Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.6.1.2 (alanine aminotransferase)
 26,722 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In a randomized, controlled trial of recombinant interferon alfa-2b with or without prednisone priming in Chinese adults with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, stratified randomization for pretreatment serum alanine aminotransferase levels was done. Partial or complete antiviral responses were achieved in 17 (21.5%) of 79 treated patients and 3 (8.3%) of 36 controls (P = 0.14). The response to interferon treatment was significantly better in those who had elevated pretreatment transaminase levels and comparable to that reported in white patients [15 (38.5%) of 39 patients compared with 2 (5%) of 40 who had normal pretreatment transaminase levels (P = 0.0005)]. The spontaneous seroconversion rate was also higher among the controls with elevated transaminase levels [3 (18.8%) of 16 compared with 0 of 20 with normal transaminase levels], but this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.16). Among the interferon-treated patients, prednisone priming appeared to have a marginal benefit over treatment with interferon alone in patients with elevated transaminase levels (43% vs. 33%), but not in those with normal transaminase levels (0% vs. 9.5%). It was confirmed that Chinese patients with normal transaminase levels respond very poorly to interferon alfa therapy. However, the response was significantly better in patients with elevated transaminase levels.
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PMID:A controlled trial of interferon with or without prednisone priming for chronic hepatitis B. 158 29

To determine serum thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) levels, we used radioimmunoassay, and compared the results obtained with other tests in 231 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection to evaluate its clinical implications. All of these patients were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive. Among them, 38 patients had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 18 had chronic persistent hepatitis, 70 had chronic lobular or active hepatitis (grouped as CAH), 31 had active cirrhosis (AC), 25 had inactive cirrhosis, 20 had decompensated cirrhosis, and 29 were "healthy" HBsAg carriers. Twenty-seven patients with acute hepatitis, 12 with cancer metastasis to the liver, and 81 normal adults served as disease or normal controls. The results showed that serum TBG level increased significantly in patients with CAH, AC, or HCC. Serum TBG did not correlate with albumin or bilirubin level, but correlated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) positively in patients with CAH (p less than 0.001) and negatively in patients with HCC (p less than 0.01) (slope difference p less than 0.05). Serial determination of serum TBG and ALT also showed parallel changes in 15 patients with CAH, but not in nine patients with HCC. In contrast, the fall and rise of serum TBG levels in patients with HCC coincided with tumor resection and recurrence. The data suggest that serum TBG elevation in patients with hepatitis activity is the result of hepatocellular damage, whereas that in patients with HCC is due to increased synthesis. Whether serum TBG elevation without concomitant rise of ALT could be used as a marker of HCC awaits further study.
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PMID:Thyroxine-binding globulin in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection: different implications in hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. 168 51

Three-hundred forty-one HBsAg-positive family members of 152 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (47 asymptomatic carriers, 59 with chronic hepatitis, 17 with cirrhosis and 29 with hepatocellular carcinoma) were prospectively studied to determine the morbidity and mortality from chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the family members of patients with malignant and nonmalignant hepatitis B virus-related chronic liver diseases. Most of the family members had no history of acute hepatitis, were asymptomatic and were unaware of their carrier status. However, 5.3% had stigmata of chronic liver disease, 6% had serum ALT levels that exceeded two times the upper limit of normal and 78% of those who had biopsies had chronic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis. During a follow-up period of 12 to 90 mo (median = 39 mo), 3% had symptoms of chronic liver disease; 24% had transient, recurrent or persistent elevation in serum ALT levels, 1.4% had cirrhosis and 1% had hepatocellular carcinoma. Neither hepatocellular carcinoma in the index patient nor a previous history of hepatocellular carcinoma in the family was associated with an increase in the morbidity and mortality from chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the HBsAg-positive family members.
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PMID:Morbidity and mortality from chronic hepatitis B virus infection in family members of patients with malignant and nonmalignant hepatitis B virus-related chronic liver diseases. 170 10

The level of serum-soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) was measured in 32 patients to investigate the effect of prednisone and alpha-interferon therapy on chronic hepatitis B virus infection. All the patients were seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B e antigen, with histological evidence of chronic persistent or chronic active hepatitis. Twenty-six patients received oral prednisone, followed by subcutaneous recombinant alpha-interferon, and six patients received multivitamin tablets and served as controls. After 4 wk of prednisone in reducing dosage, serum sIL-2R fell significantly from 673.6 +/- 52.9 U/ml to 584.8 +/- 39.4 U/ml (mean +/- SE, p less than 0.05). It rose to 733.4 +/- 45.7 U/ml (p less than 0.05) on the 4th wk of interferon, but returned to pretreatment level at completion of interferon. There was a significant correlation between serum sIL-2R and alanine aminotransferase levels (r = 0.36, p less than 0.001). The level of serum sIL-2R before treatment and its response to prednisone and interferon were not useful in predicting seroconversion of hepatitis B e antigen and anti-hepatitis B e.
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PMID:Effects of alpha-interferon and prednisone on serum-soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in chronic hepatitis B infection. 172 7

We measured activities of alpha- and gamma-interferon simultaneously in 198 sera of 70 patients with acute and chronic viral hepatitis using specific and sensitive enzyme immunoassay and immunoradiometric assay. The results were compared with those in patients with influenza and in healthy controls. Twelve out of 28 patients with acute viral hepatitis showed positive alpha-IFN and/or gamma-IFN activities. alpha-IFN was detectable throughout the clinical course while gamma-IFN levels rose in the convalescent phase regardless of etiology. Conversely, in patients with influenza, both alpha-IFN and gamma-IFN levels of initial samples tended to be higher than those of late samples. Six out of 12 patients with chronic active type B hepatitis showed increased alpha-IFN and/or gamma-IFN values during acute deterioration with marked elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase. However, the two interferons did not always appear simultaneously, although either was detectable in both acute and chronic hepatitis. Enhanced alpha-IFN or gamma-IFN activity was not found in asymptomatic chronic hepatitis B carriers or in patients with chronic persistent hepatitis and liver cirrhosis with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, with the exception of 2 cases. Our results indicated that circulating multiple IFN species were present during the clinical course in some patients with acute and chronic viral hepatitis.
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PMID:Serum levels of alpha-interferon and gamma-interferon in patients with acute and chronic viral hepatitis. 249 28

In order to study the clinical, serological, and morphological evolution of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in childhood, a prospective study has been carried out. A total of 90 children with a chronic infection were followed up for a mean (SD) of 3 (1.8) years. At the beginning of the study, 61 children were asymptomatic and 77 were household contacts of chronic carriers. Serologically 77 were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive and 71 of them were positive to hepatitis B virus DNA. The mean alanine aminotransferase activities were higher among HBeAg positive patients than in antihepatitis B e (anti-HBe) positive ones. The most severe histological damage was also found among HBeAg positive patients. The annual seroconversion rate was 14%. A significant increase in the alanine aminotransferase activity was observed 13 (5.6) months before appearance of anti-HBe in the 85% of cases. Among anti-HBe positive patients, the alanine aminotransferase activities were normal in all except three (19%), two of whom had intrahepatic delta antigen. An increase in the histological activity was observed among patients who maintained HBeAg presence while an amelioration of liver damage was observed in anti-HBe carriers.
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PMID:Serological and histological follow up of chronic hepatitis B infection. 278 31

Serum-soluble Tac peptide was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 12 patients with acute type B hepatitis, 33 patients with chronic type B hepatitis, and 15 age- and sex-matched controls. All 12 patients with acute type B hepatitis had elevated levels of soluble Tac peptide with a mean (+/- SD) of 1527 +/- 432 U/ml, significantly higher than that of normal controls (264 +/- 74 U/ml) or patients with chronic type B hepatitis (646 +/- 399 U/ml). Serial follow-up showed that serum levels of soluble Tac peptide tended to return to normal 2-4 months after onset of acute hepatitis along with the normalization of alanine aminotransferase and seroconversion of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) to anti-HBs. Patients with chronic type B hepatitis also had significantly higher levels of soluble Tac peptide than normal controls, although only 63.6% (21/33) of them had a level greater than the upper limit of normal. Serum levels of soluble Tac peptide in patients with chronic type B hepatitis varied considerably with the inflammatity in liver. The hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients with chronic active liver disease had significantly higher levels of soluble Tac peptide (928 +/- 424 U/ml) than HBeAg-positive (412 +/- 146 U/ml) or anti-HBe-positive (424 +/- 175 U/ml) patients with chronic persistent hepatitis or minimal histological change. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between serum levels of soluble Tac peptide and alanine aminotransferase. These findings suggested that activation of T cells might play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic type B hepatitis. Assay of serum-soluble Tac peptide might provide a simple and useful means to better understand the immune mechanisms of acute and chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
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PMID:Serum levels of soluble Tac peptide in acute and chronic hepatitis B virus infection. 278 45

To investigate whether data obtained at the time of diagnosis may serve to predict early seroconversion to anti-HBe in chronic hepatitis B virus infection, we have compared the clinical, pathological and virological features of two groups of patients with untreated HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B who showed a markedly different outcome. One group (early seroconverters) included 20 patients who developed a typical seroconversion to anti-HBe within the first year of prospective follow-up. The other group (non-seroconverters) was formed by 21 patients who remained seropositive for HBeAg and still had raised aminotransferase serum levels after at least 2 years of follow-up. The serum aminotransferases, the degree of periportal and lobular lesions, the amount of liver fibrosis and the total score index of histological activity were significantly higher but the amount of HBcAg in liver was smaller in early seroconverters. Stepwise logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the alanine aminotransferase serum levels, the Knodell's index of histological activity and the amount of HBcAg in liver had significant value as independent predictors of early seroconversion. Calculation of the probability of seroconversion for individual cases showed marked differences between the two groups of patients, suggesting that early seroconversion to anti-HBe may be predicted in some patients with chronic hepatitis B.
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PMID:Analysis of factors predicting early seroconversion to anti-HBe in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B. 334 32

Fifty-one asymptomatic Chinese hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier children (34 boys, 17 girls), age 1 to 15 years (median: 10 years), were prospectively followed for up to 4 years (median: 30 months) to determine the natural evolution of clinical, biochemical and virological features during the early phase of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Hepatomegaly was the only abnormal finding on examination, being present in five children initially and four at follow-up. Serum ALT levels were normal in 80% of the children at presentation and remained within the normal range during the study in 60%. Fluctuations in ALT levels were mild. In four of 12 instances, transient elevations in ALT levels were associated with a fall in serum hepatitis B virus DNA levels. At presentation, 43 (84%) children were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive; only two (7%) cleared HBeAg on follow-up. None of the eight children who were initially positive for the antibody to HBeAg reverted back to HBeAg positivity. All the children remained HBsAg positive. In this study, we demonstrated that chronic hepatitis B virus infection in asymptomatic Chinese children is usually associated with a mild and stable liver disease despite high levels of hepatitis B virus replication. This may reflect an immunological tolerance to the hepatitis B virus induced by early exposure to the virus and accounts for the persistently high levels of hepatitis B virus replication on follow-up.
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PMID:A longitudinal follow-up of asymptomatic hepatitis B surface antigen-positive Chinese children. 341 35

Peripheral T-cell subsets in 77 patients with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive chronic liver diseases were studied by indirect immunofluorescence using murine monoclonal antibodies against all peripheral T cells (OKT3), T-helper/inducer cells (OKT4), and T-cytoxic/suppressor cells (OKT8). OKT4/OKT8 ratios were significantly reduced in patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic liver diseases, including 28 patients with chronic active hepatitis (CAH) (P less than 0.001) and 15 with chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) (P less than 0.001). OKT4/OKT8 ratios were significantly lower in 21 HBeAg-negative patients with CAH (P less than 0.05), as compared to those of 17 normal controls, while T-cell subsets in 13 patients with HBeAg-negative CPH were essentially normal. Low OKT4/OKT8 ratios significantly correlated with HBeAg positivity (P less than 0.001) and CAH (P less than 0.05), as assessed with multiple regression. There was a significant negative correlation between OKT4/OKT8 ratios and serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) levels (r = -0.37; P less than 0.01). It was concluded that in chronic hepatitis B virus infection, low OKT4/OKT8 ratios are closely related to active viral replication and more severe histological and biochemical activity.
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PMID:Peripheral T-cell subsets in chronic type B hepatitis: correlation with biochemical and histological activities and hepatitis B e antigen/antibody status. 623 72


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