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Alcohol and Alcoholism (Oxford,... May 2019To review current alcohol hangover research in animals and humans and evaluate key evidence for contributing biological factors. (Review)
Review
AIM
To review current alcohol hangover research in animals and humans and evaluate key evidence for contributing biological factors.
METHOD
Narrative review with alcohol hangover defined as the state the day after a single episode of heavy drinking, when the alcohol concentration in the blood approaches zero.
RESULTS
Many of the human studies of hangover are not well controlled, with subjects consuming different concentrations of alcohol over variable time periods and evaluation not blinded. Also, studies have measured different symptoms and use varying methods of measurement. Animal studies show variations with respect to the route of administration (intragastric or intraperitoneal), the behavioural tests utilised and discrepancy in the timepoint used for hangover onset. Human studies have the advantage over animal models of being able to assess subjective hangover severity and its correlation with specific behaviours and/or biochemical markers. However, animal models provide valuable insight into the neural mechanisms of hangover. Despite such limitations, several hangover models have identified pathological changes which correlate with the hangover state. We review studies examining the contribution of alcohol's metabolites, neurotransmitter changes with particular reference to glutamate, neuroinflammation and ingested congeners to hangover severity.
CONCLUSION
Alcohol metabolites, neurotransmitter alterations, inflammatory factors and mitochondrial dysfunction are the most likely factors in hangover pathology. Future research should aim to investigate the relationship between these factors and their causal role.
Topics: Alcoholic Intoxication; Animals; Brain; Ethanol; Humans; Inflammation; Neurotransmitter Agents
PubMed: 30916313
DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agz016 -
La Clinica Terapeutica May 2022Alcohol is a legal and yet detrimental psychoactive substance, capable of establishing addiction and impacting the physical, mental, social, and economic health of...
Alcohol is a legal and yet detrimental psychoactive substance, capable of establishing addiction and impacting the physical, mental, social, and economic health of people. Alcohol intake causes a large variety of tissue damages severely impacting the nervous system, digestive and cardiovascular systems and causing oral cavity, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, esophageal, colon-rectal, laryngeal, liver and intrahepatic bile duct, and breast cancers. Alcohol can also play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, cardiomyopathy and hemorrhagic strokes. When drunk during pregnancy it is proved to be responsible for serious damage to fetuses causing a wide range of pathological conditions from miscarriage to Fetal Alcoholic Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Acute ethanol intoxication happens when the amount of alcohol consumed is greater than the disposal capacity of the liver, causing an accumulation of its metabolites displayed by initial dysphoria and disinhibition. Nausea, vomiting, memory loss could happen. Although, it can lead to more serious conditions like impaired speaking, impaired coordination, unstable gait, nystagmus, stupor, or coma. Respiratory depression and death could also happen in such cases. Unfortunately, diagnosis of acute alcohol intoxication is difficult because most of the drinkers deny or minimize their assumption. It is dramatically important to assess when the last intake happened to avoid withdrawal syndrome. Alcohol acute intoxication can be considered a serious harm to health and a relevant issue for healthcare provid-ers working in emergency rooms. Differential diagnosis is crucial to avoid serious outcomes. There is no consensus about therapies for acute intoxication, but supportive and symptomatic treatments were proved effective. The repercussions of alcohol misuse over drinkers' social, familiar, economical and working life enhance the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in such cases.
Topics: Acute Disease; Alcohol Drinking; Alcoholic Intoxication; Alcoholism; Ethanol; Humans; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome
PubMed: 35612344
DOI: 10.7417/CT.2022.2432 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2016Alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and spirits are widely consumed around the world. However, alcohol and its metabolite acetaldehyde are toxic and harmful to human... (Review)
Review
Alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and spirits are widely consumed around the world. However, alcohol and its metabolite acetaldehyde are toxic and harmful to human beings. Chronic alcohol use disorder or occasional binge drinking can cause a wide range of health problems, such as hangover, liver damage and cancer. Some natural products such as traditional herbs, fruits, and vegetables might be potential dietary supplements or medicinal products for the prevention and treatment of the problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of effective natural products for the prevention and treatment of hangover and alcohol use disorder, and special emphasis is paid to the possible functional component(s) and related mechanism(s) of action.
Topics: Alcoholic Intoxication; Antidotes; Beer; Biological Products; Ethanol; Fruit; Humans; Plants, Medicinal; Vegetables; Wine
PubMed: 26751438
DOI: 10.3390/molecules21010064 -
Tidsskrift For Den Norske Laegeforening... Sep 2019
Topics: Adolescent; Aftercare; Alcoholic Intoxication; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Dangerous Behavior; Humans; Substance-Related Disorders; Young Adult
PubMed: 31556530
DOI: 10.4045/tidsskr.19.0513 -
European Review For Medical and... Sep 2020Acute alcohol intoxication is actually a common admission cause in the Emergency Department and represents an increasing public health burden, in particular among... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Acute alcohol intoxication is actually a common admission cause in the Emergency Department and represents an increasing public health burden, in particular among adolescents. It involves possible and significant illness and injury, which can quickly get worse and may need to be managed in the emergency room.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We conducted a narrative review of the literature regarding the effectiveness of first aid role of the Emergency Department setting.
RESULTS
This review included eighteen studies about alcohol intoxication management in the Emergency Department; most of all highlights the emerging phenomenon in Europe and around the world of acute alcohol intoxication management in first aid. The treatment of acute alcohol intoxication depends on general clinical conditions of the patient, vital signs, hemodynamic stability, cognitive state, alcohol-related complications, which are closely related to the blood alcohol concentration. At the same time, symptoms could be extremely variable due to individual differences in alcohol metabolism. In case of mild-moderate intoxication (blood alcohol concentration < 1 g/L), no drugs are necessary. In case of severe intoxication (blood alcohol concentration > 1 g/L), it is necessary to support with intravenous fluids, treat hypoglycemia, hypotension, hypothermia and electrolyte imbalance, administer complex B and C vitamins and accelerate alcohol elimination from blood with metadoxine. Unlike adults, adolescents are more exposed to the toxic effect of alcohol (because of their immature hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity), and then, acute alcohol-related complications are more frequent and dangerous in young people than in adult population. In many cases, patients affected by acute alcohol intoxication referring to an Emergency Department have mild-moderate transitory symptoms that do not require the use of drugs; they can benefit from a clinical observation, with a clinical course often completed within 24 hours with a favorable outcome. Clinical observation with vital signs control is necessary also to evaluate the possible development of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome (that involves a specific treatment) and to evaluate also possible pathological complications of the organism, above all acute liver damage.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients affected by acute alcohol intoxication are the best candidates to apply the rules of the Temporary Observation Unit in the Emergency Department, because of a clinical course often completed within 24 hours, a favorable outcome and without the need for hospitalization. In many cases, hospitalization could be not necessary, but the patient affected by Alcohol Use Disorder must be referred to an Alcohol Addiction Unit for the follow-up, to reduce the risk of alcohol relapse and complications related to alcohol abuse, and financial costs of hospitalization.
Topics: Alcoholic Intoxication; Blood Alcohol Content; Emergency Service, Hospital; First Aid; Hospitalization; Humans
PubMed: 32965003
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202009_22859 -
The International Journal on Drug Policy Jul 2020
Topics: Adolescent; Alcohol Drinking; Alcoholic Intoxication; Brain; Ethanol; Gender Identity; Humans; Young Adult
PubMed: 32423660
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102780 -
The Milbank Quarterly Dec 2015
Topics: Alcohol Drinking in College; Alcoholic Intoxication; Binge Drinking; Female; Humans; Life Style; Male; Peer Group; Risk-Taking; Students; United States; Universities
PubMed: 26626974
DOI: 10.1111/1468-0009.12153 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jun 2022Alcohol intoxication at early ages is a risk factor for the development of addictive behavior. To uncover neuronal molecular correlates of acute ethanol intoxication, we...
Alcohol intoxication at early ages is a risk factor for the development of addictive behavior. To uncover neuronal molecular correlates of acute ethanol intoxication, we used stable-isotope-labeled mice combined with quantitative mass spectrometry to screen more than 2,000 hippocampal proteins, of which 72 changed synaptic abundance up to twofold after ethanol exposure. Among those were mitochondrial proteins and proteins important for neuronal morphology, including MAP6 and ankyrin-G. Based on these candidate proteins, we found acute and lasting molecular, cellular, and behavioral changes following a single intoxication in alcohol-naïve mice. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed a shortening of axon initial segments. Longitudinal two-photon in vivo imaging showed increased synaptic dynamics and mitochondrial trafficking in axons. Knockdown of mitochondrial trafficking in dopaminergic neurons abolished conditioned alcohol preference in flies. This study introduces mitochondrial trafficking as a process implicated in reward learning and highlights the potential of high-resolution proteomics to identify cellular mechanisms relevant for addictive behavior.
Topics: Alcoholic Intoxication; Animals; Behavior, Addictive; Dopaminergic Neurons; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drosophila melanogaster; Ethanol; Gene Knockdown Techniques; Hippocampus; Mice; Mitochondria; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Protein Transport
PubMed: 35700362
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2122477119 -
Jornal de Pediatria 2017To review the screening, diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of intoxication by alcohol and other drugs in children and adolescents in the emergency scenario. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To review the screening, diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of intoxication by alcohol and other drugs in children and adolescents in the emergency scenario.
DATA SOURCE
This was a narrative literature review.
DATA SUMMARY
The detection of this problem in the emergency room can be a challenge, especially when its assessment is not standardized. The intentional and episodic use of large amounts of psychoactive substances by adolescents is a usual occurrence, and unintentional intoxication is more common in children younger than 12 years. The clinical picture in adolescents and children differs from that in adults and some particularities are important in the emergency scenario. After management of the acute condition, interventions targeting the adolescent at risk may be effective.
CONCLUSION
The diagnosis and treatment of intoxication by alcohol and other drugs in adolescents and children in the emergency scenario requires a systematic evaluation of the use of these drugs. There are few specific treatments for intoxication, and the management comprehends support measures and management of related clinical complications.
Topics: Accidents, Home; Adolescent; Alcoholic Intoxication; Child; Emergency Service, Hospital; Humans; Psychotropic Drugs
PubMed: 28886402
DOI: 10.1016/j.jped.2017.06.015 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2022The field of alcohol intoxication sensing is over 100 years old, spanning the fields of medicine, chemistry, and computer science, aiming to produce the most effective... (Review)
Review
The field of alcohol intoxication sensing is over 100 years old, spanning the fields of medicine, chemistry, and computer science, aiming to produce the most effective and accurate methods of quantifying intoxication levels. This review presents the development and the current state of alcohol intoxication quantifying devices and techniques, separated into six major categories: estimates, breath alcohol devices, bodily fluid testing, transdermal sensors, mathematical algorithms, and optical techniques. Each of these categories was researched by analyzing their respective performances and drawbacks. We found that the major developments in monitoring ethanol intoxication levels aim at noninvasive transdermal/optical methods for personal monitoring. Many of the "categories" of ethanol intoxication systems overlap with each other with to a varying extent, hence the division of categories is based only on the principal operation of the techniques described in this review. In summary, the gold-standard method for measuring blood ethanol levels is through gas chromatography. Early estimation methods based on mathematical equations are largely popular in forensic fields. Breath alcohol devices are the most common type of alcohol sensors on the market and are generally implemented in law enforcement. Transdermal sensors vary largely in their sensing methodologies, but they mostly follow the principle of electrical sensing or enzymatic reaction rate. Optical devices and methodologies perform well, with some cases outperforming breath alcohol devices in terms of the precision of measurement. Other estimation algorithms consider multimodal approaches and should not be considered alcohol sensing devices, but rather as prospective measurement of the intoxication influence. This review found 38 unique technologies and techniques for measuring alcohol intoxication, which is testament to the acute interest in the innovation of noninvasive technologies for assessing intoxication.
Topics: Aged, 80 and over; Alcoholic Intoxication; Breath Tests; Ethanol; Forensic Medicine; Humans; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 36146167
DOI: 10.3390/s22186819