• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.8-15
• /
• 2005

It is well known that intaking alcohol chronically and heavily causes many formsof physical systemic distress including serious chronic alcoholic liver disease such as alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis and hepatoma. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is known as a specific marker in detecting and monitoring alcohol associated disease. Weanalyzed various alcohol-associated parameters to evaluate the clinical usefulness of CDT. The first patient group consisted of fifty patients, who had been diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease from January 2003 to June 2004 at Chungnam National University Hospital. The second group consisted of 12 patients with non-alcoholic liver disease. The third group consisted of 19 teetotalerswho had visited the hospital for the purpose of routine healthcare checks. Various hepatic parameters such as CDT, $\small{\Gamma}$-GT (gamma-glutamyl transferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) were compared in the three groups. CDT and AST increased in direct proportion to the amount and duration of alcohol consumption with high significance, but $\small{\Gamma}$-GT and ALT showed arbitrary patterns with no statistical significance. The sensitivities of CDT, $\small{\Gamma}$-GT, AST and ALT were 74 %, 96 %, 68 % and 58 %, respectively and the specificities were 95 %, 74 %, 68 % and 79 % in order respectively. The correlation study of CDT with $\small{\Gamma}$-GT, AST and ALT showed a very low value of correlation coefficients, implying that CDT could be taken as an independent parameter in evaluating alcohol liver disease compared to $\small{\Gamma}$-GT, AST and ALT. This present study suggested that CDT coud be one of the most useful parameters in reflecting the amount and duration of alcohol consumption as well as being another independent parameter in assessing and following up patients with alcoholic liver disease. Moreover we recommend it is the best method of measuring both CDT and $\small{\Gamma}$-GT in patients with alcoholic liver disease.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.219-224
• /
• 2017

Objectives This study sought to investigate the relationship between age, sex and alterations in levels of % carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (%CDT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) in patients admitted with alcohol dependence. Methods The study retrospectively enrolled 187 patients who were diagnosed with alcohol dependence according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth edition (DSM-IV) and were admitted into a closed ward in Hallym University Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital from 2009 to 2012 and Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital from 2012 to 2017. Demographic factors (age, sex) and biochemical markers [%CDT, GGT, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), aspartate transferase (AST), alanine transferase (ALT)] were collected by reviewing medical records. Alterations in the levels of %CDT and GGT in different groups for each demographic factor were compared after correcting for confounding variables (age, initial %CDT, GGT, MCV, AST, ALT). Results Decreased %CDT and GGT were observed during the period of abstinence after admission. The normalization period for %CDT increased with age, while the normalization period for GGT was longer in female patients. Conclusions These results suggest that alcohol-dependent patients that vary in age have different alterations in %CDT, while different sexes have different alterations in GGT. Age and sex can be potential indicators of treatment response after abstinence in patients with alcohol dependence. Further studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between these factors with regards to physiological and hematological changes in alcohol dependence.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.161-166
• /
• 2007

Objectives:Recent studies have raised the possibility that nerve growth factor(NGF) is abnormally regulated in the central nervous system(CNS) of animal models with alcohol dependence. The possible alteration of NGF by prolonged alcohol intake may play an important role in alcohol-induced neurotoxicity. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin(CDT) is regarded as a reliable biological marker of alcohol dependence. The goal of this study was to estimate the changes of %CDT and serum NGF level according to the duration of alcohol abstinence, and to identify whether %CDT level is associated with the serum NGF level in the patients with alcohol dependence. Methods:The subjects were 24 patients with alcohol dependence. We used the Axis-Shield ASA to measure the %CDT level and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) to measure the serum NGF level. %CDT and NGF levels were measured immediately after the admission and at 2 weeks after the admission. Results:Decreased %CDT were observed during the period of 2 weeks after the admission. NGF level was not significantly different after 2 weeks. The NGF levels were not correlated with %CDT. The possibility of %CDT as a predictor of alcohol-induced neurotoxicity was not confirmed. Conclusion:Serum NGF levels is not a reliable indicator of abstinence state in the patients with alcohol dependence. Further studies are needed to evaluate the relation between two indicators in regard to hematological and neurological changes in alcohol dependence.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.273-278
• /
• 2006

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.