Karla Alejandra Cantú Saldaña
I am a clinical nutritionist, I have my own private practice and teach at ITESM. I have worked with stroke, and neuroprotection before and I would like to also collaborate in other books related to nutrition.
Chapters authored
Immune System Involvement in the Degeneration, Neuroprotection, and Restoration after Stroke
Cerebrovascular diseases are currently among the three primary causes of death worldwide and are the first cause of disability in adults. Nevertheless, there are no neuroprotective or neurorestorative therapies that have shown considerable beneficial effects, except for the FDA-approved recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA), which has been used for decades for the treatment of stroke and its effectiveness is still controversial. This is why it is very important to develop effective therapeutic options. In order to achieve this objective, it is essential to recognize the secondary mechanisms involved in the pathological development. The immunological system is one of these mechanisms that participate during the acute and chronic phases of disease, both in deleterious and beneficial manners. It is known that the immune system’s duality contributes to the ischemic injury through proinflammatory cytokine (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6)), and oxygen reactive species production, etc. Nevertheless, it also provides protection and even restoration through anti-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)), and growth factor (brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), neurotrophin-4 (NT-4)) production. This states that innovative therapeutic options must be proposed with the goal of protecting and restoring the tissue after the ischemic event. Such therapies are exposed in the present chapter.
Part of the book: Ischemic Stroke
Available Therapeutics after a Stroke: Current and Promising Options
Morbidity and mortality after a cerebrovascular event have increased during the past few years, even after extensive efforts have been made concerning research in prevention, acute treatment, pharmacotherapy, revascularization, and rehabilitation. The functional deficits that arise from an ischemic event are related to the increasing chronic disability that results from lower mortality rates. More people are becoming chronically disabled; currently, as much as 90% of survivors are affected and face difficulties to continue with daily life activities. In this chapter, we briefly review the pathophysiology of ischemia and immediate clinical attention to the event. We argue about the need to seek new pharmacological and non-pharmacological alternatives and discuss the most representative in the field of neuroprotection and neurorestoration. In addition, we review the most relevant dietetic strategies and physical rehabilitation therapies, all aimed at improving the survivors’ quality of life.
Part of the book: New Insight into Cerebrovascular Diseases