The effect of omega-3 fatty acids on psychophysiological assessment for the secondary prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder: an open-label pilot study.

Our recent pilot study has shown that the supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) immediately after a traumatic event may be effective toward the secondary prevention of post-traumatic disorder (PTSD). To lay the groundwork for addressing the mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids can prevent PTSD, we analyzed its psychophysiological data. The psychophysiological data included heart rate, skin conductance, and continuous blood pressure during patient subjection to startling tones and idiographic trauma-related cues. Of the 8 patients, 1 met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Compared to the seven patients without PTSD, one patient with PTSD showed relatively large reactivity to the startle tones. In contrast, this patient did not show large reactivity to the trauma-related cue during script-driven imagery. The combination of psychophysiological measurements in our randomized control trial should shed light on the underlying mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids can prevent PTSD

Concern over radiation exposure and psychological distress among rescue workers following the Great East Japan Earthquake

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that followed caused severe damage along Japans northeastern coastline and to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. To date, there are few reports specifically examining psychological distress in rescue workers in Japan. Moreover, it is unclear to what extent concern over radiation exposure has caused psychological distress to such workers deployed in the disaster area.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One month after the disaster, 424 of 1816 (24%) disaster medical assistance team workers deployed to the disaster area were assessed. Concern over radiation exposure was evaluated by a single self-reported question. General psychological distress was assessed with the Kessler 6 scale (K6), depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), fear and sense of helplessness with the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), and posttraumatic stress symptoms with the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Radiation exposure was a concern for 39 (9.2%) respondents. Concern over radiation exposure was significantly associated with higher scores on the K6, CES-D, PDI, and IES-R. After controlling for age, occupation, disaster operation experience, duration of time spent watching earthquake news, and past history of psychiatric illness, these associations remained significant in men, but did not remain significant in women for the CES-D and PDI scores.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings suggest that concern over radiation exposure was strongly associated with psychological distress. Reliable, accurate information on radiation exposure might reduce deployment-related distress in disaster rescue workers.</p

Anti-Tumor Effect in Human Lung Cancer by a Combination Treatment of Novel Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors: SL142 or SL325 and Retinoic Acids

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors arrest cancer cell growth and cause apoptosis with low toxicity thereby constituting a promising treatment for cancer. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor activity in lung cancer cells of the novel cyclic amide-bearing hydroxamic acid based HDAC inhibitors SL142 and SL325. In A549 and H441 lung cancer cells both SL142 and SL325 induced more cell growth inhibition and cell death than the hydroxamic acid-based HDAC inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA). Moreover, the combination treatment using retinoid drugs ATRA or 9-cis RA along with SL142 or SL325 significantly induced more apoptosis and suppressed colony formation than the single use of either. The expression of the retinoic acid receptors RARα, RARβ, RXRα and RXRβ were unchanged with the treatment. However a luciferase reporter construct (pGL4. RARE 7x) containing seven tandem repeats of the retinoic acid responsible element (RARE) generated significant transcriptional activity after the combination treatment of retinoic acids and SL142 or SL325 in H441 lung cancer cells. Moreover, apoptosis-promoting Bax expression and caspase-3 activity was increased after the combination treatment. These results suggest that the combination treatment of SL142 or SL325 with retinoic acids exerts significant anti-tumor activity and is a promising therapeutic candidate to treat human lung cancer