bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Party organisation and party competitiveness: The case of the Austrian People's Party, 1945–1992
Authors: MÜLLER WOLFGANG C. , STEININGER BARBARA
Published: May 2006

Abstract. This article links party organisation to party performance, examining their relationship over almost half a century in an in‐depth case study of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). It proceeds from the assumption that party organisation does matter for party performance, at least indirectly, and that the adaptation of the party organisation to a changing environment is, in the long run, the only viable strategy for party goal achievement. While the ÖVP's environment was subject to important changes, all of which worked against the party, it has failed to adapt to them. This, in turn, has reduced the competitiveness of the ÖVP. Consequently its record in achieving most of its party goals has been rather poor since 1970. The reconstruction of the intra‐party discussions reveals that the party leadership had access to analyses identifying the structural weaknesses of the party organisation since the late 1950s. The ÖVP's failure to adapt is explained by using the ‘nested games’ approach of Tsebelis (1990). In order to enhance the understanding of organisational dynamics of parties in a more general sense, the case of the ÖVP is related to the work of Panebianco (1988) and Janda (1990).
Election manifestos and policy‐oriented economic voting
Authors: ÇARKOğLU ALI
Published: May 2006

Abstract. Many previous analyses of aggregate‐level policy‐oriented economic voting hypotheses have been based on expert judgements of incumbents' ideology. These judgements first of all concentrate on long term characteristics of ideological stands and, more importantly, do not reflect parties' positions on economic issues per se. Using parties' arguments on economic issues in their election manifestoes, this article develops a left‐right ideology dimension that reflects parties' relative positions on economic issues for 163 elections in 16 countries in the post‐World War II period. The analysis suggests that over time there are very stable differences in parties' ideological positions on economic issues. Despite increasing clarity of ideological cleavages on economic issues, and persistent evidence of diverging economic policy outcomes in the literature, no distinct reward and punishment by the electorate is observed, associated with the ideological stands of the incumbents. Accordingly, the policy‐oriented economic voting hypothesis is rejected and possible reasons for this phenomenon is discussed.
Value orientations, political conflicts and left‐right identification: A comparative study
Authors: KNUTSEN ODDBJØRN
Published: May 2006

Abstract. Have the meanings of ‘left’ and ‘right’ changed during the last twenty years? In this article the ten‐point left‐right self‐placement scale is correlated with three central value orientations (religious/secular, economic left‐right and materialist/post‐materialist values) to examine whether associations between these value orientations and the self‐placement scale have changed from the early 1970s to 1990. Four theories about the changing meaning of the left‐right language are presented. These theories about the irrelevance, persistence, transformation and pluralisation of the meaning of left and right are tested by using Eurobarometer data from eight West European countries and the second wave of the European Value Study from 1990. The data provide strong support for pluralisation theory. Left‐right semantics have an impressive absorptive power, describing an over‐arching spatial dimension capable of incorporating many types of conflict. Left‐right semantics are significantly correlated with religious/secular values, remain highly correlated with the dominant industrial value orientations (economic left‐right values), and are increasingly associated with materialist/post‐materialist value orientations. The new meanings of left and right are added to the old meanings.
The structuring of the vote in post‐communist part systems: The Bulgarian example
Authors: KITSCHELT HERBERT , DIMITROV DIMITAR , KANEV ASSEN
Published: May 2006

Abstract. Consolidated democracies involve structured linkages between citizens and political decision making elites that are typically organized via political parties. Given the economic and institutional instability and uncertainty in post‐communist emerging democracies, it has often been maintained that a structuring of party systems in such countries is slow to emerge. This paper demonstrates with data from a 1991 pre‐election study in Bulgaria that significant aspects of political structuring may in fact appear in post‐communist polities quite early. The structuring is based on citizens' individual resources which they expect to convert into economic benefits in the economic market economy, their market location in occupational terms, their general ideological dispositions, and their evaluation of the economic performance of the incumbent governments. While the structuring of party systems may still be weaker than in Western Europe, the Bulgarian evidence casts doubt on the tabula rasa hypothesis in the study of post‐communist politics. Of course, further comparative analysis of post‐communist democracies is required to buttress our conclusions.
Equality and efficiency: The illusory tradeoff
Authors: KENWORTHY LANE
Published: May 2006

Abstract. Scholars and policy makers have traditionally assumed that nations face a tradeoff between income equality and economic efficiency. Greater equality is believed to reduce investment and dampen work incentives. A heterodox view suggests that a more egalitarian distribution of income may have beneficial efficiency effects by augmenting consumer demand and/or encouraging workers to cooperate in upgrading competitiveness. This paper offers an empirical assessment of the relationship between equality and efficiency, based on cross‐sectional data from 17 advanced industrialized economies over the period 1974–90. The comparative evidence indicates no adverse impact of greater equality on investment or work effort, nor on growth of productivity or output, trade balances, inflation, or unemployment. On the contrary, higher levels of equality are associated with stronger productivity growth and trade performance, and possibly with higher investment and lower inflation.
Attitude constraint and stability among elite and mass in Sweden
Authors: GRANBERG DONALD , HOLMBERG SÖREN
Published: May 2006

A panel of the Swedish electorate in 1985 and 1988, and a comparable panel comprised of members of the Swedish parliament, were analyzed for constraint and stability of attitudes. It was found that members of parliament showed considerably more constraint among attitudes and more attitude stability than the public. Among the public, members of political parties showed more constraint and stability than other voters who, in turn, showed more constraint and stability than nonvoters. A similar ordering was found in the link between specific issue attitudes and an abstract left‐right dimension. Societal elites responding to the same questions showed more attitudinal constraint than the public but less than members of parliament. Thus, even at the elite level politics matters in the sense that involvement in politics enhances the degree of constraint between attitudes on contemporary issues.
Public financing, party membership and internal party competition
Authors: HOFNUNG MENACHEM
Published: May 2006

The relative decline in party membership in West‐European countries over the last three decades is an accepted fact in the comparative literature on party organization. However, the bare facts do not explain the reasons for such decline and may leave the feeling that the process is irreversible. A number of scholars relate party membership decline to the introduction of public finance of political parties. They suggest that public financing laws and related arrangements have a negative effect on efforts to mobilize party membership, leading to a decline in political participation. In this article, drawing mainly on the Israeli experience, I argue that public funding does not necessarily lead to membership decline, but that changes in the internal competition rules for electing party candidates to national or local posts may affect party membership more than any other variable. Thus, the decline in membership that has been considered to be irreversible, is in fact highly reversible.
Constitutional structures and regime performance in 18 industrialized democracies: A test of Olson's hypothesis
Authors: CREPAZ MARKUS M. L.
Published: May 2006

According to Olson's concept of encompassing organizations, strong two‐party, plurality oriented political systems should create more ‘responsible’ public policies than ‘weak’ multi‐party governments based on proportional representation. An empirical measure of ‘encompassment’, termed popular cabinet support, is developed and tested in a multivariate controlled statistical analysis of 18 industrialized democracies. While Olson's theoretical concept of encompassing organizations appears to hold, his empirical operationalization, namely, strong two‐party systems based on plurality electoral rules, does not. The findings reveal that the alternative measures of ‘encompassment’, popular cabinet support, significantly reduces the rate of unemployment and inflation, indicating that the wider the popular support base of government, the more responsibly these governments behave.
Candidate chances, ideological moderation, and American nomination politics: A simulation approach
Authors: RAPOPORT RONALD B. , STONE WALTER J. , ATKESON LONNA RAE
Published: May 2006

This study employs a decision model to study the effects on popular support of candidate chances and candidate moderation in the American presidential nomination process. The decision model draws upon psychological and rational choice theories of decision making to accommodate both the complexity of choice citizens face in the typical nomination campaign, and the need to keep decision costs in bounds. We use the model to simulate voter decision making under repeated trials of nomination campaigns. The simulation trials vary the chances candidates have of winning their party's nomination, and the ideological moderation of competing nomination candidates. Our results show that increasing a candidate's chances for the nomination can have substantial payoff in support, but that the consequences of moderating a candidate's ideological stand are more muted. Our research speaks to broader guest ions of decision making when information costs are high but cognitive effort remains low, and to the resolution of intraparty conflict in a dynamic and volatile political environment.
The fragmentation of local government in Scandinavia
Authors: BOGASON PETER
Published: May 2006

Over 10 to 15 years, an organizational fragmentation of Scandinavian local government has come about by the introduction of neighbourhood councils, user‐governed public service institutions, contracting out of services and experimental, particularized state grants to the localities. Consequently, users come into focus, territorial democracy is challenged, and new forms of inter‐governmental relations abound. This calls for alternatives to the traditional analysis of local government with less emphasis on formal organizational analysis and more on governance and inter‐organizational links. There are indications that contrary to aspirations, the influence of professionals is not reduced by the changes and consequently increased user influence is not given, but there is a need for more analysis along the lines suggested.
Explaining the rise of racist and extreme right violence in Western Europe: Grievances or opportunities?
Authors: KOOPMANS RUUD
Published: May 2006

This paper investigates the causes of the recent rise in extreme right and racist violence in Western Europe. In the first part, the available data on extreme right and racist violence in eight Western European countries ‐ Germany, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway ‐ are discussed. Contrary to the image presented in the media, Germany is no 'Sonderfall’ as regards the level of violence. Germany belongs to the countries with the highest levels of violence, but Switzerland and Great Britain are roughly comparable in this regard. The second part of the paper attempts to explain cross‐national differences by applying two theoretical perspectives from the social movement literature. The grievance model, which sees the causes of violence in grievances related to the main target groups of the extreme right (foreigners and asylum seekers) and more general feelings of anomie among the socially marginal, finds little support in the data. The opportunity model, which emphasizes the role of political elites in shaping mobilization opportunities for social movements, finds support in an analysis of the relation between the development of extreme right and racist violence and the political debate around asylum legislation in Germany. Moreover, cross‐national comparison shows that the amount of violence also depends on the prior strength of extreme right and racist parties. Contrary to common wisdom, but in line with the expectations derived from the opportunity model, the level of violence tends to be low where extreme right and racist parties are strong and vice versa.
A category of its own? Four PR two‐tier compensatory member electoral systems in 1994
Authors: ELKLIT JØRGEN , ROBERTS NIGEL S.
Published: May 2006

At first sight, the electoral systems in Denmark, Germany, South Africa and Sweden may seem different and an attempt to categorize them together odd. All four, however, belong to the same category, which Arend Lijphart calls ‘proportional representation two‐tier districting systems’, and the effects of these systems on the proportionality of the representation of political parties are, indeed, comparable. The four electoral systems were the basis of their countries’ general elections during 1994. The results of these elections are used for analyses and discussions of the relative importance of the differences which one also finds between them. The paper ends with an examination of the behavioural consequences of these institutional arrangements, which are also found elsewhere, i.e. in Estonia, Iceland, Norway and New Zealand (in the new electoral system currently being implemented there).
Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Dopamine D4 Receptor Allelic Distribution in Scandinavian Chronic Alcoholics
Authors: Geijer T. , Jönsson E. , Neiman J. , Person M.‐L. , Brené S. , Gyllander A. , Sedvall G. , Rydberg U. , Wasserman D. , Terenius L.
Published: May 2006

Associations of polymorphic genetic markers at the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) loci were examined in Scandinavian chronic alcoholics (n= 72) and control subjects (n = 67). Patients were divided into subgroups with regard to the presence of parental alcoholism and age of onset. Neither the TH nor the DRD4 allele distributions were significantly different when alcoholic samples were compared with control subjects. However, a tendency to high prevalence for 1 of the 5 TH alleles assayed (TH‐K3) was observed in a subsample of 44 alcoholics characterized by late onset when compared with control subjects (27.3% vs. 10.6%, p= 0.041). Results suggest that no major influence on alcoholism is exerted through genes associated with the DRD4 or TH allelic markers examined.
Dantrolene Sodium Reduces the Enhanced Leakage of Creatine Kinase Caused by Ethanol, Cocaine, and Electrical Stimulation in Isolated Fast and Slow Muscles of Rat
Authors: Pagala Murali , Amaladevi Bellamakonda , Bernstein Adam , Hetzlich Barry , Namba Tatsuji , Grob David
Published: May 2006

Binge drinking of alcohol, cocaine overdose, or overexertion can lead to rhabdomyolysis characterized by elevated creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin in the serum, myoglobinuria, and muscle tenderness. Our previous studies showed that ethanol, cocaine, and electrical stimulation enhanced the leakage of CK from isolated soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of rat. Dantrolene sodium was reported to reduce the muscle damage and elevated serum CK levels in exercised rats. The present study was aimed at testing whether dantrolene can reduce the enhanced leakage of CK from isolated rat soleus and EDL muscles caused by ethanol, cocaine, and electrical stimulation. After 4‐hr incubation in oxygenated physiological solution at 37°C, the mean leakage of CK was 1.56 units/mg of muscle in soleus and 0.89 units/mg in EDL. Ethanol at 0.2% increased the leakage of CK by 47% (p < 0.05) in soleus and by 26% in EDL. Cocaine at 1 mM increased the leakage of CK by 55% (p < 0.05) in soleus and by 27% in EDL. Electrical stimulation at 1 Hz for 4 hr increased the mean leakage of CK by 100% (p < 0.05) in soleus and 127% (p < 0.05) in EDL. Dantrolene sodium reduced the enhanced leakage of CK caused by ethanol, cocaine, and electrical stimulation significantly in soleus and slightly in EDL. Dantrolene may involve myoplasmic free Ca2+ in these beneficial effects as in malignant hyperthermia, and may be useful in the treatment of rhabdomyolysis associated with acute alcoholic myopathy, cocaine overdose, and overexertion.
A Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Pilot Study of Carbamazepine for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence
Authors: Mueller Timothy I. , Stout Robert L. , Rudden Sandra , Brown Richard A. , Gordon Alan , Solomon David A. , Recupero Patricia R.
Published: May 2006

Carbamazepine, chemically related to the tricyclic antidepressants, has multiple clinical actions. It is a potent anticonvulsant, mild sedative, and mood stabilizer. It is nonaddictive and has little toxicity when clinical and laboratory monitoring is performed. It has proven efficacy in the treatment of acute alcohol withdrawal. Kindling and protracted withdrawal are the theoretical rationale for the mechanism of its action in the treatment of alcohol dependence. This 12‐month double‐blind placebo‐controlled pilot study of 29 subjects evaluated the efficacy of carbamarepine for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Subjects were randomly assigned to either placebo or carbamazepine. A baseline assessment and bimonthly follow‐up for 12 months assessed demographic variables, mood and functioning, treatment compliance, drinking behaviors, biological markers of drinking, and medication toxicity. Despite the small sample size, compliance difficulties after 4 months and a sizable drop‐out rate, there were treatment effects favoring carbamazepine. Univariate analyses showed a decrease in drinks per drinking day and maximum number of heavy drinking days in a row at 2 and 4 months of follow‐up. Survival analysis revealed a significant delay in time to first episode of heavy drinking, and close to a trend level of significance for time to first drink. There were significant time, but not time by treatment group, effects on multiple measures of mood. These pilot results are encouraging and support carbamazepine as a possible pharmacologic tool in the treatment of alcohol dependence.
Fair Treatment of Alcoholic Patients in the Context of Liver Transplantation
Authors: Shelton Wayne , Balint John A.
Published: May 2006

Dealing as we do with poor suffering humanity, we see the man unmasked, exposed to all the frailities and weaknesses, and you have to keep your heart soft and tender lest you have too great a contempt for your fellow creatures.

Sir William Osler
Blood Phosphatidylethanol as a Marker of Alcohol Abuse: Levels in Alcoholic Males during Withdrawal
Authors: Hansson Per , Caron Murielle , Johnson Goran , Gustavsson Lena , Alling Christer
Published: May 2006

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is formed only in the presence of ethanol, via the action of phospholipase D. We studied PEth in blood as a possible marker of alcohol abuse in 15 male alcoholics admitted for detoxification. Blood was drawn on the first day after admission and up to 28 days thereafter. PEth in whole blood was 13.2 ± 2.2 pmol liter−1 (mean ± SE) at first sampling and remained detectable up to 14 days after admission. Blood ethanol was 0 on the morning after admission. The time courses of PEth disappearance varied among individuals. No PEth could be found in blood of control persons who had abstained from ethanol for 4 days. Levels of PEth and carbohydrate‐deficient transferrin or γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase did not correlate. Its high specificity and prolonged detectability suggest PEth in blood as a marker of recent alcohol abuse.
The Relationship Between Drinking and Heart Disease Morbidity in the United States: Results from the National Health Interview Survey
Authors: Hanna Eleanor Z. , Chou S. Patricia , Grant Bridget F.
Published: May 2006

This study, based on data drawn from the responses of 18,323 males and 25,440 females to the 1988 National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative, multistage probability sample of the United States, attempts to define more precisely the level of drinking at which the relationship between heart disease and alcohol consumption is a protective one. Its attempt at precision derives from (1) using drinking categories that represent various points within the range of moderate drinking (1–6 drinks) defined in the literature as protective; (2) adjusting for underreporting that commonly occurs in population surveys by using consumption at time of heaviest drinking; and (3) controlling for age, body mass, smoking, former drinker, and former smoker status, duration of drinking, and sociodemo‐graphic factors. It also examines whether the relationship derived from these levels conforms to the U‐shaped curve that demonstrates the protective effect of moderate drinking when abstainers are not used as the reference group. Relative to infrequent drinkers (less than 1 drink per day), men report more heart disease at the level of more than five drinks per day. However, black men also report more heart disease, relative to infrequent drinkers, at the greater than two drinks per day level; and women report more heart disease at the level of more than two drinks per day at the time of their heaviest drinking. Former drinkers of both genders, considered as an independent variable in the regression analysis, were more likely to report having heart disease. Abstainers, light drinkers, and infrequent drinkers were not significantly different in their reports of heart disease. Our results are consistent with studies that suggest protection from heart disease occurs only at lower levels of drinking.
Increased Plasma Atrial Natriuretic Peptide after Ingestion of Low Doses of Ethanol in Humans
Authors: Gianoulakis Christina , Guillaume Pascal , Thavundayil Joseph , Gutkowska Jolanta
Published: May 2006

Previous studies have demonstrated that, in human, acute consumption of high doses of ethanol, administered in a large quantity of fluid, with or without volume‐loading, induced either a decrease or an increase in the plasma content of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)—a substance that has a hypotensive effect. The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of low doses of ethanol (0,0.25, and 0.50 g of ethanoVkg of body weight) administered to six normoten‐sive individuals, in a small volume of fluid without prior volume‐loading. Before and at various intervals after administration of the placebo or ethanol drinks, heart rate and blood pressure were measured and blood samples were taken for estimation of the plasma ANP, arginine vasopressin, and cortisol contents. Results indicated small changes in blood pressure and heart rate after ingestion of either the placebo or ethanol drinks. On the other hand, a significant increase in the plasma ANP content was observed at 15 min after ingestion of both the 0.25 and 0.50 g of ethanol/kg of body weight doses, but not after the placebo drink. Plasma ANP levels were still elevated at 45 min postethanol intake, but had returned to basal levels at 120 min after the ethanol drink. Interestingly, it was noticed that the higher dose of ethanol (0.50 g) did not induce a higher plasma ANP concentration than the lower dose (0.25 g) of ethanol; however, the plasma ANP content remained elevated for a longer period. Furthermore, the increase in plasma ANP content was not due to ethanol or stress‐induced increases in the plasma arginine vasopressin and cortisol contents, because the plasma concentration of these hormones remained either at basal or below basal levels for the duration of the experiment. In conclusion, ingestion of low amounts of ethanol equivalent to 1 or 2 standard drinks induced an increase in plasma ANP content.
Alcohol Use Disorder among Adolescents: Impact of Paternal Alcoholism on Drinking Behavior, Drinking Motivation, and Consequences
Authors: Tarter Ralph E. , Kirisci Levent , Clark Duncan B.
Published: May 2006

This study examined the impact of an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in biological fathers on drinking history, context, motivation, and consequences in male and female adolescents dichotomized according to the presence or absence of an AUD. Main effects for paternal history of an AUD were not found on any variable. Significant interactions were observed between father‐son diagnostic status with respect to age of first alcohol use (p < 0.001) and peer relationships (p < 0.001). No significant interactions were observed between father‐daughter diagnostic status. As expected, adolescents with AUD differed from adolescents without AUD on numerous variables pertaining to drinking behavior, history, and consequences. These findings indicate that there is no strong or pervasive effect of paternal AUD on adolescent offspring's AUD characteristics. Key Words: Adolescence, Drug Abuse, Alcoholism, Family History.
Proposed Recommendations for Research on Biochemical Markers for Problematic Drinking
Authors: Allen J. P. , Fertig J. B. , Litten R. Z. , Sillanaukee P. , Anton R. F.
Published: May 2006

Biochemical markers can serve as valuable tools in screening for problematic drinking, determining whether a health problem is likely alcohol related, and monitoring alcoholics for relapse during and after treatment. Furthermore, biochemical markers can assist in forensic investigations; in identification of public health, safety, and transportation workers who may drink excessively and who, as a result, may put others at risk; in evaluation of efficacy of treatments for alcohol abuse; and in recognition of early phase alcohol‐related tissue damage. Within all of these contexts, a biochemical marker or set of markers may corroborate verbal reports or may provide valuable independent information on alcohol use when an individual is unable or unwilling to offer valid data about alcohol consumption.
Effects of Ethanol on Intestinal Absorption of Drugs.
Authors: Merino V. , Martin‐Algarra R. V. , Rocher A. , Garrigues T. M. , Freixas J. , Polache A.
Published: May 2006

The effect of chronic alcohol intake on the intestinal absorption of seven compounds belonging to a homologous series (ciprofloxacin derivatives) was evaluated using an in situ rat gut technique that measures the intrinsic absorption rates of the compounds both in control and chronic alcohol‐fed rats. For chronic alcohol treatment, the animals were fed a liquid diet containing ethanol (36% of calories), whereas an isocaloric diet was given to the pair‐fed control animals. The biophysical absorption model, relating the intestinal absorption rate constants and partition indexes of the tested compounds, was then established either for control or alcohol‐fed animals. Differences were analyzed and tentatively interpreted on the basis of general diffusion principles. Results revealed that, in chronic alcohol‐fed animals, hydrophilic homologs are absorbed at a significantly faster rate than in control ones, whereas lipophilic homologs do not change their absorption rate relative to controls. Results demonstrate that the bulk polarity of the microvillous lipoidal membrane is enhanced by chronic ethanol intake, whereas basic features of the aqueous boundary layer are not altered. These observations suggest that the physicochemical properties of the compounds are an important factor in explaining the influence of chronic alcohol intake on passive intestinal absorption of xenobiotics. The possible practical implications of our results are discussed from a speculative viewpoint
Ethanol and Experimental Breast Cancer: A Review
Authors: Singletary Keith
Published: May 2006

There is considerable evidence from epidemiological studies to support a positive association between alcohol intake and risk for breast cancer. Yet, experimental evidence has provided less convincing evidence to support this relationship, although much less attention has been focused on elucidating the effect of ethanol on breast carcinogenesis in animal models. Although the number of reports are limited, information on the effect of ethanol on mammary carcinogenesis in spontaneous, chemically induced and metastatic models has been published. In addition, a small number of reports provide insights into an influence of ethanol on the physiological processes associated with the initiation, promotion, and progression stages of breast carcinogenesis in animals, as well as on the growth of human breast cancer cells. This information from the literature is summarized, and specific recommendations put forth so that greater progress can be made in this controversial and complex research area.
Ethanol Inhibits Single‐Unit Responses in the Nucleus Accumbens Evoked by Stimulation of the Basolateral Nucleus of the Amygdala
Authors: Criado José R. , Lee Rong‐Sheng , Berg Greta I. , Henriksen Steven J.
Published: May 2006

We studied the actions of intoxicating doses of ethanol on excitatory inputs from the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala, a major afferent system projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). In view of the hypothesized role of opioid receptors on the effects of ethanol on NAcc physiology, we also explored whether naloxone modulates ethanol‐induced suppression of NAcc excitability in halothane anesthetized and freely moving unanesthetized rats. Intraperitoneal administration of ethanol (1.2–1.4 g/kg) markedly suppressed a subgroup of amygdala‐activated NAcc neurons. The ethanol‐induced reduction in amygdala‐activated NAcc neurons was not reversed by naloxone (5.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Moreover, naloxone had no effect on the supressive effects of ethanol on NAcc spontaneous activity in either halothane‐anesthetized or unanesthetized freely moving preparations. These findings suggest that opiate mechanisms either are not participating or are not solely responsible for the inhibitory effects of acute intoxicating doses of ethanol on NAcc physiology.
Marital Functioning in Early Versus Late‐Onset Alcoholic Couples
Authors: Epstein Elizabeth E. , McCrady Barbara S. , Hirsch Linda S.
Published: May 2006

Current knowledge about alcohol and marital functioning is limited by restrictive sample selection, inattention to the literature on individual‐based alcoholic subtypes, and lack of research linking individual differences among alcoholics to marital functioning. The present study was designed to study marital functioning of alcoholics in light of current alcohol typologies. Subjects were part of a larger study on conjoint treatment of alcoholic males and their female partners. Four typologies—including Type 1/2, In‐Home/Out‐of‐home, SteadyIEpisodic, and EarlyILate Onset—were tested for replicability and discriminant validity before linking them to marital functioning. Discriminant validity was found only for the Early (59%)‐versus Late (41 %)‐Onset typology; thus, further analyses linked only this typology with marital functioning. At baseline, Early‐Onset couples reported more marital instability, and the females in these couples were more distressed. During treatment, Early‐Onset couples reported higher daily marital satisfaction than Late‐Onset couples. Regardless of age of onset, males reported higher marital satisfaction than their spouses during treatment, but their satisfaction did not increase during treatment. Female partners' marital satisfaction increased during treatment. Female partners of Late‐Onset males reported particularly low marital satisfaction during treatment. Parsing the sample according to the early‐/late‐onset typology yielded different predictors of marital satisfaction for males and females within each subtype. For female partners of Early‐Onset alcoholics, psychological distress unrelated to her pattner's drinking severity was most associated with her own marital satisfaction, whereas marital adjustment of female partners of Late‐Onset alcoholics was most associated with the male's level of perceptual accuracy regarding her needs. This pattern was reversed for the males; marital adjustment of Early‐Onset alcoholics was most associated with his partner's perceptual accuracy of his needs, whereas marital functioning of Late‐Onset alcoholics was best accounted for by his own psychological distress.
Effects of 5,7–Dihydroxytryptamine Lesions of the Prefrontal Cortex on Consumption of Sucrose‐Ethanol Solutions: Relationship to Prefrontal Monoamines
Authors: Deckel A. Wallace , Shoemaker W. J. , Arky Larry
Published: May 2006

Thirty adult male Wistar rats received 8 μg bilaterally of 5,7–dihy‐droxytryptamine into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Rats were then trained, via a sucrose fading paradigm, to consume increasing concentrations of alcohol. After death, dopamine (DA), norepineph‐rine (NE), serotonin (5–HT), and their metabolites were measured in the mPFC, nucleus accumbens (NA), and raphe nucleus. The le‐sioned group demonstrated a reduction in 5–hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5–HIAA), DA, and NE in the mPFC (p < 0.05), and a trend toward reduction of 5–HT in the NA. In comparison with controls, lesioned animals consumed less of all solutions containing sucrose and alcohol. On regression analyses, monoamines in the mPFC (i.e., 5–HIAA, dihydrophenylacetic acid and NE) predicted consumption of the 5% ethanol solution (p= 0.00S), 10% ethanol solution (p= 0.0006), and the 5% sucrose solutions (p= 0.0006), but not the 20% sucrose solutions. In each case, monoamine levels were positively correlated with consumption. No relationships were seen between monoamine levels in the NA and raphe, and in consummatory behavior.
Behavioral Sensitivity and Ethanol Potentiation of the N‐Methyl‐d‐Aspartate Receptor Antagonist MK‐801 in a Rat Line Selected for High Ethanol Sensitivity
Authors: Toropainen M. , Näkki R. , Honkanen A. , Rosenberg P. H. , Laurie D. J. , Pelto‐Huikko M. , Koistinaho J. , Eriksson C. J. P. , Korpi E. R.
Published: May 2006

The role of the N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors in differential ethanol sensitivity of the alcohol‐insensitive [alcohol‐tolerant (AT)] and alcohol‐sensitive [alcohol‐nontolerant (ANT)] rat lines selected for low and high sensitivity to ethanol‐induced (2 g/kg) motor impairment was studied in behavioral and neurochemical experiments. A noncompetitive antagonist of the NMDA receptor, dirocilpine mal‐eate (MK‐801; 0.2 mg/kg), impaired motor function in ANT rats, but not in AT rats, in a tilting plane test. The impairment was further potentiated by a dose (0.75 glkg) of ethanol, which alone was inactive. This effect was apparently not associated with the locomotor stimulation produced by MK‐801 (0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg), because stimulation did not differ between the rat lines. Locomotor stimulation was potentiated by the low ethanol dose in both rat lines. Ethanol treatment decreased the cerebellar and hippocampal cGMP concentrations both with and without MK‐801 pretreatment in both rat lines. In situ hybridization using oligonucleotide probes specific for NMDA receptor subunit mRNAs NR1 and NR2A, B, C, and D revealed no clear differences in brain regional expression between ANT and AT rats. These results indicate that the alcohol‐sensitive ANT rats are very sensitive to a low dose of ethanol in the presence of NMDA receptor antagonism, consistent with the hypothesis that this receptor system is involved in acute ethanol intoxication.
Somatostatin‐Stimulated Growth Hormone‐Releasing Factor Secretion In Vitro Is Modified by Fetal Ethanol Exposure
Authors: Conway Sonya , Swain Russell
Published: May 2006

Exposure to ethanol (ETOH) in utero has been found to alter the growth hormone (GH)/insulin‐like growth factor axis and retard growth. GH release is regulated by the interaction of the hypothalamic hormones somatostatin [somatotropin release inhibiting factor (SRIF)] and GH‐releasing factor (GRF). Communication between these factors occurs at both the hypothalamic and pituitary levels. In this study, we examined the effect of fetal ETOH exposure on the postnatal development of SRlF regulation of GRF release at the hypothalamic level. The studies were conducted on hypothalami from 30‐ and 60‐day‐old pups in an in vitro perfusion system. SRlF was tested against K+‐induced GRF release. Basal GRF release, not in the presence of external stimuli, from the hypothalami of ETOH‐exposed pups (both male and female) was greater than GRF release from tissue of offspring of both pair‐fed and control dams. GRF release was also greater in female, compared with male hypothalami, and the effect of ETOH was more pronounced at 30, compared with 60, days of age. The heightened release of GRF may reflect reduced sensitivity to feedback regulation by GH in ETOH‐exposed pups. Furthermore, fetal ETOH exposure reversed the effect of SRlF modulation on K+‐induced GRF release. In hypothalami from offspring of both pair‐fed (except 30‐day‐old females) and ad libitum‐fed controls, SRlF enhanced the K+‐induced GRF release. In tissue from ETOH‐exposed pups (except 60‐day‐old males), GRF release was inhibited by SRIF. We suggest that this pattern may reflect a change in the characteristics of SRlF connections with GRF neurons by ETOH. In summary, this data indicates that both basal and SRIF‐stimulated GRF is altered by ETOH and that effect remains significantly altered at least until puberty.
Acute Ethanol Intoxication Suppresses the Pulmonary Inflammatory Response in Rats Challenged with Intrapulmonary Endotoxin
Authors: Zhang Ping , Nelson Steve , Summer Warren R. , Spitzer Judy A.
Published: May 2006

The effects of acute ethanol intoxication on the functional activities of circulating and lung‐recruited polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and alveolar macrophages (AMs) were determined in rats challenged with intratracheal endotoxin to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the defects of pulmonary host defenses caused by acute ethanol intoxication. Acute ethanol intoxication was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of 20% ethanol at a dose of 5.5 g of ethanol/kg. The control animals were injected with an equal amount of saline. Thirty min after intraperitoneal injection, rats were challenged with intratracheal endotoxin (300 μg/kg in 0.5 ml of saline) or saline. The rats were killed 3 h after intratracheal injection. CD11b/c expression on PMNs and phagocytosis and hydrogen peroxide generation of PMNs and AMs were determined by flow cytometry. Cytokine‐induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) level in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was measured with a specific ELISA lntratracheal endotoxin caused a significant PMN recruitment into the lung in control animals. Acute ethanol intoxication completely suppressed the endotoxin‐induced pulmonary recruitment of PMNs. Pulmonary‐recruited PMNs exhibited a significant upregulation (8‐fold) of CD11b/c expression when compared with circulating PMNs. This upregulation of CD11b/c expression was abolished by ethanol intoxication. Ethanol intoxication suppressed hydrogen peroxide generation by AMs and lung‐recruited PMNs, and the phagocytosis of circulating PMNs. In contrast, acute ethanol intoxication did not affect pulmonary CINC production. These data indicate that the antiinflammatory effects of alcohol seem to be primarily based on the effects of ethanol on the PMNs themselves and not on the generation of certain chemotactic stimuli. In addition to the impairment of PMN recruitment, the suppression of AM and PMN activities also contributes to the mechanisms underlying ethanol‐induced defects of pulmonary host defenses.
Effects of Prenatal Ethanol Exposure on Parvalbumin‐Expressing GABAergic Neurons in the Adult Rat Medial Septum
Authors: Moore D. Blaine , Ruygrok Andrea C. , Walker Don W. , Heaton Marieta Barrow
Published: May 2006

Exposure of human fetuses to ethanol often results in the fetal alcohol syndrome. Animal models of fetal alcohol syndrome have been developed and used to examine the consequences of prenatal ethanol exposure on the central nervous system. The objective of this study was to determine the long‐term effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on parvalbumin‐expressing (PA+) GABAergic neurons of the rat medial septum. Pregnant Long‐Evans rats were maintained on 1 of 3 diets from gestational day 0 to 21: an ethanol‐containing liquid diet in which ethanol accounted for 35% of the total calories, a similar diet with the isocaloric substitution of sucrose for ethanol, or a lab chow control diet. Offspring were killed on postnatal day 60, and their brains were prepared for parvalbumin immunocy to chemistry. Female rats exposed to the ethanol‐containing diet during gestation had 42% fewer PA+ neurons in the medial septum and reduced PA+ cell density when compared with female rats exposed to the sucrose diet. Ethanol females also had fewer PA+ neurons per unit volume than sucrose females. Male rats exposed to ethanol did not display a similar reduction in PA+ neurons or density. No effect of prenatal diet was found on the area or volume of the medial septum, nor were cell diameters affected. As such, prenatal exposure to ethanol seems to reduce permanently the number of PA+ neurons in the female rat medial septum without affecting area, volume, or neuronal size. Functional implications and possible relations to the fetal alcohol syndrome are discussed.
Chronic Alcohol Consumption Causes Accelerated Myocardial Preconditioning to Ischemia‐Reperfusion Injury
Authors: McDonough Kathleen H.
Published: May 2006

We have previously demonstrated that chronic alcohol consumption (8 to 10 weeks with ethanol as 36% of the caloric intake) does not exacerbate the effects of ischemia reperfusion injury on the heart. In those same studies, however, Gram‐negative sepsis caused myocardial depression in both control and alcoholic rats, but also protected hearts from further damage due to ischemia‐reperfusion. In the present study, we determined if preconditioning, a very short ischemia‐reperfusion episode that protects the heart from more prolonged ischemia, would have similar effects on hearts from alcoholic and control rats with or without sepsis. Thus, rats were fed a liquid diet supplemented with ethanol or dextrin for 8 to 10 weeks. Some alcoholic and control rats were made septic with Escherichia coli injected into the subcutaneous space, whereas others received an injection of sterile saline. Isolated, isovolumically beating hearts were studied the following day. Hearts were made ischemic for 5 min, reperfused for 5 min, and then made ischemic for 35 min and reperfused for 25 min. Data from similar groups of hearts receiving only 35 min ischemia, and studied at the same time as the present groups, have been previously reported. The 5‐min preconditioning episode was more effective in protecting hearts in the alcohol group than in the control group. Postischemic left ventricular developed pressure and +dP/dtmax were not significantly decreased from the preischemic values in the alcohol group, but were significantly decreased in the control group. The time to recovery of spontaneous contractions was decreased by preconditioning in the alcohol group but not in the control group, and the recovery of coronary flow was enhanced in the alcohol group, but not in the control group by preconditioning. Thus a single 5‐min ischemic procedure was effective in protecting the heart from prolonged ischemia in the alcohol group, whereas it was not sufficient to elicit protection in the control group. Sepsis depressed preischemic function in both groups, but recovery from ischemia was complete.
Alcohol Use Disorders, Consumption Patterns, and Health‐Related Quality of Life of Primary Care Patients
Authors: Volk Robert J. , Cantor Scott B. , Steinbauer Jeffrey R. , Cass Alvah R.
Published: May 2006

This study examined the association of alcohol use disorders and consumption patterns with various dimensions of Health‐Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in primary care patients, as measured by the SF‐36 Health Survey. A probability sample of 1333 primary care patients completed the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule to determine the presence of alcohol abuse or dependence disorders, and answered questions about patterns of alcohol consumption. Physical and Mental Health Component Summaries and primary scales of the SF‐36 were used as measures of HRQOL. Patients meeting criteria for alcohol dependence scored lower (poorer HRQOL) on the Mental Health Component Summary and each primary scale of the SF‐36, whereas no differences were observed for alcohol abusers compared with patients not meeting criteria for a disorder. The association of alcohol dependence with diminished mental health functioning was mediated by its co‐occurrence with mood and anxiety disorders. Patients who drank in a Frequent, Low‐Quantity pattern generally had better overall HRQOL than patients from other consumption groups. Binge drinkers and Frequent, High‐Quantity Drinkers showed markedly lower scores in the areas of Role Functioning and Mental Health. In contrast to recent studies of mental health problems in primary care, alcohol use disorders and consumption patterns seem to have a modest impact on patients' HRQOL. These effects, though, vary by dimension of functioning, the presence of alcohol dependence rather than abuse, and pattern of alcohol consumption. Global measures of HRQOL such as the SF‐36 Health Survey may provide important indicators of treatment effectiveness in primary care intervention studies for patients with drinking problems.
Genetic Polymorphism of Cytochrome P‐4502E1 and Mitochondrial Aldehyde Dehydrogenase in a Korean Population
Authors: Lee Ki‐Hwan , Kwak Bo‐Yeon , Kim Jong‐Ho , Yoo Seung‐Ku , Yum Sung‐Kwan , Jeong Han‐Seung
Published: May 2006

Mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) is mainly responsible for the oxidation of acetaldehyde generated during alcohol oxidation in vivo. Cytochrome P‐4502E1 (CYP2E1), a liver microsomal enzyme, also metabolizes acetaldehyde and ethanol. Genetic polymorphism of ALDH2 and CYP2E1 was investigated among 481 Korean adults. A new restriction fragment‐length polymorphism method was developed to determine the genotype of the ALDH2 alleles. This method proved to be simpler and faster than the hybridization method using allele‐specific oligonucleotide probes and polymerase chain reaction‐directed mutagenesis. The allele frequencies of ALDH21 and ALDH22 were 0.840 and 0.160, respectively. This allele frequency of ALDH22 is less than in Japanese people. Genetic polymorphism of CYP2E1 was investigated using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment‐length polymorphism. The estimated allele frequencies for C1 and c2 were 0.808 and 0.192.