54 patients with acute viral hepatitis (8 of those having hepatic coma), 17 patients with unrecovered cirrhosis and 14 patients with hepatoma who were admitted in Bach Mai Hospital form March 1996 to May 1997 were involved in this study. Results showed that serum -GT level is often normally or lightly increased in fulminant hepatic failure and in unrecovered cirrhosis. This suggests that monitoring serum -GT may help to prognosticate for patient with acute viral hepatitis of cirrhosis. Serum -GT activity increases in hepatoma, so the estimation of this enzyme may help to diagnose the disease. Serum -GT activity increases in acute viral hepatitis but is less significance than serum transaminase (SGPT) in diagnosing the disease.
Liver Diseases ; Serum ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase

54 patients with acute viral hepatitis of which hepatic coma (8), uncompensate cirrhosis (17) and liver cancer (14) participated to a study have shown that the serum gamma glutamyl transpeptidase ((-GT) activity was slightly increased in patients with viral hepatitis coma and uncompensate cirrhosis. This was a bad sign the (-GT was highly increased in patients with liver cancer. The average serum (-GT activity was increased about 3 times in the acute viral hepatitis. But diagnostic value of (-GT was lower than this of SGPT
Liver Diseases ; Serum ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Hepatic Encephalopathy

No abstract available.
Animals ; Autoradiography ; Carcinogenesis* ; Diethylnitrosamine ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase* ; Liver* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Autoradiography ; Carcinogenesis* ; Diethylnitrosamine ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase* ; Liver* ; Rats*

OBJECTIVES: Biochemical markers can provide an objective evidence of heavy alcohol drinking. The purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate the usefulness of biological markers detecting alcohol dependence, such as mean corpuscular volume(MCV), gamma-glutamyl transferase(GGT), and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin(CDT) in the patients of an alcohol counseling center. METHODS: This study was done with 64 patients with alcohol dependence and 36 healthy subjects. Relative values(%) of CDT were determined in their sera with turbidimetric immunoassay(Bio-Rad %CDT assay, Axis-Shield ASA, Oslo, Norway), and were compared with conventional markers of alcohol consumption, GGT and MCV. RESULTS: Among the patients with alcohol dependence, 78.1% showed abnormal %CDT levels compared with GGT(61.9%) and MCV(20.7%). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves(95% confidence interval) for %CDT, GGT, and MCV were 0.934(0.866-0.973), 0.871(0.789-0.930), and 0.575 (0.472-0.673), respectively. CONCLUSION: %CDT seems to be the most reliable biological marker for the detection and monitoring of alcohol consumption in the patients with alcohol dependence of the alcohol counseling center.
Alcohol Drinking ; Alcoholism* ; Biomarkers* ; Counseling* ; Erythrocyte Indices ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Humans

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In order to elucidate the possible mechanism of increase of y-glutamyl transpeptidase (y-GTP) activity in cholestatic liver and serum was studied. METHOD: Rats were divided into eight groups: Normal, sham operated control, bile duct obstruction (BDO) alone (BDO group), BDO plus taurocholic acid (TCA) injection (BDO plus TCA group), BDO plus tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) injection (BDO plus TUDCA group), choledoco-caval shunt (CCS) operation (CCS groups), CCS plus TCA injection (CCS plus TCA group), and CCS plus TUDCA injection (CCS plus TUDCA group). Y-GTP activity was determined in the serum and liver cytosolic, mitochondrial and microsomal preparations isolated from above experimental rats. The values of Km and Vmax in this hepatic enzyme was measured. RESULT: the activities of liver cytosolic and microsomal y-GTP showed a significant increase in the CCS group. The activities of liver cytosolic, mitochondrial and microsomal y-GTP showed a significant increase in the BDO group. And the activity of serum y-GTP showed a marked increase in teth CCS and BDO poups. However, y-GTP activities in the serum and in liver microsomal prepatation rose more rapidly in the BDO group tban CCS. Y-GTP activity in liver cytosolic and microsomal preparatians, and its Vmax value incmmxl significantly in both CCS plus TCA group, and BDO plus TCA group than each control group, such as CCS and BDO group. On the other hand, the values of Km of the hepatic subcellular y-GTP did not change in the all experimental groups. Sennn y-GTP activity increased significantly in both CCS plus 7CA group, and BDO plus TCA group than each control group. However, these serum and hepatic enzyme activities did not change in both CCS plus TUDCA group and BDO plus TUDCA group. CONCLUSIONS: The above results suggest that 7CA stimulates biosynthesis of the y-GTP in the liver. And the elevations of the serum enzymes activity thought to be caused by increase of hepatocyte membrane permeability by a physical property (detergency) of TCA, which cause the enzyme to leak into the blood in large quantities.
Animals ; Bile* ; Cholestasis ; Cytosol ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase* ; Hand ; Hepatocytes ; Liver* ; Membranes ; Permeability ; Rats* ; Taurocholic Acid

Cholangiocarcinoma is usually diagnosed at the advanced stage because early symptoms and signs are relatively infrequent. The preoperative diagnosis of early extrahepatic bile duct cancer in common bile duct is uncommon. Also, an extrahepatic bile duct cancer arising from the lower portion of the common bile duct is usually papillary and rarely nodular or sclerosing. We decribe a case, preoperatively diagnosed as early extrahepatic bile duct cancer in lower portion of common bile duct, nodular type on endoscopic retrograde cholangiography. It was incidentally detected by the slight elevation of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase without any symptoms. An endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed abrupt narrowing of the intrapancreatic portion of the common bile duct with irregular and nodular filling defect. The lesion was confined to mucosa on the endoscopic ultrasonography. This patient was diagnosed as early extrahepatic bile duct cancer and underwent Whipple's operation. A histopathologic examination of resected specimen revealed to be moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma at stage 1 (T1N0Mo) in the extrahepatic bile duct.
Adenocarcinoma ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic* ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Cholangiography ; Common Bile Duct ; Diagnosis ; Endosonography ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane

OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated the association between long working hours and serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels, a factor influencing the incidence of cardiovascular disease. METHODS: Data from the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2011) were used to analyze 1,809 women. Subjects were divided into three groups based on the number of weekly working hours: < or =29, 30-51, and > or =52 hours per week. Complex samples logistic regression was performed after adjusting for general and occupational factors to determine the association between long working hours and high serum GGT levels. RESULTS: The prevalence of high serum GGT levels in groups with < or =29, 30-51, and > or =52 working hours per week was 22.0%, 16.9%, and 26.6%, respectively. Even after adjusting for general and occupational factors, those working 30-51 hours per week had the lowest prevalence of high serum GGT levels. Compared to those working 30-51 hours per week, the odds ratios (OR) of having high serum GGT levels in the groups with > or =52 and < or =29 working hours per week were 1.56 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-2.23) and 1.53 (95% CI, 1.05-2.24), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Long working hours were significantly associated with high serum GGT levels in Korean women.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Female* ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: To investigate the physical and biochemical parameters related with elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in obese children. METHODS: One hundred forty-two obese or overweight children who visited the out-patient clinics of Chungnam National University Hospital between January 2006 and August 2008 were enrolled. Physical measures and biochemical tests were performed in all patients. Liver sonography was performed in 43 patients. They were divided into the following 2 groups based on ALT levels: group I, normal ALT levels (n=65); and group II, elevated ALT levels (n=77). We compared the physical measures, biochemical results, and ultrasonographic findings of the livers in both groups. Other causes of elevated serum ALT levels were ruled out. RESULTS: The male-to-female ratios were 1.6:1 in group I and 7.6:1 in group II. Among physical parameters, the waist circumference-to-height ratio and hip circumference-to-height ratio were significantly higher in group II (p=0.001 and 0.046, respectively). Among biochemical parameters, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT), and total cholesterol levels were significantly higher in group II (p<0.001, 0.001, and 0.001, respectively). The AST/ALT ratio was <1 (mean, 0.55) and statistically lower in group II. There was a positive correlation between the serum ALT level and gamma-GT (p<0.001, r=0.750), and a positive correlation between the serum ALT level and the waist circumference-to-height ratio in group II (p<0.001, r=0.401). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the waist circumference-to-height ratio and gamma-GT may be associated with elevated alanine aminotransferase activity in obese children.
Alanine ; Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Child ; Cholesterol ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Hip ; Humans ; Liver ; Outpatients ; Overweight

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical effect of L-ornithine L-aspartate (LOLA) granules in treating chronic liver disease in patients with high-level serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (G-GT) using a 24-week treatment course.

METHODSTwo-hundred patients with chronic liver disease and above normal G-GT were given a 12-week course of LOLA granules (9 g/d) and then classified into the following three groups according to the change in serum Gamma-GT:group I:patients with Gamma-GT level returned to normal;group II:patients with serum Gamma-GT level that was reduced during the treatment; group III:patients with serum Gamma-GT level that did not decrease or that increased to a higher level than at start of treatment.After the 12-week treatment course, the patients in group I were divided into three subgroups for receipt of a control drug (compound glycyrrhizin, 50mg/d) or an additional 12-week course of Gamma-GT at a reduced dose (LOLA granules 3 g/d) or at the original dose; groups II and III were maintained on the initial dose for an additional 12 weeks.The groups were reassessed at the end of the second 12-week course (at the end of week 24 of the study's observation period).Count data were compared using the x2 test and measurement data were compared using the t-test.

RESULTSIn group I, the serum Gamma-GT level was 90.9% at the end of the first 12-week course and dropped to a mean level of 52.2% for both of the subgroups that received the reduced and original dose after the additional 12 weeks of LOLA granules treatment; the difference from week 12 to week 24 was significant (x2=8.213, P less than 0.05).The 24-week change in serum Gamma-GT levels for the group I reduced and original dose subgroups vs.the control subgroup were also significantly different from those seen in groups II and III (P less than 0.05).The percentage of patients in group I who achieved normal level serum Gamma-GT after 24 weeks of treatment (78.6%) was significantly higher than that for the control group (vs.55.0%, x2=11.452, P less than 0.05).When the patients in group 1 who had received the 12 additional weeks of LOLA granules treatment were measured again at two weeks after the treatments had been discontinued (end of week 26), the percentage of patients with normal serum Gamma-GT level was 92.7%, with only three cases showing obviously abnormal levels; in contrast, the group I patients in the control group of the second 12-week study period had on 66.7% of patients with normal-level serum Gamma-GT.The difference in change between the treated groups (both reduced and original dose) and the control group was significant (x2=14.964, P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPatients whose serumGamma-GT levels returned to normal after receipt of LOLA granules for 12 weeks benefitted from an additional 12 weeks of consolidation treatment, and those given the treatment at the original dose benefitted most.Compared with the compound glycyrrhizin, LOLA granules provided a better maintenance of resolved Gamma-GT level.Therefore, the effect of LOLA appears to be reliable and stable as well as safe for clinical use.