scholarly journals Serum iron, Magnesium, Copper, and Manganese Levels in Alcoholism: A Systematic Review

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cezary Grochowski ◽  
Eliza Blicharska ◽  
Jacek Baj ◽  
Aleksandra Mierzwińska ◽  
Karolina Brzozowska ◽  
...  

The aim of this paper was to review recent literature (from 2000 onwards) and summarize the newest findings on fluctuations in the concentration of some essential macro- and microelements in those patients with a history of chronic alcohol abuse. The focus was mainly on four elements which the authors found of particular interest: Iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese. After independently reviewing over 50 articles, the results were consistent with regard to iron and magnesium. On the other hand, data were limited, and in some cases contradictory, as far as copper and manganese were concerned. Iron overload and magnesium deficiency are two common results of an excessive and prolonged consumption of alcohol. An increase in the levels of iron can be seen both in the serum and within the cells, hepatocytes in particular. This is due to a number of factors: Increased ferritin levels, lower hepcidin levels, as well as some fluctuations in the concentration of the TfR receptor for transferrin, among others. Hypomagnesemia is universally observed among those suffering from alcoholism. Again, the causes for this are numerous and include malnutrition, drug abuse, respiratory alkalosis, and gastrointestinal problems, apart from the direct influence of excessive alcohol intake. Unfortunately, studies regarding the levels of both copper and manganese in the case of (alcoholic) liver disease are scarce and often contradictory. Still, the authors have attempted to summarize and give a thorough insight into the literature available, bearing in mind the difficulties involved in the studies. Frequent comorbidities and mutual relationships between the elements in question are just some of the complications in the study of this topic.

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1S) ◽  
pp. 91-92
Author(s):  
A S Kudriavova ◽  
V Meskenaite ◽  
V I Mikhailov ◽  
M Schesny ◽  
E A Korneva ◽  
...  

The hypothalamic orexin system is critically involved in addiction, including chronic alcohol abuse. Microinjection of orexin into the lateral hypothalamus increases alcohol intake in rats, while reduced immunoreactivity of orexin neurons is associated with decreased alcohol drinking. Recently, the numbers of orexin neurons were found to be increased in opiate addiction in humans [4] and cocaine addiction in rats [2], but the integrity of orexin neurons has not yet been studied in human alcoholics. We examined the hypothalamus of 9 patients of chronic alcoholism and 10 subjects without a history of alcoholism or any other neurological or psychiatric disorder. We performed immunohistochemistry for orexin A, followed by stereological quantification. The hypothalamic tissue of chronic alcoholics exhibited a slightly increased number (9%) of orexin-containing neurons compared to the control group (123’087 ± 18’536 and 110’431 ± 14’439, p = 0.11). Mean Gundersen’s coefficient of error was 0.06 ± 0.01. The number of orexin neurons was similar in chronic alcoholics and control subjects without a history of alcoholism. Further examination of alcohol-induced hypothalamic damage is needed to understand, whether a neuroplastic increase in orexin neurons counterbalances a concurrent alcohol-toxic damage to these neurons.


1995 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. A1049
Author(s):  
L. Chone ◽  
JP Bronowicki ◽  
P Renkes ◽  
K Dron ◽  
B Denis ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Elisabete Pereira Coelho ◽  
Ana Rita Matos ◽  
Sofia Caridade

A woman in her early 40s, with a history of excessive alcohol intake, presented with purpuric, ulcerative lesions on the lower limbs. On examination, hirsutism and generalized stiffening and thickening of the skin were noted. Laboratory investigations revealed hyperbilirubinemia, hypergammaglobulinemia and positive anti-smooth muscle antibodies. Histologic examination of the skin was compatible with scleroderma. Histologic examination of the liver was suggestive of autoimmune and alcoholic hepatitis.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Linsenbardt ◽  
Nicholas M. Timme ◽  
Christopher C. Lapish

The prefrontal cortex plays a central role in guiding decision-making, and its function is altered by alcohol use and an individual’s innate risk for excessive alcohol drinking. The primary goal of this work was to determine how neural activity in the prefrontal cortex guides the decision to drink. Towards this goal, the within-session changes in neural activity were measured from medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats performing a drinking procedure that allowed them to consume or abstain from alcohol in a self-paced manner. Recordings were obtained from rats that either lacked or expressed an innate risk for excessive alcohol intake - Wistar or Alcohol Preferring ‘P’ rats, respectively. Wistar rats exhibited patterns of neural activity consistent with the intention to drink or abstain from drinking, whereas these patterns were blunted or absent in P rats. Collectively, these data indicate that neural activity patterns in mPFC associated with the intention to drink alcohol are influenced by innate risk for excessive alcohol drinking. This observation may indicate a lack of control over the decision to drink by this otherwise well-validated supervisory brain region.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 14-20
Author(s):  
Ms. Cheryl Antonette Dumenil ◽  
Dr. Cheryl Davis

North- East India is an under veiled region with an awe-inspiring landscape, different groups of ethnic people, their culture and heritage. Contemporary writers from this region aspire towards a vision outside the tapered ethnic channel, and they represent a shared history. In their writings, the cultural memory is showcased, and the intensity of feeling overflows the labour of technique and craft. Mamang Dai presents a rare glimpse into the ecology, culture, life of the tribal people and history of the land of the dawn-lit mountains, Arunachal Pradesh, through her novel The Legends of Pensam. The word ‘Pensam’ in the title means ‘in-between’,  but it may also be interpreted as ‘the hidden spaces of the heart’. This is a small world where anything can happen. Being adherents of the animistic faith, the tribes here believe in co-existence with the natural world along with the presence of spirits in their forests and rivers. This paper attempts to draw an insight into the culture and gender of the Arunachalis with special reference to The Legends of Pensam by Mamang Dai.


2018 ◽  
pp. 306-312
Author(s):  
Veniamin F. Zima ◽  

The reviewed work is devoted to a significant, and yet little-studied in both national and foreign scholarship, issue of the clergy interactions with German occupational authorities on the territory of the USSR in the days of the Great Patriotic War. It introduces into scientific use historically significant complex of documents (1941-1945) from the archive of the Office of the Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky) of Vilnius and Lithuania, patriarchal exarch in Latvia and Estonia, and also records from the investigatory records on charges against clergy and employees concerned in the activities of the Pskov Orthodox Mission (1944-1990). Documents included in the publication are stored in the archives of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Estonia, Lithuania, Leningrad, Novgorod, and Pskov regions. They allow some insight into nature, forms, and methods of the Nazi occupational regime policies in the conquered territories (including policies towards the Church). The documents capture religious policies of the Nazis and inner life of the exarchate, describe actual situation of population and clergy, management activities and counterinsurgency on the occupied territories. The documents bring to light connections between the exarchate and German counterintelligence and reveal the nature of political police work with informants. They capture the political mood of population and prisoners of war. There is information on participants of partisan movement and underground resistance, on communication net between the patriarchal exarchate in the Baltic states and the German counterintelligence. Reports and dispatches of the clergy in the pay of the Nazis addressed to the Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky) contain detailed activity reports. Investigatory records contain important biographical information and personal data on the collaborators. Most of the documents, being classified, have never been published before.


Author(s):  
Matthew Suriano

The history of the Judahite bench tomb provides important insight into the meaning of mortuary practices, and by extension, death in the Hebrew Bible. The bench tomb appeared in Judah during Iron Age II. Although it included certain burial features that appear earlier in the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, such as burial benches, and the use of caves for extramural burials, the Judahite bench tomb uniquely incorporated these features into a specific plan that emulated domestic structures and facilitated multigenerational burials. During the seventh century, and continuing into the sixth, the bench tombs become popular in Jerusalem. The history of this type of burial shows a gradual development of cultural practices that were meant to control death and contain the dead. It is possible to observe within these cultural practices the tomb as a means of constructing identity for both the dead and the living.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document