The direct early diagnosis of cystic fibrosis by the detection of the deltaF508 CFTR gene mutation in a prematurely delivered boy

The suspicion of prenatal meconium ileus syndrome was raised in a pregnancy in a family with no history of cystic fibrosis because of significantly higher maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein in the 16th and 19th week of gestation, dispersed areas with increased echogenity in the fetal abdomen, slight fetal ascites in the 24th-25th weeks of gestation, decreased amniotic fluid gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) activity and alpha-fetoprotein level in the 25th-26th weeks, and normal 46,XY karotype of the fetus. The detection of a homozygous deltaF508 cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene mutation, by means of PCR from a small amount of white blood cells and urine sediment cells, substantiated the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis in a prematurely delivered boy in the 28th week of gestation. The repeated sweat test was unsuccessful. The autopsy examination confirmed the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Fetal meconium ileus syndrome was complicated by peritonitis and by formation of a meconium pseudocyst. Direct PCR typing improves postnatal diagnostic possibilities in the early neonatal period in prematurely delivered babies when the sweat test is difficult to perform.     

Association of gamma-glutamyltransferase with severity of disease at diagnosis and prognosis of ovarian cancer

Background:

Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) – a membrane-bound enzyme crucially involved in the cell''s detoxification pathway and apoptotic balance – is involved in tumour development, progression and chemotherapy resistance. Elevated GGT serum levels are associated with increased cancer risk in women and worse prognosis in gynaecologic cancers. The present study investigated the prognostic role of GGT in ovarian cancer patients.

Methods:

In this multicenter study, pre-therapeutic GGT levels were ascertained in 634 consecutive patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC, n=567) and borderline tumour of the ovary (BTO, n=67). Gamma-glutamyltransferase serum levels were associated with clinicopathological parameters and uni- and multivariate survival analyses were performed. Immunohistochemistry of GGT was performed in ovarian cancer tissue and correlated with GGT serum levels.

Results:

Pre-therapeutic GGT serum levels were higher in patients with EOC (28.56 (38.24) U l⁻¹) than in patients with BTO (20.01 (12.78) U l⁻¹, P=0.01). High GGT serum levels were associated with advanced FIGO stage (P<0.001) and with worse overall survival in univariate (P<0.001) and multivariable analysis (P=0.02, HR 1.2 (1.1–1.5)). We further investigated the association between systemic GGT serum levels and local GGT expression in EOC tumour tissue and observed an association between these two parameters (P=0.03).

Conclusion:

High pre-therapeutic GGT serum levels are associated with advanced tumour stage and serve as an independent prognostic marker for worse overall survival in patients with EOC. Gamma-glutamyltransferase expression in ovarian cancer tissue is reflected in GGT serum levels.     

Toxicological impact of inhaled electric mosquito-repellent liquid on the rat: a hematological,cytokine indications,oxidative stress and tumor markers

Abstract

Context: High malaria burden has led to the increased use of insecticides in the tropics and subtropics. This study thus aimed at assessing the hematological effects alteration of pyrethroid insecticide exposure using the experimental animal model.

Objective: A commonly available Electric Mosquito-Repellent Liquid pyrethroid insecticide containing prallethrin 1.6% w/w is widely used for mosquito control in Saudi Arabia. The immunotoxic effects after inhalation exposures to the preparation for a continuous period of 24, 48, and 72?h were investigated in rats.

Methods and materials: Rats were exposed to prallethrin 1.6% w/w by inhalation for 72 consecutive hours. Total blood count, blood indices of creatine kinase (CK), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (γ-GT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factors (TNF)α, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19.9 and carcinoembrionic antigen (CEA) were assayed.

Results: The administration of prallethrin 1.6% w/w created significant increased changes in the levels of total WBC, lymphocytes, RBC, hemoglobin, packed cell volume, platelets, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin in rats after 24, 48, and 72?h of continuous inhalation; however, there was a significant reduction in neutrophils at transient reduction in the monocytes after 24 and 48?h to return to normal after 72?h. Significant increases in the levels of CK, γ-GT, SOD, NO, MDA, AFP, IL-2, and TNFα were recorded. CA and CEA did not exhibit any change.

Conclusions: Continuous inhalation to prallethrin 1.6% insecticides poses toxicity on hematological variables. It is also concluded that pyrethroid group of insecticide may cause hematological, biochemical, cytokine disturbances and possible mutagenic damage to the tissues.     

The effect of rifampicin on norethisterone pharmacokinetics

Summary The pharmacokinetics of norethisterone have been studied in 8 women during and one month after treatment with rifampicin (450–600 mg/day). Rifampicin caused a significant reduction in the A. U. C. of a single dose of 1 mg norethisterone from 37.8±13.1 to 21.9±5.9 ng/ml X h (p<0.01). The plasma norethisterone half life (-phase) was also reduced from 6.2±1.7 to 3.2±1.0 h (p<0.0025). In one additional woman on long term oral contraceptive therapy the 12 hour plasma norethisterone concentration was reduced by rifampicin from 12.3 ng/ml to 2.3 ng/ml. Rifampicin caused a significant increase in antipyrine clearance, 6-hydroxycortisol excretion and plasma gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity but there were no significant correlations between changes in these indices of liver microsomal enzyme induction. There was a significant correlation between the percentage increase in antipyrine clearance and the percentage decrease in norethisterone A. U. C. during rifampicin. The changes in norethisterone pharmacokinetics during rifampicin therapy are compatible with the known enzyme inducing effect of rifampicin.     

Effect of acute lindane and alcohol intoxication on serum concentration of enzymes and fatty acids in rats.

This study examines possible synergistic effects of lindane and ethanol on inducing liver injury and serum fatty acid derangement in adult male Wistar rats. When administered together, ethanol and lindane-induced even more pronounced increase of alanine aminotransferase (165 +/- 10 U/L) and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity (10.3 +/- 0.6 U/L) than after isolated administration of either substance. In addition, separate administration of lindane and ethanol was followed by a significant decrease of linoleic acid level in the serum (301 +/- 38 mg/L, 276 +/- 35 mg/L vs. 416 +/- 48 mg/L). However, when ethanol administration was followed by lindane injection, serum linoleic acid was at the similar level found in the control group (516 +/- 62 mg/L). Ethanol-treated rats that received lindane 30 min after ethanol administration have shown a marked increase of palmitic (421 +/- 27 mg/L) and linolic acid level (43 +/- 5 mg/L) in comparison with rats that have been treated only with ethanol (316+/-26 mg/L for palmitic and 32 +/- 2 mg/L for linolic acid) or lindane (295 +/- 26 mg/L for palmitic and 301 +/- 38 mg/L for linolic acid). Linolic acid level was significantly greater in comparison with control group (29 +/- 1 mg/L). In conclusion, this study found enough evidence to support the hypothesis that acute ethanol intoxication potentiates lindane-induced liver injury and enhances lipid derangement.     

大鼠肺癌前病变及其γ—谷氨酰转肽酶表达的研究

用3-甲基胆蒽(3-MC)诱发大鼠肺癌前病变,并观察癌变过程中γ-谷氨酰转肽酸(GGT)的组织化学反应。结果支气管内1次灌注3-MC(3mg/100g体重)30d后,大鼠小支气管上皮不典型增生、腺样增生与腺癌及鳞癌的发生率分别为88.2％、70.6％及17.7％,60d的发生率分别为83.3％、23.5％及38.9％,且上述病变均呈GGT染色阳性反应,提示GGT可作为肺癌前病变的标志酶之一。     

DSA亲和色谱检测肝癌特异性γ-谷氨酰转移酶的临床应用

目的应用建立的凝集素亲和色谱技术,分离血清肝癌特异性γ-谷氨酰转移酶(HS-GGT),并观察HS-GGT在正常人、良性肝病及原发性肝癌(PHC)患者中的变化,以期建立1种简便易行的PHC实验室诊断方法。方法PHC 64例、肝外肿瘤22例、良性肝病68例及正常对照血清21例,以神经胺酸酶(NMD)水解后直接用欧蔓陀罗凝集素(DSA)亲和色谱柱分离,首先用柱平衡液洗脱不结合组分,再用0.05 mol/L醋酸洗弱结合组分,最后用0.1 mol/L醋酸洗脱强结合组分,用连续监测法测定洗脱液的GGT活性,计算各组分所占比例,统计分析其临床应用价值。结果DSA强结合的GGTⅢ为PHC患者所特有,以其在总GGT所占比例大于2%为PHC诊断的Cutoff值,其诊断特异性为95.5%,灵敏度为85.8%,准确度为92.0%。结论该方法能较好地鉴别诊断PHC,较以往的其他检测方法更为简便,并有较高诊断灵敏度和特异性。     

精浆酸性磷酸酶和γ-L-谷氨酰转肽酶检测的比较及其与精液参数的相关性研究

目的:对精浆酸性磷酸酶(ACP)和γ-L-谷氨酰转肽酶(γ-GT)活性检测进行比较,并分析ACP和γ-GT活性与精液参数的相关性。方法:133例精浆标本,分别检测ACP活性和γ-GT活性。随机留取2例精浆标本,1例用于ACP批内检测,另1例用于γ-GT批内检测。随机留取4例标本,2例用于ACP批间检测,另2例用于γ-GT批间检测。用计算机辅助的精液分析(CASA)系统分析精液标本的精液量、pH、精子密度、活动率、a+b级活动精子百分率等参数。同时分析ACP和γ-GT活性与精液参数的相关性。结果:精浆ACP活性和γ-GT活性呈显著性正相关(r=0.570,P=0.000)。ACP的批内变异系数(CV)为13.72%,批间CV分别为13.80%和15.49%。γ-GT批内CV为7.68%,批间CV分别为7.76%和9.73%。精浆ACP活性和γ-GT活性均与pH值呈显著负相关(r=-0.330,P=0.000;r=-0.388,P=0.000)。γ-GT活性与精子密度呈显著正相关(r=0.165,P=0.045),而ACP活性与精子密度无显著相关(r=0.048,P=0.546)。ACP活性和γ-GT活性均与精子活动率、(a+b)级活动精子百分率、精液量、禁欲时间以及年龄无显著相关性。结论:精浆γ-GT活性检测的精确性高于ACP活性检测,两者与精液参数的相关性基本类似。提示精浆γ-GT活性检测比ACP活性检测更适合用来评价前列腺功能。     

Studies on acetylcholinesterase and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase in mouse brain in ammonia toxicity

Short- and long-term ammonia toxicity was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection, respectively, of single and six doses of 0.6 mM ammonium acetate per 100 g of body weight. The animals were sacrificed half an hour after either the single injection or after the last injection of six doses. Under these experimental conditions the ammonia levels were found to be elevated twofold in cerebral cortex, brain stem, and basal ganglia after the administration of a single dose of ammonium acetate. A fourfold increase in the content of ammonia was observed in cerebral cortex, brain stem, and basal ganglia after six injections. An elevation in the activity of pseudocholinesterase (enzyme localized in brain capillaries and dial cells) in all the above four regions resulted as a short-term effect of ammonia toxicity. True acetylcholinesterase was found to be elevated in all the four regions in short-term and in long-term ammonia toxicity. Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGTP), another enzyme localized in cerebral capillaries and glial cells, was found to be depressed in all the regions of the brain in both short- and long-term ammonia toxicity. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to glial cell function.     

Prognostic significance of gamma-glutamyltransferase in patients with endometrial cancer: a multi-centre trial

Background:

Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GTT), a known marker for apoptotic balance, seems to promote tumour progression, invasion and drug resistance. Recently, high GGT serum levels were shown to be associated with impaired prognosis in patients with cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of pre-therapeutic serum GGT levels as prognostic parameter in patients with endometrial cancer.

Methods:

Within the present multi-centre trial, clinical–pathological parameters and pre-therapeutic serum GGT levels were evaluated in 874 consecutive patients with endometrial cancer. Patients were stratified in GGT risk groups, and univariate and multivariable survival analyses were performed.

Results:

Mean pre-therapeutic serum GGT level was 30.8 (41.5) U l^–1. Elevated and highly elevated serum GGT levels (P=0.03 and P=0.005), tumour stage (P<0.001 and P<0.001), grade (P<0.001 and P=0.02) and age (P<0.001 and P<0.001) were independently associated with progression-free survival in univariate and multivariable survival analyses. Pre-therapeutic GGT was not associated with advanced tumour stage (P=0.6), higher histological grade (P=0.6) or unfavourable histological subtype (P=0.3).

Conclusion:

Pre-therapeutic serum GGT is a novel and independent prognostic parameter for progression-free survival of patients with endometrial cancer. Stratifying patients into prognostic subgroups could be used for patient counselling and individualised treatment planning.