Could Brain Abnormality Predict Drug Addiction?

Scientists at The University of Nottingham are to use MRI technology to discover whether abnormalities in the decision-making part of the brain could make some people more likely to become addicted to drugs.

Why Binge Drinking Is Bad For Your Bones

Studies in recent years have demonstrated that binge drinking can decrease bone mass and bone strength, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Now a Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine study has found a possible mechanism: Alcohol disturbs genes necessary for maintaining healthy bones. The findings could help in the development of new drugs to minimize bone loss in alcohol abusers.

Les Ferdinand Enables Mental Health Project Air Football To Take Off Thanks To rS200K Of New Funding, UK

Former England international and Spurs and Newcastle star Les Ferdinand visited the North East London NHS Foundation Trust to deliver funding that will enable them to massively expand the Air Football Project over the next three years. The rS206,399 grant has been awarded to the Trust by the Football Foundation, the UK's largest sports charity.

Publication Of Report To Government By Advisory Group On Drug And Alcohol Education, UK

Speaking about the release of the Advisory Group on Drug and Alcohol Education's report, and the government's response, Eric Carlin, Chair of the Drug Education Forum, said: The problems that drugs and alcohol cause are too important for drug education to be an optional subject for parents or schools. The Drug Education Forum has been championing the importance of supporting parents for many years.

Ethanol-Induced Gastric Mucosa Injury: A New Insight

Binge drinking is linked to a wide spectrum of medical, psychological, behavioral, and social problems. It is well known that chronic alcohol abuse may induce gastrointestinal dysfunction, chronic atrophic gastritis and is closely related with gastric carcinoma. However, the detailed mechanism by which ethanol affects the gastrointestinal mucosa remains to be elucidated. A research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology refers.

Mental Health Parity Legislation Should Be Reversed Or Modified Because Questions About Mental Illness, Addiction Remain, Opinion Piece Says

The parity amendment attached to the bailout of Wall Street firms that ensures coverage of treatment for mental illness and addiction should be reversed or modified because it is "likely to open up a Pandora's box for the American health care system," Jeffrey Schaler, a psychologist and professor at

Alcohol: A Life Sentence

Every year, almost 4000 babies in Germany are born with alcohol-related defects. The mothers of these children have often drunk alcohol regularly during the pregnancy. The consequences are often devastating and commonly persist into adulthood. The various forms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are presented by the pediatricians Hans-Ludwig Spohr and Hans-Christoph Steinhausen in the latest issue of Deutsches Arzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2008; 105[41]: 693-8).

Educating Chief Residents About Addiction At Boston Medical Center

Researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC) have found that education on addiction is inadequate during medical training, resulting in suboptimal medical care for those at risk. However, the research also found that a Chief Resident Immersion Training (CRIT) program in addiction medicine is an effective "train the trainers" model for dissemination of addiction knowledge and skills to generalist physician trainees. These findings appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Department Of Health Research Shows Women Are Unaware Of Link Between Alcohol And Breast Cancer Risk

New research from the Department of Health's Know Your Limits campaign reveals that the vast majority of UK women (82%) don't realise alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing breast cancer. According to the General Household Survey, around 4 million women drink more than the NHS recommended daily limit of 2-3 units of alcohol, equivalent to one large glass of wine a day (250ml at ABV 12%).

Smoking Cessation - Evotec Reports Phase I Safety Data From Tyramine Interaction Study With EVT 302

Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT; NASDAQ: EVTC) announced today encouraging results of a Phase I safety study investigating the potential interaction of EVT 302, a reversible and highly selective inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) in development for smoking cessation, with tyramine. The study was undertaken to determine potential safety advantages of EVT 302 versus non-selective MAO inhibitors and less selective MAO-B inhibitors already on the market.

Methamphetamine Abuse Linked To Underage Sex, Smoking And Drinking

Children and adolescents who abuse alcohol or are sexually active are more likely to take methamphetamines (MA), also known as 'meth' or 'speed'. Research published in the open access journal BMC Pediatrics reveals the risk factors associated with MA use, in both low-risk children (those who don't take drugs) and high-risk children (those who have taken other drugs or who have ever attended juvenile detention centres). MA is a stimulant, usually smoked, snorted or injected.

Severe Health Risks Follow Adults Who Were Diagnosed With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease As Children

The goal of researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, led by Dr. Paul Angulo, was to determine the effects of fatty liver disease in children up to 20 years after the initial diagnosis. This is especially important as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disease in preadolescents and adolescents.

Adverts For Alcohol More Common In Areas With More Hispanic Children, USA

Children are exposed to nearly seven times more alcohol advertising if they attend a school where at least one-fifth of the students are Hispanic, a new University of Florida and University of Texas study shows.

Nicotine Addiction In US Highest In 15 Years

Addiction to nicotine has reached a 15 year high in the United States, where nearly three quarters of people asking to be treated for tobacco dependence are classed as highly dependent, said lung disease researchers at a conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday. They suggested that the less nicotine-dependent smokers have already given up, leaving a hard core of highly nicotine-dependent smokers who can only be helped with new smoking cessation strategies.

Both Mental And Physical Quality Of Life Affected By Bipolar Disorder

This press release is available in French and Spanish.

Integrating Mental Health, Substance Abuse, And Primary Medical Care Appears Promising, But More Research Is Needed

A new report released today by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found evidence that people treated for depression in primary care clinics that provide coordinated services for mental and physical health do better and have fewer symptoms than patients who are treated at sites that just provide health services.

AbuseCheckв„ў Hair Alcohol Test Can Distinguish Non-Drinkers From Moderate And Abusive Drinkers

Alcoholism poses serious health issues with major socio-economic consequences to society. Four major areas of concern are public transportation, child custody rights, measuring underage drinking, and tools for monitoring rehabilitation. The Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 requires drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive transportation employees in aviation, trucking, railroads, mass transit, pipelines and other transportation industries.

Warning: Metal Hazard From Table Wines

Potentially hazardous levels of metal ions are present in many commercially available wines. An analysis of reported levels of metals in wines from sixteen different countries, published in the open access Chemistry Central Journal, found that only those from Argentina, Brazil and Italy did not pose a potential health risk owing to metals.

Priory Embraces Web TV To Tackle Alcohol Abuse

The Priory Group is using its expertise to help GPs recognise and deal with the signs of problem and excessive drinking. The UK's leading independent provider of addiction treatment services has commissioned a series of web TV programmes to raise awareness of its specialist services to GPs and other medical practitioners and one of the first subjects tackled was alcohol addiction.

Concateno Announces Seminar Exploring Role Of Drug Testing In Family Law Proceedings, Glasgow, Scotland

Next month, a free seminar will provide those working in child protection and family law with insights as to how hair testing parents for illicit substance and alcohol use can be used to support their work. Taking place on Tuesday, 11th November, 2pm-4.30pm at Trades Hall, Glasgow, the event is the latest in a series of non-commercial CPD seminars held by TrichoTech, a Concateno group company and Europe's largest hair testing laboratory, and TV Edwards LLP Solicitors.

Examining The Relationship Between Anger And Alcohol Abuse

Research suggests that alcoholics are more likely to experience emotions such as annoyances, frustrations and anger compared to non-alcoholics. A new study at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) will investigate these anger emotions and how they might be addressed in outpatient alcoholism treatment.

Link Between 24-Hour Drinking And Shift In Hospital Attendance Patterns In The UK

Since the UK's move to 24-hour drinking, a large city centre hospital in Birmingham has seen an increase in drink-related attendances between the hours of 3am and 6am. A new study, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, shows no significant decrease in alcohol-related attendances after 24-hour drinking was introduced but a significant shift in the time of attendances.

UK Heading Towards A 'Silent Epidemic' Of Alcohol-Related Dementia - Royal College Of Psychiatrists

Urgent action is needed to prevent a 'silent epidemic' of alcohol-related dementia in the UK, psychiatrists have warned. Writing in the November issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, two London-based psychiatrists with a special interest in dementia discuss the potential impact of increasing alcohol consumption among young and middle-aged people.

Top NIH Neuroscience Experts To Discuss The Latest In Neurological And Psychiatric Research

"Neuroscience 2008," the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting-Find out the latest news about the brain and its complexity from the world's top experts. Several Institute Directors and program leaders from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be available to discuss success stories and new directions in neuroscience research during this year's Society for Neuroscience meeting.

Machinery That Helps Make Memories Identified

A major puzzle for neurobiologists is how the brain can modify one microscopic connection, or synapse, at a time in a brain cell and not affect the thousands of other connections nearby. Plasticity, the ability of the brain to precisely rearrange the connections between its nerve cells, is the framework for learning and forming memories.