Cortisol Dysregulation and Alcoholism: Consequence, Correlation or Causality?

Posted on March 6, 2015 by MaryO

What

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, announces that Gary S. Wand, M.D., will deliver the 7th Annual Jack Mendelson Honorary Lecture. Dr. Wand is an internationally recognized neuroendocrinologist and the inaugural Rivière Professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The title of his presentation is “Cortisol Dysregulation and Alcoholism: Consequence, Correlation or Causality?”

Who

Dr. Wand’s research has advanced our understanding of the genetic and environmental determinants of the stress response and has elucidated how excessive stress hormone production may contribute to neurobiological conditions such as alcohol or drug disorders.

Some of Dr. Wand’s seminal discoveries include identifying unique pharmacological responses to naloxone in individuals at increased risk for alcohol use disorders, identifying specific hormonal responses in subjects with alcohol use disorders, and characterizing human brain neurochemical changes using imaging in subjects with substance use disorders.

Dr. Wand is studying the epigenetic modulation of stress and cortisol exposure in rodent and human models, based on the hypothesis that specific epigenetic events affect how much cortisol an individual produces, which in turn influences dopamine transmission.

Dr. Wand received his medical degree and subsequent training in internal medicine from the George Washington University. Following post-doctoral training in Endocrinology and Metabolism at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he was a fellow in the peptide laboratories of Richard Mains, Ph.D. and Betty Eipper, Ph.D. in JHU’s Department of Neuroscience. Dr. Wand then joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In 2000, NIAAA and the NIH honored Dr. Wand with a 10-year Merit Award to continue his research on the role of the HPA axis in alcoholism. He has also received numerous local and national “Best Doctor” awards. Dr. Wand is the author of more than 175 articles and chapters and is on the editorial board of several journals.

When

Thursday, March 19th at 1:30 p.m. EDT

Where

Masur Auditorium, NIH Building 10, Bethesda, Maryland

Background

NIAAA established the Jack Mendelson Honorary Lecture Series as a tribute to Dr. Jack Mendelson, who made remarkable scientific contributions to the field of clinical alcohol research. The purpose of this honorary lecture series is to highlight clinical/human research in the alcohol field by an outstanding investigator who has made significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of alcoholism susceptibility, alcohol’s effects on the brain and other organs, and the prevention and treatment of alcohol use disorders. NIAAA is pleased to present this series of scientific lectures to acknowledge the advances researchers are making in a wide range of alcohol-related areas of clinical research, and to honor the memory of an individual whose exciting and pioneering research with human alcoholics remains relevant today.

For additional information about the lecture see: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/about-niaaa/our-work/research-portfolio/projects-initiatives/keller-and-mendelson-honorary-lecture

The Mendelson Honorary Lecture is free and open to the public. Sign language interpreters will be provided. For other reasonable accommodations or further information call Joanna Mayo, 301-443-3860, or visit www.niaaa.nih.gov. For TTY callers, please call the above number through the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary U.S. agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol problems. NIAAA also disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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Classifying hypertension

Posted on May 19, 2013 by MaryO

HYPERTENSION is classified into two categories according to its cause: essential and secondary.

The vast majority of patients have essential or primary hypertension, while only about 5-10% of patients have secondary hypertension, which are mainly caused by kidney and hormonal conditions like renal artery stenosis, hyperthyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome, and even pregnancy, among others.

The exact cause of essential hypertension is still unknown, although it is certainly the result of a combination of factors, including increasing age, having relatives with high blood pressure (ie family history), a sedentary lifestyle, a poor diet with too much salt, drinking too much alcohol, smoking and too much stress.

Says Malaysian Society of Hypertension president and Universiti Malaya Department of Primary Care Medicine senior consultant Prof Datin Dr Chia Yook Chin: “Each factor increases blood pressure by just a little, but when you add them all together little by little, it raises it by quite a lot.”

Despite not knowing the root cause of hypertension, it has been established that there is overstimulation of the sympathetic nerves in people with this condition.

This in turn increases the secretion of certain hormones involved in the regulation of sodium and fluids in the body, called renin, angiotensin, and aldosterone.

The amount of salt and water in our body affects our blood pressure – the more salt and water present, the higher our blood pressure.

These two elements are regulated by our kidneys through the three hormones mentioned above, which are produced by the adrenal glands located on top of the kidneys.

The overstimulation of the sympathetic nerves also results in increased vascular tone, which causes our arteries to become constricted, thus, also raising blood pressure.

From The Star

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