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Biomedical subjects

G R Foster

Publications and source records attributed to G R Foster.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Serum F protein: a new sensitive and specific test of hepatocellular damage.

F protein is a 44-kDa protein which is found mostly in the liver and circulates at much lower concentrations in the serum. Serum F protein has been measured, using a recently developed radioimmunoassay, in a variety of diseases and was appreciably raised only in patients with hepatocellular damage. The serum F protein concentration was a more sensitive and specific marker of liver damage than conventional liver function tests and showed a close correlation with the histological assessment of liver damage (r = 0.86, P less than 0.001). This new marker may be of value in the diagnosis and treatment of liver disease.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Plasma glutathione S-transferase and F protein are more sensitive than alanine aminotransferase as markers of paracetamol (acetaminophen)-induced liver damage.

Concentrations of glutathione S-transferase (GST; glutathione transferase; EC 2.5.1.18) B1 subunits, F protein, and the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT; EC 2.6.1.2) were measured in sequential plasma samples taken from nine patients with self-administered paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning. GST exceeded the reference interval in all patients at the time of admission, and F protein was increased in seven. In contrast, abnormal activities of ALT in plasma were found in only one of the nine on admission, a patient admitted 12 h after poisoning. Subsequent to admission nine, eight, and five patients, respectively, had abnormal concentrations of GST, F protein, and ALT. When expressed as multiples of the upper reference limit, the highest values for GST measured in each patient always far exceeded the greatest abnormalities in ALT; this was true for F protein in only five patients. Patients in whom the concentration of GST exceeded 10 micrograms/L on admission subsequently went on to develop moderate or severe liver damage, despite treatment with N-acetylcysteine. F protein and ALT measurements on admission were not as efficient as GST at predicting the clinical outcome of the patients. We conclude that GST and F protein offer clear advantages over ALT for detecting minor degrees of acute liver dysfunction, particularly when only centrilobular damage may be involved.

Acetaminophen↗

Contribution of alcohol to deaths in road traffic accidents in Tayside 1982-6.

In Britain the precise number and relative proportions of deaths among drivers, passengers, and pedestrians in road traffic accidents related to alcohol are not known. These data were obtained in Tayside by cross matching police accident records with blood alcohol concentrations at necropsy. Of 71 alcohol-related deaths 30 were the drivers (or motorcyclists) themselves, nine were their passengers, 23 were pedestrians with raised blood alcohol concentrations, and nine were innocent victims. The high blood alcohol concentrations of the intoxicated drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, which may point to alcoholism, suggest that publicity campaigns will be of little value in reducing the number of deaths in road traffic accidents related to alcohol. The time at which these accidents occurred was related to licensing hours and this should be taken into account when considering changes in licensing laws.

Accidents, Traffic↗