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A Review

JAMES H. MASON, M.D.; FELIX WROBLEWSKI, M.D.

AMA Arch Intern Med. 1957;99(2):245-252.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Introduction

The measurement of serum enzymes has been a useful laboratory adjunct in the clinical resolution of diagnostic problems. The recent reports that have rapidly accumulated on the clinical application of alterations in serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (SGO-T) justify a review of the literature pertaining to this serum enzyme and to its clinical significance.

Transamination is a chemical reaction in which there is an exchange of the -amino group of one amino acid for the keto group of an -keto acid, with the resulting synthesis of a second -amino acid and a new -keto acid. This type of chemical conversion was first described in 1937 and was postulated to be a reaction which occurred with any amino acid and -ketoglutarate or oxalacetate, using pigeon breast muscle as a source of transaminase.⁹ In 1938, pig heart muscle was also shown to act as a transaminase.²⁹ In 1940, it was . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
New York

From the Department of Medicine of Memorial Center for Cancer and Allied Diseases and Cornell University Medical College.

Footnotes
Submitted for publication June 8, 1956.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements in Comprehensive Medicine (Fourth year, Cornell University Medical College [Dr. Mason]).