Radiation Oncology in the Philippines: Current State and Future Directions.

Purpose: As global cancer incidence continues to rise, low- to middle-income countries like the Philippines are projected to experience a disproportionate increase in cancer burden, further straining already limited resources. Radiation therapy (RT) is an essential and cost-effective modality in cancer care, both in the curative and palliative settings. In this article, we provide a brief narrative on the history of the field of radiation oncology in the Philippines and review the current challenges to effective and equitable RT service delivery in the country.

COMT but Not 5HTTLPR Gene Is Associated with Depression in First-Episode Psychosis: The Role of Stressful Life Events.

Serotonergic and dopaminergic systems are involved in the regulation of mood and reactivity to psychological stress. This study explores, in a sample of first episode psychosis (FEP) patients, whether more severe depressive symptoms were found in those who: (1) experienced a major stressful event in the 6 months preceding illness onset; and (2) were homozygous for the COMT Val158 allele or carrying the S allele of 5-HTTLPR. A total of 186 FEP patients recruited were assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) for depressive symptoms.

Childhood adversity, symptoms, and cortisol in first episode psychosis: a cross-sectional, secondary, observational analysis of a subsample of FEP patients.

Background: Although it has been proposed that childhood adversities (CAs) may affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and psychotic symptoms severity, these associations have not been fully confirmed in first-episode psychosis (FEP). This study explored the association between CA, cortisol and psychotic symptoms in FEP patients.

Methods: 81 FEP patients were enrolled.

Obstetric Complications and Polygenic Risk Score: Which Role in Predicting a Severe Short-Term Outcome in Psychosis?

Understanding and improving the outcomes of psychosis remains a major challenge for clinical research. Obstetric complications (OCs) as a risk factor for schizophrenia (SZ) have been investigated as a potential predictor of outcomes in relation to illness severity and poorer treatment outcome, but there are less reports on first episode psychosis (FEP) patients. We test whether OCs, collected in a cohort of FEP patients, can predict illness course and psychopathology severity after 2 years from the onset.

Correction: The investment case as a mechanism for addressing the NCD burden: Evaluating the NCD institutional context in Jamaica, and the return on investment of select interventions.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.