 0.05). Systolic blood pressure (OR=28.74) was the important risk factor for the young stroke, and the OR is 2.81 for the middle-aged stroke. Diastolic blood pressure (OR=2.96) and DM (OR=6.25) were the risk factor for the middle-aged stroke. LDL-C (OR=2.87) was a risk factor for the older stroke; the mean levels of diastolic blood pressure in males were significantly increased compared with that in females with CI, while the mean levels of TC, HDL-C or LDL-C in females were significantly higher than that in males with ICH (P< 0.05). Hypertension, systolic blood pressure in particular, is the most common risk factor for young stroke patients. DM and hypertension are the risk factors for the middle-aged patients, while hypertension, DM, LDL-C and alcohol consuming are the risk factors for the aged patients.

Association between Type A/B Behavior Pattern and Alcohol Consumption in Undergraduate Students

The present preliminary study examines an association between Type A behavior pattern and alcohol drinking pattern in Polish undergraduate students. Recognition of all factors associated with binge drinking seem to be necessary for the preparation the suitable prevention program at university. The sample of 113 second-year university students took part in self-administered questionnaires: the Alcohol Drinking Scale and the Framingham Type A Scale. Women drank less beer and spirits than men. Contrary to expectation, Type A behavior pattern not correlated with alcohol consumption. However, male students who demonstrated low alcohol drinking pattern scored higher in the Framingham Type A Scale than others. The prevention program at the university should refer to men abstainers, as well as heavy drinkers.

EPA-0215 - Genetic polymorphisms, impulsivity and suicide attempts: looking for a comprehensive model of relapse in alcohol dependence

The serotonin system is considered to contribute to both predisposition and course of addictions. A major, suggested link between low serotonin activity and alcohol drinking is impulsivity, which can be manifested by suicidal behavior. The objective of our study was to build a comprehensive model of mutual relationships between HTR2A T102C (rs6313) polymorphism, suicidality, impulsivity and relapse in alcohol dependence. A sample of 254 alcohol dependent subjects were recruited in alcohol treatment centers and prospectively assessed at baseline and follow-up after 12 months. Information about demographics, psychopathological symptoms, history of suicide attempts and alcohol problems was obtained. The stop-signal task was performed and blood samples for genetic analysis were collected. Relapse was defined as any drinking during the follow up period. The statistical analysis revealed a significant association between CC genotype in HTR2A T102C polymorphism and relapse. Other factors that turned out to be significantly associated with relapse were history of impulsive suicide attempt and baseline depressive symptoms, with genetic factor being the strongest predictor of relapse in multivariate model (OR=2.125). In addition we observed a significant association between CC genotype and behavioral impulsivity as well as history of suicide attempts. We also found a significant association between stop reaction time and lifetime history of suicide attempts. Our results provide a consistent perspective of importance of 5-HT2A receptor associated with impulsivity, suicidality and relapse. Based on these findings we propose a more comprehensive model of mutual relationships between relapse, impulsivity, suicidality and HTR2A polymorphism.

Gene expression within the extended amygdala of 5 pairs of rat lines selectively bred for high or low ethanol consumption

The objectives of this study were to determine innate differences in gene expression in 2 regions of the extended amygdala between 5 different pairs of lines of male rats selectively bred for high or low ethanol consumption: a) alcohol-preferring (P) vs. alcohol-non-preferring (NP) rats, b) high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) vs. low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats (replicate line–pairs 1 and 2), c) ALKO alcohol (AA) vs. nonalcohol (ANA) rats, and d) Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) vs. Sardinian alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rats, and then to determine if these differences are common across the line–pairs. Microarray analysis revealed up to 1772 unique named genes in the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) and 494 unique named genes in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) that significantly differed [False Discovery Rate (FDR) = 0.10; fold-change at least 1.2] in expression between the individual line–pairs. Analysis using Gene Ontology (GO) and Ingenuity Pathways information indicated significant categories and networks in common for up to 3 or 4 line–pairs, but not for all 5 line–pairs. However, there were almost no individual genes in common within these categories and networks. ANOVAs of the combined data for the 5 line–pairs indicated 1014 and 731 significant (p < 0.01) differences in expression of named genes in the AcbSh and CeA, respectively. There were 4–6 individual named genes that significantly differed across up to 3 line–pairs in both regions; only 1 gene (Gsta4 in the CeA) differed in as many as 4 line–pairs. Overall, the findings suggest that a) some biological categories or networks (e.g., cell-to-cell signaling, cellular stress response, cellular organization, etc.) may be in common for subsets of line–pairs within either the AcbSh or CeA, and b) regulation of different genes and/or combinations of multiple biological systems may be contributing to the disparate alcohol drinking behaviors of these line–pairs.

Socio-economic and Psychosocial Determinants of Smoking and Passive Smoking in Older Adults

ObjectiveTo determine the associations of socio-economic and psychosocial factors with active and passive smoking in older adults. MethodsUsing a standard interview method, we examined random samples of 6071 people aged ≥ 60 years in 5 provinces of China during 2007–2009. ResultsWorld age-standardised prevalence for current and former smoking in men was 45.6% and 20.5%, and in women 11.1% and 4.5%. Current smoking reduced with older age but increased with men, low socioeconomic status (SES), alcohol drinking, being never-married, pessimistic and depressive syndromes. Former smoking was associated with men, secondary school education, a middle-high income, being a businessman, being widowed, less frequencies of visiting children/relatives and friends, and worrying about children. Among 3774 never-smokers, the prevalence of passive smoking was 31.5%, and the risk increased with women, low SES, alcohol drinking, being married, having a religious believe, and daily visiting children/relatives. There were sex differences in the associations, and an interaction effect of education and income on smoking and passive smoking. ConclusionOlder Chinese had a higher level of smoking and passive smoking than those in high income countries, reflecting China's failures in controlling smoking. The associations with low SES and different psychosocial aspects and sex differences suggest preventative strategies for active and passive smoking.

Gene expression in the ventral tegmental area of 5 pairs of rat lines selectively bred for high or low ethanol consumption

The objective of this study was to determine if there are common innate differences in gene expression or gene pathways in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) among 5 different pairs of rat lines selectively bred for high (HEC) or low (LEC) ethanol consumption: (a) alcohol-preferring (P) vs. alcohol-non-preferring (NP) rats; (b) high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) vs. low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats (replicate line pairs 1 and 2); (c) ALKO alcohol (AA) vs. nonalcohol (ANA) rats; and (d) Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) vs. alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rats. Microarray analysis revealed between 370 and 1340 unique named genes that significantly differed in expression between the individual line-pairs. Analysis using Gene Ontology (GO) and Ingenuity Pathways information indicated significant categories and networks in common for up to 3 line-pairs, but not for all 5 line-pairs; moreover, there were few genes in common in these categories and networks. ANOVA of the combined data for the 5 line-pairs indicated 1295 significant (p<0.01) differences in expression of named genes. Although no individual named gene was significant across all 5 line-pairs, there were 22 genes that overlapped in the same direction in 3 or 4 of the line-pairs. Overall, the findings suggest that (a) some biological categories or networks may be in common for subsets of line-pairs; and (b) regulation of different genes and/or combinations of multiple biological systems (e.g., transcription, synaptic function, intracellular signaling and protection against oxidative stress) within the VTA (possibly involving dopamine and glutamate) may be contributing to the disparate alcohol drinking behaviors of these line-pairs.

Place conditioning with ethanol in rats bred for high (UChB) and low (UChA) voluntary alcohol drinking

The main goal of this study was to investigate the ability of an ethanol dose (1 g/kg) administered intraperitoneally to induce conditioned place preference (CPP) and/or conditioned place aversion (CPA) in two lines of rats selectively bred for their high (UChB) or low (UChA) voluntary ethanol intake. It was found that five pairings with ethanol induced CPA in ethanol-naïve rats of both lines, but the magnitude of avoidance was lower in the UChB relative to the UChA rats, indicating that ethanol was less aversive to naïve rats bred for high alcohol drinking. After 2 months of high voluntary ethanol drinking (∼6–7 g/kg/day), in free choice between 10% ethanol and water, ethanol produced CPP in UChB rats, reflecting that ethanol had become rewarding to these rats. By contrast, the low voluntary ethanol intake (<1 g/kg/day) displayed by UChA rats preexposed for 2 months in free choice did not change ethanol-induced CPA. However, preexposure of UChA rats to forced ethanol drinking (∼5.7 g/kg/day) and the later inhibition of ethanol-derived acetaldehyde by 4-methylpyrazole (10 mg/kg intraperitoneal), an inhibitor of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, not only increased their voluntary ethanol intake in free choice, but also had a facilitating effect on the development of CPP. Taken together, these results show that the expression of the reinforcing effects of ethanol required a period of voluntary ethanol intake in UChB rats, whereas in UChA rats, both prior exposure to forced ethanol drinking and reduction of high blood ethanol-derived acetaldehyde were required.

Socio-economic, demographic, lifestyle and health characteristics associated with consumption of fatty-sweetened and fatty-salted foods in middle-aged French adults

Few studies have specifically focused on characteristics associated with consumption of combined fatty-salted and fatty-sweetened foods, whereas their identification could be useful for defining effective public health measures. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between demographic, socio-economic, lifestyle and health characteristics and consumption of these types of food in a general sample of French adults. Dietary intake was assessed using a minimum of six 24h dietary records collected over a 2-year period in 6240 subjects aged 35-60 years who participated in the Supplémentation en VItamines Minéraux et AntioXydants cohort study. Associations of individual characteristics with high and intermediate consumption of fatty-sweetened and fatty-salted foods were assessed using multivariate polytomic logistic regression models. Risk of moderate or high consumption of fatty-salted foods decreased with increasing age. Current smokers, drinkers, individuals with overweight and with hypertension were more likely to consume moderate or high amounts of such foods. Risk of moderate or high consumption of fatty-sweetened foods decreased with increasing age. Women, individuals living as a couple, moderate drinkers and persons with low or medium physical activity level were more likely to consume moderate or high amounts of such foods. Lower educated subjects, current smokers, heavy drinkers and individuals with severe hypertriacylglycerolaemia were less likely to have moderate or high consumption. Consumption of fatty-sweetened and fatty-salted foods varied according to demographic, lifestyle and health characteristics. Common unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, low physical activity and alcohol drinking, associated with high consumption of these food groups, may help to effectively target public health efforts.

Fine mapping and expression of candidate genes within the chromosome 10 QTL region of the high and low alcohol-drinking rats

The high and low alcohol-drinking (HAD and LAD) rats were selectively bred for differences in alcohol intake. The HAD/LAD rats originated from the N/Nih heterogeneous stock developed from intercrossing eight inbred rat strains. The HAD × LAD F2 were genotyped, and a powerful analytical approach, using ancestral recombination and F2 recombination, was used to narrow a quantitative trait loci (QTL) for alcohol drinking to a 2-cM region on distal chromosome 10 that was in common in the HAD1/LAD1 and HAD2/LAD2 analyses. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to examine mRNA expression of six candidate genes ( Crebbp, Trap1, Gnptg, Clcn7, Fahd1, and Mapk8ip3) located within the narrowed QTL region in the HAD1/LAD1 rats. Expression was examined in five brain regions, including the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, caudate putamen, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. All six genes showed differential expression in at least one brain region. Of the genes tested in this study, Crebbp and Mapk8ip3 may be the most promising candidates with regard to alcohol drinking.

High‐Alcohol Preferring Mice Are More Impulsive Than Low‐Alcohol Preferring Mice as Measured in the Delay Discounting Task

Repeated studies have shown that high impulsivity, when defined as the tendency to choose small immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards, is more prevalent in drug addicts and alcoholics when compared with nonaddicts. Assessing whether impulsivity precedes and potentially causes addiction disorders is difficult in humans because they all share a history of drug use. In this study, we address this question by testing alcohol-naïve mice from lines showing heritable differences in alcohol intake. Replicated selected lines of outbred high-alcohol preferring (HAP) mice were compared to a low-alcohol preferring (LAP) line as well as the low-drinking progenitor line (HS/Ibg) on an adjusting amount delay discounting (DD) task. The DD task employs 2 levers to present subjects with a choice between a small, immediate and a large, delayed saccharin reward. By adjusting the quantity of the immediate reward up and down based on choice behavior, the task allows an estimate of how the subjective value of the delayed reinforcer decreases as delays increase. Latency to respond was also measured for each trial. Both HAP2 and HAP1 lines of mice were more impulsive than the LAP2 and HS/Ibg lines, respectively. Hyperbolic curve-fitting confirmed steeper discounting in the high-alcohol drinking lines. In addition, the high-alcohol drinking lines demonstrated greater within-session increases in reaction times relative to the low-alcohol drinking lines. No other differences (consumption of saccharin, total trials completed) consistently mapped onto genetic differences in alcohol drinking. Alcohol-naïve outbred mice selected for high-alcohol drinking were more impulsive with saccharin reinforcers than low-alcohol drinkers. These data are consistent with results seen using inbred strain descendents of high-alcohol drinking and low-alcohol drinking rat lines, and suggest that impulsivity is a heritable difference that precedes alcoholism.

Rats bred for high alcohol drinking are more sensitive to delayed and probabilistic outcomes

Alcoholics and heavy drinkers score higher on measures of impulsivity than nonalcoholics and light drinkers. This may be because of factors that predate drug exposure (e.g. genetics). This study examined the role of genetics by comparing impulsivity measures in ethanol-naive rats selectively bred based on their high [high alcohol drinking (HAD)] or low [low alcohol drinking (LAD)] consumption of ethanol. Replicates 1 and 2 of the HAD and LAD rats, developed by the University of Indiana Alcohol Research Center, completed two different discounting tasks. Delay discounting examines sensitivity to rewards that are delayed in time and is commonly used to assess 'choice' impulsivity. Probability discounting examines sensitivity to the uncertain delivery of rewards and has been used to assess risk taking and risk assessment. High alcohol drinking rats discounted delayed and probabilistic rewards more steeply than LAD rats. Discount rates associated with probabilistic and delayed rewards were weakly correlated, while bias was strongly correlated with discount rate in both delay and probability discounting. The results suggest that selective breeding for high alcohol consumption selects for animals that are more sensitive to delayed and probabilistic outcomes. Sensitivity to delayed or probabilistic outcomes may be predictive of future drinking in genetically predisposed individuals.

Large-scale alcohol use and socioeconomic position of origin: Longitudinal study from ages 15 to 19 years

To examine socioeconomic position (SEP) of origin as predictor of large-scale alcohol use in adolescence. The study population was a random sample of 15-year-olds at baseline (n=843) with a first follow-up 4 years later (n=729). Excess alcohol intake was assessed by consumption last weekend, dichotomized at 14 drinks. The univariate analyses showed no association between SEP at age 15 years and alcohol drinking at age 19 years. The multivariate analyses showed an association between low SEP and excess alcohol drinking among boys (odds ratio=1.76). This longitudinal study found a weak association between low family SEP at age 15 years and excess alcohol drinking at age 19 years, but the association was not significant.

Decreased reward during acute alcohol withdrawal in rats selectively bred for low alcohol drinking

We have previously hypothesized that increased sensitivity to the dysphoric-like or aversive effects of alcohol withdrawal following an initial exposure to alcohol might be associated with a genetic propensity to avoid alcohol. A decrease in brain reward function, as measured by an elevation in intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) reward threshold, is one of the few methods available to model dysphoric-like or aversive effects of drug withdrawal in rats. We compared brain reward function during withdrawal following an initial exposure to alcohol in alcohol-naïve rats selectively bred for high (HAD1 line) versus low (LAD1 line) voluntary alcohol consumption. Male HAD1 ( n = 5) and LAD1 ( n = 6) rats were implanted with unilateral electrodes in the medial forebrain bundle and trained to bar press for delivery of a 100 μA current that varied in frequency from 45 to 200 Hz. Responding for ICSS was generally stable within subjects across multiple experimental sessions on a given day and across several consecutive days prior to alcohol or water administration. ICSS responding was assessed in both rat lines prior to and at 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 24 h following a single intragastric infusion of alcohol (4.0 g/kg body weight) or water. Rats of the LAD1 line, but not those of the HAD1 line, exhibited a decrease in brain reward function as evidenced by a decrease in bar-press responding for ICSS and an increase in ICSS stimulation threshold during alcohol withdrawal. The results suggest that rats selectively bred for low alcohol drinking may experience dysphoric-like effects during withdrawal from an initial exposure to alcohol, while rats selectively bred for high alcohol drinking may not.

EFFECTS OF CHRONIC ALCOHOL TREATMENT ON ACOUSTIC STARTLE REACTIVITY DURING WITHDRAWAL AND SUBSEQUENT ALCOHOL INTAKE IN HIGH AND LOW ALCOHOL DRINKING RATS

The purpose of the present study is to determine whether the inverse genetic association between alcohol withdrawal magnitude and genetic propensity for alcohol drinking that we have previously identified in alcohol-naive rats given alcohol acutely, would also be seen following chronic alcohol exposure. The effect of forced, chronic alcohol treatment on subsequent voluntary alcohol drinking was also examined. Male rats from the high alcohol drinking (HAD2) and low alcohol drinking (LAD2) lines received two intragastric (IG) infusions of alcohol (3.0 g/kg BW; 25% v/v) or an equal volume of water, separated by 5 h, every day for 20 consecutive days (chronic alcohol treatment). Acoustic startle reactivity was assessed at 10, 14, and 18 h after the second infusion on days 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20. After acoustic startle testing was completed, all rats received two IG infusions of 3.0 g alcohol/kg BW, separated by 5 h, and blood alcohol content was assessed at 10, 14, and 18 h after the second alcohol infusion. All rats were then given a 24 h free-choice between alcohol and water for 8 weeks. Startle magnitude to a 120 dB tone was suppressed during alcohol withdrawal in both alcohol-treated HAD2 and LAD2 rats after 5, 10, and 15 days of alcohol treatment. Forced, chronic alcohol treatment produced metabolic tolerance in both the HAD2 and LAD2 lines and significantly suppressed subsequent voluntary alcohol intake in rats of the HAD2 line. Reduced acoustic startle reactivity during alcohol withdrawal in both HAD2 and LAD2 rats is consistent with our previous findings in the HAD2 but not the LAD2 line and may reflect reduced CNS excitability during withdrawal from forced alcohol exposure. Forced alcohol exposure robustly retarded the expression of a genetic predisposition toward alcohol drinking in rats selectively bred for high alcohol intake.

Dopamine and serotonin content in select brain regions of weanling and adult alcohol drinking rat lines

The objective of the present study was to examine innate differences in the tissue content of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT) and their metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in five brain regions of weanling and adult alcohol-preferring (P), alcohol-nonpreferring (NP), high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) selected rat lines. Adult male and weanling (postnatal day 25) male rats were killed by decapitation and brains were rapidly dissected for the following regions: olfactory tubercles (OTU), nucleus accumbens (ACB), septum (SEP), anterior cerebral cortex (ACTX) and amygdala (AMYG). Tissue extracts were assayed by HPLC with electrochemical detection. Due to significantly higher content levels in the adults, adult and weanling animals were analyzed separately. Significant differences were found in the ACB and OTU between the adult lines in both DA and 5-HT content, with P and HAD rats having lower levels than NP and LAD rats, respectively. Significant differences in DA content between the weanling lines were also found in the OTU, with P and HAD rats having lower DA levels than NP and LAD rats, respectively. These results confirm previous findings of an association between innate low DA content in select limbic regions and high alcohol drinking behavior.

Effects of Long‐Term Episodic Access to Ethanol on the Expression of an Alcohol Deprivation Effect in Low Alcohol–Consuming Rats

The alcohol-preferring (P) and -nonpreferring (NP) and high alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats have been selectively bred for divergent preference for ethanol over water. In addition, both P and HAD rats display an alcohol deprivation effect (ADE). This study was undertaken to test whether the NP, LAD-1, and LAD-2 lines of rats could display an ADE as well. Adult female NP, LAD-1, and LAD-2 rats were given concurrent access to multiple concentrations of ethanol [5, 10, 15% (v/v)] and water in an ADE paradigm involving an initial 6 weeks of 24-hr access to ethanol, followed by four cycles of 2 weeks of deprivation from and 2 weeks of re-exposure to ethanol (5, 10, and 15%). A control group had continuous access to the ethanol concentrations (5, 10, and 15%) and water through the end of the fourth re-exposure period. For NP rats, a preference for the highest ethanol concentration (15%) was evident by the end of the fifth week of access (approximately 60% of total ethanol fluid intake). Contrarily, LAD rats did not display a marked preference for any one concentration of ethanol. All three lines displayed an ADE after repeated cycles of re-exposure to ethanol, with the general ranking of intake being LAD-1 > NP > LAD-2 (e.g., for the first day of reinstatement of the third re-exposure cycle, intakes were 6.5, 2.9, and 2.4 g/kg/day compared with baseline values of 3.1, 2.0, and 1.3 g/kg/day for each line, respectively). By the 13th week, rats from all three lines, with a ranking of LAD-1 > NP > LAD-2, were drinking more ethanol (3.3, 2.2, and 2.0 g/kg/day, respectively) compared with their consumption during the first week of access (approximately 1.1 g/kg/day for all three lines). These data indicate that access to multiple concentrations of ethanol and exposure to multiple deprivation cycles can partially overcome a genetic predisposition of NP, LAD-1, and LAD-2 rats for low alcohol consumption. In addition, the findings suggest that genetic control of low alcohol consumption in rats is not associated with the inability to display an ADE.

Corticotropin-releasing factor gene expression is down-regulated in the central nucleus of the amygdala of alcohol-preferring rats which exhibit high anxiety: a comparison between rat lines selectively bred for high and low alcohol preference

The role of amygdaloid corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in alcoholism is not clear. Alcohol-preferring (P) rats and high alcohol-drinking (HAD) rats are selectively bred for high alcohol preference, and have been considered suitable animal models for studying alcoholism. The CRF neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) of P rats and HAD rats were studied in comparison with those of their respective counterparts, namely, alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats and low alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats. Specifically, CRF-immunoreactivity (ir) in the CeA and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) was assessed using radioimmunohistochemical (RIH) assay in alcohol-naive P/NP rats, and HAD/LAD rats. Furthermore, CRF mRNA was examined using in situ hybridization in the CeA of P/NP rats. Anxiety levels were also evaluated using an elevated plus maze. Results of the present study showed that CRF-ir was significantly lower in the CeA of P rats than NP rats. Moreover, CRF mRNA in the CeA was also much lower in P rats than NP rats. Such differences were not seen in the PVN. Interestingly, those P rats exhibited higher anxiety than NP rats. In contrary, there were no innate differences of CRF-ir in both the CeA and PVN between HAD and LAD rats whose anxiety levels were similar. This study is consistent with the literature showing CRF knockout (KO) induces alcohol drinking, and central administrations of CRF reduce alcohol intake. Collectively, the present study suggests that reduced CRF gene expression in the CeA of P rats is associated with their alcohol preference and anxiety.

Trends and social factors in blood pressure control in Scottish MONICA surveys 1986-1995: the rule of halves revisited.

Time trends and social factors in detection, treatment and control of hypertension in the community were examined in four independent Scottish MONICA cross-sectional surveys in 1986, 1989, 1992 and 1995. Residents aged 25-64 years were recruited randomly from general practice lists in north Glasgow, Scotland with stratification by sex and 10-year age groups. A total of 1262 participated in the first survey, 1397 in the second, 1516 in the third and 1836 in the fourth. Differences and trends in proportions of hypertension undetected, detected but untreated, treated but uncontrolled and controlled across the four surveys were tested by chi(2), and the associations of the poor control of hypertension with social factors were estimated by multivariate logistic regression model to derive odds ratios. Using the cut point of >/=160/95 mmHg, proportion of hypertension undetected across the four surveys was 56.3, 44.6, 32.0 and 38.2%, and of treated controlled hypertension was 15.2, 26.4, 32.0 and 32.8% (both trends P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that poor control of hypertension was not related to social deprivation, but significantly related to being male, young, of low body mass index and heavy alcohol drinking. Undetected hypertension was significantly related to full-time employment, and untreated hypertension to high social class and possibly education level. These findings suggest that in this part of Scotland the management of hypertension has improved, so the 'rule of halves' no longer applies. Control of blood pressure is not positively associated with social deprivation, but people at a high risk of poor control of hypertension should be targeted.