A community intervention trial of multimodal suicide prevention program in Japan: A Novel multimodal Community Intervention program to prevent suicide and suicide attempt in Japan, NOCOMIT-J

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To respond to the rapid surge in the incidence of suicide in Japan, which appears to be an ongoing trend, the Japanese Multimodal Intervention Trials for Suicide Prevention (J-MISP) have launched a multimodal community-based suicide prevention program, NOCOMIT-J. The primary aim of this study is to examine whether NOCOMIT-J is effective in reducing suicidal behavior in the community.</p> <p>Methods/DesignThis study is a community intervention trial involving seven intervention regions with accompanying control regions, all with populations of statistically sufficient size. The program focuses on building social support networks in the public health system for suicide prevention and mental health promotion, intending to reinforce human relationships in the community. The intervention program components includes a primary prevention measures of awareness campaign for the public and key personnel, secondary prevention measures for screening of, and assisting, high-risk individuals, after-care for individuals bereaved by suicide, and other measures. The intervention started in July 2006, and will continue for 3.5 years. Participants are Japanese and foreign residents living in the intervention and control regions (a total of population of 2,120,000 individuals).</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The present study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the community-based suicide prevention program in the seven participating areas.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) UMIN000000460.</p

An immune-adrenergic pathway induces lethal levels of platelet-activating factor in mice

Acute immune responses with excess production of cytokines, lipid/chemical mediators, or coagulation factors, often result in lethal damage. In addition, the innate immune system utilizes multiple types of receptors that recognize neurotransmitters as well as pathogen-associated molecular patterns, making immune responses complex and clinically unpredictable. We here report an innate immune and adrenergic link inducing lethal levels of platelet-activating factor. Injecting mice with toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 ligand lipopolysaccharide (LPS), cell wall N-glycans of Candida albicans, and the α₂-adrenergic receptor (α₂-AR) agonist medetomidine induces lethal damage. Knocking out the C-type lectin Dectin-2 prevents the lethal damage. In spleen, large amounts of platelet-activating factor (PAF) are detected, and knocking out lysophospholipid acyltransferase 9 (LPLAT9/LPCAT2), which encodes an enzyme that converts inactive lyso-PAF to active PAF, protects mice from the lethal damage. These results reveal a linkage/crosstalk between the nervous and the immune system, possibly inducing lethal levels of PAF

Fundamental Parameters of the Milky Way Galaxy Based on VLBI astrometry

We present analyses to determine the fundamental parameters of the Galaxy based on VLBI astrometry of 52 Galactic maser sources obtained with VERA, VLBA and EVN. We model the Galaxy's structure with a set of parameters including the Galaxy center distance R_0, the angular rotation velocity at the LSR Omega_0, mean peculiar motion of the sources with respect to Galactic rotation (U_src, V_src, W_src), rotation-curve shape index, and the V component of the Solar peculiar motions V_sun. Based on a Markov chain Monte Carlo method, we find that the Galaxy center distance is constrained at a 5% level to be R_0 = 8.05 +/- 0.45 kpc, where the error bar includes both statistical and systematic errors. We also find that the two components of the source peculiar motion U_src and W_src are fairly small compared to the Galactic rotation velocity, being U_src = 1.0 +/- 1.5 km/s and W_src = -1.4 +/- 1.2 km/s. Also, the rotation curve shape is found to be basically flat between Galacto-centric radii of 4 and 13 kpc. On the other hand, we find a linear relation between V_src and V_sun as V_src = V_sun -19 (+/- 2) km/s, suggesting that the value of V_src is fully dependent on the adopted value of V_sun. Regarding the rotation speed in the vicinity of the Sun, we also find a strong correlation between Omega_0 and V_sun. We find that the angular velocity of the Sun, Omega_sun, which is defined as Omega_sun = Omega_0 + V_sun/R_0, can be well constrained with the best estimate of Omega_sun = 31.09 +/- 0.78 km/s/kpc. This corresponds to Theta_0 = 238 +/- 14 km/s if one adopts the above value of R_0 and recent determination of V_sun ~ 12 km/s.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, PASJ in pres

Quantitative analysis of β1,6GlcNAc-branched N-glycans on β4 integrin in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

α6β4 integrin plays pivotal roles in cancer progression in several types of cancers. Our previous study using N-glycan-manipulated cell lines demonstrated that defects in N-glycans or decreased β1,6GlcNAc-branched N-glycans on β4 integrin suppress β4 integrin-mediated cancer cell adhesion, migration, invasion, and tumorigenesis. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis has shown that colocalization of β1,6GlcNAc-branched N-glycans with β4 integrin was observed in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tissue. However, until now there has been no direct evidence that β1,6GlcNAc-branched N-glycans are upregulated on β4 integrin in cutaneous SCC. In the present study, we performed an ELISA analysis of β1,6GlcNAc-branched N-glycans on β4 integrins as well as β4 integrins in cell lysates from human normal skin and cutaneous SCC tissues. The SCC samples showed a 4.9- to 7.4-fold increase in the ratio of β1,6GlcNAc-branched N-glycans to β4 integrin compared with normal skin samples. These findings suggest that the addition of β1,6GlcNAc-branched N-glycans onto β4 integrin was markedly elevated in cutaneous SCC tissue compared to normal skin tissue. The value of β1,6GlcNAc-branched N-glycans on β4 integrin may be useful as a diagnostic marker associated with cutaneous SCC tumor progression

COVID-19流行下におけるソーシャルワーク実習の模索 ② : 学内代替実習に対する一定の評価

本研究は2020年度における鹿児島国際大学福祉社会学部のソーシャルワーク実習（社会福祉士養成課程）を素材に、COVID-19流行下における①学内代替実習の具体的プログラム内容、②学内代替実習の運営、③実習の5者関係から見た学内代替実習に対する一定の評価、について精査した。学内代替実習プログラムは当事者不在になりがちであったが、「ソーシャルワーク視点･地域アセスメントの可視化」を試みた実習指導者によって実習生とイメージの共有化を図ることができていた。ただし、実習を取り巻く5者関係から再検証すると、実習生が体験すべき「リアリテイ」については不足し、実習生自身の課題が何なのか向き合う機会（成長の機会）の確保が課題であった。また、学内代替実習の運営については様々な課題があったものの、担当するスタッフのチームワークや組織マネジメントによって対応することが可能であった。This research is based on the social work training of the Faculty of Welfare Sociology of The International university of Kagoshima in 2020. Under the COVID-19 epidemic, we scrutinized (1) Specific program contents of the alternative training in campus, (2) Management of the alternative training in campus, and (3) Certain evaluation of the alternative training in campus from the viewpoint of the five-party relationship of the training. Alternative training in campus programs tended to be absent from clients. However, the training instructor who tried "visualization of social work viewpoint / regional assessment" was able to share the image with the trainees. On the other hand, when reexamined from the five-party relationship surrounding the training, there was a lack of "reality" that the trainees should experience. The challenge was to secure an opportunity to notice what the trainee\u27s own problems were. In addition, although there were various issues regarding the operation of the alternative training in campus, it was possible to deal with it through the teamwork of the staff and organizational management

COVID-19流行下におけるソーシャルワーク実習の模索 ① : 学内代替実習の検討プロセスに着目して

本研究は2020年度における鹿児島国際大学福祉社会学部のソーシャルワーク実習（社会福祉士養成課程）を素材に、COVID-19流行下における①ソーシャルワーク実習を学内代替実習へと切り替えるプロセス、②学内代替実習プログラムの検討プロセスについて精査を行った。限られた時間の中で学内代替実習の形をどのように模索し、現実的判断を行うことができたのかについて時系列に出来事や資料を整理することで振り返りを行った。また、学内代替実習のプログラミングを可能にした諸条件として、①本学社会福祉学科及びソーシャルワーカー養成教育の歴史の重なりによる多様な人材、②既存のネットワーク（専門職団体・教員の保有するネットワーク）との有機的連携、③実習プログラミングをサポートする既存の体制の3点が整理された。This research is based on the social work training of the Faculty of Welfare Sociology of The International university of Kagoshima in 2020. Under the COVID-19 epidemic, we scrutinized (1) Process of switching social work training to alternative training in campus, and (2) Process of examining alternative training programs in campus. We looked back on how we were able to explore the form of alternative training in campus and make realistic judgments in a limited amount of time by arranging events and materials in chronological order. In addition, as conditions that enabled programming of alternative training in campus, (1) Diverse human resources due to the overlap of the history of the Department of Social Welfare and social worker training education of the university, and (2) Organic cooperation with existing networks (Network owned by professional organizations and faculty members), (3) Existing system to support field training programming, was organized