A scoping review of health promotion interventions delivered via social media to women of reproductive age.

OBJECTIVE: Adult women of reproductive age are highly engaged with social media, suggesting its utility for conveying health information to this population, at scale. This scoping review aimed to describe health promotion interventions conducted via social media and assess their effectiveness to improve health outcomes, engagement and acceptability in adult women of reproductive age. DESIGN: Six databases were searched on 13 May 2022. Two reviewers independently screened studies. Data were extracted and risk of bias assessed using the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Tools. SETTING: Eligible studies conducted an intervention primarily via social media, with or without a comparison intervention, and reported health-related outcomes/behaviours pre- and post-intervention. Results were presented in narrative form. PARTICIPANTS: Adult women (mean age 18-45 years). RESULTS: Nine eligible studies were identified: six randomised control trials, two quasi-experimental studies and one cross-sectional study. Interventions focused on prenatal, antenatal or postpartum health or physical activity. Seven studies utilised Facebook for intervention delivery, one conducted a digital campaign across four platforms and one used WeChat. Studies reported significant improvements in a range of outcomes, including increased parenting competence, longer duration of breast-feeding and higher rates of physical activity. Social media interventions had greater engagement than control interventions. CONCLUSIONS: We identified nine diverse health promotion interventions conducted via social media, which appear acceptable and effective for improving various health outcomes in adult women of reproductive age. While this supports the utility of social media to convey health information, further research is required to prove effectiveness and superiority over other intervention strategies.

Influence of Electronic Devices on Sleep and Cognitive Performance During Athlete Training Camps.

ABSTRACT: Jones, MJ, Dawson, B, Eastwood, PR, Halson, SL, Miller, J, Murray, K, Dunican, IC, Landers, GJ, and Peeling, P. Influence of electronic devices on sleep and cognitive performance during athlete training camps. J Strength Cond Res 35(6): 1620-1627, 2021-This study investigated the effects of removing athletes' electronic devices in the evening on sleep and performance during training camps. Water polo athletes (n = 26) attending a 7-night training camp (study 1) and triathletes (n = 23) attending a 4-night training camp (study 2) were randomly allocated to a no-device group (no electronic devices could be used after dinner or overnight; ND) or control group (unrestricted electronic device use; CON). Sleep was monitored through wrist actigraphy. The ND group completed a questionnaire measuring anxiety related to being unable to use electronic devices ("nomophobia"). Triathletes also completed a psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) at the start and end of camp. Water polo ND athletes went to bed earlier and spent longer time in bed than CON on the first night, but not on other nights. In triathletes, sleep quantity was not different between groups on any night. No statistically significant differences were observed for changes in nomophobia from the first to the last night of camp. No differences in PVT performance were observed between ND and CON triathletes. In conclusion, removal of evening electronic devices does not improve sleep quantity or cognitive performance in athletes during short-duration (4-7 nights) training camps.

A case-comparison study of pregnant women with mitochondrial disease - what to expect?

OBJECTIVE: Mitochondrial disease is a disorder of energy metabolism that affects 1 in 4300 adults in the UK. Pregnancy is associated with physiological demands that have implications for energy metabolism. We were interested to know how pregnancy was affected in women with mitochondrial disease, particularly those with the most common pathogenic mutation m.3243A>G. DESIGN: Retrospective case-comparison study. POPULATION/SETTING: Sixty-seven women with genetically confirmed mitochondrial disease from the UK Mitochondrial Diseases Cohort and 69 unaffected women participated. METHODS: Participants answered questionnaires regarding each of their pregnancies. Patients were divided into two groups according to genetic mutation, with those harbouring m.3243A>G comprising a single group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pregnancy-related complications, mode of delivery, gestational age and birthweight of newborns. RESULTS: Of 139 live births in the comparison group, 62 were in the m.3243A>G group and 87 were in the 'all other mutations' group. Pregnancies of women with the m.3243A>G mutation had significantly more gestational diabetes (odds ratio [OR] = 8.2, 95% CI 1.3-50.1), breathing difficulties (OR = 7.8, 95% CI 1.0-59.1) and hypertension (OR = 8.2, 95% CI 3.1-21.5) than the comparison group. Only half of the pregnancies in the m.3243A>G group had normal vaginal delivery, with emergency caesarean section accounting for 24.2% of deliveries. Babies were born significantly earlier to mothers harbouring m.3243A>G with 53.3% of them preterm (<37 weeks). These babies were also more likely to require resuscitation and admission. CONCLUSION: Women who carried the m.3243A>G mutation appeared to be at higher risk of complications during pregnancies, caesarean section and preterm delivery than the unaffected women or those with other forms of mitochondrial disease. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Pregnant women with mitochondrial disease - m.3243A>G mutation - are at greatly increased risk of complications and preterm delivery.

Evening electronic device use and sleep patterns in athletes.

The present study aimed to investigate pre-sleep behaviours (including evening electronic device use) and sleep quantity in well-trained athletes. Seventy well-trained athletes (44 females, 26 males) aged 21 ± 4 y from a range of team and individual sports were asked to complete an online sleep diary for 7 days. The sleep diary included questions about pre-sleep behaviours (e.g. napping, caffeine intake), electronic device use in the 2 h prior to bedtime (e.g. type of device and duration of use) and sleep (e.g. time in bed, sleep onset latency). On average, athletes spent 8:20 ± 1:21 h in bed each night. Associations between age, time in bed and sleepiness suggested that younger athletes spent more time in bed (B = -0.05, p = 0.001) but felt sleepier (r = -0.32, p < 0.01) than older athletes. On average, athletes mostly used electronic devices for 0-30 min prior to sleep. The use of multiple devices in the evening was associated with more perceived difficulty in falling asleep (B = 0.22, p = 0.03), but no associations existed with other sleep variables. In summary, younger athletes may require later start times or improved sleep quality to resolve excessive sleepiness.

Prevalence of sleep disorders and sleep problems in an elite super rugby union team.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sleep disorders in an elite rugby union team using in-laboratory polysomnography (PSG) and sleep questionnaires. Twenty-five elite rugby union players underwent a night of PSG during the "off-season" of the Super Rugby competition to assess their sleep. Of interest were measurements that detected the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA; apnea-hypopnea index ≥5 events/hr) and the presence of moderate-severe periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMs; ≥15 events/hr). Players completed sleep-related questionnaires to assess daytime sleepiness, perception of insomnia, risk of OSA, and the presence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and underwent basic anthropometric assessments including body mass index and neck circumference. OSA was present in 24% (n=6) of players and PLMs ≥15 events/hr in 12% (n=3). Questionnaire responses showed that all players had insomnia defined subthreshold insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness, two players were identified as being at risk for OSA and none were classified as having RLS. In conclusion, sleep disorders and excessive sleepiness are common in elite rugby union players. A process to identify and manage sleep disorders should be considered by teams to optimise their physical recovery, athletic performance and to safeguard their health.

Evening electronic device use: The effects on alertness, sleep and next-day physical performance in athletes.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of different types of tasks performed with or without an electronic device (tablet) on pre-sleep alertness, subsequent sleep quality and next-day athletic performance. Eight highly trained netball players attended a sleep laboratory for pre-sleep testing, polysomnographic sleep monitoring and next-day physical performance testing on 5 separate occasions (1 familiarisation and 4 experimental sessions). For 2 h prior to bedtime, athletes completed cognitively stimulating tasks (puzzles) or passive tasks (reading) with or without a tablet. Sleepiness tended to be greater after reading compared to completing puzzles without a tablet (d = 0.80), but not with a tablet. Melatonin concentration increased more so after reading compared to completing puzzles on a tablet (P = 0.02). There were no significant differences in sleep quality or quantity or next-day athletic performance between any of the conditions. These data suggest that using a tablet for 2 h prior to sleep does not negatively affect subsequent sleep or next-day performance in athletes.

The psychomotor vigilance test: a comparison of different test durations in elite athletes.

The 10-min Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT-10) is regarded as the gold-standard for assessing vigilant attention following sleep loss; however, other studies have investigated whether shorter versions of the test elicit similar results to the PVT-10. The present study compared the PVT-10 with 3-min (PVT-3) and 5-min (PVT-5) versions of the test in elite female basketball players. Athletes performed all three tests in the morning and evening for seven consecutive days. Response speed (mean reciprocal reaction time; mean 1/RT), number of errors and number of lapses were determined for each test and time point. The PVT-3 elicited significantly faster response speeds than the other two tests (p < 0.01), while the PVT-5 and PVT-10 were not different. The PVT-10 resulted in more lapses than the PVT-5, followed by the PVT-3, with all tests being significantly different to each other (p < 0.01). In conclusion, while the PVT-5 and PVT-10 were generally similar for response speed, the PVT-3 did not produce results comparable with the PVT-10 for response speed, lapses or errors, and should therefore not be used interchangeably. Further research is required to determine whether the shorter tests are a suitable replacement for the PVT-10 in professional basketball players.

The Effects of the Removal of Electronic Devices for 48 Hours on Sleep in Elite Judo Athletes.

This study examined the effects of evening use of electronic devices (i.e., smartphones, etc.) on sleep quality and next-day athletic and cognitive performance in elite judo athletes. Over 6 consecutive days and nights, 23 elite Australian judo athletes were monitored while attending a camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). In 14 athletes, all electronic devices were removed on days 3 and 4 (i.e., for 48 hours: the "device-restricted group"), whereas 9 were permitted to use their devices throughout the camp (the "control group"). All athletes wore an activity monitor (Readiband) continuously to provide measures of sleep quantity and quality. Other self-reported (diary) measures included time in bed, electronic device use, and rate of perceived exertion during training periods. Cognitive performance (Cogstate) and physical performance (single leg triple hop test) were also measured. When considering night 2 as a "baseline" for each group, removal of electronic devices on nights 3 and 4 (device-restricted group) resulted in no significant differences in any sleep-related measure between the groups. When comparing actigraphy-based measures of sleep to subjective measures, all athletes significantly overestimated sleep duration by 58 ± 85 minutes (p = 0.001) per night and underestimated time of sleep onset by 37 ± 72 minutes (p = 0.001) per night. No differences in physical or cognitive function were observed between the groups. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that the removal of electronic devices for a period of two nights (48 hours) during a judo camp does not affect sleep quality or quantity or influence athletic or cognitive performance.

Variation in seminal plasma alters the ability of ram spermatozoa to survive cryopreservation.

Variation in the effect of seminal plasma on sperm function and fertility has been hypothesised to be due to differences between males and their seminal plasma composition. The freezing resilience of individual rams (n=17) was investigated to characterise inter-male variation. This was determined by measuring the degree of change in motility induced by cryopreservation (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 examined the effect of pooled seminal plasma from rams identified as having high or low resilience to freezing on the cryosurvival of washed spermatozoa from either high (n=3) or low (n=3) sperm freezing resilience rams. Immediately after thawing and throughout the incubation period (0-4h), spermatozoa from high-resilience rams frozen with high-resilience seminal plasma demonstrated superior motility to spermatozoa from high-resilience rams frozen with low-resilience seminal plasma (P<0.001). Similarly, spermatozoa from low-resilience rams frozen with high-resilience seminal plasma exhibited higher motility than spermatozoa from low-resilience rams frozen with low-resilience seminal plasma immediately after thawing (0h; P<0.001). The present study shows that variation in freezing resilience of ram spermatozoa is related to the source and composition of the seminal plasma.

COVID-19, lifestyle behaviors and mental health: A mixed methods study of women 6 months following a hypertensive pregnancy.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented challenges to both the physical and psychological health of postpartum women. The aim of this study was to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the diet, physical activity and mental health of women 6 months following a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. Methods: Mixed methods sub-study of the Blood Pressure Postpartum trial, which recruited women following a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy from six Sydney metropolitan hospitals. Cross sectional analysis of baseline quantitative data, collected at 6-months postpartum from March 2019-February 2022, and qualitative data analysis from semi-structured telephone interviews, was performed. Dates of COVID-19 lockdowns for Sydney, Australia were collected from government websites. Diet (vegetable, fruit, alcohol, take away intake) and physical activity (walking, vigorous activity, strength training frequency and duration) were assessed using the self-report NSW Population Health Survey. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Edinburgh Depression Scale and GAD-7 scale, respectively. Outcome data were compared between women who completed surveys "In Lockdown" vs. "Not in Lockdown" as well as "Prior to any Lockdown" vs. "During or Following any Lockdown". Results: Of 506 participants, 84 women completed the study surveys "In Lockdown," and 149 completed the surveys "Prior to any Lockdown." Thirty-four participants were interviewed. There were no statistically significant differences in diet, physical activity, depression and anxiety among women who completed the survey "In Lockdown" vs. "Not in Lockdown." "Prior to any Lockdown," participants were more likely to do any walking (95% vs. 89%, p = 0.017), any vigorous activity (43% vs. 30%, p = 0.006) or any strength training (44% vs. 33%, p = 0.024), spent more time doing vigorous activity (p = 0.003) and strength training (p = 0.047) and were more likely to drink alcohol at least monthly (54% vs. 38%, p < 0.001) compared with "During or Following any Lockdown." Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the confinements of lockdown did not markedly influence the mental health, diet and physical activity behaviors of women 6 months following hypertensive pregnancy. However, physical activity levels were reduced following the emergence of COVID-19, suggesting targeted efforts may be necessary to re-engage postpartum women with exercise. Trial registration: https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=376286&isReview=true, identifier: ACTRN12618002004246.

Toward Efficiency and Effectiveness: Comparing Equivalence-based Instruction to Progressive Discrete Trial Teaching.

Research has found equivalence-based instruction (EBI) to be effective and efficient, with recent research extending these finding to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). EBI has also been compared with more traditional approaches to teaching, such as traditional lectures, reading assignments, and video lectures. However, the authors are unaware of any comparisons of EBI to other similar behavior analytic approaches such as discrete trial teaching (DTT). The purpose of the first experiment was to compare EBI to progressive DTT using an adapted alternating treatments design with typically developing adults. Experiment 2 compared the two teaching methods with children diagnosed with ASD. The teaching approaches were evaluated with respect to mastery of trained relations, emergence of untrained relations for the EBI condition, and participant preferences. Results of the two experiments found that both teaching methods were effective, progressive DTT was found to be more efficient for six participants, EBI was found to be more efficient for two participants, and overall progressive DTT was found to be more preferred by participants. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-022-00687-8.

Evaluating discrete trial teaching with instructive feedback delivered in a dyad arrangement via telehealth.

Telehealth research in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) has focused on the training and supervision of others to implement various behavior analytic procedures. Current guidelines for practicing telehealth suggest that direct telehealth services may be appropriate for some individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, but more research is needed. This study evaluated the effects of discrete trial teaching with instructive feedback in a dyad arrangement delivered directly via telehealth to teach tact relations to 6 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. All participants and the experimenter were located in different physical locations. All participants learned their primary and secondary targets, and 5 of the participants acquired the observational primary and secondary targets without direct teaching. Areas of future research and clinical implications are discussed in the context of telehealth service delivery.

Sleep Patterns and Alertness in an Elite Super Rugby Team During a Game Week.

Sleep is a vital component of preparation, performance and recovery for a Super Rugby game. The purpose of this study was to quantify sleep behaviours and alertness of professional rugby union players during training and a game. Thirty-six rugby union players from a Super Rugby team wore a wrist-activity device (Readiband™) to measure sleep for 3 days before, 3 days after and on the night of an evening game. Players were separated into those selected to play the game (n = 23) and those who were not (n = 13). Alertness was assessed for all training and game times using bio-mathematical modelling. Alertness measures ≤90% were considered to reflect impaired reaction time. Those selected to play in the game progressively increased sleep duration over the nights prior to the game (by 92 min p ≤ 0.05) by delaying wake time. Players went to bed later after the game (02:20 ± 114 min vs 22:57 ± 60 min; p ≤ 0.001) which resulted in decreased sleep duration on game night compared to pre-game nights (296 ± 179 min vs 459 ± 78 min; p ≤ 0.05). Four players did not achieve any sleep on game night. Sleep duration appeared to be truncated by early morning training sessions (before 08:00) on the second and third mornings after the game. Alertness was >90% for all training and game times for all players. In conclusion, in the days leading into a Super Rugby game, players delay morning time at wake and consequently increase sleep duration with post-game sleep reduced in some.

Caffeine use in a Super Rugby game and its relationship to post-game sleep.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between regular game-related caffeine consumption on sleep after an evening Super Rugby game. METHODS: Twenty elite rugby union players wore a wrist-activity monitor to measure sleep for three days before, three days after and on the night of an evening Super Rugby game (19:00-21:00). Players ingested caffeine as they would normally (i.e. before and sometimes during a game) and saliva samples were collected before (17:00) and after (21:30) the game for caffeine concentration. RESULTS: Compared to the nights leading up to the game, on the night of the game, players went to bed 3 h later (23:08 ± 66 min vs 02:11 ± 114 min; p < .001) and had 1:30 hh:mm less sleep (5:54 ± 2:59 vs 8:02 ± 1:24 hh:mm; p < .05) and four players did not sleep after the game. Post-game caffeine saliva concentrations were greater than pre-game levels in 17 players (Pre-game 0.40 µg/mL vs Post-game 2.77 µg/mL; p < .001). The increase in caffeine saliva concentrations was moderately associated with an increase in sleep latency (p < .05), a decrease in sleep efficiency (p < .05), and a trend for a decrease in sleep duration (p = .06) on game night. CONCLUSION: Caffeine consumption before a Super Rugby game markedly increases post-game saliva caffeine levels. This may contribute to the observed 3.5 h delay in time at sleep onset and the 1.5 h reduction in sleep duration on the night of the game. This study highlights the need for a strategic approach to the use of caffeine within a Super Rugby team considering the potential effect on post-game sleep.

Buprenorphine Analgesia Leads to Coagulopathy and Increased Plasma Fibrinogen in Healthy Rats: Implications For Small Animal Research.

INTRODUCTION: Buprenorphine is the recommended analgesic for post-surgical pain and associated stress in small animal research. Our aim was to examine the effect of isoflurane anesthesia and buprenorphine analgesia on blood coagulation in the rat using rotational thromboelastometry. METHODS: Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of four groups (n = 6): baseline (Thiobarb anesthesia), 5% isoflurane anesthesia, isoflurane-buprenorphine (0.05-mg/kg s.c.), and buprenorphine alone. After 1 h, animals were anesthetized and blood was sampled. RESULTS: We report that isoflurane or buprenorphine had little or no effects on clotting times, clot formation, or clot lysis in EXTEM or INTEM. However, buprenorphine significantly increased FIBTEM alpha-angle, clot formation rates, and maximum clot formation velocities. Buprenorphine also increased EXTEM, FIBTEM, and INTEM A10 (clot strength), maximum clot firmness (clot quality), and maximum clot elasticity ( (clot elasticity). The combination of isoflurane and buprenorphine significantly increased clot amplitude but not to the same extent. The fibrinogen contribution to clot strength was 1.9-fold higher than baseline in the buprenorphine group, and 1.4-fold higher in the isoflurane-buprenorphine group. Plasma fibrinogen levels were 2.5-fold higher in both groups compared with the baseline value or isoflurane group (6.1 g/L vs. 2.4 g/L, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude buprenorphine analgesia significantly increased clot strength without affecting fibrinolysis, and increased plasma fibrinogen, implying that the drug increased liver fibrinogen synthesis and release. Possible implications for small animal research are discussed.

What is the veterinary professional identity? Preliminary findings from web-based continuing professional development in veterinary professionalism.

Professionalism and professional skills are increasingly being incorporated into veterinary curricula; however, lack of clarity in defining veterinary professionalism presents a potential challenge for directing course outcomes that are of benefit to the veterinary professional. An online continuing education course in veterinary professionalism was designed to address a deficit in postgraduate support in this area; as part of this course, delegates of varying practice backgrounds participated in online discussions reflecting on the implications of professional skills for their clinical practice. The discussions surrounding the role of the veterinary professional and reflecting on strengths and weaknesses in professional skills were analysed using narrative methodology, which provided an understanding of the defining skills and attributes of the veterinary professional, from the perspectives of those involved (i.e. how vets understood their own career identity). The veterinary surgeon was understood to be an interprofessional team member, who makes clinical decisions in the face of competing stakeholder needs and works in a complex environment comprising multiple and diverse challenges (stress, high emotions, financial issues, work-life balance). It was identified that strategies for accepting fallibility, and those necessary for establishing reasonable expectations of professional behaviour and clinical ability, are poorly developed.

Three dimensional reconstruction of a human breast carcinoma using routine laboratory equipment and immunohistochemistry.

AIMS: To establish a three dimensional reconstruction of an invasive breast carcinoma using basic laboratory equipment to evaluate and characterise the spatial arrangement of the parenchymal cells of the breast. METHODS: One hundred and twenty eight sequential 4 microm sections (20 microm apart) of the tumour were stained immunohistochemically with an epithelial specific marker (AE1/AE3) or tumour specific marker (c-erbB-2) to reconstruct two different three dimensional images of the normal and malignant parenchymal cells. Sections were digitally imaged using a microscope, scanner, and digital camera linked to a conventional personal computer. Accurate alignment of the digitalised images was carried out using a semiautomatic graphical method of manual interaction, using the cross correlation coefficient as a goodness of fit measure, and an automatic search algorithm using the Fibonacci search algorithm for automatic alignment. The volume was reconstructed using maximum, minimum point projection and "back to front" opacity blending. RESULTS: The quality of the reconstructed images was distinct and perfect, providing a comprehensive and explicit view of the normal and malignant parenchymal tissues of the breast that is not possible by viewing two dimensional histological sections. Specifically, this approach showed the spatial arrangement of the tumour cells and their relation to the surrounding tissues at a high resolution. CONCLUSION: This simple and reproducible approach enables the spread and infiltration of invasive carcinoma to be understood and could also be used to analyse the spatial relation between atypical hyperplastic and malignant in situ lesions of the breast.

Congenital deficiency of all vitamin K-dependent blood coagulation factors due to a defective vitamin K-dependent carboxylase in Devon Rex cats.

Two Devon Rex cats from the same litter, which had no evidence of liver disease, malabsorption of vitamin K or chronic ingestion of coumarin derivatives, were found to have plasma deficiencies of factors II, VII, IX and X. Oral treatment with vitamin K1 resulted in the normalization of these coagulation factors. After taking liver biopsies it was demonstrated that the coagulation abnormality was accompanied by a defective gamma-glutamyl-carboxylase, which had a decreased affinity for both vitamin K hydroquinone and propeptide. This observation prompted us to study in a well-defined in vitro system the possible allosteric interaction between the propeptide binding site and the vitamin K hydroquinone binding site on carboxylase. It was shown that by the binding of a propeptide-containing substrate to gamma-glutamylcarboxylase the apparent KM for vitamin K hydroquinone is decreased about 20-fold. On the basis of these in vitro data the observed defect in the Devon Rex cats can be fully explained.

Influence of the oestrous cycle on L-glutamate and L-aspartate transport in rat brain synaptosomes.

Oestrous cycle and sex differences in sodium-dependent transport of L-[3H]glutamate and L-[3H]aspartate were investigated employing well washed synaptosomes prepared from rat brain cortex. Transport was best analysed on the basis of two components, a high and low affinity transport site. Oestrous cycle and sex differences were observed for both substrates. The high affinity transporter displayed highest affinity for glutamate transport in synaptosomes from female rats during proestrous and oestrous. This differed significantly from glutamate transport during dioestrous and in male rats. High affinity aspartate transport displayed highest affinity during oestrous and differed significantly from transport during dioestrous. Maximal velocity of high affinity glutamate transport was higher in synaptosomes from females during dioestrous compared with oestrous and lower in synaptosomes from male rats when compared with female rats in dioestrous and metoestrous. The low affinity sodium-dependent glutamate transporter displayed a 10-fold higher affinity for glutamate during proestrous than during the other three phases of oestrous and in male rats. Exogenously applied oestradiol and progesterone to synaptosomes from male rats showed no effect on glutamate or aspartate transport. No acute effect of oestradiol or progesterone on glutamate currents in oocytes expressing EAAT1 or EAAT2 subtype of glutamate transporter was observed. These results suggest hormonal regulation of high and low affinity sodium-dependent excitatory amino acid transporters over the four day oestrous cycle in synaptosomes from rat cortex. This regulation is unlikely to be due to a direct effect of oestradiol or progesterone on glutamate transporters.

Synaptosomal and brain slice cerebrocortical [3H]L-glutamate uptake in a rat model of chronic hepatic encephalopathy.

Cerebrocortical [3H]L-glutamate uptake was examined using brain slices and synaptosomes obtained from rats with portal vein and bile duct ligation. In addition, the effect of in vitro addition of 5 mM ammonia on glutamate uptake parameters was determined. There was no significant difference in brain slice or synaptosomal glutamate uptake in rats with portal vein and bile duct ligation compared to control rats. In vitro addition of ammonia had no effect on uptake kinetics in either brain slices or synaptosomes. These results suggest that glutamate uptake kinetics are not perturbed in this animal model of chronic hepatic encephalopathy.