Effect of an education program on improving knowledge of schizophrenia among parents of junior and senior high school students in Japan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early detection and intervention in schizophrenia are important in improving quality of life after treatment and are major issues in psychiatric care. Therefore, it is necessary to increase knowledge of schizophrenia among the general public. Among parents of junior and senior high school students in Japan, we compared rates of correct answers for items on knowledge of schizophrenia and ability to discriminate this psychosis from other disorders on questionnaires given before and after viewing a web-based education program.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Questionnaires were distributed to 2,690 parents. The program was developed to help parents obtain a basic understanding of schizophrenia and to emphasize the necessity of early detection.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Before the program, the rate of correct answers was 77% for items concerning basic knowledge of schizophrenia, 47% for "discrimination of schizophrenia symptoms," and 30% for "discrimination of prodromal symptoms." The program resulted in an improvement in basic knowledge of schizophrenia, discrimination of schizophrenia symptoms, and discrimination of prodromal symptoms (<it>P </it>< 0.001 for all).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our web-based education program was useful in helping parents acquire a basic knowledge of schizophrenia and discriminate correctly the symptoms of schizophrenia.</p

Zinc Maintains Embryonic Stem Cell Pluripotency and Multilineage Differentiation Potential via AKT Activation

[EN] Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) possess remarkable abilities, as they can differentiate into all cell types (pluripotency) and be self-renewing, giving rise to two identical cells. These characteristics make ESCs a powerful research tool in fundamental embryogenesis as well as candidates for use in regenerative medicine. Significant efforts have been devoted to developing protocols to control ESC fate, including soluble and complex cocktails of growth factors and small molecules seeking to activate/inhibit key signaling pathways for the maintenance of pluripotency states or activate differentiation. Here we describe a novel method for the effective maintenance of mouse ESCs, avoiding the supplementation of complex inhibitory cocktails or cytokines, e.g., LIF. We show that the addition of zinc to ESC cultures leads to a stable pluripotent state that shares biochemical, transcriptional and karyotypic features with the classical LIF treatment. We demonstrate for the first time that ESCs maintained in long-term cultures with added zinc, are capable of sustaining a stable ESCs pluripotent phenotype, as well as differentiating efficiently upon external stimulation. We show that zinc promotes long-term ESC self-renewal (>30 days) via activation of ZIP7 and AKT signaling pathways. Furthermore, the combination of zinc with LIF results in a synergistic effect that enhances LIF effects, increases AKT and STAT3 activity, promotes the expression of pluripotency regulators and avoids the expression of differentiation markers.PR acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RTI2018-096794), and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). CIBER-BBN was an initiative funded by the VI National R&D&I Plan 2008-2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions and financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund. 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Editorial Board

Source at http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1345-8 Background: The duration of untreated psychosis is determined by both patient and service related factors. Few studies have considered the geographical accessibility of services in relation to treatment delay in early psychosis. To address this, we investigated whether treatment delay is co-determined by straight-line distance to hospital based specialist services in a mainly rural mental health context. Methods: A naturalistic cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of recent onset psychosis patients in northern Norway (n = 62). Data on patient and service related determinants were analysed. Results: Half of the cohort had a treatment delay longer than 4.5 months. In a binary logistic regression model, straight-line distance was found to make an independent contribution to delay in which we controlled for other known risk factors. Conclusions: The determinants of treatment delay are complex. This study adds to previous studies on treatment delay by showing that the spatial location of services also makes an independent contribution. In addition, it may be that insidious onset is a more important factor in treatment delay in remote areas, as the logistical implications of specialist referral are much greater than for urban dwellers. The threshold for making a diagnosis in a remote location may therefore be higher. Strategies to reduce the duration of untreated psychosis in rural areas would benefit from improving appropriate referral by crisis services, and the detection of insidious onset of psychosis in community based specialist services

Pleiotropy of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Inhibition by CHIR99021 Promotes Self-Renewal of Embryonic Stem Cells from Refractory Mouse Strains

Background: Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) improves the efficiency of embryonic stem (ES) cell derivation from various strains of mice and rats, as well as dramatically promotes ES cell self-renewal potential. b-catenin has been reported to be involved in the maintenance of self-renewal of ES cells through TCF dependent and independent pathway. But the intrinsic difference between ES cell lines from different species and strains has not been characterized. Here, we dissect the mechanism of GSK-3 inhibition by CHIR99021 in mouse ES cells from refractory mouse strains. Methodology/Principal Findings: We found that CHIR99021, a GSK-3 specific inhibitor, promotes self-renewal of ES cells from recalcitrant C57BL/6 (B6) and BALB/c mouse strains through stabilization of b-catenin and c-Myc protein levels. Stabilized b-catenin promoted ES self-renewal through two mechanisms. First, b-catenin translocated into the nucleus to maintain stem cell pluripotency in a lymphoid-enhancing factor/T-cell factor–independent manner. Second, b-catenin binds plasma membrane-localized E-cadherin, which ensures a compact, spherical morphology, a hallmark of ES cells. Further, elevated c-Myc protein levels did not contribute significantly to CH-mediated ES cell self-renewal. Instead, the role of c-Myc is dependent on its transformation activity and can be replaced by N-Myc but not L-Myc. b-catenin and c-Myc have similar effects on ES cells derived from both B6 and BALB/c mice. Conclusions/Significance: Our data demonstrated that GSK-3 inhibition by CH promotes self-renewal of mouse ES cell

Influenza vaccination for immunocompromised patients: summary of a systematic review and meta-analysis

Vaccination of immunocompromised patients is recommended in many national guidelines to protect against severe or complicated influenza infection. However, due to uncertainties over the evidence base, implementation is frequently patchy and dependent on individual clinical discretion. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to assess the evidence for influenza vaccination in this patient group. Healthcare databases and grey literature were searched and screened for eligibility. Data extraction and assessments of risk of bias were undertaken in duplicate, and results were synthesised narratively and using meta‐analysis where possible. Our data show that whilst the serological response following vaccination of immunocompromised patients is less vigorous than in healthy controls, clinical protection is still meaningful, with only mild variation in adverse events between aetiological groups. Although we encountered significant clinical and statistical heterogeneity in many of our meta‐analyses, we advocate that immunocompromised patients should be targeted for influenza vaccination

Core cognitive impairments and their association with symptomatology and premorbid adjustment in first-episode psychosis

Background: The question whether certain cognitive domains in schizophrenia qualify as disproportionate/core impairments against a back-drop of generalized deficits remains unresolved. Investigating more homogeneous subgroups of patients may enhance our understanding of the exact nature of disproportionate deficits.Method: One-hundred and twenty-one patients attending an early psychosis program completed a neuropsychological battery comprising of six cognitive domains and IQ. Symptom severity and pre-morbid adjustment were also assessed.Results: Early psychosis patients with high levels of negative symptoms and "stable-poor" pre-morbid functioning have severe generalized cognitive impairment. Patients with low levels of negative symptoms and "stable-good" pre-morbid adjustment present with milder generalized impairments.Conclusion: Contrary to our hypothesis, visual memory appears to be disproportionally impaired against a back-drop of severe generalized cognitive deficits in early psychosis patients. Patients who have a consistently poor (stable-poor) course pre-morbid adjustment and those with high levels of negative symptoms are more impaired.Contexte: Les déficits cognitifs sont hétérogènes chez les schizophrènes. La question reliée à la présence de certains déficits cognitifs disproportionnés par rapport à un déficit généralisé reste non-résolue. L`étude de sous-groupes de patients plus homogènes au niveau de la sévérité des symptômes et du fonctionnement prémorbide pourrait éclairer notre compréhension entourant la nature exacte des déficits disproportionnés.Méthode : Cent-vingt et un patients suivis dans un programme de premier épisode psychotique ont complété une batterie neuropsychologique complète évaluant cinq domaines cognitifs et le QI global. La sévérité des symptômes et le fonctionnement prémorbide ont aussi été évalués.Résultats : Dans un échantillon hétérogène de premier épisode de psychose, les patients présentent des déficits cognitifs généralisés sévères. En classifiant les patients en sous-groupes, ceux avec de hauts niveaux de symptômes négatifs et un fonctionnement prémorbide «stable-pauvre » présentent des déficits cognitifs généralisés sévères. Les patients avec peu de symptômes négatifs et un fonctionnement prémorbide « stable-bon » démontrent des déficits généralisés plus modérés.Conclusion: Nos résultats indiquent la présence de sévères déficits cognitifs au niveau de la mémoire visuelle et de la vitesse de traitement de l`information chez les jeunes souffrant d`un premier épisode de psychose. De plus, il semble plus prononcés chez les patients avec un fonctionnement prémorbide «stable-pauvre »

Interplay of hippocampal volume and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function as markers of stress vulnerability in men at ultra-high risk for psychosis

Altered hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and reduced hippocampal volume (HV) are established correlates of stress vulnerability. We have previously shown an attenuated cortisol awakening response (CAR) and associations with HV specifically in male first-episode psychosis patients. Findings in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis regarding these neurobiological markers are inconsistent, and assessment of their interplay, accounting for sex differences, could explain incongruent results.publishe