Differential responses of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase to alcohol intake in Japanese males.

We studied the association of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and other serum markers of liver injury with daily alcohol consumption in a healthy population of 1,043 Japanese males. A positive correlation between daily alcohol consumption and biochemical markers, such as log GGT (r = 0.432), log AST (r = 0.244) or log LAP (r = 0.246), was seen in all drinkers. However, there was a negative correlation, such as log GGT (r = -0.434), log AST (r = -0.424) or log LAP (r = -0.430), in heavy drinkers who consumed more than 70 g ethanol a day. On the other hand, a positive correlation, such as log GGT (r = 0.426), log AST (r = 0.247) or log LAP (r = 0.216) was found in moderate drinkers who consumed less than 70 g ethanol a day. Interestingly, there was a tendency toward negative association between alcohol consumption and the Tokyo University ALDH2 Phenotype Screening Test (TAST) score in the heavy drinkers, and there was a tendency toward positive association between GGT and TAST score in this group. Our results suggest that there are 2 groups of drinkers, those with elevated GGT (good responders) and those with normal GGT (poor responders) despite heavy drinking.</p

Correlation between cellular components and infiltrating cells in the lung tissue of asthmatics

Cell components in the peripheral lung area were examined in 24 asthmatic subjects by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and transbronchoscopic lung biopsy (TBLB). In cases with increased percentage of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the infiltration of eosinophils and mononuclear cells in the peripheral lung tissue was observed with a high frequency. The increased percentage of eosinophils in BALF correlated with the infiltration of eosinophils and neutrophils in the bronchiolo-alveolar region. A reverse correlation was observed between the macrophage count in the alveolar region and the percentage of eosinophils and lymphocytes in BALF. No significant correlation was present between the percentage of neutrophils in BALF and the infiltration of any type of cell in the lung tissue