Sexually dimorphic long-term effects of an early life experience on AMPA receptor subunit expression in rat brain.

Neonatal handling, an experimental model of early life experiences, is known to affect hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, thus increasing adaptability, coping with stress, cognitive abilities and in general brain plasticity-related processes. AMPA receptors (AMPARs) mediate fast synaptic transmission at excitatory glutamatergic synapses in the CNS and are crucial during neuronal development, synaptic plasticity and structural remodeling. AMPARs are composed of four types of subunits, designated as AMPA glutamate receptor subunits (GluA1, GluA2, GluA3 and GluA4), which combine to form tetramers. The present study addressed the question of whether neonatal handling (15min daily maternal separation from postnatal day 1 (PND1) to PND21) might have an effect on GluA1-4 mRNA levels in adult rat male and female brain using in situ hybridization. We have identified selective sexually dimorphic effects of neonatal handling on the mRNA expression levels of AMPAR subunits in adult rat hippocampus and nuclei of the amygdaloid complex. In the dorsal hippocampus GluA1 mRNA levels were increased in handled males, while they were decreased in handled female animals. In the ventral hippocampus and the amygdaloid complex GluA2 mRNA was lower in handled females, while no effect was observed in handled males. Furthermore, we observed that neonatal handling induced in both sexes decreases of GluA2 mRNA in the dorsal hippocampus, as well as in the somatosensory and occipital cortex, of GluA3 mRNA in most hippocampal areas, amygdaloid complex and cortical regions studied, and of GluA4 mRNA in the ventral hippocampus. These results show that glutamatergic transmission is markedly affected by an early experience. The neonatal handling-induced alterations in AMPAR subunit composition are in line with the increased brain plasticity, the more effective HPA axis function, and in general the more adaptive behavioral phenotype known to characterize the handled animals.

Validation of communication between elderly denture wearers and dentists: a questionnaire on satisfaction with complete dentures using semi-structured interviews.

OBJECTIVES: To validate a semi-structured interview (SSI) for communication between complete denture wearers and dentists. DESIGN: A SSI using a questionnaire with eight questions on satisfaction with complete dentures (CD): covering function, aesthetics and comfort. The first seven questions used a five-point Likert scale and the last was dichotomous. Two dentists, carefully trained in the use of the structured questionnaire, administered the SSI. SETTING: A Greek Department of Prosthetic Dentistry. SUBJECTS: A consecutive sample of 78 CD wearers took part in the study. All subjects presented with complaints from their dentures. INTERVENTION: All participants and their dentures underwent clinical examination. RESULTS: The method showed good reliability, verified by the Cronbach alpha (0.86). Both dentists used the questionnaire produced very similar results. (Wilcoxon test 61-99%). Further, the association of the answers with respect to the five-point Likert scale was very high; all gamma coefficients were statistically significant except for pain and discomfort from the upper CD (CDU). CONCLUSIONS: This method of communication between patients and dentists is reliable and can be used to give good repeatability for qualitatively assessing satisfaction with CD. It can be valuable for clinical use and for extending the study of denture quality to establish outcome measures based on the subjective criteria of satisfaction.