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Background: Fetal alcohol syndrome, fetal alcohol effects, alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder, and alcohol-related birth defects, all terms referring to the spectrum of consequences of in utero exposure to ethanol, are a major public health burden. There is currently no laboratory test to identify newborns exposed to ethanol in utero. Meconium was analyzed for ethyl linoleate, a metabolite of ethanol, as a biological marker for fetal ethanol exposure. Methods: Samples of meconium were obtained from 248 infants and analyzed for fatty acid ethyl esters. Detailed maternal alcohol, tobacco, and drug use histories were obtained within 1 month of giving birth. Results: The detection of ethyl linoleate in meconium was called a positive test. The mean number of drinks reported per week in the month before pregnancy, the first trimester, and overall were significantly higher in the positive group (unadjusted: 9.2 ± 1.9 vs. 4.3 ± 1.4, p= 0.004; 7.3 ± 1.7 vs. 3.8 ± 1.2, p= 0.03; and 6.1 ± 1.3 vs. 3.0 ± 1.0, p= 0.006). A positive test was not associated with marijuana, cocaine, or tobacco use. Sensitivity and specificity of the test were 72% and 51% to distinguish women who reported 1 or more drinks/week in the third trimester from women who denied use, and 68% and 48% to distinguish women who used 1 drink/week from women who used <1 drink/week in the month before pregnancy. Conclusions: The presence of ethyl linoleate in meconium is the first reported biological marker for maternal ethanol use during pregnancy. Because of the inherent inaccuracy associated with the use of self-reporting, the establishment of true values of sensitivity and specificity will require validation where the presence, quantity, and timing of exposure to alcohol is known. Further validation of this marker will permit identification and intervention of at-risk infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taste sensitivity to bitter substances, including ethanol, may play a moderating role both in the initiation of drinking and in the intensity and frequency of drinking once it is initiated. A study (Pelchat and Danowski, Physiol Behav 51:1261-1266, 1992) showed an association between the capacity to taste PROP (6-n-propylthiouraciI), a bitter tasting compound, and a family history of alcoholism. The implication of that finding is that family-history-negative individuals may be protected from early initiation of drinking or heavy consumption of alcohol once drinking is initiated. The present study sought to replicate those findings by using direct interview methods (versus history methods) to obtain alcohol use and alcohol problem information from the parents of 'at risk' individuals and by examining a larger number of subjects. A bimodal distribution of the ability to taste PROP was found, similar to that observed in the general population. No association was found between the ability to taste PROP and a paternal history of alcoholism, regardless of the taste threshold employed or after controlling for several potentially confounding variables. A lack of association with alcoholism risk was also observed for subjects' self-reports of reasons for drinking or not drinking alcohol based upon taste preference: high-risk and low-risk for alcoholism groups were not distinguished by either a stated preference for the taste of alcohol as a reason for drinking or a stated dislike for the taste of alcohol as a reason for limiting drinking. Thus, neither taste sensitivity for PROP nor the palatability of ethanol appear to influence the choice to drink among adolescent and young adult individuals at high risk for developing alcohol-related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female college students ( n= 49) from a small southwestern United States university participated in the 9-month study. Data collected included the assessment of drinking habits and other related substance use habits and serum levels of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (COT). Each subject provided an interview and blood sample on three occasions at 90-day intervals. Appended to the interview were a series of questions regarding stage of menstrual cycle and the diagnoses of certain diseases. The CDT values obtained were consistent with those obtained in other studies. Moderate-drinking subjects had significantly higher CDT values than did the abstainers and light drinkers. Females using oral contraceptives had significantly higher CDT values than those who were not taking oral contraceptives. Finally, although CDT values varied over time, they did not appear to vary as a function of menstrual cycle stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred and forty-eight U.S. college students from a small southwestern university were asked to provide or complete the following: the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), a structured alcohol-use interview, and a 10-ml blood sample to be assayed for carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) levels and γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGTP) activity. Using the data obtained in the interview, only 2 females and 5 males were identified as heavy drinkers. Conclusions regarding the efficacy of the biochemical markers are therefore limited. It was found that CDT levels were significantly and positively correlated with various measures of alcohol consumption among males. There was no similar association between CDT, or GGTP, and alcohol consumption within the female sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]