Short-term dietary restriction (DR) prior to cardiovascular surgery provides neuroprotection to rat models of focal stroke, ascribed to regulation of innate immunity via elevation of circulating neutrophil chemoattractant C-X-C motif ligand 1 (CXCL1) prior to ischemia and suppression of striatal proinflammatory markers, such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNFa), TNFa receptor, and the downstream effector intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), after reperfusion [116]. The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is ischemia.