The harmful effects of smoking on health have been widely documented, although it is as yet unclear whether tobacco dependence is only psychological in nature, or both psychological and physical. We studied plasma concentrations of beta -endorphin, cortisol, and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in healthy persons who consumed different numbers of cigarettes per day, and compared the findings with those in a control group of nonsmokers. Beta -endorphin levels were significantly higher than in controls only in persons who smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes per day. Cortisol levels were significantly higher in smokers who consumed more than 20 cigarettes per day. There were no significant differences between any of the groups in plasma ACTH concentrations. D
-REQUENA. Effect of acute alcohol intoxication on the opioidsystem in humans. ALCOHOL 12(6) 559-562, 1995. -We investigated the possible relation between the endogenous opioid system and acute alcoholic intoxication in 21 subjects, of whom 13 were drinkers who came to the emergency service with evident symptoms of drunkenness, and 8 were nondrinkers who consumed 1 g alcohol per kg body weight over a short period. Different patterns of changes were found in the two groups for plasma concentrations of /~-endorphin and adrenocorticotropic hormone. In drinkers, plasma levels of both substances increased, whereas in nondrinkers both concentrations decreased, the declines being especially notable 15, 30, and 45 min after ingestion. We found no differences between the two groups in plasma cortisol concentrations. The different levels of these substances may reflect differences in drinking behavior between the two groups.
RESUMENIntroducción: En los últimos años son numerosos los trabajos acerca de las posibles causas del alcoholismo, donde parece intervenir varios factores, siendo la herencia uno de los más implicados, aunque se han destacado otros, como factores ambientales, que contribuirían a aumentar o disminuir el riesgo individual para desarrollar una dependencia alcohó-lica.Método: Para intentar aclarar la posible influencia de la herencia en el alcoholismo, hemos estudiado los niveles de beta-endorfinas (β-E) en 25 familias de alcohólicos, en las cuales había 27 hijos con un padre alcohólico y 7 hijos con los dos, así como en dichos padres alcohólicos, y comparado los resultados con unos grupos control: uno de adultos no bebedores y otro de niños normales en familias de no-bebedores, con edades similares.Resultados: Se ha encontrado que los hijos de alcohólicos tienen unos niveles de β-E significativamente más bajos (p < 0,001) que los controles, y estos niveles eran aún más bajos en los hijos cuyos dos padres eran alcohólicos.Conclusión: Se concluye que la determinación de β-E podía tener un valor predictivo a la hora de determinar quién es más propenso a ser alcohólico en el futuro.
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