[Forensic medical diagnostics of acute and chronic alcohol intoxication].

The principal characteristics and results of experimental studies on the problem of acute and chronic alcohol intoxication are presented. The mechanisms of toxic action of ethanol and acetaldehyde are considered with special reference to the comprehensive qualitative estimation of these toxicants and their pathomorphological effects in the target organs. The influence of ethanol-oxidizing enzyme systems in the brain on the development of alcohol tolerance is illustrated. The mechanisms of hormonal regulation via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the case of exogenous alcoholemia are considered. The dependence of pathological morphological changes in the brain, hypophysis, and adrenal glands on the stage and severity of alcoholic intoxication has been elucidated. Criteria for the morphological and histochemical evaluation of the degree of alcohol-induced lesions and the severity of abstinence syndrome have been developed. The role of alcohol effects in tanatogenesis associated with alcohol-induced diseases is discussed.