Rate of alcohol-induced blackout experience and its negative consequences among Korean university students.

An alcohol-induced blackout suggested to be related to a rapid increase in blood alcohol concentration and it is closely related to long-term memory creation. Blackout has been experienced by 35% of the general population and over 50% of university student population. In addition, it has been shown that blackout could be a precursor of injury risk. However, the rate of blackout and blackout related negative consequences in Korean university students have rarely been studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the blackout experience rate and its negative consequences among students from four universities in Korea. A survey was conducted among university students located in Pusan, Korea in 2013. Demographic and blackout related information were collected through self-report questionnaire, including blackout experience, age of first blackout, and negative consequences of blackout. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed for collected data. Of a total of 470 subjects (Male = 217, Female = 253) surveyed, 190 (40.4%) subjects had experienced a blackout at some points in their lives. The majority (86.3%) of them experienced the first blackout between 20-25 years old. Among those who had experienced a blackout, 57.0% reported that they could not remember how they went home at the end of the night, 8.1%, 7.6%, 3.1%, and 2.2% reported that they had bodily injuries, argument, physical or personal fight, and sexual-related incidences, respectively. This study shows that many Korean university students have experienced blackouts and related negative events. These results suggest that more systematic drinking control strategy is required for Korean university students.

Effect of Extract of Black Sticky Rice with Giant Embryo on Alcohol Cravings of Korean Social Drinkers: A 12-Week Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

We investigated the effect of black sticky rice with giant embryo (BSRGE) extract known to contain high levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on alcohol cravings in social drinkers. A total of 41 subjects were divided into a BSRGE extract group (G group: n = 21) and a placebo group (P group: n = 20), and a randomized placebo-controlled experiment was performed for 12 weeks. The G group took the BSRGE extracts that contained 30 mg of GABA per day. (1) In the Pennsylvania Alcohol Craving Scale, there was a tendency for time and group interaction between the two groups (P = .087) on the total score. (2) In the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), there was a significance for time and group interaction between the G and P groups (P = .011) on the obsessive subscale. The total score of the OCDS showed significant time and group interactions between the G and P groups (P = .011). Our results showed that the extract of BSRGE containing a high level of GABA significantly reduced alcohol cravings in Korean social drinkers.

Capsaicin Reduces Ethanol Consumption in C57BL/6 but not DBA/2 Mice.

Objective: Capsaicin, the pungent analgesic substance of hot peppers which produces a burning sensation and pain is known to affect Substance P and central opioid activities. This experiment was designed to test the effect of capsaicin on alcohol consumption in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice. These two strains are known to differ in both their alcohol consumption and their endogenous opioid distribution and response to alcohol. It is hypothesized that this effect may be mediated by both increases Substance P and decreases beta-endorphin. Methods: After i.p. administration of 0.01 and 0.001 mg/kg of capsaicin with a vehicle or the vehicle alone as the control for eight days in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice on limited access alcohol model, Capsaicin's effects on 2-hour alcohol, 22-hours water, 24-hours food intake and body weight were studied. Results: In this study, as expected, C57BL/6 mice drank significantly more alcohol than DBA/2 mice under baseline conditions. Capsaicin at both doses tested significantly reduced baseline alcohol consumption in C57BL/6 but not DBA/2 mice. These effects were selective for alcohol as capsaicin did not disrupt food or water consumption. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that capsaicin differentially affects those mechanisms underlying alcohol consumption in two strains of mice known to differ in their preference for and consumption of alcohol. This effect is hypothesized to be related to differences in the response of the endogenous opioid system.

Changes of drinking behavior in Korean pregnant women for the last 20 year.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to investigate the drinking behavior of Korean pregnant women in 2017 and to compare the changes of drinking status with the results of the research conducted in 1997 and 2008. METHODS: Pregnant women at one obstetrics and gynecology hospital and one university hospital were the subjects of the study. They were filled out questionnaire. RESULTS: The rate of positive responses to CAGE increased 16.0% in 2008 and 16.3% in 2017 compared to 11.8% in 1997 (P = 0.046). Blackout history rate was keep increasing from 1997 to 2017 (8.8% versus 27.7% versus 36.3%, P < 0.001). The rate of family history of alcohol was nearly doubled in 2017 (30.3%) compared to 1997 (17.6%) and 2008 (16.3) (P < 0.001). The rate of pregnant women who drink alcohol during pregnancy decreased from 57.5% in 1997 to 39.5% in 2008 and decreased to 25.6% in 2017 (P < 0.001). The rate of pregnant women who drink alcohol after knowing the pregnancy was decreased in 2017 (6.9%) compared to 2008 (23.5%) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: According to the results of the study in 2017, the rate of pregnant women who drink alcohol after pregnancy was decreased compared to 1997 and 2008. However drinking behavior severity has increased in 2017.

Predictive factors of long-term follow-up in treatment of Korean alcoholics with naltrexone or acamprosate.

Medication is integral in treating alcohol use disorder. However, because of the small to medium effect size, much effort is being exerted to identify predicting factors for effective pharmacological treatment in alcohol abuse disorder. Rather than focusing on abstinence days, alcohol craving, or frequency of drinking, which has been the focus of previous studies. Recently, there have been several studies which focused on follow-up length as an indicator of pharmacological treatment effe ctiveness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predicting factors of long-term follow-up in treating Korean alcoholics with naltrexone or acamprosate. A retrospective study was conducted. Medical records of all patients diagnosed from November 2008 to May 2017 with alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence at psychiatric clinics at PNUYH were reviewed. We examined total days of which naltrexone or acamprosate were prescribed, and investigated if there were predicting factors maintaining follow-up at least 180 days or more. With these data, logistic regression analysis was conducted. In naltrexone long group compared to naltrexone short group, factors of having medical comorbidities [odds ratio (OR) = 5.477, P = 0.012] showed higher OR. In acamprosate long group, factors of age (OR = 1.083, P = 0.030), and use of more than four psychotropic medications (OR = 7.107, P = 0.030), showed higher OR. In both medications, predicting factors were different from the other. Further study to investigate the reasons would provide us with a new insight.

Difference in Cognitive Function by First Onset Age of Alcohol Induced Blackout and Its Duration.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol-induced blackout (blackout) is a typical early symptom of cognitive impairment caused by drinking. However, the first onset age of blackout or the duration after onset of blackout has not been directly compared in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in cognitive function to the first start age of blackouts and their duration. METHODS: Thirty-one male subjects were included in this study. Their age at the first blackout and the duration after the onset of blackout were investigated. Neuropsychological tests were conducted to determine their attention, memory, and executive function. Subjects were divided into three groups according to their age of the first onset blackout (group O1, < 20 years; group O2, 21-39 years; and group O3, > 40 years). Subjects were also divided into three groups by duration after the onset of blackout (P1, < 10 years; P2, 10-29 years; and P3, > 30 years). We then examined differences in neurocognitive function among these groups. RESULTS: O1 tended to have a lower memory score than O2 (F = 3.28, p = 0.053). Significant differences were observed in attention and executive function between groups P1 and P3 (Digit Span_backward: F = 6.07, p < 0.05; visual span_forward: F = 4.19, p < 0.05; executive intelligence quotient: F = 3.55, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Greater memory impairment was detected in subjects having an earlier age of the first blackout. The longer the duration after the onset of blackout, the more impaired their attention and executive function skills.

The Effect of Oral Administration of Black Sticky Rice with Giant Embryo on Brain GABA Concentrations.

OBJECTIVE: Black sticky rice with giant embryo (BSRGE) contains high GABA content and affects alcohol-related indices among social drinkers, and alcohol intake and anxiety-related behavior of mice. However, it is unknown whether the intake of BSRGE affects GABAergic activity of brain directly. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the effect of oral administration of BSRGE on brain GABA concentrations compared with commercially available GABA compound and regular feeds. METHODS: Twenty-one male C57BL/6 mice were assigned to BSRGE, a regular feed (AIN-76) lacking GABA, and a regular feed containing GABA compound. After feeding freely for 48 h, the cortex and striatum were separated from the brain. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was conducted to measure GABA and glutamate concentrations in mouse brain. RESULTS: The GABA concentration of the BSRGE group was higher than that of regular feed and GABA compound group (p<0.001). However, the GABA compound group showed no significant difference from the regular feed group (p=0.50). CONCLUSION: Intake of BSRGE containing high GABA content increased GABA concentrations in mouse brain compared with regular feed unlike GABA compound. The results of this study constitute an important basis for further investigations into the clinical applications of BSRGE.

A study on the school violence experience of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in the context of bullying.

INTRODUCTION: School violence causes harmful effects to victims. Harmful effects are likely to persist into adulthood. There are many studies about the relationship between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and school violence. But, there are few comparative studies dividing groups by the context of bullying and by the school grade. Therefore, this study will identify the differences between general students and patients with ADHD under treatment, creating two groups (one with experience of the perpetration of violence and one with victimization). METHODS: This study was conducted by questionnaires that dealt with experiences of being a bully and being bulled at school in the past year as six items each. A 5-point Likert scale was used. The ADHD group was 49, and the general students group was 245. The data were compared using the chi-squared test. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 24, with statistical significance at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The ADHD group was significantly high who reported severely beating other people than the general group. Likewise, ADHD group who reported threatening other people was significantly higher than in the general group. However, for the remaining items, there was no significant difference between the ADHD group and the general student group. DISCUSSION: Previous studies suggested that ADHD symptoms are major causes of both bullying and being the victim of bullying. However, in this study, ADHD patients have more being the victim of bullying experiences than general students. Further, a well-designed study will be needed to accurately evaluate the relationship between school violence and ADHD.