24 apr. 2008

Nicotinamide Protects against Ethanol-Induced Apoptotic Neurodegeneration in the Developing Mouse Brain

Exposure to alcohol during brain development may cause a neurological syndrome called fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Ethanol induces apoptotic neuronal death at specific developmental stages, particularly during the brain-growth spurt, which occurs from the beginning of third trimester of gestation and continues for several years after birth in humans, whilst occuring in the first two postnatal weeks in mice. Administration of a single dose of ethanol in 7-d postnatal (P7) mice triggers activation of caspase-3 and widespread apoptotic neuronal death in the forebrain, providing a possible explanation for the microencephaly observed in human FAS. The present study was aimed at determining whether nicotinamide may prevent ethanol-induced neurodegeneration.

Our findings indicate that nicotinamide can prevent some of the deleterious effects of ethanol on the developing mouse brain when given shortly after ethanol exposure. These results suggest that nicotinamide, which has been used in humans for the treatment of diabetes and bullous pemphigoid, may hold promise as a preventive therapy of FAS.

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Pot Plus Alcohol Kills Young Rats' Brain Cells

Researchers from Humboldt University, Berlin, administered THC, a synthetic form of THC, ethanol, an anticonvulsant called MK-801, and phenobarbital to rats between one and 14 days old. A previous study by the same team found that ethanol and drugs such as sedatives, anesthetics and anticonvulsants caused extensive nerve cell death in the brains of young rodents. The new study was conducted to determine if cannabinoids caused similar harm.

The researchers found that THC and synthetic THC did not cause nerve cell death when administered alone but did cause cell death when given with mildly intoxicating amounts of ethanol. The combined effect increased according to the dose of THC and was strongest when the rats were seven days old.

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18 apr. 2008

EU says alcohol industry must not target youth

BRUSSELS: The European Union's health chief urged the alcohol industry on Wednesday to avoid targeting children and young people in their marketing campaigns to reduce the numbers of alcohol-related deaths.

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17 apr. 2008

Drinking while pregnant risks autism in babies

Raja Mukherjee, consultant psychiatrist at Surrey Borders Partnership NHS trust, has spent the past 18 months examining children who have been damaged by their mother’s drinking during pregnancy and found that a high proportion of them have autism. The research has been presented at scientific meetings.

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Computational selection and prioritization of candidate genes for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

This analysis highlighted a list of strong candidate genes from the TGF-β, MAPK and
Hedgehog signalling pathways, which are all integral to fetal development and potential targets for
alcohol's teratogenic effect. We conclude that this novel bioinformatics approach effectively
prioritizes credible candidate genes for further experimental analysis.

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International survey of diagnostic services for children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Diagnostic services are concentrated in North America. Most responding clinics are
using a multidisciplinary approach with neurobehavioural assessment as
recommended in published guidelines. Agreement on diagnostic criteria would
enable comparison of clinical and research data, and enhance FASD research
particularly for intervention trials. The effects on the fetus of alcohol exposure in pregnancy have been well described but barriers to diagnosis remain.

14 apr. 2008

Men's fertility is under attack and scientists fear for future generations, writes Steve Dow.

The discovery has been made in the new science known as "epigenetics", which strongly suggests chemical damage is causing abnormal sperm and male infertility via a pregnant woman's exposure to contaminants, passing infertility not only to her son but successive sons - overturning old assumptions about biology and DNA.

Until recently, it had been assumed a gene had to be mutated for a disease to be inherited. But studies on pregnant rats exposed to pesticides show male offspring can inherit reproductive disorders, and pass them on to their children and grandchildren, through an abnormality that affects the activity of genes but leaves the sequence of the DNA code unchanged.

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8 apr. 2008

The Medicated Child

In recent years, there's been a dramatic increase in the number of children being diagnosed with serious psychiatric disorders and prescribed medications that are just beginning to be tested in children. The drugs can cause serious side effects, and virtually nothing is known about their long-term impact. "It's really to some extent an experiment, trying medications in these children of this age," child psychiatrist Dr. Patrick Bacon tells FRONTLINE. "It's a gamble. And I tell parents there's no way to know what's going to work."

Läs mer/se TV programmet on-line >>>

1st Central and Eastern European Summit on Preconception Health and Prevention of Birth Defects, Budapest, Hungary, August 27-30, 2008

We are pleased to announce the 1st Central and Eastern European Summit on Preconception Health and Prevention of Birth Defects in Budapest, Hungary on August 27-30, 2008, hosted by the Research and Prevention for Families Foundation and the Hungarian Congenital Abnormality Registry.

Conference Goal
To provide a platform for review, analysis and discussion of the promotion of women’s health before, during and beyond pregnancy, and the role of preconception health and health care in the prevention of birth defects in the Central and Eastern European region.

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5 apr. 2008

Iceberg is a quarterly educational newsletter published by FASIS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Information Service), a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit, community organization, since 1991. Iceberg is funded in part by a grant from the Washington State Division of Alcohol & Substance Abuse.

Iceberg nr 1, April 2008 >>>

26 mars 2008

Framework for alcohol policy in the WHO European Region

"All children and adolescents have the right to grow up in an
environment protected from the negative consequences
of alcohol consumption and, to the extent possible, from
the promotion of alcoholic beverages."

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20 mars 2008

Ny svensk rapport: Alkohol under graviditeten ledde till lägre utbildning och inkomst för barnen

Flera studier visar att det finns ett tydligt samband mellan en hög konsumtion av alkohol under graviditeten och spädbarns hälsa, beteende och inlärningsförmåga. Kunskapen om de långsiktiga konsekvenserna är dock bristfällig. Resultaten i rapporten tyder på att investeringar i barns hälsa redan i fosterstadiet har betydande effekter för utbildning och inkomster senare i livet.

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Hör en intervju med forskaren Peter Nilsson >>>

Ytterligare intervjuer, med barnläkare Magnus Landgren och studerande Karl Wittgard) ligger på FAS-föreningens hemsida. >>>

16 mars 2008

Seminar om FAS/FAE barn

Barn med skader av alkoholbruk i svangerskapet og behovene barna har for hjelp og tilrettelagte tiltak i hjem og skole er i fokus når vi inviterer til seminar 28 april i Sandefjord. Fosterforeldre/Adoptivforeldre og fagmiljø i fosterhjemsentraler / barnevern og skoler er blant de vi henvender oss til


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New Way To Screen Infants For Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Suggested

Measuring the levels of FAEE in an infant's first bowel movement could be a useful method for identifying children at risk for FAS, which may make early intervention possible.
The study is reported in "Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters in Meconium are Associated with Poorer Neurodevelopmental Outcomes to Two Years of Age"


Etiologic Classification of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Early reports have described symptoms similar to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder that followed brain trauma or viral encephalitis, and recent MRI studies have demonstrated brain volumetric changes that may be involved in the pathophysiology of the syndrome. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic Statistical Manual, introduced in 1968, emphasizes symptomatic criteria in diagnosis. Here, an overview of environmental factors in the etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is presented to encourage more emphasis and research on organic causal factors, preventive intervention, and specific therapies.

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5 mars 2008

Tools for Success Curriculum: Working With Youth With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in the Juvenile Justice System

Welcome to the Tools for Success Curriculum: Working With Youth With Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in the Juvenile Justice System (also called Tools for Success). This
curriculum was developed as a joint project of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence and
the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS). It is designed to help
professionals in the juvenile justice system recognize and address FASD.


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention


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Differences in executive functioning in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

These results, which indicate that, although executive function deficits occurred in both clinical groups, the degree and pattern of deficit differed between the ALC (alcohol exposed group) and ADHD groups, may improve differential diagnosis. (JINS, 2008, 14, 119–129.)



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25 feb. 2008

Alcohol Exposure Alters Cell Cycle and Apoptotic Events During Early Neurulation

Fetal alcohol exposure causes growth deficits, microencephaly, and neurological abnormalities. Although the effects of alcohol on developmental delay and growth-related deficits have been hypothesized, little is understood about how alcohol alters, in particular, the cyclin pathway within the cell cycle, which is critical to proliferation and apoptotic control. In this study, we examined cell cycle proteins pertinent to the G1–S phase transition and apoptosis, to determine if cell cycle misregulation can be attributed to apoptotic induction and growth defects.


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Third National Biennial Conference on Adolescents and Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

This conference will highlight what has been shown through this "Wisdom of Practice" to be most effective in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues in individuals with FASD, and treatment and support for their families and service providers. This conference will also focus on enhancing creative approaches to support, treatment and program planning with the goal of effective policy development and implementation.

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Fetal Alcohol Exposure, Iron-Deficiency Anemia, and Infant Growth

The association of maternal binge drinking with an increased incidence of iron-deficiency anemia may reflect disruption of accumulation of fetal iron stores or postnatal deficiencies in iron uptake, absorption, or intake. Moreover, iron deficiency seems to exacerbate the prenatal alcohol effects on growth.

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Evaluation of Psychopathological Conditions in Children With Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

These results suggest that fetal alcohol exposure should be considered a possible factor in the pathogenesis of childhood psychiatric disorders. These data provide clinically relevant information about the mental health problems that children with fetal alcohol exposure are likely to face.

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22 feb. 2008

Identical Twins Not As Identical As Believed

Contrary to our previous beliefs, identical twins are not genetically identical. This surprising finding may be of great significance for research on hereditary diseases and for the development of new diagnostic methods.

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18 feb. 2008

Exploring the Utility of Narrative Analysis in Diagnostic Decision Making: Picture-Bound Reference, Elaboration, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Children with prenatal alcohol exposure exhibit a wide range of abilities across all body systems. When specific growth, facial, and central nervous system impairments are present within a well-specified range, a diagnosis fromwithin the continuum of FASD can be rendered. Because the development and use of language have been reported to be affected by high levels of prenatal alcohol exposure, measurement of language ability has been an important feature of interdisciplinary assessment of these individuals. The preponderance of evidence regarding language behavior in children with an FASD has been gathered using standardized, norm-referenced tests. The goal of these studies has been to establish how well children with an FASD comprehend and/or produce language structures in standardized contexts.

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17 feb. 2008

Effects of Pregnancy and Nutritional Status on Alcohol Metabolism

...it is evident that factors that increase metabolism and clearance of alcohol during pregnancy can significantly protect the fetus from developing FASD.

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13 feb. 2008

Oväntat hög förekomst av alkoholskador

Hur stor andel av barnen i västvärlden är skadade av maternellt bruk av beroendeframkallande medel? Denna fråga kan ha fått ett omskakande svar i en aktuell tvärsnittsstudie av unga skolbarn i Lazioområdet i mellersta Italien [1]. I denna studie fann May och medarbetare en förekomst på 3,5 procent av barn med utvecklingsskador som kunde relateras till mödrarnas alkoholintag under graviditeten.

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Fetal ethanol exposure during pregnancy – how big is the problem and how

In this issue of Acta Paediatrica, Taisto Sarkola and collaborators
describe and discuss risk markers of child maltreatment
in connection with parental alcohol/substance abuse
in Finland. They identify an array of factors associated with
increased risk of out-of-home custody care of the child. One
inescapable impression of their study is that the severity of
the parental addiction, together with the accompanying social
consequences of the addiction, distinctly determines the
risk for out-of-home care of the child.

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6 feb. 2008

Impaired Eyeblink Conditioning in Children With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

This is the first prospective study to demonstrate impaired EBC in children diagnosed with FAS. Successful EBC in a microcephalic group supports the inference that the EBC deficit is specific to prenatal alcohol exposure and a potential biomarker for diagnosis of exposed children lacking the distinctive FAS dysmorphology. Delay EBC has a high sensitivity for identifying individuals with a diagnosis of probable FAS.

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Low antioxidant level may damage fetal neurons

Fetal neurons that have low levels of a vital antioxidant, glutathione, are the first to die when exposed to alcohol in cell culture and possibly in the living brain, according to new research from the laboratory of George Henderson, Ph.D., professor of medicine and pharmacology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

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Hearing in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

The prevalence of mild sensorineural hearing loss in children diagnosed with FASD (16dB hearing-level or greater) was not higher than expected in this age group. However, because children with FASD are academically and behaviorally challenged, early detection of hearing loss and early intervention is warranted.



31 jan. 2008

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Research - Adoption

The overall goal of the IAC research program is to identify risk factors that predict medical and developmental problems in international adoptees and thus develop strategies for intervention and education that maximizes each child's potential. Recently, investigators at the University of Minnesota conducted a NIH-funded study of 1,834 Minnesota families who adopted 2291 children from abroad during 1990-98 (International Adoption Project-IAP). This 556-item survey confirmed that alcohol/drug exposure is a common risk factor in international adoptees in Minnesota.

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Long-term effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the size of the whisker representation in juvenile and adult rat barrel cortex

The major findings in the present study are (i) PAE significantly reduced the size of the total barrel field in Alc juvenile rats (13%) and adult rats (9%) compared to CF controls, (ii) PAE significantly reduced the total averaged sizes of individual PMBSF barrels in juvenile (14%) and adult (13%) rats, (iii) PAE did not significantly alter the septal area between barrels or the barrel pattern, (iv) PAE significantly reduced body weight of juvenile rats but only in comparison to PF controls (18%), (v) PAE significantly reduced whole brain (8%) and forebrain (7%) weights of juvenile rats but not adult rats, (vi) no differences were observed in forebrain/PMBSF body ratios nor was forebrain weight correlated with PMBSF area, and (vii) PAE resulted in a greater reduction in anterior barrels compared to posterior barrels. These results suggest that the effects of PAE previously reported in neonate PMBSF areas persist into adulthood.


Prenatal ethanol exposure disrupts the histological stages of fetal bone development

Prenatal ethanol exposure decreased the length of the resting zone, but increased the length of the hypertrophic zone. Enlargement of the hypertrophic zone is consistent with an effect of ethanol on the later stages of bone development; however, ethanol's effect on the resting zone indicates that earlier stages of bone development may also be disrupted. The functional significance of these morphological changes to long-term bone health remains to be determined.

Impaired Placentation in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

These abnormalities were associated with significantly reduced levels of AAH expression in trophoblastic cells, particularly within the mesometrial triangle (deep placental bed) as demonstrated by real time quantitative RT-PCR, Western blot analysis, ELISA, and immunohistochemical staining. Ethanol-impaired placentation is associated with inhibition of AAH expression in trophoblasts. This effect of chronic gestational exposure to ethanol may contribute to IUGR in FAS.


Fetal alcohol exposure impairs Hedgehog cholesterol modification and signaling

Exposure of zebrafish embryos to low levels of alcohol during gastrulation blocks covalent modification of Sonic hedgehog by cholesterol. This leads to impaired Hh signal transduction and results in a dose-dependent spectrum of permanent developmental defects that closely resemble FASD. Furthermore, supplementing alcohol-exposed embryos with cholesterol rescues the loss of Shh signal transduction, and prevents embryos from developing FASD-like morphologic defects.

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Deficits in eye movement control in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Compared with controls, FASD children had elongated reaction times, excessive direction errors, and no express saccades. Metric analysis of correct prosaccades revealed a trend toward increased saccadic duration and decreased saccadic velocity in FASD subjects. CONCLUSION: These results reflect deficits in executive function and motor control, and are consistent with dysfunction of the frontal lobes, possibly due to disrupted inhibitory mechanisms. Therefore, eye movement tasks may be powerful and easy tools for assessing executive function deficits in FASD.

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New science on fetal alcohol exposure

Dr. Eugene Hoyme spent years studying Fetal Alcohol Syndrome at Stanford University. He's now head of pediatrics at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D. He's taking his research to South Africa. (MPR Photo/Cara Hetland)


Dr. Eugene Hoyme, chairman of pediatrics at Sanford Health, is known around the world for developing diagnostic criteria for this disorder. Hoyme says many countries deny alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a problem.
Hoyme uses Italy as an example, where drinking wine has been part of the culture for 2,000 years. He says many doctors refuse to even discuss the effects of that behavior.
"We did a study and the prevalence is 2 percent in Italy, and 1 percent in the United States. The Italians still have a hard time believing that's really true, and it's just because [wine] is like mother's milk to them," says Hoyme. "Part of it is, as a society we don't accept alcohol is a problem and we don't do a good job educating physicians about it."

December 3, 2007

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25 jan. 2008

Ghana: Pregnant women warned to stay off alcohol

The Ghana Organisation on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (GOFAS) has said that the consumption of alcohol in the country is on the rise but Ghanaians are ignoring its devastating effects on consumers.The Association said the consumption of alcohol is largely to blame for the high rise in mental and physical disability cases in the country, which people continue to attribute to curse from their families.

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22 jan. 2008

Pre-natal alcohol exposure shapes sensory preference, upping odds of later alcohol use and abuse


2 studies help explain why teens exposed to fetal alcohol are at high risk for heavy drinking and perpetuating a family cycle of alcohol addiction
WASHINGTON – Young people whose mothers drank when pregnant may be more likely to abuse alcohol because, in the womb, their developing senses came to prefer its taste and smell. Researchers with the State University of New York Developmental Ethanol Research Center have found that because the developing nervous system adapts to whatever mothers eat and drink, young rats exposed to alcohol (ethanol) in the womb drank significantly more alcohol than non-exposed rats.

December 2007

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The World's Hardest-Drinking Countries

Luxembourg:
Pure annual alcohol consumption: 15.5 liters per capita.
Europe: Home of much natural beauty, old traditions and booze. Lots and lots of booze. Yes, all but one of the World's 15 Heaviest-Drinking Countries are in Europe, a continent where cultural traditions--and tax policies on alcohol--die hard.
Our top 15 listing comes from a 2006 survey by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, which tracks per capita alcohol consumption around the globe. Rankings are based on the number of liters of pure alcohol consumed per person per year, from beer, wine and spirits combined (the three have progressively higher percentages of alcohol content).

November 2007

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Three-Dimensional Medical Imaging Could Improve Doctors' Ability to Diagnose Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

16 November 2007—Digital facial models created from three-dimensional scans could give doctors a new diagnostic tool for identifying children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, a broad range of effects resulting from alcohol exposure in the womb. Although such children often have symptoms common to other developmental disorders, they require different interventions, and better diagnostics could help more kids get the right treatment.

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Antidepressants, Exercise, Age, Even Food Intake, Affect Generation Of New Brain Cells

ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2007) — Recent research shows that the production of new brain cells may be crucial for antidepressants to be effective and that the medication's effectiveness is strongly influenced by age. What's more, meal frequency, type of food, and physical exercise affect the brain's ability to manufacture these new cells. For the first time in nonhuman primate models, scientists have documented the cause-and-effect relationship between antidepressant drugs and neurogenesis. The researchers found that the antidepressant drug fluoxetine improved the behavior of macaque monkeys with depression-like symptoms.
They also discovered that administering the drugs to normally behaving monkeys did not influence their behavior but did alter their brains by boosting neurogenesis in the hippocampus, an area involved in memory and learning.

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Maternal Alcohol Drinking During Pregnancy Associated With Risk For Childhood Conduct Problems

ScienceDaily (Nov. 6, 2007) — Maternal alcohol drinking during pregnancy appears to be associated with conduct problems in children, independently of other risk factors, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
Previous research has linked maternal drinking during pregnancy to several problems in offspring, including conduct problems, criminal behavior, attention and impulsivity problems and alcohol disorders, according to background information in the article. However, new questions have been raised about the strength of the evidence, as some researchers have suggested that certain family processes or genetic risk factors could be associated with both maternal drinking and childhood problems.

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WHO publications



JUST PUBLISHED, January 2008


65 Result(s) list of WHO publications published in the last 6 months.

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Impulsivity May Especially Vex Alcoholics With Antisocial And Borderline Personality Disorders

ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2007) — Impulsivity is a problem common to many different personality and psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism. A new study that looked at impulsivity among alcoholic subpopulations has found that, one, the inability to delay gratification may be a vulnerability marker for alcoholism, and two, certain inhibitory-control issues may be specific to antisocial and borderline personality disorders.

"Around 50 percent of alcoholic patients have psychiatric disorders that include pathological impulsivity," said Gabriel Rubio, associate professor at Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. Yet few studies have explored behavioral measures of impulsivity within different alcoholic subpopulations, which could have important treatment and relapse implications.

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WASHINGTON REPORT, October 2007




In this issue:
Federal Developments TTB Proposes Nutrition Labels for Alcoholic Beverages
Federal Alcohol Tax Update
STOP Act Appropriations Fall Short
Advocacy News Campaign for a Family-Friendly Nationals Stadium
Global Strategy Efforts at the WHA
Mark Your Calendars Alcohol Policy 14 Conference


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More Women in England Dying from Alcohol

Alcohol-related deaths among women in England have nearly doubled in the past 15 years as drinking rates also have risen, according to a new government report.
Reuters reported Oct. 22 that the report, Health Profile of England 2007, found that the U.K. had one of the lowest female alcohol death rates in Europe during the 1970s, but now about 14 of 100,000 women ages 35-54 die from alcohol-related problems.

October 23, 2007

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Australia May Cut Drinking Recommendations

The agency's new draft guidelines on alcohol consumption say that drinkers should down no more than two servings of wine or medium-strength beer daily, about two-thirds lower than the previous recommendations.

October 17, 2007

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KORRIDOREN OCH ALKOHOLEN – En studie av korridorboendets inverkan på alkoholkonsumtionen

Rickard Sjöstedt & Patrik Holmqvist
E-mail: rickardsjostedt@hotmail.com, patrikholmvisst@hotmail.com
VT 2001 Uppsats 344, 41-60p
Lunds Universitet, Sociologiska Institutionen

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10% of inmates victims of fetal alcohol

A study of 91 inmates at Stony Mountain penitentiary found 10 per cent have some form of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, 10 times the incidence in the general population. University of Manitoba faculty of medicine researcher Dr. Ab Chudley is the first to study the incidence of FASD in an adult prison population.
"There are numbers floating around, but no one has done the research among adult offenders," said Patricia MacPherson, research manager with the Correctional Service of Canada's addictions research centre. She helped conduct the 18-month study among offenders under age 30. "This is the first of its kind anywhere worldwide."

Mar 17 2007

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60% of pregnant women drink alcohol - report

More than 60 per cent of women continue to drink alcohol while pregnant, according to a new survey.
The survey is the largest study of its kind ever conducted in Ireland, and the findings were unveiled by Minister for Health Mary Harney in the Coombe Women's Hospital this morning.
It examines trends in the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs by over 120,000 pregnant women during the past two decades.
Irish and UK-born mothers were more likely to report themselves as consuming more than six units of alcohol a week compared with EU and non-EU nationals. A total of 7.1 per cent of those surveyed admitted to drinking more than six units of alcohol per week.
The highest percentage category reporting drinking over 10 units per week was the 18-24 year-olds, while more than two-thirds of all pregnant under-18 year olds reported drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

March, 2007

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Many Russian Women Drink During Pregnancy, Study Finds

Russian women are aware that drinking can damage developing fetuses — but nearly two-thirds continue to drink after they become pregnant, according to new research. Nearly 900 Russian women were interviewed at job centers, physicians’ offices, schools, hospitals and clinics for the study, which appears in the February issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

January 25, 2007

By Maia Szalavitz, Contributing Writer Health Behavior News Service

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