Ernest L. Abel

Incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome and economic impact of FAS-related anomalies

The world-wide incidence of the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is 1.9 per 1000 live births. Incidence rates vary considerably, however, depending on study site. Mental retardation is a cardinal feature of FAS and is now recognized as the leading known cause of mental retardation in the Western world. Conservatively estimated for the United States, the economic cost associated with FAS-related growth retardation, surgical repair of organic anomalies (e.g. cleft palate, Tetralogy of Fallot), treatment of sensorineural problems, and mental retardation, is +321 million per year. FAS-related mental retardation alone may account for as much as 11% of the annual cost for all mentally retarded institutionalized residents in the United States. Current treatment costs for FAS-related problems are about 100 times federal funding for FAS research necessary to develop cost-effective early identification and prevention strategies.

Maternal risk factors in fetal alcohol syndrome: Provocative and permissive influences

We present an hypothesis integrating epidemiological, clinical case, and basic biomedical research to explain why only relatively few women who drink alcohol during pregnancy give birth to children with alcohol-related birth defects (ARBDs), in particular, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). We argue that specific sociobehavioral risk factors, e.g., low socioeconomic status, are permissive for FAS in that they provide the context for increased vulnerability. We illustrate how these permissive factors are related to biological factors, e.g., decreased antioxidant status, which in conjunction with alcohol, provoke FAS/ARBDs in vulnerable fetuses. We propose an integrative heuristic model hypothesizing that these permissive and provocative factors increase the likelihood of FAS/ARBDs because they potentiate two related mechanisms of alcohol-induced teratogenesis, specifically, maternal/fetal hypoxia and free radical formation.

Effects of ethanol on pregnant rats and their offspring

Pregnant rats were intubated with either 1.0 or 2.0 g/kg of ethanol daily throughout gestation. Pair-fed vehicle-treated, and nontreated rats fed ad libitum, served as control groups for ethanol-treated animals. Ethanol treatment reduced food and water consumption and attenuated the gain in body weight of pregnant animals relative to nontreated animals fed ad libitum. Litter size, litter weight, and the mean weight per pup were reduced in both the ethanol-treated and pair-fed control groups. There was no evidence of gross malformations in any of the offspring. Since the reduction in litter size and litter weights did not differ significantly between ethanol-treated and pair-fed controls, the effects of treatment with ethanol appeared to be related to a reduction in maternal intake of calories rather than to the direct effect of ethanol on the developing fetus.There were no significant differences between any of the groups of offspring on one-way shock avoidance learning, water maze escape learning, spontaneous alternation, or brightness discrimination learning in tests beginning at 75 days of age. Thus, at the doses of alcohol used in this study, there was no evidence of behavioral teratogenesis comparable to that reported for higher doses in animals or in man characterized by the fetal alcohol syndrome.

Prenatal effects of alcohol on adult learning in rats.

In an initial study, the rate of blood alcohol disappearance was not significantly different in pregnant compared to nonpregnant rats, but blood alcohol levels were significantly different depending on dose. In a second study, pregnant rats received daily administrations (p.o.) of ethanol (30% w/v) in single doses throughout gestation. Pair-fed vehicle-treated, and nondrug-treated rats fed ad lib served as controls. All pups were removed from their biological mothers at birth and were raised by nondrug-treated surrogate mothers. At five months of age, both male and female offspring prenatally exposed to ethanol weighed less than controls and female offspring performed significantly worse than the offspring of vehicle-injected pair-fed control mothers, on a two-way shock-avoidance task. There were no significant group differences, however, for either sex in water-escape maze learning.

A possible alarm substance in the forced swimming test

Rats were tested in a forced swimming paradigm under a number of conditions which showed that time of day of testing did not significantly affect duration of immobility and a shorter ten-minute test period was as effective as the traditional longer protocol which tests animals 24 hours after initial immersion. Prior foot shock and noise decreased the immobility response. In addition, swimming in a cylinder in which another rat had been swimming also decreased the immobility response. The latter was not due to fecal or urinary contamination but appeared to be due to an alarm substance released during immersion in the water. Animals were affected by this proposed substance whether they released it themselves or it was released by a stranger. The proposed substance was released after a 3.5-minute or longer swimming period.

Fetal alcohol syndrome in families

A retrospective study of the clinical literature of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was conducted to determine the incidence of FAS among younger and older siblings of a patient with FAS. The incidence of the disorder among older sibs was 170 per 1,000 whereas among younger sibs the incidence was 771 per 1,000. Since the risk for FAS in the general population is 1.9 per 1,000, these results clearly indicate the high risk of FAS among siblings if one sib is diagnosed as FAS.

Physiological correlates of the forced swim test in rats.

Rats were tested in the forced swim test to evaluate the effects of duration of exposure (0, 5, 15, or 25 min), and water temperature (0, 35, 30, 25, or 20 degrees C), on a variety of physiological measures. Serum corticosterone, glucose, lactate, phosphorus levels, and the anion gap (a measure of acid-base status) were increased significantly, whereas carbon dioxide and potassium levels were consistently decreased by testing, as was the potassium/phosphorus ratio; creatinine, triglycerides, and magnesium were not altered significantly in any study. Effects on prolactin, amylase, lipase, cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase, sodium, and chloride were inconsistent. Levels of serum corticosterone were increased at each duration of testing, and the increments were significantly higher than the previous duration. Corticosterone levels were also increased in proportion to decreasing water temperature, but the increments were not significantly different from the previous or following temperatures. Glucose levels were increased at every duration and at every water temperature with the exception of the coldest water temperature. Lactate and phosphorus levels and the anion gap were all increased, whereas carbon dioxide levels decreased after 5 min of immersion. Potassium levels did not decrease until some time after 5 min of testing. Immobility times were marginally correlated with corticosterone levels (r = -0.38) but were highly correlated with serum carbon dioxide (r = 0.59), potassium (r = 0.67), and phosphorus levels (r = -0.73); the correlation between immobility times and the ratio of potassium/phosphorus was 0.82. The potassium/phosphorus ratio accounted for 67% of the variance in immobility. These high correlations were interpreted in terms of acid-base changes associated with testing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

FOOTBALL INCREASES THE RISK FOR LOU GEHRIG'S DISEASE, AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS '

A recent report of a six-fold increase in prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease, in soccer players prompted a similar investigation in National Football League players in the United States. Using the internet, a retrospective analysis indicated 8 of the 3,891 players who played or debuted after 1960 had ALS, a prevalence of 206 per 100,000, a 40-fold higher prevalence rate than the rate of 5 per 100,000 in the general U.S. population (p<.001, binomial theorem). While no etiology for ALS has been established, the very high rate associated with professional football warrants further examination.

Paternal contribution to fetal alcohol syndrome

Maternal alcohol use during pregnancy is associated with a wide range of adverse outcomes for the child. Many women who drink during pregnancy also have male partners who abuse alcohol. Existing data on paternal effects of alcohol abuse during the preconceptual period and at the time of conception are reviewed. Epidemiological data offer some support for a paternal influence on birth weight, congenital heart defects, and some evidence of mild cognitive impairments. Animal data have demonstrated decreased litter size, increased prevalence of low birth weight fetuses and mixed data on risk of malformations. Increased susceptibility to Pseudomonas bacterial infection has been reported. Cognitive and behavioral findings are the most robust effects. These include learning and memory deficits, hyperactivity, and poor stress tolerance. Multiple causal mechanisms for a paternal effect have been suggested, but none seems satisfactory to explain all findings. Further research is needed on paternal effects in animals and human populations. The results of this research may influence prevention activities.

Smile Intensity in Photographs Predicts Longevity

Emotions affect personalities and life outcomes by influencing how people think, behave, and interact with others (Izard, 1971). People with positive emotions are happier and have more stable personalities, more stable marriages, and better cognitive and interpersonal skills than those with negative emotions, throughout the life span (Harker & Keltner, 2001; Hertenstein, Hansel, Butts, & Hile, 2009). Facial expressions are a barometer of the emotions (Izard, 1971), and like emotions, they vary in form and intensity. Studies by Ekman, Friesen, and their colleagues (e.g., Ekman & Friesen, 1978; Ekman, Levenson, & Friesen, 1983; Levenson, Ekman, & Friesen, 1990) have shown that it is possible to identify different emotional states from facial expressions. Previous studies have found that positive emotions, as inferred from smile intensity in childhood photos and college yearbook photos, are correlated with marriage stability and satisfaction (Harker & Keltner, 2001; Hertenstein et al., 2009). The present study is the first to link smile intensity to a biological outcome: longevity. Little information (other than smile intensity) was available regarding the individuals in the previously mentioned photo studies. In the current study, however, we were able to include many additional factors known to influence longevity because of the group we elected to evaluate. We focused on Major League Baseball (MLB) players because detailed statistics are available for each player (dating back prior to 1900), and because MLB players represent a homogeneous occupational group. We (and other researchers) have used this database to examine numerous factors related to longevity (Abel & Kruger, 2005, 2006, 2007; Kalist & Peng, 2007).