Alcohol controls and Aboriginal society: The effects of the Northern Territory restricted areas legislation

The “restricted areas” provisions of the Northern Territory Liquor Act constitute a preventative policy aimed at reducing the effects of alcohol abuse, particularly on Aboriginal communities. Under the provisions, communities can apply to be declared “dry” or semi-restricted with respect to liquor. Since their inception in 1979, the provisions have given rise to continuing controversy. This paper addresses some of the issues associated with the controversy. Patterns of alcohol consumption on “dry”, semi-restricted and unrestricted communities are compared, and the incidence of apprehension for public drunkenness before and after restricted area declarations is examined. The paper also discusses the provisions under which vehicles implicated in acts of illicit “grog-running” are forfeited to the NT Government. It is concluded that the restricted area provisions are associated with reduced levels of alcohol consumption and apprehensions for drunkenness, and are therefore beneficial in outcome. However, it is also argued that at present the provisions are flawed in that, while some aspects serve to promote community control over alcohol consumption, other elements have the effect of undermining community control and responsibility.     

Identifying target segments of male drinkers for health promotion

Data from a 1988 national drinking survey was cluster analysedto identify different types of male drinkers, to assist in thetargeting of health promotion strategies. Of the five segmentsgenerated by the clustering, one labelled Young Heavy DrinkingMales was identified as the most appropriate target segment,because although they were the segment reporting the highestlevel of alcohol-related problems they were also the segmentmost likely to feel they were drinking too much They were thereforethe segment most likely to be responsive to advertising thatsought to support people who wanted to change their drinkinghabits. They were also the most appropriate target for the longer-termgoal of changing the climate of opinion regarding the acceptabilityof more moderate drinking. Comparisons with two previous clusteranalyses showed a high degree of similarity, suggesting thatclustering is a reliable vehicle for identifying drinker types.     

The effects of alcohol and benzodiazepines on the severity of ski accidents.

Urine samples from 402 victims of ski accidents were analyzed for the presence of benzodiazepines (BZD) and alcohol. Eighty-one (20%) samples were positive for alcohol; BZD were detected in 34 (8.5%) cases. Ten of the samples (2.5%) were found to be positive for both alcohol and BZD. Subjects who were positive for either alcohol or BZD or both were older than the other persons examined. The prevalence of alcohol was significantly higher among male accident victims. BZD intake could be demonstrated to have a significant influence on the severity of injuries. Besides an increased awareness of the need for skier education regarding drug use, heightened attention of medical caregivers is warranted to inform their patients about potential accident hazards in sport activities when BZD are prescribed.     

The effects of age,sex, and genotype on self-report drunkenness following a challenge dose of alcohol

Age is a potential source of variation that contributes to differences between, but not within, twin pairs. In most genetic analyses of twin data, linear and other functions of age are usually removed prior to model fitting. This correction is typically applied only within twin groups of the same sex and zygosity, and no heterogeneity test of age regressions is performed. Here we include age as a variable in the model-fitting procedure and allow for tests of heterogeneity of age regressions across sex and zygosity groups. The LISREL formulation of the approach is illustrated with data collected from Australian twins on subjective impressions of drunkenness following alcohol consumption. The results indicate significant negative covariation of impressions of drunkenness with age. The data support a simple model of additive genetic and unique environmental variation. No evidence was found for sex differences in genetic or environmental components of variation.The theoretical work and data analysis described in this paper were made possible by NATO Grant 86/0823 and grants from the Belgian National Research Fund, the State University of Gent, and the Catholic University of Leuven. We are also grateful to Drs. R. Vlietinck and R. Derom for excellent organization of the successful workshop. Data collection was made possible by a grant from the Australian Associated Brewers to N.G.M. and Drs. J. G. Oakeshott, J. B. Gibson, and G. A. Starmer and by grants from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. The authors were supported by NIH Grants MH-40828 and AA-06781.     

An Improved Method of Removing Polyurethane Foam-Covered Gel Prostheses

One of the advantages of polyurethane foam-covered prostheses has been that in the first 5 to 10 years after their use, the amount of capsular contraction was found much less than when similar ``slick' prostheses were used. Another advance was their fixation to the surrounding tissue thus giving a more natural appearance and movement with the muscles when the arms were moved in any direction. The formation of a thick capsule also acted as a protection against gel granuloma due to rupture of the prosthesis and has been thought to be a factor in the lower capsule contraction rate. The greatest disadvantage has been that its removal was extremely difficult and this has continued up until the technique described in this paper has been introduced.     

Simple reaction time event-related potentials: Effects of alcohol and diazepam

1. 1. Acute effects of alcohol and diazepam on reaction time (RT) and event-related potential (ERP) measures were examined in 108 healthy male volunteers.

2. 2. The subjects engaged in a simple RT task at two levels of stimulus intensity during baseline and treatment sessions.

3. 3. Lower stimulus intensity produced increased RTs, increased ERP peak latencies, and suppression of peak amplitudes.

4. 4. Moderate and high doses of alcohol, and high doses of diazepam produced increased RTs. Alcohol suppressed P100 and N100 amplitudes, while diazepam suppressed P100 amplitudes only. P100 amplitudes were correlated to RTs under baseline and treatment conditions.

5. 5. These results were taken as evidence for impaired stimulus detection during alcohol and diazepam intoxication, with both drugs influencing sensory-perceptual processes and alcohol alone influencing the degree of attentiveness.

Human spumaretrovirus antibody reactivity in multiple sclerosis

The role of human spumaretrovirus (HSRV) infections in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) was investigated with recombinant HSRV env-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The presence of HSRV antibodies was determined in pairs of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 60 MS patients. In 7 of these patients serial serum and CSF samples were obtained in relation to the clinical activity of the disease during a period of 2 years. No increased antibody reactivity was demonstrable in the MS population compared with 14 aseptic meningitis patients, 50 blood donors and 16 healthy controls. Slightly elevated levels of antibodies were demonstrable in serum and/or CSF in 4 MS patients but also in 1 patient with aseptic meningitis, 1 blood donor and 1 child. No marked serum or CSF HSRV antibody fluctuation was observed in the MS patients followed longitudinally. Thus, this study does not support the involvement of HSRV in the pathogenesis of MS.     

Association between alcohol consumption and aeroallergen sensitization in Danish adults

BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that alcohol consumption may be one of the lifestyle factors associated with a westernized, urban, and affluent lifestyle contributing to the rise in atopic disease. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and atopy (aeroallergen sensitization). METHODS: In 1982, a population-based cross-sectional study of 3608 Danes (79% of the invited), aged 30, 40, 50, and 60 years, was carried out. Information on alcohol consumption was obtained by a questionnaire. Aeroallergen sensitization was defined as a positive test for the detection of specific IgE against a panel of 19 common inhalant allergens in stored serum samples. A total of 3317 subjects with complete information on all variables were included in the analyses. RESULTS: We found a statistically significant association between alcohol consumption and aeroallergen sensitization (independent of the type of alcoholic drink consumed). This association appeared to relate only to those who consumed more than 8 drinks/week. After adjustment for confounders this association was only statistically significant for those who consumed 15-21 drinks/week (adjusted odds ratio 1.8, 95% confidence interval 1.2-2.8). CONCLUSION: In this adult general population, self-reported alcohol consumption was positively associated with aeroallergen sensitization.     

Alcohol and sauna bathing: effects on cardiac rhythm, blood pressure, and serum electrolyte and cortisol concentrations.

The effect of heavy drinking and sauna bathing on cardiac rhythm, blood pressure, and serum electrolyte and cortisol concentrations was studied in 10 healthy male volunteers. Sauna bathing induced a comparable, significant increase in heart rate with and without alcohol consumption. During sauna bathing without alcohol, systolic blood pressure remained at the baseline level, whereas sauna and alcohol together decreased systolic blood pressure markedly from 136 +/- 4 to 113 +/- 3 mmHg (P less than 0.01). Neither sauna alone, nor sauna combined with alcohol intake, increased the frequency of premature ventricular complexes. Serum potassium, calcium and cortisol concentrations changed slightly during sauna, but alcohol consumption did not contribute further to this. In conclusion, sauna bathing, even in combination with heavy drinking, does not appear to provoke cardiac arrhythmias in healthy young men. However, the risk of hypotension is increased when sauna bathing is combined with alcohol consumption.