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Aims: This study compares the incidence and risk-markers of student alcohol intoxication-related emergency department (ED) visits and alcohol-related incidents reported to student affairs. Methods: Enrollment data were linked to ED visits with alcohol intoxication and to alcohol-related incidents reported to campus authorities within one year following the first (index) annual enrollment. Incidence, annual trends and associated risk markers were analyzed. Results: The cohort consisted of 204,423 students aged 16-49. Incidence rates of first ED visit with alcohol intoxication and alcohol-related incidents were 59/10,000 and 311/10,000 person-years, respectively. Both outcomes shared common risk-markers including age, gender, race/ethnicity, fraternity and sorority (FSL) membership, an existing diagnosis of depression, etc. Being an athlete was associated with a lower risk of alcohol-related ED visits, and transfer students were at lower risk for alcohol-related incidents. Conclusion: Linking enrollment data with hazardous drinking events can help in better monitoring of student hazardous drinking and targeting interventions.

Aims: This study compares the incidence and risk-markers of student alcohol intoxication-related emergency department (ED) visits and alcohol-related incidents reported to student affairs. Methods: Enrollment data were linked to ED visits with alcohol intoxication and to alcohol-related incidents reported to campus authorities within one year following the first (index) annual enrollment. Incidence, annual trends and associated risk markers were analyzed. Results: The cohort consisted of 204,423 students aged 16–49. Incidence rates of first ED visit with alcohol intoxication and alcohol-related incidents were 59/10,000 and 311/10,000 person-years, respectively. Both outcomes shared common risk-markers including age, gender, race/ethnicity, fraternity and sorority (FSL) membership, an existing diagnosis of depression, etc. Being an athlete was associated with a lower risk of alcohol-related ED visits, and transfer students were at lower risk for alcohol-related incidents. Conclusion: Linking enrollment data with hazardous drinking events can help in better monitoring of student hazardous drinking and targeting interventions. First longitudinal study documenting the incidence of extreme student alcohol misuse. There were rising trends in student risky drinking based on two independent datasets. Analysis identified a range of risk markers predictive of risky drinking behaviors. Linking multiple student datasets can timely identify high risk students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. Objective: The serotonin (5-HT) transporter (5-HTT) is thought to play a key role in the onset of alcohol use, with potential behavioral and biological mechanisms mediated by the level [...]

A study investigates if topiramate is a safe and effective treatment for alcohol dependence. Results show that topiramate is significantly efficacious in treating alcohol dependence.

Alcoholism and nicotine dependence share many neurobiological underpinnings; the presence of one drug can cause a person to crave the other. Depressive illness can complicate comorbid alcohol and nicotine dependence [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2005.12.029 Byline: Nassima Ait-Daoud (a), Robert J. Malcolm (b), Bankole A. Johnson (a) Keywords: Anticonvulsant; Alcohol withdrawal; Alcohol dependence; Valproate; Carbamazepine; Serotonin; Glutamate; Opioid; Topiramate; Humans Abstract: There is a growing interest in the development of new pharmacological tools for treating alcohol withdrawal and dependence. A number of anticonvulsants including valproate and carbamazepine have been shown to be safe and effective alternatives to benzodiazepines for treating alcohol withdrawal. These agents are relatively safe, are free from demonstrated abuse liability, and do not usually potentiate the psychomotor and cognitive effects of alcohol. For the treatment of alcohol dependence, there is a growing literature on the utility of medications that have neurochemical effects at opioid, serotonergic, GABAergic, and glutamate receptors. Furthermore, as a class of medication, there appears to be a growing interest in investigating the utility of novel anticonvulsants such as topiramate for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 800623, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0623, USA (b) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

An open-label study is conducted on adolescents with alcohol dependence using ondansetron, which is a 5-HT(sub 3) antagonist. Results show that ondansetron reduces 'craving' in the subjects as measured by the Adolescent Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale (A-OCDS) and that irresistibility and A-OCDS scores decrease significantly during treatment.

Ondansetron is shown to be effective in the treatment of early-onset adult alcohol dependence. Preliminary data from studies conducted suggest that ondansetron is safe and well tolerated in adolescents with alcohol dependence and findings of decreased drinking underscore the need for future double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in this adolescent population.

Objective: In the many clinical studies conducted in the alcoholism field with psychotropic drugs and throughout the drug development field in medicine, where evaluation of adverse events can be incomplete, arbitrary or misleading few standardized methods have been developed for assessing adverse events, whereas defining standardized methods for evaluating clinical efficacy is typical. For the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism COMBINE Study, testing the safety and efficacy of naltrexone and acamprosate, both alone and in combination, in the treatment of alcohol dependence, we adapted a standardized instrument--the Systematic Assessment for Treatment Emergent Events (SAFTEE) for assessing adverse events in these Phase 2- to Phase 3-type studies. Method: We standardized use of the SAFTEE with training, supervision and clear guidelines for its implementation, including development of a nomenclature for the typical adverse events associated with these medications and a format for examining symptom severity. Data from the COMBINE SAFTEE include not only frequency of adverse events but also severity level and a composite index taking into account both the severity and duration of symptoms. Results: The COMBINE SAFTEE was incorporated into the Medical Management therapy and showed high fidelity with its utility, consistency of deliverability and flexibility in measuring adverse events in both the human laboratory and clinical trial settings using intervals that varied from daily to weekly use. Conclusions: Due to its high standardization level, the COMBINE SAFTEE could be incorporated into other brief compliance enhancement strategies in clinical studies to assess the efficacy of putative therapeutic drugs., MORE THAN 770,000 people are injured or die each year in hospitals from adverse drug events (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2001; Bates et al., 1995; Classen et al., [...]