Alcohol Health & Research World articles from January 1997

Alcohol Health & Research World archives from January 1997

Exploring alcohol's effects on liver function.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... An association between liver disease and heavy alcohol consumption was recognized more than 200 years ago (Smart and Mann 1992). Long-term heavy alcohol use is the most prevalent single cause of illness and death from liver disease in the...

The liver - structure and function. (Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... The liver is the largest organ of the body, weighing 3.3 pounds. It occupies the upper right - and part of the left - section of the abdomen. Delicate fibrous tissue divides the liver into functional units called lobules, cylindrical structures...

Alcohol-related pancreatic damage: mechanisms and treatment.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... An association between alcohol abuse and pancreatic injury was reported as early as 1878 (Friedreich 1878). Alcoholic pancreatitis is a potentially fatal illness that may be short term (i.e., acute) or long term (i.e., chronic). The...

Alcohol and the cardiovascular system: molecular mechanisms for beneficial and harmful action.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... Alcoholic beverages have been used - and abused - since the dawn of history. Although most people who choose to drink can limit their intake to a level that produces no harm to their health or to society, about 34 percent of the population...

Alcohol's contribution to compromised immunity.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... The immune system serves as the body's defense against infections by microorganisms; damage caused by other foreign substances; and the uncontrolled, tumorous growth of the body's own cells. Impairment of this system can increase a person's...

Alcohol and susceptibility to tuberculosis.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent (Flynn and Bloom 1996). MYcobacterium tuberculosis, the agent responsible for TB, is transmitted when a person inhales microscopic airborne particles...

The hematological complications of alcoholism. (includes related article on alcohol's impact on iron metabolism)(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... People who abuse alcohol(1) are at risk for numerous alcohol-related medical complications, including those affecting the blood (i.e., the blood cells as well as proteins present in the blood plasma) and the bone marrow, where the blood cells...

Hematological markers of alcoholism.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... An important focus of alcohol research is the search for biological markers that could be used in simple screening tests to identify people who are at risk for alcoholism or who already are chronic heavy drinkers. Two categories of biological...

Blood development and composition.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... Blood vessels reach every organ and tissue in the body, indicating that the blood and the integrity of the blood vessels are essential to maintaining the body's health and functioning. The blood's most important functions include transporting...

The endocrine system: alcohol alters critical hormonal balance.
January 1, 1997... Along with the nervous system, the endocrine, or hormonal, system is the primary regulatory mechanism for virtually the entire human body. Hormones are chemical messengers that control and coordinate the function of tissues and organs. Each...

Impairments of brain and behavior: the neurological effects of alcohol.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... Alcohol consumption can damage the nervous system, including the brain. Consequently, alcoholics(1) and chronic heavy drinkers can suffer abnormalities in their mental functioning and changes in behaviors associated with brain impairment. The...

Alcohol's role in gastrointestinal tract disorders.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... Among the many organ systems that mediate alcohol's effects on the human body and its health, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract plays a particularly important part. Several processes underlie this role. First, the GI tract is the site of alcohol...

Alcohol absorption, metabolism, and production in the gastrointestinal tract.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... The excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages interferes with the normal function and structure of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The relationship between alcohol and the GI tract is a two-way street, however, and the GI tract plays a role...

Alcohol's impact on kidney function.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... A cell's function depends not only on receiving a continuous supply of nutrients and eliminating metabolic waste products but also on the existence of stable physical and chemical conditions in the extracellular fluid(1) bathing it. Among the...

Kidney structure and function.(Alcohol's Effect on Organ Function)
January 1, 1997... Cushioned in fatty tissue near the base of the spinal column, the kidneys are efficiently designed organs that perform two primary tasks in the body: excretion of metabolic end products and precise regulation of body fluid constituents. As they...