Browsing by Subject "Alcohol Drinking"

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Open Access
Age of first drunkenness and risks for all-cause mortality: A 27-year follow-up from the epidemiologic catchment area study.
(Drug and alcohol dependence, 2017-07) Hu, Hui; Eaton, William W; Anthony, James C; Wu, Li-Tzy; Cottler, Linda B
Early-onset drunkenness is associated with an increased risk of developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD), which predicts excess mortality risk. Here, we estimated mortality risk for drinkers with and without early drunkenness.For 14,848 adult participants interviewed about drinking, drunken episodes, and AUD in 1981-83 for the Epidemiologic Catchment Area in New Haven (Connecticut), Baltimore (Maryland), St. Louis (Missouri), and Durham (North Carolina), we linked National Death Index records through 2007.Cox regression modeling estimates showed excess mortality for drinkers with age of first drunkenness earlier than 15 years old (hazard ratio, HR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.25, 1.72) and when first drunkenness occurred at or after age 15 (HR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.29), as compared with adults who had never been drunk. Consistent results were observed, irrespective of AUD history. That is, early drunkenness signaled excess mortality risk even in absence of AUD.In a large community sample from four cities in the US, early age of onset of drunkenness predicts mortality risk. We discuss experiments to investigate the possible causal significance of this predictive association.
Open Access
Alcohol limits in older people.
(Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2012-09) Crome, Ilana; Li, Ting-Kai; Rao, Rahul; Wu, Li-Tzy
Open Access
Alcohol, drugs, caffeine, tobacco, and environmental contaminant exposure: reproductive health consequences and clinical implications.
(Critical reviews in toxicology, 2010-08) Sadeu, JC; Hughes, Claude L; Agarwal, Sanjay; Foster, Warren G
Reproductive function and fertility are thought to be compromised by behaviors such as cigarette smoking, substance abuse, and alcohol consumption; however, the strength of these associations are uncertain. Furthermore, the reproductive system is thought to be under attack from exposure to environmental contaminants, particularly those chemicals shown to affect endocrine homeostasis. The relationship between exposure to environmental contaminants and adverse effects on human reproductive health are frequently debated in the scientific literature and these controversies have spread into the lay press drawing increased public and regulatory attention. Therefore, the objective of the present review was to critically evaluate the literature concerning the relationship between lifestyle exposures and adverse effects on fertility as well as examining the evidence for a role of environmental contaminants in the purported decline of semen quality and the pathophysiology of subfertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and endometriosis. The authors conclude that whereas cigarette smoking is strongly associated with adverse reproductive outcomes, high-level exposures to other lifestyle factors are only weakly linked with negative fertility impacts. Finally, there is no compelling evidence that environmental contaminants, at concentrations representative of the levels measured in contemporary biomonitoring studies, have any effect, positive or negative, on reproductive health in the general population. Further research using prospective study designs with robust sample sizes are needed to evaluate testable hypotheses that address the relationship between exposure and adverse reproductive health effects.
Open Access
Association between novel PLCE1 variants identified in published esophageal cancer genome-wide association studies and risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
(BMC cancer, 2011-06-20) Ma, Hongxia; Wang, Li-E; Liu, Zhensheng; Sturgis, Erich M; Wei, Qingyi
Phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) (an effector of Ras) belonging to the phospholipase family plays crucial roles in carcinogenesis and progression of several cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, rs2274223) in PLCE1 has been identified as a novel susceptibility locus in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) that share similar risk factors with SCCHN. Therefore, we investigated the association between potentially functional SNPs in PLCE1 and susceptibility to SCCHN.We genotyped three potentially functional SNPs (rs2274223A/G, rs3203713A/G and rs11599672T/G) of PLCE1 in 1,098 SCCHN patients and 1,090 controls matched by age and sex in a non-Hispanic white population.Although none of three SNPs was alone significantly associated with overall risk of SCCHN, their combined effects of risk alleles (rs2274223G, rs3203713G and rs11599672G) were found to be associated with risk of SCCHN in a locus-dose effect manner (Ptrend=0.046), particularly for non-oropharyngeal tumors (Ptrend=0.017); specifically, rs2274223 was associated with a significantly increased risk (AG vs. AA: adjusted OR=1.29, 95% CI=1.01-1.64; AG/GG vs. AA: adjusted OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.03-1.64), while rs11599672 was associated with a significantly decreased risk (GG vs. TT: adjusted OR=0.54, 95% CI=0.34-0.86; TG/GG vs. TT: adjusted OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.61-0.95).Our findings suggest that PLCE1 variants may have an effect on risk of SCCHN associated with tobacco and alcohol exposure, particularly for those tumors arising at non-oropharyngeal sites. These findings, although need to be validated by larger studies, are consistent with those in esophageal and gastric cancers.
Open Access
Emotion dysregulation and drinking to cope as predictors and consequences of alcohol-involved sexual assault: examination of short-term and long-term risk.
(J Interpers Violence, 2015-02) Messman-Moore, Terri; Ward, Rose Marie; Zerubavel, Noga; Chandley, Rachel B; Barton, Sarah N
The present study examined emotion dysregulation, coping drinking motives, and alcohol-related problems as predictors and consequences of alcohol-involved sexual assault (AISA). A convenience sample of 424 college women completed confidential surveys on paper and online. Data were collected at baseline (T1), weekly for 10 weeks (T2-10), and at 1 year (T11). The cross-sectional and longitudinal associations among variables were examined in a cross-lagged panel model. Within each time point, all variables were correlated. Drinking to cope and emotion dysregulation predicted AISA in the short term (within 10 weeks), alcohol problems increased risk for AISA in the long term (within 1 year), and AISA history predicted AISA revictimization regardless of time frame. Drinking to cope and alcohol-related problems predicted future victimization, but their impact seems to fluctuate over time. Coping drinking motives were both a predictor and consequence of AISA, suggesting a cyclical pattern. However, additional analyses indicated that coping drinking motives and alcohol problems might act as suppressors in the model. Overall, findings indicate that interventions focused on improving emotion regulation skills may decrease short-term risk for AISA.
Open Access
Genetic diversity fuels gene discovery for tobacco and alcohol use.
(Nature, 2022-12) Saunders, Gretchen RB; Wang, Xingyan; Chen, Fang; Jang, Seon-Kyeong; Liu, Mengzhen; Wang, Chen; Gao, Shuang; Jiang, Yu; Khunsriraksakul, Chachrit; Otto, Jacqueline M; Addison, Clifton; Akiyama, Masato; Albert, Christine M; Aliev, Fazil; Alonso, Alvaro; Arnett, Donna K; Ashley-Koch, Allison E; Ashrani, Aneel A; Barnes, Kathleen C; Barr, R Graham; Bartz, Traci M; Becker, Diane M; Bielak, Lawrence F; Benjamin, Emelia J; Bis, Joshua C; Bjornsdottir, Gyda; Blangero, John; Bleecker, Eugene R; Boardman, Jason D; Boerwinkle, Eric; Boomsma, Dorret I; Boorgula, Meher Preethi; Bowden, Donald W; Brody, Jennifer A; Cade, Brian E; Chasman, Daniel I; Chavan, Sameer; Chen, Yii-Der Ida; Chen, Zhengming; Cheng, Iona; Cho, Michael H; Choquet, Hélène; Cole, John W; Cornelis, Marilyn C; Cucca, Francesco; Curran, Joanne E; de Andrade, Mariza; Dick, Danielle M; Docherty, Anna R; Duggirala, Ravindranath; Eaton, Charles B; Ehringer, Marissa A; Esko, Tõnu; Faul, Jessica D; Fernandes Silva, Lilian; Fiorillo, Edoardo; Fornage, Myriam; Freedman, Barry I; Gabrielsen, Maiken E; Garrett, Melanie E; Gharib, Sina A; Gieger, Christian; Gillespie, Nathan; Glahn, David C; Gordon, Scott D; Gu, Charles C; Gu, Dongfeng; Gudbjartsson, Daniel F; Guo, Xiuqing; Haessler, Jeffrey; Hall, Michael E; Haller, Toomas; Harris, Kathleen Mullan; He, Jiang; Herd, Pamela; Hewitt, John K; Hickie, Ian; Hidalgo, Bertha; Hokanson, John E; Hopfer, Christian; Hottenga, JoukeJan; Hou, Lifang; Huang, Hongyan; Hung, Yi-Jen; Hunter, David J; Hveem, Kristian; Hwang, Shih-Jen; Hwu, Chii-Min; Iacono, William; Irvin, Marguerite R; Jee, Yon Ho; Johnson, Eric O; Joo, Yoonjung Y; Jorgenson, Eric; Justice, Anne E; Kamatani, Yoichiro; Kaplan, Robert C; Kaprio, Jaakko; Kardia, Sharon LR; Keller, Matthew C; Kelly, Tanika N; Kooperberg, Charles; Korhonen, Tellervo; Kraft, Peter; Krauter, Kenneth; Kuusisto, Johanna; Laakso, Markku; Lasky-Su, Jessica; Lee, Wen-Jane; Lee, James J; Levy, Daniel; Li, Liming; Li, Kevin; Li, Yuqing; Lin, Kuang; Lind, Penelope A; Liu, Chunyu; Lloyd-Jones, Donald M; Lutz, Sharon M; Ma, Jiantao; Mägi, Reedik; Manichaikul, Ani; Martin, Nicholas G; Mathur, Ravi; Matoba, Nana; McArdle, Patrick F; McGue, Matt; McQueen, Matthew B; Medland, Sarah E; Metspalu, Andres; Meyers, Deborah A; Millwood, Iona Y; Mitchell, Braxton D; Mohlke, Karen L; Moll, Matthew; Montasser, May E; Morrison, Alanna C; Mulas, Antonella; Nielsen, Jonas B; North, Kari E; Oelsner, Elizabeth C; Okada, Yukinori; Orrù, Valeria; Palmer, Nicholette D; Palviainen, Teemu; Pandit, Anita; Park, S Lani; Peters, Ulrike; Peters, Annette; Peyser, Patricia A; Polderman, Tinca JC; Rafaels, Nicholas; Redline, Susan; Reed, Robert M; Reiner, Alex P; Rice, John P; Rich, Stephen S; Richmond, Nicole E; Roan, Carol; Rotter, Jerome I; Rueschman, Michael N; Runarsdottir, Valgerdur; Saccone, Nancy L; Schwartz, David A; Shadyab, Aladdin H; Shi, Jingchunzi; Shringarpure, Suyash S; Sicinski, Kamil; Skogholt, Anne Heidi; Smith, Jennifer A; Smith, Nicholas L; Sotoodehnia, Nona; Stallings, Michael C; Stefansson, Hreinn; Stefansson, Kari; Stitzel, Jerry A; Sun, Xiao; Syed, Moin; Tal-Singer, Ruth; Taylor, Amy E; Taylor, Kent D; Telen, Marilyn J; Thai, Khanh K; Tiwari, Hemant; Turman, Constance; Tyrfingsson, Thorarinn; Wall, Tamara L; Walters, Robin G; Weir, David R; Weiss, Scott T; White, Wendy B; Whitfield, John B; Wiggins, Kerri L; Willemsen, Gonneke; Willer, Cristen J; Winsvold, Bendik S; Xu, Huichun; Yanek, Lisa R; Yin, Jie; Young, Kristin L; Young, Kendra A; Yu, Bing; Zhao, Wei; Zhou, Wei; Zöllner, Sebastian; Zuccolo, Luisa; 23andMe Research Team; Biobank Japan Project; Batini, Chiara; Bergen, Andrew W; Bierut, Laura J; David, Sean P; Gagliano Taliun, Sarah A; Hancock, Dana B; Jiang, Bibo; Munafò, Marcus R; Thorgeirsson, Thorgeir E; Liu, Dajiang J; Vrieze, Scott
Tobacco and alcohol use are heritable behaviours associated with 15% and 5.3% of worldwide deaths, respectively, due largely to broad increased risk for disease and injury^1-4. These substances are used across the globe, yet genome-wide association studies have focused largely on individuals of European ancestries⁵. Here we leveraged global genetic diversity across 3.4 million individuals from four major clines of global ancestry (approximately 21% non-European) to power the discovery and fine-mapping of genomic loci associated with tobacco and alcohol use, to inform function of these loci via ancestry-aware transcriptome-wide association studies, and to evaluate the genetic architecture and predictive power of polygenic risk within and across populations. We found that increases in sample size and genetic diversity improved locus identification and fine-mapping resolution, and that a large majority of the 3,823 associated variants (from 2,143 loci) showed consistent effect sizes across ancestry dimensions. However, polygenic risk scores developed in one ancestry performed poorly in others, highlighting the continued need to increase sample sizes of diverse ancestries to realize any potential benefit of polygenic prediction.
Open Access
Illicit and nonmedical drug use among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and mixed-race individuals.
(Drug and alcohol dependence, 2013-12) Wu, Li-Tzy; Blazer, Dan G; Swartz, Marvin S; Burchett, Bruce; Brady, Kathleen T; NIDA AAPI Workgroup
The racial/ethnic composition of the United States is shifting rapidly, with non-Hispanic Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NHs/PIs), and mixed-race individuals the fastest growing segments of the population. We determined new drug use estimates for these rising groups. Prevalences among Whites were included as a comparison.Data were from the 2005-2011 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Substance use among respondents aged ≥ 12 years was assessed by computer-assisted self-interviewing methods. Respondents' self-reported race/ethnicity, age, gender, household income, government assistance, county type, residential stability, major depressive episode, history of being arrested, tobacco use, and alcohol use were examined as correlates. We stratified the analysis by race/ethnicity and used logistic regression to estimate odds of drug use.Prevalence of past-year marijuana use among Whites increased from 10.7% in 2005 to 11.6-11.8% in 2009-2011 (P<0.05). There were no significant yearly changes in drug use prevalences among Asian-Americans, NHs/PIs, and mixed-race people; but use of any drug, especially marijuana, was prevalent among NHs/PIs and mixed-race people (21.2% and 23.3%, respectively, in 2011). Compared with Asian-Americans, NHs/PIs had higher odds of marijuana use, and mixed-race individuals had higher odds of using marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, stimulants, sedatives, and tranquilizers. Compared with Whites, mixed-race individuals had greater odds of any drug use, mainly marijuana, and NHs/PIs resembled Whites in odds of any drug use.Findings reveal alarmingly prevalent drug use among NHs/PIs and mixed-race people. Research on drug use is needed in these rising populations to inform prevention and treatment efforts.
Open Access
Long-term effects of chronic intermittent ethanol exposure in adolescent and adult rats: radial-arm maze performance and operant food reinforced responding.
(PloS one, 2013-01) Risher, Mary-Louise; Fleming, Rebekah L; Boutros, Nathalie; Semenova, Svetlana; Wilson, Wilkie A; Levin, Edward D; Markou, Athina; Swartzwelder, H Scott; Acheson, Shawn K
Background
Adolescence is not only a critical period of late-stage neurological development in humans, but is also a period in which ethanol consumption is often at its highest. Given the prevalence of ethanol use during this vulnerable developmental period we assessed the long-term effects of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure during adolescence, compared to adulthood, on performance in the radial-arm maze (RAM) and operant food-reinforced responding in male rats.
Methodology/principal findings
Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to CIE (or saline) and then allowed to recover. Animals were then trained in either the RAM task or an operant task using fixed- and progressive- ratio schedules. After baseline testing was completed all animals received an acute ethanol challenge while blood ethanol levels (BECs) were monitored in a subset of animals. CIE exposure during adolescence, but not adulthood decreased the amount of time that animals spent in the open portions of the RAM arms (reminiscent of deficits in risk-reward integration) and rendered animals more susceptible to the acute effects of an ethanol challenge on working memory tasks. The operant food reinforced task showed that these effects were not due to altered food motivation or to differential sensitivity to the nonspecific performance-disrupting effects of ethanol. However, CIE pre-treated animals had lower BEC levels than controls during the acute ethanol challenges indicating persistent pharmacokinetic tolerance to ethanol after the CIE treatment. There was little evidence of enduring effects of CIE alone on traditional measures of spatial and working memory.
Conclusions/significance
These effects indicate that adolescence is a time of selective vulnerability to the long-term effects of repeated ethanol exposure on neurobehavioral function and acute ethanol sensitivity. The positive and negative findings reported here help to further define the nature and extent of the impairments observed after adolescent CIE and provide direction for future research.
Open Access
Perceived sexual control, sex-related alcohol expectancies and behavior predict substance-related sexual revictimization.
(Child Abuse Negl, 2013-05) Walsh, Kate; Messman-Moore, Terri; Zerubavel, Noga; Chandley, Rachel B; Denardi, Kathleen A; Walker, Dave P
OBJECTIVES: Although numerous studies have documented linkages between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and later sexual revictimization, mechanisms underlying revictimization, particularly assaults occurring in the context of substance use, are not well-understood. Consistent with Traumagenic Dynamics theory, the present study tested a path model positing that lowered perceptions of sexual control resulting from CSA may be associated with increased sex-related alcohol expectancies and heightened likelihood of risky sexual behavior, which in turn, may predict adult substance-related rape. METHODS: Participants were 546 female college students who completed anonymous surveys regarding CSA and adult rape, perceptions of sexual control, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior. RESULTS: The data fit the hypothesized model well and all hypothesized path coefficients were significant and in the expected directions. As expected, sex-related alcohol expectancies and likelihood of risky sexual behavior only predicted substance-related rape, not forcible rape. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggested that low perceived sexual control stemming from CSA is associated with increased sex-related alcohol expectancies and a higher likelihood of engaging in sexual behavior in the context of alcohol use. In turn these proximal risk factors heighten vulnerability to substance-related rape. Programs which aim to reduce risk for substance-related rape could be improved by addressing expectancies and motivations for risky sexual behavior in the context of substance use. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Open Access
Postpartum substance use and depressive symptoms: a review.
(Women & health, 2013-01) Chapman, Shawna L Carroll; Wu, Li-Tzy
National survey data suggest that new mothers have high prevalences of alcohol and illicit drug use. Depression correlates with substance use, and new mothers with postpartum depression may be at high risk for substance use. Understanding postpartum substance use and its relationship to postpartum depression can inform future research and intervention. A literature search was conducted resulting in 12 studies published from 1999-2012 examining postpartum alcohol use, drug use, or combined postpartum depression and substance use. Postpartum alcohol (prevalence range 30.1%-49%) and drug use (4.5%-8.5%) were lower than use among not pregnant, not postpartum women (41.5%-57.5%, 7.6%-10.6%, respectively) but higher than use among pregnant women (5.4%-11.6%, 3.7%-4.3%, respectively). Correlates of postpartum problem drinking were being unemployed, unmarried, and a cigarette smoker. Prevalence of drug use was highest among white new mothers, followed by blacks and Hispanics, but black new mothers appeared at greater risk of drug use. No identified studies examined correlates of postpartum drug use beyond race/ethnicity. Postpartum depressive symptoms were prevalent among postpartum substance users and those with a substance use history (19.7%-46%). The postpartum period is a critical time. Prevalent substance use and the scarcity of studies warrant research to identify means to reduce maternal substance use.
Open Access
Potentially functional polymorphisms in the ERCC2 gene and risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Chinese populations.
(Scientific reports, 2014-01) Zhu, Mei-Ling; He, Jing; Wang, MengYun; Sun, Meng-Hong; Jin, Li; Wang, Xiaofeng; Yang, Ya-Jun; Wang, Jiu-Cun; Zheng, Leizhen; Xiang, Jia-Qing; Wei, Qing-Yi
ERCC2 is indispensable for nucleotide excision repair pathway, and its functional polymorphisms may be associated with cancer risk. In a large case-control study of 1126 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) patients and 1131 controls, we genotyped two SNPs in ERCC2 (rs238406 G > T and rs13181 T > G) and assessed their associations with ESCC risk. We found a significantly elevated ESCC risk associated with the rs238406 T variant genotypes (adjusted OR = 1.30 and 1.24, 95% CI = 1.02-1.66 and 1.03-1.49 for TG and TG/TT, respectively, compared with GG), particularly in the subgroup of those smoked more than 16 pack-years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested a possible multiplicative gene-environment interaction between rs238406 genotypes and smoking (Pinteraction = 0.026) on ESCC risk. Although no significant risk associations were observed for rs13181, further mini meta-analysis with our and 18 other published studies of 5,012 cases and 8,238 controls found evidence of an association between the rs13181 variant G allele and esophageal cancer risk (TG/GG vs. TT, OR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.02-1.33). Interestingly, we consistently found a significant correlation between variant genotypes of these two SNPs and ERCC2 mRNA expression. These findings suggest that potentially functional SNPs in ERCC2 may contribute to ESCC risk.
Open Access
Pregnancy, alcohol intake, and intimate partner violence among men and women attending drinking establishments in a Cape Town, South Africa township.
(J Community Health, 2012-02) Eaton, Lisa A; Kalichman, Seth C; Sikkema, Kathleen J; Skinner, Donald; Watt, Melissa H; Pieterse, Desiree; Pitpitan, Eileen V
The highest rates of fetal alcohol syndrome worldwide can be found in South Africa. Particularly in impoverished townships in the Western Cape, pregnant women live in environments where alcohol intake during pregnancy has become normalized and interpersonal violence (IPV) is reported at high rates. For the current study we sought to examine how pregnancy, for both men and women, is related to alcohol use behaviors and IPV. We surveyed 2,120 men and women attending drinking establishments in a township located in the Western Cape of South Africa. Among women 13.3% reported being pregnant, and among men 12.0% reported their partner pregnant. For pregnant women, 61% reported attending the bar that evening to drink alcohol and 26% reported both alcohol use and currently experiencing IPV. Daily or almost daily binge drinking was reported twice as often among pregnant women than non-pregnant women (8.4% vs. 4.2%). Men with pregnant partners reported the highest rates of hitting sex partners, forcing a partner to have sex, and being forced to have sex. High rates of alcohol frequency, consumption, binge drinking, consumption and binge drinking were reported across the entire sample. In general, experiencing and perpetrating IPV were associated with alcohol use among all participants except for men with pregnant partners. Alcohol use among pregnant women attending shebeens is alarmingly high. Moreover, alcohol use appears to be an important factor in understanding the relationship between IPV and pregnancy. Intensive, targeted, and effective interventions for both men and women are urgently needed to address high rates of drinking alcohol among pregnant women who attend drinking establishments.
Open Access
Pri-miR-124 rs531564 and pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphisms are associated with decreased risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Chinese populations.
(PloS one, 2014-01) Zhang, Junjie; Huang, Xuewen; Xiao, Juanjuan; Yang, Yajun; Zhou, Yinghui; Wang, Xiaofeng; Liu, Qingmei; Yang, Jingmin; Wang, Mengyun; Qiu, Lixin; Zheng, Yabiao; Zhang, Ping; Li, Jin; Wang, Ya'nong; Wei, Qingyi; Jin, Li; Wang, Jiucun; Wang, Minghua
MicroRNAs are a new class of small non-protein-coding RNAs that sometimes function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Aberrant expression and structural alteration of microRNAs have been reported to be involved in tumorigenesis and cancer development. Recently, rs531564/pri-miR-124-1, rs4938723/pri-miR-34b/c, rs7372209/pri-miR-26a-1, rs895819/pre-miR-27a, and rs11134527/pri-miR-218 were reported to be associated with risks of various cancers. In order to evaluate the relationship of these SNPs and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk, we conducted a case-control study with 1109 ESCC patients and 1275 control subjects to examine the potential association of these pri/pre-miRNA polymorphisms with ESCC susceptibility. As a result, two SNPs were associated with a significant risk of ESCC. We found that the GG genotype of pri-miR-124-1 rs531564 was associated to a significantly decreased risk of ESCC comparing with the CC/CG genotypes (p = 0.005; OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.43-0.86). In addition, the CC genotype of pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 was associated with a significant decreased risk of ESCC (CC VS.p = 0.007, OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.71-0.95) in Chinese population. The present study provides the first evidence that pri-miR-124-1 rs531564 and pri-miR-34 rs4938723 were associated with the risk of ESCC in Chinese population.
Open Access
Problem drinking and low-dose naltrexone-assisted opioid detoxification.
(Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 2011-05) Mannelli, Paolo; Peindl, Kathleen; Patkar, Ashwin A; Wu, Li-Tzy; Tharwani, Haresh M; Gorelick, David A
OBJECTIVE:The influence of alcohol use on opioid dependence is a major problem that warrants a search for more effective treatment strategies. The addition of very-low-dose naltrexone (VLNTX) to methadone taper was recently associated with reduced withdrawal intensity during detoxification. In a secondary analysis of these data, we sought to determine whether problem drinking affects detoxification outcomes and whether symptoms are influenced by VLNTX use. METHOD:Opioid-dependent patients (N = 174) received naltrexone (0.125 or 0.250 mg/day) or placebo in a double-blind, randomized design during methadone-based, 6-day inpatient detoxification. Alcohol consumption was assessed at admission using the Addiction Severity Index and selfreport. Outcome measures were opioid withdrawal intensity, craving, and retention in treatment. RESULTS:Problem drinking-opioid dependent patients (n = 79) showed episodic heavy alcohol use and reported increased subjective opioid withdrawal intensity (p = .001), craving (p = .001), and significantly lower rate of retention in treatment (p = .02). Individuals with problem drinking and opioid dependence who were treated with VLNTX (n = 55) showed reduced withdrawal (p = .05) and a lower rate of treatment discontinuation (p = .03), resuming alcohol intake in smaller numbers the day following discharge (p = .03). Treatment effects were more pronounced on anxiety, perspiration, shakiness, nausea, stomach cramps, and craving. There were no group differences in use of adjuvant medications and no treatment-related adverse events. CONCLUSIONS:Heavy drinking is associated with worse opioid detoxification outcomes. The addition of VLNTX is safe and is associated with reduced withdrawal symptoms and better completion rate in these patients. Further studies should explore the use of VLNTX in detoxification and long-term treatment of combined alcohol-opioid dependence and alcohol dependence alone.
Open Access
Regulatory Focus and Substance Use in Adolescents: Protective Effects of Prevention Orientation.
(Substance use & misuse, 2021-01) Franzese, Alexis T; Blalock, Dan V; Blalock, Kyla M; Wilson, Sarah M; Medenblik, Alyssa; Costanzo, Philip R; Strauman, Timothy J
Background
Substance use is a major risk factor for negative health and functioning outcomes among middle schoolers. The purpose of this study was to assess whether individual differences in the adolescents' goal orientation are associated with elevated or attenuated risk for substance use. Regulatory focus theory stipulates that individuals vary in their strength of orientation toward promotion goals ("making good things happen") and prevention goals ("keeping bad things from happening"). Objectives: We sought to examine the association between individual differences in regulatory focus and adolescents' reports of their own and their friends' substance use. Methods: Participants were 241 seventh grade students who completed measures of regulatory focus (promotion and prevention orientation), self-reported substance use, perceived substance use habits of peers, and demographics. Logistic regression models were used to examine adjusted odds of lifetime tobacco use, alcohol use, and marijuana use for both participants' own use and their reports of friends' use. Results: Prevention orientation was associated with lower odds of all self-reported lifetime substance use outcomes (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana). Prevention orientation was also associated with lower odds of reporting all types of substance use among friends. Promotion orientation was not associated with any self-reported substance use outcome, and was only associated with higher odds of reporting lifetime alcohol use among friends. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of regulatory focus as it relates to adolescent substance use. Future research may seek to incorporate regulatory focus within interventions intended to prevent or delay initiation of substance use in adolescents.
Open Access
Sex, temperament, and family context: how the interaction of early factors differentially predict adolescent alcohol use and are mediated by proximal adolescent factors.
(Psychol Addict Behav, 2011-03) Burk, Linnea R; Armstrong, Jeffrey M; Goldsmith, H Hill; Klein, Marjorie H; Strauman, Timothy J; Costanzo, Phillip; Essex, Marilyn J
Adolescent alcohol use is common and has serious immediate and long-term ramifications. While concurrent individual and context factors are robustly associated with adolescent alcohol use, the influence of early childhood factors, particularly in interaction with child sex, are less clear. Using a prospective community sample of 362 (190 girls), this study investigated sex differences in the joint influence of distal childhood and proximal adolescent factors on Grade 10 alcohol use. All risk factors and two-way early individual-by-context interactions, and interactions of each of these with child sex, were entered into the initial regression. Significant sex interactions prompted the use of separate models for girls and boys. In addition to the identification of early (family socioeconomic status, authoritative parenting style) and proximal adolescent (mental health symptoms, deviant friends) risk factors for both girls and boys, results highlighted important sex differences. In particular, girls with higher alcohol consumption at Grade 10 were distinguished by the interaction of early temperamental disinhibition and exposure to parental stress; boys with higher alcohol consumption at Grade 10 were distinguished primarily by early temperamental negative affect. Results have implications for the timing and type of interventions offered to adolescents.
Open Access
Substance Use and Suicide in Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Multiracial Youth.
(American journal of preventive medicine, 2018-06) Subica, Andrew M; Wu, Li-Tzy
INTRODUCTION:National estimates of U.S. Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (NHPI), American Indian/Alaskan Native (AIAN), and multiracial adolescent substance use and suicidality are scarce because of their small population sizes. The aim was to estimate the national prevalence of, and disparities in, substance use and suicidality among these understudied adolescents. METHODS:Analyses conducted in 2017 of U.S. adolescents (grades ninth to 12th) from the 1991-2015 Combined National Youth Behavioral Risk Surveys estimated (1) prevalence of lifetime and current (past 30-day) substance use, past 12-month depressed mood, and suicidality by racial group; and (2) AORs for depressed mood and suicidality regressed on current alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. RESULTS:Among 184,494 U.S. adolescents, alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana were commonly used with lifetime prevalence of 75.32%, 58.11%, and 40.55%, respectively, and current prevalence of 44.51%, 24.58%, and 22.01%, respectively. Past 12-month prevalence of suicidal thoughts, suicide planning, and attempted suicide were 18.87%, 14.75%, and 7.98%, respectively. Relative to non-Hispanic whites, NHPI, AIAN, and multiracial adolescents had higher prevalence of using many illicit substances (e.g., marijuana, heroin), depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts, planning, and attempts (p<0.05). Except for NHPIs and current alcohol use, current alcohol and cigarette use were independently associated with 2.0-2.3 times greater AORs (p<0.05) for attempted suicide among the target adolescents. CONCLUSIONS:U.S. NHPI, AIAN, and multiracial adolescents are disproportionately burdened by illicit substance use, depressed mood, and suicidality. Current alcohol and cigarette use may predispose these adolescents toward suicidality, offering potential pathways to alleviate suicide risk.
Open Access
Suicidal ideation and substance use among adolescents and young adults: a bidirectional relation?
(Drug and alcohol dependence, 2014-09) Zhang, Xiaoyun; Wu, Li-Tzy
To examine reciprocal associations between substance use (cigarette smoking, use of alcohol, marijuana, and other illegal drugs) and suicidal ideation among adolescents and young adults (aged 11-21 at wave 1; aged 24-32 at wave 4).Four waves public-use Add Health data were used in the analysis (N=3342). Respondents were surveyed in 1995, 1996, 2001-2002, and 2008-2009. Current regular smoking, past-year alcohol use, past-year marijuana use, and ever use of other illegal drugs as well as past-year suicidal ideation were measured at the four waves (1995, 1996, 2001-2002, and 2008-2009). Fixed effects models with lagged dependent variables were modeled to test unidirectional associations between substance use and suicidal ideation, and nonrecursive models with feedback loops combining correlated fixed factors were conducted to examine reciprocal relations between each substance use and suicidal ideation, respectively.After adjusting for the latent time-invariant effects and lagged effects of dependent variables, the unidirectional associations from substance use to suicidal ideation were consistently significant, and vice versa. Nonrecursive model results showed that use of cigarette or alcohol increased risk of suicidal ideation, while suicidal ideation was not associated with cigarette or alcohol use. Reversely, drug use (marijuana and other drugs) did not increase risk of suicidal ideation, but suicidal ideation increased risk of illicit drug use.The results suggest that relations between substance use and suicidal ideation are unidirectional, with cigarette or alcohol use increasing risk of suicidal ideation and suicidal ideation increasing risk of illicit drug use.
Open Access
The epidemiology of alcohol use disorders and subthreshold dependence in a middle-aged and elderly community sample.
(The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 2011-08) Blazer, Dan G; Wu, Li-Tzy
To estimate 1-year prevalence and correlates of alcohol abuse, dependence, and subthreshold dependence (diagnostic orphans) among middle-aged and elderly persons in the United States.2005-2007 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health.Sample included 10,015 respondents aged 50-64 years and 6,289 respondents older than 65 years. Data were analyzed by bivariate and multinomial regression analyses.Sociodemographic variables; alcohol use; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition abuse and dependence; major depression; nicotine dependence; illicit drug use; and nonmedical use of prescription drugs.Fifty-one percent of the sample used alcohol during the past year (56% in the 50-64 age group and 43% in the older than 65 age group). Overall, 11% (dependence 1.9%, abuse 2.3%, and subthreshold dependence 7.0%) of adults aged 50-64 and about 6.7% (dependence 0.6%, abuse 0.9%, and subthreshold dependence 5.2%) of those older than 65 reported alcohol abuse, dependence or dependence symptoms. Among past-year alcohol users, 20% (dependence 3.4%, abuse 4.0%, and subthreshold dependence 12.5%) of adults aged 50-64 and 15.4% (dependence 1.3%, abuse 2.1%, and subthreshold dependence 12.0%) of those older than 65 endorsed alcohol abuse or dependence symptoms. "Tolerance" (48%) and "time spent using" (37%) were the two symptoms most frequently endorsed by the subthreshold group. Compared with alcohol users without alcohol abuse or dependence symptoms, blacks or Hispanics and those who had nicotine dependence or used nonmedical prescription drugs had increased odds of subthreshold dependence. Diagnostic orphans also were more likely to engage in binge drinking than the asymptomatic group.Diagnostic orphans among middle-aged and elderly community adults show an elevated rate for binge drinking and nonmedical use of prescription drugs that require attention from healthcare providers.
Open Access
The epidemiology of at-risk and binge drinking among middle-aged and elderly community adults: National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
(The American journal of psychiatry, 2009-10) Blazer, Dan G; Wu, Li-Tzy
The purpose of this article was to estimate the prevalence, distribution, and correlates of at-risk alcohol use (especially binge drinking) among middle-aged and elderly persons in the United States and to compare at-risk alcohol use between women and men.Secondary analysis of the 2005 and 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health was conducted for 10,953 respondents aged 50 years and older. Among respondents, 6,717 were 50 to 64 years of age and 4,236 were > or =65 years. Social and demographic variables, alcohol use (including at-risk use), binge drinking, serious psychological distress, and self-rated health were assessed.Overall, 66% of male respondents and 55% of female respondents reported alcohol use during the past year. At-risk alcohol use and binge drinking were more frequent among respondents 50 to 64 years of age relative to respondents aged 65 years or older. In the > or =65 years old age group, 13% of men and 8% of women reported at-risk alcohol use, and more than 14% of men and 3% of women reported binge drinking. Among male subjects, binge drinking compared with no alcohol use was associated with higher income and being separated, divorced, or widowed, while being employed and nonmedical use of prescription drugs were associated with binge drinking compared with no alcohol use among women. For all respondents, binge drinking relative to no alcohol use was associated with the use of tobacco and illicit drugs. Among women who reported using alcohol, being African American and less educated were associated with binge drinking, but race/ethnicity and educational level were not associated with binge drinking in men who reported using alcohol.At-risk and binge drinking are frequently reported by middle-aged and elderly adults nationwide and are therefore of public health concern. Clinicians working with middle-aged and older adults should screen for binge drinking and coexisting use of other substances.

Browsing by Subject "Alcohol Drinking"

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