Nagasaki International University

About: Nagasaki International University is a education organization based out in Nagasaki, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Monolayer & Eastern blot. The organization has 264 authors who have published 617 publications receiving 12698 citations. The organization is also known as: Nagasaki kokusai daigaku.

The performance of the Japanese version of the K6 and K10 in the World Mental Health Survey Japan

Abstract: Two new screening scales for psychological distress, the K6 and K10, have been developed using the item response theory and shown to outperform existing screeners in English. We developed their Japanese versions using the standard back-translaton method and included them in the World Mental Health Survey Japan (WMH-J), which is a psychiatric epidemiologic study conducted in seven communities across Japan with 2436 participants. The WMH-J used the WMH Survey Initiative version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) to assess the 30-day Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). Performance of the two screening scales in detecting DSM-IV mood and anxiety disorders, as assessed by the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs), was excellent, with values as high as 0.94 (95% confidence interval = 0.88 to 0.99) for K6 and 0.94 (0.88 to 0.995) for K10. Stratum-specific likelihood ratios (SSLRs), which express screening test characteristics and can be used to produce individual-level predicted probabilities of being a case from screening scale scores and pretest probabilities in other samples, were strikingly similar between the Japanese and the original versions. The Japanese versions of the K6 and K10 thus demonstrated screening performances essentially equivalent to those of the original English versions.

Mff is an essential factor for mitochondrial recruitment of Drp1 during mitochondrial fission in mammalian cells.

Abstract: The cytoplasmic dynamin-related guanosine triphosphatase Drp1 is recruited to mitochondria and mediates mitochondrial fission. Although the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) protein Fis1 is thought to be a Drp1 receptor, this has not been confirmed. To analyze the mechanism of Drp1 recruitment, we manipulated the expression of mitochondrial fission and fusion proteins and demonstrated that (a) mitochondrial fission factor (Mff) knockdown released the Drp1 foci from the MOM accompanied by network extension, whereas Mff overexpression stimulated mitochondrial recruitment of Drp1 accompanied by mitochondrial fission; (b) Mff-dependent mitochondrial fission proceeded independent of Fis1; (c) a Mff mutant with the plasma membrane–targeted CAAX motif directed Drp1 to the target membrane; (d) Mff and Drp1 physically interacted in vitro and in vivo; (e) exogenous stimuli–induced mitochondrial fission and apoptosis were compromised by knockdown of Drp1 and Mff but not Fis1; and (f) conditional knockout of Fis1 in colon carcinoma cells revealed that it is dispensable for mitochondrial fission. Thus, Mff functions as an essential factor in mitochondrial recruitment of Drp1.

Mitochondrial fission factor Drp1 is essential for embryonic development and synapse formation in mice

Abstract: Mitochondrial morphology is dynamically controlled by a balance between fusion and fission. The physiological importance of mitochondrial fission in vertebrates is less clearly defined than that of mitochondrial fusion. Here we show that mice lacking the mitochondrial fission GTPase Drp1 have developmental abnormalities, particularly in the forebrain, and die after embryonic day 12.5. Neural cell-specific (NS) Drp1(-/-) mice die shortly after birth as a result of brain hypoplasia with apoptosis. Primary culture of NS-Drp1(-/-) mouse forebrain showed a decreased number of neurites and defective synapse formation, thought to be due to aggregated mitochondria that failed to distribute properly within the cell processes. These defects were reflected by abnormal forebrain development and highlight the importance of Drp1-dependent mitochondrial fission within highly polarized cells such as neurons. Moreover, Drp1(-/-) murine embryonic fibroblasts and embryonic stem cells revealed that Drp1 is required for a normal rate of cytochrome c release and caspase activation during apoptosis, although mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, as examined by the release of Smac/Diablo and Tim8a, may occur independently of Drp1 activity.

Mental disorders among persons with chronic back or neck pain: results from the World Mental Health Surveys.

Abstract: This paper reports cross-national data concerning back or neck pain comorbidity with mental disorders. We assessed (a) the prevalence of chronic back/neck pain, (b) the prevalence of mental disorders among people with chronic back/neck pain, (c) which mental disorder had strongest associations with chronic back/neck pain, and (d) whether these associations are consistent across countries. Population surveys of community-dwelling adults were carried out in 17 countries in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific (N=85,088). Mental disorders were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, third version (CIDI 3.0): anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder/agoraphobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder), mood disorders (major depression and dysthymia), and alcohol abuse or dependence. Back/neck pain was ascertained by self-report. Between 10% and 42% reported chronic back/neck pain in the previous 12 months. After adjusting for age and sex, mental disorders were more common among persons with back/neck pain than among persons without. The pooled odds ratios were 2.3 [95% CI=2.1-2.5] for mood disorders, 2.2 [95% CI=2.1-2.4] for anxiety disorders, and 1.6 [95% CI=1.4-1.9] for alcohol abuse/dependence in people with versus without chronic back/neck pain. Although prevalence rates of back/neck pain were generally lower than in previous reports, mental disorders were associated with chronic back/neck pain. The strength of association was stronger for mood and anxiety disorders than for alcohol abuse/dependence. The association of mental disorders with back/neck pain showed a consistent pattern across both developed and developing countries.

Stigma in response to mental disorders: a comparison of Australia and Japan

Abstract: There are few national or cross-cultural studies of the stigma associated with mental disorders. Australia and Japan have different systems of psychiatric health care, and distinct differences in cultural values, but enjoy similar standards of living. This study seeks to compare the nature and extent of stigma among the public in the two countries. A household survey of the public was conducted in each country using similar methodologies. The Australian study comprised a national survey of 3998 adults aged over 18 years. The Japanese survey involved 2000 adults aged 20 to 69 from 25 regional sites distributed across the country. Interviewees reported their personal attitudes (personal stigma, social distance) and perceptions of the attitudes of others (perceived stigma, perceived discrimination) in the community with respect to four case vignettes. These vignettes described a person with: depression; depression with suicidal ideation; early schizophrenia; and chronic schizophrenia. Personal stigma and social distance were typically greater among the Japanese than the Australian public whereas the reverse was true with respect to the perception of the attitudes and discriminatory behaviour of others. In both countries, personal stigma was significantly greater than perceived stigma. The public in both countries showed evidence of greater social distance, greater personal stigma and greater perceived stigma for schizophrenia (particularly in its chronic form) than for depression. There was little evidence of a difference in stigma for depression with and without suicide for either country. However, social distance was greater for chronic compared to early schizophrenia for the Australian public. Stigmatising attitudes were common in both countries, but negative attitudes were greater among the Japanese than the Australian public. The results suggest that there is a need to implement national public awareness interventions tailored to the needs of each country. The current results provide a baseline for future tracking of national stigma levels in each country.