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)

Millions of people have been exposed to silicones because of the widespread use in consumer products such as cosmetics and toiletries, food products, household products and paints. Silicones have wide use in medical practice, including lubricants in tubing and syringes, and as implantable devices. The most prevalent silicone in medical use is polydimethylsiloxane. This study was undertaken to determine the subchronic immunotoxicologic potential of the principal constituents of breast implants: silicone fluid, silicone gel and silicone elastomer. An alternative covering for devices containing silicone gels, polyurethane, was also included in the study. Silicone fluid and gel were injected subcutaneously into female B6C3F1 mice (1 ml/mouse) and 6 mm disks of silicone elastomer or polyurethane were implanted subcutaneously. There were no treatment-related deaths or overt signs of toxicity. None of the tested materials had notable effects on body or organ weights, erythrocytes or leukocytes in the blood, blood chemistries such as alanine aminotransferase, urea nitrogen, glucose, albumin or total protein. The cellularity of the bone marrow and responses to CSF-GM and CSF-M were normal. The tested silicones did not alter the distribution of B cells and T cells in the spleen, but polyurethane perturbed the distribution of CD4+CD8+ and CD4-CD8- T cells. The antibody response to sheep erythrocytes was not markedly altered, nor were proliferative responses to concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, lipopolysaccharide or allogeneic cells. Reticuloendothelial function was normal, but polyurethane evoked an enhanced phagocytosis of Covaspheres by adherent peritoneal cells. Natural killer cell activity and serum complement were not altered. All silicone materials afforded modest protection to a challenge with Listeria monocytogenes that killed 40 to 58% of control mice. Host resistance to Streptococcus pneumoniae or the B16F10 tumor was not affected by any of the treatments. There is a pattern indicative of some perturbation of T cell differentiation in mice implanted with a polyurethane disk.
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PMID:Subchronic 10 day immunotoxicity of polydimethylsiloxane (silicone) fluid, gel and elastomer and polyurethane disks in female B6C3F1 mice. 798 83

Serum levels and production of soluble CD8 and soluble CD4 antigens by peripheral blood mononuclear cells were determined in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and acute or chronic viral hepatitis. Patients with chronic viral hepatitis had significantly increased soluble CD8 serum levels (n = 18; 734 +/- 143 U/ml) (mean +/- SD) compared to healthy controls (n = 80; 312 +/- 141 U/ml; p < 0.001) and patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (n = 12; 505 +/- 256 U/ml; p = 0.006), whose soluble CD8 concentrations were also higher than controls (p < 0.001). In contrast, soluble CD4 antigen serum levels were similar in all groups. In addition, patients with chronic hepatitis showed an increased production of soluble CD8, but not soluble CD4, after mitogenic stimulation of their peripheral blood mononuclear cells compared to controls or patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Patients with acute viral hepatitis, studied within the first 2 weeks after onset of jaundice, showed markedly elevated serum concentrations of soluble CD8 (n = 4; 807 +/- 379 U/ml; p < 0.001 vs. controls), but not soluble CD4. In addition, nine patients with chronic hepatitis C were studied during and after treatment with alpha interferon. Soluble CD8 serum concentrations of six treatment responders were not found to be different from the low levels seen in controls, whereas three non-responders had increased soluble CD8 levels which were similar to levels in untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C. After interferon-alpha therapy ended, a significant elevation of soluble CD8 serum concentrations was observed in four relapsing patients, which paralleled the serum ALT increase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Soluble CD8 and soluble CD4 antigens in viral hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. 800 6

In this pilot study of the effects of interferon alfa in 10 anti-HIV positive, chronic hepatitis B patients treated with zidovudine (AZT), tolerance to interferon was good and similar to that in anti-HIV negative patients. After treatment, the HIV stage and CD4 lymphocyte count were unchanged. In two patients hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) disappeared and the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) returned to normal; loss of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with absence of histopathological activity was observed after treatment in one of these patients. These preliminary results need to be confirmed by a larger study.
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PMID:Recombinant alpha interferon for chronic hepatitis B in anti-HIV positive patients receiving zidovudine. 831 71

Results are reported for a small study of 11 patients positive for HIV and with chronic active viral hepatitis. Low dose zidovudine/interferon alfa-2b combined treatment produced a general reduction in alanine aminotransferase activities and increased the CD4 lymphocyte count, hepatitis B e seroconversion, and the loss of HIV p24 antigen. The treatment was well tolerated and progression of HIV disease was not seen.
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PMID:Zidovudine plus interferon alfa-2b treatment in patients with HIV and chronic active viral hepatitis. 831 72

To confirm the positive results of a preliminary trial, 26 patients with mixed cryoglobulinaemia were enrolled in a controlled, randomised, crossover trial with interferon alfa-2b. A significant improvement was seen in the purpura score and alanine aminotransferase activities during six months' treatment, and was associated with a significant decrease in cryocrit and a returning to normal of the lymphocyte CD4/CD8 ratio (in eight of nine patients). No significant variations were seen during the six month period without interferon. Only six patients withdrew from treatment, three because of side effects and three because of poor compliance.
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PMID:Interferon alfa-2b in mixed cryoglobulinaemia: a controlled crossover trial. 831 85

A pilot study of chronic hepatitis C treatment was conducted in 14 patients (13 had chronic active hepatitis and 1 had liver cirrhosis). All patients were asymptomatic for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (mean CD4 count of 584 +/- 283 cells/mm3). Patients received 9 MU rIFN-alpha 2A per day for three months. After this, patients received 9 MU three times weekly for three months, 6 MU for another three months on the same protocol, and finally 3 MU again three times weekly for the last three months. After the first month of ALT treatment in 9 patients (64%) returned to normal; a significant decrease in ALT levels was observed with respect to the pretreatment values (mean of 42 IU/l, range 15-75 vs 152 IU/l, range 69-355; P < 0.01). Of the 9 patients who completed the treatment period, 5 had a complete response, and 4 of these 5 continued with normal ALT values during follow-up (sustained response) while the other patient relapsed within one month after cessation of therapy. The remaining 4 patients were non-responders (including one case with a break-through of the response). HCV-RNA was not detectable in 3 of the 5 responders at the end of therapy while during follow-up viral RNA became undetectable in the other 2 patients. 2/4 non-responder patients had detectable HCV-RNA during follow-up. Liver histology improved in all the patients. No changes were observed in the immunological status or HIV infection.
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PMID:Treatment with recombinant alpha-interferon of chronic hepatitis C in anti-HIV-positive patients. 839 52

We previously developed a method for introducing foreign genes into liver tissue using liposomes with incorporated hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ, Sendai virus), and found that liver cells transfected with the E. coli beta-galactosidase gene or the gene for hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface protein (HBsAg) expressed these proteins in vivo. Here, we analyzed cellular reactions leading to hepatitis in the liver by expressing the genes of HBV in vivo. Lymphocytes were eluted directly from liver transfected with the HBsAg genes and shown to be cytotoxic only to cells expressing HBsAg in vitro. These lymphocytes were identified as cytotoxic T lymphocytes with the CD4- CD8+ phenotype. Transfer of these lymphocytes to transgenic mice with the whole HBV genome led to elevation of the serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) level, indicating the induction of hepatitis due to the cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vivo. Similarly, direct transfer of the gene for the HBV secretory core protein (HBeAg) induced expression of HBeAg in hepatocytes and the appearance of antibody against HBeAg in the serum. However, using this system, we found that the lymphocytes infiltrating the transfected liver showed no cytotoxicity specific for HBeAg. These results indicate that expression of HBsAg, one of the components of virions, in animal liver induced hepatitis efficiently through generation of specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) without any expression of the other viral components. This in vivo experimental system should be useful for evaluating how expression of a given gene induces cellular reactions and intrinsic functions in the living body.
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PMID:Use of the hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-liposome method for analysis of infiltrating lymphocytes induced by hepatitis B virus gene expression in liver tissue. 839 62

In order to evaluate the evolution of transfusional hepatitis C in haemophiliacs, we performed a retrospective study of ALT levels and HCV viraemia with a RNA PCR assay in 57 patients. We found that the vast majority of HCV-infected patients remained viraemic (43/57 = 75%) and higher ALT levels correlated with HCV viraemia. Although indicators of the transfusional viral load (age, severity of haemophilia) and HBV co-infection did not correlate with HCV RNA replication, HIV seropositivity was strongly associated with persistence of HCV viraemia (23/25 = 92% in HIV-positive versus 20/32 = 62% in HIV-negative patients), without any correlation with CD4 counts. Genotyping of HCV in the 43 viraemic patients shows more frequent genotype 1 in the HIV-seropositive group (14/23) than in the seronegative group (6/20). Our data emphasize that besides the role of the immunodeficiency status, the genotypes of HCV might be involved in the differences observed in terms of HCV RNA replication between the HIV-seropositive and seronegative haemophiliacs.
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PMID:Persistent hepatitis C virus RNA replication in haemophiliacs: role of co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus. 855 79

Chronic liver disease due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major problem in hemophiliacs. Recent reports suggested that hemophiliacs coinfected with hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an increased incidence of liver failure but the mechanism of accelerated liver injury is not clear. We tested plasma from 100 hemophiliacs for anti-HCV by second generation ELISA, anti-HIV by EIA, and HCV RNA and HIV RNA by branched DNA and polymerase chain reaction assays to determine if hemophiliacs coinfected with HCV and HIV have higher HCV RNA levels and more active liver disease. Seventy-nine (79%) patients were anti-HCV positive, of whom 85% were HCV RNA positive. None of the anti-HCV-negative patients had detectable HCV RNA in plasma. Forty-two (42%) patients were anti-HIV positive, of whom 47% had detectable HIV RNA. All the anti-HIV-positive patients were also anti-HCV positive. The prevalence of both anti-HCV and anti-HIV increased significantly with age. There was no difference in HCV RNA levels between anti-HIV-positive and anti-HIV-negative patients (mean: 21 +/- 4 vs 18 +/- 5 Meq/ml), although HCV RNA levels were significantly higher in anti-HIV-positive patients with CD4 counts < 200/mm3 (P = 0.008). There was an inverse correlation between HCV RNA levels and CD4 counts but no correlation was found between HCV RNA and serum aminotransferase levels. We found a high prevalence of HCV and HIV coinfection in our hemophiliacs. Hepatitis C virus replication appears to be increased in patients with severe immunodeficiency secondary to progressive HIV infection. However, there was no correlation between HCV RNA and serum ALT level, suggesting that HCV is not directly cytopathic.
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PMID:Effect of human immunodeficiency virus infection on hepatitis C virus infection in hemophiliacs. 865 62

A 24-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for further examination of pleural effusion. On physical examination, he had a temperature of 39 degrees C, the pharynx was painful and liver and spleen were enlarged. The leukocyte count was 5,700/microliters (atypical lymphocyte 6%). The serum LDH, GOT, GPT, ALP and gamma-GTP levels were elevated, and antibodies to Epstein-Barr viral capsid, early, and nuclear antigens were diagnostic of a primary Epstein-Barr virus infection. The CD4/CD8 ratio of peripheral blood lymphocyte was decreased to 0.2. The pleural effusion was exudate, and infiltration of mononuclear cells was noted. The CD4/CD8 ratio of lymphocytes in the effusion also was decreased to 1.1. The result of pleural biopsy showed a perivascular infiltration of mononuclear cells and immunological stain showed that the infiltrated cells were dominantly T-lymphocytes (about 90%). These findings suggested that the pathogenesis of pleural effusion in infectious mononucleosis was a pleulitis due to the infiltration of T-lymphocytes. Pleural effusion is known as a rare complication of infectious mononucleosis.
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PMID:[Infections mononucleosis with pleural effusion]. 882 84


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