Alcohol use disorders, nicotine dependence, and co-occurring mood and anxiety disorders in the United States and South Korea-a cross-national comparison

Background: The strong comorbidity between substance use disorders (SUDs) and mood and anxiety disorders has been well documented. In view of lack of research findings addressing the co‐occurrence of SUDs and mood and anxiety disorders, this study examined the pattern of comorbidity of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and nicotine dependence (ND) between 2 culturally diverse countries, the United States and South Korea. Methods: Using the nationally representative samples of the U.S. and Korean general populations, we directly compared rates and comorbidity patterns of AUDs, ND, and mood and anxiety disorders between the 2 countries. We further examined the rates and the comorbidity pattern among individuals with AUDs who sought treatment in the last 12 months. Twelve‐month prevalence rates were derived to estimate country differentials, and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated to measure the strength of comorbid associations while adjusting for all sociodemographic characteristics in multivariate logistic models specific to each country. Results: The 12‐month prevalence rates of AUDs, ND, and any mood disorder and any anxiety disorder were 9.7, 14.4, 9.5, and 11.9% among Americans, whereas the corresponding rates were 7.1, 6.6, 2.0, and 5.2% among Koreans. These rates were significantly greater (except for any AUD) among Americans than among their Korean counterparts. With respect to comorbidity, both countries showed comparable patterns that the prevalence rates of mood and anxiety disorders were consistently the highest among persons with alcohol dependence (AD). Also, a disparate pattern was observed in Korea that the prevalence rates of mood and anxiety disorders were generally lower among individuals with ND than among those with alcohol abuse and AD. Furthermore, despite significantly greater prevalence of AD in Korea (5.1%) than in the United States (4.4%), alcohol‐dependent Americans were 4 times (OR = 3.93) more likely to seek treatment compared to their Korean counterparts. Conclusions: Our results indicated that the prevalence of AD in Korea was substantially greater than that in both Western and other Asian countries, suggesting a maladaptive pattern of alcohol use in Korea, which is different from the general use pattern of other East Asian countries. The low rate of treatment utilization among Koreans might be attributable to perceived social stigma toward SUDs or mental health problems despite the fact that the Korean government offers national health insurance.     

吸烟大学生体力活动与烟草依赖相关分析

目的:分析大学生体力活动水平与烟草依赖性之间的相关性,探讨不同体力活动水平对大学生烟草依赖性的影响.方法:以133名吸烟男性大学生为研究对象,运用国际体力活动问卷(IPAQ)和尼古丁依赖检验量表(FTND)等测量工具,分别评估体力活动水平和烟草依赖程度.采用Spearman相关分析的方法检验体力活动与烟草依赖的相关性,...     

N-硝基-L-精氨酸抑制大鼠吗啡身体依赖的强啡肽机制

目的　研究N 硝基 L 精氨酸 (NO2 Arg)在抑制吗啡身体依赖形成中的作用及探讨强啡肽在该过程中的可能作用。方法　采用剂量递增皮下注射吗啡法建立大鼠吗啡身体依赖模型 ;身体依赖程度采用皮下注射 5mg·kg-1 纳洛酮激发戒断症状并对大鼠 6 0min内可数和不可数的戒断症状评分的方法进行 ;采用放射免疫法分别测定大鼠脑各分区、垂体、脊髓和血浆内免疫活性强啡肽A(ir-Dyn)的含量。结果　NO2 Arg可剂量相关性地抑制吗啡身体依赖的形成 ,其中 5mg·kg-1 NO2 Arg可显著抑制吗啡依赖大鼠大多数戒断症状 ;NO2 Arg处理可显著升高吗啡依赖大鼠脊髓、纹状体、垂体及血浆内ir-Dyn的水平。该作用可被特异性κ -受体阻滞剂norbinaltorphimine (nor-BNI)所拮抗。结论　NO2 Arg剂量相关性地抑制吗啡身体依赖的形成 ,该抑制作用可能与其调节机体内源性强啡肽的水平显著相关     

Opioid addiction: Who are your real friends?

Opioid addiction is a chronic and relapsing mental health disorder. However, only some individuals exposed to opioids, either recreationally or during the course of pain management, will develop addiction. The reasons why some individuals develop addiction and some are spared are not fully understood. Studies indicate that it is likely a combination of genetic predispositions and environmental conditions. Given the role of environmental factors in human addiction, this review examines the role of social environments and social interactions in the development of opioid addictive-like behaviors in rodent studies. To date, three major behavioral approaches have been used in these studies, namely social isolation, environmental enrichment, and social housing with a variety of cage-mates that differ in their drug administration conditions. This review highlights the importance of an individual’s social network in influencing the outcomes of drug abuse and the need to further elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects. Better understanding is likely to contribute to the development of novel and more effective treatments for addiction disorders.