El consumo concentrado de alcohol en Europa / Binge Drinking in Europe

El consumo concentrado de alcohol es un modelo de consumo excesivo que se observa en toda Europa. El término consumo concentrado (binge driking) tiene diferentes significados para la gente. La definición más popular que se le da al término es la del consumo de cinco o más «bebidas estándar» en una sola ocasión. El consumo concentrado se diferencia de la embriaguez, aunque este tipo de consumo excesivo puede conducir a la embriaguez. Se caracteriza por la presencia de una serie de síntomas, por ejemplo la dificultad para articular las palabras. El consumo concentrado de alcohol es muy popular entre la población europea. En el año 2006 unos ochenta millones de europeos de más de quince años de edad admitieron este tipo de consumo. Las investigaciones europeas muestran que existe un incremento del consumo concentrado de alcohol en toda Europa entre los jóvenes (15-16 años) desde 1995. Las consecuencias del consumo concentrado de alcohol son crónicas y agudas y se perciben tras el consumo de alcohol durante un período prolongado. Los riesgos individuales son daños cerebrales, suicidios, enfermedades de transmisión sexual, etc. También perjudica a personas que no beben, por ejemplo en casos de violencia y delitos, accidentes, etc. En la Unión Europea cada año se registran dos mil homicidios relacionados con el consumo excesivo de alcohol. Existen numerosas medidas efectivas para reducir el consumo concentrado. Es el caso de las leyes contra la conducción bajo el efecto de bebidas alcohólicas, los impuestos, la restricción al acceso y disponibilidad del alcohol, e intervenciones breves como el consejo médico y el control de la publicidad

Binge drinking is a pattern of heavy drinking which is observed all over Europe. The term Binge drinking implies a lot of different meanings to different people. The most popular definition used for this term is five or more ‘standard drinks’ in a single occasion. Binge drinking is different from intoxication, although this kind of heavy alcohol consumption can be lead to intoxication. This condition is manifested by different signs, for example slurred speech. Binge drinking is very common among the European population. In 2006 some 80 million Europeans aged 15 plus reported this kind of alcohol consumption patterns. European surveys showed that there is an increase of binge drinking across Europe amongst young people (15-16 years) old since 1995. The consequences of binge drinking contain acute and chronic effects, which are caused by long term alcohol use. The individual risks are brain damage, suicide, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. It has also an impact on harm to others than the drinkers. This includes violence and crime, accidents, etc. Each year in the European Union 2,000 homicides are related to heavy drinking. There a lot of effective measures to reduce binge drinking. Strong evidence is shown by drink-driving laws, tax, reduced access to and availability of alcohol, brief interventions such as physician advice and advertising controls

Regulation of NPY/NPY Y1 receptor/G protein system in rat brain cortex.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) content, NPY receptors, and alpha-subunits of the G proteins Go and Gi were determined in cerebral cortex of male normotensive Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats at 3-28 wk of age and of adult female rats. NPY lacked major effects on adenylate cyclase or inositol phosphate formation. NPY content was similar in all normotensive groups but lower in spontaneously hypertensive rats at all ages. 125I-NPY labeled a homogeneous population of Y1-like receptors. The Y1 NPY receptor number gradually increased with age with similar values in both strains but was significantly smaller in female than in male rats. The Y1 NPY receptor affinity was similar in all male groups but greater in female rats. The abundance of immunodetectable Go alpha and Gi alpha and of pertussis toxin substrates was less at 3 wk than in older rats but similar in both sexes and strains. We conclude that rat cerebral cortex contains Y1-like receptors; sex, age, and blood pressure differentially regulate NPY content, Y1 NPY receptors, and Go alpha and Gi alpha.

Ontogenesis of sympathetic responsiveness in spontaneously hypertensive rats. II. Renal G proteins in male and female rats.

Previously we have reported an increased renal alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic receptor expression in male spontaneously hypertensive rats that occurred ontogenetically in parallel with blood pressure elevation. However, increased receptor numbers were not accompanied by enhanced stimulation of inositol phosphate and cyclic AMP formation, respectively, indicating relative desensitization. We have now quantified alpha-subunits of the G proteins Gs (Gs short and Gs long), G(i), and Gq by immunoblotting and pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation in renal membranes from 3-, 6-, 8-, and 28-week-old normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive male Wistar-Kyoto rats; additionally, 28-week-old female normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats were studied. During ontogenesis of male normotensive rats, Gs short increased, Gs long remained unchanged, and G(i) alpha and Gq alpha decreased. In adult normotensive rats no sex differences were detected for Gs short, Gs long, and G(i) alpha. When male rats from the normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive strains were compared, all G protein alpha-subunits were similar in the prehypertensive phase (3 weeks). In established hypertension (28 weeks), Gs long and Gq alpha were reduced, whereas Gs short and G(i) alpha remained unchanged. Gs long was also reduced during the development of hypertension (6 and 8 weeks), whereas Gs short and G(i) alpha were not consistently altered in this phase. The reduction in Gs long seen in male adult hypertensive rats was not detectable in female hypertensive rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)