Clinical characteristics of heavy alcohol consumption in young and middle-aged acute cerebral infarction: A 12-month follow-up study.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of heavy alcohol consumption among young and middle-aged patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI). Methods: A total of 263 young and middle-aged ACI patients were included in the study from June 2018 to December 2020 and classified into heavy drinkers and non-heavy drinkers. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between ACI and heavy alcohol consumption, considering clinical characteristics and one-year post-discharge prognosis. Results: Among the patients, 78 were heavy drinkers. Heavy drinkers were more likely to consume alcohol 24 h before ACI onset (OR 4.03, 95 % CI 2.26-7.20), especially in the form of liquor (OR 3.83, 95 % CI 1.59-9.20), and had a higher risk of diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg upon admission (OR 2.02, 95 % CI 1.12-3.64). In the one-year post-discharge prognosis, heavy drinkers had a greater likelihood of poor prognosis at 3 months (OR 2.31, 95 % CI 1.01-5.25), were less likely to quit drinking after discharge (OR 0.36, 95 % CI 0.19-0.66), and had a higher risk of recurrent cerebral infarction (OR 2.79, 95 % CI 1.14-6.84). Conclusions: Over the 12-month follow-up, young and middle-aged ACI patients with heavy alcohol consumption exhibited worse short-term prognosis. Controlling alcohol consumption levels may improve the prognosis of these patients.

The association between alcohol consumption and blood lipids in Chinese children and adolescent: findings from the China Health and Nutrition Survey.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption by children and adolescents is receiving increasing attention. It may cause dyslipidemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the association between alcohol consumption and blood lipids in children and adolescents is unclear, and so we aimed to characterize this association. METHODS: Data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey were extracted from children and adolescents aged 7-18 years for whom information was available on alcohol consumption. The population was divided into drinking and nondrinking groups. The χ2, Student's t, or Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare groups. Univariate and multivariate linear regression and propensity score matching (PSM) analysis were used to identify the association between alcohol consumption and blood lipids. RESULTS: This study included 408 children and adolescents with 35 drinkers and 373 nondrinkers. The drinkers had significantly lower values of total cholesterol (TC) (3.8 mmol/L for nondrinkers versus 3.5 mmol/L for drinkers, p = 0.002) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (1.3 mmol/L for nondrinkers versus 1.2 mmol/L for drinkers, p = 0.007), but not for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (2.1 mmol/L for nondrinkers versus 2.0 mmol/L for drinkers, p = 0.092) or triglyceride (TG) (0.9 mmol/L for nondrinkers versus 0.8 mmol/L for drinkers, p = 0.21). The univariate and multivariate analyses led to the same conclusions. After PSM there was still a significant negative association between alcohol consumption and TC or HDL-C. CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption in children and adolescents exhibited significant negative associated with TC and HDL-C, but not with LDL-C or TG. These findings need to be confirmed in future prospective research, and the health effects of blood lipid changes caused by drinking in children and adolescents need to be clarified.

Dosis­Wirkungs­Beziehung zwischen Alkoholkonsum und Psoriasis: Systematische Übersicht und Metaanalyse: Dose­response analysis between alcohol consumption and psoriasis: A systematic review and meta­analysis.

The association between psoriasis and alcohol consumption has been inconsistent across various studies. However, to the best of our knowledge, no dose-response meta-analysis has been performed to date. This study aims to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and psoriasis. The search was performed on July 27, 2021, using Embase and MEDLINE. The restricted cubic spline analysis was used to perform a dose-response analysis. We identified 3,904 studies, of which 48 studies with 1,702,847 individuals across 24 countries were included. Alcohol consumption was positively associated with psoriasis (odds ratio [OR], 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.70). In addition, a significantly increased OR for psoriasis was observed in males (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.13-3.01) but not in females (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.97-1.54). Based on eight studies, including three cohort and five case-control studies, the analysis revealed that with each additional gram of daily alcohol intake, the OR for psoriasis increased by 4%. We found a positive association between alcohol consumption and psoriasis. The association is more prominent in the group drinking more than 45 g of alcohol per day (3.2 alcoholic drink equivalent).

Alcohol is neither a risk factor nor a protective factor for sudden cardiac death and/or fatal ventricular arrhythmia; a population-based study with genetic traits and alcohol consumption in UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: The association between alcohol consumption and risk of sudden cardiac death and/or fatal ventricular arrhythmia remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the association between alcohol consumption, genetic traits for alcohol metabolism, and the risk of sudden cardiac death and/or fatal ventricular arrhythmia. METHODS: We identified 397,164 subjects enrolled between 2006 and 2010 from the UK Biobank database and followed them until 2021. Alcohol consumption was categorized as current nondrinkers (nondrinkers and ex-drinkers), mild drinkers, moderate drinkers, or heavy drinkers. Genetic traits of alcohol metabolism were stratified according to the polygenic risk score tertiles. The primary and secondary outcomes were a composite of sudden cardiac death and fatal ventricular arrhythmia, as well as their individual components. RESULTS: During the follow-up (median 12.5 years), 3,543 cases of clinical outcomes occurred. Although mild, moderate, and heavy drinkers showed deceased risks of outcomes compared with current non-drinkers, there was no prognostic difference among non-drinkers, mild drinkers, moderate drinkers, and heavy drinkers. Ex-drinkers showed increased risk in the univariate analysis, but the significance was attenuated after adjusting covariates (hazard ratio (HR) 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94-1.50). As a continuous variable, alcohol consumption was not associated with clinical outcomes (HR 1.01; 95% CI 0.99-1.02). Consistent with these findings, there was no association between genetic traits for alcohol metabolism, and the risk of clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol consumption was neither a protective nor a risk factor for sudden cardiac death or fatal ventricular arrhythmia. Genetic traits of alcohol metabolism were not associated with the clinical prognosis.

Maternal smoking, consumption of alcohol, and caffeinated beverages during pregnancy and the risk of childhood brain tumors: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: We conducted this meta-analysis to investigate the potential association between maternal smoking, alcohol and caffeinated beverages consumption during pregnancy and the risk of childhood brain tumors (CBTs). METHODS: A thorough search was carried out on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Internet to identify pertinent articles. Fixed or random effects model was applied to meta-analyze the data. RESULTS: The results suggested a borderline statistically significant increased risk of CBTs associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.99-1.09). We found that passive smoking (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.20), rather than active smoking (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.93-1.07), led to an increased risk of CBTs. The results suggested a higher risk in 0-1 year old children (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.94-1.56), followed by 0-4 years old children (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.97-1.28) and 5-9 years old children (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.95-1.29). This meta-analysis found no significant association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and CBTs risk (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.80-1.24). An increased risk of CBTs was found to be associated with maternal consumption of caffeinated beverages (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.07-1.26) during pregnancy, especially coffee (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.00-1.38). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal passive smoking, consumption of caffeinated beverages during pregnancy should be considered as risk factors for CBTs, especially glioma. More prospective cohort studies are warranted to provide a higher level of evidence.

Prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption and evaluation of associated factors in university students.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption (HAC) according to gender among university students and associated factors. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on undergraduate students. We used a stratified sampling technique to represent 26036 students from all grade levels and 11 faculties, and the survey was administered to 2349 undergraduate students. The prevalence of HAC was determined with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). HAC was defined as getting 8 points or more from the AUDIT. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine HAC related factors in both genders. RESULTS: In this study, 53.2% of the participants were male. The prevalence of HAC in the study group was 13.5% and prevalence of lifetime drinker was 65.3%. In males; those whose fathers [OR = 1.72; 95% CI: (1.17-2.52)], mothers [1.49; (1.02-2.18)], close friends [2.42; (1.28-4.60)] drink alcohol and smoking [3.16; (2.09- 4.77)], use illicit substance [2.35; (1.66-3.34)], have mental health problems [1.65; (1.04-2.62)] were more likely to report HAC. Meanwhile in females, those whose fathers [OR = 1.92; 95%CI: (1.03-3.57)], close friends [5.81; (1.73-19.45)] drink alcohol and smoking [4.33; (2.31-8.15)], use illicit substance [4.34; (2.34-8.06)] have mental health problems [3.01; (1.67-5.43)] were more likely to report HAC. CONCLUSIONS: HAC prevalence is high among university students. The risk of HAC increases with the use of alcohol in family and circle of friends, smoking, illicit substance use and mental health problems. The factors associated with the risk of HAC in both genders are similar.

The role of monitoring skills in mediating the association between parent's hazardous alcohol consumption and adolescents' drinking.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate whether parental monitoring skills mediate the effect of hazardous parental alcohol consumption on adolescents' lifetime alcohol use. METHODS: This three wave longitudinal study was conducted with 884 families (n = 1,768 participants) to evaluate the effectiveness of a family-based drug prevention program for adolescents and parents across 12 Brazilian cities. We used structural equation mediation modeling to analyze the effect of hazardous parental alcohol consumption at baseline on adolescents' lifetime alcohol use at 12-month follow-up, mediated by parental monitoring skills latent dimension at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: We found a significant indirect effect of parents' hazardous alcohol use on adolescents' alcohol use through parental monitoring (OR:1.18, 95%CI:1.02;1.36). CONCLUSION: Our finding underscores the importance of comprehensive preventive family alcohol approaches targeting adolescent alcohol use, which should consider both parental drinking behavior and monitoring practices.

Sodium Bicarbonate Decreases Alcohol Consumption in Mice.

We previously reported that mice with low neuronal pH drink more alcohol, demonstrating the importance of pH for alcohol reward and motivation. In this study, we tested whether systemic pH affects alcohol consumption and if so, whether it occurs by changing the alcohol reward. C57BL/6J mice were given NaHCO3 to raise their blood pH, and the animals' alcohol consumption was measured in the drinking-in-the-dark and two-bottle free choice paradigms. Alcohol consumption was also assessed after suppressing the bitterness of NaHCO3 with sucrose. Alcohol reward was evaluated using a conditioned place preference. In addition, taste sensitivity was assessed by determining quinine and sucrose preference. The results revealed that a pH increase by NaHCO3 caused mice to decrease their alcohol consumption. The decrease in high alcohol contents (20%) was significant and observed at different ages, as well as in both males and females. Alcohol consumption was also decreased after suppressing NaHCO3 bitterness. Oral gavage of NaHCO3 did not alter quinine and sucrose preference. In the conditioned place preference, NaHCO3-treated mice spent less time in the alcohol-injected chamber. Conclusively, the results show that raising systemic pH with NaHCO3 decreases alcohol consumption, as it decreases the alcohol reward value.

Dose-response analysis between alcohol consumption and psoriasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The association between psoriasis and alcohol consumption has been inconsistent across various studies. However, to the best of our knowledge, no dose-response meta-analysis has been performed to date. This study aims to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and psoriasis. The search was performed on July 27, 2021, using Embase and MEDLINE. The restricted cubic spline analysis was used to perform a dose-response analysis. We identified 3,904 studies, of which 48 studies with 1,702,847 individuals across 24 countries were included. Alcohol consumption was positively associated with psoriasis (odds ratio [OR], 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.70). In addition, a significantly increased OR for psoriasis was observed in males (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.13-3.01) but not in females (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.97-1.54). Based on eight studies, including three cohort and five case-control studies, the analysis revealed that with each additional gram of daily alcohol intake, the OR for psoriasis increased by 4%. We found a positive association between alcohol consumption and psoriasis. The association is more prominent in the group drinking more than 45 g of alcohol per day (3.2 alcoholic drink equivalent).

Sexual Behaviors in Iranian Working Children and the Correlated Risk Factors: Result of the Large-Scale Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR) Survey.

This study aimed to investigate the sexual behaviors among working children and the associated factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 1937 working children in the 10-18 age range in 15 provincial capitals in 2019-20 (Feb-May); the Response rate was 94.9%. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the variable of sexual behaviors. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported. The prevalence of sexual behaviors in working children was 4.2%. The results showed a significant difference between those who reported sexual behaviors and those who did not in terms of age, identity document (ID), running away from home, alcohol use, and substance use. There was a statistically significant relationship between fathers' unemployment and sexual behaviors among working children. Furthermore, we found that having divorced parents could increase the odds of sexual behaviors by 3.74 times. The findings showed that related welfare and support organizations should design and implement effective and continuous training and interventions to raise awareness and reduce the prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviors in working children. They should also provide family counseling and promote parental supervision of children.

Self-assessed health associated with lifestyles in young adults:National survey - Young Lives - Perú / Salud autoevaluada asociado a estilos de vida en adultos jóvenes: Encuesta nacional - Young Lives – Perú

Introducción: La salud es un estado de bienestar físico, mental y social. La autopercepción en salud es un indicador relacionado a la morbilidad y mortalidad, esta percepción estaría influenciada en cada una de las personas por diversos factores, tales como culturales, psicológicos, sociales y otros. Día a día los jóvenes están expuestos a modificar sus estilos de vida de manera positiva o negativa. El objetivo principal del presente estudio fue determinar la relación entre los estilos de vida y la autoevaluación en salud en adultos entre 18 y 23 años de Perú.Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio analítico transversal en una base de datos secundaria-“Young Lives” Ronda 5 - Perú. 595 adultos jóvenes entre 18 y 23 años formaron parte de nuestra muestra. Para estilos de vida se utilizaron los indicadores: actividad física, horas de sueño, consumo de alcohol, consumo de tabaco, estos fueron asociados a la variable salud autoevaluada.Resultados: Se observó que el 24.37% de la muestra autoevaluó su salud como buena, siendo esta evaluación más frecuente en los varones (OR=2.00, IC: 1.35-2.94). Los factores relacionados con una buena autoevaluación en salud fueron la actividad física (OR=1.50 IC:1.02 - 2.23), dormir de 7 a 8 horas (OR=1.69 IC: 1.01-2.81) y fumar a veces (OR=2.02 IC:1.002-4.11).Conclusiones: Se encontró asociación entre la autoevaluación en salud buena y el realizar actividad física, dormir entre 7 a 8 horas y fumar raramente.(AU)

Introduction: Self-perception of health serves as an im-portant marker for both morbidity and mortality, and it is sub-ject to various influences, including cultural, psychological,and social factors. In their daily lives, young individuals areconstantly exposed to opportunities for altering their lifestyleseither positively or negatively. Therefore, the primary aim ofthis study is to examine the association between lifestyles andself-assessment of health among Peruvian adults aged 18 to23 years.Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conductedutilizing a secondary database, specifically the “Young Lives”Round 5 dataset for Peru. Our sample consisted of 595 youngadults aged between 18 and 23 years. To assess theirlifestyles, we utilized indicators such as physical activity, hoursof sleep, alcohol consumption, and tobacco consumption.These lifestyle factors were then associated with the variableof “self-assessed health”. Additionally, we analyzed other vari-ables, including the sociodemographic characteristics of theevaluated population.Results: We found that 24.37% of the sample rated theirhealth as good. Several factors were identified as being asso-ciated with a positive self-assessment of health. These factorsincluded being male (odds ratio [OR] = 2.00, 95% confidenceinterval [CI]: 1.35-2.94), engaging in regular physical activity(OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.02-2.23), sleeping for 7 to 8 hours (OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.01-2.81), and occasionally smoking(OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.002-4.11).Conclusions: Engaging in physical activity, getting 7 to8 hours of sleep, and occasional smoking have been foundto be associated with a positive self-assessment of health.(AU)

Reductions in World Health Organization risk drinking level are associated with improvements in sleep problems among individuals with alcohol use disorder.

AIMS: Among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), sleep disturbances are pervasive and contribute to the etiology and maintenance of AUD. However, despite increased attention toward the relationship between alcohol use and sleep, limited empirical research has systematically examined whether reductions in drinking during treatment for AUD are associated with improvements in sleep problems. METHODS: We used data from a multisite, randomized, controlled trial that compared 6 months of treatment with gabapentin enacarbil extended-release with placebo for adults with moderate-to-severe AUD (N = 346). The Timeline Follow-back was used to assess WHO risk drinking level reductions and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to assess sleep quality over the prior month at baseline and the end of treatment. RESULTS: Sleep problem scores in the active medication and placebo groups improved equally. Fewer sleep problems were noted among individuals who achieved at least a 1-level reduction (B = -0.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-1.77, -0.20], P = .014) or at least a 2-level reduction (B = -0.80, 95% CI [-1.47, -0.14], P = .018) in WHO risk drinking levels at the end of treatment. Reductions in drinking, with abstainers excluded from the analysis, also predicted fewer sleep problems at the end of treatment (1-level: B = -1.01, 95% CI [-1.83, -0.20], P = .015; 2-level: B = -0.90, 95% CI [-1.59, -0.22], P = .010). CONCLUSIONS: Drinking reductions, including those short of abstinence, are associated with improvements in sleep problems during treatment for AUD. Additional assessment of the causal relationships between harm-reduction approaches to AUD and improvements in sleep is warranted.

Binge drinking associated with mean temperature: a cross-sectional study among Mexican adults living in cities.

BACKGROUND: The association between environmental temperature and alcohol consumption has not been widely explored despite the potential that increasing temperatures could promote the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the alcohol-related burden of disease. We aimed to explore the association between temperature and binge drinking in Mexican adults from urban cities, overall, and by alcoholic beverage type. METHODS: Data on 10,552 adults ≥ 18 years was obtained from the 2016 National Survey on Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Consumption. The mean annual temperature at the municipality was obtained from the Mexican National Weather Service using monthly temperatures from 2015 to 2016. We analyzed binge drinking for all alcoholic beverages in the last year and by type of alcohol as beer, liquor, wine, and coolers. Associations between mean temperature over the past year and binge drinking over the past year among current drinkers were estimated using multilevel Poisson models with robust standard errors adjusted for age, sex, education level, marital status, and household socioeconomic status, with a fixed effect by region. RESULTS: We observed a non-significant increase in the prevalence of binge drinking for every difference of 1 °C between municipalities of the same region. By alcohol type, a 1 °C increase in mean annual temperature across municipalities of the same region increased the prevalence of beer binge drinking in the past year by 0.9% (PR = 1.009, 95%CI 1.005, 1.013) among beer consumers and the prevalence of coolers' binge drinking by 3.0% (PR = 1.030, 95%CI 1.003, 1.057) in coolers consumers. We observed non-significant results for liquor binge drinking (PR = 1.047, 95%CI 0.994, 1.102) and wine binge drinking (PR = 1.047, 95% 0.944, 1.161). CONCLUSION: People living in municipalities with higher temperatures reported a higher beer binge drinking in Mexican cities. This could account for 196,000 cases of beer binge drinking in 2016. The context of each country needs to be considered when generalizing these findings, and they need to be further explored with longitudinal data as there might be implications for climate change. If our findings are confirmed given the forecasted rising temperatures, we could expect an increase in binge drinking and therefore, in the alcohol burden of disease.

The impact of adverse childhood experiences on mental health, sexual risk behaviors, and alcohol consumption in adulthood.

The purpose of the study was to determine how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) relate to adulthood flourishing, symptoms of depression, anxiety, somatization, self-reported health, sexual risk behaviors, and alcohol consumption. A quantitative cross-sectional methodology was used. A total of 452 adults completed the survey. The most prevalent ACE include physical abuse (44.69%), separation/divorce of parents (41.81%), living with someone with alcohol problems (39.38%), and being sworn, insulted, or humiliated by adults at home (35.62%). Almost one out of every four respondents (24.34%) reported being touched by an adult, 17.92% reported that an adult tried to manipulate the respondent into touching them, and 8.19% were forced to have sexual intercourse. Results indicate that women reported a higher number of ACE than men. The number of ACE is inversely related to flourishing and self-reported health; while being positively associated with participant's scores in depression, anxiety, somatization, sexual risk behaviors, and alcohol use. The regression model, including the eleven ACE and respondents' sex and age, achieved medium effect sizes for somatization, depression, and anxiety symptoms and small effect sizes for flourishing, self-reported health, sexual risk behaviors, and alcohol consumption. Specific ACE have a particularly significant negative impact on mental health outcomes: forced intercourse, witnessing familial violence, verbal humiliation, and living with individuals struggling with mental health issues and drug consumption or who were incarcerated. In conclusion, the study highlights the alarming prevalence of ACE among the Honduran population and their significant negative impact on mental health outcomes during adulthood.

The role of lifestyle factors in the association between education and self-reported fibromyalgia: a mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic status as measured by education, income, or occupation, has been associated with fibromyalgia but the underlying mechanism and the role of lifestyle factors are unclear. Thus, we examine the role of modifiable lifestyle factors (body mass index, physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking) in the association between education and self-reported fibromyalgia. METHODS: We used data from 74,157 participants in the population-based prospective Norwegian Women and Cancer (NOWAC) study. Socioeconomic position, operationalized as years of educational attainment, and lifestyle factors were assessed via self-reported questionnaires. Multiple mediation analysis was used to decompose total effects into direct and indirect effects. Estimates were reported as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of fibromyalgia was 3.2% after a median follow up time of 13 years. Fibromyalgia was inversely associated with years of educational attainment for ≤ 9 years (HR = 2.56; 95% CI 2.32-2.91) and for 10-12 years (HR = 1.84; 95% CI 1.72-2.02), compared with ≥ 13 years of education. Overall, all lifestyle factors together jointly mediated 17.3% (95% CI 14.3-21.6) and 14.1% (95% CI 11.3-18.9) of the total effect for ≤ 9 years and 10-12 years of education, respectively. Smoking and alcohol consumption contributed the most to the proportion mediated, for ≤ 9 years (5.0% and 7.0%) and 10-12 years (5.6% and 4.5%) of education. CONCLUSION: The association between education and self-reported fibromyalgia was partly explained through lifestyle factors, mainly smoking and alcohol consumption.

Marchiafava-Bignami disease: Prompt diagnosis made by magnetic resonance brain imaging.

Key Clinical Message: Marchiafava-Bignami disease, a rare condition often associated with alcoholism, shows myelin degeneration with tissue necrosis specifically in the corpus callosum. Urgent application of magnetic resonance imaging could lead to prompt diagnosis. Abstract: A 66-year-old male with habitual alcohol drink complained acute deterioration of left-side muscle weakness as initial presentation. On the arrival, the patient was confused, with stable vital sign and unremarkable pyramidal sign. Although several potential diagnoses could be considered, brain computed tomography did not provide diagnostic information, and subsequently-performed magnetic resonance imaging revealed hyperintense lesions on T2-flair images in corpus callosum, suggesting MBD as clinical diagnosis. Prompt diagnosis enabled us to introduce thiamine administration with subsequent favorable neurological outcome.

Enhancing selection of alcohol consumption-associated genes by random forest.

Machine learning methods have been used in identifying omics markers for a variety of phenotypes. We aimed to examine whether a supervised machine learning algorithm can improve identification of alcohol-associated transcriptomic markers. In this study, we analysed array-based, whole-blood derived expression data for 17 873 gene transcripts in 5508 Framingham Heart Study participants. By using the Boruta algorithm, a supervised random forest (RF)-based feature selection method, we selected twenty-five alcohol-associated transcripts. In a testing set (30 % of entire study participants), AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve) of these twenty-five transcripts were 0·73, 0·69 and 0·66 for non-drinkers v. moderate drinkers, non-drinkers v. heavy drinkers and moderate drinkers v. heavy drinkers, respectively. The AUC of the selected transcripts by the Boruta method were comparable to those identified using conventional linear regression models, for example, AUC of 1958 transcripts identified by conventional linear regression models (false discovery rate < 0·2) were 0·74, 0·66 and 0·65, respectively. With Bonferroni correction for the twenty-five Boruta method-selected transcripts and three CVD risk factors (i.e. at P < 6·7e-4), we observed thirteen transcripts were associated with obesity, three transcripts with type 2 diabetes and one transcript with hypertension. For example, we observed that alcohol consumption was inversely associated with the expression of DOCK4, IL4R, and SORT1, and DOCK4 and SORT1 were positively associated with obesity, and IL4R was inversely associated with hypertension. In conclusion, using a supervised machine learning method, the RF-based Boruta algorithm, we identified novel alcohol-associated gene transcripts.

Stigmatization of drinking patients with liver cancer: The role of socioeconomic status.

Patients with liver cancer may face stigmatization due to cancer, alcohol consumption, or both. This study addresses gaps in the existing literature regarding stigmatization of alcohol-related liver cancer patients, particularly its connection with socioeconomic status (SES). The study explores whether the SES of a fictional character with alcohol addiction and liver cancer influences stigma levels reported by participants. Additionally, it investigates how participants' personal characteristics, such as alcohol consumption and healthcare professional status, impact stigmatization. This study aims to provide new insights regarding the role of stigmatization in liver cancer treatment and management, emphasizing in socioeconomic determinants. The method is based on three scenarios describing a woman character with alcohol abuse and liver cancer. The scenarios depicted a woman character with either low, medium or high SES. Each participant (N = 991) was randomly assigned to one of the three scenarios. After reading it, each participant answered questionnaires assessing negative attitudes towards the character. Four scales were used: "Negative attributions about people with health problems", "Causality of cancer", "Controllability of drinking" and "Reluctance to helping behavior". Data were analyzed using ANOVA and t-tests. The scenario describing a character with a low SES significantly received more "Negative attributions about people with health problems" than the character with medium or high SES. Participants having higher alcohol consumption themselves showed lower stigma scores for three out of four scales than participants with lower consumption. In addition, participants identified as health professionals had lower stigma scores regarding the scales "Negative attributions about people with health problems" and "Controllability of drinking", and higher scores for the subscale "Reluctance to helping behavior", compared with non-professionals. A character with low SES received more negative attributions than the one with higher SES. Participants' own alcohol consumption and professional status (being health professional or not), influenced their stigmatizing attitudes.

A model of alcoholic liver disease based on different hepatotoxics leading to liver cancer.

The worst-case scenario related to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) arises after a long period of exposure to the harmful effect of alcohol consumption along with other hepatotoxics. ALD encompasses a broad spectrum of liver-associated disorders, such as steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Based on the chronic administration of different hepatotoxics, including ethanol, sucrose, lipopolysaccharide, and low doses of diethylnitrosamine over a short period, here we aimed to develop a multiple hepatotoxic (MHT)-ALD model in the mouse that recapitulates the human ALD-associated disorders. We demonstrated that the MHT-ALD model induces ADH1A and NXN, an ethanol metabolizer and a redox-sensor enzyme, respectively; promotes steatosis associated with the induction of the lipid droplet forming FSP27, inflammation identified by the infiltration of hepatic neutrophils-positive to LY-6G marker, and the increase of MYD88 level, a protein involved in inflammatory response; and stimulates the early appearance of cellular senescence identified by the senescence markers SA-ß-gal activity and p-H2A.XSer139. It also induces fibrosis associated with increased desmin, a marker of hepatic stellate cells whose activation leads to the deposition of collagen fibers, accompanied by cell death and compensatory proliferation revealed by increased CASP3-mediated apoptosis, and KI67- and PCNA-proliferation markers, respectively. It also induces histopathological traits of malignancy and the level of the HCC marker, GSTP1. In conclusion, we provide a useful model for exploring the chronological ALD-associated alterations and stages, and addressing therapeutic approaches.

Impact of alcohol consumption on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease development and remission: A longitudinal cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The influence of alcohol intake on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) development and remission remains unclear; thus, we aimed to investigate their longitudinal associations. METHODS: This observational cohort study included 6349 patients who underwent more than two health check-ups over >2 years between April 2013 and March 2021. Generalized estimation equations were used to analyse the longitudinal associations between changes in alcohol intake and MAFLD according to repeated measures at baseline and the most recent stage. RESULTS: The MAFLD development and remission rates were 20.4 and 5.1 and 9.1 and 4.7% in men and women, respectively. Although alcohol consumption was not a significant factor for MAFLD development, consuming 0.1-69.9 g/week (odds ratio [OR]: 0.672, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.469-0.964, p < .05) and ≥280 g/week were significant factors for MAFLD development in males (OR: 1.796, 95% CI: 1.009-3.196, p < .05) and females (OR: 16.74, 95% CI: 3.877-72.24, p < .001). Regardless of quantity and frequency, alcohol consumption was not a significant factor for MAFLD remission. Several noninvasive liver fibrosis scores were significantly associated with alcohol intake quantity and frequency in males with MAFLD development and remission (p < .05). The nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score differed significantly between males with and without reduced alcohol intake (p < .05) who showed MAFLD remission. CONCLUSIONS: Although the influence of alcohol intake on MAFLD development and remission differed, alcohol consumption was not beneficial for MAFLD remission in either sex. Alcohol intake reduction or cessation is recommended to prevent liver fibrosis, even in those who achieve MAFLD remission.