Two Clinically Implementable Digital PCR Assessments of DNA Methylation for Diagnosing Heavy Alcohol Consumption
Background: Heavy alcohol consumption (HAC) has a profound adverse effect on human health. Unfortunately, there is a relative lack of tools that are easily implementable in clinical settings and that can be used to supplement self-reporting in the diagnosis and management of HAC. In part, this pauci...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Epigenomes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4655/9/1/1 |
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| Summary: | Background: Heavy alcohol consumption (HAC) has a profound adverse effect on human health. Unfortunately, there is a relative lack of tools that are easily implementable in clinical settings and that can be used to supplement self-reporting in the diagnosis and management of HAC. In part, this paucity is due to limitations of currently available biological measures and a mismatch between available biological measures and the needs of clinicians managing HAC. Objectives: We first review the pros and cons of existing biological measures. Next, we review the underlying theory and the performance characteristics of two recently developed methylation-sensitive digital PCR (MSdPCR) assays, referred to as the Alcohol T Score (ATS) and ZSCAN25, for the assessment of chronic and recent HAC, respectively. Finally, we outline a paradigm for improving the clinical diagnosis and management of alcohol use disorders by utilizing these new markers of alcohol consumption. Conclusions: We conclude that further studies to understand the test performance characteristics of each of these epigenetic tools in larger, diverse populations are in order. |
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| ISSN: | 2075-4655 |