Etiology and correlates of alcohol misuse in early midlife.

Background: Early midlife individuals (ages 30-40) experience demographic shifts that may influence the remainder of adult life. Although new or persistent alcohol misuse is common during this period, early midlife is understudied in alcohol use literature. We examined the heritability of alcohol misuse; the associations between alcohol misuse and sociodemographic factors, physical health, and well-being; and whether these associations were robust in cotwin comparisons.

Plants Utilize a Protection/Deprotection Strategy in Limonoid Biosynthesis: A "Missing Link" Carboxylesterase Boosts Yields and Provides Insights into Furan Formation.

The furan ring is a defining feature of limonoids, a class of highly rearranged and bioactive plant tetranortriterpenoids. We recently reported an apparent complete biosynthetic pathway to these important natural furanoids. Herein, we disclose the subsequent discovery of a yield-boosting "missing link" carboxylesterase that selectively deprotects a late-stage intermediate, so triggering more efficient furan biosynthesis.

Association between adolescent alcohol use and cognitive function in young adulthood: A co-twin comparison study.

Background And Aims: Studies on adolescent alcohol use and cognition are often unable to separate the potential causal effects of alcohol use on cognition from shared etiological influences, including genetic influences or other substance use comorbidities also known to be associated with cognition, such as nicotine use. The present study aimed to fill this gap and clarify the relationship between adolescent alcohol use and young adult cognition by accounting for both measured and unmeasured confounders.

Design: A random effects model accounting for nesting in families was used to control for measured confounders.