Improved method of plasma 8-Isoprostane measurement and association analyses with habitual drinking and smoking

AIM: To develop a simple and accurate method for quantifying 8-isoprostane in plasma by employing a combination of two-step solid-phase extraction of samples and a commercially available ELISA kit, and by this method to examine the effects of drinking and smoking habits against the levels of plasma 8-isoprostane in healthy Japanese volunteers.METHODS: Plasma 8-isoprostane was extracted with ODS gel suspension followed by NH2 Sep-Pak column. The 8-isoprostane fractions were assayed using a commercially available ELISA kit. We measured plasma 8-isoprostane levels in 157 healthy Japanese volunteers divided into three groups (64 non-habitual drinkers, 56 moderate drinkers and 37 habitual drinkers) according to their alcohol consumption per week. Genotypes of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) were also determined to investigate the plasma 8-isoprostane levels with reference to drinking habits. In addition, the plasma 8-isoprostane levels of 96 non-smokers and 61 smokers from the same subjects were compared.RESULTS: Our method fulfilled all the requirements for use in routine clinical assays with respect to sensitivity, intra- and inter-assay reproducibility, accuracy and dynamic assay range. Significant increases of plasma 8-isoprostane levels were observed in female habitual drinkers when compared with those of non-habitual drinkers (t = 5.494, P < 0.0001) as well as moderate drinkers (t = 3.542, P < 0.005), and 8-isoprostane levels were also significantly different between ALDH2*2/1 and ALDH2*1/1 in the female habitual drinkers (t = 6.930, P < 0.0001), suggesting that excessive drinking of alcohol may increase oxidization stress, especially in females. On the contrary, no significant difference of the plasma 8-isoprostane levels was observed between non-smokers and smokers.CONCLUSION: Our present method was proved to be a simple and accurate tool for measuring plasma 8-isoprostane. However, the clinical utility of plasma 8-isoprostane for drinking and smoking habits was limited since elevated 8-isoprostane levels were observed in female heavy drinkers, and no association was found between smokers and nonsmokers.

Alcohol consumption in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis

AIM:To assess the alcohol drinking patterns in a cohort of primary sclerosing cholangitis(PSC) patients and the possible influence on the development of fibrosis.METHODS:Ninety-six patients with PSC were evaluated with a validated questionnaire about a patient's lifetime drinking habits:the lifetime drinking history(LDH) questionnaire.In addition,clinical status,transient elastography and biochemistry values were analysed and registered.Patients were defined as having either significant or non-significant fibrosis.Significant fibrosis was defined as either an elastography value of ≥ 17.3 kPa or the presence of clinical signs of cirrhosis.Patients were divided into two groups depending on their alcohol consumption patterns;no/low alcohol consumption(one drink or unit/d) and moderate/high alcohol consumption(≥ 1 drink or unit/d).LDH data were calculated to estimate lifetime alcohol intake(LAI),current alcohol intake,drinks per year before and after diagnosis of PSC.We also calculated the number of episodes of binge-drinking(defined as consuming ≥ 5 drinks per occasion) in total,before and after the diagnosis of PSC.RESULTS:The mean LAI was 3882 units of alcohol,giving a mean intake after onset of alcohol consumption of 2.6 units per week.Only 9% of patients consumed alcohol equal to or more than one unit per day.Current alcohol intake in patients with significant fibrosis(n = 26) was less than in patients without significant fibrosis(n = 70),as shown by lower values of phosphatidylethanol(B-PEth)(0.1 mol/L vs 0.33 mol/L,respectively,P = 0.002) and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin(CDT)(0.88% vs 1.06%,respectively,P = 0.02).Self-reported LAI was similar between the two groups.Patients with significant fibrosis reduced their alcohol intake after diagnosis from 103 to 88 units per year whereas patients without fibrosis increased their alcohol intake after PSC diagnosis from 111 to 151 units/year.There were no correlations between elastography values and intake of alcohol(units/year)(r =-0.036).CONCLUSION:PSC patients have low alcohol consumption.The lack of correlation between fibrosis and alcohol intake indicates that a low alcohol intake is safe in these patients.

Risks and guidelines for the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy

Daily average intake of alcohol during pregnancy has consistently been associated with short term adverse outcomes such as miscarriage, preterm birth and intrauterine growth restriction, a large variety of malformations, as well as long term adverse outcomes such as foetal alcohol syndrome, mental retardation and general impairment of cognitive functions including intelligence, attention, learning abilities as well as social and behavioural functions. Weekly average consumption and alcohol binge drinking （usually defined as ≥ 5 drinks on a single occasion） independently of high daily average intake has not been consistently associated with short and long term adverse outcomes. Health authorities in most countries recommend that pregnant women completely abstain from alcohol. Even so, many health professionals including doctors, midwives and nurses do not provide information to pregnant women in accordance with the offcial recommendations, although a large proportion of women of child bearing age and pregnant women drink alcohol, especially before recognition of pregnancy. The discrepancy between guidelines and the information practice of health personnel is likely to continue to exist because guidelines of abstinence are not clearly evidence-based and not in line with current focus on autonomy and informed choice for patients, and because guidelines do not consider the everyday clinical communication situation.

Impact of hepatitis C virus infection on lifestyle

AIM: To evaluate the impact of the diagnosis of hepatitis C infection on lifestyle habits such as smoking, drinking, sports activity and diet.METHODS: A self-administered, anonymous question-naire was offered to out-patients with HCV infection consecutively attending three clinical centres in Italy.RESULTS: Of the 275 respondents, 62.2% (171) were male. Mean age was 51 (range 20-80) years. Overall, after the diagnosis of hepatitis C, 74.5% of drinkers had modified (giving up or reducing) alcohol consumption, 21.3% of smokers had modifi ed their habits and 32.3% of subjects who reported sports activity had either stopped or reduced frequency of activity or chose a less fatiguing sport. Sixty-four percent of the respondents reported having modified their diet, most of them on physician's advice. CONCLUSION: After the diagnosis of hepatitis C many patients correctly modif ied their alcohol consumption and a minority their smoking habits. The reason for reported changes in diet and physical activity needs further investigations.

Vague relationship between alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome in nonobese people

Fatty liver, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is closely associated with metabolic syndrome (MS). Thus, the presence of fatty liver without MS in some conditions may be clinically important. Many studies have shown that compared with no or occasional alcohol intake, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower prevalence rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes, and lower levels of circulating C-reactive protein, a valuable marker for MS and insulin resistance. Considering these findings, light to moderate alcohol consumption has theoretical benefits on fatty liver and MS. Fatty liver, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, may be more clinically important than MS, particularly in non-obese individuals, because fatty liver can develop before MS in several conditions, such as regular alcohol consumers. Furthermore, most of the currently used MS criteria are unable to detect "true MS" because of variations in multiple factors such as age, height, medications, and complications.

Red wine and green tea reduce H pylori- or VacA-induced gastritis in a mouse model

AIM： To investigate whether red wine and green tea could exert anti-H pylori or anti-VacA activity in vivo in a mouse model of experimental infection. METHODS： Ethanol-free red wine and green tea concentrates were administered orally as a mixture of the two beverages to H pylori infected mice, or separately to VacA-treated mice. Gastric colonization and gastric inflammation were quantified by microbiological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analyses.RESULTS： In H pylori-infected mice, the red wine and green tea mixture significantly prevented gastritis and limited the localization of bacteria and VacA to the surface of the gastric epithelium. Similarly, both beverages significantly prevented gastric epithelium damage in VacA-treated mice; green tea, but not red wine, also altered the VacA localization in the gastric epithelium. CONCLUSION： Red wine and green tea are able to prevent H pylori-induced gastric epithelium damage, possibly involving VacA inhibition. This observation supports the possible relevance of diet on the pathological outcome of Hpylori infection.

Correlations Between Polymorphisms of Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase, Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-2 Genes, as Well as Drinking Behavior and Pancreatic Cancer

Objective To investigate the correlation between drinking behavior combined with polymorphisms of extracellular superoxide dismutase （EC-SOD） and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 （ALDH2） genes and pancreatic cancer. Methods The genetic polymorphisms of EC-SOD and ALDH2 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism in the peripheral blood leukocytes obtained from 680 pancreatic cancer cases and 680 non-cancer controls. Subsequently the frequency of genotype was compared between the pancreatic cancer patients and the healthy controls.The relationship of drinking with pancreatic cancer was analyzed. Results The frequencies of EC-SOD （C/G） and ALDH2 variant genotypes were 37.35% and 68.82% respectively in the pancreatic cancer cases, and were significantly higher than those in the healthy controls （21.03% and 44.56%, all P〈0.01）. People who carried EC-SOD （C/G） （0R=2.24, 95% C1= 1.81-4.03, P〈0.01） or ALDH2 variant genotypes （OR=2.75, 95% CI=1.92-4.47, P〈0.01） had a high risk to develop pancreatic cancer. Those who carried EC-SOD （C/G） genotype combined with ALDH2 variant genotype had a high risk for pancreatic cancer （29.56% vs. 6.76%, 0R=7.69, 95% CI=3.58-10.51, P〈0.01）. The drinking rate of the pancreatic cancer group （64.12%） was significantly higher than that of the control group （40.15%; OR=2.66, 95% CI=1.30-4.42, P〈0.01）. An interaction between drinking and EC-SOD （C/G）/ALDH2 variant genotypes increased the risk of occurrence of pancreatic cancer （OR=25.00, 95% CI= 11.87-35.64, P〈0.01）. Conclusion EC-SOD （C/G）, ALDH2 variant genotypes and drinking might be the risk factors of pancreatic cancer.

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute leukemia:a meta-analysis

Objective： The authors used a meta-analytic technique to quantify the evidence of an association between ma- ternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and childhood acute leukemia （AL）, which provided a basis for the prevention of childhood AL. Methods： Relevant literatures of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy were comprehensively searched and screened. Subgroup meta-analysis was conducted according to the type of leukemia. Results of research data of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy were tested for heterogeneity. Combined OR values and 95% CIs were statistically calculated with RevMan 4.2 software; Funnel plots were applied to conduct bias analysis for those included litera- tures. Results： Ten related literatures were included after data screening, 4593 cases in AL group and 6157 cases in control group respectively. According to heterogeneity test result （X2 = 16.26, P 〈 0.05）, the combined OR values and 95% CI were calculated with random effects model, which were 1.02 （0.92-1.14）, Z = 0.41, P = 0.68 〉 0.05, indicating that there was no significant difference between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute leukemia （AL）. Subgroup analysis： for the association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and childhood acute lympho- blastic leukemia （ALL）, the combined OR value and 95% CI were 0.92 （0.84-1.00）, Z = 1.92, P = 0.05, indicating that there was significant difference between two groups; for the association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and childhood acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia （ANLL）, the combined OR values and 95% CI were 0.82 （0.61-1.11）, Z = 1.30, P = 0.19 〉 0.05, indicating that there was no significant difference between two groups. Conclusion： Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a risk factor in childhood ALL, but not in childhood ANLL.

Silymarin: An option to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

We have read with a great interest the review published by Singh et al, on the treatment options in alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, including various new targeted therapies that are currently under investigation. Recently, we described the health effects of the Mediterranean diet associated to an antioxidant complex rich in silymarin, to improve in overweight patients anthropometric parameters, glucose and lipid metabolism and intra-hepatic fat accumulation.

＂Why Do They Drink？＂ Alcohol Uses and Opinions Towards Alcohol Marketing Communication Messages of Thai Teens

Problem about adolescent drinking has accelerated. Although the alcohol advertisements are restricted by Thai law, nevertheless the alcohol manufactures could still find their way to convey the message about their products to their consumers, including the adolescents in the school system through several marketing communication tactics. To this study, investigated opinion of Thai teens on alcohol use specific to.. （1） types of alcoholic beverages preferred; （2） reason at first alcohol use; （3） future drinking intention; and （4） perceptions toward alcohol marketing communication. The cross-sectional survey was conducted on 5184 students from grades 4th-12th and vocational school in seven regions of Thailand. The data from questionnaires were analyzed using simple descriptive statistic, frequency distribution, and percentages. Those teens reported to start drinking beer because of wanting to experiment with alcohol （41.3%）, to celebrate in special occasion （29.2%）, and due to friends involved （15.7%）. Majority of teens in this study （〉 80%） disagree or strongly disagree with persuasive message of alcohol advertised through several media channels. Most of the samples have good media literacy, know the intention of the marketing communication of the alcohol manufacturers, and could not be persuaded easily. The results required further evaluation for influence of alcohol marketing communication on students＇ alcohol expectancy and alcohol use for proper policy recommendation and management.

Composition of Trans-anethol and Other Aromatic Volatiles in Anisated Alcoholic Beverages by Head-Space GC-MS Chromatography

Aniseed distillates, like ouzo in Greece, raki in Turkey, pastis in France, and arak in Syria, are very popular in Mediterranean countries. This flavoured alcoholic beverage is produced by extraction and distillation of fermented grape pomaces with herbal seeds from aromatic plants like Pimpinella anisum L., Foeniculum vulgate, Illicium verum and other plants which are also characterized by the presence of congeners which arise during fermentation process. Trans-anethol and its isomer cis-anethol are the main volatiles and are responsible for aroma properties of these traditional aniseed distillates. The aim of this research work was to find the concentration of special aromatic agent, trans-anethol and cis-anethol and also the major aromatic substances which are responsible for the aromatic quality. The majority of their identified components are isolated by extraction and distillation from different commercial brands and homemade samples. The constituents were identified by GC-MS （gas chromatography-mass spectometry） in this traditional spirit. The major constituents in distilled ouzo extract were also trans-anethol.

New Line of Drinks Based on Grape Products

Fruit processing is the appropriative way to augment fruit intake. The present paper shows production technology, which is based on the characteristics of selected raw materials and does not use sugar （saccharose）. The objective of the present paper is to produce healthful and disease preventive beverages based on ＂Saperavi＂ red wine and bilberries, using grape juice concentrate and stevioside, a natural sweetener, instead of saccharose. The technology is based on the removal of alcohol at a low temperature and low pressure. In these conditions about 50% of moisture is evaporated. The extract is then diluted with 0.25% of stevioside liquid and the ratio is 1：1. The working name is ＂Saperavi-S＂. Bilberry juice is added to this beverage at the ratio of 1： l in order to enrich it with biologically active substances. The working name of this beverage is ＂Marnidan＂. The products have high contents of phenolic compounds, mainly-anthocyanins. The main idea of technology uses bilberry juice with grape juice concentrate. Bilberries have quite high antioxidant activity, amounting to 55% against l,l-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl. It is the first time we have produced a beverage based on dealcoholized red wine, stevioside and bilberry juice. This beverage is of special importance in terms of its disease-preventive qualities, including prevention of diabetes, one of the most widespread chronic diseases.

Effect of a counseling-supported treatment with the Mediterranean diet and physical activity on the severity of the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

AIM To determine the clinical effectiveness of nutritional counseling on reduction of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) severity, weight loss, metabolic and anthropometric indexes and liver enzymes.METHODS Forty-six adults with NAFLD received a 6-mo clinical and a dietary intervention(based on Mediterranean diet) carried out respectively by a gastroenterologist and a nutritionist with counseling license. The counseling process consisted of monthly meeting(about 45 min each). The effect of the treatment was evaluated monitoring liver enzymes, metabolic parameters, cardiovascular risk indexes, NAFLD severity [assessed by ultrasound(US)] and related indexes. All parameters were assessed at baseline. Biochemistry was also assessed at mid-and end-interventions and US was repeated at end-intervention.RESULTS The percentage of patients with steatosis grade equal or higher than 2 was reduced from 93% to 48% and steatosis regressed in 9 patients(20%). At the end of the treatment the end-point concerning the weight(i.e., a 7% weight reduction or achievement/maintenance of normal weight) was accomplished by 25 out of 46 patients(i.e., 54.3%). As far as the liver enzymes is concerned, all three liver enzymes significantly decrease during the treatment the normalization was particularly evident for the ALT enzyme(altered values reduced from 67% down to 11%). Several parameters, i.e., BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, AST, ALT, GGT, HDL, serum glucose, Tot-Chol/HDL, LDL/HDL, TG/HDL, AIP, HOMA, FLI, Kotronen index, VAI, NAFLD liver fat score and LAP, showed a significant improvement(P < 0.01) between baseline and end-treatment.CONCLUSION Outcomes of this study further strengthen the hypothesis that Med Diet and more active lifestyle can be considered a safe therapeutic approach for reducing risk and severity of NAFLD and related disease states. The proposed approach may be proposed as a valid and recommended approach for improving the clinical profile of NAFLD patients.

Discussion on Quality Control in Food and Beverage Service

In the service economic age, the hotel service becomes the focus among the hotel. The competition among the hotels is fierce day by day. So, the requirement to the service quality of the guests becomes higher and higher. The service quality of the hotel reflects the comprehensive quality of the hotel management. If a hotel wants to make guests be satisfied, it must pay its best effort.In this paper, the concept and significance of quality management in food and beverage service was first elaborated, and then methods of quality control at different phases are discussed in detail. Finally, some strategies for quality control in food and beverage service are put forward.

Citric acid reduces the decline in P300 amplitude induced by acute alcohol consumption in healthy adults

Event-related potential (ERP) is a reliable neuroelectric measure of brain activity that helps to confirm the assessment of mental status and cognitive impairment. Many studies have reported that alcoholics show a significantly lower ERP P300 amplitude than the norm. In the present study, ERP P300 waves were measured to evaluate the effect of citric acid on cognitive function during excessive alcohol consumption in healthy adults. Five volunteers were selected through clinical interview, physical examination, and psychiatric assessment for participation in this study. In a double-blind placebo-controlled before-after design, each subject was treated with 5 ml/kg body weight alcohol, 5 ml/kg body weight alcohol and 1 mg citric acid, or a placebo on three separate occasions, one week apart. ERP P300, blood biochemical indicators, blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) and acetaldehyde concentrations were assessed. Repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a within-subjects factor was used to evaluate differences in blood biochemical indicators, BACs, blood acetaldehyde concentrations, and ERP P300 in the three sessions of assessments. Several blood biochemical indicators showed significant differences between treatments, including the levels of cholinesterase (CHE), total bile acid (TBA), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), and glycylproline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (GPDA). BACs after consumption of alcohol alone or citric acid with al- cohol were significantly higher compared to those after placebo treatment (P<0.05). There were no significant dif- ferences in blood acetaldehyde concentrations between the treatments. The P300 amplitudes on the frontal (Fz), central (Cz), and parietal (Pz) regions of the scalp after consumption of alcohol were significantly lower than those after consumption of the placebo or citric acid with alcohol (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences between the latter two treatments. The results of this study suggest that citric acid could reduce the decline in ERP P300 amplitude and cognitive ability induced by acute alcohol consumption. It may also affect some blood biochemical indicators, but the specific mechanisms need further research.

Prevalence and risk factors of alcohol and substance abuse among motorcycle drivers in Fats province, Iran

Purpose： The aim of this present study is to investigate the prevalence of alcohol and substance abuse （ASA） and its relationship with other risky driving behaviors among motorcycle drivers. Methods： This is a cross sectional study which is performed at Shiraz city of Iran. Data from motorcycle drivers were collected using a standard questionnaire in eight major streets at different times of the day. The data includes consumption of alcohol and other substances two hours before driving and some of the risky behaviors during driving. Results： A total of 414 drivers with a mean ±SD age of （27.0 ±9.3） years participated in the study. Alcohol or substance consumptions two hours before driving was significantly associated with risky driving behaviors such as using mobile phone during driving, poor maneuvering, and driving over the speed limit （both p 〈 0.001 ）. It was also associated with carelessness about safety such as driving with technical defects （p 〈 0.001） and not wearing a crash helmet （p 0.008）. Conclusion： Screening for alcohol and substance consumption among motorcycle drivers is an efficient way to identify drivers that are at a greater risk for road traffic accidents.