Impact of excessive alcohol abuse on age prediction using the VISAGE enhanced tool for epigenetic age estimation in blood

DNA methylation-based clocks provide the most accurate age estimates with practical implications for clinical and forensic genetics. However, the effects of external factors that may influence the estimates are poorly studied. Here, we evaluated the effect of alcohol consumption on epigenetic age prediction in a cohort of extreme alcohol abusers. Blood samples from deceased alcohol abusers and age- and sex-matched controls were analyzed using the VISAGE enhanced tool for age prediction from somatic tissues that enables examination of 44 CpGs within eight age markers. Significantly altered DNA methylation was recorded for alcohol abusers in MIR29B2CHG. This resulted in a mean predicted age of 1.4 years higher compared to the controls and this trend increased in older individuals. The association of alcohol abuse with epigenetic age acceleration, as determined by the prediction analysis performed based on MIR29B2CHG, was small but significant (β = 0.190; P-value = 0.007). However, the observed alteration in DNA methylation of MIR29B2CHG had a non-significant effect on age estimation with the VISAGE age prediction model. The mean absolute error in the alcohol-abusing cohort was 3.1 years, compared to 3.3 years in the control group. At the same time, upregulation of MIR29B2CHG expression may have a biological function, which merits further studies.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Fatty degeneration of cells under the influence of various factors is called steatosis; most often this process is observed in the pancreas and liver. Steatosis of the liver refers to its fatty infiltration, in which fatty inclusions appear in the parenchyma of the organ, leading to dysfunction of hepatocytes. Steatosis can be focal and diffuse; in the latter case, fat cells are located over the entire surface of the liver. Until 1980, it was believed that only alcohol abuse can lead to steatosis, while fatty degeneration of the liver was noted in 90 % of alcohol abusers. Subsequently, it was found that alcoholism is not the only reason for the development of this pathological condition, after which it was proposed to divide steatosis into alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Most often, non-alcoholic steatosis develops in women over 45 years old against the background of obesity or diabetes mellitus. Also, the cause of the development of liver steatosis can be malnutrition and diseases of other digestive organs, leading to impaired absorption of nutrients, metabolic disorders, and hormonal disruptions.

The relationship between level of education and moral judgment toward who abuse drugs

The aim of the present study is to verify the differences of the moral judgment toward the people who abuse drugs according to the schooling of the participants. This is the Brazilian part of a multicentric study. N=180 individuals in a community in Brasília, DF, Brazil; following consent, descriptive data were collected by anonymous interviewer-administered questionnaire that included socio-demographic, educational level and the history of drug use. Participants were predominantly females, middle-aged, married, employed, religious, with high school education; higher schooling considered alcohol abusers, marijuana, cocaine and crack are important as anyone else; the majority with lower education level knew someone who used drugs, but no association was found regarding drug use and schooling; in the unadjusted logistic regression model, positive associations were found between higher schooling and ‘who use drugs are as important as anyone else’ for all drugs studied; after adjusted, the association remained only for marijuana (all p<0.05). The negative attitude surrounding drugs issue can be an important obstacle. The results suggest that education can help to reduce the stigma associated; public policies would be important to minimizing social harm caused by stigmatized visions of drug users.

IL6 rs1800795 SNP may relate to cardiovascular pathology in alcohol abusers

Формирование сердечно-сосудистой патологии при чрезмерном употреблении алкоголя сопряжено с повышением концентрации в крови таких медиаторов воспаления, как интерлейкины 6 (IL6) и 8 (IL8) и хемоаттрактанта моноцитов CCL2 (C-C motif ligand 2), а также молекул, участвующих в функционировании эндотелия, в частности фактора роста сосудистого эндотелия (VEGFA, vascular endothelial growth factor А), молекулы клеточной адгезии (ICAM1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1) и эндотелина (EDN1). Предполагается, что данный процесс генетически детерминирован, однако до настоящего момента исследований в этом направлении не проводилось. Целью работы явилось изучение ассоциации носительства аллелей полиморфных локусов, расположенных в генах IL6 (rs1800795), IL8 (rs4073), CCL2 (rs1024611), VEGFA (rs699947 и rs2010963), ICAM1 (rs281437) и EDN1 (rs1800541) с содержанием соответствующих полипептидов в циркуляторном русле и развитием сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний на фоне хронического злоупотребления алкоголем. В исследование были включены лица, злоупотребляющие алкоголем, без выраженной соматической патологии, а также пациенты, у которых на фоне злоупотребления развились заболевания сердечно-сосудистой системы. Уровень IL6, IL8, CCL2, VEGFA, ICAM1 и EDN1 в сыворотке крови оценивали посредством ИФА. Аллели полиморфных локусов были определены посредством ПЦР в режиме реального времени. Установлено, что среди лиц, злоупотребляющих алкоголем, с клинически выраженной патологией сердечно-сосудистой системы значительно чаще встречаются только носители гомозиготного генотипа GG или аллеля G полиморфного локуса в гене IL6 (rs1800795). Кроме того, носительство генотипа GG повышает вероятность развития сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний при хроническом злоупотреблении алкоголем. Однако, дополнительное влияние оказывают демографические факторы и клинические характеристики пациентов. В частности, введение поправки на возраст и пол, а также учет наличия цирроза печени, гипертензии и сахарного диабета, сопровождающих злоупотребление алкоголем, нивелируют повышение риска патологии сердечно-сосудистой системы. Ассоциации полиморфных вариантов в генах IL6 (rs1800795), IL8 (rs4073), CCL2 (rs1024611), VEGFA (rs699947 и rs2010963), ICAM1 (rs281437) и EDN1 (rs1800541) с содержанием белковых продуктов соответствующих генов в циркуляторном русле выявлено не было. Cardiovascular diseases in alcohol abusers are associated with elevation of plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL6, IL8 and CCL2 as well as molecules involved in endothelial functioning including VEGFA, ICAM1 and EDN1. This phenomenon is supposed to be genetically determined. However to date the issue has not been investigated. Thus, we aimed to study the relationship between carriage of SNPs of IL6 (rs1800795), IL8 (rs4073), CCL2 (rs1024611), VEGFA (rs699947 and rs2010963), ICAM1 (rs281437) and EDN1 (rs1800541) genes with the serum levels of their products and the development of cardiovascular diseases in alcohol abusers. The study included alcohol abusers without apparent somatic pathology and alcohol abusers with clinical manifestations of cardiovascular disease. Serum levels of IL6, IL8, CCL2, VEGFA, ICAM1 and EDN1 were estimated by EIA. SNPs were determined by means of real-time PCR. We found that among the SNPs studied only carriers of homozygous GG genotype and G allele of IL6 (rs1800795) were more frequent in alcohol abusers with cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, carriage of homozygous GG genotype of IL6 (rs1800795) increases the probability of development of cardiovascular pathology in alcohol abusers. However, adjustment for age, gender and the presence of liver cirrhosis, hypertension and diabetes mellitus as co-variates eliminates the enhanced risk of cardiovascular pathology. Polymorphisms of IL6 (rs1800795), IL8 (rs4073), CCL2 (rs1024611), VEGFA (rs699947 and rs2010963), ICAM1 (rs281437) and EDN1 (rs1800541) did not determine serum levels of the related polypeptides.

Effects of PTSD Associated Alcohol Abuse on Social Economic Status among Youth in Kenya: A Systematic Review

The issue of alcohol abuse in Kenya is deeply rooted and continues to affect the well-being of youthful population. A study conducted in 2018, an estimated 45-50% alcohol-abusing youth in Kiambu County had post-traumatic stress disorder. The main purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize existing literature articles on the effects of PTSD associated Alcohol Abuse in Kenya’s context. The review shows that PSTD related to alcohol abuse, though not well studied in Kenya is a real challenge facing the youth. It affects their learning processes and their transition to colleges and other institutions of higher learning. Alcohol abuse also affects employment prospects for the youth and leads to impoverishment. It also challenges the productivity and entrepreneurial capacities of these youth; leading to further impoverishment and reduced socioeconomic prospects. On the basis of these findings, it is pertinent to come up with psychosocial support mechanisms for alcohol abusers suffering from PSTD. The government should put in place funding strategies for the rehabilitation of youth suffering from PSTD. Also, government empowerment programmes in Kenya should ensure that the youth with PSTD related alcohol abuse can access funding to enhance their socioeconomic status.

Аlcohol and diabetes: a double-edged stick

В данной работе изучены и обобщены исследования, посвященные эпидемиологии, риску развития сахарного диабета и влиянию на сердечно-сосудистую систему пациентов с диабетом и разным уровнем потребления алкоголя. Продемонстрированы высокие затраты на лечение злоупотребляющих алкогольными напитками. Описано влияние этанола на метаболизм глюкозы и механизмы, вызывающие гипергликемию и гипогликемию, роль грелина и лептина у употребляющих алкоголь пациентов с сахарным диабетом. Уделено внимание вопросам гипокоагуляции и системного воспаления у диабетиков, употребляющих этанол. Отдельно показано влияние алкоголя на пациентов с сахарным диабетом 1 типа. Описано влияние алкоголя на развитие атеросклероза, а также поздних осложнений сахарного диабета, таких как диабетическая ангиопатия нижних конечностей. Продемонстрировано влияние предпочтений алкогольных напитков на риски развития сахарного диабета. Подчеркнута низкая приверженность к самоконтролю у употребляющих этанол пациентов с сахарным диабетом. Показано, что употребление небольшого или среднего количества алкоголя снижает заболеваемость сахарным диабетом в большинстве исследований, в то время как сильно пьющие пациенты подвергаются повышенному риску развития этого заболевания. У людей с сахарным диабетом употребление алкоголя от легкого до умеренного снижает риск сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний и смертности от всех причин. Тип алкогольного напитка, пол и, вероятно, индекс массы тела – факторы, влияющие на эти результаты. This article examines and summarizes studies on the epidemiology, risk of developing diabetes, and the influence on the cardiovascular system of patients with diabetes and different levels of alcohol consumption. High costs for the treatment of alcohol abusers have been demonstrated. The article describes the effect of ethanol on glucose metabolism and the mechanisms that cause hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, the role of ghrelin and leptin in alcohol-consuming patients with diabetes mellitus. Attention is paid to the issues of hypocoagulation and systemic inflammation in diabetics who use ethanol. The effect of alcohol on patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus is shown separately. The influence of alcohol on the development of atherosclerosis, as well as late complications of diabetes mellitus, such as diabetic angiopathy of the lower extremities, is described. The influence of alcoholic beverage preferences on the risk of developing diabetes mellitus has been demonstrated. Low adherence to self-control in ethanol-consuming patients with diabetes mellitus is emphasized.Drinking small or medium amounts of alcohol has been shown to reduce the incidence of diabetes in most studies, while heavy drinkers are at an increased risk of developing the disease. In people with diabetes, light to moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. The type of alcoholic drink, gender, and probably body mass index are factors that influence these results.

The Bibliometric Analysis of the Alcohol-induced Muscle Disease Based on CiteSpace

Myopathy of the skeletal muscles is caused by excessive misuse of ethanol and affects half to two-thirds of pathological alcohol abusers. It is possible to identify alcohol-induced skeletal muscle disruptions as either 'acute or chronic'. Medium to moderate alcohol has positive or defensive effects (such as cardiovascular) on some organ systems, but long-term drinking and acute toxicity can adversely impact multiple organ systems and potentially increase mortality. Therefore we need a detailed understanding of the study status of alcoholic myopathy. References for researching alcoholic myopathy can be given by the review of this article.Search the Web of Science (WOS) central archive for alcoholic myopathy research papers from 2000 to 2020, and use CiteSpace and WOS databases for their own literature statistics techniques to evaluate the number of written articles, research organizations, citations to literature and identification of keywords.A total of 947 publications were collected after screening and the number of articles published grew year by year. The average number of released publications is 47.355. Most documents have been released by a total of 7 countries. Among them, 397 papers were published by the US, ranked first among all nations. Its intermediate centrality is also the largest, suggesting that other countries have more recognition of its scientific findings. The papers published by Emory Univ and Kobe Univ are well regarded in the field, among the top 7 academic institutions with publication volumes. There are 28 core authors and a total of 263 written articles. Highly cited papers are classified into 40 categories, of which 11 are prominently clustered categories. Co-occurrence study of keywords reveals that keywords such as skeletal muscle, oxidative stress, ethanol, alcohol, etc. are very common. The literature on alcoholic myopathy is primarily focused in Western countries, and autophagy, ROS and antioxidants are the latest study hotspots.

A Systematic Review on the Effects of PTSD Associated Alcohol Abuse on Social Economic Status among Youth in Kenya

The issue of alcohol abuse in Kenya is deeply rooted and continues to affect the well-being of youthful population. A study conducted in 2018, an estimated 45-50% alcohol-abusing youth in Kiambu County had post-traumatic stress disorder. The main purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize existing literature articles on the effects of PTSD associated Alcohol Abuse in Kenya’s context. The review shows that PSTD related to alcohol abuse, though not well studied in Kenya is a real challenge facing the youth. It affects their learning processes and their transition to colleges and other institutions of higher learning. Alcohol abuse also affects employment prospects for the youth and leads to impoverishment. It also challenges the productivity and entrepreneurial capacities of these youth; leading to further impoverishment and reduced socioeconomic prospects. On the basis of these findings, it is pertinent to come up with psychosocial support mechanisms for alcohol abusers suffering from PSTD. The government should put in place funding strategies for the rehabilitation of youth suffering from PSTD. Also, government empowerment programmes in Kenya should ensure that the youth with PSTD related alcohol abuse can access funding to enhance their socioeconomic status.

The role of positive thinking: a study of telehealth supportive counseling for alcohol abusers

Alcohol abuse is one of the main causes of health problems in the world. In response to these alcohol-related health consequences, telehealth supportive counseling has emerged, offering new strategies of dealing with addition problems. Most of telehealth supportive counseling strategies are focused on coping more precisely with positive and negative thinking. The aim of presented study was to examine the relationships between positive thinking, and other coping strategies inherent to human thinking, to refuse alcohol. For this purpose, a total of 232 people participated in the study, all of them were users of a telehealth supportive counseling in Brazil. A batch of questionnaires was employed. This included the sociodemographic information, IDHEA-AD scores and the Coping Behaviours Inventory (CBI-20). After an analysis of mediation, the results indicated that the relationship between negative and positive thinking might be mediated by the assertiveness to refuse. These results suggest that this type of supportive counseling modality might be helpful for users and health professionals. More research is needed to examine the innumerable possibilities of the telehealth tools using as a strategy to deal with the coping variables related to quitting alcohol use.