Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item The value of brunt scoring in predicting the short term outcome of non-alcohlic steatohepatitis(Wiley Blackwell Scientific Publications, 2004) Hewavisenthi, S.J.de S.; Pathmeswaran, A.; de Silva, H.J.BACKGROUND: Brunt scoring is currently used in the grading and staging of liver biopsies in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Its value in predicting the outcome of patients following modifications in lifestyle, the cornerstone of management in NASH, needs evaluation. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether Brunt grades correlate with Aspartate transaminase (AST) and Alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, and outcome following lifestyle modifications in NASH. METHOD: In a prospective study from May 1999 to May 2003 the biopsies of 79 patients diagnosed as having NASH were assigned 3 necroinflammatory grades based on the Brunt system. The mean serum transaminase values at presentation for each necroinflammatory grade were compared using ANOVA. 77/79 patients were given advice on lifestyle modifications and then followed up for a median 2.5 years. The time taken for serum transaminases to return to normal was correlated with the necroinflammatory grades, AST and ALT values at presentation using Kendall tau b. RESULTS : The mean AST and ALT values (IU/L) in the three necroinflammatory grades were - grade 1:62.4 and 102:1, grade 2: 87.6 and 139.4 and grade 3: 90.9 and 164.5. There was a significant difference in the AST and ALT values between grades 1 and 2, and grades 1 and 3, but not between grades 2 and 3. In 51/77 patients serum transaminases returned to normal levels after a median 6 months (range 3– 14 months). There was no significant correlation between the time taken for serum transaminases to return to normal and the transaminase values or necroinflammatory grades at presentation. CONCLUSION: Brunt grading correlates with both AST and ALT levels. However, neither necroinflammatory grades nor serum transaminase values at first presentation are predictors of the duration to normalization of liver enzymes in NASH patients managed with life style modificationsItem Alanine Transaminase (ALT) levels in normal adult Sri Lankans(American Gastroenterological Association(AGA) Institute, Published by Elsevier Inc., 2009) Niriella, M.A.; Dassanayake, A.S.; Kalubowila, K.; Kalubowila, U.; de Silva, A.P.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Kato, N.; Makaya, M.; de Silva, H.J.BACKGROUND : Alanine transaminase (ALT) levels are widely used in screening for liver disease.The upper limit of normal (ULN) of ALT (males 30 IU/l, females 19 IU/l) have been definedfor western populations. Normal levels have not been established for Asian populations. OBJECTIVES: To establish levels of ALT for a normal, adult Sri Lankan population METHODS: This study was part of a community based investigation - Ragama Health Study (RHS). The study population consisted of 35-64 year old adults, selected using stratified random sampling. Consenting adults were screened by a structured interview, liver ultrasound and collection of 10 ml venous blood. The “normal” population was defined as those not using potentially hepatotoxic drugs, safe alcohol consumption (14 units/week for males, 7 units/week for females), absence of fatty liver, and being HBsAg and anti-HCVab negative. ALT levels were estimated by a kit using the Bergmeyer method. The 95th percentile of the ALT levels was taken as the ULN. RESULTS: 3012 subjects participated in the study. The ALT level (U/l) among 831 normal males (mean 36, median 30, SD 20, ULN 68) was significantly higher than that of the 885 normal females (mean 29, median 25, SD 13, ULN 53) (p<0.001,Student's t-test ). CONCLUSION: The ULN for ALT levels of a “normal” Sri Lankan population was higher than observed in western populations. The levels were higher in males. ULN for ALT may need to be redefined for different population groups.