Background: Alcoholic beverages are widely available in the university environment, particularly at the parties. There are few studies addressing the relationship between alcohol consumption and academic performance among college students. Objective: This study evaluated the behavior of college students regarding the profile of alcohol consumption and its academic consequences. Methods: The volunteers (343 students) answered a questionnaire about their pattern of alcohol consumption and possible related behaviors, especially academic performance. Participants were classified as "non-drinkers" (ND), "non-binge drinkers" (nBD), "binge drinkers" (BD) and "heavy drinkers" (HD). Results: 88.1% of the students reported ingesting alcoholic beverages, 44% as BD. Most of the drinker students (75.5% -nBD, BD or HD) stated getting intoxicated at least once a month. Binge drinking was the predominant pattern (66.2% of those who drank). HD students presented a risk 9.2 times higher of not being in the ideal period of the course. Discussion: The college students evaluated presented high rates of alcohol abuse. Binge drinking might have interfered in their academic performance. Organic, social and behavioral consequences were also reported.

Leptin inhibits signaling of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, suggesting its role in regulating stress and its possible involvement in the neurobiology of reward system. The aim of this study was to review of the literature on the influence of leptin in the craving for alcohol and tobacco and whether there is already evidence that leptin may be a biomarker to indicate risk for craving and relapse. The review used as data bases Medline, LILACS and SciElo in the period between 2000 and 2012. Keywords were leptin, substance use disorders, craving and withdrawal, in Portuguese and English. Only 12 articles were met the inclusion criteria, relating leptin with craving in alcoholics (n = 10) and smokers (n = 2). No studies were found in the LILACS database. Leptin levels increase during abstinence and this may be related to a reduction of dopaminergic action in mesolimbic system, resulting in a greater intensity of craving and maintenance of addictive behavior. Although there are few studies, the most recent results indicate the usefulness of leptin as a marker of risk for relapse among smokers and alcoholics in abstinence.

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ResumoContexto: A síndrome do intestino irritável (SII) é um distúrbio clínico comum, porém ainda pouco compreendida, uma vez que o desenvolvimento dos seus sintomas está fortemente relacionado ao estresse, ansiedade e depressão. Objetivos: Revisar a literatura a fim de verificar se, de fato, existe influência do estresse e das comorbidades psiquiátricas no desenvolvimento, diagnóstico e tratamento para os portadores da SII. Métodos: A revisão foi realizada por meio de pesquisa na base de dados MedLine e Lilacs entre 1990 e 2009, usando-se as palavras-chave "estresse", "comportamento", "psiquiatria" e "síndrome do intestino irritável". Resultados: Foram selecionados 38 artigos que relacionaram a síndrome do intestino irritável à reação individual ao estresse e comorbidade psiquiátrica, incluindo ansiedade e depressão. Conclusão: A reatividade do indivíduo ao estresse e os fatores psicossociais desempenham um papel etiológico importante, embora não determinante, podendo interferir no funcionamento intestinal mediante a alteração na motilidade ou espasmo, na diminuição ou aumento de secreção e, finalmente, na irritação. É necessário desenvolver uma metodologia para definir e medir a somatização para o auxílio no diagnóstico clínico e a inclusão dos fatores psicossociais relacionados ao desenvolvimento e persistência dos sintomas nos critérios diagnósticos para a SII.Ribeiro LM, et al. / Rev Psiq Clín. 2011;38(2):77-83 Palavras-chave: Síndrome do cólon irritável, tratamento, estresse, comportamento. AbstractBackground: The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common clinical disorder, however, still poorly understood since the development of symptoms is strongly

Objective The current study presents the translation and adaptation of the 20-item Taiwan version of the Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI) into Brazilian Portuguese (BPI-P). Methods After translation and back-translation, the Brazilian Portuguese version was administered to three samples: patients with borderline personality disorder, psychiatric patients with comorbid substance use disorder and volunteers with no reported mental disorders. Results Significant differences between groups for borderline scores (analysis of variance [ANOVA], F = 52.923, p = 0.01) were found but there were no significant correlations between scores for borderline personality disorder and alcohol or nicotine dependence. The BPI-P had satisfactory validity for borderline personality disorder, even when anxiety and depression were present, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.931 at a cutoff point of 14. Conclusion This study provides support for the potential utility of the BPI-P as a screening instrument for clinical practice in Portuguese speaking countries, including outpatients with alcohol and nicotine use disorders in early or sustained remission.