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

It has recently been shown that ursodeoxycholic acid administration improves liver function tests in patients with chronic liver diseases. Aim of the present study was to evaluate an ursodeoxycholic acid derivative (bis-hemisuccinate bisodic salt Ursodamor, Farmaceutici Damor, Napoli) in patients with chronic hepatitis. Forty patients (15 M, 25 F) with biopsy proven chronic liver disease participated to the study. Patients were randomly allocated to two treatment groups. Twenty patients (4 PBC, 11 CAH/CPH, 5 cirrhosis) received the ursodeoxycholic acid derivate at the dose of 600 mg/day, while 20 patients (1 PBC, 11 CAH/CPH, 8 cirrhosis) received a placebo. For both groups the treatment period was six months. ALT serum levels were significantly reduced in the treated group (from 84 +/- 14 to 62 +/- 14 p less than 0.0005) while no significant change was observed in the placebo group. In the treated group but not in the placebo group alkaline phosphatases and gamma-GT were also significantly reduced (from 268 +/- 56 to 160 +/- 23 p less than 0.0005 and from 79 +/- 21 to 45 +/- 10 p less than 0.0005). In conclusion, our results suggest that the administration of the ursodeoxycholic acid derivate, bis-hemisuccinate, bisodic salt, improves liver function tests in patients with chronic liver hepatitis. Similarly to ursodeoxycholic acid this new derivate probably interferes with bile acid pool composition by replacing the more detergent and probably more toxic endogenous bile acid.
 ...
PMID:[Effects of therapy with bis-hemisuccinate of ursodeoxycholic acid bisodium salt in patients with chronic hepatitis]. 135 68

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.
 ...
PMID:Hepatitis C virus infection in chronic haemodialysis patients, a clinicopathologic study. 128 48

The localization of hepatitis C virus-infected hepatocytes in the human liver remains unclear despite the development of a serological assay for the antibody to hepatitis C virus. We studied their localization immunohistochemically with monoclonal antibodies to core, envelope and NS3 antigens of hepatitis C virus. We examined 48 liver biopsy samples from C100-3 antibody-positive patients with chronic liver disease (chronic persistent hepatitis, 5 cases; chronic active hepatitis, 41 cases; cirrhosis, 2 cases) and 12 liver biopsy samples from C100-3 antibody-negative patients with chronic liver disease (type B chronic hepatitis, 8 cases; alcoholic liver disease, 4 cases). In the C100-3 antibody-positive group, positive immunostaining for core antigen, envelope antigen and NS3 antigen was found in 23% (11 of 48), 24% (11 of 45) and 24% (11 of 46), respectively. Negative results were obtained in the C100-3 antibody-negative group. Hepatocytes with positive staining were scattered in the lobules, and they were found in the same regions irrespective of whether the antibody to core antigen, to envelope antigen or to NS3 antigen was used. Each positive cell was strongly stained in the cytoplasm; these decorations disappeared after absorption of the primary antibody with purified antigen. mean ALT levels in the patients with positive immunostaining for core, envelope or NS3 antigen (174.8 +/- 105.7 U/L) tended to be higher than in those with negative immunostaining (142.0 +/- 93.8 U/L). On histological evaluation of liver specimens with a scoring system of the histological activity index, intralobular inflammation and fibrosis had higher scores for samples with positive rather than negative immunostaining (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 ...
PMID:Immunohistochemical detection of hepatitis C virus-infected hepatocytes in chronic liver disease with monoclonal antibodies to core, envelope and NS3 regions of the hepatitis C virus genome. 137 9

The serum cholylglycine (CG), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and total bilirubin levels were studied in 210 patients with hepatobiliary disease and in 70 healthy subjects. Serum CG concentrations in all the hepatobiliary diseases were found to be significantly higher than those of their controls. Patients with abnormal increases in ALT and bilirubin levels also showed raised CG concentrations; however, some patients with normal ALT and bilirubin levels, still had markedly elevated CG values. Patients with hepatic cirrhosis had high serum CG levels, followed, in descending order, by chronic active hepatitis and chronic persistent hepatitis. In the cholecystitis and cholelithiasis cases, their CG levels were significantly higher than those of the controls but lower than the values in hepatic disease patients; however, more cholecystitis cases had abnormally high serum bilirubin levels than CG. The results also show that serum CG concentrations vary in the different hepatobiliary diseases, and that serial CG measurements are more sensitive than measuring ALT and bilirubin levels in the diagnosis of hepatic diseases. Serum CG can be used as an index for evaluating the activity of chronic hepatitis; it can also be employed as a diagnostic tool in cholecystitis and cholelithiasis.
 ...
PMID:A correlative study on serum cholylglycine levels in hepatobiliary disease. 142 17

The aim of this work was to detect, in patients with chronic hypertransaminasemia (CH), the factors associated with the changes of ALT serum levels after one year of 10 mg/Kg/die ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). One hundred and twenty two consecutive patients with ALT values more than twice the normal upper limit for at least six months were admitted to the study. At the liver biopsy 82 patients were affected by liver cirrhosis (LC), 7 by chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH), and 14 by chronic active hepatitis (CAH). Nineteen patients were classified as unspecified chronic liver disease (UCLD) due to biopsy refusal. Five patients (4 LC and 1 UCLD) did not finish the study. Before and after the beginning of the treatment ALT and the other routine tests of liver function were determined in serum by routine laboratory methods. In all the diagnosis a decrease of ALT was observed after one year UDCA therapy. Particularly, in cirrhotic patients a reduction of 40% in the ALT serum levels was detected (baseline m +/- ds 98 +/- 55 UI, one year transaminase decrease -39 UI with 95% C.I. -27 UI to -52 UI). Furthermore in liver cirrhosis there was an increase of serum albumin (baseline m +/- ds 3.5 +/- 0.6, one year albumin increase +0.2 gr with 95% I.C. +0.1 gr to +0.3 gr). The decrease of ALT showed an inverse association (p < 0.05) with the presence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus and with diagnosis of CAH, and a direct one with the basal values of ALT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 ...
PMID:[Factors influencing the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid therapy in chronic hypertransaminasemia]. 143 11

We investigated the activity of LAK cells in 10 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis, 20 patients with chronic active hepatitis, 21 patients with post-hepatitic cirrhosis and 21 normal persons. The values were 36.87 +/- 7.44, 30.38 +/- 5.36, 28.84 +/- 4.95 and 44.50 +/- 4.75 respectively (P < 0.05). The LAK cell activity in patients with chronic hepatitis was lower than that of normal persons, especially in those with chronic active hepatitis and post-hepatitic cirrhosis. The causes of lower LAK cell activity in patients with chronic hepatitis were less expression of IL2 receptors on precursors of LAK cells and existing serum LAK cell inhibition factors. We further studied 9 patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with autologous LAK cell transfusions. Factors favoring a more effective result were female sex, ALT elevation after treatment, activity of LAK cells > 10%, and inhibition factor of LAK effector cells existing in serum of patients, with inhibition rate < 50%. These factors might be used as the indications in selecting cases for treatment and predicting the effect of the treatment. As the number of cases observed was rather small, further investigation is needed.
 ...
PMID:[Changes in LAK cell activity in chronic viral hepatitis and treatment with autologous LAK cell transfusion]. 147 22

Seventy-seven blood samples from normal controls aged 0-8 years and 93 blood samples from children of similar ages with various viral hepatitis were investigated by measuring plasma superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) using chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA). Total and Cu,Zn-SOD activities of normal controls of group 2 (1-8 years old) were significantly higher than that of normal controls of group 1 (0-1 year old) (P less than 0.01, P less than 0.01), while there were no differences of Mn-SOD activities between the two groups. Total, Cu,Zn- and Mn-SOD activities significantly increased in the acute phase (0-4 weeks after onset) and dropped to the normal levels in the restoration phase (4th week later) for 29 children with cytomegalovirus hepatitis (CMVH), in comparison with group 1. Only Mn-SOD activities were significantly increased in the acute phase (with increased ALT levels) and restoration phase (with normal ALT levels) for 18 children with hepatitis A (HA). Total and Cu,Zn-SOD activities significantly decreased and Mn-SOD activities significantly increased in both the active (with increased ALT levels) and the inactive phases (with normal ALT levels) for 36 children with chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH). Only Cu,Zn-SOD activities fell significantly in both active and inactive phases for 10 children with chronic active hepatitis (CAH).
 ...
PMID:Plasma superoxide dismutase measurement in children with viral hepatitis. 164 17

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.
 ...
PMID:Thyroxine-binding globulin in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection: different implications in hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. 168 51

The serum kinetics of preS1 and preS2 antigens has been evaluated in 38 serial samples from eight patients with chronic active (CAH) or chronic persistent (CPH) hepatitis, followed for 2-7 years (mean 4.4 years) in whom liver biopsy was performed at intervals, and in 46 samples from ten asymptomatic HBsAg carriers followed for 4-5 years (mean 4.6 years). Four patterns of preS behaviour have been observed: (1) persistently positive preS1 and preS2; (2) disappearance of preS2; (3) disappearance of both preS1 and preS2; and (4) persistently negative preS1 and preS2. Pattern 4 has been observed exclusively among healthy carriers, while seven out of eight chronic patients exhibited either pattern 1 or 2. Among the chronic patients, preS2 disappearance was accompanied or followed by alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization. The correlation of preS antigens with conventional viral replication markers showed that 100% of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA-positive and 86.6% of HBeAg-positive sera were preS1/preS2 positive, while 61% of HBV-DNA-negative and 64% of HBeAg-negative sera were preS1/preS2 negative. Our data suggest that continuous monitoring of preS antigens in follow-up sera will allow for an improved prognostic evaluation of chronic HBV infection.
 ...
PMID:Correlation of preS antigens and clinical status during chronic hepatitis B virus infection. 176 4

Serum level of osteocalcin (OC) is believed to be a specific biochemical parameter of bone formation. Decreased serum OC has been reported in alcohol-intoxicated subjects, in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and in patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease. The question was, whether lower OC level could be detected in patients with nonalcoholic and non-cholestatic chronic liver disease. The serum OC was measured by RIA developed in our laboratory. Results were compared to age and sex matched controls. Decreased OC level was found in 35 out of 47 (74%) patients with non-alcoholic and non-cholestatic liver disease as chronic persistent hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis, fatty liver and cirrhosis, in 21 out of 26 (80%) patients with alcoholic liver disease and in 8 out of 15 (53%) primary biliary cirrhosis. None of the patients had elevated value. There was no correlation between the decreased OC level and the duration or severity of the liver disease and the laboratory parameters as bilirubin, AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, prothrombin, and serum 25-OH-D3 vitamin level. Decreased OC was found also in the patients without cirrhosis. The possible causes are discussed. Relying upon these findings it is supposed that chronic liver disease by itself can influence the osteoblast activity also by some unknown mechanism.
 ...
PMID:[Decreased serum osteocalcin level in non-alcoholic and alcoholic chronic liver diseases]. 185 6


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>