Sodium phenobarbital and various hormones, compounds capable of hepatic enzyme induction, were given to an infant boy with congenital, nonhemolytic, unconjugated, hyperbilirubinemia and severe kernicterus for prolonged periods between the ages of 2 and 25 months to determine their effect on serum bilirubin concentrations. Phenobarbital, 5 mg/day orally, on two occasions decreased serum bilirubi...

BACKGROUND Elevated serum bilirubin concentrations protect against atherosclerotic diseases; however, it is not clear whether higher serum bilirubin concentrations in physiological ranges work in favor of the cardiovascular system in younger persons with no cardiovascular risk factors. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of high, intermediate, and low serum bilirubin concentrations on coro...

Background: Neonatal jaundice is an almost common problem among neonates that may cause complications such as kernicterus in severe cases. Since early diagnosis and proper treatment of neonatal jaundice is vital to prevent the related complications, it is necessary to check bilirubin before discharging the neonates. There are several evaluating and diagnostic methods to measure the level of bil...

OBJECTIVES To assess the performance of the Doumas bilirubin reference method. DESIGN AND METHODS Ring trails using pooled patient specimens, a calibrator and human sera enriched with unconjugated bilirubin were analyzed in five laboratories using the Doumas bilirubin reference method. RESULTS The coefficient of variation for the linear measurement range between laboratories ranged from 1-3...

Background and Purpose: Previous studies have suggested that bilirubin is a potential contributor to cerebral vasospasm. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether bilirubin accrues in subarachnoid clot, whether its vasoconstrictive effect could involve a direct action on arterial smooth muscle cells, and, if so, whether bilirubin affects their Ca2+ uptake. Methods: Subarachnoid...

Increased plasma levels of bilirubin have been reported in rat models and patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is a known xenobiotic receptor, which induces the detoxification and transport of bilirubin. In the present study, the bilirubin transport regulatory mechanisms, and the role of CAR activation in hepatic and extrahepatic bilirubin clea...

Numerous clinical and population studies have demonstrated that increased serum bilirubin levels protect against cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Bilirubin is a potent antioxidant, and the beneficial actions of moderate increases in plasma bilirubin have been thought to be due to the antioxidant effects of this bile pigment. In the present study, we found that...

This report describes studies of bilirubin kinetics in 13 healthy young adults. The plasma content of unconjugated bilirubin-(14)C was determined at frequent intervals for 24-30 hr after the intravenous injection of a tracer dose of unconjugated isotopic bilirubin. Fecal and urinary radioactivity were measured for 7 days. During this time cumulative recovery averaged 96% of the injected dose. T...

Unconjugated bilirubin functions intracellularly as a potent inhibitor of NADPH oxidase complexes, and albumin-bound bilirubin contributes significantly to the oxidant scavenging activity of plasma. So it is not surprising that serum levels of bilirubin have been found to correlate inversely with risk for vascular diseases and a host of other disorders. Nonetheless, recent Mendelian randomizati...