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)

Investigations were performed with the aim of establishing the influence of various environmental conditions (such as steady field conditions, climatized laboratories, Faraday's cage) on a number of enzymic activities in the rat (including glutamic oxaloacetic tic transaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, lactic dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, acid phosphatase), as well as the serum concentrations of triglycerides, the oxygen consumption of hepatic parenchyma cells, and the influence on the incorporation of 3H-thymidine (following partial hepatectomy). In the steady field, the activities of the cytoplasmic enzymes (GOT, GPT, LDH) were higher then under Faraday conditions. The same applies both to the hepatic oxygen consumption and to the neutral fat serum levels. The control values always remained within the range of the results obtained under steady field or Faraday conditions. In the structure-linked enzymes (gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, acid phosphatase) the results were not uniform. Following partial hepatectomy, and under steady field conditions, the serum triglyceride concentrations showed a less pronounced drop than they did in the controls. Under selected environmental conditions, the results obtained lie within the physiological range. The present findings, therefore, do not permit definite conclusions to be drawn on favourable or unfavourable effects exerted by the different types of electroclimates.
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PMID:[Metabolism of rat liver in the electrostatic field and in the faraday cage before and after hepatectomy (author's transl)]. 24 66

Fibrogenic effects of amorphous quartz dusts are discussed more and more during recent years. In order to study alterations due to amorphous silica (quartz glass VP 203-006) in comparison with crystalline quartz (DQ-12), an inhalation experiment in rats was carried out. Male Wistar rats were separated in two dust exposed groups (n = 35) and one control group (n = 30). The experiment was carried out in inhalation chambers with a slowly rotating animal cage for 12 months, 7 h per day, and 5 days per week. The dust concentration was 10 mg/m3. After 4 and after 8 months of inhalation, 5 animals of each group were sacrificed. After 12 months 15 rats of the dust exposed groups and 10 controls were euthanized. The remaining animals were kept for another 12 months post-inhalation period. Regarding the macroscopical appearance of the lungs, the relative organ weights and the histomorphological reaction pattern, marked dust depending differences are obvious. In the lungs of DQ-12-exposed animals diffuse structural changes occur, including fibrosis and severe reaction of macrophages. Histology of lungs from quartz glass exposed animals reveals only a slight and focally arranged cellular reaction with a few collagenous fibers. However, in both dust exposed groups the mediastinal lymph nodes are extremely enlarged with severe fibroses. Additionally, the following blood parameters were determined: lysozyme, ACE, GOT, GPT, and AP. The most pronounced changes are detectable in lysozyme and GOT after DQ-12 exposure. After quartz glass exposure, the levels of these parameters are similar to the controls. These results show that the amorphous quartz tested in this experiment (quartz-glass VP 203-006) has to be considered as a compound with certain biological effects. The establishing of occupational standards seems to be justified. But, assessing the effects, the different physical and/or chemical properties of various amorphous quartz dusts have to be considered.
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PMID:[Comparative studies of the effect of quartz glass and quartz DQ-12 in inhalation tests in rats]. 216 66

Naltrexone (NTX) has been shown to be a useful drug for the treatment of alcohol dependence (AD). Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) in serum is a new biologic marker of alcohol abuse. To evaluate the efficacy of NTX (50 mg/d) in AD, a group of 20 alcoholics with CDT > 20 U/l was studied using monthly laboratory tests (CDT, ESR, AST, ALT, GGT) and specific psychological testing (CAGE). After the second month statistically significant differences in CDT levels were found. By the end of the study, 13 patients (responders) had normalized their CDT levels. There was no correlation between CDT values and the other laboratory markers. The difference in routine laboratory markers between responders and non responders was not significant. NTX was well tolerated by all the patients and significant alcohol abstinence was achieved. CDT was demonstrated to be a effective marker for the evaluation of alcoholic abstinence during treatment with NTX. Superior results were obtained in comparison with the routine customary markers for AD.
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PMID:[Evaluation of the efficacy of naltrexone in alcoholism by the determination of serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin]. 867 1

Helicobacter hepaticus has been associated with naturally occurring hepatitis in certain inbred strains of mice, and in A/JCr mice it has been linked to the development of hepatic adenomas and adenocarcinomas. H. hepaticus was orally inoculated into 30 axenic, outbred female mice, and the mice were studied longitudinally to fulfill Koch's postulates and to ascertain the pathogenic potential of the organism under defined germfree conditions. Ten cage contact mice were also housed in the same germfree isolator to study transmission patterns, and 10 germfree mice were maintained in separate isolators as controls. Mice serially euthanized from 3 weeks through 24 months postinoculation (p.i.) were surveyed by culture and PCR for H. hepaticus in liver and intestinal tissues. Tissues were analyzed for histopathological changes, and sera were assayed for the presence of immunoglobulin G antibody to H. hepaticus and changes in the liver enzyme alanine aminotransferase. Inoculated mice and cage contact mice were persistently infected with H. hepaticus as identified by culture and PCR, in both the intestine and, less frequently, the liver, for the duration of the 2-year study. Animals developed persistent chronic hepatitis, and in some animals enterocolitis was noted. Hepatocellular carcinoma was diagnosed in one H. hepaticus-infected mouse. The level of H. hepaticus serum antibody was highest in experimentally infected mice at 12 to 18 months p.i.; this corresponded in general to the time interval when the highest levels of alanine aminotransferase were recorded. Although cage contact mice became persistently infected with H. hepaticus, lesions were less severe and the levels of serological biomarkers utilized in the study were lower. The H. hepaticus-infected mouse will provide an ideal model to study putative bacterial virulence determinants and how they interact with the host to induce chronic inflammation and tumorigenesis.
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PMID:Persistent hepatitis and enterocolitis in germfree mice infected with Helicobacter hepaticus. 875 16

Effects of acute physical exercise on the acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity were examined in adult female rats. Rats were forced to move at a speed of 10 m/min for 2 hr in a rotating cage. Immediately following the exercise bout rats were treated with acetaminophen (APAP; 700 mg/kg, i.p.). The physical exercise enhanced the hepatotoxicity of APAP as shown by increases in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities measured 24 hr following the treatment. A significant decrease in hepatic glutathione (GSH) was observed in the rats forced to exercise suggesting that the enhancement of APAP hepatotoxicity was associated with the depression of this endogenous tripeptide. The role of adrenergic stimulation in the exercise-induced hepatic GSH depression was examined by pretreating the animals with a receptor specific adrenergic antagonist, such as prazosin HCl (15 mg/kg, i.p.), propranolol HCl (15 mg/kg, i.p.), and yohimbine HCl (15 mg/kg, i.p.) 15 min prior to the exercise bout, but neither of the antagonists prevented the GSH depression. Administration of alpha-tocopherol acetate (450 mg/kg/day for 3 days and 150 mg/kg on day 4, i.p.) did not affect the exercise-induced GSH depression or lipid peroxidation in liver homogenates as determined by increases in malondialdehyde formation. These results suggest that neither adrenergic stimulation nor oxidative stress plays a significant role in the enhancement of APAP hepatotoxicity and hepatic GSH depression induced by acute physical exercise.
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PMID:Potentiation of acetaminophen hepatotoxicity by acute physical exercise in rats. 917 66

In the US, about 11% to 20% of patients presenting to general medical clinics are diagnosed as suffering from alcohol abuse or dependence. Alcohol screening in primary care settings, whether in the US or Singapore, can utilise various strategies for the early detection of alcohol problems. This paper briefly reviews several self-reports and screening procedures to assist general practitioners in identifying problem drinkers. The use of CAGE questionnaire, MAST, and its variation, SAAST and the AUDIT, are discussed and evaluated. Likewise, useful biochemical markers of excessive alcohol consumption like the liver enzymes (AST, ALT, GGT), MCV, CDT are described. They can be combined with each other to improve validity or used in conjunction with self-report screening tests for more accurate detection of problem drinkers. In particular, use of the AUDIT for routine screening of alcohol problems in primary care settings is recommended. Selective administration to those with at least two drinks per setting can overcome time constraints. Alternatively, sequential screening utilising the TRAUMA questionnaire with frequency and quantity questions administered to higher frequency drinkers can circumvent concerns about direct questioning. Use of self-reports and when possible, biochemical screening for alcohol problems should be a standard part of primary care practice.
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PMID:What you need to know: detecting alcohol problems in general medical practice. 955 5

It is well-known that early diagnosis in addiction leads to a better outcome and prevents psychosocial and medical illness and disability as well as costs. It would be important to have a gold standard for the diagnosis for alcoholism because of the consequences of this diagnosis for both the patient and the physician. In the last 15 years there were world-wide efforts to find biological markers for alcoholism and alcohol abuse. The results, however, were rather poor. With the exception of the relatively new and expensive CDT TEST (Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin) and some changes in established questionnaires (shortenings) we have used the same screening tests for decades. The relationship between the patient and the physician, a detailed medical history and experience of the physician cannot be replaced by tests. The Plinius Major Society recommends in its Guidelines the CAGE questionnaire. In medical settings and in primary care the MALT or AUDIT are more informative. As laboratory markers the Plinius Major Society still recommends: gamma-GT, MCV, GOT/GPT (ASAT/ALAT) and CDT. These tests are only useful if normal values of the particular laboratory are given.
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PMID:[Markers for excessive alcohol use (screening)]. 1080 74

A 56-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of hilar bile duct cancer. Abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed no other concomitant disease. Biochemical data showed 0.6 mg/dL of total bilirubin, 104 IU/L of alanine aminotransferase and 469 mg/dL of alkaline phosphatase. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 was elevated as 112.1 U/mL. Operative findings included a resectable left hilar bile duct cancer and grayish-white nodules 0.3-0.5cm in diameter on the surface of segments 6 and 4 of the liver. Although intrahepatic metastasis of the bile duct cancer was highly suspected under intraoperative US, frozen section was reported to show the small nodules containing multiple biliary hamartomas, so-called von Meyenburg complex. Therefore, a left hepatic lobectomy together with resection of the extrahepatic bile duct followed by a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy was the procedure of choice. His postoperative course was uneventful. The intraoperative findings could have been misdiagnosed due to their similarity to intrahepatic metastasis and intraoperative histology is indispensable to differentiate von Meyenburg complex in this case. The possibility of a preoperative imaging diagnosis for von Meyenburg complex seems to depend on the size of the bile duct structure in each hamartoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fourteenth case of bile duct cancer associated with von Meyenburg complex reported in the literature. The following case is being reported because of the rarity of the disease and to stress the importance of intraoperative histology to avoid misdiagnosis as the disseminated disease, particularly when malignant neoplasia is surgically treated.
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PMID:Hilar bile duct cancer associated with preoperatively undetectable von Meyenburg complex--report of a case. 1536 38

A 4.5-year-old female degu (Octodon degus) was minimally responsive with a poor body condition, a rough haircoat, and moderate dehydration. Blood was present around its urethral orifice and on the cage bedding. Laboratory analyses revealed leukocytosis with neutrophilia and anemia; hypoproteinemia and hypoalbuminemia; hyperglycemia, hyperphosphatemia, and elevated alanine aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine; and hematuria and pyuria with occasional squamous and transitional epithelial cells. A urine culture was positive for coagulase-negative Staphylococcus sp. On gross necropsy, the right kidney was enlarged, cystic, and greenish-brown, with a 10-mm, hemorrhagic, granular mass extending from the renal pelvis into the cranial cortex. Only a small amount of renal cortex appeared normal. The urinary bladder had focal areas of hemorrhage and contained frank blood. Histologically, the papillary mass in the right renal pelvis comprised basophilic, moderately anaplastic, clustered epithelial transition cells consistent with a transitional cell carcinoma. Internally, the tumor showed squamous metaplasia and moderate multifocal interstitial fibrosis. The right kidney cortex contained a choristoma comprising trabecular bone, mature adipocytes, and cellular infiltrates suggestive of osteocytes, lymphocytes, and plasma cells. The urinary bladder had mild to moderate, focal, hemorrhage with neutrophilic inflammation and contained focal areas of mild transitional cell epithelial hyperplasia; these changes may have been secondary to irritation by hemorrhage in the renal pelvis. There was no evidence of metastasis. Renal transitional cell tumors are rare in rodents. This is the first report of both a renal transitional cell carcinoma and a renal choristoma in a degu.
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PMID:Renal transitional cell carcinoma and choristoma in a degu (Octodon degus). 1593 23

We compare the diagnostic usefulness of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the AUDIT alcohol consumption questions (AUDIT-C) for detecting hazardous drinkers between the populations over and less than 65 years in primary care settings. To assess weekly alcohol intake an interview on quantity-frequency was administered to 602 patients. Hazardous drinking was defined as a level of consumption of 280 g of alcohol per week for men and 168 g for women. The participants received AUDIT, AUDIT-C and CAGE questionnaires. Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values were also determined. Average weekly alcohol intake among the population aged 65 and older was 83 g, and 10% were hazardous drinkers. In this age group, the sensitivities of AUDIT and AUDIT-C for detecting this type of drinkers were 67% and 100%, whereas specificities were 95% and 81% respectively. In the younger patient group, the sensitivities were 84% and 100% and the specificities 95% and 79% respectively. In conclusion, both AUDIT and AUDIT-C perform well at detecting hazardous drinkers in the group older than 65 years and that their sensitivities and specificities are comparable to those in younger ages.
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PMID:The diagnostic usefulness of AUDIT and AUDIT-C for detecting hazardous drinkers in the elderly. 1693 91


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