• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.241-248
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• 2021

The present study was conducted to assess the relationship between aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio and pulse pressure in Korean adults with hypertension. Data from 1,515 adults from the sixth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI-3, 2015) were analyzed. There were several key findings in the present study. First, aspartate aminotransferase (odds ratio [OR], 1.018; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.002 to 1.033), alanine aminotransferase (OR, 0.982; 95% CI, 0.969 to 0.996), and aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio (OR, 1.367; 95% CI, 1.027 to 1.819) were the independent factors determining high pulse pressure. Second, after adjusting for related variables [age, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC)], the ORs of high pulse pressure with the 1st quartile as a reference were significantly higher in the 4th quartile of aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio [1.632 (95% CI, 1.113~2.393)]. The high pulse pressure was positively associated with aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio in Korean adults with hypertension, but was inversely associated with alanine aminotransferase.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 1993

Biphenyl Dimethyl dicarboxylate(DDB) has been regarded as a safe, effective drug for decreasing serum aminotransferase levels from elevated serum aminotransferase levels, which cause acute or chronic hepatitis and chronic liver diseases. This study was designed to low dose(22.5mg/day) & short-term therapy effectiveness for 4 weeks of DDB in 30 chronic hepatitis patients with elevated serum aminotransferases. The following results were observed. 1. Serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT) levels significantly decresed from 173. $97\pm130.62(U/L)$ of pretreatment level to $32.23\pm19.22(U/L)$ after treatment for 4 weeks(p<0.00l) and normalized patients by $73\%$ 2. Serum aspartate (AST) aminotransferase levels significantly decreased from $94.90\pm49.17(U/L)$ of pretreatment level to $45.30\pm23.25(U/L)4 after treatment(p0<0.01). 3. However, no significant effects in the serum AST & ALT changes by which cause hepatitis and hepatitis duration (p>0.05). 4. No significant adverse effects were observed except for mild epigastric discomfort in one patient during DDB treatment It is suggested that DDB small dosage administration can result effectively decreasing serum aminotransferase levels from chronic hepatitis patients with elevated serum aminotransferase levels.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.998-1003
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• 2014

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST; E.C. 2.6.1.1), a vitamin B6-dependent enzyme, preferentially promotes the mutual transformation of aspartate and ${\alpha}$-ketoglutarate to oxaloacetate and glutamate. It plays a key role in amino acid metabolism and has been widely recommended as a biomarker of liver and heart damage. Our study aimed to evaluate the extensive preparation of AST and its application in quality control in clinical laboratories. We describe a scheme to express and purify the 6His-AST fusion protein. An optimized sequence coding AST was synthesized and transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) strain for protein expression. Ideally, the fusion protein has a volumetric productivity achieving 900 mg/l cultures. After affinity chromatography, the enzyme activity of purified AST reached 150,000 U/L. Commutability assessment between the engineered AST and standard AST from Roche suggested that the engineered AST was the better candidate for the reference material. Moreover, the AST showed high stability during long-term storage at $-20^{\circ}C$. In conclusion, the highly soluble 6His-tagged AST can become a convenient tool for supplying a much better and cheaper standard or reference material for the clinical laboratory.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.87-93
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• 2009

Objectives : Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Radix (附子) and Aconiti Tuber (川烏) are not commonly prescribed, but are necessary for some clinical conditions, despite of the fact that some negative effects have been known to occur with these medicines. This study shows the consequences for aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) due to herbal medicines, including Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Radix (附子) and Aconiti Tuber (川烏). Methods : From 1st June 2007 to 10th May 2009, the results were analyzed for 64 patients belonging to the OO Oriental Medical Hospital who took herbal medicine, including Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Radix (附子) and Aconiti Tuber (川烏), more than 20 days. This is the study about the comparison and the investigation of AST, ALT. And the results were taken upon their hospitalization and to their departure. The Criteria of Diagnosis in Liver Injury of CIOMS was used as a standard for their examinations. Results : AST, ALT (total 64). The number of patients who were within normal reference value : 49. The number of patients who exceed the normal reference value after dosage, without satisfying the Criteria of Diagnosis in Liver Injury : 5. The number of patients who were recovered in normal reference value after dosage : 9. The number of patients who satisfying the Criteria of Diagnosis in Liver Injury after dosage : 1. Conclusions : This results suggest that these herbal medicines, including Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Radix (附子) and Aconiti Tuber (川烏), didn't cause adverse side-effects on AST, ALT of the patients who are taking them.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.188-192
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• 2021

The persistent increase of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) due to the presence of a macro-AST can confuse diagnostic or therapeutic decisions in many clinical situations. In this study, we report a case of isolated and persistent AST-elevation without any clinical sign of dysfunction in organs such as the liver, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, etc. Despite various investigations, no definite cause for the elevation of AST could be found. With the help of polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, we showed that macro-AST formation was responsible for the elevation of the AST titer in this case. Early recognition of macro-AST by PEG precipitation can prevent diagnostic confusion and unnecessary and even invasive tests.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.18-20
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of supplementary highly purified chitosan (HPC) on blood alcohol concentration in healthy human. The human study was performed with two sections. Each section of the study was conducted by two-phase cross-over design with a week wash-out period. All volunteers took HPC in one phase, and took a placebo in the next phase. Blood alcohol concentrations were different between in those taking HPC and in those taking the placebo in the human. And the concentration of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST, GOT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT, GPT), the indicator of liver cell damage, was lowered in those taking HPC, compared to those taking the placebo. In conclusion, taking HPC prior to drinking alcohol can somewhat reduce alcohol concentration in human blood and liver cell damage.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between diabetes and liver function test results. Unlike type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hepatogenous diabetes is caused by abnormal liver function. In this study, the relationship between liver enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and the AST/ALT ratio (De Ritis ratio), indicating liver function, and diabetes-related tests was analyzed. The results of the study showed a positive correlation between AST and glucose (r=0.14, P<0.01), ALT and glucose (r=0.21, P<0.01), AST and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (r=0.15, P<0.01), and ALT and HbA1c (r=0.20, P<0.01). The De Ritis ratio showed a negative correlation with glucose (r=-0.20, P<0.01) and HbA1c (r=-0.14, P<0.01). The results of regression analysis with AST, ALT, and the De Ritis ratio as independent variables and glucose (R²=0.05) and HbA1c (R²=0.04) as dependent variables revealed that the independent variables had a statistically significant effect on the dependent variables. AST showed a lower correlation between blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin than ALT, and an increase in ALT caused a decrease in the De Ritis ratio. Therefore, the De Ritis ratio can be said to be meaningful in relation to diabetes-related tests.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.261-267
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• 2015

Objective: To measure aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity in the pulp of teeth treated with fixed appliances for 6 months, and compare it with AST activity measured in untreated teeth. Methods: The study sample consisted of 16 healthy subjects (mean age $25.7{\pm}4.3$ years) who required the extraction of maxillary premolars for orthodontic reasons. Of these, 6 individuals had a total of 11 sound teeth extracted without any orthodontic treatment (the control group), and 10 individuals had a total of 20 sound teeth extracted after 6 months of orthodontic alignment (the experimental group). Dental pulp samples were extracted from all control and experimental teeth, and the AST activity exhibited by these samples was determined spectrophotometrically at $20^{\circ}C$. Results: Mean AST values were $25.29{\times}10^{-5}U/mg$ (standard deviation [SD] 9.95) in the control group and $27.54{\times}10^{-5}U/mg$ (SD 31.81) in the experimental group. The difference between these means was not statistically significantly (p = 0.778), and the distribution of the AST values was also similar in both groups. Conclusions: No statistically significant increase in AST activity in the pulp of mechanically loaded teeth was detected after 6 months of orthodontic alignment, as compared to that of teeth extracted from individuals who had not undergone orthodontic treatment. This suggests that time-related regenerative processes occur in the dental pulp.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.270-275
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• 2012

This paper presents a portable and compact optical device which can conveniently be used to perform a functional analysis of human liver function. The proposed system employed red/green LEDs, as a light source, and CMOS image sensor, which is commonly used in cellular phones. With this system, several blood serum samples have been evaluated for liver functional analysis by measuring light absorption level through the blood serum samples depending on aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and total bilirubin concentration. The light absorption through the blood serum samples containing AST, ALT, or total bilirubin can provide their concentrations. The green light absorption is more sensitive to the concentration of AST or ALT, and the red light absorption is more sensitive to the total bilirubuin concentration. Additional calibration steps were performed by using a MATLAB program in order to eliminate the light scattering effects from the extraneous particles existing in each blood serum sample. From the blind test, three standard light intensity curves through each enzyme have been obtained and the enzyme concentration values have been compared to those obtained from a commercially available biochemistry analyzer (Toshiba 200 FR). The average percent difference in the obtained concentrations from two systems for AST, ALT, and total bilirubin concentration came out to be 7.79%, 7.98%. and 7.56%, respectively, with the adjusted coefficient of determination (R2) higher than 0.98. This system can possibly lead to a low-cost and simple system that can be used as a point-of-care (POC) system in a condition without advanced equipments.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.270-275
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• 2011

이 증례는 드물게 보는 경우로 simvastatin과 gemfibrozil을 오랫동안 함께 복용했음에도, 특이한 문제가 발현되지 않았지만, 이들을 warfarin와 함께 치료하는 경우, 아주 높은 alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST) 혈중 농도, rhabdomyolysis, 급성 신장 장애가 발생하였다. 그 후, Simvastatin와 gemfibrozil을 복용 중단시켰더니, ALT/AST는 빠르게 정상수치로 돌아온 경우이다. 이 증례 보고서는 의료인들에게 simvastatin과 gemfibrozil을 함께 혹은 따로 warfarin과 함께 복용시켜 치료할 경우, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) 와 creatinine 혈중 수치들을 포함하여 ALT/AST 농도들을 주의 깊게 모니터하도록 경각심을 주고자 한다.