Previously, we reported that transgenic mice overexpressing endothelin-1 in astrocytes showed more severe neurological deficits and increased infarct after transient focal ischemia. In those studies, we also observed increased level of aldose reductase (AR), the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the polyol pathway, which has been implicated in osmotic and oxidative stress. To further understand...

INTRODUCTION There continue to be some controversies concerning aortic arch reconstruction, especially the cerebral protection methods. We report our operative and postoperative outcomes for cases of aortic arch replacement using whole-body perfusion during aortic reconstruction under 28 degrees C moderate hypothermia. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 12 patients were operated on between Marc...

Prevention of cerebral injury is an important consideration during repair of aortic arch aneurysm, and the major goal of cerebral protection techniques. We describe our surgical strategy for treatment of extended thoracic aortic aneurysms. Between January 2001 and June 2008, 17 men and 6 women, with a mean age of 67.9 +/- 8.3 years, underwent total replacement of the arch and descending aorta. ...

BACKGROUND Neurological events associated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation are major contributors to morbidity and mortality. Choosing an appropriate endpoint to determine neuroprotection device efficacy is a key difficulty inhibiting the translation of the innovation from the laboratory to the bedside. Cost and sample size limitations inhibit the feasibility of using the rate of cl...

BACKGROUND Histopathological analyses of debris captured by a cerebral protection system during transcatheter aortic valve replacement have been reported, but the origin of the captured debris was not determined and risk factors were not defined. METHODS AND RESULTS Embolic debris was analyzed from 322 filters used in a dual-cerebral-filter protection system implemented during transcatheter a...

Female mice are protected from the cerebrovascular dysfunction induced by angiotensin II (Ang II), an effect attributed to estrogen. We examined whether such cerebrovascular protection from Ang II is related to the estrous cycle. Cerebral blood flow was monitored by laser-Doppler flowmetry in anesthetized (urethane-chloralose) C57BL/6 female mice equipped with a cranial window. The phase of the...

Fluosol-DA (Perfluorochemical Blood Substitute) was investigated in a previous study and found to provide some protection from ischemia and possible usefulness in limiting the size of infarction. In the present study, larger doses over longer periods of acute focal cerebral ischemia were used. Twenty four cats had transorbital ligation of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). The 12 experimental an...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Transfemoral carotid stenting, despite becoming very frequent, has some limitations such as difficult groin access in few patients, lack of distal protection during filter placement, or embolization despite protection. Transcervical stenting (TCS) is a novel technique during which a common carotid to jugular vein shunt is placed creating a protective reversal flow in the ...

Nitric oxide (NO) is undoubtedly quite an important intercellular messenger in cerebral and peripheral hemodynamics. This molecule, formed by constitutive isomers of NO synthase, endothelial nitric-oxide synthase, and neuronal nitric-oxide synthase, plays pivotal roles in the regulation of cerebral blood flow and cell viability and in the protection of nerve cells or fibers against pathogenic f...

In a process called ischemic preconditioning, a brief, sublethal ischemic insult protects tissue from subsequent, more severe injury. There have been no reports of rapidly induced ischemic preconditioning. The authors sought to develop a model of cerebral ischemic preconditioning in the mouse that can be applied to transgenic and knockout animals. They found that brief middle cerebral artery (M...