Biomedical subjects

T Hosaka

Publications and source records attributed to T Hosaka.

113 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship of alexithymia and poor social support to ulcerative changes on gastrofiberscopy.

The effects of psychosocial factors on peptic ulceration and/or erosions were examined in a sample of 189 volunteers. Analysis of variance found that the severity of gastrofiberscopic findings was related to two psychosocial factors-poor social support and degree of alexithymia- and that both psychosocial factors were significantly correlated with one another. Analysis of covariance indicated that gastrofiberscopic findings remained significantly related to poor social support when alexithymia was controlled for. These findings suggest that in both healthy persons, and in persons with alexithymia, peptic ulceration or erosions tend to manifest when social support is low. Poor social support and alexithymia may be an especially high-risk combination for the development of peptic ulceration and/or erosions.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of a modified group intervention with early-stage breast cancer patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical effectiveness of a psychiatric intervention program consisting of 5 weekly structured interventions and 3 additional group meetings every two months. Previous studies revealed that a 5 weekly structured intervention program was effective for alleviating psychological discomforts in Japanese breast cancer patients, and that the effectiveness persisted for 6 months for patients without lymph node metastasis or adjustment disorders. Since this 5-session intervention did not have persistent effects in patients with lymph node metastasis and/or adjustment disorders, 3 additional group meetings every two months were added after completion of the 5 weekly structured interventions. A total of 43 breast cancer patients completed the full program. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) scores were compared before, immediately after 5 sessions, immediately after the 3 additional interventions, and 6 months after all programs. As analyzed by POMS scores, the clinical effectiveness of a structured group intervention program persisted for 6 months for patients even with nodal metastases and/or adjustment disorders. These findings of the present study suggested that the 5 weekly intervention program was sufficient for patients without lymph node metastasis or adjustment disorders. In contrast, this intervention program alone was insufficient for patients with nodal metastases and/or adjustment disorders. For them, a new psychiatric intervention program consisting of 5 weekly structured interventions and 3 additional group meetings every two months were effective and sufficient.

Adjustment Disorders↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Disclosure of true diagnosis in Japanese cancer patients.

Full disclosure of medical diagnosis to cancer patients in Japan remains controversial. Some physicians in Japan believe that full disclosure may affect the outcome of treatment, create stress and psychiatric problems, or lead to suicide. Although the trend toward full disclosure is increasing in Japan, approximately 70% of current cancer patients are still not fully informed of their condition. In this study, the authors examined the psychiatric status and effects of full disclosure among 100 otolaryngology patients at Tokai University Hospital (50 with benign diseases, 50 with malignancy) using major depression and adjustment disorders criteria of the DSM-III-R Structured Clinical Interview (SCID). This demonstrated that 15 of 50 (30%) patients with benign diseases and 23 of 50 (46%) patients with malignant diseases met the criteria for depression and adjustment disorder; 29 of the 50 patients (58%) with malignant cancer were not informed of their true condition, according to the wishes of their families (21 were fully informed). The prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders was 42.9% among the informed group and 48.3% among the uninformed group. These findings suggest that concealing the true diagnosis was not related to the presence of psychiatric disorders in Japanese cancer patients.

Female↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Criterion-related validity of diagnostic criteria for alexithymia in a general hospital psychiatric setting.

BACKGROUND: The diagnostic criteria for alexithymia (DCA) was proposed by Fava et al. in 1995. The purpose of this study was to examine the criterion-related validity of the DCA in a general hospital psychiatric setting. METHODS: The subjects included 126 outpatients with psychiatric disturbance. The severity of alexithymic characteristics was assessed using the DCA and Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire (BIQ). Two Japanese versions of the 26-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-26) and Minnesota Multiphasic. Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) were administered. RESULTS: The DCA had relatively high sensitivity and specificity, indicating adequate discriminant validity. The discriminant validity of the DCA was also supported by significant associations of the DCA with the TAS-26 and MMPI-2. These results indicate that when used for screening, the DCA has adequate criterion-related validity. CONCLUSIONS: The DCA may be clinically useful in a general hospital psychiatric setting.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Amplification of the CDK4 gene in sarcomas: tumor specificity and relationship with the RB gene mutation.

Amplification of the CDK4 gene, which encodes a key molecule in the cell cycle, has been shown in some types of human neoplasms, including bone and soft tissue tumors. It is also reported that the CDK4 gene is coamplified with other sequences in the 12q13-15 region, including the MDM2 and SAS genes. Using 146 DNA samples derived from a variety of bone and soft tissue tumors, we have studied the pattern of amplification of these three genes, CDK4, MDM2, and SAS, to investigate whether there are any tumor type specific patterns of amplification. Amplification of at least one of these three genes was found in 18 tumors, and five different patterns of amplification were observed. Amplification of all of these three genes was detected in 9 cases. Amplification of the CDK4 gene without MDM2 amplification was observed in osteosarcomas and a chondrosarcoma but not in soft tissue tumors, whereas amplification of MDM2 gene alone was observed in malignant fibrous histiocytomas (MFHs), liposarcomas, and lipomas, but not in bone tumors. These results suggested that the CDK4 region is the primary target for amplification in bone tumors, whereas the MDM2 region is in soft tissue tumors. We also investigated the relationship of CDK4 amplification with retinoblastoma (RB) gene mutations in osteosarcomas, for which we have already performed the mutation analyses in detail. Interestingly, contrary to the prevailing theory that CDK4 amplification is an alternative mechanism for RB gene mutation, we found that three of four cases with amplification of the CDK4 gene showed loss of expression of the RB protein, one of which was proved to have an gross DNA alteration in the RB locus. This redundancy of mutations may indicate that the amplification of CDK4 may have some roles other than the inactivation of the RB protein in the development of osteosarcomas.

Bone Neoplasms↗