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Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 2018Patients who suffer from alcohol use disorders (AUDs) usually go through various socio-behavioral and pathophysiological changes that take place in the brain and other... (Review)
Review
Patients who suffer from alcohol use disorders (AUDs) usually go through various socio-behavioral and pathophysiological changes that take place in the brain and other organs. Recently, consumption of unhealthy food and excess alcohol along with a sedentary lifestyle has become a norm in both developed and developing countries. Despite the beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption, chronic and/or excessive alcohol intake is reported to negatively affect the brain, liver and other organs, resulting in cell death, organ damage/failure and death. The most effective therapy for alcoholism and alcohol related comorbidities is alcohol abstinence, however, chronic alcoholic patients cannot stop drinking alcohol. Therefore, targeted therapies are urgently needed to treat such populations. Patients who suffer from alcoholism and/or alcohol abuse experience harmful effects and changes that occur in the brain and other organs. Upon stopping alcohol consumption, alcoholic patients experience acute withdrawal symptoms followed by a protracted abstinence syndrome resulting in the risk of relapse to heavy drinking. For the past few decades, several drugs have been available for the treatment of AUDs. These drugs include medications to reduce or stop severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms during alcohol detoxification as well as recovery medications to reduce alcohol craving and support abstinence. However, there is no drug that completely antagonizes the adverse effects of excessive amounts of alcohol. This review summarizes the drugs which are available and approved by the FDA and their mechanisms of action as well as the medications that are under various phases of preclinical and clinical trials. In addition, the repurposing of the FDA approved drugs, such as anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, antidepressants and other medications, to prevent alcoholism and treat AUDs and their potential target mechanisms are summarized.
Topics: Alcoholism; Animals; Drug Approval; Drug Repositioning; Humans; Signal Transduction; United States; United States Food and Drug Administration
PubMed: 29191394
DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2017.11.007 -
Molecular Genetics and Genomics : MGG Jun 2014Alcohol abuse and alcoholism incur a heavy socioeconomic cost in many countries. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to variation in the inebriating... (Review)
Review
Alcohol abuse and alcoholism incur a heavy socioeconomic cost in many countries. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to variation in the inebriating effects of alcohol and alcohol addiction among individuals within and across populations. From a genetics perspective, alcohol sensitivity is a quantitative trait determined by the cumulative effects of multiple segregating genes and their interactions with the environment. This review summarizes insights from model organisms as well as human populations that represent our current understanding of the genetic and genomic underpinnings that govern alcohol metabolism and the sedative and addictive effects of alcohol on the nervous system.
Topics: Alcoholism; Animals; Epigenesis, Genetic; Ethanol; Gene Expression Regulation; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genomics; Humans; Phenotype
PubMed: 24395673
DOI: 10.1007/s00438-013-0808-y -
Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) Sep 2011Alcohol is the most frequently abused substance in the world. Both acute and chronic alcohol consumption have diverse and well-documented effects on the human immune... (Review)
Review
Alcohol is the most frequently abused substance in the world. Both acute and chronic alcohol consumption have diverse and well-documented effects on the human immune system, leading to increased susceptibility to infections like bacterial pneumonia. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common bacterial etiology of community-acquired pneumonia worldwide. The frequency and severity of pneumococcal infections in individuals with a history of alcohol abuse is much higher than the general population. Despite this obvious epidemiological relevance, very few experimental studies have focused on the interaction of pneumococci with the immune system of a host acutely or chronically exposed to alcohol. Understanding these host-pathogen interactions is imperative for designing effective prophylactic and therapeutic interventions for such populations. Recent advances in pneumococcal research have greatly improved our understanding of pneumococcal pathogenesis and virulence mechanisms. Additionally, a large body of data is available on the effect of alcohol on the physiology of the lungs and the innate and adaptive immune system of the host. The purpose of this review is to integrate the available knowledge in these diverse areas of for a better understanding of the how the compromised immune system derived from alcohol exposure responds to pneumococcal infections.
Topics: Adaptive Immunity; Alcoholism; Community-Acquired Infections; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Pneumococcal Infections; Pneumonia, Pneumococcal; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Virulence; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 21827928
DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2011.02.305 -
Expert Review of Proteomics Aug 2012Alcohol abuse can lead to a number of health and social issues. Our current inability to accurately assess long-term drinking behaviors is an important obstacle to its... (Review)
Review
Alcohol abuse can lead to a number of health and social issues. Our current inability to accurately assess long-term drinking behaviors is an important obstacle to its diagnosis and treatment. Biomarkers for chronic alcohol consumption have made a number of important advances but have yet to become highly accurate and as accepted as objective tests for other diseases. Thus, there is a crucial need for the development of more sensitive and specific markers of alcohol abuse. Recent advancements in proteomic technologies have greatly increased the potential for alcohol abuse biomarker discovery. Here, the authors review established and novel protein biomarkers for long-term alcohol consumption and the proteomic technologies that have been used in their study.
Topics: Affinity Labels; Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol-Induced Disorders; Alcoholism; Biomarkers; Clusterin; Cytokines; Glycerophospholipids; Humans; Proteome; Proteomics; Sensitivity and Specificity; Time Factors; Transferrin
PubMed: 22967079
DOI: 10.1586/epr.12.38 -
Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 2021Alcoholism is a social issue that cannot be undermined in today's setting. This work aims to plunge readers into the plight of the direct and indirect victims of alcohol...
Alcoholism is a social issue that cannot be undermined in today's setting. This work aims to plunge readers into the plight of the direct and indirect victims of alcohol abuse.
Topics: Alcoholism; Humans
PubMed: 34666977
DOI: 10.20529/IJME.2021.033 -
Alcohol Research & Health : the Journal... 2008In addition to its well-known association with lung infection (i.e., pneumonia), alcohol abuse now is recognized as an independent factor that increases by three- to... (Review)
Review
In addition to its well-known association with lung infection (i.e., pneumonia), alcohol abuse now is recognized as an independent factor that increases by three- to four-fold the incidence of the acute respiratory distress syndrome, a severe form of acute lung injury with a mortality rate of 40 to 50 percent. This translates to tens of thousands of excess deaths in the United States each year from alcohol-mediated lung injury, which is comparable to scarring of the liver (i.e., cirrhosis) in terms of alcohol-related mortality. Experimental and clinical studies are shedding light on the basic mechanisms by which alcohol abuse predisposes some people to both acute lung injury and pneumonia. At the same time, novel therapeutic targets could be utilized in treating these uniquely vulnerable people. However, there have been no systems biological approaches to the study of the alcoholic lung to date. This is in part because the association between alcohol abuse and acute lung injury was made relatively recently and remains largely unrecognized, even by lung researchers. In parallel, efforts to study complex diseases such as acute lung injury and pneumonia using a genomics and/or proteomics approach, which involves the study of an organism's genes and/or proteins, still are in their infancy. However, the alcoholic lung represents a clear example of environment-host interactions that should be well suited for such applications.
Topics: Acute Lung Injury; Alcoholism; Animals; Humans; Lung Diseases; Pneumonia; Respiratory Distress Syndrome
PubMed: 23584753
DOI: No ID Found -
PloS One 2021We sought to identify the prevalence and factors associated with alcohol abuse among farmers living in a medium-sized municipality in northeastern Brazil during 2019 and...
We sought to identify the prevalence and factors associated with alcohol abuse among farmers living in a medium-sized municipality in northeastern Brazil during 2019 and 2020. Trained interviewers applied the standardized questionnaire to 450 participants. Sociodemographic, health, income and work characteristics were investigated. The tracking of alcohol misuse was done using the CAGE questionnaire (Cut down, Annoyed by criticism, Guilty and Eye-opener), being the cut-off point ≥ 2. Poisson Regression was applied with robust estimation to verify the reasons of prevalence (RP) in bivariate and multivariate analysis. The prevalence of alcohol abuse among farmers was 32% (95% CI 27.8-36.4). Factors such as being male, having a diagnosis of mental disorder in the family, being a smoker, and using drugs were associated with the higher prevalence of the outcome. Being 60 years old or older was associated with a lower prevalence of alcohol abuse. These results indicate the need for social support to this group of workers in the context of occupational health.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Alcoholism; Brazil; Farmers; Female; Geography; Humans; Income; Male; Multivariate Analysis; Prevalence; Young Adult
PubMed: 34351925
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254904 -
American Journal of Physiology.... Sep 2016This review summarizes the American Physiological Society (APS) Presidential Symposium 1 entitled "Physiological Processes Underlying Organ Injury in Alcohol Abuse" at... (Review)
Review
This review summarizes the American Physiological Society (APS) Presidential Symposium 1 entitled "Physiological Processes Underlying Organ Injury in Alcohol Abuse" at the 2016 Experimental Biology meeting. The symposium was organized by Dr. Patricia Molina, past president of the APS, was held on April 3 at the Convention Center in San Diego, CA, and was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The "Physiological Processes Underlying Organ Injury in Alcohol Abuse Symposium" assembled experts and leaders in the field and served as a platform to discuss and share knowledge on the latest developments and scientific advances on the mechanisms underlying organ injury in alcohol abuse. This symposium provided unique, interdisciplinary alcohol research, including several organs, liver, muscle, adipose, and brain, affected by excessive alcohol use.
Topics: Adipose Tissue; Alcoholism; Animals; Brain; Endocannabinoids; Humans; Liver; Muscular Atrophy
PubMed: 27436613
DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00270.2016 -
International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2019Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), a disorder caused by excessive alcohol intake represents a global health care burden. ALD encompasses a broad spectrum of hepatic injuries... (Review)
Review
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), a disorder caused by excessive alcohol intake represents a global health care burden. ALD encompasses a broad spectrum of hepatic injuries including asymptomatic steatosis, alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The susceptibility of alcoholic patients to develop ALD is highly variable and its progression to more advanced stages is strongly influenced by several hits (i.e., amount and duration of alcohol abuse). Among them, the intestinal microbiota and its metabolites have been recently identified as paramount in ALD pathophysiology. Ethanol abuse triggers qualitative and quantitative modifications in intestinal flora taxonomic composition, mucosal inflammation, and intestinal barrier derangement. Intestinal hypermeability results in the translocation of viable pathogenic bacteria, Gram-negative microbial products, and pro-inflammatory luminal metabolites into the bloodstream, further corroborating the alcohol-induced liver damage. Thus, the premise of this review is to discuss the beneficial effect of gut microbiota modulation as a novel therapeutic approach in ALD management.
Topics: Alcoholism; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bile Acids and Salts; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Dysbiosis; Fecal Microbiota Transplantation; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Hepatocytes; Humans; Intestines; Liver; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic
PubMed: 31540133
DOI: 10.3390/ijms20184568 -
American Family Physician Mar 2000Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are common but underrecognized problems among older adults. One third of older alcoholic persons develop a problem with alcohol in later... (Review)
Review
Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are common but underrecognized problems among older adults. One third of older alcoholic persons develop a problem with alcohol in later life, while the other two thirds grow older with the medical and psychosocial sequelae of early-onset alcoholism. The common definitions of alcohol abuse and dependence may not apply as readily to older persons who have retired or have few social contacts. Screening instruments can be used by family physicians to identify older patients who have problems related to alcohol. The effects of alcohol may be increased in elderly patients because of pharmacologic changes associated with aging. Interactions between alcohol and drugs, prescription and over-the-counter, may also be more serious in elderly persons. Physiologic changes related to aging can alter the presentation of medical complications of alcoholism. Management of alcohol withdrawal in elderly persons should be closely supervised by a health care professional. Alcohol treatment programs with an elder-specific focus may improve outcomes in some patients.
Topics: Aged; Aging; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Alcoholism; Brain; Cognition; Diagnosis, Differential; Ethanol; Humans; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 10750878
DOI: No ID Found