The challenge of the standardization of nursing specializations in Europe.

BACKGROUND: The evolution of health care is driving the need for specialist nursing knowledge. Specialist nurses have undertaken a formal training that focuses on a specific clinical area or population and are legitimated by a professional award or legal status. Specialist nurses are better able to provide the most specific and most appropriate care for both people and populations. AIM: This paper considers nursing's loose understanding of 'specialization' and the impact this has on those who seek employment outside their own nation but within the family of nations known as the European Union (EU). There is a lack of standardization for nursing specializations across the European Union that leads to lack of mobility across countries. SOURCES OF EVIDENCE: Reports were reviewed from within the European Union, including specialist nursing groups and regulatory nursing bodies. DISCUSSION: Nurse specialists can be regarded as operating at nursing's 'leading edge'; however, it is here that nursing lacks organization and common standards. This is readily apparent in a EU bound together by the principle of freedom of movement and common professional and academic standards. CONCLUSION: It is now time for European Union nurses to look beyond the common standards for pre-registration courses and to consider the development of common standards for specialist nursing. Historical attempts to achieve common standards for specialist nursing have largely been unsuccessful due to the diversity of approaches to nurse specialization. It is time now for this challenge to be re-addressed so that specialist nurses can more freely work throughout the European Union. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: There is a pressing need for policy makers to define specialist nursing and to enable European Union-wide standards.

Role of the serotonergic system in the control of gonadotropin secretion in prepubertal male rats.

To analyze the role of brain serotonin in the control of gonadotropin secretion in prepubertal males, serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were studied at different ages after administration of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of serotonin synthesis, alone or in combination with fluoxetine, a specific inhibitor of serotonin uptake; 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), a serotonin 1A agonist; or D,L-p-chlorophenylalanine methyl ester hydrochloride (PCPA), an inhibitor of serotonin synthesis. Also, serum gonadotropin concentrations were measured in castrated males implanted with silastic capsules containing testosterone or 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol (alpha-diol). We found that: (i) the blockade of the serotoninergic system after PCPA administration did not modify basal gonadotropin secretion but did strongly reduce the response to orchidectomy; (ii) a stimulatory effect of 5-HTP on FSH secretion was only observed in intact males at the age of 8 days; (iii) the serotonin 1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT did not change serum gonadotropin concentrations; (iv) 5-HTP increased serum FSH and LH concentrations in 16-day-old castrated males; (v) FSH and LH serum concentrations decreased after 5-HTP in castrated animals implanted with testosterone, whereas castrated animals implanted with alpha-diol showed, like the intact males, a lack of response to 5-HTP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Serotoninergic control of prolactin secretion in prepubertal male rats.

The role of the serotoninergic system in the control of prolactin (PRL) secretion has been studied in prepubertal male rats. Serum PRL concentration was measured in 16-day-old male rats at different times after the administration of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of serotonin (5-HT) synthesis, alone or in combination with fluoxetine, a specific inhibitor of 5-HT uptake; DL-p-parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA), an inhibitor of 5-HT synthesis; and 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), a selective agonist of 5-HT1A receptors. Also, serum PRL concentration and pituitary content were measured after 5-HTP administration in castrated males implanted with silastic capsules containing testosterone or 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol (alpha-diol). We found that: the reduction in serotoninergic activity after PCPA administration did not modify serum PRL concentrations; the stimulatory effect of 5-HTP on PRL secretion was not observed before day 16; the effects of 5-HTP or 5-HTP and fluoxetine were similar in intact and orchidectomized males; a significant increase in PRL secretion took place after 8-OH-DPAT administration; the duration of the stimulatory effect of 5-HTP increased after alpha-diol treatment; and pituitary PRL content increased after 5-HTP injection in intact males and decreased in castrated males treated with testosterone or alpha-diol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Gonadotropin and prolactin secretion in prepubertal female rats treated with 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin.

The effect of serotoninergic activation on gonadotropin and prolactin release were analysed in 16-day-old intact female rats. In the first experiment, females were decapitated 30 min after i.p. administration of 100 mg/kg of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) or vehicle; in the second experiment the rats were decapitated 15 and 30 min after i.p. injection of vehicle or some doses (0.1, 1 and 10 mg/kg) of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), a selective agonist of the serotonin (5-HT)1A receptors. We found that: 1) serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing-hormone (LH) and prolactin concentrations increased after 5-HTP administration; 2) serum LH and prolactin concentrations and pituitary prolactin content increased after administration of 8-OH-DPAT. Our results indicate that in prepubertal rats, activation of serotoninergic system stimulated gonadotropin and prolactin release, and that 5-HT1A receptors are involved in this effect. In addition, the simultaneous increase in serum and pituitary prolactin content suggests that 8-OH-DPAT enhances prolactin synthesis.