Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0008370 (cholestasis)
 9,378 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The enzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is widely distributed throughout the body, notably kidney, seminal vesicles, pancreas, liver, spleen and brain. Being one of the enzymes of the gamma-glutamyl cycle, it is involved in aminoacid transport, catalysing a transpeptidation reaction between gamma-glutamyl peptides and most common amino acids. Methods of assay of the enzyme are based on its ability also to act on synthetic amides of glutamic acid; kinetic methods monitoring the release of p-nitroaniline from the substrate L-gamma-glutamyl p-nitroanilide are the most satisfactory. In diseases of the liver, the highest levels occur in association with cirrhosis, alcoholism, hepatic secondaries and cholestasis. As the enzyme is present in the endoplasmic reticulum of the hepatocyte, its activity is increased in situations leading to microsomal enzyme induction. Raised levels can also occur in pancreatitis, diabetes, myocardial infarction, congestive cardiac failure, chronic renal failure, cerebrovascular accidents, cerebral tumours and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although the lack of specificity must be recognised, the estimation can be useful in the elucidation of some clearly defined problems arising during investigation of patients with suspected hepatic disease, especially where performed as part of a biochemical profile.
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PMID:Role of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity in the diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease. 24 76

In the course of 4 years, among 11,738 admissions there were 245 (2.08%) patients with cholestasis (106 women and 139 men). Intrahepatic cholestasis (i.c.) was detected in 46.5%, and extrahepatic (e.c.) in 53.5%. The most frequent cause of i.c. were alcoholic and nonalcoholic chr. liver disease (fatty liver, chr. hepatitis, cirrhosis) (37% and 30%), acute viral hepatitis (15%) and toxic liver injury (14%) respectively. The causes of e.c. were: choledocholithiasis (44%), cancer of the pancreatic head (15%), cancer of gallbladder and extrahepatic ducts (12%) and cancer of liver (10%). The causes of c. were benigne, in 78.2%, while malignant neoplasms were present in 21.8%. Out of the multitude of laboratory tests two appeared particularly significant: glut, transpeptidase was pathologic in 81% of alcoholic liver disease, in 62% of the cases with obstructive jaundice and in 27.7% of malignant neoplasms. LX-lipoprotein examined in 52 patients was positive in 24% of i.c., and 60% of e.c. Proliferation of bile ducts was the most frequent finding in surgical liver biopsies in choledocholithiasis cases.
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PMID:Differential diagnosis, laboratory tests and histology in 245 patients with cholestasis. 52 15

Protein hydrolysate-containing parenteral solutions have been reported to be hepatotoxic. Ten infants who were treated with a 20 percent glucose solution containing either 2.5 percent or 3.25 percent protein hydrolysate are reviewed. Their gestational ages were 30 to 40 weeks and births weights 1000 to 35000 g. Serum glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT), leucine amino peptidase (LAP) and bilirubin were measured serially. Serum amino acids were measured and consistently demonstrated decreased levels of isoleucine and increased aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, proline, glycine, alanine, threonine and lysine. The amino acid imbalances were associated with transaminase elevations in eight infants. Serum bilirubin levels increased in six patients and LAP in four. Liver biopsies from three patients showed minimal to moderate hepatic parenchymal disease with cholestasis.
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PMID:The hepatotoxicity of parenteral protein hydrolysate-containing solutions. 82 62

To evaluate malnutrition in chronic liver disease, and its relationship to nutrient deficiencies and hepatic dysfunction, 27 children with end-stage liver disease were studied. Mean protein-energy intakes were 70% of recommended daily intakes. The patients were underweight and stunted with reduced mean triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses and midupper arm circumference. Mean total body potassium was only 63 +/- 18% of that expected for age and sex. Deficiency of essential fatty acids (32%), and low concentrations of fat-soluble vitamins (A, 92%; E, 32%), iron (32%), zinc (42%), and selenium (13%) were common. Serum ammonia concentrations were raised in all patients, and increased methionine, tyrosine, and glutamic acid, and reduced glutamine concentrations were noted. There was no correlation between the degree of malnutrition and the degree of liver synthetic function, the degree of cholestasis, or the degree of liver injury. We suggest that potentially correctable factors in addition to liver failure (eg, inadequate absorbed intake) were important determinants of malnutrition in these patients.
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PMID:The nature of malnutrition in children with end-stage liver disease awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation. 160 54

The effect of spironolactone (SL) administration on 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE)-induced cholestasis was studied, with emphasis on expression and activity of Mrps. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: EE (5 mg/kg daily for 5 days, s.c.), SL (200 micromol/kg daily for 3 days, i.p.), EE+SL (same doses, SL administered the last 3 days of EE treatment), and controls. SL prevented the decrease in bile salt-independent fraction of bile flow induced by EE, in association with normalization of biliary excretion of glutathione. Western blot studies indicate that EE decreased the expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2) by 41% and increased that of Mrp3 by 200%, whereas SL only affected Mrp2 expression (+60%) with respect to controls. The EE+SL group showed increased levels of Mrp2 and Mrp3 to the same extent as that registered for the individual treatments. Real-time polymerase chain reaction studies indicated that up-regulation of Mrp2 and Mrp3 by SL and EE, respectively, was at the transcriptional level. To estimate Mrp2 and Mrp3 activities, apical and basolateral excretion of acetaminophen glucuronide (APAP-glu), a common substrate for both transporters, was measured in the recirculating isolated perfused liver model. Biliary/perfusate excretion ratio was decreased in EE (-88%) and increased in SL (+36%) with respect to controls. Coadministration of rats with SL partially prevented (-53%) impairment induced by EE in this ratio. In conclusion, SL administration to EE-induced cholestatic rats counteracted the decrease in bile flow and biliary excretion of glutathione and APAP-glu, a model Mrp substrate, findings associated with up-regulation of Mrp2 expression.
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PMID:Beneficial effect of spironolactone administration on ethynylestradiol-induced cholestasis in the rat: involvement of up-regulation of multidrug resistance-associated protein 2. 1768 6

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the best known haemoglobinopathy, caused by a mutation substituting valina for glutamic acid at position 6 of the beta-globin chain of adult hemoglobin A, resulting in hemoglobin S (HbS). The homozygous HbS disease (HbSS), an autosomal recessive disorder, is the most common form and the Mediterranean area, along with sub-Saharian African and India, have the highest prevalence (1%-15%). In particular, Sicily with a prevalence of 2%-5%, is among the most interested regions. However, migratory flows have led to a wider diffusion of the disease no longer confined to endemic areas. In Europe, the yearly estimate of affected births are 1,300 but more than 90% of children with SCD survive into adulthood thanks to screening programs and early available care; however, their lifespan remains shortened by two or three decades compared to general population. In Greece, the number of affected births surpassing 100,000 yearly and the total number of newborns carrying two deleterious genes, if no prevention measures are taken, is estimated to be about 120-130/year. Diagnosis of SCD is based on analysis of haemoglobin through protein electrophoresis or chromatography, that are cheap and widely available techniques, even if haemoglobin mass spectrometry and DNA analysis are techniques with high-throughput testing. Prenatal diagnosis is used in many European countries, so the number of affected newborns has significantly decreased during the last 3 years. Over the course of SCD, sickling process may cause acute and chronic abdominal pain due to vaso-occlusive crisis, bone pain often in long bones due to bone marrow infarction, chronic hemolytic anemia, splenic sequestration with rapid enlargement of the spleen, delayed sexual maturation and cholelithiasis, with important inter-indivuidual variability. Sickle hepatopathy reflects liver sickling process within hepatic sinusoids and includes gallstone disease, hepatic sequestration, hepatic sideroris, acute sickle cell hepatic crises (ASHC) and sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis (SCIC). Clinically, it appears with fever, right upper quadrant pain, jaundice and increased serum liver function tests. These patients are repeatedly esposed to trasfused red cells that contributes to iron overload and may contribute to hepatic haemosiderosis. Increased bone turnover and resorption by osteoclasts and by marrow expansion due to activation of hematopoiesis. The hematopoietic system may expand physiologically. Computed tomography (CT) is an easily reproducible imaging method that allows the morphologic whole-body evaluation although with a high dose of radiation exposure and possible side effects from intravenous contrast media. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a noninvasive technique without radiation chosen to image cholangiopathy and may be followed by the execution of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in case of gallstone disease. Otherwise it can be helpful in identifying extramedullary hematopoiesis sites. Dual-energy X-rays absorptiometry (DEXA) is performed to evaluate deficit of bone mineral density (BMD), in which reduction of osteoblastic activity, high risk for necrosis may induce to fragility fractures. We recently had the experience of a typical case of a 56 years old Albanian woman with SCD, with jaundice after a long history of recurrent vaso-occlusive crisis. She was submitted to splenectomy and cholecystectomy 5 years before and since then she was treated with hydroxyurea. Hemocromatosis was excluded by genetic analysis. Hepatic biopsy (Pearl's stain) showed sinusoidal dilatation and diffuse iron accumulation in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. Endo-hepatic jaundice was observed in MRCP images. It was interesting that DEXA examination was within normal range in both right proximal femur. This may probably be due to the presence of sclerotic lesions in the vertebrae, as was seen in the CT images. Technetium-99m-methylen bisphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) skeletal scintigraphy is a higly sensitive whole-body diagnostic nuclear medicine technique able to evaluate early bone metabolic changes. Multimodality SPET/CT allows to correlate scintigraphic findings with anatomical images with higher sensitivity and specificity. The higher uptake of 99mTc-MDP in SCD patients is due to the activation of hematopoetic system and relies on the osteoblastic response to bone resorption as in our patient. The 99mTc-MDP scan may be better than fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) to show sclerotic lesions. Technetium-99m nanocolloids bone marrow scintigraphy (BMS) provides information about the assessment of the reticulum-endothelial system (RES), the whole-body distribution of functional red bone marrow and the presence and the extent of extramedullary hematopoiesis, especially in liver, spleen and bone marrow. Fluorine-18-FDG PET/CT completes the whole-body assessment with an integrated multimodal approach with high spatial resolution that evaluates the metabolic activity and the standardized uptake value (SUV) in SCD patients. Modern genetic diagnosis and gene treatment give promise for having fewer cases of SCD in the future.
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PMID:Sickle cell diseases: What can nuclear medicine offer? 3084 1