Validity issues in the assessment of alexithymia related to the developmental stages of emotional cognition and language

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>We examined developmental aspects of the emotional awareness of adolescents by evaluating their responses to a self-reported questionnaire based on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The items of the TAS-20 were modified to make them more understandable by adolescents, and nine new items related to a limited capacity for imagination were added. The Japanese Linguistic Ability Test and the multi-dimensional empathy scale for adolescents were administered to examine concurrent validity. Two hundred and two normative young adolescents and thirty-two adolescent patients with psychosomatic and/or behavioral problems participated in the study. Eighty junior high school students also participated in a separate examination of test-retest reliability.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirteen items were extracted after exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and four core factors were identified in the resulting scale: Difficulty Identifying Feelings (DIF), Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF), Externally-Oriented Thinking (EOT) and Constricted Imaginal Capacities (CIC). Interestingly, scores on the multi-dimensional empathy scale correlated positively with DIF and DDF, but negatively with EOT and CIC. Higher DDF scores were associated with higher Japanese linguistic abilities. DIF/DDF scores were higher for females than males, irrespective of linguistic ability. Test-retest reliability coefficients were significant. The patient group showed significantly higher DIF scores than the normative students.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present findings indicated that subjective difficulties in identifying and describing feelings are associated with empathetic and linguistic abilities. The developmental aspect to emotional awareness herein described suggests that self-reported questionnaires for alexithymia must be carefully constructed and examined, even for adults.</p

Coil Embolisation for Endovascular Treatment of Proper Hepatic Artery Aneurysm Using the Balloon Occlusion Technique

Introduction: Endovascular repair (ER) as a minimally invasive approach can be effective for treating hepatic artery aneurysm (HAA) with gratifying results. Microcoil embolisation is the main technique used in ER. However, the coil embolisation of a large proper HAA (PHAA) with a very wide neck tends to be extremely troublesome owing to the limited length of the inflow and outflow artery. Moreover, it is difficult because of rapid blood flow in the proper hepatic artery (PHA) and the difficulty in preserving its branch flow. Microcoil embolisation of the inflow and outflow of a PHAA with the balloon occlusion technique through an originally developed single guiding sheath system was performed successfully. Report: A 73 year old woman was diagnosed with large PHAA (65 mm) by computed tomography examination. The PHAA was successfully treated by endovascular embolisation with microcoils using the balloon occlusion technique through a single guiding sheath system. Discussion: This method is safe and effective for the treatment of a large PHAA. Keywords: Balloon occlusion technique, Endovascular repair, Hepatic artery aneurysm, Short neck patien

Outcome of corticosteroid administration in autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: a retrospective cohort study

Background: Although no report has demonstrated the efficacy of corticosteroid therapy for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP), we sometimes encounter patients who have received this therapy for various reasons. However, as corticosteroids can suppress alveolar macrophage function, corticosteroid therapy might worsen disease severity and increase the risk of infections. Methods: For this retrospective cohort study, we sent a screening form to 165 institutions asking for information on aPAP patients treated with corticosteroids. Of the resulting 45 patients screened, 31 were enrolled in this study. We collected demographic data and information about corticosteroid treatment period, dose, disease severity score (DSS) over the treatment period, and complications. Results: DSS deteriorated during corticosteroid therapy in 23 cases (74.1 %) and the estimated overall cumulative worsening rate was 80.8 % for the total observation period. The worsening rate was significantly higher in patients treated with high-dose prednisolone (>18.9 mg/day, n = 16) than treated with low-dose prednisolone (≥18.9 mg/day, n = 15) divided by median daily dose (p < 0.02). Of patients with worsening, one died of disseminated aspergillosis and another of respiratory failure. Infections newly emerged in 6 cases during corticosteroid therapy (p < 0.05). Median serum granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) autoantibody levels were similar to previously reported data in a large cohort study. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that corticosteroid therapy may worsen DSS of aPAP, increasing the risk for infections