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The growing literature on gender inequality in academia attests to the challenge that awaits female researchers during their academic careers. However, research has not yet conclusively resolved whether these biases persist during the peer review process of research grant funding and whether they impact respective funding decisions. Whereas many have argued for the existence of gender inequality in grant peer reviews and outcomes, others have demonstrated that gender equality is upheld during these processes. In the present paper, we illustrate how these opinions have come to such opposing conclusions and consider methodological and contextual factors that render these findings inconclusive. More specifically, we argue that a more comprehensive approach is needed to further the debate, encompassing individual and systemic biases as well as more global social barriers. We also argue that examining gender biases during the peer review process of research grant funding poses critical methodological challenges that deserve special attention. We conclude by providing directions for possible future research and more general considerations that may improve grant funding opportunities and career paths for female researchers.

Community mental health outreach teams offer a range of individualized services tailored to meet the diverse needs of clients. This study aimed to identify service use patterns within community mental health outreach programs using 12-month longitudinal data. Data from users of the Tokorozawa City mental health outreach service in Japan were analyzed. Service trajectories over a 365-d period were mapped and categorized by primary service type each month. These trajectories were then analyzed using state sequence and clustering methods. The services included 10 categories (i.e., family support and psychiatric symptom management) and cases of no support. We compared the demographic characteristics (e.g., sex, age, living situation, and diagnosis) and reasons for service initiation (e.g., symptom-related life problems, treatment interruption, or untreated conditions) between clusters. The service use trajectories of 70 participants were divided into four clusters. Cluster 1 had a high proportion of psychiatric symptom management services (n = 25). Cluster 2 focused primarily on family support (n = 11). Cluster 3 offered a mix of diverse services (n = 21). Cluster 4 involved inter-agency collaboration and early termination of services (n = 13). Significant differences were found between clusters in terms of sex and some reasons for service initiation. While community mental health outreach programs deliver a broad range of personalized services, we identified four distinct service use patterns over the first 12 months. Given that demographic and clinical characteristics may vary across these patterns, further research with a larger dataset is needed.

Background Within the context of community care, assertive community treatment (ACT) targeting individuals with severe mental disorders is typically a prolonged endeavor. Despite its extended nature, evidence on the long-term effects of ACT remains limited. This study aimed to assess the long-term effects of ACT services in Japan over 7 years by comparing readmission outcomes between the ACT and treatment-as-usual (TAU) groups. Methods This study traced participants from a prior randomized controlled trial (RCT) examining the short-term effects of ACT program in Japan. We assessed their readmission experiences, including the frequency and length (days) of readmissions over 7 years through medical record review. Multivariable analyses were conducted to examine outcomes by group. Results Of the 63 participants tracked for 7 years of follow-up (ACT group = 34, TAU group = 29), there were no significant group differences in readmission rate (TAU = 79% vs. ACT = 53%; odds ratio = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.12 to 1.35, p = 0.144) or cumulative days of hospitalization (Β = -75.66, 95% CI = -184.41 to 33.09, p  = 0.173). However, the ACT group had significantly fewer hospitalizations (Β = − 1.03, 95% CI = − 1.97 to − 0.10, p  = 0.030) than the TAU group. In particular, readmissions in the ACT group substantially decreased at 2 years after initial randomization. Conclusion In the Japanese medical landscape, an ACT program for individuals with severe mental illness might help mitigate the frequency of readmission compared with TAU over the long term. In particular, the pronounced benefits of the ACT program appear to emerge approximately 2 years after the start of ACT services. Future research in different countries is needed to confirm the findings of this study, particularly the timing at which the long-term effects of ACT services emerge for various outcomes. Trial registration The trial was retrospectively registered on 5 August 2025 with the Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (Registration number: jRCT1030250281).

Psycholinguistic approaches that study the effects of language on mental representations have ignored a potential role of the grammaticalization of the future (i.e., how the future manifests linguistically). We argue that the grammaticalization of the future may be an important aspect, as thinking about the future is omnipresent in our everyday life. The aim of this study was to experimentally manipulate the degree of future time references (i.e., present and future verb tense and temporal adverbials) to address their impact on the perceived location of future events. Across four experiments, two in French and two in German, no effect was found, irrespective of our verb and adverbial manipulations, and contrary to our hypotheses. Bayes factors confirmed that our null effects were not due to a lack of power. We present one of the first empirical accounts investigating the role of the grammaticalization of the future on effects of mental representations. We discuss possible reasons for these null results and illustrate further avenues for future research.

Recent developments in immunotherapy against malignancies overcome the disadvantages of traditional systemic treatments; however, this immune checkpoint treatment is not perfect and cannot obtain a satisfactory clinical outcome in all cases. Therefore, an additional therapeutic option for malignancy is needed in oncology. Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) has recently been highlighted as a strong type I interferon driver and shows anti-tumor immunity against various malignancies. STING-targeted anti-tumor immunotherapy is expected to enhance the anti-tumor effects and clinical outcomes of immunotherapy against malignancies. In this review, we focus on recent advancements in the knowledge gained from research on STING signaling in skin cancers. In addition to the limitations of STING-targeted immunotherapy, we also discuss the clinical application of STING agonists in the treatment of skin cancer.

Purpose This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Recovering Quality of Life– Japanese version (ReQoL-J) for use in the community setting. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among service users of community mental health service facilities. A series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) was performed. After the best-fitting model was identified, omega indices, and intraclass correlation (ICC) were calculated to evaluate dimensionality and reliability. The correlation coefficients between the ReQoL-J scores and the other scales were calculated for testing construct validity. We also estimated the correlation coefficients between the ReQoL-J-10 and − 20. Results A total of 395 service users from 23 facilities in Japan participated in this study. Of these, 66 responded to the test-retest reliability. The bifactor model showed the best fit to the data: χ 2 / df  = 1.74, CFI = 0.993, RMSEA = 0.031, and SRMR = 0.038. ECV and OmegaH indicated unidimensionality. ICC for the Re-QoL-J-10 and − 20 were 0.700 and 0.766, respectively. The ReQoL-J-10 showed a high correlation with the ReQoL-J-20 ( r  =.95, p  <.001). The EQ-5D-5 L, a new brief scale for subjective personal agency (SPA-5), well-being and the quality of life scale (QLS) scores were positively correlated with the ReQoL-J score. On the other hand, the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the WHODAS scores were negatively correlated with the ReQoL-J score. Conclusion Factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity of the ReQoL-J were confirmed. The ReQoL-J is a promising tool as a patient-reported outcome measure in mental health services for the Japanese community setting.

The employment rate among people with severe mental illness has recently increased, though it is still low. The motivation to work appears to be an important role as an intermediate outcome measure in vocational rehabilitation programs. In addition, measuring the work motivation for people with severe mental illness appears to be essential to identify candidates who are likely to benefit and monitor candidates' motivation in a supported employment program. This study aimed to develop a new measure for assessing both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to work among people with severe mental illness, as there are currently no well-established instruments of this kind. A focus group interview and review of previous qualitative research were used to identify possible items for inclusion in the new scale. A provisional scale was constructed and further refined for content and format based on feedback from a researcher and also three peer workers with severe mental illness. The resulting provisional 38-item version of the scale was completed by 136 respondents with severe mental illness, and we performed exploratory factor analysis to identify latent constructs within the new measure. The finalized scale was analyzed for test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity. An exploratory factor analysis yielded a four-factor scale with 23 items. The finalized 23 items had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) and relatively high test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.83). The four subscales had fair internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ≥ 0.69) and good test-retest reliability (ICC ≥ 0.61). Convergent validity was weakly supported by the significant positive correlations with the overall question on motivation to work (r ≥ 0.19, p < 0.01). Besides these correlations, only the \"Pressure from others\" subscale was negatively and significantly correlated with the negative symptoms evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (r = -0.18, p = 0.04). This study used factor analysis to develop a new multidimensional scale assessing motivation for competitive employment among persons with severe mental illness. The scale showed acceptable levels of reliability and factor-based and convergent validity. The new measure can be used for measuring the motivation for competitive employment among people with severe mental illness, and it would be useful to identify candidates who are likely to benefit from a certain supported employment program, and to monitor interim progress of the state of participants' motivation in a program.

Aims This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of studies on the outcomes of long-term hospitalisation of individuals with severe mental illness, considering readmission rates as the primary outcome. Methods Studies considered were those in which participants were aged between 18 and 64 years with severe mental illness; exposure to psychiatric hospitals or wards was long-term (more than one year); primary outcomes were readmission rates; secondary outcomes were duration of readmission, employment, schooling, and social participation; and the study design was either observational or interventional with a randomised controlled trial (RCT) design. Relevant studies were searched using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, and the Japan Medical Abstract Society. The final search was conducted on 1 February 2022. The risk of bias in non-randomised studies of interventions was used to assess the methodological quality. A descriptive literature review is also conducted. Results Of the 11,999 studies initially searched, three cohort studies (2,293 participants) met the eligibility criteria. The risk of bias in these studies was rated as critical or serious. The 1–10 years readmission rate for patients with schizophrenia who had been hospitalised for more than one year ranged from 33 to 55%. The average of readmission durations described in the two studies was 70.5 ± 95.6 days per year (in the case of a 7.5-year follow-up) and 306 ± 399 days (in the case of a 3–8-year follow-up). None of the studies reported other outcomes defined in this study. Conclusions The readmission rates in the included studies varied. Differences in the follow-up period or the intensity of community services may have contributed to this variability. In countries preparing to implement de-institutionalisation, highly individualised community support should be designed to avoid relocation to residential services under supervision. The length of stay for readmissions was shorter than that for index admissions. The results also imply that discharge to the community contributes to improved clinical outcomes such as improved social functioning. The validity of retaining patients admitted because of the risk of rehospitalisation was considered low. Future research directions have also been discussed.

Dear Editor, IL-6 is a representative inflammatory cytokine leading to inflammation, cell differentiation, and proliferation. 1 Therefore, the blockade of this cytokine signaling is expected to show beneficial potent in various inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. 1 Although tocilizumab is a firstly available humanized monoclonal antibody against IL-6R subunit IL-6Rα, sarilumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody against IL-6Rα antagonist and blocks IL-6 signaling in various inflammatory diseases, especially used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. [...]we diagnosed his skin eruption as a sarilumab-induced cutaneous adverse event. Psoriasiform eruption was not a typical because of the histology finding. Since pustular formation was seen in his skin biopsy specimen, palmoplantar pustulosis-like skin eruption might be a possible clinical manifestation of his skin eruption.

Background The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a brief family psychoeducation (BFP) programme provided by psychiatric visiting nurses on caregiver burden of family caregivers of people with schizophrenia through a cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT). Methods The study was a two-arm, parallel-group cRCT. Forty-seven psychiatric visiting nurse agencies were randomly allocated to the BFP programme group (intervention group) or treatment as usual group (TAU; control group). Caregivers of people with schizophrenia were recruited by psychiatric visiting nurses using a randomly ordered list. The primary outcome was caregiver burden, measured using the Japanese version of the Zarit Burden Interview. Outcome assessments were conducted at baseline, 1-month follow-up, and 6-month follow-up. Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted to examine the effects of the BFP programme on caregiver burden. Results Thirty-four psychiatric visiting nurse agencies and 83 family caregivers of people with schizophrenia participated in the study. The participant attrition rate was less than 20%. Adherence to the program was 100%. Compared with TAU group, the BFP programme group had decreased caregiver burden. However, this improvement was not significant at 1-month follow-up (adjusted mean difference [aMD] = 0.27, 95% CI = − 5.48 to 6.03, p  = 0.93, d  = 0.01) or 6-month follow-up (aMD = − 2.12, 95% CI = − 7.80 to 3.56, p  = 0.45, d  = 0.11). Conclusions The BFP programme provided by psychiatric visiting nurses did not achieve significant decreases in caregiver burden. This result may be attributed to the difficulty in continuing the research due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented us from achieving the targeted sample size necessary to meet the statistical power requirements, as well as to the participation of caregivers with relatively low burden. However, the program had the advantage of high adherence to treatment plan. Further studies should be conducted with a larger sample size and a more diverse sample that includes caregivers with a higher care burden. Trial registration The study protocol was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000038044) on 2019/09/18.