Metabolic profiles of steroids in urine of alcoholics after withdrawal.

The metabolic profiles of steroids in urine were analyzed in 13 male alcoholics during long-term abstinence, in most cases exceeding 3 months. The ratios of 5 beta- to 5 alpha-reduced steroid metabolites (etiocholanolone/androsterone and tetrahydrocortisol/allotetrahydrocortisol) were initially elevated but decreased slowly following withdrawal. The half-life of this normalization exceeded 3 weeks.

Decreased content of arachidonoyl species of phosphatidylinositol phosphates in pancreas of rats fed on an ethanol-containing diet.

Phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns), phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-diphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] were isolated from the pancreas of rats fed an ethanol-containing liquid diet for 24 days and from the corresponding pair-fed controls. The isolation involved chromatography on a lipophilic anion exchanger in the phosphate form. The species composition was determined by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry.