Relation of plasma carnitine and aminotransferases to alcohol dose and time of dependence.

BACKGROUND: Serum aspartate, alanine aminotransferases (AST, ALT), and plasma carnitine are all indirect biomarkers of alcohol abuse. Carnitine transfers long-chain fatty acids from cytoplasm to mitochondria for ß-oxidation. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between daily alcohol intake, time of alcohol dependence, plasma carnitine, and serum aminotransferases. PATIENTS: We studied 26 men who were addicted for 2-30 years, consuming ethanol from 75 to 700 g/day (alcoholic group), as well as 17 healthy men (control group). RESULTS: In alcoholics, compared to the controls, we found: a significant increase in serum: AST (p = 0.0014), ALT (p = 0.0071), AST/ALT ratio (p < 0.000); significantly lower plasma free carnitine (FC) (p = 0.0316) and total carnitine (TC) (p = 0.0349); and a significant negative correlation between FC (r = -0.6200; R2 = 0.3844; p = 0.0007), TC (r = -0.4365; R2 = 0.1905; p = 0.0258), and time of alcohol dependence, suggesting carnitine as an indirect marker of alcohol abuse. We did not find any significant correlation between FC, TC, and levels of alcohol or aminotransferase activity. CONCLUSION: In the alcoholic group, there was an increase in serum activity of AST, ALT, and AST/ALT ratio that confirms liver injury. In addition, we found low plasma FC and TC, which may indicate damage to mitochondrial ß-oxidation caused by alcohol metabolites. The significantly higher plasma FC and TC in patients consuming the most, compared to patients consuming smaller doses of alcohol, may be caused by a lower carnitine demand of injured liver cells, decreased urinary carnitine excretion by impaired renal tubules, and leakage of carnitine into the blood from damaged muscles by the higher quantities of alcohol. The negative correlation between carnitine concentration and time of alcohol dependence may suggest the potential use of carnitine for treatment of alcohol abuse.

The effect of acute ethanol intoxication on salivary proteins of innate and adaptive immunity.

BACKGROUND: Human salivary proteins: peroxidase, lysozyme, lactoferrin, and IgA, participate in the protection of oral tissues, as well as upper digestive and respiratory tracts, against a number of microbial pathogens. In the current study, we investigated the effect of acute consumption of a large dose of ethanol on representative human salivary proteins of the innate and adaptive immune systems. METHODS: Eight healthy male volunteers drank an average of 2.0 g (1.4 to 2.5 g/kg) body weight of ethanol, in the form of vodka, in the 6-hour period. Samples of resting whole saliva were collected 12 hours before, then 36 and 108 hours after, the alcohol consumption. The levels of total protein, immunoglobulin A, lysozyme and lactoferrin as well as peroxidase activity were determined in saliva. RESULTS: At 36 hours after alcohol consumption, salivary protein and lysozyme concentrations as well as peroxidase activity were significantly decreased (p = 0.002, p = 0.043, and p = 0.003, respectively), in comparison to the values obtained at 12 hours before drinking. Between 36 and 108 hours after alcohol consumption, the salivary protein and lysozyme concentrations, as well as peroxidase activity showed a tendency to increase, although at 108 hours after the drinking session, the concentration of protein and peroxidase activity were still significantly lower than before drinking. There was no significant change in the level of lactoferrin, after the drinking session. The salivary concentration of IgA tended to increase at 36 hours after alcohol consumption, and at 108 hours it was significantly higher (p = 0.028), when compared to IgA concentration in the saliva collected before drinking (from 8% to 26% and 32% of total protein content, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our report is the first to show that acute ingestion of relatively large, yet tolerable dose of alcohol, significantly disturbs salivary antimicrobial defense system. Reduced lysozyme level and decreased peroxidase activity may contribute to increased susceptibility to infections, when acute alcohol intake coincides with exposure to pathogens.

Usefulness of examination of some tumor markers in diagnostics of liver cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Diagnostics of liver cancer is mainly based on imaging methods: which are ultrasound and computer tomography. Determination of tumor markers is an accessory investigation enabling us to detect cancer, to evaluate the effectiveness of its operative and postoperative treatment and to diagnose early cancer relapse or distant metastases. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a basic well-known marker in diagnostics of liver cancer. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer procoagulant (CP) are also important in case of metastases to this organ, especially from the colon. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of AFP, CEA and CP in detection of liver cancer. METHODOLOGY: The material of the study was the blood serum from 25 patients with liver cancer diagnosed histopathologically and 12 healthy individuals as a control group. The concentrations of AFP and CEP were assessed by immunoenzymatic method (MEIA) in the Axsym analyzer of Abbott and expressed in ng/mL. CP activity was determined by coagulation method worked out by Gordon and Benson and expressed as coagulation time in seconds (s). RESULTS: Based on the results obtained in our study, the concentrations of AFP and CEP were several fold higher in the serum of patients with liver cancer than the relevant values of these markers. CP activity was higher in the serum of patients with liver cancer than the mean values of patients in the control group. The differences found in the study between the groups examined and the control group were statistically significant atp<0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirmed a high diagnostic value of AFP and CEA testing and suggest the possibility of using CP activity to detect liver cancer.

[Concentration of thyroid stimulating hormone and activity of N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase and its isoenzymes, in serum of patients with thyroid cancer]. / Stezenie hormonu tyreotropowego oraz aktywnosc N-acetylo-beta-D-heksozoaminidazy i jej izoenzymów A i B w surowicy chorych na raka tarczycy.

UNLABELLED: Thyroid cancer consists 1% of all malignant neoplasms. It is not known interrelationship between concentration of TSH in blood serum and condition of thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is difficult for diagnosis and differentiation. Therefore it is necessary to search for biochemical markers helpful in diagnostics of thyroid cancer. Significant increase in activity of N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase and its isoenzymes A and B in serum of patients with neoplasms of kidney and pancreas suggest approporiateness of evaluation of HEX and its isoenzymes in diagnostics of thyroid cancer. THE AIM: of the study--evaluation of TSH concentration and activity of HEX and its isoenzymes A and B, in serum of patients with thyroid cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood was taken from 7 patients with thyroid cancer (6 men and 1 woman). Control consisted of 7 healthy men. In blood serum concentration of TSH was determined with immunoenzymatic method on analyzer Axsym of Abbott and expressed in microU/mL. The activity of HEX and its isoenzymes A and B was determined by method of Chatterjee et al., as modified by Zwierz et.al. Determination of HEX was performed on microplate reader ELX800 BIO-TEK. Activity of HEX, HEX A and B was expressed in pKat/mL, and specific activity in pKat/mg protein). Protein was determined by biuret method and results were expressed in mg/mL. RESULTS: Concentration of HEX A activity in serum of thyroid cancer patients is significantly higherin comparison to healthymen (p = 0.0191). Also specific activity of HEX A in serum of thyroid cancer patients is significantly higher in comparison to healthy men (p = 0.0393). CONCLUSIONS: 1. Determination of TSH concentration in serum of thyroid cancer before the operation may confirm euthyreosis. 2. Determination of HEX A activity in serum may be helpful in diagnostics of thyroid cancer.

[Usefulness of detecting cancer procoagulant activity and thyrotropic hormone concentration in the differentiation of tumor-like changes in the thyroid]. / Zastosowanie badania aktywnosci nowotworowego prokoagulanta oraz stezenia hormonu tyreotropowego w róznicowaniu zmian guzowatych tarczycy.

Epidemiological studies have shown the increased incidence of malignant cancer of the thyroid gland observed in the last decade. This increase is connected with the elevated number of benign tumor-like/tuberous changes in the thyroid gland. Since it is difficult to differentiate diagnostically this pathology, it would be justified to search for biochemical markers which can help to confirm this change. The aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of detecting cancer procoagulant activity (CP) and thyrotropic hormone concentration (TSH) in the differentiation of tumor-like changes in the thyroid gland. The study included 15 patients (12 women and 3 men) with adenoma glandulae thyreoideae or nodular changes in the character of struma nodosa hyperplastica and 12 patients (11 women and 1 man) with carcinoma glandulae thyreoideae. A control group consisted of 12 healthy people (5 women and 7 men). CP activity was determined in the serum by the coagulation method according to Gordon and Benson and it was expressed as the coagulation time in seconds (s). TSH concentration was measured by the immunoenzymatic method (MEIA) using an analyzer of Axsym (Abbott) and was expressed in microU/ml. The results of our study indicate that the determination of CP activity can be used in the differential diagnosis of tumor-like changes of the thyroid gland. The concentration ofTSH was within the normal values, despite statistically different mean values between particular groups that results from the fact that patients qualified to surgery were in the state of euthyreosis.