No abstract

Qualitative studies of alcohol's ritual influences indicate that college undergraduates who drink heavily tend to view alcohol use as integral to the student role and feel entitled to drink irresponsibly. Our analyses, based on a standardized measure of these beliefs administered to approximately 300 students, confirmed these findings. Among our sample, beliefs about alcohol and the college experience had an effect on levels of alcohol consumption similar in magnitude to that of other variables commonly associated with a risk for heavy drinking. Moreover, the alcohol beliefs index moderated the effects of three risk factors--gender, high school drinking, and friends' use of alcohol--on respondents' drinking behaviors. These findings are discussed within the context of the anthropological literature on liminality and rites of passage and with regard to strategies for intervention that address the structural roots of the widespread abuse of alcohol on college campuses.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a leading cause of acute tubular necrosis and delayed graft function in transplanted organs. Upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) propagates the micro-inflammatory response that drives IRI. This study sought to determine the specific effects of Marimastat (Vernalis, BB-2516), a broad spectrum MMP and tumor necrosis factor-α-converting enzyme inhibitor, on IRI-induced acute tubular necrosis. Mice were pre-treated with Marimastat or methylcellulose vehicle for 4 days prior to surgery. Renal pedicles were bilaterally occluded for 30 minutes and allowed to reperfuse for 24 hours. Baseline creatinine levels were consistent between experimental groups; however, post-IRI creatinine levels were four-fold higher in control mice (P<0.0001). The mean difference between the post-IRI histology grades of Marimastat-treated and control kidneys was 1.57 (P=0.003), demonstrating more severe damage to control kidneys. Post-IRI mean (±SEM) MMP-2 activity rose from baseline levels in control mice (3.62±0.99); however, pretreated mice presented only a slight increase in mean MMP-2 activity (1.57±0.72) (P<0.001). In conclusion, these data demonstrate that MMP inhibition is associated with a reduction of IRI in a murine model.

!Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988, the authors assess the extent to which adolescents' levels of parental attachment and opportunities for participating in delinquent activities mediate the family structure-substance use relationship. A series of hierarchical regressions supported the hypotheses that high levels of substance use among adolescents residing with stepfamilies would be explained by low parental attachment, whereas heightened opportunities for participating in deviant activities would account for the substance use behaviors of individuals living in single-parent households. More generally, the findings suggest that family structure has a moderate effect on youth substance use; that parental and peer relations are better predictors than family structure of levels of alcohol and marijuana consumption; and that variations in parental attachment, parenting style, and peer relations across family types explain some, but not all, of the effects of family structure on adolescents' substance use behaviors. ! !During the past quarter century, there has been a substantial shift in the structure of the family within this country. In 1970, almost 90% of children resided with either both biological or adoptive parents (Fields & Casper, 2001). Thirty years later, only 64% of children resided in such households (National Survey of America's Families, 2002), with an increasing number of children living in single-parent and stepfamilies (Cherlin & Furstenberg, 1994;Fields & Casper, 2001). Individuals emphasizing the importance of the traditional family as an agent of socialization have cited these changes in family organization as a source of a variety of negative outcomes, including the use of alcohol and other drugs, among today's youth (Clayton, 1992). !Adolescents living in single-parent and stepfamilies report higher levels of substance use than children who reside with both biological parents (Flewelling & Bauman, 1990;Hoffmann, 1995Hoffmann, , 2002Hoffmann & Johnson, 1998;Kierkus & Baer, 2002;Needle, Su, & Doherty, 1990;Stern, Northman, & Van Slyck, 1984), especially when the loss of a custodial parent is recent (Gil, Vega, & Biafora, 1998;Kurdek, Blisk, & Siesky, 1981). It is, however, yet to be determined how particular family forms, and marital disruption more generally, enhance adolescents' risks for the use of alcohol and other drugs (Demo & Acock, 1988;Hoffmann, 1995;Kierkus & Baer, 2002). Interestingly, neither decreased economic resources nor increased residential mobility, two factors frequently associated with marital disruption, account for substantial amounts of the variability in these behaviors across family types (Acock & Kiecolt, 1989;Amato & Keith, 1991;Hoffmann & Johnson, 1998).Differences in patterns of parent-child interaction across family forms may provide a better explanation for the higher levels of substance use found among adolescents residing with singleparent and stepfamilies. From a social control perspective, bonds to conventional society, in part...