Broccoli, Kale, and Radish Sprouts: Key Phytochemical Constituents and DPPH Free Radical Scavenging Activity.

Our research group previously found that broccoli sprouts possess neuroprotective effects during pregnancy. The active compound has been identified as sulforaphane (SFA), obtained from glucosinolate and glucoraphanin, which are also present in other crucifers, including kale. Sulforaphene (SFE), obtained from glucoraphenin in radish, also has numerous biological benefits, some of which supersede those of sulforaphane.

Administration of selective brain hypothermia using a simple cooling device in neonatal rats.

Background: The interruption of oxygen and blood supply to the newborn brain around the time of birth is a risk factor for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and may lead to infant mortality or lifelong neurological impairments. Currently, therapeutic hypothermia, the cooling of the infant's head or entire body, is the only treatment to curb the extent of brain damage.

New Method: In this study, we designed a focal brain cooling device that circulates cooled water at a steady state temperature of 19 ± 1 °C through a coil of tubing fitted onto the neonatal rat's head.

Broccoli Sprouts Promote Sex-Dependent Cardiometabolic Health and Longevity in Long-Evans Rats.

Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds are potential candidates to prevent age-related chronic diseases. Broccoli sprouts (BrSp) are a rich source of sulforaphane-a bioactive metabolite known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We tested the effect of chronic BrSp feeding on age-related decline in cardiometabolic health and lifespan in rats.

Effects of Perinatal Stroke on Executive Functioning and Mathematics Performance in Children.

The goal of this study was to examine executive functioning, math performance, and visuospatial processing skills of children with perinatal stroke, which have not been well explored in this population. Participants included 18 children with perinatal stroke (aged 6-16 years old) and their primary caregiver. Each child completed standardized tests of executive function and visuospatial processing skills, Intelligence Quotient (IQ), and math achievement.

Bacteriophage carriers localize in the brain of a rat model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Background: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy arises from a reduction of oxygen and blood supply to the infant brain and can lead to severe brain damage and life-long disability. The damage is greatest at the irreversibly injured necrotic core, whereas the penumbra is the surrounding, potentially salvageable tissue populated with a mix of alive and dying cells. To date, there exists no method for targeting drugs to the brain damage.

Learning and memory profiles in youth with perinatal stroke: a study of the Child and Adolescent Memory Profile (ChAMP).

There is limited understanding of the effect of perinatal stroke on child and adolescent learning and memory abilities. This study sought to evaluate the clinical utility of the Child and Adolescent Memory Profile (ChAMP) in quantifying memory performance in youth with perinatal stroke. Children and adolescents aged 6-16 years old with a history of perinatal stroke (PS; n = 41) completed two subtests from the ChAMP (Lists and Objects).

Sulforaphane (SFA) protects neuronal cells from oxygen & glucose deprivation (OGD).

Background: Perinatal brain injury results in neurodevelopmental disabilities (neuroDDs) that include cerebral palsy, autism, attention deficit disorder, epilepsy, learning disabilities and others. Commonly, injury occurs when placental circulation, that is responsible for transporting nutrients and oxygen to the fetus, is compromised. Placental insufficiency (PI) is a reduced supply of blood and oxygen to the fetus and results in a hypoxic-ischemic (HI) environment.

Patterns of Brain Injury in Perinatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke and the Development of Infantile Spasms.

Introduction: Perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS) underlies approximately 10% of infantile spasms (IS). We aim to identify patterns of brain injury in ischemic stroke that may predispose infants to infantile spasms.

Methods: Sixty-four perinatal arterial ischemic stroke patients were identified meeting the following inclusion criteria: term birth, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showing ischemic stroke or encephalomalacia in an arterial distribution, and follow-up records.

Improved care and management of paediatric neurological patients evaluated at a paediatric Rapid Access Neurology clinic: A pilot study.

Aim: Referral wait times for paediatric neurological patients are increasing, leading to an increased burden on the emergency department (ED). The paediatric Rapid Access Neurology (pRAN) clinic was created for paediatric patients who are clinically stable, but require an urgent paediatric neurology consultation. The objectives were to evaluate the pathways of referral, accuracy of referring diagnoses, adherence to clinic appointments, impact of clinic visitation on ED visits and patient satisfaction.

Drug delivery platforms for neonatal brain injury.

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), initiated by the interruption of oxygenated blood supply to the brain, is a leading cause of death and lifelong disability in newborns. The pathogenesis of HIE involves a complex interplay of excitotoxicity, inflammation, and oxidative stress that results in acute to long term brain damage and functional impairments. Therapeutic hypothermia is the only approved treatment for HIE but has limited effectiveness for moderate to severe brain damage; thus, pharmacological intervention is explored as an adjunct therapy to hypothermia to further promote recovery.

Executive behavior and functional abilities in children with perinatal stroke and the associated caregiver impact.

Perinatal stroke is the most common form of stroke in childhood and is followed by a variety of outcomes, with many children experiencing specific functional and neuropsychological deficits. The association of these outcomes with the psychosocial impact caregivers face is not well documented. The goal of our pilot study was to examine caregivers' perception of executive behavior and functional abilities among children with perinatal stroke, and how these outcomes impact the caregivers.

Late-pregnancy uterine artery ligation increases susceptibility to postnatal Western diet-induced fat accumulation in adult female offspring.

Stressors during the fetal and postnatal period affect the growth and developmental trajectories of offspring, causing lasting effects on physiologic regulatory systems. Here, we tested whether reduced uterine artery blood flow in late pregnancy would alter body composition in the offspring, and whether feeding offspring a western diet (WD) would aggravate these programming effects. Pregnant rats underwent bilateral uterine artery ligation (BUAL) or sham surgery on gestational day (GD)18 (term = GD22).

Sustained Release of Dexamethasone from Sulfobutyl Ether β-cyclodextrin Modified Self-Assembling Peptide Nanoscaffolds in a Perinatal Rat Model of Hypoxia-Ischemia.

Inflammation plays a critical role in the development of hypoxia-ischemia (HI) induced newborn brain damage. A localized, sustained delivery of dexamethasone (Dex) through an intracerebral injection could reduce the inflammatory response in the injured perinatal brain while avoiding unnecessary side effects. Herein, investigated using anionic sulfobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) to load Dex in the (RADA) nanofiber networks as a means of reducing the inflammatory response to HI injury is investigated.

Preventing childhood and lifelong disability: Maternal dietary supplementation for perinatal brain injury.

The majority of brain injuries that lead to cerebral palsy, developmental disability, and mental health disorders have their onset in utero. These lifelong conditions come with great economic and emotional burden as they impact function in nearly all domains of affected individuals' lives. Unfortunately, current therapeutic options are limited.

Health-related quality of life and its determinants in paediatric arterial ischaemic stroke survivors.

Objective: Health-related quality of life (HRQL) instruments are patient or proxy-reported outcome measures that provide a comprehensive and subjective assessment of patient's well-being and hence vital for health outcomes evaluation. A clear and thorough understanding of HRQL and its determinants is especially important to appropriately guide health-improving interventions. In this study, HRQL of paediatric arterial ischaemic stroke survivors was assessed using guidelines recommended for interpretation and reporting of the patient-reported outcome data.

The extent of intrauterine growth restriction determines the severity of cerebral injury and neurobehavioural deficits in rodents.

Background: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common physical pediatric neurodevelopmental disorder and spastic diplegic injury is its most frequent subtype. CP results in substantial neuromotor and cognitive impairments that have significant socioeconomic impact. Despite this, its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and etiology remain incompletely understood.

Neurodevelopmental Reflex Testing in Neonatal Rat Pups.

Neurodevelopmental reflex testing is commonly used in clinical practice to assess the maturation of the nervous system. Neurodevelopmental reflexes are also referred to as primitive reflexes. They are sensitive and consistent with later outcomes.

Prevalence Estimate of Cerebral Palsy in Northern Alberta: Births, 2008-2010.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine prevalence estimates of cerebral palsy (CP) among 5-year-old children in northern Alberta; to provide congenital, gestational age- and birth weight-specific, and postneonatal CP rates; and to describe motor subtypes and function.

Methods: This population-based prevalence estimate study, part of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Registry, reports confirmed CP diagnoses at age 5 years made by pediatric rehabilitation and child neurology specialists. Prevalence rates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) used Alberta government denominators of same-age children and live births.

Epidemiology and Outcomes of Arterial Ischemic Stroke in Children: The Canadian Pediatric Ischemic Stroke Registry.

Background: Pediatric arterial ischemic stroke remains incompletely understood. Population-based epidemiological data inform clinical trial design but are scant in this condition. We aimed to determine age-specific epidemiological characteristics of arterial ischemic stroke in neonates (birth to 28 days) and older children (29 days to 18 years).

Vitamin D insufficiency in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Background: Vitamin D has neuroprotective and immunomodulatory properties, and deficiency is associated with worse stroke outcomes. Little is known about effects of hypoxia-ischemia or hypothermia treatment on vitamin D status in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). We hypothesized vitamin D metabolism would be dysregulated in neonatal HIE altering specific cytokines involved in Th17 activation, which might be mitigated by hypothermia.

After a child's acquired brain injury (ABI): An ethnographic study of being a parent.

Purpose: To explore the meanings associated with being a parent of a child with an aquired brain injury (ABI).

Methods: An ethnographic study was conducted with parents of children aged 3 to 10 years who had acquired a severe brain injury. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit parents from the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta.

Inflammatory Biomarkers in Childhood Arterial Ischemic Stroke: Correlates of Stroke Cause and Recurrence.

Background And Purpose: Among children with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS), those with arteriopathy have the highest recurrence risk. We hypothesized that arteriopathy progression is an inflammatory process and that inflammatory biomarkers would predict recurrent AIS.

Methods: In an international study of childhood AIS, we selected cases classified into 1 of the 3 most common childhood AIS causes: definite arteriopathic (n=103), cardioembolic (n=55), or idiopathic (n=78).

Rodent Hypoxia-Ischemia Models for Cerebral Palsy Research: A Systematic Review.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a complex multifactorial disorder, affecting approximately 2.5-3/1000 live term births, and up to 22/1000 prematurely born babies. CP results from injury to the developing brain incurred before, during, or after birth.

Consumption of broccoli sprouts during late gestation and lactation confers protection against developmental delay induced by maternal inflammation.

Background: The presence of a fetal inflammatory response is linked to cerebral palsy. Unfortunately no preventive therapies are available. In this study, we determined whether dietary supplementation with broccoli sprouts (BrSp), a phase-II enzyme inducer, would be effective in preventing the behavioural and pathologic manifestations in a rodent model of inflammation during late pregnancy.

Pioglitazone attenuates hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase-deficient mice.

Phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) is an important enzyme in hepatic phosphatidylcholine (PC) biosynthesis. Pemt(-/-) mice are protected against high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and insulin resistance; however, these mice develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We hypothesized that peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) activation by pioglitazone might stimulate adipocyte proliferation, thereby directing lipids from the liver toward white adipose tissue.