Alcohol patch test with hue-saturation-value model analysis predicts ALDH2 genetic polymorphism.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Genetics
• Pharmacogenomics

Background:

• The alcohol patch test (APT) is used to detect aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) genetic polymorphisms for diagnosing cutaneous erythema.
• Subjective visual interpretation of APT results can be influenced by confounding factors, leading to variability.
• The hue-saturation-value (HSV) model offers a potential objective approach for analyzing APT images.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the hue-saturation-value (HSV) model in objectively analyzing alcohol patch test (APT) results.
• To compare the diagnostic performance of the HSV model with traditional visual inspection for detecting aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) genetic polymorphisms.
• To assess the ability of the HSV model to predict the ALDH2*2 allele.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-seven participants with varying ALDH2 genotypes (ALDH2*1/*1, ALDH2*1/*2, ALDH2*2/*2) underwent APT.
• APT results were analyzed using both visual inspection and the HSV model, focusing on the delta standard deviation (SD) of the hue histogram.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, including area under the curve (AUC), was employed to predict ALDH2*2 allele presence.

Main Results:

• Visual inspection achieved 82.1% sensitivity and 96.6% specificity for detecting ALDH2 genetic mutations.
• The HSV model analysis yielded a maximal Youden index with 85.7% sensitivity and 96.6% specificity (AUC = 0.948, p < 0.001).
• The HSV model demonstrated improved sensitivity compared to visual inspection while maintaining equal specificity.

Conclusions:

• The HSV model provides an objective method for analyzing APT, accounting for potential confounding factors.
• This objective analysis aids in the accurate prediction of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) genetic polymorphisms.
• The HSV model enhances the diagnostic utility of the APT for ALDH genetic variations.