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Alcohol oxidases (Alcohol: O 2 Oxidoreductase; EC 1.1.3.x) are flavoenzymes that catalyze the oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds with a concomitant release of hydrogen peroxide. Based on substrate specificity, alcohol oxidases may be categorized broadly into four different groups namely, (a) short chain alcohol oxidase (SCAO), (b) long chain alcohol oxidase (LCAO), (c) aromatic alcohol oxidase (AAO), and (d) secondary alcohol oxidase (SAO). The sources reported for these enzymes are mostly limited to bacteria, yeast, fungi, plant, insect, and mollusks. However, the quantum of reports for each category of enzymes considerably varies across these sources. The enzymes belonging to SCAO and LCAO are intracellular in nature, whereas AAO and SAO are mostly secreted to the medium. SCAO and LCAO are invariably reported as multimeric proteins with very high holoenzyme molecular masses, but the molecular characteristics of these enzymes are yet to be clearly elucidated. One of the striking features of the alcohol oxidases that make them distinct from the widely known alcohol dehydrogenase is the avidly bound cofactor to the redox center of these enzymes that obviate the need to supplement cofactor during the catalytic reaction. These flavin-based redox enzymes have gained enormous importance in the development of various industrial processes and products primarily for developing biosensors and production of various industrially useful carbonyl compounds. The present review provides an overview on alcohol oxidases from different categories focusing research on these oxidases during the last decade along with their potential industrial applications.

Background Extended brief interventions (EBIs) are effective in targeting alcohol misuse in the general population. However, little is known of the effects of EBI in adults with intellectual (also known as learning) disabilities. In this feasibility trial we compared EBI with usual care for alcohol misuse in adults with mild to moderate Intellectual Disability (ID). Methods The study took place in three community ID networks of services in England. Participants aged 18–65 years with reported alcohol problems, a score ≥8 on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), and IQ <70 (+/5%CI) were recruited and were randomly allocated to either EBI (five weekly sessions and one follow-up at 8 weeks) and usual care or usual care alone. Research assistants were blind to arm allocation. Research assessments took place at baseline, 2 and 3 months. The primary outcome was reduction in alcohol consumption measured by the AUDIT. Preliminary health economic analysis was performed to investigate the costs of delivering EBI and the feasibility of a cost-effectiveness analysis in a full trial. The trial is closed. Results Participants were recruited from January 2014 to August 2015. Thirty individuals were randomised (15 in each arm) and provided primary outcome data. In regard to harmful drinking, at baseline, all the participants exceeded the relevant threshold. At 8 weeks, the proportion of participants with harmful drinking had decreased to 60% for both groups, and at 12 weeks it had decreased by 66°7% and 46°7% for the intervention and the control groups, respectively. The unit cost for the delivery of EBI is £430. Conclusions Recruitment to this trial has been proven challenging as prevalence of alcohol misuse in the targeted population was lower than anticipated. EBI may provide an effective low-intensity treatment for this population. Participants’ and carers’ feedback on their experience was overall positive. Further work needs to be undertaken to ascertain the group of participants that should be participating in a future definitive trial. Trial registration Psychological Intervention Alcohol Misuse Learning Disability; isrctn.com, identifier: ISRCTN58783633 . Registered on 17 December 2013.

Although structured psychological treatments are recommended as first-line interventions for harmful drinking, only a small fraction of people globally receive these treatments because of poor access in routine primary care. We assessed the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Counselling for Alcohol Problems (CAP), a brief psychological treatment delivered by lay counsellors to patients with harmful drinking attending routine primary health-care settings. In this randomised controlled trial, we recruited male harmful drinkers defined by an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score of 12–19 who were aged 18–65 years from ten primary health centres in Goa, India. We excluded patients who needed emergency medical treatment or inpatient admission, who were unable to communicate clearly, and who were intoxicated at the time of screening. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) by trained health assistants based at the primary health centres to enhanced usual care (EUC) alone or EUC combined with CAP, in randomly sized blocks of four to six, stratified by primary health centre, and allocation was concealed with use of sequential numbered opaque envelopes. Physicians providing EUC and those assessing outcomes were masked. Primary outcomes were remission (AUDIT score of <8) and mean daily alcohol consumed in the past 14 days, at 3 months. Secondary outcomes were the effect of drinking, disability score, days unable to work, suicide attempts, intimate partner violence, and resource use and costs of illness. Analyses were on an intention-to-treat basis. We used logistic regression analysis for remission and zero-inflated negative binomial regression analysis for alcohol consumption. We assessed serious adverse events in the per-protocol population. This trial is registered with the ISCRTN registry, number ISRCTN76465238. Between Oct 28, 2013, and July 29, 2015, we enrolled and randomly allocated 377 participants (188 [50%] to the EUC plus CAP group and 190 [50%] to the EUC alone group [one of whom was subsequently excluded because of a protocol violation]), of whom 336 (89%) completed the 3 month primary outcome assessment (164 [87%] in the EUC plus CAP group and 172 [91%] in the EUC alone group). The proportion with remission (59 [36%] of 164 in the EUC plus CAP group vs 44 [26%] of 172 in the EUC alone group; adjusted prevalence ratio 1·50 [95% CI 1·09–2·07]; p=0·01) and the proportion abstinent in the past 14 days (68 [42%] vs 31 [18%]; adjusted odds ratio 3·00 [1·76–5·13]; p<0·0001) were significantly higher in the EUC plus CAP group than in the EUC alone group, but we noted no effect on mean daily alcohol consumed in the past 14 days among those who reported drinking in this period (37·0 g [SD 44·2] vs 31·0 g [27·8]; count ratio 1·08 [0·79–1·49]; p=0·62). We noted an effect on the percentage of days abstinent in the past 14 days (adjusted mean difference [AMD] 16·0% [8·1–24·1]; p<0·0001), but no effect on the percentage of days of heavy drinking (AMD −0·4% [–5·7 to 4·9]; p=0·88), the effect of drinking (Short Inventory of Problems score AMD–0·03 [–1·93 to 1·86]; p=0.97), disability score (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule score AMD 0·62 [–0·62 to 1·87]; p=0·32), days unable to work (no days unable to work adjusted odds ratio 1·02 [0·61–1·69]; p=0.95), suicide attempts (adjusted prevalence ratio 1·8 [–2·4 to 6·0]; p=0·25), and intimate partner violence (adjusted prevalence ratio 3·0 [–10·4 to 4·4]; p=0·57). The incremental cost per additional remission was $217 (95% CI 50–1073), with an 85% chance of being cost-effective in the study setting. We noted no significant difference in the number of serious adverse events between the two groups (six [4%] in the EUC plus CAP group vs 13 [8%] in the EUC alone group; p=0·11). CAP delivered by lay counsellors plus EUC was better than EUC alone was for harmful drinkers in routine primary health-care settings, and might be cost-effective. CAP could be a key strategy to reduce the treatment gap for alcohol use disorders, one of the leading causes of the global burden among men worldwide. Wellcome Trust.

BackgroundAn increased prevalence of risky alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm has been reported for members of sporting groups and at sporting venues compared with non-sporting populations. While sports clubs and venues represent opportune settings to implement strategies to reduce such risks, no controlled trials have been reported. The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of an alcohol management intervention in reducing risky alcohol consumption and the risk of alcohol-related harm among community football club members.MethodA cluster randomised controlled trial of an alcohol management intervention was undertaken with non-elite, community football clubs and their members in New South Wales, Australia. Risky alcohol consumption (5+ drinks) at the club and risk of alcohol-related harm using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were measured at baseline and postintervention.ResultsEighty-eight clubs participated in the trial (n=43, Intervention; n=45, Control) and separate cross-sectional samples of club members completed the baseline (N=1411) and postintervention (N=1143) surveys. Postintervention, a significantly lower proportion of intervention club members reported: risky alcohol consumption at the club (Intervention: 19%; Control: 24%; OR: 0.63 (95% CI 0.40 to 1.00); p=0.05); risk of alcohol-related harm (Intervention: 38%; Control: 45%; OR: 0.58 (95% CI 0.38 to 0.87); p<0.01); alcohol consumption risk (Intervention: 47%; Control: 55%; OR: 0.60 (95% CI 0.41 to 0.87); p<0.01) and possible alcohol dependence (Intervention: 1%; Control: 4%; OR: 0.20 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.65); p<0.01).ConclusionsWith large numbers of people worldwide playing, watching and sports officiating, enhancing club-based alcohol management interventions could make a substantial contribution to reducing the burden of alcohol misuse in communities.Trial registration numberACTRN12609000224224.

We report an efficient and selective methodology for the direct cross-coupling of alcohols with N-nucleophiles mediated by N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) as the non-metal, commercially available, low-cost, and most effective precatalyst among the N-halosuccinimides (NXSs) under mild reaction conditions enhancing the green chemical profiles of these reactions. The scale-up procedure was accomplished with almost quantitative yield, verifying the presented method’s synthetic applicability and potential for industrial application.

We characterise a reversible bacterial zinc-containing benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase (BaDH) accepting either NAD + or NADP + as a redox cofactor. Remarkably, its redox cofactor specificity is pH-dependent with the phosphorylated cofactors favored at lower and the dephospho-forms at higher pH. BaDH also shows different steady-state kinetic behavior with the two cofactor forms. From a structural model, the pH-dependent shift may affect the charge of a histidine in the 2′-phosphate-binding pocket of the redox cofactor binding site. The enzyme is phylogenetically affiliated to a new subbranch of the Zn-containing alcohol dehydrogenases, which share this conserved residue. BaDH appears to have some specificity for its substrate, but also turns over many substituted benzyl alcohol and benzaldehyde variants, as well as compounds containing a conjugated C=C double bond with the aldehyde carbonyl group. However, compounds with an sp 3 -hybridised C next to the alcohol/aldehyde group are not or only weakly turned over. The enzyme appears to contain a Zn in its catalytic site and a mixture of Zn and Fe in its structural metal-binding site. Moreover, we demonstrate the use of BaDH in an enzyme cascade reaction with an acid-reducing tungsten enzyme to reduce benzoate to benzyl alcohol. Key points •Zn-containing BaDH has activity with either NAD + or NADP + at different pH optima. •BaDH converts a broad range of substrates. •BaDH is used in a cascade reaction for the reduction of benzoate to benzyl alcohol.

Alcohol consumption and alcohol-attributable burden of disease in Africa are expected to rise in the near future, yet. increasing alcohol-related harm receives little attention from policymakers and from the population in general. Even where new legislation is proposed it is rarely enacted into law. Being at the center of social and cultural activities in many countries, alcohol’s negative role in society and contribution to countries’ burden of disease are rarely questioned. After the momentum created by the adoption in 2010 of the WHO Global Strategy and the WHO Regional Strategy (for Africa) to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, and the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, in 2013, little seems to have been done to address the increasing use of alcohol, its associated burden and the new challenges that derive from the growing influence of the alcohol industry in Africa. In this review, we argue that to have a positive impact on the health of African populations, action addressing specific features of alcohol policy in the continent is needed, namely focusing on particularities linked to alcohol availability, like unrecorded and illicit production, outlet licensing, the expansion of formal production, marketing initiatives and taxation policies.

There are a range of wearable transdermal alcohol sensors that are available and are being developed. These devices have the potential to monitor alcohol consumption continuously over extended periods in an objective manner, overcoming some of the limitations of other alcohol measurement methods (blood, breath, and urine). The objective of our systematic review was to assess wearable transdermal alcohol sensor accuracy. A systematic search of the CINAHL, Embase, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus bibliographic databases was conducted in February 2021. In total, 2 team members (EB and SH) independently screened studies for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. The methodological quality of each study was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The primary outcome was transdermal alcohol sensor accuracy. The data were presented as a narrative synthesis. We identified and analyzed 32 studies. Study designs included laboratory, ambulatory, and mixed designs, as well as randomized controlled trials; the length of time for which the device was worn ranged from days to weeks; and the analyzed sample sizes ranged from 1 to 250. The results for transdermal alcohol concentration data from various transdermal alcohol sensors were generally found to positively correlate with breath alcohol concentration, blood alcohol concentration, and self-report (moderate to large correlations). However, there were some discrepancies between study reports; for example, WrisTAS sensitivity ranged from 24% to 85.6%, and specificity ranged from 67.5% to 92.94%. Higher malfunctions were reported with the BACtrack prototype (16%-38%) and WrisTAS (8%) than with SCRAM (2%); however, the former devices also reported a reduced time lag for peak transdermal alcohol concentration values when compared with SCRAM. It was also found that many companies were developing new models of wearable transdermal alcohol sensors. As shown, there is a lack of consistency in the studies on wearable transdermal alcohol sensor accuracy regarding study procedures and analyses of findings, thus making it difficult to draw direct comparisons between them. This needs to be considered in future research, and there needs to be an increase in studies directly comparing different transdermal alcohol sensors. There is also a lack of research investigating the accuracy of transdermal alcohol sensors as a tool for monitoring alcohol consumption in clinical populations and use over extended periods. Although there is some preliminary evidence suggesting the accuracy of these devices, this needs to be further investigated in clinical populations. PROSPERO CRD42021231027; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=231027.

Abstract Introduction People with later circadian timing tend to consume more alcohol, potentially due to altered rhythms in when and how much they crave alcohol throughout the day. However, whether circadian factors play a role in alcohol craving has received scant attention. Here, we investigated if the daily rhythm of alcohol craving varied by circadian timing in two independent studies of late adolescent and young adult drinkers. Methods In Study 1, 32 participants (18–22 years of age; 61% female; 69% White) completed momentary reports of alcohol craving five times a day for 14 days. Participants wore wrist actigraphs and completed two in-lab assessments of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). Average actigraphically-assessed midpoint of sleep on weekends and average DLMO were used as indicators of circadian timing. In Study 2, 231 participants (21–35 years of age; 28% female; 71% White) completed momentary reports of alcohol craving six times a day for 10 days. Average midpoint of self-reported time-in-bed on weekends was used to estimate circadian timing. Results Multilevel cosinor analysis revealed a 24-hour daily rhythm in alcohol craving which was moderated by circadian timing in both studies (p’s<0.05). In both Study 1 and 2, people with later circadian timing had a later timed peak of craving. In Study 1, but not Study 2, later circadian timing predicted a blunted amplitude in craving. Conclusion Findings support a daily rhythm in craving that varies by individual differences in circadian timing. Because craving is an important predictor of future alcohol use, the findings implicate circadian factors as a useful area to advance alcohol research and potentially improve interventions. Support R21AA023209; R01DA044143; K01AA021135; ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research.

Background Alcohol consumption may induce multiple disorders, and decreased alcohol consumption has been proved to be effective to reduce the incidence of alcohol-associated diseases and mortality. Pharmacotherapy is the most common option for the management of alcohol problems; however, it suffers from multiple problems. Non-pharmaceutical interventions are therefore of urgent need to change alcohol intake among alcohol users. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), which encodes the ALDH2 gene, is an important enzyme in ethanol metabolism. Previous studies have demonstrated that individuals harboring ALDH2 gene mutations are more likely to present discomfort symptoms and are more susceptible to multiple cancers. It is hypothesized that ALDH2 gene testing may reduce alcohol consumption and the incidence of alcohol-associated disorders among unhealthy alcohol users. Methods A single-center, open-label, randomized, controlled clinical trial was designed, aiming to recruit 940 unhealthy alcohol users at ages of 18 to 60 years. All participants are randomized into the interventional and control groups, and both groups are given alcohol consumption health education. In addition, blood samples are collected from participants in the interventional group for ALDH2 gene testing, with testing reports issued, while ALDH2 gene testing is not performed in the control group. Changes in alcohol intake, hazardous drinking days, and alcohol-associated adverse events are recorded prior to and post-interventions. The primary outcome is alcohol intake, and the secondary outcomes are hazardous drinking days and alcohol-associated adverse events. Discussion This trial will provide strong evidence regarding the impact of ALDH2 gene testing on alcohol use behaviors. Trial registration The study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registration no. ChiCTR2400087726) on 2 August 2024.