[364 pages] In the present volume, recent trends and advances in various areas of alcoholism including biochemistry, pharmacology, pathphysiology, psychiatry, genetics, as well as environmental and sociocultural aspects have been written by authors who themselves have contributed significantly to these developments. A wide range of research and clinical issues have found integration to give an updated, well-referenced collection of interdisciplinary overviews. The book has been compiled in 5 main sections. Section 1, contains recent advances in the knowledge of alcohol and acetaldehyde metabolism including genetic enzyme polymorphisms, alcohol sensitivity in different populations, as well as metabolic changes and toxic reactions induced by alcohol. Section 2, neurophamacological effects of alcohol drinking including adaptive responses, membrane alterations, and alcohol-related behavioral alterations are included. Papers on clinical aspects of alcohol drinking - pathophysiology, alterations in cardiovascular functions, treatment and prevention strategies, alcohol effects in pregnancy, as well as biochemical markers of alcoholism - are grouped in Section 3. Section 4 covers genetic aspects including recent advances in family, adoption, and twin studies of alcoholism and biological markers of alcoholism used for studies of populations at high risk for future development of alcoholism,. Cultural, social, ethnic and epidemiological factors as they relate to alcoholism, as well as gene/environment interactions concerning alcoholism make up Section 5. Finally, current issues and future directions in biomedical and genetic aspects of alcoholism research are critically summed up as "Editorial" Remarks.
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