The aim of this paper is to describe the available methods to quantify the main health and social harms related to alcohol consumption in the population and to provide recommendations to improve research on these issues. Methods using individual and aggregate level data for the study of the relationship between alcohol consumption and related harms are taken into account, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Methodological aspects to quantify the magnitude and trends of alcohol-related and alcohol-attributable mortality, including alcohol dependence, acute intoxication, injury, violent behavior, disease burden and social costs are widely considered. There are often discrepancies between the study results mainly due to the difficulty of adequately measuring alcohol consumption and its relationship to health conditions. In the future we must strengthen research on the effect of drinking patterns and context in chronic diseases using appropriate controls, clarify the relationship of alcohol use disorders and other mental disorders , improve the measurement of alcohol intoxication when acute problems occurs, periodically quantify the disease burden and social costs attributable to alcohol (using country- specific attributable fractions) and develop valid and comparable methods and indicators for monitoring alcohol-related harm.

El objetivo de este trabajo es describir los principales métodos disponibles para cuantificar los daños sociales y sanitarios relacionados con el alcohol en la población y hacer recomendaciones para mejorar la investigación sobre estos aspectos. Se consideran los métodos para estudiar la naturaleza de la relación entre el consumo de alcohol y los daños a partir de datos individuales y agregados, señalando sus ventajas y limitaciones. Se describen los métodos para cuantificar la magnitud y las tendencias de los daños relacionados con alcohol en la población, incluyendo dependencia, intoxicación aguda, lesiones o conductas violentas, mortalidad, carga de enfermedad y costes sociales atribuibles. A menudo hay discrepancias entre los resultados de los estudios por la dificultad para medir adecuadamente el consumo y su relación con las condiciones de salud. Hay que potenciar la investigación sobre el efecto de patrones y contexto de consumo en las enfermedades crónicas utilizando grupos control adecuados, aclarar la relación de la dependencia alcohólica con otros trastornos mentales, mejorar la medida del grado de intoxicación alcohólica cuando se producen otros problemas agudos, cuantificar periódicamente la carga de enfermedad y los costes atribuibles a alcohol (usando fracciones atribuibles específicas de país) y desarrollar métodos e indicadores válidos y comparables para monitorizar los daños relacionados con alcohol.

The aim of this paper is to describe the available methods to quantify the main health and social harms related to alcohol consumption in the population and to provide recommendations to improve research on these issues. Methods using individual and aggregate level data for the study of the relationship between alcohol consumption and related harms are taken into account, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Methodological aspects to quantify the magnitude and trends of alcohol-related and alcohol-attributable mortality, including alcohol dependence, acute intoxication, injury, violent behavior, disease burden and social costs are widely considered. There are often discrepancies between the study results mainly due to the difficulty of adequately measuring alcohol consumption and its relationship to health conditions. In the future we must strengthen research on the effect of drinking patterns and context in chronic diseases using appropriate controls, clarify the relationship of alcohol use disorders and other mental disorders , improve the measurement of alcohol intoxication when acute problems occurs, periodically quantify the disease burden and social costs attributable to alcohol (using country- specific attributable fractions) and develop valid and comparable methods and indicators for monitoring alcohol-related harm.

El objetivo de este trabajo es describir los principales métodos disponibles para cuantificar los daños sociales y sanitarios relacionados con el alcohol en la población y hacer recomendaciones para mejorar la investigación sobre estos aspectos. Se consideran los métodos para estudiar la naturaleza de la relación entre el consumo de alcohol y los daños a partir de datos individuales y agregados, señalando sus ventajas y limitaciones. Se describen los métodos para cuantificar la magnitud y las tendencias de los daños relacionados con alcohol en la población, incluyendo dependencia, intoxicación aguda, lesiones o conductas violentas, mortalidad, carga de enfermedad y costes sociales atribuibles. A menudo hay discrepancias entre los resultados de los estudios por la dificultad para medir adecuadamente el consumo y su relación con las condiciones de salud. Hay que potenciar la investigación sobre el efecto de patrones y contexto de consumo en las enfermedades crónicas utilizando grupos control adecuados, aclarar la relación de la dependencia alcohólica con otros trastornos mentales, mejorar la medida del grado de intoxicación alcohólica cuando se producen otros problemas agudos, cuantificar periódicamente la carga de enfermedad y los costes atribuibles a alcohol (usando fracciones atribuibles específicas de país) y desarrollar métodos e indicadores válidos y comparables para monitorizar los daños relacionados con alcohol.

Rabdomiossarcoma é um tumor raro, com uma incidência anual de 4,3 casos por milhão de crianças. É o sarcoma de partes moles mais comum na infância, com uma idade média de 6 a 8 anos no momento do diagnóstico. Um menino de 4 anos apresentou-se com uma história de um crescimento rápido (1 mês) lesão nodular em carúncula de seu olho esquerdo. O exame biomicroscópico mostrou uma lesão vascularizada sólida nodular na prega semilunar. A lesão foi removida cirurgicamente com obtenção de bordas infiltradas com células tumorais, segunda cirurgia foi feita com bordas tumorais livres. O diagnóstico de rabdomiossarcoma embrionário, tipo botrióide, de diferenciação intermediária foi feita. O tratamento para a rabdomiossarcoma botrióide é basicamente cirúrgico com o uso combinado de poliquimioterapia adjuvante. Em pacientes adolescentes e adultos (e não em lactentes onde os distúrbios do crescimento ósseo pode ocorrer) radioterapia externa pode ser combinada com a quimioterapia. Rabdomiossarcomas da conjuntiva sem extensão orbital são raramente relatadas. Apresentamos um caso de uma criança com um tumor raro que tivemos uma alta suspeita de malignidade e diagnóstico precoce e tratamento e criança é livre de doença sistêmica 6 anos e meio depois. Nosso grupo de pesquisa acredita que a chave para esses tumores é o alto índice de suspeita e tratamento precoce.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare tumor, with an annual incidence of 4.3 cases per million children. Even thought, it is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood, with a mean age of 6 to 8 years at diagnosis. A 4 year-old boy presented with a history of a fast growing (1-month) nodular lesion in the caruncle of his left eye. Slit lamp examination showed a vascularized solid nodular lesion in the semilunar fold. The lesion was surgically removed obtaining infiltrated edges with tumoral cells. A second surgery was performed with free tumour edges. The diagnosis of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, botryoid type, of intermediate differentiation was made. The treatment for botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma is basically surgical with the combined use of adjuvant polychemotherapy. In adolescent or adult patients (not in infants where growth bone disturbances can occur) external beam radiotherapy can be combined with chemotherapy. Rhabdomyosarcomas of the conjunctiva without orbital extension are rarely reported. We presented a case of a child with a rare tumor which we had a high suspicion of malignancy and early diagnosis and treatment and child is free of systemic disease 6 and half years later. Our research group believes that the key in these tumors is the high index of suspicion and early treatment.