Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.6.1.1 (aspartate aminotransferase)
 21,665 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The transaminases, alkaline phosphatase (AP) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (G-GT) are most widely used as indicators of hepatobiliary disease. Elevated serum levels of transaminases (AST and ALT) usually indicate hepatocellular damage. ALT elevations, however, can also be of extrahepatic origin (muscle). The ratio of the transaminases in serum (AST/ALT) and the mitochondrial isoenzyme of AST are frequently higher in alcoholic than in non-alcoholic liver diseases. Serum activities of AP and G-GT are elevated in cholestasis: Both enzymes, however, are not liver-specific and G-GT activity is induced by alcohol and certain drugs. A hepatic enzyme pattern (predominant transaminase elevation) should be discriminated from a cholestatic pattern (predominant AP and G-GT elevation). The most frequent diagnoses in asymptomatic patients with accidentally detected, mostly mild to moderate transaminase elevations are: alcoholic liver disease, (mostly chronic) viral hepatitis, and already much less frequently, drug induced liver disease and non-alcoholic steatosis. Solely if the respective investigations are negative or/and the transaminases stay elevated for greater than or equal to 6 months despite strict alcohol abstinence, omission of any potentially hepatotoxic drug or weight reduction are further steps justified.
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PMID:[Increased liver enzymes: what should be done?]. 135 16

The impact of dengue on liver function was studied by biochemical tests on 125 male and 145 female patients diagnosed with this disease during an outbreak that extended from November 1987 to December 1988. Abnormal levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (G-GT) were observed in 93.3%, 82.2%, 7.2%, 16.3% and 83.0% of the patients, respectively. The elevation of transaminases was mild to moderate in most cases, but was 10-fold greater than the normal upper limit for AST and ALT in 11.1% and 7.4% of the patients, respectively. Initially, the level of AST was greater than that of ALT, increasing to maximum levels nine days after the onset of symptoms, then decreasing to normal levels within two weeks. Results of the biochemical tests did not differ significantly between the cases with and without hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection, but significantly higher elevations of AST, ALT, and G-GT were observed in patients with episodes of bleeding. Liver biopsies of two patients showed features of lobular hepatitis. Of the five fatal cases, three died of hepatic failure. It is concluded that dengue fever may cause hepatic injury and transaminase elevation similar to that in patients with conventional viral hepatitis. In epidemic or endemic areas, dengue fever infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hepatitis.
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PMID:Liver biochemical tests and dengue fever. 135 50

Activities of arginase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were determined in sera obtained in a group of healthy women, women with verified carcinoma of the breast, benign mastopathy, a group of patients with carcinoma of various organs and a group of patients with acute viral hepatitis. Preoperative values of serum arginase activity in patients with breast carcinoma were up to 4-fold those found in healthy women. Sensitivity of the test was 86%. After the surgery, the activity decreased abruptly during the first week and normalised within 15-30 days. In benign diseases of the breast, the activity of arginase was normal. Serum arginase activity is raised in both benign and malignant liver diseases, however, the quotients alanine aminotransferase/arginase, aspartate aminotransferase/arginase and alkaline phosphatase/arginase differ significantly. Thus, use of alanine aminotransferase/arginase quotient implies a high degree of confidence in differentiating between increased arginase activity in mammary carcinoma (alanine aminotransferase/arginase = 0.572 +/- 0.278) and high arginase activity in hepatitis (alanine aminotransferase/arginase = 12.226 +/- 1.822).
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PMID:Arginase, a new marker of mammary carcinoma. 142 58

The present study examined the preventive effects of green tea extract on D-galactosamine (GalN)-induced hepatic injury in rats, an animal model of viral hepatitis. A single i.p.-injection of GalN (700 mg/kg) to male Wistar rats caused fulminant hepatitis by 48 hr as assessed by marked increases in the serum aspartate aminotransferase (GOT), alanine aminotransferase (GPT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities; decreases in the serum protein and cholesterol levels and the amount of liver microsome P-450; and marked changes in organ weights. The lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity markedly increased at 8 hr and markedly decreased at 24 hr after the GalN injection. In the experiment, animals were orally administered green tea extract at doses of 50, 100 or 200 mg/kg five times each before and after the GalN injection. Treatment with green tea extract significantly prevented the increases in the GOT, GPT and ALP activities in a dose-related manner. It also significantly prevented the decreases in serum albumin and total cholesterol, although not in a dose-related manner. A tendency to prevent the increase in LCAT activity and the decrease in liver microsome P-450 was also noted. Little effect was found on the other abnormal changes in the serum lipids and proteins and the organ weights. These results suggest that green tea may have an ameliorating effect on hepatic dysfunction.
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PMID:[Effects of green tea extract on galactosamine-induced hepatic injury in rats]. 146 98

Eighty patients with chronic viral hepatitis were screened for evidence of iron overload. Elevated serum iron values were noted in 36% of cases; serum ferritin values were above normal in 30% of men and 8% of women. Twenty-eight additional patients with chronic hepatitis for whom liver tissue was available for determination of iron content were evaluated to study the significance of iron overload in association with chronic hepatitis. Although 46% had elevated serum iron, ferritin, or transferrin-saturation levels, the hepatic iron concentration was elevated in only four cases, and the hepatic iron index was in the range for hereditary hemochromatosis (greater than 2.0) in only two of these. Serum aspartate aminotransferase activities correlated with serum ferritin levels in these patients, suggesting that ferritin and iron levels were increased in serum because of their release from hepatocellular stores associated with necrosis. Thus, in patients with chronic hepatitis in whom hereditary hemochromatosis is suspected, a liver biopsy should be performed with quantitation of hepatic iron and calculation of the hepatic iron index to confirm the diagnosis.
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PMID:Measurements of iron status in patients with chronic hepatitis. 842 15

The frequency and degree of periportal high intensity (PHI) on T2-weighted images in 28 patients (32 MR studies) with acute viral hepatitis were analyzed with regard to the various levels of serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and clinical phases. Periportal high intensity was found in 16 of 32 MR studies (50%) and no definite PHI was found in 7 studies (22%). Periportal high intensity appeared when the SGOT level was greater than 500 IU or when the phase of the disease was early. Follow-up studies revealed that PHI decreased during clinical recovery. We conclude that the degree of PHI on T2-weighted images reflects the severity of the disease in acute viral hepatitis.
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PMID:Periportal high intensity on T2-weighted MR images in acute viral hepatitis. 162 15

This paper discusses the progress of enzyme diagnosis by different examples. These include: the requirement for improved enzymological screening, despite the introduction of a test for hepatitis C; the imbalance between the popularity of "unexplained chronic aminotransferase elevations" and efforts to solve the inherent problems; the inadequate attempts to use the metabolic changes in the hepatocytes to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and pathophysiological understanding of viral liver diseases; the remarkable investigations into the 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase for better control of interferon therapy in chronic viral hepatitis; the use of enzymes as markers of etiology, particularly for the detection of alcohol induced liver diseases; the continuing preference for the aminotransferases in this scenario although the ratios of aspartate aminotransferase over alanine aminotransferase, or of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase over total aspartate aminotransferase activity, largely depend on the severity and intralobular localization of damage and the stage of the liver disease.
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PMID:Progress in the enzyme diagnosis of liver disease: reality or illusion? 170 67

According to the clinical findings, the activity of serum asparate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1), alanine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.2) and the level of total bilirubin, 45 children with acute viral hepatitis A were divided into two groups: with mild and moderately severe degree of disease. By determining the products of the peripheral thyroxine metabolism-T3 and rT3, as well as the other thyroid parameters (T4, FT4, TSH and TBG) we have found significantly lower T3 level and significantly higher T4 and TBG levels in both groups of patients in comparison with control group. At the same time, the level of biologically less active rT3 was increased in patients with moderately severe form of disease, while no differences were found in the values of TSH between the ill and control patients. TRH induced TSH release was normal in all patients. The results of this study point to the development of euthyroid sick syndrome or low T3 syndrome in children with viral hepatitis A.
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PMID:Euthyroid sick syndrome in children with acute viral hepatitis A. 186 90

The effect of prostaglandins (PG) in patients with fulminant and subfulminant viral hepatitis was studied. Seventeen patients presented with FHF secondary to hepatitis A (N = 3), hepatitis B (N = 6) and non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis (N = 8). Fourteen of the 17 patients had stage III or IV hepatic encephalopathy (HE). At presentation, the mean AST was 1844 +/- 1246 units/liter, bilirubin 232 +/- 135 mumol/liter, PT 34 +/- 18 and PTT 73 +/- 26 sec, and coagulation factors V and VII were 8 +/- 4 and 9 +/- 51%, respectively. Twelve of 17 patients responded to PGE1 rapidly, with a decrease in AST from 1540 +/- 833 to 188 +/- 324 units/liter, a decrease in prothrombin time from 27 +/- 7 sec to 12 +/- 1 sec, PTT from 61 +/- 10 sec to 31 +/- 2 sec, and an increase in factor V from 9 +/- 4% to 69 +/- 18% and factor VII from 11 +/- 5% to 71 +/- 20%. Five responders with NANB hepatitis relapsed upon discontinuation of therapy, with recurrence of HE and increases in AST and PT but improvement was observed upon retreatment. After four weeks of intravenous therapy, oral PGE2 was substituted. Two patients have recovered completely and remain in remission six and 12 months following cessation of therapy. Two additional patients continue in remission after two and six months of PGE2. No relapses have been seen in patients with hepatitis A virus (HAV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Liver biopsies in the 12 surviving patients have returned to normal. These results suggest efficacy of PGE for FHF. Further investigation is warranted.
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PMID:Treatment of fulminant viral hepatic failure with prostaglandin E. A preliminary report. 190 42

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial using ribavirin (200 mg orally four times a day for two weeks) was conducted in 30 patients with acute uncomplicated viral hepatitis (excluding hepatitis B). Clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated on days 5, 10 and 14 after starting treatment. Mean levels of ALT and AST were significantly lower in the ribavirin treated group as compared to the placebo group on days 5, 10 and 14; serum bilirubin levels were significantly lower in the ribavirin group on days 10 and 14. Ribavirin therapy was not associated with any significant side effects. We conclude that ribavirin therapy in acute uncomplicated non-B viral hepatitis leads to more rapid normalisation of biochemical parameters.
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PMID:Ribavirin in acute viral hepatitis. 191 70


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