bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ethanol Acutely Modulates mGluR1‐Dependent Long‐Term Depression in Cerebellum
Authors: Su Li‐Da , Sun Cheng‐Long , Shen Ying 
Published: May 2010

Background: Acute and chronic ethanol exposure produces profound impairments in motor functioning. Individuals with lower sensitivity to the acute motor impairing effects of ethanol have an increased risk of developing alcohol dependence and abuse, and infants with subtle delays in motor coordination development may have an increased risk for subsequently developing alcoholism. Thus, understanding the mechanism by which ethanol disrupts motor functioning is very important.Methods: Parasagittal slices of the cerebellar vermis (250 μM thick) were prepared from P17 to 20 Sprague–Dawley rats. Whole‐cell recordings of Purkinje cells were obtained with an Axopatch 200B amplifier. Parallel fiber‐Purkinje cell synaptic currents were sampled at 1 kHz and digitized at 10 kHz, and synaptic long‐term depression (LTD) was observed in either external or internal application of ethanol for comparison.Results: We determined whether ethanol acutely affects parallel fiber LTD using whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings from Purkinje cells. Application of ethanol both externally (50 mM) and internally (17 and 10 mM) significantly suppressed mGluR‐mediate slow currents. Short‐term external ethanol exposure (50 but not 17 mM) during tetanus blocked mGluR‐dependent parallel fiber LTD. Furthermore, internal 17 and 10 mM ethanol completely inhibited this LTD.Conclusions: The results of the current study demonstrate that ethanol acutely suppresses parallel fiber LTD and may influence the mGluR‐mediated slow current intracellularly. This study, plus previous evidence by Carta and colleagues (2006) and Belmeguenai and colleagues (2008), suggests significant actions of ethanol on mGluR‐mediated currents and its dependent plasticity in brain.
Age‐Related Changes in Drinking Patterns From Mid‐ to Older Age: Results From the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study
Authors: Molander Rachel C. , Yonker James A. , Krahn Dean D. 
Published: May 2010

Background:  Drinking has generally been shown to decline with age in older adults. However, results vary depending on the measure of alcohol consumption used and the study population. The goals of this study were to (i) describe changes in drinking in a current cohort of older adults using a variety of measures of drinking and (ii) examine a number of different possible predictors of change.Methods:  This is a longitudinal study of a community‐based sample surveyed at 2 time points, ages 53 and 64 years. We estimated a series of logistic regressions to predict change and stability in drinking categories of nondrinking, moderate drinking, and heavy drinking. Linear regressions were used to predict change in past‐month drinking days, past‐month average drinks per drinking day, and past‐month total drinks.Results:  From age 53 to 64, average drinks per drinking day and heavy drinking decreased. Frequency of drinking increased for men and women, and total drinks per month increased for men. The most consistent predictors of drinking changes were gender, health, and education. Other factors predicted drinking change but were not consistent across drinking measures including: adolescent IQ, income, lifetime history of alcohol‐related problems, religious service attendance, depression, debt, and changes in employment.Conclusions:  Heavy drinking decreases with age, but we may see more frequent moderate drinking with current and upcoming cohorts of older adults. Components of quantity and frequency of drinking change differently. Composite measures of total alcohol consumption may not be adequate for describing relevant changes in drinking over time. A number of factors predicted patterns of change in drinking and warrant further exploration.
Paradoxical Effects of Alcohol Information on Alcohol Outcome Expectancies
Authors: Krank Marvin D. , Ames Susan L. , Grenard Jerry L. , Schoenfeld Tara , Stacy Alan W. 
Published: May 2010

Background:  Cognitive associations with alcohol predict both current and future use in youth and young adults. Much cognitive and social cognitive research suggests that exposure to information may have unconscious influences on thinking and behavior. The present study assessed the impact of information statements on the accessibility of alcohol outcome expectancies.Methods:  The 2 studies reported here investigated the effects of exposure to alcohol statements typical of informational approaches to prevention on the accessibility of alcohol outcome expectancies. High school and university students were presented with information statements about the effects of alcohol and other commercial products. The alcohol statements were taken from expectancy questionnaires. Some of these statements were presented as facts and others as myths. The retention of detailed information about these statements was manipulated by (i) divided attention versus focused attention or (ii) immediate versus delayed testing. Accessibility of personal alcohol outcome expectancies was subsequently measured using an open‐ended question about the expected effects of alcohol.Results:  Participants reported more alcohol outcomes seen during the information task as personal expectations about the effects of alcohol use than similar unseen items. Paradoxically, myth statements were also more likely to be reported as expectancies than unseen items in all conditions. Additionally, myth statements were generated less often than fact statements only under the condition of immediate testing with strong content processing instructions.Conclusions:  These observations are consistent with findings from cognitive research where familiarity in the absence of explicit memory can have an unconscious influence on performance. In particular, the exposure to these items in an informational format increases accessibility of the seen items even when the participants were told that they were myths. The findings have implications for the development of effective prevention materials.
Inflexible and Indifferent Alcohol Drinking in Male Mice
Authors: Lesscher Heidi M. B. , Van Kerkhof Linda W. M. , Vanderschuren Louk J. M. J. 
Published: May 2010

Background:  Alcoholism is characterized by compulsive alcohol intake, but this critical feature of alcoholism is seldom captured in preclinical studies. Here, we evaluated whether alcohol‐preferring C57BL/6J mice develop compulsive alcohol drinking patterns, using adulteration of the alcohol solution with quinine, in a limited access choice paradigm. We assessed 2 independent aspects of compulsive drinking: (i) inflexible alcohol intake by testing whether mice would drink bitter alcohol solutions if this was their only source of alcohol and (ii) indifferent drinking by comparing intake of aversive and nonaversive alcohol solutions.Methods:  Male C57BL/6J mice consumed alcohol for 2 or 8 consecutive weeks. The alcohol solution was then adulterated with graded quinine concentrations, and the effect on alcohol intake was determined.Results:  C57BL/6J mice rapidly developed compulsive alcohol drinking patterns. Adulteration of the alcohol solution with an aversive quinine concentration failed to reduce intake, indicative of inflexible drinking behavior, after only 2 weeks of alcohol experience, although quinine adulteration did suppress the acquisition of alcohol drinking in naïve mice. After 8 weeks of alcohol consumption, the mice also became indifferent to quinine. They consumed an aversive, quinine‐containing alcohol solution, despite the simultaneous availability of an unadulterated alcohol solution. Prolonged alcohol ingestion did not alter the sensitivity to the bitter taste of quinine itself.Conclusion:  These findings demonstrate the staged occurrence in mice of 2 distinct behavioral characteristics of alcoholism, i.e., inflexible and indifferent alcohol drinking.
Polymorphisms of Alcohol Dehydrogenase‐1B and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase‐2 and the Blood and Salivary Ethanol and Acetaldehyde Concentrations of Japanese Alcoholic Men
Authors: Yokoyama Akira , Tsutsumi Eri , Imazeki Hiromi , Suwa Yoshihide , Nakamura Chizu , Yokoyama Tetsuji 
Published: May 2010

Background:  The effects of genetic polymorphism of aldehyde dehydrogenase‐2 (ALDH2) on alcohol metabolism are striking in nonalcoholics, and the effects of genetic polymorphism of alcohol dehydrogenase‐1B (ADH1B) are modest at most, whereas genetic polymorphisms of both strongly affect the susceptibility to alcoholism and upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer of drinkers.Methods:  We evaluated associations between ADH1B/ADH1C/ALDH2 genotypes and the blood and salivary ethanol and acetaldehyde levels of 168 Japanese alcoholic men who came to our hospital for the first time in the morning and had been drinking until the day before.Results:  The ethanol levels in their blood and saliva were similar, but the acetaldehyde levels in their saliva were much higher than in their blood, probably because of acetaldehyde production by oral bacteria. Blood and salivary ethanol and acetaldehyde levels were both significantly higher in the subjects with the less active ADH1B*1/*1 genotype than in the ADH1B*2 carriers, but none of the levels differed according to ALDH2 genotype. Significant linkage disequilibrium was detected between the ADH1B and ADH1C genotypes, but ADH1C genotype did not affect the blood or salivary ethanol or acetaldehyde levels. High blood acetaldehyde levels were found even in the active ALDH2*1/*1 alcoholics, which were comparable with the levels of the inactive heterozygous ALDH2*1/*2 alcoholics with less active ADH1B*1/*1. The slope of the increase in blood acetaldehyde level as the blood ethanol level increased was significantly steeper in alcoholics with inactive heterozygous ALDH2*1/*2 plus ADH1B*2 allele than with any other genotype combinations, but the slopes of the increase in salivary acetaldehyde level as the salivary ethanol level increased did not differ between the groups of subjects with any combinations of ALDH2 and ADH1B genotypes.Conclusions:  The ADH1B/ALDH2 genotype affected the blood and salivary ethanol and acetaldehyde levels of nonabstinent alcoholics in a different manner from nonalcoholics, and clear effects of ADH1B genotype and less clear effects of ALDH2 were observed in the alcoholics. Alterations in alcohol metabolism as a result of alcoholism may modify the gene effects, and these findings provide some clues in regard to associations between the genotypes and the risks of alcoholism and UADT cancer.
Chronic Ethanol Disrupts Circadian Photic Entrainment and Daily Locomotor Activity in the Mouse
Authors: Brager Allison J. , Ruby Christina L. , Prosser Rebecca A. , Glass J. David 
Published: May 2010

Background: Chronic ethanol abuse is associated with disrupted circadian rhythms and sleep. Ethanol administration impairs circadian clock phase‐resetting, suggesting a mode for the disruptive effect of alcohol abuse on circadian timing. Here, we extend previous studies to explore the effects of chronic forced ethanol on photic phase‐resetting, photic entrainment, and daily locomotor activity patterns in C57BL/6J mice.Methods: First, microdialysis was used to characterize the circadian patterns of ethanol uptake in the suprachiasmatic (SCN) circadian clock and correlate this with systemic ethanol levels and episodic drinking of 10 or 15% ethanol. Second, the effects of chronic forced ethanol drinking and withdrawal on photic phase‐delays of the circadian activity rhythm were assessed. Third, the effects of chronic ethanol drinking on entrainment to a weak photic zeitgeber (1 minute of 25 lux intensity light per day) were assessed. This method was used to minimize any masking actions of light that could mask ethanol effects on clock entrainment.Results: Peak ethanol levels in the SCN and periphery occurred during the dark phase and coincided with the time when light normally induces phase‐delays in mice. These delays were dose‐dependently inhibited by chronic ethanol and its withdrawal. Chronic ethanol did not impede re‐entrainment to a shifted light cycle but affected entrainment under the weak photic zeitgeber and disrupted the daily pattern of locomotor activity.Conclusions: These results confirm that chronic ethanol consumption and withdrawal markedly impair circadian clock photic phase‐resetting. Ethanol also disturbs the temporal structure of nighttime locomotor activity and photic entrainment. Collectively, these results suggest a direct action of ethanol on the SCN clock.
Bedside‐to‐Bench Conference: Research Agenda for Idiopathic Fatigue and Aging
Authors: Alexander Neil B. , Taffet George E. , Horne Frances McFarland , Eldadah Basil A. , Ferrucci Luigi , Nayfield Susan , Studenski Stephanie 
Published: May 2010

The American Geriatrics Society, with support from the National Institute on Aging and the John A. Hartford Foundation, held its fifth Bedside‐to‐Bench research conference, “Idiopathic Fatigue and Aging,” to provide participants with opportunities to learn about cutting‐edge research developments, draft recommendations for future research, and network with colleagues and leaders in the field.Fatigue is a symptom that older persons, especially by those with chronic diseases, frequently experience. Definitions and prevalence of fatigue may vary across studies, across diseases, and even between investigators and patients. The focus of this review is on physical fatigue, recognizing that there are other related domains of fatigue (such as cognitive fatigue).Many definitions of fatigue involve a sensation of “low” energy, suggesting that fatigue could be a disorder of energy balance. Poor energy utilization efficiency has not been considered in previous studies but is likely to be one of the most important determinants of fatigue in older individuals. Relationships between activity level, capacity for activity, a tolerable rate of activity, and a tolerable fatigue threshold or ceiling underlie a notion of fatiguability. Mechanisms probably contributing to fatigue in older adults include decline in mitochondrial function, alterations in brain neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, and inflammation. The relationships between muscle function and fatigue are complex. A number of diseases (such as cancer) are known to cause fatigue and may serve as models for how underlying impaired physiological processes contribute to fatigue, particularly those in which energy utilization may be an important factor. A further understanding of fatigue will require two key strategies: to develop and refine fatigue definitions and measurement tools and to explore underlying mechanisms using animal and human models.
Sleep Quality in Residents of Assisted Living Facilities: Effect on Quality of Life, Functional Status, and Depression
Authors: Martin Jennifer L. , Fiorentino Lavinia , Jouldjian Stella , Josephson Karen R. , Alessi Cathy A. 
Published: May 2010

OBJECTIVES: To describe sleep patterns in older adults living in assisted living facilities (ALFs) and to explore the relationship between sleep disturbance and quality of life, functional status, and depression over 6 months of follow‐up.DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study.SETTING: Eighteen ALFs in the Los Angeles area.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty‐one ALF residents aged 65 and older (mean age 85.3, 86% female, 88% non‐Hispanic white).MEASUREMENTS:Data were collected at baseline and 3 and 6 months after enrollment. Data collected were demographics, physical and cognitive functioning, depression, quality of life, comorbidities, medications, and subjective (i.e., questionnaires) and objective (i.e., 3 days and nights of wrist actigraphy) measures of sleep.RESULTS: Sixty‐five percent of participants reported clinically significant sleep disturbance on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and objective wrist actigraphy confirmed poor sleep quality. In regression analyses including sleep variables and other predictors, more self‐reported sleep disturbance at baseline was associated with worse health‐related quality of life (Medical Outcomes Study 12‐item Short Form Survey Mental Component Summary score) and worse depressive symptoms five‐item Geriatric Depression Scale at follow‐up. Worse nighttime sleep (according to actigraphy) at baseline was associated with worse activities of daily living functioning and more depressive symptoms at follow‐up.CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbance is common in older ALF residents, and poor sleep is associated with declining functional status and quality of life and greater depression over 6 months of follow‐up. Studies are needed to determine whether improving sleep in ALF residents will result in improvements in these outcomes. Well‐established treatments should be adapted for use in ALFs and systematically evaluated in future research.
Glycemia and Levels of Cerebrospinal Fluid Amyloid and Tau in Patients Attending a Memory Clinic
Authors: Exalto Lieza G. , van der Flier Wiesje M. , Scheltens Phillip , Biessels Geert Jan 
Published: May 2010

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between markers of glycemia and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid β 1–42 (Aβ42) and tau levels in patients attending a memory clinic.DESIGN: Cross‐sectional study.SETTING: Memory clinic.PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred forty‐five consecutive patients attending a memory clinic. Clinical diagnoses were subjective cognitive complaints (n=91), mild cognitive impairment (n=62), Alzheimer's disease (n=58), and other dementia (n=34). Twenty‐one patients had diabetes mellitus.MEASUREMENTS: Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c); fasting blood glucose levels; and CSF levels of Aβ42, total tau, and p‐tau 181.RESULTS: In regression analyses across the whole study sample adjusted for age, sex, and diagnostic group, there was no relationship between HbA1c or fasting glucose and CSF tau, p‐tau 182, or Aβ42 levels. Stratification for diabetes mellitus did not change the results.CONCLUSION: These observations do not support the hypothesis that the association between dysglycemia and impaired cognitive functioning is mediated through aberrant amyloid or tau metabolism.
The 4Cs (Crash History, Family Concerns, Clinical Condition, and Cognitive Functions): A Screening Tool for the Evaluation of the At‐Risk Driver
Authors: O'Connor Margaret G. , Kapust Lissa R. , Lin Bixuan , Hollis Ann M. , Jones Richard N. 
Published: May 2010

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of crash history, family concerns, clinical condition, and cognitive function (the 4Cs, an interview‐based screening tool for health providers working with older drivers) in identifying at‐risk older drivers.DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.SETTING: Clinical driving evaluation program at a teaching hospital in the United States.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred sixty patients who completed comprehensive driving evaluations between 2003 and 2009.MEASUREMENTS: Medical record information was used to identify component and total 4Cs scores. Other measurements included the Trail Making Test, the Mini‐Mental State Examination, and brake reaction time. The outcome variable was performance on a 45‐minute road test.RESULTS: Fifty participants passed the road test, 67 failed, and 43 demonstrated marginal driving skills. The relationship between 4Cs scores and road test outcome was statistically significant (P<.001). The domains most strongly associated with road test outcome were cognitive function (P<.001) and family concerns (P=.01). Scores of 9 or greater‐on the 4Cs identified 84% of participants who were at risk for poor road test performance.CONCLUSION: The 4Cs, an interview based screening tool, may be a useful marker to identify at‐risk older drivers.
Measuring Falls Events in Acute Hospitals—A Comparison of Three Reporting Methods to Identify Missing Data in the Hospital Reporting System
Authors: Hill Anne‐Marie , Hoffmann Tammy , Hill Keith , Oliver David , Beer Christopher , McPhail Steven , Brauer Sandra , Haines Terry P. 
Published: May 2010

OBJECTIVES: To compare three different methods of falls reporting and examine the characteristics of the data missing from the hospital incident reporting system.DESIGN: Fourteen‐month prospective observational study nested within a randomized controlled trial.SETTING: Rehabilitation, stroke, medical, surgical, and orthopedic wards in Perth and Brisbane, Australia.PARTICIPANTS: Fallers (n=153) who were part of a larger trial (1,206 participants, mean age 75.1±11.0).MEASUREMENTS: Three falls events reporting measures: participants' self‐report of fall events, fall events reported in participants' case notes, and falls events reported through the hospital reporting systems.RESULTS: The three reporting systems identified 245 falls events in total. Participants' case notes captured 226 (92.2%) falls events, hospital incident reporting systems captured 185 (75.5%) falls events, and participant self‐report captured 147 (60.2%) falls events. Falls events were significantly less likely to be recorded in hospital reporting systems when a participant sustained a subsequent fall, (P=.01) or when the fall occurred in the morning shift (P=.01) or afternoon shift (P=.01).CONCLUSION: Falls data missing from hospital incident report systems are not missing completely at random and therefore will introduce bias in some analyses if the factor investigated is related to whether the data is missing. Multimodal approaches to collecting falls data are preferable to relying on a single source alone.
Sex Disparities in Self‐Reported Physical Functioning: True Differences, Reporting Bias, or Incomplete Adjustment for Confounding?
Authors: Louie Grant H. , Ward Michael M. 
Published: May 2010

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether sex disparities in self‐reported physical functioning remain after adjusting for potential confounding factors and to assess associations for possible reporting bias.DESIGN: Cross‐sectional survey.SETTING: U.S. population of noninstitutionalized older adults.PARTICIPANTS: Women and men aged 60 and older (N=5,396) who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.MEASUREMENTS: Degree of self‐reported limitation in 11 physical functions.RESULTS: In unadjusted models, women reported more limitations than men in 10 of 11 tasks. In multivariate ordinal logistic regression models that included adjustment for age, race or ethnicity, education level, comorbidities, smoking, hemoglobin, serum albumin, knee pain, body mass index, skeletal muscle index, and physical performance tests, women reported more limitations only in lifting or carrying 10 pounds (adjusted odds ratio=2.03, 95% confidence interval=1.45–2.84). There was no evidence of systematic reporting differences between men and women for limitations in lifting or carrying 10 pounds relative to the degree of limitation predicted by the model.CONCLUSION: Older women have similar degrees of self‐reported limitation in physical functioning as older men of the same age, health, and physical abilities.