Study: Drivers May Find Sobriety Hard to Determine. A new study shows that while basic brain functions recover relatively quickly after drinking, executive functions lag. [medlineplus]

Researchers point out that those executive functions impact driving judgements like switching lanes or crossing intersections. Their results appear to indicate that a driver who may believe they are sober – and have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) below legal limits – may still lack the necessary functionality to drive safely.

Plant Extract May Work for Cocaine Addiction. An extract from the kudzu vine may prove a major breakthrough in the treatment of cocaine addiction.

Researchers at Gilead Sciences Inc. reported recently that rats administered the the experimental drug stopped seeking cocaine. Scientists also believe the extract could prevent relapse. According to researchers, the synthetic extract prevents the soaring dopamine levels in the brain associated with cocaine cravings. [reuters]

FDA Considering Menthol Cigarette Ban. Anti-smoking groups are pushing the FDA to institute a ban on the minty-flavored cigarettes, citing studies that show them as the preferred choice among new smokers and black smokers of all ages.

Studies have shown that nearly 45 percent of smokers between the ages 12 to 17 smoke menthol cigarettes, and that nearly 83 percent of black smokers prefer menthols. The FDA report is due March 2011. [medicinenet.com]

A new study has provided greater scientific support to the claim that tobacco smoke exposure of any duration is potentially toxic.

Conducted by Dr. Ronald Crystal of the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the study demonstrates that even the lowest exposure to tobacco smoke can precipitate genetic changes in the lungs, essentially causing genes to turn on and off “abnormally”.

The study’s results may help researchers determine why people react differently to smoke exposure and aid in the development of treatments. They also undermine any beliefs casual smokers may have regarding the relative safety of limited tobacco use. [webmd]

According to a recent survey, 27 percent of U.S. public school students – 5.7 million children – between the ages 12 to 17 say their school is rife with drugs and gang activity.

The survey also revealed a wide gulf between public education and private and religious schools, where only two percent of students in the latter category complain of gang activity and 22 percent of drug use. Conversely, 46 percent of their public school counterparts report gang activity and 57 percent report drug use. Worse still, these figures indicate that public school students are liklier – sometimes significantly – to try drugs, alcohol, and/or tobacco or know someone who has than students in private and religious schools.

The findings are from the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XV: Teens and Parents, the 15th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

The survey also shows that 32 percent of middle schoolers – 12 to 13 years old – report the presence of drugs, thereby providing easier access to the substances and to those who already use. The survey’s results also further emphasized the role family plays in keeping kids clean and sober. Schoolchildren with weak familial bonds trend more significantly toward substance use, or association with children who do use. [casacolumbia.org]

More Mental Disorders Treated with Drugs Only. Talk therapy is on the decline, and outpatient mental care is increasingly focusing on drug treatments alone. National spending on psychotherapy is also waning, and researchers suggest this indicates increased spending on drug therapies. [reuters health]

Study: Hypertension and Binge Drinking Greatly Increase Heart Risk. A South Korean study found that men with blood pressure 168/100 or higher were up to four times as likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack after consuming six or more drinks in one sitting. Up to 12 drinks during one period upped the risk 12-fold. [medline plus]

Study: Smoking a Factor in Frequent Headaches Among Teens. A Norwegian study found a link between obese teens who smoked and exercised little and their recurrent headaches. The study is based on interviews with boys and girls aged 13 to 18. [webmd]

Amphetamine Abusers Risk Fatal Aorta Tear. A U.S. study of the medical records of 31 million people aged 18 to 49 revealed that amphetamine abusers faced a three-fold increase in the risk for aortic dissection, given the drug’s tendency to make the heart work harder. The frequency of such tears are increasing disproportionately among younger Americans, a key finding of the study, and those gains are most evident in California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, states that rank highest in the number of amphetamine abusers. [medline plus]

Helena Bonham Carter and Edward Norton in 1999's "Fight Club"

WebMD reports that a new CDC report claims that kids are still heavily influenced to smoke when they observe onscreen characters engaged in the act. In fact, the report indicates that the heavier the exposure, the higher the chance a young person will take up the dangerous habit.

A California anti-smoking group’s independent investigation into the prevalence of tobacco use in top-grossing movies between 1991 to 2009 found the rate of tobacco use did not begin to abate until 2005, and only last year did the majority of popular films not include any type of usage.

Despite these gains, researchers remain critical of the place tobacco products still hold in popular films. The top-grossing Avatar was cited as an example of a film seen by many adolescents that portrayed a character smoking. Researchers and members of Congress are calling on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to take a firmer stand against tobacco use in movies.

Medicinenet.com reports that an analysis of alcohol advertising in publications oriented toward the youth market showed a 48 percent drop between 2001 and 2008. This would appear to indicate that the industry’s attempts at self-regulation may be having some success. In 2003, alcohol makers agreed to stop placing ads in magazines with at least a 30 percent youth readership.

Still, researchers at the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the entity that conducted the study, see room for improvement. A whopping 78 percent of youth exposure to alcohol ads came from publications marketed to the 12 to 20 demographic.

WebMD.com reports that a recent study out of Harvard Medical School found that women that drank non-light beer were at a greater risk of developing psoriasis, a painful autoimmune disease that affects the skin.

Researchers found that other forms of alcohol – light beer, red and white wine, and liquor – did not have a similar effect, leading them to conclude that barley may be the trigger. Anyone with a gluten allergy would be particularly sensitive.

This hardy myth was tested once again, this time in the Health section of the New York Times. The result? The only relief a smoker enjoys when he or she lights up is from the temporary abatement of the nicotine craving. Stress caused by a crying baby, morning traffic, or a demanding job is in no way reduced by the unhealthy habit.

The National Institutes of Health’s Senior Health today reminded those 65 and older that alcohol use can take greater physical toll than on those years younger. Reasons include a slower metabolism and a reduced volume of water in their bodies.

According to the NIH, alcohol can exacerbate pre-existing health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease, and memory issues. That older Americans also generally take more prescription medications than younger Americans also increases the likelihood of of bad alcohol-drug interactions.

While the NIH does not advise those 65 and older to abstain from alcohol use, it does suggest limited weekly use.

Carlos Boozer (center) with NCADD VISTAs Kara Fortney (left) and Robina Moyer (right).

Two-time NBA all-star Carlos Boozer, a newly-minted Chicago Bull, was in Juneau last week to conduct his annual Carlos Boozer Basketball Camp for Juneau youth and generously carved out some of his time to record two radio PSAs for NCADD. Check them out here:

SADD PSA

TATU PSA

The basketball camp ran from August 2 to August 6, but it is an annual event, so if you missed it this year you can catch it next summer. All camp proceeds go to the former Duke University star’s Boozer’s Buddies, an advocacy organization for children suffering from sickle-cell anemia.