Usefulness of an educational lecture focusing on improvement in public awareness of and attitudes toward depression and its treatments

Background: There is an urgent need to establish effective strategies for suicide prevention. Stigma against depression may be a potential anti-protective factor for suicide. Thus, we investigated baseline levels of awareness and attitudes toward depression and its treatment among the general population by our original 18-item questionnaire, which we aimed to validate in the present study. Next, we conducted two types of educational interventions and examined the results to clarify the difference in the quality of these lectures. Methods: Subjects were 834 citizens (245 males and 589 females) who received an anti-stigma-targeted (n = 467) or non-targeted lecture (n = 367). An 18-item questionnaire assessing levels of awareness and attitudes toward depression and its treatments was administered to each participant before and after the lecture. A chi-square test was used to investigate categorical variables for background data on the participants. Factor analysis of baseline scores was conducted on the 18 questionnaire items. Student’s t-test was used for analysis of the gender effect. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparison among the 5 age groups and comparison of the effect of the two lectures. Multiple regression analysis was applied to examine the determinants of improved attitudes after intervention. Results: Public attitudes toward depression consisted of 4 distinct elements, which were disease-model attitudes, help-seeking behavior, negative affect toward depression, and non-medication solutions. Older participants had poorer disease-model attitudes and more negative affect toward depression, whereas younger participants showed poorer help-seeking behavior (p < 0.05). The anti-stigma-targeted lecture was superior to the non-targeted lecture in improving disease-model attitudes and non-medication solutions (p < 0.05). Multiple regression analyses revealed that each subscale score at post-lecture was strongly dependent on its own baseline subscale score (p < 0.01), and that baseline disease-model attitudes also affected post-lecture scores on negative affect toward depression and non-medication solutions (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The educational intervention appears useful for acquiring accurate attitudes toward depression in a medical model. However, other strategies should be considered to enhance help-seeking behavior, especially in younger people

The Satb1 Protein Directs Hematopoietic Stem Cell Differentiation toward Lymphoid Lineages

SummaryHow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) produce particular lineages is insufficiently understood. We searched for key factors that direct HSC to lymphopoiesis. Comparing gene expression profiles for HSCs and early lymphoid progenitors revealed that Satb1, a global chromatin regulator, was markedly induced with lymphoid lineage specification. HSCs from Satb1-deficient mice were defective in lymphopoietic activity in culture and failed to reconstitute T lymphopoiesis in wild-type recipients. Furthermore, Satb1 transduction of HSCs and embryonic stem cells robustly promoted their differentiation toward lymphocytes. Whereas genes that encode Ikaros, E2A, and Notch1 were unaffected, many genes involved in lineage decisions were regulated by Satb1. Satb1 expression was reduced in aged HSCs with compromised lymphopoietic potential, but forced Satb1 expression partly restored that potential. Thus, Satb1 governs the initiating process central to the replenishing of lymphoid lineages. Such activity in lymphoid cell generation may be of clinical importance and useful to overcome immunosenescence

Real-world effectiveness and safety analysis of carfilzomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone and carfilzomib-dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: a multicenter retrospective analysis

Background: Little is known about the real-world survival benefits and safety profiles of carfilzomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (KRd) and carfilzomib-dexamethasone (Kd). Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis to evaluate their efficacy and safety in 157 patients registered in the Kansai Myeloma Forum database. Results: A total of 107 patients received KRd. Before KRd, 99% of patients had received bortezomib (54% were refractory disease), and 82% had received lenalidomide (57% were refractory disease). The overall response rate (ORR) was 68.2%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 8.8 and 29.3 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that reduction of the carfilzomib dose and non-IgG M protein were significantly associated with lower PFS and reduction of the carfilzomib dose and refractoriness to prior bortezomib-based regimens were significantly associated with lower OS. A total of 50 patients received Kd. Before Kd, 96% of patients had received bortezomib (54% were refractory disease). The ORR was 62.0%. The median PFS and OS were 7.1 and 20.9 months, respectively. Based on the multivariate analysis, reduction of the carfilzomib dose and International Staging System Stage III (ISS III) were significantly associated with lower PFS. Grade III or higher adverse events were observed in 48% of KRd cases and 54% of Kd cases. Cardiovascular events, cytopenia, and infections were frequent, and 4 KRd patients died due to heart failure, arrhythmia, cerebral hemorrhage, and pneumonia. Conclusion: Our analysis showed that an adequate dose of carfilzomib is important for achieving the best survival benefits in a real-world setting. Adverse effects after KRd and Kd therapy should also be considered

A Gas Giant Planet in the OGLE-2006-BLG-284L Stellar Binary System

We present the analysis of microlensing event OGLE-2006-BLG-284, which has a lens system that consists of two stars and a gas giant planet with a mass ratio of $q_p = (1.26\pm 0.19) \times 10^{-3}$ to the primary. The mass ratio of the two stars is $q_s = 0.289\pm 0.011$, and their projected separation is $s_s = 2.1\pm 0.7\,$AU, while the projected separation of the planet from the primary is $s_p = 2.2\pm 0.8\,$AU. For this lens system to have stable orbits, the three-dimensional separation of either the primary and secondary stars or the planet and primary star must be much larger than that these projected separations. Since we do not know which is the case, the system could include either a circumbinary or a circumstellar planet. Because there is no measurement of the microlensing parallax effect or lens system brightness, we can only make a rough Bayesian estimate of the lens system masses and brightness. We find host star and planet masses of $M_{L1} = 0.35^{+0.30}_{-0.20}\,M_\odot$, $M_{L2} = 0.10^{+0.09}_{-0.06}\,M_\odot$, and $m_p = 144^{+126}_{-82}\,M_\oplus$, and the $K$-band magnitude of the combined brightness of the host stars is $K_L = 19.7^{+0.7}_{-1.0}$. The separation between the lens and source system will be $\sim 90\,$mas in mid-2020, so it should be possible to detect the host system with follow-up adaptive optics or Hubble Space Telescope observations

A Gas Giant Planet in the OGLE-2006-BLG-284L Stellar Binary System

We present the analysis of microlensing event OGLE-2006-BLG-284, which has a lens system that consists of two stars and a gas giant planet with a mass ratio of q_p = (1.26 ± 0.19) × 10⁻³ to the primary. The mass ratio of the two stars is q_s = 0.289 ± 0.011, and their projected separation is s_s = 2.1 ± 0.7 au, while the projected separation of the planet from the primary is s_p = 2.2 ± 0.8 au. For this lens system to have stable orbits, the three-dimensional separation of either the primary and secondary stars or the planet and primary star must be much larger than the projected separations. Since we do not know which is the case, the system could include either a circumbinary or a circumstellar planet. Because there is no measurement of the microlensing parallax effect or lens system brightness, we can only make a rough Bayesian estimate of the lens system masses and brightness. We find host star and planet masses of, M_(L1) = 0.35^(+0.30)_(−0.20) M⊙, M_(L2) = 0.10^(+0.09)_(−0.06) M⊙, and m_p = 144^(+126)_(−82) M⊕, and the K-band magnitude of the combined brightness of the host stars is K_L = 19.7^(+0.7)_(−1.0). The separation between the lens and source system will be ~90 mas in mid-2020, so it should be possible to detect the host system with follow-up adaptive optics or Hubble Space Telescope observations