PURPOSE Valproic acid is an anticonvulsant that also inhibits histone deacetylase (HDAC), a property that could worsen pulmonary function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The clinical significance of this property is unknown. We therefore compared the risk of COPD exacerbation in older patients with COPD commencing treatment with either valproic acid or phenytoin, ...

Diffuse pulmonary ossification is a rare entity of characterized by diffuse small bone fragments in lung tissue. Two types are described: ‘nodular’ and ‘dendriform’. Living cases are rarely encountered; most are diagnosed at autopsy. A 29-year-old man had a moderate chest pain ongoing for two weeks was referred to our hospital with bilateral, multifocal, diffuse calcified nodular densities on c...

The mechanisms underlying the acute and prophylactic antimanic properties of valproate have remained elusive. There are some reports that treatment with valproic acid may increase brain serotonergic neurotransmission in the rodent. This study was carried out in order to investigate the effects of subchronic therapy with valproate on central serotonin metabolism in manic patients. Toward this en...

BACKGROUND The clinical use of chromatin-modulating drugs, such as histone deacetylase inhibitors, for the treatment of bone marrow failure and hematopoietic malignancies has increased dramatically over the last few years. Nonetheless, little is currently known concerning their effects on myelopoiesis. DESIGN AND METHODS We utilized an ex vivo differentiation system in which umbilical cord bl...

OBJECTIVE Epilepsy is a serious, potentially life-shortening brain disorder that occurs in patients of all ages and races. A total of 2-4% of people have experienced seizures at least once in their lifetime. Although treatment usually begins after a seizure, it is an important question whether the first cases of seizure do need to be treated by antiepileptic drugs. In this manner, we compare th...

It is unlikely that classical MSA due to neurodegenerative condition would spontaneously remit. This observation suggests that valproic acid withdrawal should be taken into account in patients presenting extrapyramidal features, balancing risks and benefits. Further, the clinical evidence of the relationship between valproic acid treatment and MSA features opens a new clue for further investiga...

Two children born with birth defects after intrauterine exposure to valproic acid are reported. The mothers took the drug throughout pregnancy as sole treatment for primary generalized epilepsy. The first baby showed facial dysmorphism, arachnodactyly and triphalangeal thumbs. The second had facial dysmorphism, severe laryngeal hypoplasia, tracheomalacia and an aberrant innominate artery that c...

conclusions only a small number of case reports have described valproic acid-induced dress syndrome; therefore, the condition is difficult to prevent. rechallenge with valproic acid should be avoided in patients with a history of reaction to the drug. case presentation we report on the case of a 60-year-old man who had been treated with valproic acid some time before being referred to kowsar ho...

Morphine and related opioid compounds are known to possess proconvulsant activity based upon both electroencephalographic and behavioral criteria. The present authors previously suggested that opiate-related seizures were behaviorally inhibitory, and this was further investigated in the present study. The effects of pretreatment with three pharmacologically distinct compounds (sodium valproic a...