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Objectives: To reduce cancer care disparities in people with mental illness, this study aimed to quantify psychiatric care providers' perceptions regarding issues that are insufficiently addressed or difficult to address. Methods: Psychiatric care providers at 23 psychiatric hospitals in Japan were surveyed using mail questionnaires. Respondents were asked to rate 15 items with four categories related to insufficiencies/difficulties in cancer care for patients with mental illness on a five‐point Likert scale. We analyzed the proportion of respondents who answered "insufficient/difficult" for each item. Results: A total of 255 (76.3%) psychiatric care providers responded. For questions related to the skills and attitudes of psychiatric professionals, 48.3%–58.4% of respondents perceived that efforts for supporting cancer screening and treatment were insufficient. For the questions related to collaborations between cancer and psychiatric care providers, 75.3% of respondents perceived that inpatient visits between psychiatric and cancer hospitals were insufficient. For the questions related to in‐psychiatric‐hospital medical systems, 50.2%–87.2% of respondents perceived that support for screening, diagnosis/treatment, and palliative care for psychiatric inpatients were insufficient/difficult. 41.9%–57.4% of respondents perceived that social services in the community were insufficient. Conclusions: This study clarified the level of insufficiency/difficulty perceived by psychiatric care providers regarding issues related to cancer care for people with mental illness. Psychiatric care providers are required to have knowledge and skills in cancer screening and treatment. To improve access to cancer prevention, treatment, and palliative care, it may be helpful to establish systems to promote coordination between cancer hospitals and psychiatric hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To reduce cancer care disparities, this study aimed to clarify the difficulties in cancer care for people with mental disorders as perceived by cancer care providers. Methods: Cancer care providers at 17 designated cancer hospitals in Japan were surveyed using mail questionnaires. Respondents were asked to rate 29 items related to difficulties or insufficiencies in cancer care for patients with mental disorders on a five‐point Likert scale. We analyzed the proportion of respondents who answered "difficult/insufficient" in each item. We also calculated the proportions of responders stratified according to the presence of psychiatric support systems within their hospitals. Results: A total of 388 (58.4%) cancer care providers responded. Among the issues related to "difficulties in diagnosing and treating cancer," support for decision‐making, assessment of treatment adherence, and assessment of physical symptoms were perceived as most difficult (73.5%–81.5% of respondents). Among the issues related to 'difficulties or insufficiencies in collaboration among multidisciplinary health care providers,' the issue of advance consultation and sharing information with the patient's primary psychiatric care provider was perceived as most difficult (52.2%). Among the issues related to "insufficiencies of in‐hospital and community medical systems," education to provide reasonable accommodation was perceived as most insufficient (47.4%). The perceived difficulties of over half of the issues varied significantly between hospitals depending on the level of psychiatric support systems. Conclusions: This study clarified the difficulties of cancer care in patients with mental disorders as perceived by cancer care providers. Some issues may be resolved by psychiatric liaison teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early diagnosis of individuals' at‐risk mental state (ARMS) is important for preventing their pathogenesis or, at least, delaying onset of overt psychosis. Traditional diagnosis of ARMS subjects is mainly based on structured interviews, but future diagnosis would be carried out together with biomarkers. Aim: In this study, we report urinary biopyrrins and free immunoglobin light chains κ and λ (κFLC and λFLC) as novel diagnostic biomarker candidates for screening ARMS subjects. Methods: Nineteen ARMS subjects and 21 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Inclusion criteria of the ARMS subjects were based on a comprehensive assessment of Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes. We compared oxidative stress and immunological markers in the urine of ARMS subjects with those of healthy controls by ELISA protocol. Results: Augmentation of biopyrrins and reduction of κFLC and λFLC were found in the ARMS samples, and their diagnostic performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analysis, of which area under the curve was as large as 0.915 in combination. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the ARMS subjects were under higher oxidative stress but lower in B cell activation, and that the combined assay of urinary biopyrrins and free immunoglobulin light chains would be useful for the early detection and screening of ARMS subjects among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corticosteroid monotherapy appeared to be effective against DEACMP in our patient, but the mechanism of action of corticosteroids against DEACMP is not known. Carbon monoxide (co) poisoning causes hypoxia (and even death) in the acute phase.1 Delayed encephalopathy after acute co poisoning (DEACMP) can occur even after recovery from acute co poisoning. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: It is widely assumed that there are multiple levels (from individual to policy level) of problems involving disparities in cancer care for people with mental disorders. However, few studies have comprehensively investigated issues as perceived by medical professionals. The purpose of the present study was to identify a wide range of issues in cancer care for people with mental disorders and offer corresponding solutions for both cancer care professionals and psychiatric care professionals. Methods: We distributed open‐ended questionnaires to 754 healthcare professionals in various medical facilities, including designated cancer hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and other local healthcare/welfare facilities. Participants were asked to describe issues in cancer care for people with mental disorders. Results: Of the 754 recruited professionals, 439 (58.2%) responded to the questionnaire. Sixty‐one issues were extracted and categorized into 10 categories: patient factors; isolation and lack of support; obstacles to transport; socioeconomic factors; attitudes of psychiatric professionals; medical system of psychiatric hospitals; attitudes of cancer care professionals; medical system of designated cancer hospitals; regional cancer medical systems; and lack of coordination among multidisciplinary healthcare professionals. Forty‐eight specific solutions were summarized into 12 goals. Conclusions: The present study widely identified issues causing disparities in cancer care for patients with mental disorders. We found that the issues extended from the patient level to the public‐policy level. Our findings suggest the need for a multidisciplinary approach that includes both cancer and psychiatric care professionals to address the gap in cancer care for people with mental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We examined the efficacy of a case management approach to improve participation in colorectal cancer screening among people with schizophrenia. Methods: This was a randomized, parallel group trial. We recruited outpatients with schizophrenia aged 40 years or over from two psychiatric hospitals in Japan. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to treatment as usual or case management intervention plus treatment as usual using a web‐based system. Attending clinicians and participants were unmasked to the allocation. Case management included education and patient navigation for colorectal cancer screening using a fecal occult blood test. Treatment as usual included direct mail government recommendations. The primary endpoint was participation in colorectal cancer screening assessed using municipal records. We also assessed the secondary endpoint of participation in other cancer screenings (lung, gastric, breast, and cervical). Results: Between 3 June and 9 September 2019, 172 eligible participants were randomly assigned to the case management plus treatment as usual group (n = 86) or treatment as usual group (n = 86). One participant was ineligible and another withdrew consent; both were excluded from analysis. A significantly higher proportion of participants received colorectal cancer screening in the case management plus treatment as usual group than in the treatment as usual group (40 [47.1%] of 85 participants vs. 10 [11.8%] of 85 participants, p < 0.0001). The proportion of lung cancer screening also increased. No serious adverse events associated with the study intervention occurred. Conclusion: The case management intervention to encourage participation in colorectal cancer screening was effective for patients with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Suicide attempters have a high risk of repeated suicide attempts and completed suicide. There is evidence that assertive case management can reduce the incidence of recurrent suicidal behavior among suicide attempters. This study evaluated the effect of an assertive‐case‐management training program. Methods: This multicenter, before‐and‐after study was conducted at 10 centers in Japan. Participants were 274 medical personnel. We used Japanese versions of the Attitudes to Suicide Prevention Scale, the Gatekeeper Self‐Efficacy Scale, the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory (SIRI), and the Attitudes Toward Suicide Questionnaire. We evaluated the effects with one‐sample t‐tests, and examined prognosis factors with multivariable analysis. Results: There were significant improvements between pre‐training and post‐training in the Attitudes to Suicide Prevention Scale (mean: −3.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −3.57 to −2.57, P < 0.001), the Gatekeeper Self‐Efficacy Scale (mean: 10.40, 95%CI: 9.48 to 11.32, P < 0.001), SIRI‐1 (appropriate responses; mean: 1.15, 95%CI: 0.89 to 1.42, P < 0.001), and SIRI‐2 (different to the expert responses; mean: −4.78, 95%CI: −6.18 to −3.38, P < 0.001). Significant improvements were found on all Attitudes Toward Suicide Questionnaire subscale scores, except Unjustified Behavior. The effect of training was influenced by experience of suicide‐prevention training and experience of working with suicidal patients. Conclusion: The training program (which was developed to implement and disseminate evidence‐based suicide‐prevention measures) improved attitudes, self‐efficacy, and skills for suicide prevention among medical personnel. Specialized suicide‐prevention training and experience with suicidal patients are valuable for enhancing positive attitudes and self‐efficacy; furthermore, age and clinical experience alone are insufficient for these purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationships between gut microbiota and various disease pathogeneses have been investigated, but those between the pathogeneses of mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, and gut microbiota have only recently attracted attention. We observed a change in the gut microbiota of a patient with schizophrenia after administering electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). A 59-year-old woman was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 17 years of age and has been taking antipsychotic drugs since the diagnosis. Clostridium, which occupied 86.5% of her bacterial flora, decreased to 72.5% after 14 ECT sessions, while Lactobacillus increased from 1.2% to 5.5%, and Bacteroides increased from 9.1% to 31.5%. Previous studies have shown that Clostridium spp. are increased in patients with schizophrenia compared with those in healthy individuals and that Clostridium is reduced after pharmacological treatment. Our report is the first report on the gut microbiota of a patient with schizophrenia receiving ECT. Our results indicate that studies focusing on Clostridium to clarify the pathogenesis of schizophrenia as well as potential therapeutic mechanisms may be beneficial. However, further studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case report of a 69-year-old woman about the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for psychiatric symptoms and cognitive fluctuations similar to dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Topics include three core clinical features that supported the diagnosis of probable DLB, the use of test battery to evaluate the patient's neuropsychiatric symptoms, and an improvement in her hallucinations, depression, and activities of daily living through ECT.

Background: It is unclear whether individuals who have serious psychological distress (SPD) are less likely to participate in screening tests for gastric cancer, lung cancer, and other types of cancer. Of the few studies that have examined the association between SPD and participation in cancer screening, none have reported modifying effects of educational, marital, or employment status.Methods: The authors analyzed a national representative data set from the 2010 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions of Japan., including individuals aged <69 years who met the national program criteria for each type of cancer screening (colorectal, gastric, and lung cancers, n = 29,926; breast cancer, n = 15,423; and cervical cancer, n = 24,735). SPD was defined as a score of 13 or greater on the Kessler 6 scale. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between SPD and participation in cancer screening, and multivariate analyses stratified by socioeconomic status also were conducted.Results: SPD was significantly associated with a lower odds ratio (OR) for participation in screening for colorectal cancer (OR, 0.743; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.638-0.866), gastric cancer (OR, 0.823; 95% CI, 0.717-0.946), and lung cancer (OR, 0.691; 95% CI, 0.592-0.807). Only educational status significantly modified the effect of SPD on participation in these 3 types of cancer screening (P < .05).Conclusions: Individuals with SPD, especially those with lower education levels, were less likely to participate in screening for colorectal, gastric, and lung cancers. Individuals with SPD should be encouraged and supported to participate in cancer screening tests. Cancer 2018;124:555-62. © 2017 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The influence of schizophrenic patients' functional disability on cancer screening participation worldwide is unclear. There are few findings on the disparities in schizophrenic patients' participation in cancer screening programs in Asia. The aim of this study was to investigate the screening rate and the associations between screening and symptom severity/functional disability in patients with schizophrenia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in a psychiatric hospital outpatient clinic in Japan. We recruited schizophrenic patients meeting the national program criteria for cancer screening for colorectal, gastric, lung, breast, and cervical cancer ( n = 224, 223, 224, 110, and 175, respectively). Receipt of cancer screenings was assessed using a self-report questionnaire. Scores on the modified Global Assessment of Functioning (mGAF) were evaluated by participants' primary psychiatrists. Results Rates of cancer screenings were as follows: 24.1% for colorectal, 21.5% for gastric, 30.8% for lung, 25.5% for breast, and 19.4% for cervical cancer. A multivariable logistic analysis showed that a 1-point increase in severity/disability (100 minus mGAF score) was associated with significantly lower odds ratios (OR) for receipt of cancer screenings, except for breast cancer (OR, 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-0.98 for colorectal; OR, 0.96, 95%CI, 0.93-0.98 for gastric; OR, 0.95, 95%CI, 0.93-0.97 for lung; OR, 0.97, 95%CI, 0.94-1.00 for breast; and OR, 0.95, 95%CI, 0.92-0.98 for cervical cancer). Conclusion The findings demonstrated low rates of cancer screenings in schizophrenic patients in Japan. Our study suggests the need to encourage attendance at cancer screenings, especially in schizophrenic patients with severe symptoms/functional disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There have been very few population-based prospective studies that have investigated the risks of deaths by suicide and other externally caused injuries (ECIs) among cancer patients in an Asian population. This study investigated whether the risk of death by both suicide and ECIs increases during the first year following the initial diagnosis of cancer. Methods: Data were analyzed from a population-based cohort of Japanese residents between 1990 and 2010, collected during the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. Poisson regression models were used to calculate adjusted risk ratios (RRs) for both suicide and ECI deaths. To adjust for unmeasured confounding factors, case-crossover analyses were conducted for all patients with cancer who died by suicide and ECIs. Results: A population-based cohort of 102,843 Japanese residents was established. During the follow-up period, there were 34 suicides and 48 ECI deaths among patients with cancer, as compared with 527 suicides and 707 ECI deaths among those who did not have cancer. Analyses revealed that those who were newly diagnosed with cancer were at a greatly increased risk of death by suicide and ECIs within the first year after their diagnosis (suicide RR= 23.9, 95% CI: 13.8-41.6; ECI RR= 18.8, 95% CI: 11.4-31.0). Furthermore, the case-crossover analyses generally confirmed the results of the Poisson regressions. Conclusions: The risks of suicide and ECI deaths within the first year after a cancer diagnosis were higher than those among cancer-free populations. A diagnosis of cancer is a critical experience that may increase the risk of fatal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although protracted cognitive impairment has been reported to occur after radiotherapy even when such therapy is not directed to brain areas, the mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated whether breast cancer patients exposed to local radiotherapy showed lower cognitive function mediated by higher plasma interleukin ( IL)-6 levels than those unexposed. We performed the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised ( WMS-R) and measured plasma IL-6 levels for 105 breast cancer surgical patients within 1 year after the initial therapy. The group differences in each of the indices of WMS-R were investigated between cancer patients exposed to adjuvant regional radiotherapy ( n = 51) and those unexposed ( n = 54) using analysis of covariance. We further investigated a mediation effect by plasma IL-6 levels on the relationship between radiotherapy and the indices of WMS-R using the bootstrapping method. The radiotherapy group showed significantly lower Immediate Verbal Memory Index and Delayed Recall Index ( P = 0.001, P = 0.008, respectively). Radiotherapy exerted an indirect effect on the lower Delayed Recall Index of WMS-R through elevation of plasma IL-6 levels (bootstrap 95% confidence interval = −2.6626 to −0.0402). This study showed that breast cancer patients exposed to adjuvant regional radiotherapy in conservation therapy might have cognitive impairment even several months after their treatment. The relationship between the therapy and the cognitive impairment could be partially mediated by elevation of plasma IL-6 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by a high frequency of cachexia, pain and neural invasion (N-inv). Neural damage is occurred by N-inv and modulates pain and muscle atrophy via the activation of astrocyte in the connected spine. The activated astrocyte by N-inv, thus, may affect cachexia in pancreatic cancer. Clinical studies in patients and autopsy cases with pancreatic cancer have revealed that N-inv is related to cachexia and astrocytic activation. We established a novel murine model of cancer cachexia using N-inv of human pancreatic cancer cells. Mice with N-inv showed a loss of body weight, skeletal muscle and fat mass without appetite loss, which are compatible with an animal model of cancer cachexia. Activation of astrocytes in the spinal cord connected with N-inv was observed in our model. Experimental cachexia was suppressed by disrupting neural routes or inhibiting the activation of astrocytes. These data provide the first evidence that N-inv induces cachexia via astrocytic activation of neural route in pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Rest–activity rhythms of human beings generally synchronize to a 24-h time cue. Very few detailed research studies have examined rest–activity rhythms in patients with schizophrenia. The present study aimed to explore (i) rest–activity rhythms in patients with schizophrenia, and (ii) factors relevant to their rhythm characteristics. Methods: We selected only inpatients for this research, because the time cue for inpatients was considered more standardized than that of outpatients. Sixteen inpatients with schizophrenia wore an ActiTrac accelerometer-based activity monitor (IM Systems Inc., Baltimore, USA) for eight consecutive days to measure their activity. We used a χ2 periodogram to compute rest–activity rhythms from the activity data, whereby the χ2 value amplitude was regarded as an index of regularity. We conducted non-parametric tests to identify factors relevant to rhythm cycles and patterns. Results: Half of the participants exhibited prolonged rest–activity cycles, and 25% also had irregular rest–activity patterns defined by insufficient χ2 value amplitude, even though they were clearly under a 24-h time cue. Participants with misaligned rest–activity rhythms had attended daytime non-medical treatment programs less frequently, and had received more anti-anxiety/hypnotic medications than those with proper rhythms. Conclusion: Changes in rest–activity rhythms by optimizing pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment could improve social adjustment or quality of life in patients with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Encouraging coping strategies that contribute to positive psychological states in bereaved individuals is assumed to be desirable; however, little is known about the components of positive psychological states and bereavement-specific coping strategies. The purpose of this study was to describe the components of psychological states and coping strategies after bereavement among the spouses of cancer patients. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted among bereaved spouses of cancer patients. Meaning units of the psychological state and coping strategy in the interview records were grouped into categories and themes based on their similarities using content analysis and constant comparison methods. Negative/positive psychological states and general/bereavement-specific coping strategies were identified by discussion among the authors. The number of participants who responded to each category was determined by two raters who were unaware of the categorized procedure. Results: Seven men and 17 women participated in the interviews. Forty-two categories of psychological states identified from 784 meaning units were grouped into six themes: ‘Anxiety’, ‘Yearning’, ‘Anger’, and ‘Depression’ were negative psychological states, while ‘Acceptance’ and ‘Future-oriented Feelings’ were positive psychological states. Thirty-three categories of coping strategies identified from 559 meaning units were grouped into six themes: ‘Avoidance’, ‘Distancing’, ‘Emotional Expression’, and ‘Seeking Support’ were general coping strategies, while ‘Continuing Bonds’ and ‘Reconstruction of Life’ were bereavement-specific coping strategies. Conclusions: Several original components of positive psychological states after bereavement and bereavement-specific coping strategies were identified, whereas most of the other components were consistent with previous studies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous studies have suggested that marital status is associated with survival from lung cancer; however, its association is not conclusive. The association between marital status and survival in Japanese patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was prospectively investigated. Methods: Between July 1999 and July 2004, a total of 1230 NSCLC patients were enrolled. The baseline survey consisted of the collection of clinical information and various demographic data, including marital status. A Cox regression model was used to estimate the hazards ratio (HR) of all-cause mortality adjustments for age, BMI, education level, performance status, histology type, clinical stage, smoking status, choice of definitive treatment, and depression. Results: The multivariable adjusted HR of male widowed patients versus male married patients was 1.7 (95% confidence interval=1.2–2.5, p=0.005). However, no significant increased risk of death in female widowed patients compared with female married patients was observed (HR=0.7, 95% confidence interval=0.5–1.1, p=0.15). With regard to separated/divorced and single patients no significant increased risk of death in male and/or female compared with married patients was observed. Conclusions: The present data suggest that male widowed patients with NSCLC have a higher mortality rate than male married patients with NSCLC, after controlling for various factors. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a prospective cohort study in Japan to investigate associations between negative psychological aspects and cancer survival. Between July 1999 and July 2004, a total of 1178 lung cancer patients were enrolled. The questionnaire asked about socioeconomic variables, smoking status, clinical symptoms, and psychological aspects after diagnosis. Negative psychological aspects were assessed for the subscales of helplessness/hopelessness and depression. Clinical stage, performance status (PS), and histologic type were obtained from medical charts. The subjects were followed up until December 2004, and 686 had died. A Cox regression model was used to estimate the hazards ratio (HR) of all-cause mortality. After adjustment for socioeconomic variables and smoking status in addition to sex, age, and histologic type, both helplessness/hopelessness and depression subscales showed significant linear positive associations with the risk of mortality (p for trend<0.001 for both). However, after adjustment for clinical state variables in addition to sex, age, and histologic type, these significant linear positive associations were no longer observed (p for trend=0.41 and 0.26, respectively). Our data supported the hypothesis that the association between helplessness/hopelessness and depression and the risk of mortality among lung cancer patients was largely confounded by clinical state variables including clinical stage, PS, and clinical symptoms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little attention has been paid to sleep disturbance experienced by advanced cancer patients. The purpose of the present study was to investigate longitudinal change in sleep disturbance and to identify factors that associated with and predicted sleep disturbance among 209 consecutive terminally ill cancer patients. Patients were assessed twice for sleep disturbance by one item of the structured clinical interview for assessing depression, once at the time of their registration with a palliative care unit (PCU) (baseline) and again at the time of their PCU admission (follow-up), and possible associated medical and psychosocial factors were evaluated. The proportions of patients with obvious sleep disturbance at baseline and follow-up were 15.3 and 25.9%, respectively. Sixty-seven percent of the subjects showed some sleep status changes, including both aggravation and improvement, between baseline and follow-up. Being younger, having diarrhea and living alone were significantly associated with sleep disturbance at baseline, and the increase of psychological distress was the only significant predictive factor for sleep disturbance at follow-up. These findings suggest that psychological distress is a possible key cause of sleep disturbance and management of psychological distress may be one promising strategy for prevention of sleep disturbance among advanced cancer patients. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand patients' preferences regarding the disclosure of bad news is important in the clinical oncology setting. The aim of this study was to clarify descriptively the preferences of cancer patients. Five hundred and twenty-nine Japanese cancer outpatients were surveyed regarding their preferences regarding the disclosure of bad news, and several psychosocial and medical demographic variables were analyzed. In a descriptive analysis, more than 90% of the patients strongly preferred to discuss their current medical condition and treatment options with their physician and to have their physicians take the feelings of their family into consideration as well. While half of the patients preferred to receive information regarding their life expectancy, 30% preferred not to receive it. Multiple regression analyses indicated the preferences showing interindividual variations were associated with the level of education and the mental adjustment to cancer scores. A factor analysis revealed four preferences factors: method of disclosure of the bad news, provision of emotional support, provision of additional information, and setting. These four factors had good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93-0.77). Providing emotional support, including the desire for the physician to show consideration for the patient's family, and understanding an individual's communication preferences may be useful for promoting patient–physician communication. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major depression is one of the most relevant risk factors for suicide, but there are few data explaining why some depressive patients have suicidality and others do not in Japan, while the previous systematic review suggests the relevance of male gender, past suicidality, severe depression and substance misuse and so on.[1] We carried out a preliminary investigation of the clinical factors in patients with major depression with and without suicidal ideation, using the data of the SUN D trial (a multi-center randomized controlled clinical trial). Kochi University: Hajime Kubouchi (Kokokara Clinic), Hirotoshi Sato (Harimayabashi Clinic), Shinji Shimodera (Kochi University), Hirokazu Fujita (Kochi University), Takashi Itoh (Medical Counseling Room Itoh Clinic), Ryosuke Fujito (Fujito Hospital), Sawako Kanno (Atago Hospital), Hiroshi Hashizume (Fujito Hospital), Ippei Morokuma (Kochi University), Yosuke Suga (Kochi University), Mikako Fuji (Kochi University). [Extracted from the article]

A response by the authors to a letter to the editor about their article "Smaller Regional Volumes of Brain Gray and White Matter Demonstrated in Breast Cancer Survivors Exposed to Adjuvant Chemotherapy," previously published within the issue, is presented.