Meta-analyses of epigenetic age acceleration and GrimAge components of schizophrenia or first-episode psychosis.

Schizophrenia is a common chronic psychiatric disorder that causes age-related dysfunction. The life expectancy in patients with schizophrenia is ≥10 years shorter than that in the general population because of the higher risk of other diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases. Aging studies based on DNA methylation status have received considerable attention.

Preliminary development of a risk predictor for severe complication in patients with anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is life-threatening because of many physical complications, hence a quantitative indicator for early therapeutic intervention through hospitalization is needed. Here, we compared the demographics of 21 patients with AN who required intensive treatment in the internal medicine ward and those of 61 patients with AN who directly admitted to the psychiatric ward. We developed a risk score for severe physical complications in patients with AN, by using six items with significant differences between two groups; body mass index, blood urea nitrogen, corrected calcium, albumin, aspartate transaminase, and C-reactive protein (area under the curve = 0.

Comprehensive analysis including in-game spending and violent game playing in patients with internet gaming disorder.

Aim: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is receiving increasing attention. In particular, violent gameplay or in-game spending affects the psychiatric conditions and economic difficulties of patients. We conducted regression analysis and path analysis to investigate the associations between a comprehensive list of factors in patients with IGD, including the degree of internet or gaming dependence, developmental problems, family background, severity of depression, sleeping habits, in-game spending, and first-person shooter (FPS) and third-person shooter (TPS) game playing.

Accelerated epigenetic aging in alcohol dependence.

Alcohol dependence poses a global health threat associated with aging and reduced life expectancy. Recently, aging research through deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation has gained attention. New epigenetic clocks have been developed; however, no study has investigated GrimAge components, GrimAge2 components and DunedinPACE in patients with alcohol dependence.

Epigenome-wide association study on methamphetamine dependence.

Repeated abuse of methamphetamine (METH) can cause dependence, repeated relapse of psychotic symptoms, compulsive drug-seeking behaviour, and various neurological symptoms. These long-term biological changes may be associated with epigenetic mechanisms; however, the association between METH use and epigenetic mechanisms has been poorly investigated. Thus, we performed an epigenome-wide association study of METH dependence using genomic DNA extracted from the blood samples of 24 patients with METH dependence and 24 normal controls.

High-Linear Energy Transfer Irradiation in Clinical Carbon-Ion Beam With the Linear Energy Transfer Painting Technique for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

Purpose: Dose-averaged linear energy transfer (LET) is one of the important factors in determining clinical outcomes for carbon-ion radiation therapy. Innovative LET painting (LP) has been developed as an advanced form of conventional intensity modulated carbon-ion radiation therapy (IMIT) at the QST Hospital. The study had 2 motivations: to increase the minimum LET (LET) and to improve uniformity of the LET distribution within the gross tumor volume (GTV) by using LP treatment plans for patients with head and neck cancer while maintaining the relative biologic effectiveness (RBE)-weighted dose coverage within the planning tumor volume (PTV) the same as in the conventional IMIT plan.

Accelerated epigenetic aging and decreased natural killer cells based on DNA methylation in patients with untreated major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is known to cause significant disability. Genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles can be used to estimate biological aging and as epigenetic clocks. However, information on epigenetic clocks reported in MDD patients is inconsistent.

Epigenetic clock analysis reveals increased plasma cystatin C levels based on DNA methylation in major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental illness and a major public health concern worldwide. Depression is associated with epigenetic changes that regulate gene expression, and analyzing these changes may help elucidate the pathophysiology of MDD. Genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles can function as 'epigenetic clocks' that can help estimate biological aging.

Epigenetic clock analysis in methamphetamine dependence.

Methamphetamine (MA) is used worldwide and causes serious public health and social problems. MA affects the central nervous, cardiac, and immune systems, which causes neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular diseases and infection. Epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation (DNAm), are associated with various clinical phenotypes of MA abuse.

Carbon-ion radiotherapy for urological cancers.

Carbon-ions are charged particles with a high linear energy transfer, and therefore, they make a better dose distribution with greater biological effects on the tumors compared with photons and protons. Since prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and retroperitoneal sarcomas such as liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma are known to be radioresistant tumors, carbon-ion radiotherapy, which provides the advantageous radiobiological properties such as an increasing relative biological effectiveness toward the Bragg peak, a reduced oxygen enhancement ratio, and a reduced dependence on fractionation and cell-cycle stage, has been tested for these urological tumors at the National Institute for Radiological Sciences since 1994. To promote carbon-ion radiotherapy as a standard cancer therapy, the Japan Carbon-ion Radiation Oncology Study Group was established in 2015 to create a registry of all treated patients and conduct multi-institutional prospective studies in cooperation with all the Japanese institutes.

[Charged Particle Therapy Technologies Originated in Japan].

A charged particle therapy was proposed by Robert R. Wilson in 1946 and a clinical study of proton radiotherapy had been started at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1954. Clinical studies have been promoted mainly in the United States and Europe.

The Emerging Potential of Multi-Ion Radiotherapy.

Research into high linear energy transfer (LET) radiotherapy now spans over half a century, beginning with helium and deuteron treatment in 1952 and today ranging from fast neutrons to carbon-ions. Owing to pioneering work initially in the United States and thereafter in Germany and Japan, increasing focus is on the carbon-ion beam: 12 centers are in operation, with five under construction and three in planning. While the carbon-ion beam has demonstrated unique and promising suitability in laboratory and clinical trials toward the hypofractionated treatment of hypoxic and/or radioresistant cancer, substantial developmental potential remains.

Application of lung substitute material as ripple filter for multi-ion therapy with helium-, carbon-, oxygen-, and neon-ion beams.

A development project for hypo-fractionated multi-ion therapy has been initiated at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan. In the treatment, helium, carbon, oxygen, and neon ions will be used as primary beams with pencil beam scanning. A ripple filter (RiFi), consisting of a thin plastic or aluminum plate with a fine periodic ridge and groove structure, has been used to broaden the Bragg peak of heavy-ion beams in the beam direction.

Estimating the biological effects of helium, carbon, oxygen, and neon ion beams using 3D silicon microdosimeters.

In this study, the survival fraction (SF) and relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of pancreatic cancer cells exposed to spread-out Bragg peak helium, carbon, oxygen, and neon ion beams are estimated from the measured microdosimetric spectra using a microdosimeter and the application of the microdosimetric kinetic (MK) model. To measure the microdosimetric spectra, a 3D mushroom silicon-on-insulator microdosimeter connected to low noise readout electronics (MicroPlus probe) was used. The parameters of the MK model were determined for pancreatic cancer cells such that the calculated SFs reproduced previously reported in vitro SF data.

Space Radiation Biology for "Living in Space".

Space travel has advanced significantly over the last six decades with astronauts spending up to 6 months at the International Space Station. Nonetheless, the living environment while in outer space is extremely challenging to astronauts. In particular, exposure to space radiation represents a serious potential long-term threat to the health of astronauts because the amount of radiation exposure accumulates during their time in space.

Experimental validation of stochastic microdosimetric kinetic model for multi-ion therapy treatment planning with helium-, carbon-, oxygen-, and neon-ion beams.

The National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) has initiated a development project for hypo-fractionated multi-ion therapy. In the treatment, heavy ions up to neon ions will be used as a primary beam, which is a high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. The fractionated dose of the treatment will be 10 Gy or more.

Nuclear-interaction correction for patient dose calculations in treatment planning of helium-, carbon-, oxygen-, and neon-ion beams.

In charged-particle therapy treatment planning, the patient is conventionally modeled as variable-density water, i.e. stopping effective density ρ , and the planar integrated dose distribution measured in water (PID) is applied for patient dose calculation based on path length scaling with the ρ .

Effect of External Magnetic Fields on Biological Effectiveness of Proton Beams.

Purpose: The purpose is to verify experimentally whether application of magnetic fields longitudinal and perpendicular to a proton beam alters the biological effectiveness of the radiation.

Methods And Materials: Proton beams with linear energy transfer of 1.1 and 3.

Effects of Magnetic Field Applied Just Before, During or Immediately after Carbon-Ion Beam Irradiation on its Biological Effectiveness.

Previously reported studies have revealed that the application of a magnetic field longitudinal to a carbon-ion beam enhances its biological effectiveness. Here we investigated how timing of the magnetic field application with respect to beam irradiation influenced this effect. Human cancer cells were exposed to carbon-ion beams with linear energy transfer (LET) of 12 and 50 keV/µm.

Influence of a perpendicular magnetic field on biological effectiveness of carbon-ion beams.

Our previous study revealed that the application of a magnetic field longitudinal to a carbon-ion beam of 0.1 ≤ ≤ 0.6 T enhances the biological effectiveness of the radiation.

Enhancement of biological effectiveness of carbon-ion beams by applying a longitudinal magnetic field.

A magnetic field longitudinal to an ion beam will potentially affect the biological effectiveness of the radiation. The purpose of this study is to experimentally verify the significance of such effects. Human cancer and normal cell lines were exposed to low (12 keV/m) and high (50 keV/m) linear energy transfer (LET) carbon-ion beams under the longitudinal magnetic fields of = 0, 0.