Changes in cigarette smoking and coffee drinking after alcohol detoxification in alcoholics.

Aims: To assess the changes in cigarette smoking and coffee drinking after alcohol detoxification in alcoholics.

Design: Evaluation at admission and an average 16 days following discharge.

Setting: Alcohol detoxification inpatient programme.

Frontal dysfunction in neurologically normal chronic alcoholic subjects: metabolic and neuropsychological findings.

Background: Neuropsychological and imaging studies suggest that frontal dysfunction may occur in apparently normal chronic alcoholic subjects.

Methods: To investigate this issue further, we performed neuropsychological and fluorodeoxy-glucose-PET studies in 17 chronic alcoholics without patent neurological and psychiatric complications.

Results: Metabolic abnormalities were found in the mediofrontal and in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, but not in the orbitofrontal cortex.

Joint influence of alcohol, tobacco, and coffee on biological markers of heavy drinking in alcoholics.

Background: Recent reports suggest that gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) decreases with coffee intake. The aim of this study was to examine the joint influence of alcohol, tobacco, cotinine, coffee, and caffeine on biological markers of heavy drinking in an alcoholic population.

Methods: Subjects were 160 alcohol-dependent inpatients.

How useful is aminolevulinic acid dehydratase as a marker of recent alcohol intake?

Erythroycte delta aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) has been suggested as a marker for detecting recent alcohol intake. Unlike other markers, ALAD activity decreases after alcohol intake. Review of the literature suggests that the main interest in this marker is because it increases rapidly after withdrawal.