Search results for "Alcoholism"
showing 10 items of 184 documents
Evidence for the importance of the human dopamine transporter gene for withdrawal symptomatology of alcoholics in a German population
2002
Two new polymorphisms in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene, adjacent to the known variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism, have been investigated in the present population-based association study including 351 alcoholics and 336 controls. The DraI restriction site was not polymorphic in our population. The G2319A polymorphism was not significantly different with respect to genotype or allele distribution between alcoholics and controls. Subsequently, in individuals with VNTR homozygosity for the ten repeat allele, we found a higher prevalence of A/A homozygosity in patients with seizure history (P = 0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 7.913), with…
Polymorphisms in the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 and 2B subunits are associated with alcoholism-related traits.
2003
Abstract Background This study examined the hypothesis that allelic variants of the ionotropic glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) are associated with vulnerability to alcoholism and some related traits. Methods We investigated the silent G2108A and C2664T polymorphisms of the NMDAR1 and the NMDAR2B genes, respectively. The case control study included 367 alcoholic and 335 control subjects of German origin. The family-based study comprised 81 Polish alcoholic patients and their parents using the transmission disequilibrium test. Results The genotype frequencies of the NMDAR1 polymorphism differed significantly between control and alcoholic subjects. This difference was also …
Symptom-Triggered versus Standard Chlormethiazole Treatment of Inpatient Alcohol Withdrawal: Clinical Implications from a Chart Analysis
2003
To evaluate clinical effectiveness and safety of 2 different detoxification treatment protocols, a chart analysis of hospital inpatients consecutively admitted for alcohol withdrawal during one year was undertaken. Records of 33 patients receiving symptom-triggered treatment (using a modified version of the revised Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol Scale) were compared with those of patients treated by applying a fixed-dose regimen (n = 32). Patients (45.3 ± 9.8 years, 21% female) of both groups were comparable regarding illness severity, epidemiologic parameters as well as complications during the observed treatment period. Under symptom-triggered therapy, chlormethiazol…
Comorbidity, family history and personality traits in pathological gamblers compared with healthy controls.
2016
AbstractBackgroundWhile DSM-5 classified pathological gambling as an addictive disorder, there is debate as to whether ICD-11 should follow suit. The debate hinges on scientific evidence such as neurobiological findings, family history of psychiatric disorders, psychiatric comorbidity, and personality variables.MethodsIn the “Baden-Württemberg Study of Pathological Gambling”, we compared a group of 515 male pathological gamblers receiving treatment with 269 matched healthy controls. We studied differences in sociodemographic characteristics, gambling-related variables, psychiatric comorbidity (lifetime), family history of psychiatric conditions, as well as personality traits such as impulsi…
Activity of the adenylyl cyclase in lymphocytes of male alcoholic patients is state dependent.
1998
A decreased basal and/or stimulated activity of the G-protein/adenylyl cyclase (AC) system in peripheral blood cells has been proposed to represent a trait marker for alcoholism. However, AC activity may underlie state-dependent changes, which may impair a proper interpretation of AC activity measurements. Our study examined systematically the AC activity in peripheral lymphocytes of 73 male alcohol-dependent patients (according to DSM-IV criteria) at three different time points of measurement during the clinical course of detoxification (day 0 = at admission, while still ethanol-affected; day 2 = at the presumed peak of withdrawal symptoms; day E = after detoxification). Basal and stimulat…
Blood ethanol levels and adenylyl cyclase activity in lymphocytes of alcoholic patients
1999
Abstract Background: The adenylyl cyclase (AC) signal transduction pathway is a target of acute and chronic ethanol actions. This study examined whether AC activity in lymphocyte membranes of male alcoholic patients correlated with blood concentrations of ethanol. Methods: Patients ( n = 13; mean age: 40 ± 8 years) were studied on the day of admission (day 0) and 2 days later under detoxification. Moreover, 13 age-matched male healthy controls (mean age 40 ± 9 years) were included. Lymphocyte membranes were prepared by differential centrifugation whereby blood ethanol was washed out. As a measure of AC activity the formation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) from adenosine triphospha…
Adenylyl cyclase activity is increased in younger, but decreased in older, alcoholic patients after detoxification.
2000
Acute and chronic administration of ethanol leads to alterations of the adenylyl cyclase (AC) signal transduction pathway. This study examined whether the formation of cAMP by AC in lymphocytes correlates with age in alcoholic patients and in healthy controls. Blood was drawn for preparation of lymphocyte membranes and for determination of basal, GTPgammaS-stimulated, and forskolin-stimulated AC activity from 68 actively drinking alcoholic patients (age, mean +/- SD: 45 +/- 10; range: 26-69 years) after ethanol detoxification. The patients' AC activity correlated negatively with age. In contrast, no effect of age was observed in the healthy controls (age, mean +/- SD: 42 +/- 11; range: 24-6…
Current practice of hepatitis C treatment in Southern Italy.
2010
Abstract Background Only a small proportion of subjects referring to hospitals for hepatitis C virus (HCV) positivity receives antiviral therapy. Aim To evaluate the rate of antiviral treatment and the causes for no treatment in HCV-RNA positive subjects seen in hospital settings. Patients and methods A prospective study enrolling over a 6-month period (February–July 2009) all consecutive anti-HCV positive subjects initially referred (naive patients) to 12 liver units in Southern Italy for HCV treatment. Results Out of 608 subjects evaluated, 74 (12.2%) had no detectable HCV-RNA in the serum and thus were excluded. Of the remaining 534 HCV-RNA positive subjects, 357 (66.9%) were not treated…
Cue exposure in alcohol dependent patients: preliminary evidence for different types of cue reactivity.
2000
Craving is considered to be an important phenomenon in addictive behaviours. However, there is still an unresolved debate on what craving for alcohol means, how it is best measured and which clinical and therapeutical consequences its presence or absence may imply. Cue reactivity paradigms have been developed to elicit craving under standardized experimental conditions. Here we present preliminary results characterizing alcohol-dependent patients with regard to subjective and psychophysiological aspects of exposure to alcohol-associated cues in a cue reactivity paradigm. Thirty-six patients fulfilling at least 5 criteria of alcohol dependence according to DSM-IV criteria were studied after …
A controlled family study in panic disorder.
1993
Abstract There are only a few family studies in panic disorder. Although there is some evidence that panic disorder is familial, the exact figures of the familial risk for this disorder are at variance across different studies; the impact of comorbidity and of the gender of relatives is also unclear. Family studies in panic disorder controlling for the comorbidity in probands are therefore indicated. This study presents the morbid risks in families of 40 “pure” panic disorder probands (DSM-III-R) without a history of psychotic disorders, major depression or alcoholism compared with families of 80 controls recruited in the general population. The relative frequency of panic disorder (DSM-III…