FOXO3a as a sensor of unilateral nerve injury in sensory neurons ipsilateral, contralateral and remote to injury.

Emerging evidence supports that the stress response to peripheral nerve injury extends beyond the injured neuron, with alterations in associated transcription factors detected both locally and remote to the lesion. Stress-induced nuclear translocation of the transcription factor forkhead class box O3a (FOXO3a) was initially linked to activation of apoptotic genes in many neuronal subtypes. However, a more complex role of FOXO3a has been suggested in the injury response of sensory neurons, with the injured neuron expressing less FOXO3a.

Broccoli sprout supplementation during pregnancy prevents brain injury in the newborn rat following placental insufficiency.

Chronic placental insufficiency and subsequent intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) increase the risk of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in the newborn by 40 fold. The latter, in turn, increases the risk of cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities. This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of broccoli sprouts (BrSp), a rich source of the isothiocyanate sulforaphane, as a neuroprotectant in a rat model of chronic placental insufficiency and IUGR.

Is there a pulse wave encephalopathy component to multiple sclerosis?

The dominant hypothesis in multiple sclerosis is that it is an autoimmune disease; however, there is considerable evidence that the immune attack on myelin may be secondary to a cytodegenerative event. Furthermore, the immune modulating therapies longest in clinical use, although modulating the frequency and severity of exacerbation, do not affect long-term progression towards disability. Clearly alternative perspectives on the etiology of multiple sclerosis are warranted.