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)

Effects of chronic ethanol consumption and one day food deprivation on the hepatotoxicity of low dose carbon tetrachloride (CCl4; 0 to 100 ppm inhalation for eight hours) in rats were investigated by using biochemical and histopathological methods. Liver malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were significantly increased by exposure to 5 ppm to 50 ppm CCl4 in ethanol treated rats or by exposure to 25 ppm to 50 ppm CCl4 in food deprived rats but not in rats without ethanol or food deprivation. The MDA concentrations reached a maximum at 10 ppm and 50 ppm CCl4 in ethanol treated and food deprived rats, respectively, and decreased to the non-exposed concentration at 100 ppm CCl4. At greater than or equal to 50 ppm CCl4 plasma MDA contents increased significantly only in ethanol treated rats. None of the exposure concentrations influenced plasma glutamic-oxaloacetic transamidase (GOT) and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) activities in rats that were only exposed to CCl4 whereas exposure to 10 ppm or higher concentrations combined with ethanol increased both activities. To a lesser extent food deprivation combined with exposure to greater than or equal to 25 ppm CCl4 had the same effect. No histopathological changes were found in the liver of rats exposed to less than or equal to 10 ppm CCl4, and only a few ballooned hepatocytes were seen in centrilobular areas when exposure was 25 ppm or higher. The presence of ballooned and hepatocytes became a regular feature of mid-zonal areas in ethanol treated rats and in the centrilobular areas of food deprived rats after exposure to </= 10 and </=25 ppm CC1(4) respectively. Necrotic hepatocytes were seen in centrilobular areas in liver from ethanol treated and food deprived rats when exposure CC1(4) was >/=25 ppm and >/=50 ppm respectively. These results indicate that consumption of ethanol and food deprivation potentiate CCl(4) induced hepatic damage even at low concentrations of CCl(4) by promoting lipid peroxidation. Thus heavy drinking may be a risk factor for CCl(4) induced hepatic damage even though the CCl(4) concentration is as low as the threshold limit value.
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PMID:Ethanol and food deprivation induced enhancement of hepatotoxicity in rats given carbon tetrachloride at low concentration. 191 7

Elevated levels of serum enzymes are frequently associated not only with alcohol-related organ damage but also with excessive alcohol consumption and alcoholism without significant tissue injury. However, both in the early detection of alcoholism as well as also in the diagnosis of alcohol-related diseases the sensitivities and specificities of these enzyme markers vary considerably. They may be influenced by nonalcohol-related diseases, enzyme-inducing drugs, nutritional factors, metabolic disorders, age, smoking, etc. Consequently, we have neither a single laboratory test--enzyme marker--nor a test combination that is reliable enough for the exact diagnosis between alcohol- and nonalcohol-related organ damage. In most cases it is possible to determine the tissue from which the elevated enzyme is derived, but only occasionally enzyme changes reflect the quantity of the tissue injury. Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is the most widely used laboratory marker of alcoholism and heavy drinking, detecting 34-85% of problem drinkers and alcoholics. However, the unspecificity of increased serum GGT limits its use for general screening purposes. Its value in the follow-up of various treatment programs, however, is well established. An elevated level of serum aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) in an alcoholic or a heavy consumer indicates alcohol-induced organ damage. The use of test combinations significantly improves the information received with single serum enzyme determinations. An ASAT/ALAT ratio greater than 1.5 can be considered as highly suggestive for the alcoholic etiology of the liver injury. Still better discrimination between alcoholic and nonalcoholic origin of the liver disease may be achieved by the determination of the ratio of GGT to alkaline phosphatase. If this ratio exceeds 1.4 the specificity of the finding in favor for alcoholic liver injury is 78%. The determination of the mitochondrial isoenzyme of ASAT also improves the diagnostic value of ASAT determination. The ratio of mitochondrial isoenzyme to total over 4 is highly suggestive for alcohol-related liver injury. In general, however, the determination of serum activities of other enzymes such as ornithine carbamyl transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, sorbitol dehydrogenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, guanase, aldolase, alkaline phosphatase or glutathione S-transferase do not significantly improve the diagnostic information obtained with more conventional laboratory markers of liver injury.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Use of enzymes for the diagnosis of alcohol-related organ damage. 243 6

Conventional laboratory tests: gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) were studied as possible markers of heavy drinking in a sample of 1,619 first-year university students in Helsinki. Alcohol consumption was measured on a frequency-volume scale. No significant (p < 0.001) correlation between the laboratory tests and reported drinking was found. However, significant differences between different drinking groups were found in GGT, MCV, and HDL-cholesterol in both female and male students and in cholesterol in male students. We conclude that, even if alcohol drinking has some impact on GGT, MCV, HDL-cholesterol, and cholesterol (males), these tests are neither specific nor sensitive enough to be used as screening tests for heavy drinking in young students.
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PMID:Conventional laboratory tests as indicators of heavy drinking in young university students. 809 94

Two cases of alcoholic cerebellar degeneration with pyramidal sign were reported. Patient 1 with alcohol dependence syndrome was a 46-year-old woman. After the alcohol abuse of about eight years, she complained of gait disturbance. The gait disturbance progressively worsened in about two months and she could not ambulate freely by herself. Neurological examination revealed nystagmus, ataxic and spastic gait, slight weakness and spasticity of the lower extremities, hyperreflexia of the extremities, bilateral Babinski's signs, and incoordination of the lower extremities. Examination of liver function and serum B12 was normal. Cranial CT scan and MRI revealed atrophy of the cerebellar vermis and dorsal part of the cerebellum. Though neurological signs slightly improved after the admission to our hospital and the abstinence from alcohol abuse, ataxic gait and hyperreflexia of the extremities have continued. Patient 2 was a 58-year-old man. He was a heavy drinker, but was not a patient with alcohol dependence syndrome. After the heavy drinking of about 40 years, he complained of gait disturbance. The gait disturbance had progressively worsened in about four months. Neurological examination revealed ataxic gait, hyperreflexia of the lower extremities, and bilateral Babinski's signs. Laboratory examination revealed slight liver dysfunction with minimal GPT and moderate gamma-GTP elevation. Examination of serum B12 was normal. Cranial CT scan and MRI revealed atrophy of the cerebellar vermis. Though bilateral Babinski's signs disappeared after the abstinence from heavy drinking, ataxic gait and hyperreflexia of the lower extremities have continued. Alcoholic myelopathy without hepatic cirrhosis was rarely reported. In the relation of alcoholic cerebellar degeneration to alcoholic myelopathy, our cases are interesting and important.
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PMID:[Alcoholic cerebellar degeneration with pyramidal sign--in relation to alcoholic myelopathy]. 847 68

Placebo-controlled studies have demonstrated that patients treated with opioid antagonists had fewer drinking days, lower rates of resumed heavy drinking, and reduced alcohol craving, when compared with placebo-treated patients. Patients who received an opioid antagonist were also less likely to drink heavily if they sampled alcohol during treatment. One study also demonstrated that patients who were treated with the opioid antagonist naltrexone had lower serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels than placebo-treated patients. This is consistent with self-reported decreases in alcohol consumption. These patients also had less severe alcohol-related problems than placebo-treated patients, as indicated by the Addiction Severity Index. Opioid antagonists might act by reducing the reinforcing effects of alcohol and the incentive to drink. These agents, when combined with comprehensive treatment programmes, are an effective adjunctive treatment for alcohol-dependent patients.
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PMID:Opioid antagonists in the treatment of alcohol dependence: clinical efficacy and prevention of relapse. 873 5

A retrospective study compared the course of alcohol withdrawal, including delirium tremens, in women and men hospitalized in the Nowowiejski Hospital in Warsaw from 1973 to 1987. Medical records pertaining to 1179 patients were analyzed; 13.8% of these patients were women and 86.2% were men. The study showed that women began intensive alcohol drinking later than men (p < 0.0001), but the period between the onset of alcohol abuse and the first occurrence of alcohol withdrawal was shorter in women than in men (p < 0.0001). In the period of heavy drinking before hospitalization, women consumed significantly less alcohol then men (p < 0.0001); moreover, women drank nonbeverage alcohol less frequently than men (p < 0.05). Women were hospitalized substantially longer than men (p < 0.0001), whereas the duration of alcohol withdrawal symptoms at the time of hospitalization was comparable in both groups. Withdrawal seizures were significantly more frequent among men than among women (p < 0.001). Significant differences in the patients' somatic conditions were not noted between the groups, with the exception of anemia and decreased potassium concentration, which were more frequently observed in women (both p < 0.0001), and of increased concentration of ALT and hypoproteinemia, which were more frequent in men (respectively, p < 0.05 and p < 0.01). Co-existing personality disorders, depressive disorders, and anxiety disorders--as well as abuse of benzodiazepines and barbiturates--were more frequently observed in women (p < 0.0001). The period between the first hospitalization due to alcohol withdrawal and the time of death was significantly shorter in men than in women (p < 0.05). The results point to differences in the conditions and the course of alcohol dependence and alcohol withdrawal between women and men.
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PMID:Differences in the course of alcohol withdrawal in women and men: a Polish sample. 939 3

Brief intervention is a promising treatment for heavy drinking. The present study examined the diagnostic value of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) in detecting early-phase heavy drinkers for brief intervention treatment in primary health care. Laboratory data were collected from consecutive 20- to 60-year-old, early-phase heavy drinkers (329 males and 136 females), who were willing to undergo brief intervention treatment in five primary health care outpatient clinics. An elevated value of at least 1 of the 5 markers studied was found in 75% of the male and in 76% of the female heavy drinkers. The sensitivities of CDT, MCV, AST, ALT and GGT values were low; in men, respectively, 39%, 28%, 12%, 28%, and 33%, and in women 29%, 40%, 20%, 29%, and 34%. However, marker combinations, including CDT, reached a good level of sensitivity; the best triple combination (CDT or MCV or GGT) was positive in 69% of the men and 70% of the women. According to logistic regression, the age of the patient had an increasing effect on MCV, ALT and GGT. High body mass index increased all transaminases and decreased CDT and MCV. Smoking increased MCV and decreased AST. Thus, primary health care marker combinations, especially those including CDT, should be considered for the detection of early-phase heavy drinkers for brief intervention treatment.
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PMID:Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and conventional alcohol markers as indicators for brief intervention among heavy drinkers in primary health care. 966 Mar 18

Placebo-controlled studies have demonstrated that patients treated with opioid antagonists had fewer drinking days, lower rates of resumed heavy drinking, and reduced alcohol craving, when compared with placebo-treated patients. Patients who received an opioid antagonist were also less likely to drink heavily if they sampled alcohol during treatment. One study also demonstrated that patients who were treated with the opioid antagonist naltrexone had lower serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels than placebo-treated patients. This is consistent with self-reported decreases in alcohol consumption. These patients also had less severe alcohol-related problems than placebo-treated patients, as indicated by the Addiction Severity Index. Opioid antagonists might act by reducing the reinforcing effects of alcohol and the incentive to drink. These agents, when combined with comprehensive treatment programmes, are an effective adjunctive treatment for alcohol-dependent patients.
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PMID:Opioid antagonists in the treatment of alcohol dependence: clinical efficacy and prevention of relapse. 984 42

Alcohol biomarkers include tests indicative of acute or chronic alcohol consumption (state markers), and markers of a genetic predisposition to develop alcohol dependence after chronic exposure (trait markers). While a comprehensive trait marker for alcohol dependence has not been identified, a number of successful state markers for monitoring drinking status are used clinically. These tests provide direct or indirect ways to estimate the amounts of alcohol consumed and the duration of ingestion, and to detect any harmful effects on body functions resulting from long-term misuse. The most obvious method to prove recent drinking is by demonstrating the presence of ethanol in body fluids or breath, but, because ethanol is cleared fairly rapidly from the body, this method is limited to detect only very recent drinking. Measurement of urinary 5-hydroxytryptophol or ethyl glucuronide provide more sensitive methods to disclose recent drinking, because their washout constants are much longer than for ethanol. The liver functions test (GGT, AST and ALT in serum) and the mean corpuscular volume of erythrocytes (MCV) are among the standard diagnostic tools used to identify chronic alcohol exposure. The main disadvantage with these measures is that they have low sensitivity for recent excessive intake, and that raised levels may result from several causes besides heavy drinking, implying a low specificity for alcohol. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), which refers to changes in the carbohydrate composition of serum transferrin, is a more specific marker for identifying excessive alcohol consumption and monitoring abstinence during outpatient treatment. The alcohol biomarkers improves knowledge of drinking patterns in both individuals and populations, and they are also valuable tools for the objective evaluation of treatment efforts. Alcohol markers have, for example, found uses in early identification of at-risk and harmful drinking, and they help to monitor abstinence and relapse in response to outpatient treatment.
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PMID:Biological markers in alcoholism. 1458 1

Heavy alcohol use contributes to liver disease in the setting of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Whether this is true for light or moderate alcohol use has not been demonstrated. Light alcohol use has survival benefits at a population level and is practiced by most patients with chronic HCV infection. In this study, 800 patients with HCV undergoing liver biopsy at three sites had detailed alcohol histories recorded and the relationship between alcohol and hepatic fibrosis was assessed. On univariate analysis, heavy alcohol use (>50 g/day) was associated with an increase in mean fibrosis (P =.01). Such an association could not be demonstrated for light and moderate alcohol use. For each category of alcohol intake (none, light, moderate, and heavy), a spectrum of fibrosis was observed. On multivariate analysis, age, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and histological inflammation were the independent predictors of fibrosis (P = <.0001,.0003, <.0001, respectively). In conclusion, heavy alcohol use exerts a greater effect on fibrosis than light or moderate use. There is a range of fibrosis at each level of alcohol use. Age, serum ALT, and inflammation are independently associated with fibrosis in multivariate analysis, highlighting the fact that variables other than alcohol intake predominate in the production of hepatic fibrosis.
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PMID:Risks of a range of alcohol intake on hepatitis C-related fibrosis. 1499 3


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