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)

We studied the histological and ultrastructural changes in the liver and alterations in the liver test results before, during, and after treatment with human interferon-beta from five patients with hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic active hepatitis. A daily dose of 3 x 10(6) to 6 x 10(6) units of interferon-beta was given intravenously for four weeks. The total index of periportal and portal inflammation, intralobular degeneration, and focal necrosis before treatment was decreased significantly six months after treatment (P less than 0.05). Ultrastructurally, the structure of endoplasmic reticulum was irregularly shaped or fragmentally decreased during treatment, but these disappeared six or 12 months after treatment. Glycogen particles diminished greatly during treatment. The alanine aminotransferase concentrations in these patients increased during treatment. Serum albumin and cholinesterase levels decreased significantly at the fourth week of treatment (P less than 0.01) and at the third day (P less than 0.01) to the second week (P less than 0.05) of treatment, respectively. These results suggest that interferon-beta injures endoplasmic reticulum and glycogen areas and damages the cholinesterase activity in the early stage of treatment and protein synthesis in patients with hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic active hepatitis.
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PMID:Changes in ultrastructure of hepatocytes and liver test results before, during, and after treatment with interferon-beta in patients with HB(e)Ag-positive chronic active hepatitis. 149 52

AM3, a biological response modifier (BRM) of polysaccharide/protein nature, was given by the oral route to 13 patients with chronic active hepatitis B (CAHB). After 12 months of daily treatment, 8 patients cleared serum HBV-DNA and HBeAg together with ALT normalization. Immunohaematologic studies showed how time of inhibition of viral replication was related to significant decreases of CD4, CD8 and B cell blood lymphocytes. After serum viral elimination, however, a significant haematologic rebound of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMNC): CD3, CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes was seen. These data, suggest that the antiviral activities of AM3 may be due to its immunodulatory capacities. These promising results, together with the absence of any side effects, justify the entry to trials with a larger number of patients. Furthermore, treatment with AM3 may help to elucidate the pathophysiology of CAHB.
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PMID:Therapeutic response of chronic active hepatitis B (CAHB) to a new immunomodulator: AM3. Immunohematological effects. 159 53

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).
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PMID:Plasma superoxide dismutase measurement in children with viral hepatitis. 164 17

Stored sera from 52 patients who developed post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH) during a prospective study of PTH in Toronto in 1984/85, sera from 111 donors whose blood was transfused into these patients and sera from 50 patients with chronic active hepatitis with a remote history of blood transfusion were tested for anti-HCV. In patients with PTH seroconversion occurred relatively early. Ten converted in less than 14 weeks after transfusion. Only three of the 34 patients (9%) whose hepatitis resolved developed anti-HCV compared to 11 of 18 (61%) whose hepatitis became chronic. Patients who seroconverted had higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values during the phase of acute hepatitis than those who did not seroconvert. Most of the patients who developed PTH received blood that was negative for anti-HCV. Four donors whose blood was positive for anti-HCV transmitted hepatitis. Three of the patients developed anti-HCV and chronic hepatitis. One of the recipients did not seroconvert and the hepatitis resolved. Forty-two of the 50 patients (84%) with chronic hepatitis and a remote history of blood transfusion were positive for anti-HCV. We conclude that anti-HCV-positive donors may transmit hepatitis C; that if anti-HCV is diagnostic of hepatitis C, most cases of acute PTH are either not due to hepatitis C or may represent cases of hepatitis C in which the anti-HCV test was undetectable. On the other hand, most cases of PTH which progress to chronic hepatitis are caused by HCV.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Anti-HCV in post-transfusion hepatitis: deductions from a prospective study. 165 22

The recent cloning of the genome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has allowed the detection of antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) in human serum. The presence of serum antibodies to HCV often indicates active infection with HCV. We have assessed the serological and histological features in a group of alcoholic patients with chronic liver disease and have evaluated the possible etiologic role of HCV infection in the development of liver damage. Serum samples and liver biopsy specimens were obtained from 41 consecutive patients, all having a definite history of alcohol abuse and evidence of chronic hypertransaminasemia. Fifteen patients (37%) were positive for anti-HCV by ELISA, and 13 (86.6%) of them were also positive by RIBA. Eleven of these patients had histologic features of chronic active hepatitis (CAH), a lesion which is not known to be induced by excessive alcohol intake. No other possible causes of CAH were found, and CAH was not present in any of the anti-HCV negative patients. In patients with CAH, mean AST to ALT ratio was less than 1 (0.6), a finding which is characteristic of viral rather than alcoholic chronic liver disease. In conclusion, our study suggests that sporadic hepatitis C virus infection plays an etiologic role in the development of chronic active liver disease in a subgroup of alcoholic patients.
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PMID:Serological and histological aspects of hepatitis C virus infection in alcoholic patients. 166 17

The effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA, 450 mg daily) in patients with histologically proven chronic active hepatitis (CAH) have been evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Twenty-six patients with serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values at least twice the normal upper limit in two of three pre-treatment tests received UDCA or a placebo for twelve weeks. In all UDCA-treated patients, serum aspartate amino-transferase (AST), ALT, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) fell significantly after 4 weeks of treatment. There was a further decrease at the end of therapy, as well as a small but significant fall in total serum bilirubin. Conversely, 4 weeks after suspension of therapy, serum enzyme levels had increased, reaching values not much lower than those recorded before treatment. Total serum protein, albumin and gamma-globulin did not change after UDCA treatment. In the placebo group no significant variation in the test results were found. The results indicate that UDCA therapy in CAH, as has been observed in primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, is able to improve several indices of liver damage, without producing any toxic adverse effects.
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PMID:Effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on serum liver damage indices in patients with chronic active hepatitis. A double-blind controlled study. 167 91

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

A total of eight patients with chronic active HBsAg-positive hepatitis was treated with recombinant interferon-alpha 2b for 12 months and serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-globulin and prolyl hydroxylase concentrations were determined every 3 months. Liver biopsies after 12 months' treatment revealed a significant (P less than 0.05) reduction in the histological activity score. After 6 months, alanine aminotransferase (P less than 0.01) and aspartate aminotransferase (P less than 0.05) concentrations fell significantly compared with baseline concentrations. Serum prolyl hydroxylase concentrations declined significantly (P less than 0.05) after 15 months and remained depressed. It is concluded that interferon-alpha 2b therapy reduced fibrogenetic activity in chronic active hepatitis B.
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PMID:Modifications in the serum concentrations of prolyl hydroxylase in patients with chronic hepatitis B during and after interferon therapy. 169 25

We evaluated the specificity and clinical relevance of anti-hepatitis C virus antibody positivity in 22 HBsAg-negative patients with autoimmune (anti-nuclear, anti-actin or anti-liver-kidney microsomal antibody positive) chronic active hepatitis. An ELISA anti-HCV test and a recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA-HCV) were used. Thirteen patients (59%) were anti-HCV positive and five (23%) anti-HCV negative by both ELISA and RIBA-HCV tests. Four patients (18%) were borderline positive by ELISA (OD less than 1.0), and three of them (all with severe disease) were negative by RIBA. Histologic necroinflammation, AST/ALT and gamma-globulins levels were higher and response to prednisolone treatment was better in RIBA anti-HCV-negative than in anti-HCV-positive cases. We confirmed with both RIBA and ELISA tests the high prevalence of anti-HCV already reported by ELISA in anti-nuclear and anti-liver-kidney microsomal antibody positive chronic active hepatitis. False positive for anti-HCV (i.e., a positive ELISA test not confirmed by RIBA) occurred only among patients with severe disease. Since RIBA-negative subjects showed the best response to corticosteroid, they might represent the only subset of cases of 'true' autoimmune chronic active hepatitis.
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PMID:Is autoimmune chronic active hepatitis a HCV-related disease? 171 43

Blood serum free vitamin B12, bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase levels were measured and thymol test made in 168 patients with viral hepatitis A, 13 with chronic hepatitis, 8 with mechanical jaundice of neoplastic origin, 7 with calculous cholecystitis, and 8 with functional hyperbilirubinemia by the microbiologic methods. Elevated blood serum levels of free vitamin B12, conforming to the disease severity and stage, were revealed in the patients with viral hepatitis A, chronic active hepatitis, and mechanical jaundice of a neoplastic origin with liver involvement. Correlations between cobalaminemia and other functional liver tests were observed. Therefore blood serum vitamin B12 measurements may be used for the assessment of the disease activity and severity of liver parenchyma injury.
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PMID:[The blood level of cobalamin as an indicator of the functional status of the liver in jaundice of different etiologies]. 172 43


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