Differences in the promoter methylation of atrial natriuretic peptide and vasopressin in alcohol use disorder. A longitudinal case-control-study during withdrawal therapy.

BACKGROUND: Both atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and vasopressin (VP) influence alcohol intake and withdrawal as well as craving and are also regulated by epigenetic factors. Disturbances in expression and promoter methylation status have been described in patients suffering from alcohol use disorder and alcohol withdrawal therapy. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we wanted to map the progression of cytosine-phosphatidyl-guanine (CpG) methylation of the respective gene promoter of ANP and VP immediately after starting alcohol withdrawal therapy when compared with healthy controls METHODS: We recruited 34 males suffering from alcohol addiction or harmful use alongside 43 healthy male controls. Blood samples for methylation analyses were drawn on days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7-10. RESULTS: There was no difference in mean methylation for both VP and ANP during withdrawal. There was no difference at the ANP CpG-sites after correction for multiple testing. Regarding VP, methylation was significantly higher at CpG 033, CpG 064, CpG 103, CpG 118, and CpG 194 and significantly lower at CpG 053, CpG 060, and CpG 214 when compared to healthy controls. Via in silico analysis, we identified transcription factor binding sites that could potentially influence methylation-dependent gene transcription. CONCLUSIONS: While there was no change in methylation status during withdrawal, significant differences in average methylation of specific CpG sites were observed for VP. We also identified the role of transcription factors in the context of promoter methylation as one potential mechanism that could explain the differences in VP levels between alcohol-dependent patients and healthy controls.

Portable UV light as an alternative for decontamination.

We evaluated the capability of a commercially available hand-held device that emits ultraviolet (UV) light to disinfect plain surfaces. Eight bacterial species were tested, including Clostridium difficile ribotype 027 and 3 other spore-forming species. Even bacterial spores could be successfully inactivated within a few seconds of irradiation. UV light may provide an alternative for the decontamination of medical products, such as mobile phones or tablet computers, that cannot be treated otherwise.