Gout is a common disease which mostly occurs after middle age, but more people nowadays develop it before the age of thirty. We investigated whether common dysfunction of ABCG2, a high-capacity urate transporter which regulates serum uric acid levels, causes early-onset gout. 705 Japanese male gout cases with onset age data and 1,887 male controls were genotyped, and the ABCG2 functions which are estimated by its genotype combination were determined. The onset age was 6.5 years earlier with severe ABCG2 dysfunction than with normal ABCG2 function (P = 6.14 × 10−3). Patients with mild to severe ABCG2 dysfunction accounted for 88.2% of early-onset cases (twenties or younger). Severe ABCG2 dysfunction particularly increased the risk of early-onset gout (odds ratio 22.2, P = 4.66 × 10−6). Our finding that common dysfunction of ABCG2 is a major cause of early-onset gout will serve to improve earlier prevention and therapy for high-risk individuals.

A preliminary double-blind controlled study on the prophylactic effect of carbamazepine on recurrent manic-depressive psychotics was conducted with 22 patients using an inert placebo in ten subjects as a control drug. Carbamazepine in the dosage of 200-600 mg was administered for 1 year. Among the 22 carbamazepine subjects, carbamazepine was found to be effective in 60% of the cases and inert placebo in 22.2% (U-test, P less than 0.10). It is suggested that carbamazepine is a useful drug for the prophylaxis of manic-depressive illness.

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Morita therapy was founded in 1919 by Shoma Morita (1874-1938) and is a systematic psychotherapy based on Eastern psychology. Since its founding 75 years ago, the treatment theory, treatment environment, treatment population and its cultural environment have been examined and modified in some areas. In this review, we first examine Morita theory and discuss the changes that have occurred in subsequent theories and methodologies. Our discussion presents the founding of Morita therapy and the characteristics of Morita theory; the practice of Morita therapy; Morita therapy from the perspectives of transcultural psychiatry and comparative psychotherapy; subsequent developments and modifications of Morita therapy; and the biological studies of Morita therapy. We attempt to clarify the universality and uniqueness of Morita therapy and provide a new framework for understanding Morita therapy.

Background and Aim: Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is generally accepted as the gold standard for the clinical evaluation of gastric cancer (GC). However, the efficacy of endoscopic screening for asymptomatic GC remains controversial. The present study is designed to clarify the efficacy of endoscopic screening for the detection of early GC by investigating the clinicopathological features. Methods: A total of 17 522 patients who had underwent endoscopic screening as a part of their annual health checkup at the Seirei Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine between April 2002 and March 2006 were enrolled in this study. We investigated the clinicopathological findings of GC detected by endoscopy. Furthermore, in accordance with the screening interval at our center, patients with GC were categorized into two groups: group A, patients with repeated endoscopic screening within the last 2 years, and group B, patients without endoscopic screening within the last 2 years. Results: Thirty-nine GC (mean age of patients: 62.2 Ϯ 8.0 years, 36 males and three females) were detected in total (0.22%). The proportion of early GC was 87.2%. Notable differences between groups A and B were not found in the rate of early GC (P = 0.6342). However, eight of 27 cases (29.6%) in group A were treated by endoscopic resection, but none in group B (P = 0.0344). In six of 26 cases (23.1%) in group A, the recorded images from the previous endoscopic examination indicated some macroscopic abnormalities at the same location, suggesting GC or premalignant lesions. Conclusion: Endoscopic screening is useful for detecting GC at the early stages, and repeated examinations at short-time intervals contribute to the detection of resectable lesions by endoscopy. Further studies are needed to decrease the false negative rate of endoscopic screening.