Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.3.1.109 (AST)
 6,066 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Fifty-two patients on regular haemodialysis at our institution were evaluated for the presence of HCV infection. Evaluation included detailed history, clinical examination, and monthly screening for anti-HCV antibody, liver enzymes (ALT, AST), serum iron and ferritin. Also, three-monthly screening for other viral markers, HBV (HBsAg, HBsAb, HBcAb), CMV (IgG and IgM), EBV, and HIV. Anti-HCV antibody was found in 21 patients (40.4%). There was a significant (P less than 0.05) relationship between presence of anti-HCV antibody and proportion of patients who received blood transfusion. During a 12-month follow-up, four (11.4%) patients seroconverted to be Anti-HCV positive while one case (4.8%) seroconverted to be anti-HCV negative. The frequency of elevation of liver enzymes was significantly higher in Anti-HCV positive cases (14/18) than in negative cases (11/28, P = 0.01). Evaluation of liver biopsies of 13 patients showed chronic persistent hepatitis in six and chronic active hepatitis in seven cases. We concluded that hepatitis C is a common problem among chronic haemodialysis patients at our institution; HCV infection is documented in 70% of all clinically diagnosed NANB hepatitis. Presence of anti-HCV antibodies cannot differentiate between active and past infection and cases with early HCV infection can be missed when relying on the mere detection of anti-HCV antibodies.
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PMID:Hepatitis C virus infection in chronic haemodialysis patients, a clinicopathologic study. 128 48

In patients with thalassemia intermedia in whom hyperabsorption of iron may result in serious organ dysfunction, an orally effective iron-chelating drug would have major therapeutic advantages, especially for the many patients with thalassemia intermedia in the Third World. We report reduction in tissue iron stores and normalization of serum ferritin concentration after 9-month therapy with the oral chelator 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one (L1) in a 29-year-old man with thalassemia intermedia and clinically significant iron overload (SF 2,174 micrograms/L, transferrin saturation 100%; elevated AST and ALT, abnormal cardiac radionuclide angiogram) who was enrolled in the study with L1 75 mg/kg/day after he refused deferoxamine therapy. L1-Induced 24-hour urinary iron excretion during the first 6 months of therapy was (mean +/- SD, range) 53 +/- 30 (11 to 109) mg (0.77 mg/kg), declining during the last 3 months of L1 to 24 +/- 14 (13-40) mg (0.36 mg/kg), as serum ferritin decreased steadily to normal range (present value, 251 micrograms/L). Dramatic improvement in signal intensity of the liver and mild improvement in that of the heart was shown by comparison of T1-weighted spin echo magnetic resonance imaging with images obtained immediately before L1 administration was observed after 9 months of L1 therapy. Hepatic iron concentration decreased from 14.6 mg/g dry weight of liver before L1 therapy to 1.9 mg/g liver after 9 months of therapy. This constitutes the first report of normalization of serum ferritin concentration in parallel with demonstrated reduction in tissue iron stores as a result of treatment with L1. Use of L1 as a therapeutic option in patients with thalassemia intermedia and iron overload appears warranted.
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PMID:Reduction of tissue iron stores and normalization of serum ferritin during treatment with the oral iron chelator L1 in thalassemia intermedia. 158 21

The precise role of lipid peroxidation in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease is still being debated. To explore the issue, this study was undertaken to investigate the status of lipid peroxidation, antioxidants and prooxidants at two discrete stages of experimental alcoholic liver disease. Male Wistar rats were intragastrically fed a high-fat diet plus ethanol for 5 or 16 wk (the duration that resulted in initiation of centrilobular liver necrosis or liver fibrosis, respectively). Lipid peroxidation was assessed in isolated microsomes and mitochondria with three parameters: malondialdehyde equivalents as determined by thiobarbituric acid assay, conjugated diene formation and 4-hydroxynonenal as a 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivative. To assess antioxidant systems, hepatic concentrations of glutathione, methionine and alpha-tocopherol were determined. The concentration of nonheme iron, a known prooxidant, was also measured. At wk 5, centrilobular liver necrosis was already evident in the ethanol-fed animals, with two- or threefold increases in plasma AST and ALT levels. At this stage, neither malondialdehyde equivalents nor conjugated diene values were elevated, and the 4-hydroxynonemal level was below 0.2 nmol/mg protein. Hepatic concentrations of methionine and alpha-tocopherol in these animals were increased two- and threefold, respectively, whereas the reduced glutathione level remained unchanged. When alcoholic liver disease had progressed to perivenular or bridging fibrosis at wk 16, all three parameters of lipid peroxidation showed consistent increases that were accompanied by significant reductions in the hepatic glutathione and methionine levels. Interestingly, the control animals pair-fed with the high-fat diet also had significantly elevated 4-hydroxynonenal levels at wk 16 compared to the wk 5 level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Increased 4-hydroxynonenal levels in experimental alcoholic liver disease: association of lipid peroxidation with liver fibrogenesis. 163 54

A study was carried out on 65 male workers heavily exposed to lead in the ceramic tile manufacturing industry in order to assess the effects of alcohol on the biological indicators of lead (PbB, ALA-D, ALA-U, ZPP). All subjects selected for the study had PbB levels greater than or equal to 60 micrograms/dl, normal levels of serum iron and no haemoglobin disorders. The subjects were divided into three groups according to alcohol intake checked by anamnestic investigation, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values and liver function parameters, as follows: Group A--27 subjects, controls, with daily alcohol intake less than 80 ml, MCV less than or equal to 95 mu 3, normal GGT, AST and ALT levels; Group B--20 subjects, heavy drinkers, with daily alcohol intake greater than or equal to 80 ml, MCV greater than 95 mu 3, occasionally high GGT, but normal AST and ALT values; Group C--18 subjects, heavy drinkers, with daily alcohol intake greater than or equal to 80 ml, MCV greater than 95 mu 3, abnormal GGT, AST and ALT levels. The length of lead exposure did not significantly differ in the three groups. The well-known effects of ethanol intake on PbB, ALA-D and ALA-U values were confirmed, with the following mean values in the three groups: Group A: PbB = 66.0 (micrograms/dl), ALA-D = 10.3 (mU/ml r.c.), ALA-U = 8.4 (mg/l); Group B: PbB = 68.3 (micrograms/dl), ALA-D = 6.7 (mU/ml r.c.), ALA-U = 9.1 (mg/l); Group C: PbB = 71.5 (micrograms/dl), ALA-D = 4.6 (mU/ml r.c.), ALA-U = 12.7 (mg/l).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Influence of alcohol on the behavior of dose and effect indicators in workers exposed to inorganic lead: unexpected behavior of ZPP]. 180 15

Oral adsorbent (AST-120) reduces blood levels of urea and creatinine in experimental studies. It has also been shown to retard the progression of chronic renal failure in clinical studies. In the present study, the effect of AST-120 was examined in the rat model of subtotal nephrectomy (sNPX). This experimental model of chronic renal failure is characterized by glomerular hyperfunction, glomerular hypertrophy, increased mesangial trapment of macromolecules and subsequent glomerular sclerosis. We report the effect of AST-120 on glomerular hyperfunction, glomerular hypertrophy and mesangial trapment of macromolecules in the early stage and glomerular function and histology in the late stage of the rat model of sNPX. From 2 days after sNPX, rats were fed regular rat chow with (AST group: AST) or without (control) AST-120. At 2 weeks, iron dextran (ID) was injected intravenously. Three days after the injection, mesangial trapment of ID was largely ameliorated in AST when compared with control (p less than 0.02). The value of mean planar area of glomerulus (PAmean) in AST was significantly lower than that in control (p less than 0.05). At 2 and 9 weeks, the values of GFR and RPF in AST were all statistically higher than those in control. At 9 weeks, whereas average glomerular sclerosis index (SI: 0-4 scale) was 1.07 in control, significantly lower SI (0.57) was noted in AST (p less than 0.05). Thus, AST-120 has effects on glomerular hypertrophy, increased mesangial trapment of macromoleculus and finally the progression of chronic renal failure in the rat model of sNPX. The effects are not through reducing glomerular hyperfunction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[The effects of oral adsorbent (AST-120) in the experimental model of chronic renal failure--pathophysiological study on renal function, glomerular hypertrophy, mesangial function and glomerular histology]. 226 21

Three hundred and seventy-three female and 213 male nonalcoholic subjects, aged 60-100 y, who had participated in a nutritional status survey of elderly people in the Boston area were grouped according to usual alcohol intake: 0-4, 5-14, or 15+ g/d. The age- and sex-adjusted mean intake of calories, fat, protein, carbohydrate, and 10 micronutrients and the mean levels of 14 nutrient and 22 nonnutrient biochemical indices were compared for the three categories of alcohol intake. The mean micronutrient intakes were also adjusted for total caloric intake and the mean nutrient biochemical concentrations were also adjusted for the corresponding nutrient intakes. The results suggest that caloric intake and blood concentrations of retinol, iron, ferritin, HDL cholesterol, AST, and ALT increased with increasing alcohol intake whereas folate and phosphorus intakes and blood measures of riboflavin, copper, zinc, urea nitrogen, and creatinine decreased with increasing alcohol intake.
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PMID:Moderate alcohol intake and nutritional status in nonalcoholic elderly subjects. 280 94

The triathlon has come to be recognized as a distinct endurance event and although a substantial body of research information exists with regard to the individual components (canoeing, cycling, running, etc.), the physiologic demands imposed by combining the respective activities into one continuous event have not yet been assessed. Twenty-three male athletes (age = 33 +/- 5.2 yr; mass = 71.79 +/- 7.42 kg; height = 176.0 +/- 7.21 cm; means +/- SD) participated in the study on the basis of informed consent. Venous blood samples, taken immediately prior to and on completion of the Iron Man Triathlon held in Johannesburg during 1983, were assayed for parameters of energy metabolism, fluid and electrolyte balance, and stress (tissue enzymes in serum). On the basis of post-race blood glucose (6.17 mmol. l-1), free fatty acids (1943 mumol. l-1), and blood lactate (3.45 mmol. l-1) changes, it was concluded that the triathlon is primarily, in an overall sense, an aerobic event. With the exception of magnesium and iron, serum electrolyte changes agreed with literature findings. However, body mass reductions (average 3.23 kg, i.e., 4.5%) indicated that the extent of dehydration is more severe in the triathlon than in comparable endurance events. Post-race enzyme levels (LD, CK, and AST) were significantly elevated, and LD negatively correlated with total performance time (P less than 0.01). The general conclusion is that the physiologic demand of the triathlon exceeds that of other comparable endurance events.
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PMID:Physiologic and biochemical changes during a triathlon competition. 395 16

Blood concentrations of six acute phase reactants (ESR, neutrophil count, fibrinogen, haptoglobin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, and ferritin), parameters of muscle necrosis (myoglobin, CK, ALT, and AST) as well as hemopexin, iron, and TIBC were determined before and for 7 consecutive days after muscle biopsy in patients and in a control group. A muscle biopsy was chosen as a standardized surgical procedure that induces a mild transient inflammatory response. After muscle biopsy, a significant increase occurred in five (ESR, neutrophil count, fibrinogen, haptoglobin, and alpha 1-antitrypsin) of the six acute phase reactants. The concentration of serum ferritin did not show a significant change. A significant decrease was noted in the serum iron concentration and a significant increase occurred with CK and myoglobin secondary to the muscle biopsy. Thus the inflammation of a muscle biopsy produces a significant acute phase reaction.
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PMID:Quantification of acute phase reactants after muscle biopsy. 711 53

To determine if alcoholic liver fibrogenesis is exacerbated by dietary iron supplementation, carbonyl iron (0.25% wt/vol) was intragastrically infused with or without ethanol to rats for 16 wk. Carbonyl iron had no effect on blood alcohol concentration, hepatic biochemical measurements, or liver histology in control animals. In both ethanol-fed and control rats, the supplementation produced a two- to threefold increase in the mean hepatic non-heme iron concentration but it remained within or near the range found in normal human subjects. As previously shown, the concentrations of liver malondialdehyde (MDA), liver 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE), and serum aminotransferases (ALT, AST) were significantly elevated by ethanol infusion alone. The addition of iron supplementation to ethanol resulted in a further twofold increment in mean MDA, 4HNE, ALT, and AST. On histological examination, focal fibrosis was found < 30% of the rats fed ethanol alone. In animals given both ethanol and iron, fibrosis was present in all, with a diffuse central-central bridging pattern in 60%, and two animals (17%) developed micronodular cirrhosis. The iron-potentiated alcoholic liver fibrogenesis was closely associated with intense and diffuse immunostaining for MDA and 4HNE adduct epitopes in the livers. Furthermore, in these animals, accentuated increases in procollagen alpha 1(I) and TGF beta 1 mRNA levels were found in both liver tissues and freshly isolated hepatic stellate cells, perisinusoidal cells believed to be a major source of extracellular matrices in liver fibrosis. The dietary iron supplementation to intragastric ethanol infusion exacerbates hepatocyte damage, promotes liver fibrogenesis, and produces evident cirrhosis in some animals. These results provide evidence for a critical role of iron and iron-catalyzed oxidant stress in progression of alcoholic liver disease.
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PMID:Experimental liver cirrhosis induced by alcohol and iron. 761 36

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of hydrolysis products of linoleic acid anilide (LAA), i.e., aniline and linoleic acid (LA), in the toxicity to the hemopoietic system, especially to the spleen. To achieve this, the parent compound (LAA) and its putative hydrolysis products, i.e., aniline or linoleic acid (LA), were given to male SD rats at equimolar doses (0.7 mmol/kg) in 0.25 ml mineral oil by gavage, daily, for 14 days. The controls received equal volumes of vehicle only. Five animals from each group were euthanized at Days 1, 7, and 28 following the last dose. At all time points, spleen weights increased in the LAA- and aniline-treated rats, but spleen to body weight ratios were increased only at Days 1 and 7 in these groups. No changes were observed in the LA-treated rats at any time point. RBC counts were decreased in the LAA and aniline groups at Days 1 and 7, whereas hemoglobin content was decreased by 20 and 13% in the LAA- and aniline-treated rats, respectively, only at Day 1. Methemoglobin content in the LAA and aniline groups also increased by 76 and 101%, respectively, at Day 1. Serum transaminases (AST and ALT) decreased in the LAA, aniline, and LA groups but the decreases were more consistent in the LA group. Serum IgA increased in the LAA and aniline groups only at Day 1. Splenic iron content was increased 381, 486, and 51% in the LAA-treated rats and 474, 491, and 58% in the aniline-treated rats at Days 1, 7, and 28, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Hematopoietic toxicity of linoleic acid anilide: importance of aniline. 766 6


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