Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Online Brief Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for the Improvement of Productivity in the Workplace: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) among both clinical and nonclinical populations. These data document positive impacts in the workplace, including reducing perceived stress and burnout and increasing well-being. However, the effectiveness for productivity, which is of most interest to managers and administrators, is still unclear. In addition, MBPs in the workplace tend to be modified by reducing the number of the program sessions or delivering content online to improve accessibility. To date, however, the impact of MBPs that feature these modifications on productivity in the workplace has not been investigated. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of online-delivered brief mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (bMBCT) for improving productivity and other work-related outcomes among healthy workers compared to the waitlist control. METHODS: We will conduct a 4-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a 6-month follow-up. Employees are included in the study if they (1) are between the ages of 20 and 65 years and (2) work longer than 30 hours weekly. Employees are randomly allocated to either the bMBCT group or the waitlist control group. The primary outcome of the study is the mean difference of productivity measured by the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (WHO-HPQ) between the groups at 4, 16, and 28 weeks. Secondary outcomes include several clinical outcomes and health economics evaluation. RESULTS: We started recruiting participants in August 2021, and the intervention began in October 2021. A total of 104 participants have been enrolled in the study as of October 2021. The intervention is scheduled to be completed in December 2023. Data collection will be completed by the end of January 2024. CONCLUSIONS: The novelty of the study is that (1) it will investigate bMBCT's effectiveness on productivity, which is still unclear, and (2) samples are recruited from 3 companies in different industries. The limitations of the study are that (1) all measures assessed are in self-report format and (2) we lack an active control group. This study has the potential to provide new data on the relationship between MBPs and occupational health and productivity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000044721; https://tinyurl.com/4e2fh873. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/36012.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy With Follow-Up Sessions for Pharmacotherapy-Refractory Anxiety Disorders: Protocol for a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Augmented mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) with treatment as usual (mainly pharmacotherapy) is reported to be effective after treatment for anxiety disorders. However, whether its effectiveness persists in the long term is unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a follow-up program by conducting a feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT) that compares augmented MBCT with follow-up sessions and that without follow-up sessions in preparation for a definitive RCT. METHODS: The study involves an 8-week MBCT with a 10-month follow-up. Patients aged 20 to 65 years who meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria for panic disorder, agoraphobia, or social anxiety disorder, which is not remitted with usual treatment for at least 4 weeks, will be included in the study and randomly allocated to receive augmented MBCT with follow-up sessions or augmented MBCT without follow-up sessions. For this feasibility RCT, the primary outcomes are (1) study inclusion rate, (2) dropout rate, (3) attendance rate, and (4) mean and standard deviation of several clinical measures at 8 weeks and 5, 8, and 12 months. RESULTS: We started recruiting participants in January 2020, and 43 participants have been enrolled up to January 2021. The study is ongoing, and data collection will be completed by May 2022. CONCLUSIONS: This study is novel in terms of its design, which compares augmented MBCT with and without follow-up sessions. The limitations of the trial are as follows: (1) mixed participants in terms of the delivery mode of the intervention, and (2) lack of a pharmacotherapy-alone arm. Owing to its novelty and significance, this study will provide fruitful knowledge for future definitive RCTs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000038626; https://tinyurl.com/2p9dtxzh. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/33776.

Respective optimal calcium concentrations for proliferation on type I collagen fibrils in two keratinocyte line cells, HaCaT and FEPE1L-8.

Keratinocyte line cells HaCaT and FEPE1L-8 are used for skin model with type I collagen fibrils (gels). For this purpose, not only differentiation but also regulation of proliferation on type I collagen gels by exogenous calcium concentration is important. When exogenous calcium concentration is low, primary keratinocyte proliferation is repressed and eventually cells are induced to apoptosis on type I collagen gels. The apoptosis induced on type I collagen gels is suppressed by increasing calcium concentration in the medium. That is, higher exogenous calcium concentration is necessary for primary keratinocyte survival on type I collagen gels than for that on dish surface culture. Meanwhile much higher exogenous calcium causes cell differentiation and inhibition of proliferation. The optimal calcium concentrations for proliferation on type I collagen gels have not been clarified in keratinocyte line cells. HaCaT cells have a unique calcium sensitivity in comparison with primary keratinocytes, whereas FEPE1L-8 cells have a similar sensitivity to primary keratinocytes. In this study, we compared the effect of calcium concentrations on proliferation of HaCaT and FEPE1L-8 cells on type I collagen gels. On type I collagen gels, both line cells required higher calcium concentrations for proliferation than on dish surface. HaCaT cells proliferated better in a wider range of calcium concentrations than FEPE1L-8 cells.

A carbazole derivative protects cells against endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and glutathione depletion.

Enhanced levels of intracellular stresses such as oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress are implicated in various neuropathological conditions including brain ischemia and neurodegeneration. During a search for compounds that regulate ER stress and ER stress-induced cell death, we identified a carbazole derivative 16-14 [9-(3-cyanobenzyl)-1,4-dimethylcarbazole] that protected against both ER stress and glutathione depletion. 16-14 suppressed tunicamycin (Tm)-induced cell death in both F9 Herp KO cells and PC12 cells, and its regulation of ER stress was associated with reduced levels of unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling. ER stress caused by overexpression of a fluorescent ER-resident protein, GFP-KDEL, was also attenuated by 16-14 without altering the expression levels of GFP-KDEL. 16-14 also prevented glutathione depletion-induced cell death caused by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), but not likely via its anti-oxidative activity. Further analysis revealed that 16-14 suppressed increases in intracellular Ca(2+) in response to thapsigargin (Tg). These results suggest that 16-14 may protect cells against different stresses via the maintenance of intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis. [Supplementary Fig. 1: available only at http://dx.doi.org/10.1254/jphs.08136FP].

Inhibitory activity of plant stilbene oligomers against DNA topoisomerase II.

The inhibitory activity of 40 stilbene oligomers isolated from six plant species against topoisomerase II was evaluated, of which nine compounds showed a potent inhibitory effect, stronger than daunorubicin, a topoisomerase II inhibitor, used as an anti-cancer drug. The specificity of active stilbene oligomers on topoisomerase II was assessed by their effect on DNA restriction enzyme. In particular, specific inhibitory activity was observed in alpha-viniferin 13-O-beta-glucopryranoside (2) and hemsleyanol C (13).

Gaudichanolides A and B, clerodane diterpenes from Baccharis gaudichaudiana.

Two new clerodane diterpenoids, gaudichanolides A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the dried twigs of Baccharis gaudichaudiana, together with 7-oxo-16,19-dihydroxy-3,4-dehydroclerodan-15,20-diacid dilactone, spathulenol, 4,10-aromadendranediol, kobusone, trans-cosanyl ferulate, and defuscin. The structures and relative stereochemistry of 1 and 2 were elucidated by detailed 2D NMR spectroscopic experiments, and the absolute stereochemistry of 1 was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis.

PACAP and NGF cooperatively enhance choline acetyltransferase activity in postnatal basal forebrain neurons by complementary induction of its different mRNA species.

Both nerve growth factor (NGF) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) have neurotrophic effects on basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. They promote differentiation, maturation, and survival of these cholinergic neurons in vivo and in vitro. Here we report on the cooperative effects of NGF and PACAP on postnatal, but not embryonic, cholinergic neurons cultured from rat basal forebrain. Combined treatment with NGF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), and PACAP induced an additive increase in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity. There were no cooperative effects on the number of cholinergic neurons, suggesting that ChAT mRNA expression had been induced in each cholinergic neuron. Further analysis revealed that NGF and PACAP led to complementary induction of different ChAT mRNA species, thus enhancing total ChAT mRNA expression. These results explain the cooperative neurotrophic action of NGF and PACAP on postnatal cholinergic neurons.