Fig. 3. Effect of preconditioning on focal infarct size. After exposure to xenon (xe) and sevoflurane (sevo) alone or in combination or air, 7-day-old rat pups underwent hypoxic–ischemic injury 4 h later. Infarct size was assessed 7 days later. (  A ) Example microphotographs from animals treated with sevoflurane and xenon alone and in combination, compared with control. (  B ) Mean infarct size at six adjacent slices relative to the bregma (+2, +1, 0, −2, −4, and −5 mm). (  C ) Mean area under the curve (AUC) derived from  A .Mean ± SEM (n = 6). *  P < 0.05.