Comparison of new alcohol use test, the Helsinki Alcohol Use Test questionnaire, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and laboratory markers serum gamma-glutamyl transferase and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin.

The purpose of the present study was to compare and evaluate the new Helsinki Alcohol Use Test (HAUT) and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) as screening instrument in the general working population. The relationship between the HAUT and serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) was also evaluated. Our results seem to indicate that the HAUT has good performance as screening instrument for alcohol-related problems in the general population.

Effect of type of alcoholic beverages on carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, sialic acid, and liver enzymes.

Background: There are only limited data obtained under well controlled conditions on the effects of moderate drinking on markers of alcohol use disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of moderate intake of different alcoholic beverages on these markers, including carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), sialic acid (SA), and the liver enzymes gamma-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase.

Methods: Eleven apparently healthy, nonsmoking middle-aged men were included in a 12-week randomized, diet-controlled crossover trial according to a 4 x 4 Latin-square design.

Long-term effects of and physiological responses to nitrous oxide gas treatment during alcohol withdrawal: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Nitrous oxide gas (N2O) has been proposed to be effective in the treatment of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). This has not been proved, however, in studies performed according to good clinical practice guidelines. Moreover, previous studies have not measured end tidal N2O concentrations or physiologic responses during N2O treatment.

The role of biomarkers in alcoholism medication trials.

Background: Increasingly, biomarkers are being incorporated into the research design of clinical trials on medications to reduce drinking in alcoholics. To date, however, there has been little analysis of the unique roles that biomarkers can play in such investigations or of the practical and conceptual considerations that surround their best use in this context.

Methods: Clinical trials of alcoholism medications published between 1985 and the present were abstracted to determine how biomarkers were used and how changes in them related to self-report measures of drinking.

Association of self-reported diseases and health care use with commonly used laboratory markers for alcohol consumption.

The relationships of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and their mathematical combination (gamma-CDT) with self-reported diseases were evaluated in a large cross-sectional risk factor survey. Significant gender effects were observed in associations of the markers with several medical conditions as well as with general health care utilization. In men, CDT was associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Possible reasons why heavy drinking increases carbohydrate-deficient transferrin.

Background: Transferrin is a globular protein synthesized in the liver that is responsible for iron transport in plasma. The structure of the molecule consists of two carbohydrate residues to which six sialic acid moieties can be attached. After periods of chronic, heavy alcohol consumption, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) isoforms often increase, which makes CDT a useful marker in screening for alcohol abuse and monitoring progress of alcoholics in treatment.

Association of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) with serum lipid profile in the Finnish population.

Background: Moderate consumption of alcohol may reduce mortality from vascular diseases. The beneficial effects of alcohol may partly be mediated by its effects on lipoprotein metabolism. We studied the connection between alcohol consumption and the serum lipid profile from a well-documented national health program study.