Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0023890 (cirrhosis)
 42,195 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

beta-Hexosaminidase (Hex) activity was previously found to be increased in the sera of patients with liver cirrhosis, cholestasis and acute alcohol intoxication, as well as in rats with CCl4-induced liver cirrhosis. We studied this enzymatic activity in the sera and liver tissue of rats with alcoholic fatty liver due to prolonged alcohol intake and CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in association with moderate alterations in liver function tests. Serum and liver Hex activity did not show any significant change in both experimental models. These data suggest that Hex is not an alcohol-induced enzyme, and that severe, but not moderate, liver damage can determine the increase in this lysosomal enzymatic activity.
 ...
PMID:Beta-hexosaminidase activity in alcoholic fatty liver and in CCl4-induced liver fibrosis of the rat. 257 5

Total serum bile acid levels and beta-hexosaminidase activity were studied in 22 normal subjects, 35 non-cirrhotic patients with acute alcohol intoxication, 45 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and 11 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and surgical portal-systemic shunts. Comparison was made with traditional liver function tests. beta-Hexosaminidase was most frequently elevated in acute alcohol intoxication (94%) while total serum bile acids were elevated in all patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Total serum bile acid levels were found to discriminate most efficiently between acute alcohol intoxication and liver cirrhosis. The combined determination of serum beta-hexosaminidase and total serum bile acids is proposed for evaluating alcoholic liver disease.
 ...
PMID:Total fasting serum bile acids and beta-hexosaminidase in alcoholic liver disease. 622 67

Seven thousand three hundred seventy-six sudden or violent manner of deaths were inspected or autopsied at Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner's Office in 1989. Out of these victims, 693 (9.4%) victims were regarded as heavy drinkers on the basis of the drinking habits and the autopsy reports and 196 (2.7%) victims without past problem drinking were thought to be drunk at death from the family statements or the blood alcohol analysis. The total 889 (12.1%) alcohol-related cases (autopsy was performed on the 489 cases) were studied from epidemiological and etiological viewpoints. The average age of the alcohol-related victims (male: 811, female: 78) was 52 +/- 11 years. In middle-aged (45-54 years) men, 34% of the all sudden or violent deaths were alcohol-related. About half of the alcohol-related victims were living alone and jobless and they often died at home, particularly in the bed. In the alcohol-related victims, the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) analysis revealed that the average BAC of female was significantly higher than that of male. (2.12 +/- 1.73 mg/ml vs. 1.33 +/- 1.75, P < 0.01). This difference may be associated with sex difference in ethanol metabolism, body composition and drinking habits. Among the major causes of the alcohol-related deaths, alcoholic liver diseases accounted for 226 (25%), gastro-intestinal bleedings for 115 (13%), cardiovascular diseases for 105 (12%) and violent deaths (e.g., acute alcohol intoxication, falls, traffic accidents, suicide) for 329 (37%). By histopathological examination of the liver, about 30% of the alcoholic liver disease cases showed mainly fatty metamorphosis and 48% showed liver cirrhosis. Only 12% of the cirrhotics had either jaundice or ascites, suggesting hepatic failure. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy was suspected in only 11 cases. In conclusion, many people, particularly middle-aged men, lose their lives due to heavy drinking and there are many pathologically unexplainable sudden deaths of alcoholics.
 ...
PMID:[Alcohol and sudden death: a survey on alcohol-related deaths at tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner's Office (1989)]. 834 5