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J Weill

Publications and source records attributed to J Weill.

125 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

The decrease of low serum gamma glutamyl transferase during short-term abstinence.

We present a study of 107 in-patients of a detoxification center. As expected, 81 percent of them showed upon admittance an increased serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT). After alcohol withdrawal, GGT decreased in all but one of these patients. More surprisingly, even among the rest of the patients exhibiting upon admittance a GGT result within the reference range, there still occurred a significant decrease in 50 percent of the cases. Thus, whether the initial GGT is high or normal, we observed a decrease in 96 patients out of 107, i.e., a sensitivity of 0.90. The decrease test consists in asking a subject to refrain from any alcohol intake during a short period, e.g., seven days. If any significant diminution of serum GGT occurs, the possibility of alcohol abuse should at least be given serious consideration before being rejected. This test was used up to now only when GGT was initially high. The present results show that it can be attempted even when GGT is initially within the normal range, with a sensitivity of 0.90.

Alcoholism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Detection of excessive chronic alcoholic consumption and control of withdrawal. Comparative study of respective values of the mean red-cell volume and serum gamma-glutamyl-transferase activity].

The routine detection of chronic alcoholism is necessary during any medical examination whether private or in hospital, or in occupational medicine. The practitionner now has available a simple reliable and cheap test. It consists of the serum estimation of gamma-glutamyl-transferase (gammaGT) and interpretation of the average red cell volume supplied by automatic counting of the red cell. Out of 120 chronic alcoholic subjects ; 67% has a gammaGT increased and 44% had macrocytosis. Under the influence of weaning, there was a rapid fall in gammaGT and a slower reduction in average red cell volume. gammaGT estimation was thus a more sensitive test than M.C.V. for the detection of chronic alcoholics and the control of withdrawal. Its association with the rise in immunoglobulin A-transferrin ratio which we have suggested permits the detection of almost all chronic alcoholics in the population studied.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and liver diseases. Study of 94 patients].

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin has been proposed as a marker of alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the carbohydrate-deficient transferrin serum level, measured by ion exchange chromatography followed by radioimmunoassay (Kit CDTect), for the diagnosis of excessive alcohol intake in patients with liver diseases. Ninety-four patients (68 men, 26 women, age 21-71 years), 42 with alcoholic liver diseases and 52 with non-alcoholic liver diseases, were studied. Twenty-six patients consumed > or = 40 g alcohol per day (mean alcohol intake: 84 +/- 52 g per day) and were considered to be excessive drinkers. RESULTS: The sensitivity of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin for the diagnosis of excessive alcohol intake was 35%, and the specificity was 91%. By pairing carbohydrate-deficient transferrin with other markers of alcohol consumption, the sensitivity of the association of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gammaglutamyl transpeptidase was 96%, and the specificity was 59%. CONCLUSION: In patients with liver diseases, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin is a specific marker of excessive alcohol intake but a lack of sensitivity may limit its use.

Adult↗