Is European Dentistry Becoming a Female Profession?

Među stomatolozima u Europi neprestance raste udjel žena te već danas možemo govoriti o stomatologiji kao o ženskom zanimanju. Takva promjena u demografskoj strukturi radne snage svakako će rezultirati promjenama u struci, kao što je već uočila krovna organizacija europskih stomatologa ERO/FDI te je osnovala radnu skupinu nazvanu Žene u stomatologiji. Njezin je zadatak prikupiti podatke i predviđati moguće promjene. Koristeći se samo ispunjenim upitnicima, nakon četiri godine praćenja, stručnjaci su prikupili podatke koji pokazuju apsolutni porast broja stomatologinja među stomatolozima. Uspoređujući dobivene rezultate s drugim slobodnim profesijama, zaključili smo da su kretanja slična. Naša pitanja bila su vezana za demografske podatke, razvoj i prekid karijere, pozicije na razinama odlučivanja, te na prihode i umirovljenje.Among dentists in Europe, the proportion of women is constantly growing, regarding dentistry as a female profession. Changing demographics in the workforce will inevitably lead to changes in the profession, as was noticed by the umbrella organization of European dentists, ERO, which have established a working group Women in Dentistry in order to collect data and detect possible, expected changes. Using only a written questionnaire, data were collected, and after four years of follow-up, the absolute increase in the number of female dentists was observed, as well as in the number of female dental students. Comparing the movement with other university disciplines, from the requested data on the progress of the profession and working status, we obtained similar results. Consequently, we noted 5 points that distinguish the position of women in the profession: demographic data, career break, positions at the decision making level in the associations/chambers councils, incomes, retirement

Caries Prevention in First Grade Schoolchildren in Zagreb

Suvremena istraživanja pokazuju da je učinkovitost zdravstvenog odgoja mnogo veća ako je orijentirana na održanje zdravlja a ne na bolesna stanja. Provedenim programom željeli smo obuhvatiti djecu pri polasku u prvi razred osnovne škole te ih nastavnim procesom obavijestiti o osnovama očuvanja oralnoga zdravlja. Programom je obuhvaćeno 7000 djece, učenika prvih razreda u zagrebačkim osnovnim školama. Pri obveznom pregledu za upis u školu njihov je stomatolog na unificiranom obrascu utvrdio stanje oralnoga zdravlja. U prvim danima nastave dodatno izobražena preventivna medicinska sestra održala im je zdravstveno-odgojno predavanje te su djeca neposredno nakon predavanja sudjelovala u igraonici radom na bojankama. Uključivanje roditelja provedeno je s pomoću Bojanki i za tu prigodu napisanog Biltena. Nakon dva mjeseca, predavanje i igraonica s ponešto proširenim sadržajem su ponovljeni. Za roditelje je pripremljen nov Bilten. Pregledom djece pri upisu u prvi razred osnovne škole utvrđeno je da samo 26,5% pregledane djece ima zdrave sve mliječne zube, i 76,2% djece ima zdrave sve trajne zube. Rezultati pregleda pri upisu u prvi razred potvrđuju da je potrebno provoditi stomatološki zdravstveni odgoj, a na taj način zdravstveno-odgojnim porukama obuhvaćena su ne samo djeca već i nastavno osoblje, medicinske sestre i roditelji. Loše stanje oralnoga zdravlja utvrđeno pri pregledu za upis u prvi razred te zanimanje s kojim su program prihvatili svi sudionici potvrđuje da ga je potrebno i dalje provoditi.Contemporary studies have shown that oral health education is more effective when it is prevention-oriented rather than disease oriented. The implemented program aimed at including all first grade aged children and making them familiar with the basies of oral health protection through the educational program. The program included 7.000 first grade aged children in primary schools in Zagreb. During the compulsory check-up required for enrolment in school, their dentist established the oral health status on a unified printed form. In the first school days, a nurse, previously additionally educated in oral health prevention, gave an oral health education lecture, and immediately after the lecture the children participated in a children`s workshop by colouring the colouring books. Parent’s involvement was achieved through colouring books and a special bulletin prepared and sent to them. Two months later, the lecture and the workshop with a slightly extended program were repeated. A new bulletin was prepared for the parents. The check-up of children for establishing their eligibility for enrolment in the first grade showed that only 26.5% of the children had caries-free primary teeth and 76.2% of the children had caries-free secondary teeth. The results obtained at such oral health check-ups speak for the need to implement oral healt education, and in this way the oral health educational messages reach not only the children but also their teachers, nurses and parents. A rather bad oral health situation, established at compulsory check-ups for enrolment in school, and the interest raised with those involved in the program indicate the need to continue its implementation

Depression of glutamate and GABA release by presynaptic GABAB receptors in the entorhinal cortex in normal and chronically epileptic rats

Presynaptic GABAB receptors (GABABR) control glutamate and GABA release at many synapses in the nervous system. In the present study we used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory synaptic currents in the presence of TTX to monitor glutamate and GABA release from synapses in layer II and V of the rat entorhinal cortex (EC)in vitro. In both layers the release of both transmitters was reduced by application of GABABR agonists. Quantitatively, the depression of GABA release in layer II and layer V, and of glutamate release in layer V was similar, but glutamate release in layer II was depressed to a greater extent. The data suggest that the same GABABR may be present on both GABA and glutamate terminals in the EC, but that the heteroreceptor may show a greater level of expression in layer II. Studies with GABABR antagonists suggested that neither the auto- nor the heteroreceptor was consistently tonically activated by ambient GABA in the presence of TTX. Studies in EC slices from rats made chronically epileptic using a pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy revealed a reduced effectiveness of both auto- and heteroreceptor function in both layers. This could suggest that enhanced glutamate and GABA release in the EC may be associated with the development of the epileptic condition. Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG

Sub region-specific modulation of synchronous neuronal burst firing after a kainic acid insult in organotypic hippocampal cultures

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Excitotoxicity occurs in a number of pathogenic states including stroke and epilepsy. The adaptations of neuronal circuits in response to such insults may be expected to play an underlying role in pathogenesis. Synchronous neuronal firing can be induced in isolated hippocampal slices and involves all regions of this structure, thereby providing a measure of circuit activity. The effect of an excitotoxic insult (kainic acid, KA) on Mg²⁺-free-induced synchronized neuronal firing was tested in organotypic hippocampal culture by measuring extracellular field activity in CA1 and CA3.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Within 24 hrs of the insult regional specific changes in neuronal firing patterns were evident as: (i) a dramatic <it>reduction </it>in the ability of CA3 to generate firing; and (ii) a contrasting <it>increase </it>in the frequency and duration of synchronized neuronal firing events in CA1. Two distinct processes underlie the increased propensity of CA1 to generate synchronized burst firing; a lack of ability of the CA3 region to 'pace' CA1 resulting in an increased frequency of synchronized events; and a change in the 'intrinsic' properties limited to the CA1 region, which is responsible for increased event duration. Neuronal quantification using NeuN immunoflurescent staining and stereological confocal microscopy revealed no significant cell loss in hippocampal sub regions, suggesting that changes in the properties of neurons within this region were responsible for the KA-mediated excitability changes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results provide novel insight into adaptation of hippocampal circuits following excitotoxic injury. KA-mediated disruption of the interplay between CA3 and CA1 clearly increases the propensity to synchronized firing in CA1.</p

Altered expression of GABAB receptors in the hippocampus after kainic-acid-induced seizures in rats

Epilepsy is closely related to an altered transmission of GABA, the major inhibitory transmitter in the brain. GABA acts through two classes of receptors, ionotropic GABA(A) receptors and metabotropic GABA(B) receptors. Using in situ hybridization, receptor autoradiography and immunocytochemistry, we now investigated temporal changes in the expression the GABA(B)-1 and GABA(B)-2 subunits (GABA(B)-1R and GABA(B)-1R, respectively) in the hippocampus following kainic-acid-induced seizures. Significant decreases (by about 40%) in mRNA levels of both splice variants (a and b) of GABA(B)-1R and of GABA(B)-2R were observed in the principal cell layer of the hippocampus 6-12 h after kainic acid injection in the rat. Whereas mRNA levels in the granule cell layer returned to basal after 24 h, the decreases persisted in sectors CA1 and CA3, presumably due to progressing neurodegeneration. In the sector CA3, GABA(B)-R mRNA levels and GABA(B)-R1 immunoreactivity partially recovered 30 days after the initial kainic acid seizures indicating receptor upregulation in surviving neurons