Higher education in nursing: the faculty work process in different institutional contexts

Objective To analyze the characteristics of faculty work in nursing higher education. Method An exploratory qualitative study with a theoretical-methodological framework of dialectical and historical materialism. The faculty work process was adopted as the analytical category, grounded on conceptions of work and professionalism. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 faculty members from three higher education institutions in the city of São Paulo, classified according to the typology of institutional contexts. Results The faculty members at these higher education institutions are a heterogeneous group, under different working conditions. Intensification and precarious conditions of the faculty work is common to all three contexts, although there are important distinctions in the practices related to teaching, research and extension. Conclusion Faculty professionalization can be the starting point for analyzing and coping with such a distinct reality of faculty work and practice

Effect of chronic ethanol treatment in vivo on excitability in mouse cortical neurones in vitro

1. The effects of cessation of chronic ethanol ingestion on seizure activity in vivo and on the characteristics of the evoked synaptic potentials in cortical neurones in vitro have been investigated in mice. Withdrawal from chronic ethanol treatment increased handling seizure ratings in mice between 4 and 16 h post-withdrawal. This ethanol-induced increase in seizure rating was unaffected by carbamazepine (30 mg kg(−1)) but significantly reduced at a higher concentration (130 mg kg(−1)). 2. Intracellular recordings were made from cortical layer II neurones in vitro from control mice and from mice following chronic ethanol ingestion. Evoked synaptic potentials were generated in these neurones through intralaminar stimulation. 3. Neurones from control mice displayed an evoked potential consisting of a fast excitatory postsynaptic potential (e.p.s.p.) mediated by AMPA-type glutamate receptors and an inhibitory postsynaptic potential (i.p.s.p.) mediated via GABA(A) receptors. Application of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) or bicuculline onto these neurones inhibited the i.p.s.p., caused a large increase in both the amplitude and duration of the e.p.s.p. and initiated spontaneous excitatory activity. The resulting large evoked e.p.s.p. was mediated via both NMDA- and AMPA-type glutamate receptors. 4. Most neurones (77%) from ethanol treated mice displayed an evoked potential which comprised a large e.p.s.p. and no i.p.s.p. The e.p.s.p. consisted of several distinct components and in addition these neurones displayed spontaneous paroxysmal depolarizing shifts. This multi-component e.p.s.p. was mediated through both NMDA- and AMPA-type glutamate receptors. A population (23%) of neurones from ethanol treated mice exhibited evoked potentials which possessed both inhibitory and excitatory components and these neurones were effectively identical to those obtained from control mice. 5. Carbamazepine reduced the duration of the e.p.s.p. in neurones from ethanol treated mice and in PTZ-treated control neurones. 6. Prolonged ethanol ingestion is known to create a neurochemical imbalance in cortical neurones resulting in abnormal neurotransmission. The present study highlights the functional consequences that arise as a result of these neurochemical changes leading to over-excitation of neurones and pronounced epileptiform activity

Extrasynaptic glycine receptors of rodent dorsal raphe serotonergic neurons:a sensitive target for ethanol

Alcohol abuse is a significant medical and social problem. Several neurotransmitter systems are implicated in ethanol's actions, with certain receptors and ion channels emerging as putative targets. The dorsal raphe (DR) nucleus is associated with the behavioural actions of alcohol, but ethanol actions on these neurons are not well understood. Here, using immunohistochemistry and electrophysiology we characterise DR inhibitory transmission and its sensitivity to ethanol. DR neurons exhibit inhibitory 'phasic' postsynaptic currents mediated primarily by synaptic GABAA receptors (GABAAR) and to a lesser extent by synaptic glycine receptors (GlyR). In addition to such phasic transmission mediated by the vesicular release of neurotransmitter, the activity of certain neurons may be governed by a 'tonic' conductance resulting from ambient GABA activating extrasynaptic GABAARs. However, for DR neurons extrasynaptic GABAARs exert only a limited influence. By contrast, we report that unusually the GlyR antagonist strychnine reveals a large tonic conductance mediated by extrasynaptic GlyRs, which dominates DR inhibition. In agreement, for DR neurons strychnine increases their input resistance, induces membrane depolarization and consequently augments their excitability. Importantly, this glycinergic conductance is greatly enhanced in a strychnine-sensitive fashion, by behaviourally-relevant ethanol concentrations, by drugs used for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal and by taurine, an ingredient of certain 'energy drinks' often imbibed with ethanol. These findings identify extrasynaptic GlyRs as critical regulators of DR excitability and a novel molecular target for ethanol