BACKGROUND Chorea in Huntington's Disease (HD) is usually treated with antidopaminergic neuroleptics like haloperidol, olanzapine and tiaprid or dopamine depleting drugs like tetrabenazine. Some patients with hyperkinesia, however, react to treatment with antidopaminergic drugs by developing extrapyramidal side effects. In earlier studies valproic acid showed no beneficial effect on involuntary...

To determine the frequency and clinical relevance of acquired von Willebrand syndrome (aVWS) due to antiepileptic therapy by valproic acid, we investigated 50 consecutive children in three neuropediatric institutions. Coagulation factors were determined in local laboratories before and three times after starting therapy with valproic acid. Parameters of von Willebrand factor (VWF) were addition...

The case history and toxicological findings of a fatal suicidal valproic acid overdose are presented. Valproic acid concentrations were determined in body tissues and fluids by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) following both direct extraction and the method of standards addition and quantitative fluorescence polarization immunoassay. The quantitative results obtained by the three procedures were...

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of prenatal administration of valproic acid on the survivability and day of hatching of chick embryo in comparison with age-matched controls. METHODS The experimental study was conducted at the Department of Anatomy, Regional Centre of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, Islamabad, from February 2010 to February 2011. Fertilised chicken eggs were divid...

OBJECTIVE To examine bone development in children and adolescents who have uncomplicated idiopathic epilepsy and had received monotherapy with carbamazepine or valproic acid for at least 1 year. METHODS Thirty-nine patients from 6 to 19 years of age (18 girls) were studied. Total bone mineral content (BMC) and trabecular volumetric bone mineral density were measured at the distal radius using...

Background: Several case reports and retrospective studies have indicated that carbapenems decrease the plasma concentration of valproic acid (VPA). This study examines effect on VPA levels, explores whether drug-drug interaction can influence liver function patients.

No treatment is recommended for patients with malignant mesothelioma (MM) failing after first-line cisplatin-based chemotherapy. In vitro data suggested that valproic acid, a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), had a proapoptotic effect and synergised with doxorubicin to induce apoptosis in MM cells. Our primary end-point was to determine response rate of combined valproic acid and doxorubic...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of prenatal administration of valproic acid on the developmental gross morphology of pancreas in chick embryo. STUDY DESIGN Experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Anatomy Department, Regional Centre, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Islamabad, from February 2010 to February 2011. METHODOLOGY An experimental group-A and control group-B, compri...

AIMS Stimulated release of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) is pivotal for an intravascular fibrinolytic response and protects the circulation from occluding thrombosis. Hence, an impaired t-PA production is associated with increased risk for atherothrombotic events. A pharmacological means to stimulate the production of this enzyme may thus be desirable. We investigated if the anti-epi...

Aim: Little is known about the consumption of antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy in the Czech Republic, particularly for newer agents. In our previous paper, we discussed long-term trends in the utilization of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy in a group of 235 women between 1991–2006. Currently, we continue to investigate the long-term trends in antiepileptic drug use in pregnant women. Metho...