Background: This study was designed to assess whether nonalcoholic offspring from families with a high density of alcohol-dependent individuals have altered endogenous central nervous system opioid activity. Naloxone hydrochloride stimulates plasma cortisol by blocking opioidergic input on the corticotropin-releasing factor neuron, thereby providing a noninvasive method for measuring hypothalamic opioid tone.
Methods: Forty-eight nonalcoholic subjects aged 18 to 25 years were enrolled in a protocol to measure endogenous opioid activity by inducing opioid receptor blockade with the receptor antagonist, naloxone. Twenty-six subjects were offspring from families with a high density of alcohol dependence and were designated as family history-positive subjects. Twenty-two subjects were biological offspring of nonalcohol-dependent parents and designated as family history-negative subjects. Subjects received naloxone hydrochloride (0, 125, and 375 microg/kg) in double-blind, randomized order. Serum cortisol levels were monitored.
Results: Family history-negative subjects had a graded cortisol response to each dose of naloxone. In contrast, family history-positive subjects achieved a maximal cortisol response to the 125-microg/kg dose of naloxone hydrochloride with no further increase in cortisol levels observed following the 375-microg/kg dose. Family history-negative subjects had a diminished cortisol response to the 125-microg/kg dose compared with the family history-positive subjects. Plasma naloxone concentrations did not differ between family history groups.
Conclusions: Individuals from families with a high density of alcohol dependence are more sensitive to naloxone compared with offspring of nonalcohol-dependent parents. This implies that individuals with a family history of alcohol dependence have diminished endogenous hypothalamic opioid activity.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.55.12.1114 | DOI Listing |
Recenti Prog Med
January 2025
Uoc Anestesia e rianimazione, AO San Camillo-Forlanini, Roma.
Coping with the end of life decision making process in ICU, its complexity adds a challenge for the healthcare team: how to report in the medical record the events and reasoning that led to withholding or withdrawing treatments shifting from intensive to palliative care. Each healthcare team must select the best approach for managing the decision-making process and the necessary rules to ensure a correct clinical history narrative, indicating who must write and what has to be written. Taking into account the team organization, the report may be written not necessarily by the ICU director, but also by a staff physician as a spokesperson in the individual case.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBJU Int
January 2025
Faculty of Social Sciences (Health Sciences), Prostate Cancer Research Center, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
Objective: To assess the association between prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density (PSAD) and prostate cancer mortality after a benign result on systematic transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy.
Patients And Methods: This retrospective study used data from the Finnish Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (FinRSPC) collected between 1996 and 2020. We identified men aged 55-71 years randomised to the screening arm with PSA ≥4.
Cureus
December 2024
Anesthesia Department, PGY2 Anesthesia, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, PAK.
Background: Acute aluminum phosphide (ALP) poisoning presents a significant global medical challenge, particularly in regions where it is commonly used as a pesticide. Despite medical advancements, mortality rates from ALP poisoning remain high. Glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) infusion therapy has emerged as a potential treatment for ALP poisoning due to its ability to counteract its toxic effects on metabolism and heart function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
December 2024
Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Center for Medical Research and Development (CMRD), Dhaka, BGD.
Background and aim Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), now known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is more common in people with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than in people without diabetes mellitus (non-DM). This disease can lead to cirrhosis or hepatic cancer. There is limited data on NAFLD prevalence and the level of risk of fibrosis in Bangladeshi individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWellcome Open Res
December 2024
National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Unlabelled: Since the inception of transplantation, it has been crucial to ensure that organ or tissue donations are made with valid informed consent to avoid concerns about coercion or exploitation. This issue is particularly challenging when it comes to infants and younger children, insofar as they are unable to provide consent. Despite their vulnerability, infants' organs and tissues are considered valuable for biomedical purposes due to their size and unique properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!