Managing Stress and Somatization Symptoms Among Students in Demanding Academic Healthcare Environments.

Introduction: Stress is a common concern among healthcare students, due to the demands of their coursework and the elevated expectations they face. Especially among dentistry and nursing students, the phenomenon, although well-documented, covers psychosocial and physiological dimensions, with somatization symptoms being less explored. These manifestations are crucial to identify discipline-specific stressors and health impacts that can lead to targeted interventions for both disciplines.

The emerging role of serotonin in liver regeneration.

Serotonin has a multifunctional role in many different organs serving either as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system or a paracrine factor in the gastrointestinal tract. Over 90% of serotonin is synthesised in the enterochromaffin cells of the intestine and subsequently taken up by platelets. The involvement of platelet-derived serotonin in liver mass restoration after partial hepatectomy or toxic injury has been greatly investigated during the last decade.

Strabismus in pediatric lens disorders.

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence and types of strabismus in children with cataract and ectopia lentis.

Methods: The authors retrospectively evaluated 860 children treated in the ophthalmological department of Children's Hospital "Agia Sophia" during the past decade. Their medical files with reference to strabismus prevalence, correlation between the time of strabismus occurrence and lens extraction surgery, and type of strabismus were studied.

Age and visual experience-dependent expression of NMDAR1 splice variants in rat retina.

The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is a key molecule mediating brain plasticity related processes. Knowing that alternative splicing of the NMDAR1 (NR1) subunit offers molecular diversity to NMDAR, controls the forward trafficking of the NR1 protein and is important for placing NMDA receptors at synapses, we investigated herein the postnatal developmental expression and the influence of visual deprivation on NR1 subunit splice variants in rat retina. Real-time PCR was performed using oligonucleotide primers specific for N- terminal (NR1a, NR1b) and C-terminal splice variants (NR1-1, NR1-2, NR1-3, NR1-4).

Effect of 5-HT(2) receptor blockade on cadmium-induced acute toxicity.

The protective effect of 5-HT(2) receptor blockade with ketanserin or ritanserin against cadmium liver injury was investigated. Male Wistar rats were injected intraperitoneally with a sublethal dose of cadmium (3.5 mg/kg body weight).

The effect of hepatic stimulator substance (HSS) on liver regeneration arrest induced by 5-HT2 receptor blockade.

Background: The restorative effect of hepatic stimulator substance (HSS) against hepatic regeneration arrest induced by 5-HT2 receptor blockade was investigated.

Materials And Methods: Male Wistar rats were subjected to 60-70% partial hepatectomy and to 5-HT2 receptor blockade at 16 h after partial hepatectomy by ketanserin administration (6 mg/kg bodyweight intraperitoneally; group I). HSS at the dose of 100 mg protein/kg bodyweight was administered at 10 or 17 h after partial hepatectomy in ketanserin-treated rats (groups II and III).

The hepatoprotective effect of hepatic stimulator substance (HSS) against liver regeneration arrest induced by acute ethanol intoxication.

Male Wistar rats were randomized to receive ethanol (2.5 ml/kg by gastric intubation every 8 hr; group I), equal volumes of isocaloric to ethanol sucrose solution (group II), or ethanol and HSS (100 mg/kg intraperitoneally 10 and 16 hr after partial hepatectomy; groups III and IV, respectively) for up to 96 hr after partial hepatectomy, with ethanol administration starting 1 hr prior to partial hepatectomy. Animals were killed at 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 60, and 96 hr after partial hepatectomy.