The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) controls the timing of the preovulatory LH surge in laboratory rodents. Barbiturate administration during a critical period on proestrus delays the surge and prolongs the estrous cycle one day. Because a non-photic timing signal (zeitgeber) during the critical period that phase advances activity rhythms can also induce the latter effect, we hypothesized that ba...

Cyproconazole, a triazole fungicide, causes hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas in CD-1 mice at dose levels of 100 and 200 ppm. The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) has been shown to play a significant role in the overall mode of action for several nongenotoxic rodent carcinogens such as phenobarbital. The liver effects of dietary cyproconazole or phenobarbital were investigated after ...

The barbiturate phenobarbital induces the transcription of cytochromes P450 (CYPs) 2B through the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR; NR1I3). CAR is a member of the nuclear receptor family (NR1) mostly expressed in the liver, which heterodimerizes with retinoid X receptor (RXR) and was shown to transactivate both the phenobarbital responsive element module of the human CYP2B6 gene and the CY...

A hydrogen-bonding interaction between phenobarbital or pentobarbital with phosphatidylcholine in chloroform is indicated by the effects of added phosphatidylcholine on the infrared and proton magnetic resonance spectra of these barbiturates. The nitrogenbound proton of the barbiturate and the orthophosphate moiety of the phosphatidylcholine molecule appear to be involved. The more pronounced e...

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in thyroid function tests in a group of epileptic children taking phenobarbital. Materials and Methods: Patients' demographic data and free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels during at least 12 months of treatment were recorded. Forty-eight children using phenobarbital and 45 healthy childr...

PBREM, the phenobarbital-responsive enhancer module of the cytochrome P-450 Cyp2b10 gene, contains two potential nuclear receptor binding sites, NR1 and NR2. Consistent with the finding that anti-retinoid X receptor (RXR) could supershift the NR1-nuclear protein complex, DNA affinity chromatography with NR1 oligonucleotides enriched the nuclear orphan receptor RXR from the hepatic nuclear extra...

Constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is a nuclear receptor that regulates the transcription of target genes, including CYP2B and 3A. Phenobarbital activates CAR, at least in part, in an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent manner. However, the precise mechanisms underlying phenobarbital activation of AMPK are still unclear. In the present study, it was demonstrated that phenobarbital...

CAR (constitutive androstane receptor) is a nuclear receptor that regulates the transcription of target genes, including CYP (cytochrome P450) 2B and 3A. The transactivation by CAR is regulated by its subcellular localization; however, the mechanism that governs nuclear translocation has yet to be clarified. It has been reported recently that AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) is involved in p...

A retrospective study of neonatal seizures in a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit determined a 3.2% incidence, and confirmed the relatively poor efficacy of the traditional anticonvulsants phenobarbital and phenytoin. Only 33% responded to an initial adequate loading dose of phenobarbital, while 56% responded to either or both anticonvulsants. Although multifocal clonic seizures were m...

UNLABELLED Convulsions triggered by fever are the most common type of seizures in childhood, and 20% to 30% of them have recurrence. The prophylactic treatment is still controversial, so we performed a systematic review to find out the effectiveness of continuous phenobarbital and intermittent diazepam compared to placebo for febrile seizure recurrence. METHOD Only randomized, double-blind, p...