Boosting integration of physical and mental health: The impact of increasing psychiatrists in general hospitals without psychiatric Ward.

Objective: It remains unclear whether general hospitals without psychiatric wards can provide sufficient services for both physical and mental health needs, as they often lack adequate psychiatrists, primarily due to cost constraints. This article explores the relationship between the number of full-time psychiatrists and functionality for integrating physical and mental health services in these settings.

Methods: The Medical Policy Committee of the Japanese Society of General Hospital Psychiatry conducted a nationwide survey in 2022 to evaluate the detailed scope and volume of service of psychiatric departments in general hospitals without a psychiatric ward.

Analysis of Methylation of Tumor-suppressive miRNAs and Mutations in Pancreatic Juice.

Background/aim: We previously reported the usefulness of detecting aberrant methylation in tumor suppressive microRNAs (miRNAs) in bile and plasma to discriminate pancreaticobiliary cancers from benign pancreaticobiliary diseases. This study analyzed the methylation of miRNAs in pancreatic juice to identify those specific to pancreatic cancer (PC).

Patients And Methods: Pancreatic juice was collected from 20 patients with PC, including eight with intraductal papillary mucinous carcinoma (IPMC), two with low grade-pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (LG-PanIN), 32 with LG-intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), and seven with benign pancreatic lesions.

Comprehensive antitumor immune response boosted by dual inhibition of SUMOylation and MEK in MYC-expressing KRAS-mutant cancers.

Precision medicine has drastically changed cancer treatment strategies including KRAS-mutant cancers which have been undruggable for decades. While intrinsic or acquired treatment resistance remains unresolved in many cases, epigenome-targeted therapy may be an option to overcome. We recently discovered the effectiveness of blocking small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) signaling cascade (SUMOylation) in MYC-expressing KRAS-mutant cancer cells using a SUMO-activating enzyme E inhibitor TAK-981 that results in SUMOylation inhibition.

Soft chemistry-derived Al-substituted hydrated nickel hydroxide electrodes for rechargeable aqueous batteries.

Hydrated nickel hydroxides with partial aluminum substitution were synthesized using the conventional coprecipitation and soft chemistry methods. The soft chemistry derived sample showed better reversibility owing to the low activity for oxygen evolution during charging. Operando X-ray diffraction indicated the increased interlayer distance and decreased crystallinity during discharging caused by water accommodation.

Dual inhibition of SUMOylation and MEK conquers MYC-expressing KRAS-mutant cancers by accumulating DNA damage.

Background: KRAS mutations frequently occur in cancers, particularly pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, colorectal cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer. Although KRAS inhibitors have recently been approved, effective precision therapies have not yet been established for all KRAS-mutant cancers. Many treatments for KRAS-mutant cancers, including epigenome-targeted drugs, are currently under investigation.

Targeting WEE1 enhances the antitumor effect of KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer harboring TP53 mutations.

The clinical development of Kirsten rat sarcoma virus (KRAS)-G12C inhibitors for the treatment of KRAS-mutant lung cancer is limited by the presence of co-mutations, intrinsic resistance, and the emergence of acquired resistance. Therefore, innovative strategies for enhancing apoptosis in KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are urgently needed. Through CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening using a library of 746 crRNAs and drug screening with a custom library of 432 compounds, we discover that WEE1 kinase inhibitors are potent enhancers of apoptosis, particularly in KRAS-mutant NSCLC cells harboring TP53 mutations.

Case report: Navigating treatment pathways for cardiac intimal sarcoma with N666K mutation.

In the realm of rare cardiac tumors, intimal sarcoma presents a formidable challenge, often requiring innovative treatment approaches. This case report presents a unique instance of primary intimal sarcoma in the left atrium, underscoring the critical role of genomic profiling in guiding treatment. Initial genomic testing unveiled a somatic, active mutation in ( N666K), accompanied by and amplifications.

Evaluation of two semi-supervised learning methods and their combination for automatic classification of bone marrow cells.

Differential bone marrow (BM) cell counting is an important test for the diagnosis of various hematological diseases. However, it is difficult to accurately classify BM cells due to non-uniformity and the lack of reproducibility of differential counting. Therefore, automatic classification systems have been developed in which deep learning is used.

Mediastinal Malignant Melanoma Markedly Shrinking in Response to Nivolumab.

Primary malignant melanoma (MM) of the mediastinum is rare, and there is a lack of consensus regarding the preferred treatment because non-cutaneous MM demonstrates an inferior response to systemic therapy. Herein, we describe the case of a 73-year-old man with MM of the anterior mediastinum with multiple liver metastases. Even though the size of lesions increased rapidly following diagnosis, nivolumab monotherapy caused remarkable tumor shrinkage.

Multi-institutional survey of cancer disparities in disabled patients in the region of northwestern Japan.

Background: Potential disparities between cancer patients with and without disabilities remained to be validate in Japan.

Methods: We surveyed retrospective data on hospital cancer registration as well as information on disability certificates obtained through the Hokushin Ganpro database. In total, 93,545 cancer patients in 10 principal hospitals covering the region of northwestern Japan were registered with the Hokushin Ganpro database between 2010 and 2015.

Development of stereotaxic recording system for awake marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).

The common marmoset has been proposed as a potential alternative to macaque monkey as a primate model for neuroscience and medical research. Here, we have newly developed a stereotaxic neuronal recording system for awake marmosets under the head-fixed condition by modifying that for macaque monkeys. Using this system, we recorded neuronal activity in the cerebral cortex of awake marmosets and successfully identified the primary motor cortex by intracortical microstimulation.

Optogenetic Activation of the Sensorimotor Cortex Reveals "Local Inhibitory and Global Excitatory" Inputs to the Basal Ganglia.

To understand how information from different cortical areas is integrated and processed through the cortico-basal ganglia pathways, we used optogenetics to systematically stimulate the sensorimotor cortex and examined basal ganglia activity. We utilized Thy1-ChR2-YFP transgenic mice, in which channelrhodopsin 2 is robustly expressed in layer V pyramidal neurons. We applied light spots to the sensorimotor cortex in a grid pattern and examined neuronal responses in the globus pallidus (GP) and entopeduncular nucleus (EPN), which are the relay and output nuclei of the basal ganglia, respectively.

[Future Images of General Hospital Psychiatry].

Now, the psychiatric departments of general hospitals are unpopular workplaces for psy- chiatrists in Japan. However, I think there is a constant need for psychiatric departments of general hospitals, because the number of psychiatric departments of general hospitals with no psychiatric beds is increasing, even though the number of psychiatric departments of general hospitals with psychiatric beds is decreasing. Recently, there has been a trend of reevaluating psychiatry in medical care, such as in the medical treatments fees or in health care planning, so we cannot talk about medical care without involving psychiatry.

[The Report of the Survey to the Members of the Society about the Functional Dissociation of the Psychiatric Hospital beds].

In 2014, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published the guideline on the policy of the psychiatric hospitals. We executed a survey to the members of "The Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology" about the impression of this guideline, especially about "The functional differentiation of psychiatric hospital beds". Nine questions were notified on the home page of the society.

Prevalence, course and factors associated with delirium in elderly patients with advanced cancer: a longitudinal observational study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of delirium on admission, the course of delirium during a 2-week period after admission and factors associated with delirium on admission, among elderly patients with advanced cancer.

Methods: Patients aged ≥ 65 years with incurable lung or gastroenterological cancer and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status 2 or greater were continuously sampled after admission to a university hospital. Participants were evaluated for DSM-IV-TR delirium by trained psychiatrists and the delirium subtype was assessed using the Delirium Motor Subtype Scale within 4 days after admission and again 2 weeks later.

Complications associated with endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration: a nationwide survey by the Japan Society for Respiratory Endoscopy.

Background: With the recent widespread use of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), there have been occasional reports on complications associated with its use. Previous reviews on EBUS-TBNA have been limited to studies by skilled operators, thus the results may not always be applicable to recent clinical practice. To assess the safety of EBUS-TBNA for the staging and diagnosis of lung cancer in Japan, a nationwide survey on its current usage status and complications associated with its use was conducted by the Japan Society for Respiratory Endoscopy (JSRE).

Diagnosis of ovarian cancers using thoracoscopy: Three case reports and review of the literature.

Thoracoscopy is a useful method for diagnosing plural lesions. We diagnosed 3 cases of ovarian adenocarcinoma by thoracoscopy. All patients were middle-aged and elderly women.