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)

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may present with increased hepatic fibrosis progressing to end-stage liver disease. No factors that determine increasing fibrosis and histologically advanced disease have been recognized, thus, liver biopsy is recommended in all patients for diagnosis and prognosis. Our aim was to identify independent predictors of severe hepatic fibrosis in patients with NASH. One hundred and forty-four patients were studied. All patients underwent liver biopsy. Clinical and biochemical variables were examined with univariate and multivariate analysis. Thirty-seven (26%) patients had no abnormal fibrosis, 53 (37%) had mild fibrosis, 15 (10%) had moderate fibrosis, 14 (10%) had bridging fibrosis, and 25 (17%) had cirrhosis. In multivariate analysis, older age (P =. 001), obesity (P =.002), diabetes mellitus (P =.009), and aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase (AST/ALT) ratio greater than 1 (P =.03) were significant predictors of severe liver fibrosis (bridging/cirrhosis). Body mass index (P =.003) was the only independent predictor of the degree of fat infiltration. Increased transferrin saturation correlated positively with the severity of fibrosis (P =.02) in univariate analysis, and there was a trend for more female patients among those with more advanced fibrosis (P =. 09). However, iron studies or gender were not significant when controlled for age, obesity, diabetes, and AST/ALT ratio. In conclusion, older age, obesity, and presence of diabetes mellitus help identify those NASH patients who might have severe liver fibrosis. This is the subgroup of patients with NASH who would be expected to derive the most benefit from having a liver biopsy and considering investigational therapies.
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PMID:Independent predictors of liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. 1057 11

The proposed laboratory investigation was designed to evaluate the effects of acute exposure to both continuous and intermittent magnetic fields (MFs) (50 Hz-10 microT) on the circadian rhythm of clinical chemistry variables in humans: electrolytes (magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and chloride), enzymes (amylase, lipase, aldolase, gamma glutamyl-transferase [GGT], lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], aspartate aminotransferase [ASAT], and alkaline phosphatase [ALP]), lipids (cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein [HDL], apolipoprotein A1 [ApoA1], and ApoB), proteins (total proteins and albumin), nitrogen substances (uric acid, urea, and creatinine), iron, glycemia, and transferrin. Young volunteers (32 subjects; 16 exposed and 16 sham exposed) were selected according to the screening criteria. Each subject participated in two sessions held within a 4-week period. In the first session, one group of volunteers (16 subjects) was exposed to a continuous MF and then, in the second session, to an intermittent MF. The second group (16 subjects) served as a control for both sessions. At each session, blood samples were collected at 3 h intervals from 11:00 to 20:00 and hourly from 22:00 to 08:00. The results indicate that both continuous and intermittent 50-Hz linearly polarized MFs of 10 microT intensity have no effects on the circadian rhythms or on the levels of the variables studied here.
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PMID:Assessment of the effects of nocturnal exposure to 50-Hz magnetic fields on the human circadian system. A comprehensive study of biochemical variables. 1058 79

It has been proposed that iron overload may adversely affect liver disease outcome. The recent identification of 2 mutations in the HFE gene related to hereditary haemochromatosis (Cys282Tyr and His63Asp) provided an opportunity to test whether they are associated with hepatic iron accumulation and the activity and severity of liver disease in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We investigated the prevalence of HFE mutations in 135 male patients with chronic HCV hepatitis, and correlated genotype distribution with different parameters of iron status and the activity and severity of liver disease. Of these 135 patients, 6 (4.4%) carried Cys282Tyr and 32 (23.7%) carried His63Asp, frequencies which were similar to those observed in healthy controls. Serum iron levels and transferrin saturation (but not ferritin levels or liver iron content) were significantly higher in carriers than in non-carriers of HFE mutations. No difference was observed in serum ALT, AST and GGT levels between carriers and non-carriers. Finally, scores for necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis in the liver were significantly higher in HFE carriers than in non-carriers. Patients with chronic HCV infection carrying HFE mutations tend to present more evident body iron accumulation and a higher degree of necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis in the liver. HFE gene mutations might be an additional factor to be considered among those implicated in the determination of a worse prognosis of the liver disease in chronic HCV infection.
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PMID:Are haemochromatosis mutations related to the severity of liver disease in hepatitis C virus infection? 1069 80

Deaths from the effects of alcohol intoxication are encountered routinely in forensic practice. In an important number of cases difficulty may arise in interpreting the significance of results obtained in the autopsy. In clinical practice biochemical markers, particularly serum gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), and erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume are used to diagnose heavy alcohol consumption. CDT is used as a reliable and specific marker. In postmortem diagnosis, because of the difficulty in interpreting blood alcohol levels and relatively non-specific pathological features, biochemical compounds have been studied for use as possible markers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the postmortem determination of CDT in vitreous humor as a confirmation of antemortem alcoholism. CDT levels were studied in 66 male cadavers with a mean age of 55.9 years (S.D. 17.0, range 22-87 years) with a mean postmortem interval of 17.9 h (S.D. 11.4, range 4-72 h). Cases were assigned to two diagnostic groups according to the antemortem diagnosis of alcoholism. Statistically significant differences were found for CDT and ALT concentrations between the two diagnostic groups. The highest vitreous humor levels of CDT and ALT were obtained in the group of cases with a previous diagnosis of alcoholism. Our results suggest that vitreous humor CDT levels are useful in cases where the postmortem diagnosis of alcoholism is hindered by the non-specificity of data.
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PMID:Vitreous humor carbohydrate-deficient transferrin concentrations in the postmortem diagnosis of alcoholism. 1073 67

Accurate estimate of drug exposure plays an important role in studies of the neurobiology of drug dependence. The validity of self-reported drug use by subjects participating in such studies has not been well established. This study examined the relationship between self-reported drug use and biological markers in 18 non-treatment-seeking cocaine-dependent individuals participating in research on the effects of cocaine on the brain. A significant relationship was found between self-reported frequency of cocaine use and hair cocaine concentration. Frequency of alcohol use correlated significantly with plasma carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and aspartate aminotransferase levels. These results suggest that self-reported substance use in non-treatment seeking research subjects is generally valid.
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PMID:The validity of self-reported drug use in non-treatment seeking individuals with cocaine dependence: correlation with biochemical assays. 1100 Sep 17

Assessment of carbohydrate-deficient serum transferrin CDT) is considered a very useful indicator of alcohol abuse. There is a number of methods for assessment of CDT. In clinical practice most frequently assessment of the percentage ratio of CDT in transferrin is used. In our hospital we assessed CDT by the method of homogeneous immunoanalysis (Boehringer Mannheim (CDT-BM). Because we obtained a relatively high percentage of false results and because we found in the literature reference to a new method of homogeneous immunoanalysis (The Sanqui BioTech-CD-SB) with a different cut-off, we decided to compare the results of the estimations by the two methods and assess the percentage of false results. We examined a group of 49 patients incl. 16 who admitted alcohol abuse (> 60 g alcohol more than four times per week). As anticipated, we found that the %CDT assessed by the CDT-BM method was significantly higher than the percentage CDT-SB. After classification of the group into sub-groups with regard to alcohol intake the two sub-groups differed significantly only in values of CDT-SB and CDT-BM. In the group of patients with alcohol abuse we found relations between CDT-MB and indicators of hepatic lesions. In CDT-SB we found only an association with AST. This finding could suggest a greater specificity of CDT-SB. We confirmed data in the literature that GMT is independent on CDT and the mean corpuscular volume is independent on CDT in subjects with alcohol abuse. In abstainers who negated alcohol intake we found also when assessing CDT-SB a significant gender differentiation which is described in the literature (the reason is probably the fact that the CDT-SB method analyzes, contrary to CDT-BM, only asialo,-monosialo and disialylic isoforms of transferrin and women have higher levels of monosialylic forms). In our group the examination of %CDT by the new method, the Sanqui Biotech for alcohol abuse, had an almost absolute specificity and sensitivity. Contrary to the older Boehringer-Mannheim method we did not record any false increase in any patient with signs of hepatopathy nor any false negative results). We assume that the described methodical innovation of the analysis could facilitate the differential diagnosis of various diseases in different medical disciplines (internal medicine, neurology, psychiatry, assessment of work capacity).
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PMID:[Personal experience with determination of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin]. 1104 70

Hemochromatosis is one of the most frequent genetic diseases among the white populations, affecting one in three hundred persons. Its diagnosis has been radically transformed by the discovery of the HFE gene. In a given individual, the diagnosis can, from now on, be ascertained on the sole association of a plasma transferrin saturation (TS) over 45% and homozygosity for the C282Y mutation. Liver biopsy is only required to search for cirrhosis whenever there is hepatomegaly and/or serum ferritin >1000 ng/ml and/or elevated serum AST. Family screening is mandatory, primarily centered on the siblings. The treatment remains based on venesection therapy which improves many features of the disease (one of the most refractory, however, being the joint signs) and permits normal life expectancy provided the diagnosis is established prior to the development of cirrhosis or of insulin-dependent diabetes. In view of the prevalence, the non-invasive diagnosis, the spontaneous severity and the efficacy of a very simple therapy, hemochromatosis should benefit from population screening. This screening could be based, first, on the assessment of transferrin saturation, followed - when elevated - by the search for the C282Y mutation. The discovery of the HFE gene has also paved the road for the individualization of other types of iron overload syndromes which are not HFE-related.
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PMID:Clinical aspects of hemochromatosis. 1109 95

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of long-term brief intervention in routine general practice. In five primary care out-patient clinics in a Finnish town, 296 male early-phase heavy drinkers consulting a general practitioner (GP) for various reasons were identified. Control group C (n = 88) was informed of the risks of drinking after the screening and were advised at the subsequent feedback about 2 weeks later to reduce their drinking. Groups A (n = 109) and B (n = 99) were offered in addition seven and three brief intervention sessions, respectively. All GPs took part, whether or not they indicated a special interest. The main outcome measures were differences between beginning and end-point at 3 years in self-reported alcohol consumption, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyltransferase. There were no statistically significant differences between study groups A, B and C in mean changes in outcome measures. Within all the groups, MCV decreased. Depending on the outcome measure used and the study group analysed, clinically significant reduction of drinking was found in 25-53% of the subjects. In routine general practice, giving additional sessions of brief intervention may not be as effective as in special research conditions. Factors reducing the effectiveness of brief intervention programmes should be investigated, so that primary health care staff can be better supported in their efforts.
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PMID:Brief intervention for male heavy drinkers in routine general practice: a three-year randomized controlled study. 1137 59

To aid in the objective diagnosis of chronic alcohol abuse in both clinical and medico-legal environments, reliable biochemical markers are needed. In addition to the conventional indicators, which include y-glutamyl transferase, erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) has recently been introduced. According to a reliable body of literature, CDT is the most reliable marker of chronic excessive alcohol intake. CDT is the collective name for minor isoforms of human transferrin, and therefore highly selective and sensitive methods are required for its analysis in serum. Moreover, the need for precise quantification poses additional problems of accuracy and precision. For these purposes, capillary electrophoresis shows excellent potential in terms of quantitative accuracy, precision, speed, automation, economy, and simplicity of operation. The simple, optimized capillary zone electrophoretic analysis of CDT in human serum is discussed in this paper and is compared to the traditional analytical method based on microcolumn ion exchange chromatography followed by immunoassay.
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PMID:Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin determination revisited with capillary electrophoresis: a new biochemical marker of chronic alcohol abuse. 1168 18

The merits and limitations of traditional and new markers for alcohol abuse (and abstinence) are critically examined for detection and monitoring of alcoholics, hazardous drinkers and binge drinkers. The traditional markers discussed include gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), aspartate and alanine aminotransaminases (AST, ALT) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV); new markers include mitochondrial AST, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), serum/urine 5-hydroxytryptophol, beta-hexosaminidase and acetaldehyde adducts. The strengths and weaknesses of several of the self-reporting screening questionnaires are also explored. No laboratory test is reliable enough on its own to support a diagnosis of alcoholism. Sensitivities and specificities vary considerably and depend on the population concerned. GGT continues to remain the test that combines greatest convenience and sensitivity: its diagnostic accuracy can be enhanced by combination with other traditional markers (AST, ALT, MCV). None of the newer markers offers significant advantage, although CDT seems to be better at monitoring patients for increased alcohol consumption or progress towards abstinence.
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PMID:Biochemical detection and monitoring of alcohol abuse and abstinence. 1211 49


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