Cholinergic role in alcohol's effects on evoked potentials in visual cortex of the albino rat

Photic evoked potentials were recorded from the visual cortex of chronically implanted albino rats. Since photic evoked potential components are representations of neural pathways which are activated during photic stimulation, study of the effects of alcohol on these components may help to trace pathways which are affected by alcohol. In the present study, evoked potentials were recorded at 5, 20, and 40 min following IP injections of saline, ethanol (2.0 g/kg), physostigmine (0.6 mg/kg) or atropine (15.0 mg/kg) on separate days. Ethanol depressed the amplitudes of most evoked potential components in comparison to saline administration. Component P2, however, was increased in amplitude. Physostigmine briefly reduced the amplitude of most components, including P2. In contrast, atropine increased the amplitudes of components P1 and P2, while decreasing components N1, N2 and N3 for varying durations of time. Physostigmine pretreatment augmented the depressant effect of alcohol on the early components P1 and N1, while attenuating alcohol's influence on components P2 and P3. Pretreatment with atropine likewise further reduced the amplitudes of components P1 and N1, and produced a similar effect on component N3. Atropine, either alone or in combination with alcohol, produced approximately the same degree of enhancement of component P2. In comparison to saline values, all three agents produced reliable increases in peak latency for most of the components, with only N3 showing no effects. The amplitude data from this study suggest that ethanol's augmentation of component P2 may result, at least in part, from alterations in cholinergic functions.     

四川省三个核设施地区水源水总α、总β放射性水平调查

目的 调查四川省三个核设施地区水源水总α、总β放射性水平,为本省核设施地区水源水放射性水平提供基线数据库。方法 根据国家标准《生活饮用水标准检验方法放射性指标》（GB/T 5750.13-2006）的方法要求,调查四川省三个核设施地区水源水总α、总β放射性水平。结果 三个核设施地区水源水总α比活度范围为（0.016~0.188）Bq/L;总β比活度范围为（0.028~0.229）Bq/L,处于全国平均中下水平,属于正常的本底水平。结论 三个核设施地区水源水总α、总β放射性水平均低于《生活饮用水卫生标准》（GB 5749-2006）中的国家标准限值。     

Ethanol acts directly on extrasynaptic subtypes of GABAA receptors to increase tonic inhibition.

Based on the similarity of ethanol intoxication to the behavioral effects of drugs known to target gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors (GABARs), it has been suspected for decades that ethanol facilitates the activity of GABA. Even so, it has been surprisingly difficult to identify molecular targets of ethanol. Research conducted over the past several years suggests that a subclass of GABARs (those containing delta subunits) responds in a relevant concentration range to ethanol. Although delta subunit-containing GABARs are not ubiquitously expressed at inhibitory synapses like their gamma subunit-containing, synaptic counterparts, they are found in many neurons in extrasynaptic locations. Here, they give rise to a tonic form of inhibition that can potently suppress neuronal excitability. Studies have shown that both recombinant and native delta subunit-containing GABARs (1) are modulated by behaviorally relevant (i.e., low millimolar) concentrations of ethanol, (2) directly bind ethanol over the same concentration range, (3) show altered function upon single amino substitutions linked to changes in behavioral responsiveness to ethanol, and (4) are a site of action of Ro15-4513, a competitive antagonist of ethanol binding and a drug which prevents many of the behavioral aspects of ethanol intoxication. Despite such comprehensive evidence, however, the field is not free from controversy. This review evaluates published data for and against a central role of delta subunit-containing GABARs in ethanol actions and suggests future directions that might help settle points of controversy.     

Breast pumping and lactational state exert differential effects on ethanol pharmacokinetics

Prior research revealed that breast stimulation altered the way the lactating body handles alcohol. Its effects depended upon when it occurred relative to drinking. The goal of the present study was to determine whether breast pumping works independently of the physiological and metabolic changes that accompany lactation. To this end, we tested 12 women when they were exclusively breastfeeding 3-5-month-old infants and then again several months after lactation had ceased. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups that differed in the timing of breast pumping relative to drinking a 0.4 g/kg dose of alcohol: one group breast pumped 0.6 h after drinking (pumped after group) and the other pumped 1 h before drinking (pumped before group). For each reproductive stage, subjects were tested on 2 separate days, consuming a standardized meal 1 h before drinking during 1 test day and remaining fasted during the other. Breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC) and temperature readings were obtained before and at fixed intervals after drinking. Pumping before drinking significantly decreased BrAC during both reproductive stages, whereas pumping after drinking resulted in different BrAC time curves during lactation when compared with after lactation. That is, levels were significantly lower during the descending phase of the time curve during than after lactation. The interactions between pumping and reproductive stage were most apparent during fed condition. Furthermore, women were more sensitive to hypothermic effects of both fasting and drinking alcohol during lactation. These findings add to the growing literature that lactating women metabolize alcohol differently, in part, due to the frequent breast stimulation during breastfeeding and the pronounced physiological changes that accompany one of the most energetically costly mammalian activities.     

Slippery when wet: the effects of local alcohol access laws on highway safety

Using detailed panel data on local alcohol policy changes in Texas, this paper tests whether the effect of these changes on alcohol-related accidents depends on whether the policy change involves where the alcohol is consumed and the type of alcohol consumed. After controlling for both county and year fixed effects, we find evidence that: (i) the sale of beer and wine may actually decrease expected accidents; and (ii) the sale of higher alcohol-content liquor may present greater risk to highway safety than the sale of just beer and wine.     

钍钨电极生产过程中的放射性污染防控研究

目的 分析钍钨电极生产过程中产生的放射性污染,确定生产场所和生产过程中的辐射污染水平,为生产全过程辐射环境管理,最大限度地减少放射性污染对工作人员和环境的影响提供依据。方法 首先对完整的钍钨电极生产工艺进行分析,然后以某典型钍钨电极生产企业为例,对其辐射工作场所进行了辐射污染环境检测,就辐射污染源项、放射性污染管理要点以及辐射污染防治措施等方面进行了分析。结果 各工作场所γ空气吸收剂量率的实测最大检测值为0.32 μGy /h。各工作台面的α表面污染水平最大检测值为17.75 Bq/cm²,β表面污染水平最大检测值为35.55 Bq/cm²。各岗位工作人员工作服及手套α表面污染水平最大值为0.38 Bq/cm²;β表面污染水平最大值为4.00 Bq/cm²。结论 钍钨电极生产场所在落实辐射安全管理制度和辐射安全防护各项措施的情况下,对周围环境以及职业工作人员和公众人员产生的辐射污染是可控的。     

On the dissimilar effects of alcohol and aging on the perception of cognitive failings

The effects of age and duration of alcoholism on self-report of cognitive errors were examined in detoxified alcoholic outpatients and normal controls. Among alcoholics, longer duration of alcohol abuse was associated with report of more frequent cognitive errors. Among both groups, aging was associated with report of less frequent errors. Thus, data from self-assessment of cognitive performance suggests that alcoholism and aging have dissimilar effects.     

A comparison of the central nervous system effects of alcohol at pseudo-steady state in Caucasian and expatriate Japanese healthy male volunteers

In general, Japanese and Caucasians differ in their response to alcohol. To investigate these differences the alcohol clamping method can be used. This strictly controlled infusion regimen provides a reliable tool to study contrasts in central nervous system (CNS) effects and/or alcohol disposition. In this study, twelve Japanese and twelve Caucasian healthy volunteers received two concentrations of intravenous alcohol or placebo using the alcohol clamp. Infusion rates during the steady state phase were used to compare alcohol clearance between the subgroups. Central nervous system (CNS) effects were frequently measured throughout the clamp. On average, significantly lower amounts of alcohol were needed to maintain similar stable concentrations in the Japanese group. However, these differences disappeared when values were corrected for lean body mass. The most pronounced pharmacodynamic differences between the groups were observed on body sway and on the visual analogue scale for subjective alcohol effects, mainly at the highest dose level. The alcohol clamp seems a useful method to compare differences in alcohol metabolism between groups. Some CNS effects of alcohol differed clearly between Japanese and Caucasians, but others did not, even though alcohol levels were stable and similar between the two groups.     

国产厄贝沙坦对老年原发性高血压的疗效及对肾功能保护作用的研究

目的 评价国产厄贝沙坦对老年原发性高血压的疗效及对肾功能的保护作用.方法 42例确诊为原发性高血压的老年患者,服用国产厄贝沙坦150mg,每日1次,每1～2周随访1次,若服药后降压效果不理想,可加大至300 mg/d,治疗8周,监测治疗前后24 h动态血压水平及肾功能指标.结果 国产厄贝沙坦治疗后,患者24 h平均收缩压和舒张压、日间及夜间收缩压和舒张压均有明显下降(P＜0.05或＜0.01);血及尿B2-微球蛋白明显减少[(5.9±3.3)μg/L比(2.6±2.6)μg/L,(811.2±97.2)mmol/L比(457.6±69.8)emmol/L].结论 国产厄贝沙坦不仅对老年原发性高血压患者有良好的平稳降压效果,而且对其肾功能亦有良好的保护作用.     

The interaction of chronic restraint stress and voluntary alcohol intake: Effects on spatial memory in male rats

Alcohol consumption and exposure to stressful life events activate similar neural pathways and thus result in several comparable physiological and behavioral effects. Alcoholics in treatment claim that life stressors are the leading cause of continued drinking or relapse. However, few studies have investigated the interactive effects of stress and alcohol on cognitive behavior. The effects of restraint stress, alcohol, and stress in combination with alcohol were examined on a spatial memory test, the object placement (OP) task. In addition, intake levels were measured to determine if stress altered general consumption of alcohol. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to one of four conditions: no alcohol/no stress control (CON), stress alone (STR), alcohol alone (ALC), and STR + alcohol (STR + ALC). Following each restraint stress bout, the STR + ALC and the ALC groups were given access to 8% alcohol for 1 h using the two-bottle choice limited access paradigm. As predicted, the STR + ALC group significantly increased alcohol consumption, while the ALC group had consistent drinking over the 10-day treatment. On the OP task, STR and ALC groups performed at chance levels, whereas the CON and STR + ALC groups significantly discriminated between objects in the new and old locations. These data show that stress increases alcohol intake and the intake of alcohol is associated with reduction of the stress-induced impairment of spatial memory. The data have important implications for the development of alcohol abuse and its treatment.     

The effects of broadband noise on the cardiovascular system on normal resting adults.

Blood pressure, pulse rate and pulse pressure were determined at 2-minute intervals on 20 healthy subjects while they were exposed to 91-dBA continuous broadband noise for 1 hour. Control data were obtained by replication without the noise. The noise produced no statistically significant changes in any of the cardiovascular parameters under study.     

慢性酒精和高脂膳食对大鼠精子生成的影响

目的观察慢性酒精和高脂膳食摄入对雄性大鼠精子生成的影响。方法清洁级Wistar雄性大鼠80只,按体重随机分为8组。对照组、低剂量酒精组、中剂量酒精组及高剂量酒精组,分别给予蒸馏水和5%、20%、40%的酒精溶液。另设高脂对照组、低剂量酒精加高脂组、中剂量酒精加高脂组及高剂量酒精加高脂组,给予不同浓度的酒精,同时喂饲高脂饲料。12周后处死,测定相关指标。结果高剂量酒精组和高剂量酒精加高脂组大鼠的体重、睾丸重量、精子密度和精子活动度分别显著低于正常对照组和高脂对照组,精子畸形率显著升高,直线运动的精子数显著减少,静止不动的精子数增加(P<0.05)。低剂量酒精组,精子密度高于正常对照组(P<0.05)。各剂量酒精加高脂组大鼠的各项指标与相应的酒精剂量组间比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论高剂量的酒精摄入对雄性大鼠具有明显的生殖毒性,低剂量的酒精可能有助于雄性大鼠的精子生成。高脂膳食摄入对雄性大鼠的精子生成无明显影响,也未表现出与酒精的协同作用。     

Effect of sub-chronic intermittent ethanol exposure on spatial learning and ethanol sensitivity in adolescent and adult rats

It has become clear that adolescence is a period of distinct responsiveness to the acute effects of ethanol on learning and other cognitive functions. However, the effects of repeated intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence on learning and cognition are less well studied, and other effects of repeated ethanol exposure such as withdrawal and chronic tolerance complicate such experiments. Moreover, few studies have compared the effects of repeated ethanol exposure during adolescence and adulthood, and they have yielded mixed outcomes that may be related to methodological differences and/or secondary effects of ethanol on behavioral performance. One emerging question is whether relatively brief intermittent ethanol exposure (i.e., sub-chronic exposure) during adolescence or adulthood might alter learning at a time after exposure when chronic tolerance would be expected, and whether tolerance to the cognitive effects of ethanol might influence the effect of ethanol on learning at that time. To address this, male adolescent and adult rats were pre-treated with sub-chronic daily ethanol (five doses [4.0 g/kg, i.p.] or saline at 24-h intervals, across 5 days). Two days after the last pre-exposure, spatial learning was assessed on 4 consecutive days using the Morris water maze. Half of the animals from each treatment cell received ethanol (2.0 g/kg, i.p.) 30 min prior to each testing session and half of the animals received saline. Ethanol pre-exposure altered water maze performance in adult animals but not in adolescents, and acute ethanol exposure impaired learning in animals of both ages independent of pre-exposure condition. There was no evidence of cognitive tolerance in animals of either age group. These results indicate that a relatively short period of intermittent ethanol exposure during adulthood, but not adolescence, promotes thigmotaxis in the water maze shortly after pre-exposure but does not induce cognitive tolerance to the effects of ethanol in either age group.     

Occupational exposure to toluene: neurotoxic effects with special emphasis on drinking habits

Summary Neurotoxic effects of toluene were examined in 43 male rotogravure printers exposed to toluene (age 27–63, mean 41 years; duration of exposure 11–40, mean 22 years) and 31 male offset printers of the same age with slight exposure to aliphatic hydrocarbons. A neurological examination, tests for autonomic nervous function, electroencephalography, psychological tests and computerized tomography of the brain were carried out in addition to a standardized interview. Exposure levels were evaluated for each person separately on the basis of his work history and the results of an earlier study on exposure levels at the same printing shops. Besides a thorough history of alcohol consumption, information about the printers' drinking habits was obtained from the occupational health care centers of the printing shops. The examinations found only slight abnormalities, and there were no statistically significant group differences in the prevalences of abnormalities. No correlations between the abnormalities and the exposure indices were found either. One of the retired workers, however, who had been exposed to high toluene concentrations for over 40 years, had been diagnosed as having chronic organic solvent intoxication. Heavy drinkers of alcohol were clearly more common in the toluene-exposed group. This study detected no clinically significant abnormalities attributable to toluene alone among workers exposed to 68–185 ppm (mean 117) of toluene for over 10 years. The connection between alcohol consumption and toluene exposure is interesting and deserves further study.     

The changing profile of the elderly: effects on future long-term care needs and financing.

Simulation techniques are used to analyze the changing profile of the elderly from 1990 to 2030. The results show that the future demand for long-term care services is likely to be greater than many realize. Increases in the number of elderly who are 85 years of age and older, who have health limitations, or who live alone are likely to outpace the general increase in the elderly population. Although there will be a very large group of elderly at risk, their economic status will be better than that of today's elderly population. The percentage of elderly who can afford insurance premiums for broad long-term care coverage will increase in the future, but most older Americans probably will not be able to afford insurance. Although policies that reduce the cost and encourage the purchase of long-term care insurance could help to expand coverage, a large long-term care financing gap is likely to remain for the future elderly population.     

Exploring the spatial scale effects of built environments on transport walking: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

We employed a longitudinal distributed lag modeling approach to systematically estimate how associations between built environment features and transport walking decayed with the increase of distance from home to built environment destinations. Data came from a cohort recruited from six U.S. cities (follow-up 2000–2010, N = 3913, baseline mean age 60). Built environment features included all walkable destinations, consisting of common and popular destinations for daily life. We also included two subsets frequent social destinations and food stores to examine if the spatial scale effects differed by varying density for different types of built environment destinations. Adjusted results found that increases in transport walking diminished when built environment destinations were farther, although distance thresholds varied across different types of built environment destinations. Higher availability of walking destinations within 2-km and frequent social destinations within 1.6-km were associated with transport walking. Food stores were not associated with transport walking. This new information will help policymakers and urban designers understand at what distances each type of built environment destinations influences transport walking, in turn informing the development of interventions and/or the placement of amenities within neighborhoods to promote transport walking. The findings that spatial scales depend on specific built environment features also highlight the need for methods that can more flexibly estimate associations between outcomes and different built environment features across varying contexts, in order to improve our understanding of the spatial mechanisms involved in said associations.     

Effects of heroin-assisted treatment on alcohol consumption: findings of the German randomized controlled trial

Alcohol has been suggested to be a risk factor for opioid-dependent patients in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Literature shows that MMT has limited effects on alcohol use. Nevertheless, a decrease in alcohol use was detected in the Swiss heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) study. In this article, we carry out an in-depth analysis of the German HAT trial with the aim of determining whether alcohol use was affected among patients undergoing HAT and MMT. Analysis was carried out using self-reported data on consumption units of alcohol used (CU), Addiction Severity Index composite scores (ASI CSs), and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) measures. Results suggest significant reduction of CU and CDT in both groups, yet larger effects in the HAT group. ASI CS significantly decreased in the HAT but not in the MMT group. The greater benefit of HAT in reducing alcohol use may be due to the greater daily frequency of dispensing heroin coupled with a requirement of sobriety at each dosing occasion.     

Effects of N-acetylcysteine on alcohol abstinence and alcohol-induced adverse effects in rats

Alcoholism is rampant in modern society and some antioxidant compound could perhaps be useful to reduce the damage done by alcohol consumption and abstinence. The present study was undertaken to investigate the association of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) intake, alcoholism, and alcohol abstinence on lipid profile, in vivo low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, oxidative stress, and antioxidant status in serum and liver of rats. Initially, male Wistar 30 rats were divided into two groups: (C, N = 6) given standard chow and water; (E, N = 24) receiving standard chow and aqueous ethanol solution in semi-voluntary research. After 30 days of ethanol exposure, (E) group was divided into four subgroups (N = 6/group): (E-E) continued drinking 30% ethanol solution; (E-NAC) drinking ethanol solution containing 2 g/L NAC; (AB) changed ethanol solution to water; (AB-NAC) changed ethanol to aqueous solution 2 g/L NAC. After 15 days of the E-group division, E-E rats had higher serum alanine transaminase, lower body weight, and surface area, despite higher energy intake than C. E-E rats had also lower feed efficiency, dyslipidemia with enhanced triacylglycerol, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), lipid hydroperoxide (LH) and in vivo oxidized-LDL (ox-LDL). AB, E-NAC, and AB-NAC rats ameliorated serum oxidative stress markers and normalized serum lipids. E-E rats had higher hepatic LH and lower reduced glutathione (GSH)/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio than C, indicating hepatic oxidative stress. AB and E-NAC rats normalized hepatic LH, GSSG, and the GSH/GSSG ratio, compared to E-E. AB-NAC rats had the lowest serum ox-LDL, hepatic LH levels, and the highest GSH reductase activity in hepatic tissue. In conclusion, the present study brought new insights into alcohol consumption, because ethanol exposure enhanced serum in vivo ox-LDL, as well as serum and hepatic oxidative stress. N-acetylcysteine offers promising therapeutic value to inhibit ethanol-induced adverse effects. Ethanol withdrawal had beneficial effects on serum lipids, but was more effective when coupled with NAC supplementation. Ethanol abstinence and NAC intake interact synergistically, improving serum lipids and hepatic antioxidant defenses.