title: Protective effect against focal cerebral ischemia injury in acute phase of a novel invasive device for regional hypothermia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Systemic hypothermia is considered beneficial to stroke patients. However, many complications ensue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a new invasive regional cooling device in cerebral ischemic injury in a rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  After a pilot study confirming the efficiency of the cooling device, 15 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 300-400 g, were randomly assigned into three groups: cooling device applied at 14°C and at 26°C, and a sham group. Focal cerebral ischemic injury was achieved by electrocauterization of the left middle cerebral artery through craniectomy and temporal occlusion of both common carotid arteries for 3 hours. Within 30 minutes after the end of ischemic injury, the cooling device was inserted into the rat brain through a stereotactic frame to provide regional hypothermia for 2 hours. The rats were sacrificed immediately after the 2-hour regional hypothermia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining showed smaller ischemic lesions in both the 26°C and 14°C groups compared to the control group, Fluoro Jade C staining showed no neuroprotective effects in the rostrum cerebral cortex in both groups. However, both triphenyltetrazolium chloride and Fluoro Jade C staining indicated significant beneficial effects in the caudal cerebral cortex in rats with cooling device applied at 26°C compared to the 14°C and control groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicated that the device can effectively achieve regional hypothermia and could be beneficial for patients with cerebral ischemia during the acute phase.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Clinical Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ya-Pei
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Clinical Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Pen-Ting
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ein-Yiao
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: ihliu@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: I-Hsuan
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
keywords: brain ischemia; hypothermia; middle cerebral artery infarction; stroke