Regional Differences of Serotonin-Mediated Synaptic Plasticity in the Chicken Spinal Cord With Development and Aging

Previous studies in our laboratory /3,17/ have demonstrated that serotonin (5-HT) appears to have a trophic-like effect in enhancing synapse formation and maintenance in both the developing and the adult central nervous system. In the present study, we focused on age-related changes in the density of the axosomatic and axodendritic synapses and the number of 5-HT-positive fibers in the chicken spinal cord, with special reference to differences between the ventral (laminae VII and IX) and the dorsal (lamina I) horn. At 1 week posthatching (PIW), a transient overproduction of synapses and 5-HT-immunoreactive fibers occurred in lamina IX; all parameters had returned to their initial levels by 1 month post-hatching (PIM). The density of synapses further decreased by about 40% between P6M and P2Y (2 years posthatching). Although the magnitude of the transient increase in lamina VII was less than that in lamina IX, the changing pattern of the synapses and the 5-HT-positive fibers was similar in both regions. In the ventral horn, thin 5-HT-positive fibers were most prominent at P1W and then decreased with development; thin 5-HT-positive fibers were still found at P6M but had almost disappeared by P2Y. By contrast, at P2Y the density of the synapses and the 5-HT-positive fibers in the dorsal horn was even higher than that of younger animals

QOL and self-efficacy of patients with chronic hepatitis C for three months after interferon therapy began

本研究は,Interferon 治療過程におけるC型慢性肝炎患者のQOL 及びSelf-efficacy の変化と相互の関連性を,治療開始後3ヶ月までの期間において探求することを目的に行った.C型慢性肝炎患者45人を対象に,自記式質問紙調査法により,入院時と治療開始後1ヶ月,3ヶ月の3回にわたる縦断的調査を実施した.その結果,以下のことが明らかになった.1.QOL は,治療開始後1ヶ月以内に低下し,3ヶ月まで低値のまま推移し,副作用の影響を受けていた.2.Self-efficacy は,治療中の変化は見られず,副作用の影響を受けていなかった.3.QOL 下位尺度である心の健康,活力,社会生活機能と,Self-efficacy の間に,正の相関を認めた.今後は支援検討に向けて,疾患特異的なSelf-efficacy やQOL 尺度を開発し,それらを用いてQOL とSelf-efficacyの関連性を確認する必要があろう.The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the quality of life (QOL) and the self-efficacyof patients with chronic hepatitis C during the interferon treatment process, and mutual relevance,forthree months after the medical treatment began. The subjects were 45 patients with chronic hepatitis C,who answered a total of 3 surveys conducted at the time of hospitalization, one month after medicaltreatment began, and three months after using a questionnaire. As a result, the following conclusions weremade:1. QOL declined for one month after medical treatment began, and maintained a low value for threemonths. QOL was influenced by side effects.2. Self-efficacy did not change during the medical treatment. Self-efficacy was not influenced by sideeffects.3. In the relation of QOL and self-efficacy, a positive correlation between scales of QOL (such as mentalhealth, vitality, and social functioning) and self-efficacy was observed.For the support examination in the future,it is necessary to develop a self-efficacy and QOL standardrelation to hepatitis C disease,and the relationship between QOL and self-efficacy that uses a properoutcome measure is likely to be confirmed

Impact of half-day clinical training in outpatient psychiatry on perception of mental illness by postgraduate interns

Aim: Lack of contact with patients with mental illness may contribute to mental health stigma. We conducted a half-day training program in the outpatient psychiatry clinic of a rural general hospital for postgraduate interns in Nagasaki University Hospital. Our study investigated the effectiveness of this program in reducing stigma toward mental illness. It also examined the association between an intern’s perception of mental illness and their consideration of psychiatry as a career.Methods: Participants were 12 interns at Nagasaki University Hospital who competed a pre- and post- training questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed perceptions of mental illness using a semantic differential scale and measured consideration of psychiatry as a career on a 7 point Likert scale. Paired t-tests were used to compare mean pre- and post-training scores on the semantic differential scale. Pearson’s correlation was used to examine associations between semantic differential scores and consideration of psychiatry as a career.Results: Post-training scores were higher than pre-training scores on the items “warm” (P = 0.003), “clean” (P = 0.009), “bright” (P = 0.001), and “calm” (P = 0.003) as associated with mental illness. Consideration of psychiatry as a career significantly correlated with post-training score on “warm” (r = 0.587, P = 0.045).Conclusion: Interns can develop positive perceptions of mental illness after a half-day training program in a psychiatry outpatient clinic. Perceptions of mental illness as “warm” after training correlated with consideration of psychiatry as a career

Subjective achievement from psychiatry rotation in the Japanese postgraduate residency system: a longitudinal questionnaire study

Background: Psychiatry rotation has been mandatory in the Japanese postgraduate residency system since 2020. Some psychiatry-related competency items are stipulated as mandatory for residents. The current study aimed to clarify whether psychiatry rotation affected residents’ subjective achievement of these competency items.Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted among postgraduate residents who completed a rotation in the psychiatry department at Nagasaki University Hospital across two academic years (2020–2021). The survey was administered at the start and at the end of the psychiatry rotation. Residents evaluated their subjective understanding and confidence regarding initiating treatment for these competency items using a six-point Likert scale. The average scores for each item were compared between pre-rotation and post-rotation.Results: In total, 99 residents (91.7%) responded to this survey. Residents had significantly higher scores at postrotation compared with pre-rotation in all psychiatry-related competency items in both subjective understanding and confidence in initiating treatment. Additionally, strong effect sizes were found for many items.Conclusion: Residents improved learning about psychiatry-related competency items through psychiatry rotation. This finding suggests that it is reasonable for psychiatry rotation to be mandatory in the current Japanese postgraduate residency system. The importance of psychiatry is likely to increase in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in the future. It is necessary to continuously update educational strategies to meet changing social needs over time. As this study was conducted at a single institution, a multi-center study is needed to expand the current findings

C型慢性肝炎患者のQOL向上を目指した看護面接の試み : インターフェロン療法開始から3ヵ月までの検討

広島大学(Hiroshima University)博士(看護学)Nursingdoctora

Enantioselective synthesis of beta-amino acid derivatives via nickel-promoted regioselective carboxylation of ynamides and rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation

We succeeded in the development of a new method for enantioselective synthesis of alpha-substituted-beta-amino acid derivatives. Thus, nickel(0)-promoted carboxylation of ynamide gave the alpha-substituted-beta-aminoacrylate derivative in a highly regioselective manner. Then, rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of the a-substituted beta-aminoacrylate produced the corresponding alpha-substituted beta-amino acid derivative as an optically active form