To show that alcohol intoxication may be underdiagnosed in childhood, we describe four patients in whom it was not suspected until blood alcohol concentrations were measured as part of a toxicology screen.

The aim of pharmacotherapy for alcoholism is to increase sustained abstinence during and after treatment and to reduce relapse. There is accumulating, but not convincing, evidence showing the effects of mood stabilizers on alcohol dependence. Moreover, several studies suggest that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may be directly or indirectly associated with alcohol dependence, and mood...

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a primary determinant of health vulnerabilities and social affiliations. To ascertain if SES is signaled in brief patterns of nonverbal behavior, we had participants of varying SES backgrounds engage in a brief interaction with a stranger. Videos of 60-s slices of these interactions were coded for nonverbal cues of disengagement and engagement, and estimates of par...

The molecular and cellular targets that mediate alcohol intoxication are poorly understood. In this issue, Corl et al. (2009) now implicate a new Ste20 family kinase (Happyhour) and the EGFR/ERK signaling pathway it antagonizes in alcohol intoxication in flies.

Youth subcultures (hip-hop, punk, skinhead, techno scene, metal) are known for specific lifestyles, music preferences, shared values and behaviours of their members. The aim of this study was to assess the association between subculture affiliation and substance use (tobacco, alcohol and cannabis), and whether gender, family affluence and substance use by peers explain this association. Subcult...

The aim of this paper is to describe the available methods to quantify the main health and social harms related to alcohol consumption in the population and to provide recommendations to improve research on these issues. Methods using individual and aggregate level data for the study of the relationship between alcohol consumption and related harms are taken into account, highlighting their str...

An analysis is provided of general mortality, injuries and suicide dynamics in the Krasnodar Territory during 1969-1989. The increase of these indices is noted which is stipulated by the aging of population and the increase of death "power". A consideration is given to the influence of state measures on hard drinking and alcoholism control, adopted in 1985, on general mortality, mortality from ...

The study included 31 patients (5 women and 27 men) aged from 26 to 60 years (44.6± 8.9) and 32 healthy subjects (15 women and 17 men) aged 22-60 years (39.8± 9.4). The patients’ alcohol dependence ranged from 2 to 30 years (13.6± 7.5). Examined subjects consumed 75-700 g of ethanol/day (226.9± 151.5). Plasma concentrations of free and total carnitine were measured three times: at the first (T0...