• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.1023-1029
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• 2014

Background: The purpose of our study was to elucidate the joint effects of combined smoking and alcohol intake on esophageal cancer mortality in Japanese men through a large cohort study with a 20-year follow-up period. Materials and Methods: The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk (JACC Study) was established in the late 1980s, including 46,395 men and 64,190 women aged 40 years and older and younger than 80. Follow-up of these participants was conducted until 2009. We used the Cox proportional hazards model to analyze data for 42,408 people excluding female participants, 411 people with histories of malignant neoplasms, and 3,576 with unclear smoking and drinking data. Results: The joint effects of age at start of smoking and amount of alcohol consumed per day were compared with non-smokers and non-drinkers or those consuming less than one unit of alcohol per day. The mortality risk was 9.33 (95% confidence interval, 2.55-34.2) for those who started smoking between ages 10 and 19 years and drinking at least three units of alcohol per day. Regarding the joint effects of cumulative amount of smoking and alcohol intake, the risk was high when both smoking and alcohol intake were above a certain level. Conclusions: In this Japanese cohort study, increased cancer mortality risks were observed, especially for people who both started smoking early and drank alcohol. Quitting smoking or not starting to smoke at any age and reducing alcohol consumption are important for preventing esophageal cancer in Japan.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.2 s.70
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• pp.166-184
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• 2007

Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Daegeum-eumja, Igwi-tang, and Sihosogan-san on gastric mucosal lesions induced by alcohol, indomethacin, and burn-stress in mice. Methods : Experimental mice were divided into six groups. The normal group (NOR) did not receive any treatment to elicit gastropathy. In the control group (GE), gastropathy was elicited by alcohol, indomethacin, and stress. In the misoprostol group (MS), misoprostol was administered after gastropathy was elicited by alcohol, indomethacin, and stress. In the Daegeum-eumja group (DG), Daegeum-eumja was administered after gastropathy was elicited by alcohol, indomethacin, and stress. In the Igwi-tang group (IW), Igwi-tang was administered after gastropathy was elicited by alcohol, indomethacin, and stress. In the Sihosogan-san group (SH), Sihosogan-san was administered after gastropathy waselicited by alcohol, indomethacin, and stress. The effects on gastric mucosal lesions were evaluated by the morphological change of gastric mucosa, the anti-oxidant effect, HSP 70, $NF-{\kappa}B$ p65, $I{\kappa}B$, COX-1, PNA, BrdU, and iNOS. Results : Hemorrhage erosion, HSP70, and $NF-{\kappa}B$ in the DG, IW and SH groups decreased more than that of the control. The $I{\kappa}B$, COX-1, PNA, BrdU, and iNOS in the DG, IW, and SH groups increased more than that of the control. DG showed the most effect against gastric mucosal lesions induced by alcohol; IW against gastric mucosal lesions induced by indomethacin; and SH against gastric mucosal lesions induced by burn-stress. Conclusions: Daegeum-eumja, Igwi-tang, and Sihosogan-san extracts have excellent effects on gastric mucosal lesions induced by alcohol, indomethacin, and burn-stress, respectively.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2015

The purpose of the present review is to give an overview of the association between alcohol intake and the risk of developing cancer. Two large-scale expert reports; the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) report from 2007, including its continuous update project, and the International Agency for Research of Cancer (IARC) monograph from 2012 have extensively reviewed this association in the last decade. We summarize and compare their findings, as well as relate these to the public health impact, with a particular focus on region-specific drinking patterns and disease tendencies. Our findings show that alcohol intake is strongly linked to the risk of developing cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, colorectum (in men), and female breast. The two expert reports diverge on the evidence for an association with liver cancer and colorectal cancer in women, which the IARC grades as convincing, but the WCRF/AICR as probable. Despite these discrepancies, there does, however, not seem to be any doubt, that the Population Attributable Fraction of alcohol in relation to cancer is large. As alcohol intake varies largely worldwide, so does, however, also the Population Attributable Fractions, ranging from 10% in Europe to almost 0% in countries where alcohol use is banned. Given the World Health Organization's prediction, that alcohol intake is increasing, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and steadily high in high-income countries, the need for preventive efforts to curb the number of alcohol-related cancers seems growing, as well as the need for taking a region- and gender-specific approach in both future campaigns as well as future research. The review acknowledges the potential beneficial effects of small doses of alcohol in relation to ischaemic heart disease, but a discussion of this lies without the scope of the present study.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.5-8
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• 2003

Alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking have been on the rise worldwide and it has been reported that alcohol and nicotine influence serotonergic neuronal activity in the dorsal raphe. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders. In the present study, the effects of alcohol and nicotine on the synthesis of 5-HT and the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate limiting enzyme of 5-HT synthesis, in the dorsal and median raphe of young rats were investigated via immunohistochemistry. The numbers of the 5-HT-positive and TPH-positive cells in raphe nuclei were reduced by alcohol and nicotine treatment, and these numbers were reduced more potently by co-administration of alcohol and nicotine. Based on the results, it can be suggested that the pathogenesis of alcohol- and nicotine-induced neuropsychological disorders involves alcohol- and nicotine-induced suppression of 5-HT synthesis and TPH expression in raphe, and that this may be of particular relevance in the consumption of alcohol and nicotine during adolescence.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.317-326
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• 2008

This study was performed to investigate the effects of alcohol drinking frequency and foods consumed along with alcohol on anthropometry, serum lipid levels, and blood pressures in 73 male type 2 diabetic patients aged 30-59 years old. Dietary data for usual intake were obtained from the subjects by the 3-day food records. Separate data for foods consumed along with alcohol as accompaniment were collected and analyzed for energy and nutrient intakes. Both alcohol drinking frequency and/or the amount of energy consumed from accompaniment influenced clinical data as well as anthropometric measurements. The serum total- and HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride levels and systolic blood pressure were significantly higher in the group with a drinking frequency of ${\geq}$ 2/week than that of ${\leq}$ 1/week and also in the group whose daily energy intake from accompaniment was greater than the median (106.6 kcal/d) than that below the median. When the data were adjusted for age, amount of energy intake from alcohol and diet, the anothropometric measurements such as body weight, BMI, waist circumference were significantly higher in patients whose energy intake from accompaniment was greater than the median than that below the median. The results of our study suggest that both alcohol drinking frequency and the energy intake from foods consumed along with alcohol as accompanements are important contributing factors to clinical and anthropometric parameters whose associations with the cardiovascular complications are well established in patients with diabetes mellitus.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.117-125
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• 2009

The present study examined the import routes of distilled rice liquor soju and how soju developed among the royal family and the upper classes using celadon inscribed with poetry related to alcohol beverages in the 12th century, Maebyeong style vases inscribed with government office name in charge of alcohol beverages of the royal family in the 14th century during the Koryo Dynasty. Distilled rice liquor was imported from the southwestern region to Koryo by Arabian merchants through direct and indirect routes in the Yuen Dynasty during the age of King Chungsuk and King Chunghye in around the 14th century. As soju was added to existing takju and cheongju, the three major types of alcohol beverages were completed during the late Koryo Dynasty. Celadon pitcher inscribed with poetry shows the delicate sentimentalism, aristocratic prosperity, and poetic sentiment. In particular, it is valuable in that it reflects Koryo people's mind, view of nature, and attitude toward alcohol beverages, and their inner world was also described with celadon patterns. Maebyeong style vases Yangonseo, Saonseo, Deokcheongo, Euiseonggo and Saseonseo, which are real celadon antiques inscribed with government office name, were used for rice liquor preservation. In particular, Maebyeong style vase has the exact year of creation, so it is a historically important celadon in research not only on alcohol food culture but also on art history. This shows that alcohol beverages were important foods that there were controlled and stored in celadon by the government offices for the royal family's related alcohol ceremonies. Through celadon inscribed with poetry and government office name displaying Koryo people's unique imagination and cultural consciousness, we can read their mind and lifestyle based on historical and social alcohol food culture in the Koryo Dynasty.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1113-1127
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Excessive alcohol consumption has harmful health effects, including alcohol hangovers and alcohol-related liver disease. Therefore, methods to accelerate the alcohol metabolism are needed. Laurus nobilis is a spice, flavoring agent, and traditional herbal medicine against various diseases. This study examined whether the standardized aqueous extract of L. nobilis leaves (LN) accelerates the alcohol metabolism and protects against liver damage in single-ethanol binge Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: LN was administered orally to SD rats 1 h before ethanol administration (3 g/kg body weight [BW]) at 100 and 300 mg/kg BW. Blood samples were collected 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 h after ethanol administration. The livers were excised 1 h after ethanol administration to determine the hepatic enzyme activity. The alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities in the liver tissue were measured. RESULTS: LN decreased the serum ethanol and acetaldehyde levels in ethanol-administered rats. LN increased the hepatic ADH and ALDH activities but decreased the alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase activities in the ethanol-administered rats. In addition, LN inhibited lipid peroxidation and increased the activities of SOD and GPx. CONCLUSIONS: LN modulates the mediators of various etiological effects of excessive alcohol consumption and enhances the alcohol metabolism and antioxidant activity, making it a potential candidate for hangover treatments.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.196-206
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• 2005

Objectives:The purpose of this study is to evaluate the pathophysiology of alcoholics by investigating the differences in frequency of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2(ALDH2) genotypes and ALDH2 alleles between patients with alcohol dependence and controls, and the differences of drinking and personality traits in Korean male alcoholics with ALDH2 genotype variances. Methods:The authors selected 98 patients with alcohol dependence and 53 controls. Self-report questionnaires for acute reponses after alcohol ingestion, the AUI(Alcohol Use Inventory), and the NEO-PI-R(NEO Personality Inventory Revised) were given to all patients with alcohol dependence. ALDH2 genotypes were typed with MboII RFLP(Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) method in 53 controls and 98 patients with alcohol dependence. The authors divided alcoholic patients into two groups according to the presence of variant $ALDH2^2$ allele;normal ALDH2 alcoholics(N=87) and variant ALDH2 alcoholics(N=11). Results:1) The genotypic frequencies of subjects with $ALDH2^{1/1}$ were higher and those with $ALDH2^{1/2}$ and $ALDH2^{2/2}$ were lower in patients than in controls. 2) Alcohol dependence could be found in $ALDH2^{2/2}$ homozygote individuals. 3) Variant ALDH2 alcoholics had more family problems in the AUI than normal ALDH2 alcoholics. 4) Variant ALDH2 alcoholics experienced more flushing and cardiovascular responses after alcohol ingestion than normal ALDH2 alcoholics. 5) Variant ALDH2 alcoholics had less altruistic personality traits in the NEO-PI-R than normal ALDH2 alcoholics. 6) Variant ALDH2 alcoholics tended to have more tolerance to alcohol than normal ALDH2 alcoholics. Conclusion:Variant $ALDH2^2$ allele might play a protective role in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence and there were several significant differences of drinking and personality traits in Korean male alcoholics with ALDH2 genotype variances.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1342-1347
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• 2008

The purpose of present study was to investigate the protective effect of silkworm excrement powder (SEP) on alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Semisynthetic diet supplemented with SEP (3%, w/w) given to alcohol-feeding rats for 30 days, then blood and tissues were collected, processed and used for alcohol concentration mensuration, various biochemical estimations and histopathological examination. Chronic alcohol administration resulted in significantly increase in the activities of the clinically important liver marker enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), $\gamma$-glutamyl transpeptidase ($\gamma$-GTP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Also, a highly significant increase in the blood alcohol level by alcohol treatment was observed. But alcohol-induced elevation of ALT and LDH levels markedly prevented and the level of blood alcohol decreased in SEP treated rats as compared to alcohol-administered control rats. SEP supplementation showed highly decreased the concentrations of total lipid, triglyceride and cholesterol in serum, as compared with alcohol treated control rats. Alcohol treatment induced the marked accumulation of large lipid droplets, hepatocytes necrosis and inflammation in the liver, but SEP administration attenuated to alcohol-induced accumulation of lipid droplets and hepatocyte necrosis. The results indicated that SEP may exert a protective effect against alcoholic hepatotoxicity through decreasing the activity of hepatic marker enzymes.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.167-179
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• 2010

Objective : The present study has been undertaken to investigate the preventive effects of Daekumeumja on fatty degeneration of liver and immunosuppression induced by alcohol in rats. Method : Except for the normal group, we fed rat on 25% alcohol for 55 days. And Daekumeumja(DK) extract was administrated for the same period. We measured the serum component in rat's blood, weight of internal organs, liver triglyceride contents, histomorphometry and histopathological observation of internal organs. Results : 1. In the change measurement of serum components, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant decrease of AST, ALT, albumin, ALP and triglyceride in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. 2. In the change measurement of internal organ's weight, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant increase of relative body weights of liver, thymus and spleen in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. 3. DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant decrease of hepatic triglyceride contents in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. 4. In histomorphometrical changes of liver, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant decrease of numbers of hepatocytes occupied by over 10% lipid droplets, percentages of regions occupied by lipid droplets and mean diameters of hepatocytes in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. In histomorphometrical changes of thymus, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant increase of lobular thickness and cortex thickness in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. In histomorphometrical changes of spleen, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant increase of splenic thicknesses, numbers of white pulps and mean diameters of white pulps in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. 5. In histopathological changes of liver, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed effective inhibition of severe fatty changes in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. In histopathological changes of thymus and spleen, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed effective inhibition of atrophic changes in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. Conclusions : Reviewing these experimental results, it appears that Daekumeumja have pharmaceutical preventive efficacy on fatty degeneration of liver and immunosuppression induced by alcohol in rats.