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)

Serum levels of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) were measured in 268 patients with liver diseases by means of a one-step sandwich enzyme immunoassay. In the cases of acute hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis (CAH), liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the levels of TIMP-1 were higher than those of the control group. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 levels correlated with type III procollagen peptide and with type IV collagen, indicating TIMP-1 as a useful marker for hepatic fibrosis. Levels of TIMP-1 also correlated with aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels and showed the highest levels in acute hepatitis. Thus, TIMP-1 might also reflect hepatic inflammation. Serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein and TIMP-1 had a significant positive correlation in patients with HCC. A cut-off level of TIMP-1 between LC and HCC was set at 440 ng/mL, having a low sensitivity and a high specificity. These results suggest the usefulness of TIMP-1 as a tumour marker in cases of HCC where alpha-fetoprotein levels are not elevated.
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PMID:Clinical evaluation of serum tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 levels in patients with liver diseases. 821 91

In order to assess the liver protective activity and the antioxidant properties of a new silybin complex (IdB1016), we carried out a short-term pilot study on 20 patients with chronic active hepatitis (CAH), randomly assigned to 240 mg of silybin b.i.d. (10 patients, 4 m/6 f, mean age: 50 years) or placebo (10 patients, 2 m/8 f, mean age: 55 years). Blood samples were collected before and after 7 days of treatment for liver function tests (LFTs), malonaldehyde (MDA) as an index of lipid peroxidation, and copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), two trace elements involved in protecting cells against free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation. In the treated group, there was a statistically significant reduction of mean (+/- SEM) serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) from 88.0 (+/- 13.3) to 65.9 (+/- 7.5) u/l, (p < 0.01), of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) from 115.9 (+/- 12.9) to 82.5 (+/- 10.6) u/l (p < 0.01), of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GT) from 51.4 (+/- 9.3) to 41.3 (+/- 4.2) u/l (p < 0.02) and of total bilirubin (TB) from 0.76 (+/- 0.08) to 0.53 (+/- 0.04) mg/dl (p < 0.05). Alkaline phosphatase (AP) fell slightly from 143.4 (+/- 6.4) to 137.5 (+/- 7.8) u/l. There were no significant changes in MDA, Cu or Zn serum concentrations. These results show that IdB1016 may improve LFTs related to hepatocellular necrosis and/or increases membrane permeability in patients affected by CAH.
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PMID:A pilot study on the liver protective effect of silybin-phosphatidylcholine complex (IdB1016) in chronic active hepatitis. 822 95

Serum IgM anti-HBc was determined in 135 chronic HBsAg carriers with various categories of histological activity on liver biopsy and hepatitis B serological profile. Thirty-three patients were treated with interferon-alpha to investigate the correlation between serum IgM anti-HBc with histological activity and viral replication, to evaluate the usefulness of pretreatment IgM anti-HBc as a predictor of a successful response to interferon-alpha and to examine the IgM anti-HBc response during this treatment. All 53 patients with chronic active hepatitis with either wild-type (n = 42) or precore mutant variant HBV infection (n = 11) had an IgM anti-HBc index greater than 0.300 compared with 7.4% (2 of 27) of the chronic HBsAg/HBeAg-positive carriers with chronic persistent hepatitis, 10% (3 of 30) of the anti-HBe-positive asymptomatic carriers and none of the 25 patients with hepatitis D virus-positive chronic active hepatitis (p < 0.0001). Pretreatment IgM anti-HBc index was greater than 0.300 in 82.4% (14 of 17) of HBeAg/HBV DNA-positive patients who seroconverted after interferon-alpha treatment compared with 25% (4 of 16) of the patients who did not seroconvert (p = 0.0013), whereas an elevated pretreatment AST was present in only 52.9% (9 of 17) of responders and in 37.5% (6 of 16) of nonresponders (p = 0.42). Serial testing of IgM anti-HBc in these 33 patients during interferon-alpha treatment showed a significant rise in IgM anti-HBc in all responders, which followed the AST flare-up but preceded the time of the HBeAg to anti-HBe seroconversion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Quantitative assessment of serum IgM anti-HBc in the natural course and during interferon treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. 829 88

The present study was aimed to clarify the virologic status, liver histologies, and the results of follow-up liver tests in symptom-free individuals with anti-HCV antibodies and normal liver tests. Forty-nine individuals with normal liver tests and positive second generation anti-HCV antibody assay were entered into this study. Cases with hepatitis C viremia were evaluated for HCV genotype, amount of circulating HCV-RNA, and liver histology and were followed-up for more than one year. Of the forty-nine individuals, 36 had hepatitis C viremia, indicated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Liver histology was as follows: 3 had non-specific changes, 25 had chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH), and 8 had chronic active hepatitis (CAH). Twenty-four cases with CPH and CAH developed an elevated AST and/or ALT concentration (> 30 IU/l) between 12 and 32 months of follow-up. The amount of circulating HCV-RNA ranged from 10(2) to 10(7) copies/50 microliters serum. The distribution of HCV genotypes was nearly the same as that for symptomatic CAH. These data suggest that the histological examination and follow-up examination are very important for following symptom-free individuals with hepatitis C viremia because there are some candidates for interferon therapy among them. There are few individuals who will remain healthy among asymptomatic HCV carriers.
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PMID:Circulating HCV-RNA, HCV genotype, and liver histology in asymptomatic individuals reactive for anti-HCV antibody and their follow-up study. 887 94

In the majority of patients with acute hepatitis C the anti-HCV IgM antibodies in serum were present, however, some patients with chronic hepatitis C were positive for anti-HCV IgM too. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of anti-c22 IgM in patients with chronic hepatitis C and to determine whether the positivity for anti-c22 IgM has an impact on the histological finding in the liver. A total of 88 patients were examined (44 women, 44 men), mean age 48 years. The first group comprised 24 patients positive for both anti-HCV IgG and anti-c22 IgM, the second group 38 patients positive for anti-HCV IgG only, and the third group 26 patients negative for both anti-HCV IgG and anti-c22 IgM. Of 62 anti-HCV-IgG-positive subjects 24 (39%) were positive also for anti-c22 IgM. Of 24 patients who received a blood transfusion 9 (37.5%) were positive for anti-c22 IgM. The mean serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity was significantly higher in subjects with anti-c22 IgM than that in subjects without them (p = 0.006), however, the difference in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was not significant (p = 0.09). Histological examination was performed in 46 patients. Two-thirds of the patients with anti-c22 IgM had either cirrhosis or chronic active hepatitis (CAH) while only one third of the anti-HCV-positive patients without anti-c22 IgM had CAH or cirrhosis. The results showed that approximately 40% of the patients with CAH and cirrhosis had anti-c22 IgM, a significantly higher serum ALT activity and more serious histological finding in the liver than anti-HCV-positive patients without anti-c22 IgM.
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PMID:Clinical importance of assessment of anti-HCV IgM antibodies in chronic hepatitis C. 888 13

The aetiology, biochemistry, clinical features and complications of histologically confirmed hepatic cirrhosis in 45 patients (26 females, 19 males) seen at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica, between 1984 and 1994 are presented. The age range was 1 to 72 years (mean 48 years). Abdominal swelling and weight loss were the commonest symptoms, occurring in 51% and 47% of patients, respectively. Jaundice was a presenting feature in 44%. Hepatomegaly was present in 71% of patients and splenomegaly in 33%. The aetiological factors were: alcohol (36%), bush tea (18%), chronic active hepatitis (11%), drugs (7%), and haemochromatosis (2%). Hepatitis B surface antigen was detected in 2 of 20 patients tested. 24% of the patients also had diabetes mellitus., 29% were anaemic, 29% were thrombocytopenic, 4% were leukopenic, and the prothrombin time was prolonged in 22%. The albumin/globulin ratio was reversed in 71% of the patients. The alkaline phosphatase was elevated in 56%, the aspartate aminotransferase was increased in 58% and the gamma glutamyl transpeptidase in 56%. 56% of the patients had macronodular cirrhosis; the liver showed a micronodular pattern in 18%; 7% had biliary cirrhosis; 7% chronic active hepatitis with cirrhosis; and 13% showed a mixed macro-micronodular pattern. Ascites and fluid overload developed in 44% of the patients. Hepatic encephalopathy occurred in 18% and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in 18%.
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PMID:Hepatic cirrhosis in Jamaica. 926 May 37

We report a case of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) deficiency in a 68-year-old Japanese female with chronic hepatitis C. The serum was positive for antibody to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HCV-RNA. Liver biopsy showed histological evidence of chronic active hepatitis. The level of serum aspartate aminotransferase (sAST) was elevated, but sALT was extremely low. The patient was followed up for her serum aminotransferase levels for 1.5 years under the treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid. The low sALT level persisted during all the follow-up period. The ALT activity in liver tissue was also decreased. Based on these findings, ALT deficiency was suspected. sALT activity was also found to be low in her two sons. This latter finding suggests the hereditary character of this abnormality.
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PMID:Case report: Alanine aminotransferase deficiency detected in a patient with chronic hepatitis C. 964 44

We evaluated therapy complications in 19 beta-thalassemia major patients (mean age from 3 years/5 months and 1 years/6 months) who were followed at II Pediatric Department-University of Bari. 3 out of 19 patients underwent allogenic BMT from matched related donor; 2 out of 19 underwent splenectomy. All of them were receiving hypertransfusion therapy and continuous chelation with DFO. In all patients we performed physical examination, laboratory assays, cardiac and endocrinologic function tests, serum HBV-HCV-HIV antibodies, otoscopy and audiometric test, fundus oculi, skeletal x-ray. 1 out of 19 patients, who was under 15, had a slight dilatation of left ventricle and arythmia. All patients were HBsAb positive. 4/19 patients were HCV Ab positive (ELISA test) with an increase in ALT-AST serum levels since at least 6 months. In 3 of them we assessed RIBA test, always positive. 3 of them underwent liver biopsy (1 iron overload 2 chronic active hepatitis). All patients were HIV Ab negative. 4/15 patients revealed low GH levels after Arginina test. 13 pre-pubescent patients had normal results with GNRH test but lower results after FSH test. 1 pubescent patient had gonadotropic hypophyseal deficit. 4 patients had subclinic hypothiroidism. We couldn't find any sequelas in bone-eyes-ears. Hypertransfusion therapy, chelation, profilaxis of infections improved length and quality of life in thalassemic patients. Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism remains a serious sequela and we think it needs to be treated.
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PMID:[Long-term effects of combined therapy in patients with beta-thalassemia major]. 965 19

Aspartate aminotransferase can exist as a macroenzyme, which has a higher molecular mass than the corresponding enzyme normally found in serum under physiologic or pathological conditions. This macroenzyme is often an immunoglobulin complexed-enzyme and induces persistently increased serum aspartate aminotransferase activity without any corresponding liver or muscle damage. We report 5 patients with isolated and persistent increased serum aspartate aminotransferase activity in whom a macroenzyme has been detected. Of these 5 cases, four were apparently healthy subjects and the last had chronic active hepatitis. Electrophoresis of aspartate aminotransferase isoenzymes of the subjects' serum showed an abnormal band migrating between mitochondrial and cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase. In 3 cases, the macrocomplex consisted of aspartate aminotransferase and immunoglobulin G, as shown by the immunoprecipitation method. In the patient with chronic active hepatitis, the macroenzyme disappeared after liver transplantation. As macroaspartate aminotransferase and others macroenzymes, may persist for months or even years, it is important for clinicians to be aware of their existence to avoid unnecessary invasive or costly procedures.
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PMID:[Macroaspartate aminotransferase. Study of 5 cases and review of the literature]. 976 95

We evaluated the impact of concomitant infection with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) on the clinical course after renal transplantation (Tx). In 335 patients (pts) transplanted between 1991 and 1993 we found 30 (9%) recipients who were positive for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) (ELISA, Organon) and anti-HCV antibodies (immunoblot assay Lia Tek) preTx. Chronic liver disease (CLD) (two-fold or greater increase in serum ALT and AST levels for at least six months) developed in 40.7% coinfected pts as compared to 24.4% and 25.7% pts infected only with HCV or HBV, respectively. Maintenance immunosuppression consisted of P + Aza + CsA, mean follow-up time was 28 +/- 15 months. The mean time of the onset of CLD was 3.0 months (range: 1-18 months) after Tx. Percutaneous liver biopsy performed in 5 CLD pts revealed chronic active hepatitis (CAH) in 4 and chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) in 1 pt. Four pts who had CAH and were positive for HCV RNA (RT PCR) in serum and for HBcAg in liver tissue, received interferon-alpha therapy for 6 months. Clinical improvement of liver function was observed in all of them, but none cleared HBsAg or HCV RNA. One pt lost his graft due to acute rejection. Concomitant infection with HBV and HCV is associated with the high risk of development of CLD early after Tx. We recommend that pretransplant evaluation of both anti-HCV and HBsAg positive pts should include liver biopsy to exclude potential recipients with CAH.
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PMID:Clinical course of concomitant Hbv and Hcv infection in renal allograft recipients. 986 22


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