The medical complications of alcohol use: understanding mechanisms to improve management

The use of alcohol in a dependent or even a regular heavy pattern predisposes the drinker to a range of adverse consequences. These include a risk of direct harm from alcohol, including organ damage, mental health disorders and a range of social and legal problems associated with behaviours due to alcohol's effects. The range of organ damage associated with regular heavy alcohol consumption is well described. Much new information on the mechanisms by which damage occurs is available and is reviewed in this paper. New knowledge can assist in the development of more appropriate management strategies for those affected by the medical complications of alcohol use. Genetic susceptibility to tissue injury is explored and the reasons why many heavy drinkers do not appear to experience organ damage are considered. Approaches to the management of certain alcohol-related disorders are outlined

The Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth): design, objectives, and procedures

PURPOSE: This paper describes the design and methodology of the SOL Youth study, a multicenter study of Hispanic/Latino children living in the US. METHODS: Participants are children aged 8–16 years whose parents/legal guardians participated in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a large community-based cohort study of Hispanic/Latino adults living in the US. RESULTS: Between 2012 and 2014, 1600 children recruited from 4 field centers (Bronx, Chicago, Miami and San Diego) will undergo a 3.5 hour examination to collect biospecimens, obtain anthropometric measures, blood pressure, fitness level, dietary intake, and physical activity. Psychosocial and environmental characteristics are assessed by questionnaire. Primary study aims are to examine associations of youth’s lifestyle behaviors and cardiometabolic risk factors with (1) youth’s acculturation and parent-child differences in acculturation; (2) parenting strategies, family behaviors, and parental health behaviors; and (3) youth’s psychosocial functioning. CONCLUSIONS: SOL Youth will determine the prevalence and distribution of obesity-promoting lifestyle behaviors, cardiometabolic risk profiles and novel biomarkers associated with obesity and insulin resistance. This paper describes the study methodology and considers advantages and limitations of embedding a cohort of children within a well characterized cohort of adults