Proceedings of the 2009 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group

The annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) was held on June 20, 2009 in San Diego, CA, as a satellite of the Research Society on Alcoholism Meeting. The FASDSG membership includes clinical, basic, and social scientists who meet to discuss recent advances and issues in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders research. The main theme of the meeting was “Epigenetics and Development.” Two keynote speakers, Dr. Randy Jirtle and Dr. Michael Skinner, addressed the role of epigenetics and environmental inputs, including alcohol, during critical stages of development and their potential critical and long-lasting effects. Members of the FASDSG provided new findings through brief “FASt” data reports, and national agency representatives provided updates on activities and funding priorities. Scientific presentations were made by recipients of the Student Research Merit Award and Rosett Award.     

Proceedings of the 2008 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group

The annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) was held on June 28, 2008 in Washington DC, as a satellite to the Research Society on Alcoholism meeting. The FASDSG membership includes clinical, basic, and social scientists who meet to discuss recent advances and issues in FASD research. The main theme of the meeting was “Factors that Influence Brain and Behavioral Development: Implications for Prevention and Intervention.” Two keynote speakers, Dr. Stephen Suomi and Dr. Carl Keen addressed how early environment and nutrition may influence outcome after prenatal alcohol exposure. The final keynote speaker, Kathy Mitchell, addressed issues regarding the relationship between scientists and the families with children with FASD. Members of the FASDSG provided updates on new findings through brief (FASt) data reports and national agency representatives provided updates of activities and funding priorities. Presentations were also made by recipients of the Student Research Merit award and Rosett award.     

Proceedings of the 2010 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group

The annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) was held on June 26, 2010 in San Antonio, TX, as a satellite of the Research Society on Alcoholism meeting. The FASDSG membership includes clinical, basic, and social scientists who meet to discuss recent advances and issues in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) research. The central theme of the meeting was “Glia and Neurons: Teamwork in Pathology and Therapy.” Alcohol disruption of neuron development and alcohol-induced neurodegeneration is central to the pathology and clinical expression of FASD. The active role of glia as perpetrator, victim, or bystander in neurotoxicology and neurodegenerative processes has emerged at the forefront of adult central nervous system (CNS) disorders and therapy. Glia- and neuron-glial interactions hold the potential to elucidate causes and offer treatment of FASD as well. Growing evidence indicates that neurons and glia are direct targets of alcohol, but may also be vulnerable to molecules produced in peripheral systems as a result of alcohol exposure. Diagnostics and therapies can take advantage of these processes and biomarkers, and these may be applicable to CNS pathology in FASD. Two keynote speakers, Howard E. Gendelman, M.D., and Ernest M. Graham, M.D, addressed the role of glia and neuroinflammation in brain development and neurodegeneration. The invited speakers and FASDSG members discussed new paradigms in CNS development and discuss new strategies for understanding and treating neurodegenerative disease. Members of the FASDSG provided updates on new findings through presentation of breaking research in the FASt data sessions. Representatives of national agencies provided updates on programs, activities, and funding priorities. The Henry Rosett Award was presented to R. Louise Floyd, R.N., D.S.N., for her career contributions to the field of fetal alcohol research. The Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Research Merit Award was presented to Shonagh O’Leary-Moore, Ph.D., for her contributions to the field as a young investigator.     

Young Investigator Award Symposium

This article highlights the research presented at the inaugural meeting of Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for future Treatment Strategies. This meeting was held on May 6-8, 2008 in Volterra, Italy. It is an international meeting dedicated to developing preventive strategies and pharmacotherapeutic remedies for stress- and alcohol-related disorders. For the first time, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) conferred a Young Investigator Award to promote the work of young researchers and highlight their outstanding achievements in the fields of addiction medicine and stress disorders. The awardees were Dr. Katie Witkiewitz (University of Washington), Dr. Andrew Holmes (NIAAA), Dr. Lara A. Ray (Brown University), Dr. James Murphy (University of Memphis), and Dr. Heather Richardson (The Scripps Research Institute). The symposium was chaired by Drs. Fulton Crews and Antonio Noronha.     

Proceedings of the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group

The 2013 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) meeting was held in Orlando (Grand Cypress), FL with the theme “Developing Brain-Based Interventions for Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.” Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders have significant impairments in cognitive functioning and behavioral regulation skills, which lead to a lifetime of challenges for themselves and their families; thus, developing interventions that remediate or compensate for these deficits is of great importance. The conference included 2 keynote presentations, FASt data talks, award presentations, and updates by government agencies. In addition, a lively panel discussion addressed the challenges faced by FASDSG researchers in the translation of intervention strategies developed in preclinical studies to clinical trials and, ultimately, to clinical practice.     

Alcohol and inflammation and immune responses: summary of the 2006 Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting.

The 11th annual meeting of the Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group was held at Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois on November 17, 2006. The Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group meeting is held annually to exchange new findings and ideas that arise from ongoing research examining the effects of alcohol intake on the immune system. The event consisted of five sessions, two of which featured plenary talks from invited speakers, two with oral presentations from selected abstracts, and a final poster session. Participants presented new data on a variety of topics including the effects of ethanol on key cells of the immune system (neutrophils, dendritic cells, NK cells), B cell responses, the capacity to clear infectious agents, and the barrier functions of skin, lung, and intestine.     

Fetal alcohol syndrome--South Africa, 2001

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is caused by maternal alcohol use during pregnancy and is one of the leading causes of preventable birth defects and developmental disabilities. The FAS phenotype is characterized by a combination of facial dysmorphic features, growth retardation, and central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities. State-based estimates of the prevalence of FAS in the United States vary from 0.3 to 1.5 per 1,000 live-born infants. Recently, the highest prevalence of FAS worldwide was reported among first-grade children in a wine-growing region in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Investigators for the National Institutes of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) reported a FAS prevalence of 40.5 to 46.4 per 1,000 children aged 5-9 years in one community in Western Cape. To determine whether FAS was associated exclusively with the wine-growing region in Western Cape or was more endemic in other areas of the country, CDC, in collaboration with the University of Witwatersrand and the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research in Johannesburg, South Africa, conducted a prevalence study in Gauteng province and is developing ongoing surveillance and prevention activities. This report summarizes the findings of the study, which indicate a high prevalence of FAS among first-grade children in four nonwine-growing communities around Johannesburg. Because South Africa has limited resources and many competing health problems (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases), integrating prenatal alcohol-exposure prevention activities with existing prevention programs should be explored.     

A report on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group meeting of 2012, theme title, “Biomarkers for FASD”

The 2012 meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) focused on the development and ethics of biomarkers for fetal alcohol exposure. This one-day international conference brought students and trainees together with clinicians and researchers to discuss the latest research on FASD. One keynote speaker discussed the value of profiling epigenetic modifications in readily available fetal tissues to diagnose fetal exposure to environmental agents, while the second speaker discussed the ethics of biomarker development within the context of core principles of justice, autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence. Three sessions of short data talks informed the audience of research advances with particular emphasis on the diagnosis of FASD. Other activities included updates on FASD-related activities by representatives of government agencies, a report on the implementation FASD-related diagnostic criteria in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association and a networking lunch, and the presentation of the “Merit Award” to Dr. Nathan Muraski for his work on behavioral outcomes of fetal alcohol exposure. The capstone of the meeting was the presentation of the “Henri Rosett” award to Dr. Denis Viljoen, in recognition of his role in raising awareness about the incidence of FASD in South Africa and in promoting FASD prevention and treatment programs as chairperson and chief executive officer of the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR).     

Alcohol and inflammation and immune responses: summary of the 2005 Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting.

The 10th annual meeting of the Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) was held at Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois on November 18, 2005. The AIRIG meeting was held to exchange new findings and ideas regarding the profound suppressive effects of alcohol exposure on the immune system. The event consisted of five sessions, two of which featured plenary talks from invited speakers, two with oral presentations from selected abstracts, and a final poster session. Participants presented a range of novel information focused on ethanol-induced effects on innate and adaptive immunity after either acute or chronic exposure. In particular, participants offered insights into the negative effects of ethanol on the innate processes of adhesion, migration, inflammation, wound repair, and bone remodeling. Presentations also focused on the means by which ethanol disrupts activation of macrophages and dendritic cells (DC), especially stimulation mediated by Toll-like receptor ligands. Additional talks provided new data on the means by which ethanol suppresses adaptive immunity, with an emphasis on DC-mediated activation of T cells, effector T cell activity, and T cell-driven B cell responses.     

Alcohol and epigenetic changes: Summary of the 2011 Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting

On November 18, 2011, the 16th annual Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting was held at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. The focus of this year's meeting was alcohol's effect on epigenetic changes and possible outcomes induced by these changes. Two sessions, which consisted of talks from invited speakers as well as presentations of selected abstracts, were held in addition to a poster session. Participants presented information on alcohol-induced alterations in histone modifications and gene expression along with immunologic responses to alcohol. Speakers shared new research specifically on histone deacetylase enzyme expression and modifications due to alcohol and the downstream effect of these modifications may have on gene expression and tissue damage. Additional studies suggested that alcohol exacerbates inflammation when combined with other insults such as infection, trauma, inhalation injury, and disease.     

Alcohol and trauma: a summary of the Satellite Symposium at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Shock Society

This article highlights the research presented at the Alcohol and Trauma Satellite Symposium at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Shock Society. The satellite meeting was held on June 8 and 9 in Baltimore, MD. Its purpose was to discuss recent findings in the areas of alcohol and injury, including the effect of alcohol use on patients in the trauma unit of hospitals. The meeting consisted of three sessions, with plenary talks by invited speakers, short talks from selected abstracts, and a poster session. Participants presented data on the effects of alcohol on organ function, healing, and immune processes after a variety of injuries including burn, hemorrhagic shock, sepsis, and ischemia reperfusion.     

Alcohol and immunology: Summary of the 2012 Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting

On October 27, 2012, the 17th annual Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting was held at the Grand Wailea Hotel in Maui, Hawaii as a satellite meeting to the 2012 Society of Leukocyte Biology conference. This year's meeting focused on the influence of alcohol on signal transduction pathways in various disease and injury models. Three plenary sessions were held where invited speakers shared their research on alcohol-mediated alterations of cell signaling components, immune cell subsets, and inflammation. These studies suggested alcohol has a negative effect on cell signaling machinery and immune cell homeostasis, resulting in disease, disease progression, and increased mortality. Researchers also identified tissue-specific alcohol-linked elevations in markers of inflammation, including cold-shock proteins and microRNAs. Additionally, one study revealed the effects of alcohol on immune cell subsets in a model of allergic asthma.     

Alcohol consumption, risk of injury, and high-cost medical care

This study examined the effect of alcohol use on the probabilities of injury, inpatient hospital stay, and emergency department visit. Data were obtained from a sample of adults (N=1219) recruited from a Northern California county. Alcohol use measures included number of drinks, heavy drinking days, and an indicator variable for problem drinking. Models were estimated for men and women separately while controlling for confounders. Results indicate that most alcohol use measures were not significantly related to injury probability or medical care utilization. Among the exceptions, problem drinking was a significant positive predictor of any emergency department visit for both sexes. When drinkers during the past year were divided into light, moderate, and heavy drinking groups and compared to lifetime abstainers, all male drinkers had a higher probability of injury, and light and moderate female drinkers had a lower probability of an emergency department visit. This study was initiated by investigators at the Alcohol Research Group (ARG). Financial assistance for this study was provided by research grants (R01 AA09750 and R01 AA13167) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), US Department of Health and Human Services. We are grateful to Lee Kaskutas, DrPH, for her helpful suggestions on earlier versions of the article and to William Russell for his editorial assistance. The authors are entirely responsible for the research reported in this article, and their positions or opinions do not necessarily represent those of the NIAAA; the University of Miami; the University of California, San Francisco; Kaiser Permanente; or NoviLogic, Inc.     

Appraisal of the epidemiology of fetal alcohol syndrome among Canadian native peoples

Three recent studies suggest that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is more prevalent among Canadian Native children than non-Native children. The evidence does not appear to be conclusive. However, the Canadian research that is reviewed is important in defining areas which require further investigation. Efforts at research and intervention should be directed towards defining and modifying personal and social risk factors. Our review of current research on FAS and Native peoples suggests that it is important to consider pragmatic questions which can best contribute to the goal of preventing possible alcohol effects on the fetus.     

Diagnosing the full spectrum of fetal alcohol-exposed individuals: introducing the 4-digit diagnostic code

The medical/research records of 1014 patients diagnosed at the Washington State Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Diagnostic and Prevention Network (DPN) of clinics were used to develop a new, comprehensive, reproducible method for diagnosing the full spectrum of outcomes among patients with prenatal alcohol exposure. This new diagnostic method, called the 4-Digit Diagnostic Code, was compared to the standard gestalt method of diagnosis on the first 454 patients who had received a gestalt diagnosis of FAS, atypical FAS (AFAS) or possible fetal alcohol effect (PFAE) prior to the development of the 4-Digit Diagnostic Code. The outcomes of the patients were more accurately and comprehensively documented by the 4-Digit Diagnostic Code, because of its use of quantitative, objective measurement scales and specific case definitions. The four digits in the code reflect the magnitude of expression of the four key diagnostic features of FAS in the following order: (1) growth deficiency; (2) the FAS facial phenotype; (3) central nervous system damage/dysfunction; (4) gestational alcohol exposure. The magnitude of expression of each feature is ranked independently on a four-point Likert scale with 1 reflecting complete absence of the FAS feature and 4 reflecting a strong 'classic' presence of the FAS feature. The 4-Digit Diagnostic Code is being used effectively for diagnosis, screening, and surveillance efforts in all Washington State FAS DPN clinics.     

The Mental Health Benefits of Work: Do They Apply to Welfare Mothers with a Drinking Problem?

A longstanding tradition of employment-related research has shown the mental health advantages of employment. However, given welfare reform mandates for employment and a welfare population with disproportionately high rates of depression and co-occurring substance abuse problems, it is unclear if women on welfare reap this advantage. This analysis draws on 4 years of data from the Welfare Client Longitudinal Study to examine the mental health benefits of employment among women on welfare (N = 419) and to assess whether drinking problems alter the relationship. Repeated measures analyses suggest that women who enter welfare with a drinking problem may not experience the same decline in depression symptoms following employment. Improving the connections between welfare and treatment services for women with alcohol problems may, however, have important implications for their mental health. This study was made possible by grants from the U.S. National Institutes on Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to the Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute, including: Center Grant (AA-05595), R01 Project Grant (AA-10015), R21 Grant for Secondary Analysis of Existing Health Services Data (AA-12159) and T32 Training Grant (AA-007240). A previous version of this paper was presented at the Addiction Health Services Research (AHSR) Conference, “Understanding the Community Perspective,” Little Rock, AR, October 23–25, 2006.     

Description of the Genetic Analysis Workshop 11 Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism

Problem 1 of Genetic Analysis Workshop 11 consists of data from a family study of the genetics of alcoholism and related traits contributed by the six centers making up the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism sponsored by the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). The family data included 1,214 members of 105 pedigrees ascertained for having three or more individuals affected with alcoholism. Data available to workshop participants included clinical phenotypes, personality measures, smoking behavior, event-related potentials, platelet monamine oxidase B activity, and a genome scan of 296 markers.     

At-risk drinking in an HMO primary care sample: prevalence and health policy implications.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of at-risk drinking using varying alcohol use criteria. METHODS: A period prevalence survey was conducted in 22 primary care practices (n = 19372 adults). RESULTS: The frequency of at-risk alcohol use varied from 7.5% (World Health Organization criteria) to 19.7% (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria). A stepwise logistic model using National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria found male gender, current tobacco use, never married status, retirement, and unemployment to be significant predictors of at-risk alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: Public health policy needs to move to a primary care paradigm focusing on identification and treatment of at-risk drinkers.     

Conceptualizing withdrawal-induced escalation of alcohol self-administration as a learned,plasticity-dependent process

This article represents one of five contributions focusing on the topic “Plasticity and neuroadaptive responses within the extended amygdala in response to chronic or excessive alcohol exposure” that were developed by awardees participating in the Young Investigator Award Symposium at the “Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for Future Treatment Strategies” conference in Volterra, Italy on May 3–6, 2011 that was organized/chaired by Drs. Antonio Noronha and Fulton Crews and sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This review discusses the dependence-induced neuroadaptations in affective systems that provide a basis for negative reinforcement learning and presents evidence demonstrating that escalated alcohol consumption during withdrawal is a learned, plasticity-dependent process. The review concludes by identifying changes within extended amygdala dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor systems that could serve as the foundation for the occurrence of negative reinforcement processes. While some evidence contained herein may be specific to alcohol dependence-related learning and plasticity, much of the information will be of relevance to any addictive disorder involving negative reinforcement mechanisms. Collectively, the information presented within this review provides a framework to assess the negative reinforcing effects of alcohol in a manner that distinguishes neuroadaptations produced by chronic alcohol exposure from the actual plasticity that is associated with negative reinforcement learning in dependent organisms.     

Recent research on the effects of alcohol policy changes

As the agenda of alcohol problems prevention has broadened, new traditions of research have emerged: of experimental studies at the community or the societal level, of natural experiment studies of the effects of sudden changes such as strikes or new legislation, and of sophisticated time-series analyses of the effects of sudden and of long-term changes. While it has been shown that control measures can influence alcohol problems rates, substantial change seems to require changes in the political status quo, often also involving popular movements. Except for taxes, raising the drinking age and drinking-driving countermeasures, the political will to restrict availability has been lacking in market-oriented industrial societies in the modern era, so that the modern experience of the effects of other control measures is based on centrally-planned or non-industrial economies.Preparation of this paper was supported by a National Alcohol Research Center grant (AA-05595) from the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to the Alcohol Research Group, Medical Research Institute of San Francisco, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley CA 94709. Revised from papers presented at a meeting on Alcohol Policies: Perspectives from the USSR and Some Other Countries, October 31-November 4, 1988, Baku, USSR, and at a NIMHANS-ADAMHA Symposium on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Bangalore, India, November 18–21, 1986.