Alcohol intake in early adulthood and risk of colorectal cancer: three large prospective cohort studies of men and women in the United States

European Journal of Epidemiology - Heavy alcohol consumption in mid-adulthood is an established risk factor of colorectal cancer (CRC). Alcohol use in early adulthood is common, but its association...     

Rapid identification of Rhodococcus equi by a PCR assay targeting the choE gene

The actinomycete Rhodococcus equi is an important pathogen of horses and an emerging opportunistic pathogen of humans. Identification of R. equi by classical bacteriological techniques is sometimes difficult, and misclassification of an isolate is not uncommon. We report here on a specific PCR assay for the rapid and reliable identification of R. equi. It is based on the amplification of a fragment of the choE gene encoding cholesterol oxidase. The choE-based PCR was assessed by using a panel of strains comprising 132 isolates from different sources and of different geographical origins, all initially identified biochemically as R. equi, and 30 isolates of representative non-R. equi actinomycete species, including cholesterol oxidase producers. The expected 959-bp amplicon was observed only with R. equi isolates, as confirmed by sequencing of a variable region of the 16S RNA gene from a random sample of 20 PCR-positive isolates. All R. equi isolates gave a positive choE-based PCR result, which correlated with a high degree of conservation of the choE gene. Three of the 132 strains originally identified as R. equi were negative for the choE gene, and subsequent analysis of their 16S RNA gene sequences confirmed that they belonged to other bacterial species (Dietzia maris, Mycobacterium peregrinum, and Staphylococcus epidermidis). All non-R. equi isolates were negative by the choE-based PCR. ATCC 21387, the only known isolate of Brevibacterium sterolicum, gave a 959-bp amplicon whose DNA sequence was virtually identical to that of R. equi choE. Comparison of the 16S RNA genes indicated that ATCC 21387 should be considered an R. equi isolate.     

β2-Adrenergic receptor polymorphism and nitric oxide-dependent forearm blood flow responses to isoproterenol in humans

Polymorphisms in the gene encoding the β₂-adrenoceptor have been associated with interindividual differences in blood pressure and the diagnosis of hypertension. A common polymorphism resulting in a change from arginine to glycine at amino acid 16 (Arg16 → Gly) enhances agonist-promoted downregulation of receptor expression in vitro . It is unknown whether genotype-dependent differences in nitric oxide generation contribute to differences in vasodilator responses to β₂-agonists in vivo . To address this question, venous occlusion plethysmography was used to measure forearm blood flow responses to graded brachial artery infusions of the β-agonist isoproterenol in 41 healthy normotensive Caucasian adults (mean age (± s.d .) = 29 ± 6 years), who were either Arg16  ( n = 18)  or Gly16  ( n = 23)  homozygotes. Compared to Arg16 homozygotes, Gly16 homozygotes demonstrated significantly greater blood flow responses to isoproterenol ( P = 0.02). After inhibition of nitric oxide synthase by N ^γ-monomethyl- l -arginine, blood flow responses did not differ significantly between genotype groups ( P = 0.27). Consequently, effects of the Arg16 → Gly polymorphism on forearm blood flow responses to isoproterenol appear to be dependent on differences in endothelial generation of nitric oxide. In contrast to previous reports based on systemic infusions of β₂-agonists, our findings indicate that regional blood flow responses to locally infused isoproterenol are significantly greater in Gly16 than in Arg16 homozygotes.