Effects of long-term cerebral ischemia caused by bilateral carotid artery ligation on the acceleration or the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) or Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY)

Fatal neonatal stroke from a prenatal cardiac thrombus

Despite careful investigation, the etiology of many perinatal arterial strokes is unknown. We report on a 5-day-old boy with a cardiac thrombus of prenatal origin resulting in a fatal postnatal stroke. The thrombus was discovered only at autopsy, challenging the assumption of a placental source of embolus in perinatal strokes in the absence of macroscopic and microscopic examination of the heart.

Stress, aging, and brain oxidative damage

Stress may contribute to aging acceleration and age-related degenerative diseases. Stress and adaptation to stress require numerous homeostatic adjustments including hormones, neurotransmitters, oxidants, and other mediators. The stress-induced hormones, neurotransmitters, and oxidants all have beneficial, but also harmful effects if out of balance. Therefore, the homeostasis of stress and adaptation should be governed by the hormone balance, neurotransmitter balance, and oxidant balance, as well as the interactions among these substances. The imbalance and the over-interaction of these balances may ultimately cause increased oxidant generation and oxidative damage to biomolecules. This increased oxidative damage may add to the oxidant burden associated with normal aerobic metabolism, which in itself, generates oxidants, causes accumulation of oxidative damage in mitochondria, and contributes to normal aging. Therefore, the stress-associated increase of oxidative damage may, in part, contribute to stress-associated aging acceleration and age-related neurodegenerative diseases.