An unprecedented visible light enhanced room temperature Heck reaction between aryl halides and allenyl tosyl amines is here reported. The simple catalytic system (Pd(OAc)2/PPh3) is exploited to afford arylated vinyl...

Though some epidemiological investigations support the association between pigment gallstone formation and chronic alcoholism with cirrhosis, little attention has been paid to the influence of alcohol itself on biliary bilirubin secretion, so that the pathogenesis of pigment cholelithiasis in alcoholics is hitherto unknown. On different days we intravenously administered ethanol (0.7 g/kg body weight), diluted with 500 ml of saline, or saline alone to 6 non-obese patients with an indwelling T tube and reestablished enterohepatic bile circulation. At the time of the investigation bile cultures were negative for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Ethanol significantly increased biliary unconjugated bilirubin in respect to control values. The phenomenon reached a maximum 2 h after alcohol infusion when the value of unconjugated bilirubin averaged 2.37 ± 0.30% of total bilirubin in contrast to 0.65 ± 0.14% in control conditions (p < 0.01), and subsided 6 h after the end of ethanol infusion. Since increased amounts of biliary unconjugated bilirubin predispose to pigment stone formation, it can be speculated that alcohol contributes to pigment cholelithiasis pathogenesis by enhancing the biliary concentrations of this form of pigment.

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Presently the population based studies are considered the best method to establish the patterns of use of alcoholic drink and their determining factors. The study of these patterns of use and associated factors is necessary in order to start planify in the community a program of prevention and control of the alcohol related disorders. Objective-To establish an approximation to the prevalence of alcoholism in the general population of La Rioja (Spain). To analyze which sectors of the population show the highest intake of alcohol. and to relate the intake of alcohol with other sociodemographic variables. Material and method-A survey of alcohol use habits was done taking into consideration the use of alcohol in working days, in weekends (friday. saturday. sunday). and average daily use. Design-Transversal nominative, with stratified representative aleatory sampling regarding age. sex and habitat. Population studied: The autonomy of La Rioja (Spain). Subjects analyzed: 793. reliability of the sample 95%. error 0.03%. Results-60% of the population regularly uses alcohol, 75% of the men and 43% of the women. 8.8% of the men and 0.8% of the women drink more than 100 cc of alcohoY24 h. The period of life in which the highest concentration of excessive drinkers concentrate is 45-65 y.o. Conclusions-The variables highly related with excessive intake of alcohol are: male sex, rural milieu, and age between 45 and 65.