The influence of attentional bias of social anxiety on anxiety in public speaking situations

The current study sought to investigate the relationship between the focus of attention and state anxiety during a public speaking situation involving social anxiety . In a preliminary investigation, undergraduate students responded to a questionnaire based on the Two-dimensional Social Phobic Tendency and Narcissistic Personality Scale-Short version (TENS-S). A previous study using the TENS-S suggested that social anxiety could be divided into two subtypes (high anthropophobic tendency and high narcissistic personality, or high anthropophobic tendency and low narcissistic personality). The high anthropophobic tendency and high narcissistic personality group (HH group) was predicted to exhibit increased anxiety with self-focused attention and other-focused attention. The high anthropophobic tendency and low narcissistic personality group (HL group) was predicted to exhibit increased anxiety with other-focused attention. After screening, 30 undergraduate students were divided into one of three groups based on their questionnaire scores; HH group (n = 8), HL group (n = 9), and low social anxiety group (n = 12). Participants were asked to undertake a speech task to increase state anxiety. Following the speech task, participants rated the direction of changes in attention and the level of state anxiety. The results indicated that self-focused attention and other-focused attention were facilitated in public speaking situations

Psychological Adjustment in Lung Cancer Patients

The purpose of study was to clarify the psychological adjustment and related factors in lung cancer patients with recurrence/metastasis after curative surgery. Forty-one with lung cancer who were informed of a recurrence/metastasis after curative surgery completed a questionnaire comprised of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (MAC), Psychological Adjustment scale for Cancer Survivors (PACS), and information pertaining to demographic variables. When healthcare providers intervene in patients with lung cancer that has recurred/metastasized after curative surgery, it is necessary to assess patients’ psychological adjustment based on demographic information, such as age, sex, marital status, and employment status, and to provide effective support promptly. Factors associated with psychological adjustment with recurrent/metastatic lung cancer after curative surgery were 1) female, 2) having a job, 3) over 65 years of age, 4) having a spouse, and 5) advanced-stage cancer. There was no difference in psychological adjustment between treatment and the period from cancer incidence to recurrence/metastatic

Feelings of Wellbeing in Adolescents – A Cross-cultural Study of Finnish and Japanese Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate how students studying in sixth and eighth grade in very different contexts evaluate their own psychological wellbeing. The study was conducted with 697 Finnish and 721 Japanese students. The study aimed to explore if there were differences between the wellbeing of Finnish and Japanese male and fe­male sixth and eighth grade students. The same questionnaire was used as a measure in both countries. According to the results, the Japanese students more often suffered from psychosomatic symptoms, symptoms of impulsiveness, social anxiety, and problems of controlling emotions than Finnish students. The Finnish students more often admitted to problems in their social relationships. The eighth graders revealed more symptoms than the sixth graders and the girls more than the boys. The smallest wellbeing score was obta­ined by Japanese eighth grade girls.</p

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Procedure Time for Gastric Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection according to Location, considering Both Mucosal Circumferential Incision and Submucosal Dissection

Background. Previous assessments of technical difficulty and procedure time for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of gastric neoplasms did not take into account several critical determinants of these parameters. However, two key phases of ESD determine the total procedure time: the mucosal circumference incision speed (CIS) and submucosal dissection speed (SDS). Methods. We included 302 cases of en bloc and R0 resection of gastric neoplasms performed by 10 operators who had completed the training program at our hospital. Twelve locations were classified based on multiple criteria, such as condition of surrounding mucosa, lesion vascularity, presence of submucosal fat, ulcers, scars, fibrosis, and scope and device maneuverability. Lesions in different locations were classified into three groups based on the length of the procedure: fast, moderate, or late. Results. A significant difference was found in CIS and SDS for each location (p<0.01), which demonstrates the validity of this classification system. In several locations, CIS and SDS were not consistent with each other. Conclusion. CIS and SDS did not correspond to each other even for lesions in the same location. Consideration of ESD procedure time for gastric neoplasms requires a more elaborate classification system than that previously reported