A revised Emotional Intelligence Scale: factor re-evaluation and item reduction.

The original Emotional Intelligence Scale of Fukunishi utilized 65 items measuring 3 basic dimensions: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and situational. 170 psychiatric outpatients (84 men and 86 women) completed the inventory. The mean age of the sample was 41.1 yr. (SD= 12.4). Compared with the 65-item scale, factor re-analysis yielded a new 34-item solution with significant correlations for the Intrapsychic (.97) and Interpersonal dimensions (.96) of the larger scale, but not with the Situational dimension (.43). The correlation between the total inventory scores was also significant (.94).

Evidence that variation in the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) gene influences susceptibility to panic disorder.

Panic disorder (PD) is the repeated sudden occurrence of panic attacks, episodes characterized by psychological symptoms. Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) is closely associated with personality traits for anxiety tolerance, and that it holds promise as a biological marker of stressful conditions. We have performed association analyses using the polymorphism to determine the PBR in PD. We screened the subjects for sequence variations within the 5' region, the coding region (exons 2-4), and the 3' noncoding region. One novel missense variant in exon 4, derived from the nucleotide transition in codon 162 (CGT --> CAT:485G > A) resulting in an arginine-to-histidine (Arg --> His) change, was detected in these subjects. The 485G > polymorphism of the PBR gene was analyzed in 91 PD patients and 178 controls. The genotypic and allelic analyses of the 485G > A revealed significant differences between the panic patients and the comparison subjects (P = 0.021 and 0.014, respectively). The present study provides new and important evidence that variation in the PBR gene influences susceptibility to PD.

Live organ donation: social context, clinical encounter, and the psychology of communication.

Organ transplantation is increasingly available to the thousands of patients who suffer from end-organ failure. There has been an attendant increase in demand for living donor participation. This combined with a bioethical focus on autonomy increases the burden of decision on donor candidates. The authors review the history of living donor participation in organ transplantation and explore the psychological dynamics of the clinical encounter between donor and transplant surgeon. The field of communication psychology lends to the understanding of coercion and to the importance of donors possessing a status of patient-hood in the classical Hippocratic condition.

Cholecystokinin (CCK) and the CCKA receptor gene polymorphism, and smoking behavior.

We analyzed genetic variants of the promoter region of the cholecystokinin (CCK; which modulates the release of dopamine) gene, and intron 1 and exon 5 of the CCKA receptor gene, and performed association analyses of nicotine dependence using an allele-specific amplification (ASA) method and PCR-RFLP methods. There was a significant difference between the current smoking and nonsmoking groups in the allele frequency of the CCK-45C/T polymorphism. However, there was no significant difference in the CCKA PstI polymorphism, and the HincII polymorphism was not detected in our study. Our data suggest that polymorphisms of the CCK gene may be one of the risk factors for smoking behavior.

The serotonin-2A receptor polymorphism and smoking behavior in Japan.

Epidemiological and genetic studies on smoking behavior have been performed, and in this study the human serotonin 2A receptor (HTR2A) polymorphism was examined in 82 smoking behaviorists and 125 healthy controls. HTR2A consists of at least 14 subtypes, depression and anxiety occur due to agonists, and hallucination, fever heat, psychomotor excitement and other symptoms also occur. The polymorphism in HTR2A (102T/C, -1438A/G) was identified by means of the polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism, and the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence was used to determine the extent of smoking behavior. The results suggest that the HTR2A (102T/C, -1438G/A) polymorphism might not be associated with susceptibility to a risk factor for developing smoking behavior. Further studies are required to determine whether or not the novel serotonin receptor (5-HTR) polymorphism reflects the pathogenesis of smoking behavior.

Psychosocial predictors of relapse among diabetes patients: a 2-year follow-up after inpatient diabetes education.

In a 2-year follow-up study of diabetes patients (N=309) who received 2 weeks of inpatient diabetes education, the authors investigate the relationship of several demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors with relapse, defined as the worsening of glycemic control. The patients with no improvement in glycemic control after diabetes education were more likely to have higher scores on the depression subscale of the Profile of Mood States, compared to the patients with improvement. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showed that patients who had no prior diabetes education, whose meals were prepared by their spouses, and who had less social support were more likely to relapse and relapsed within a significantly shorter period of time than those who had prior diabetes education, cooked for themselves, and had more social support.

Major depression and heat shock protein 70-1 gene.

BACKGROUND: Heat shock protein (HSP) expression can be induced by any stress such as with adrenocorticotropic hormones and catecholamines. It has been reported that patients with major depression have a 162-base deletion in the 5'-flanking region of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70)-1 gene mRNA. METHODS: To detect the HSP70-1 gene mRNA, total RNA was isolated and amplified by RT-PCR, and the sequence was confirmed in all five patients by DNA direct sequencing analysis. RESULTS: RT-PCR produced was no deletions of 162 bp in the human heat shock protein 70-1 gene in any of the patients with major depression or the nine controls. CONCLUSION: This finding is inconsistent with previous reports. We suggest that the 162-base deletion in the 5'-flanking region of the HSP70-1 gene mRNA is not associated with major depression. Further studies are required to determine the amounts of HSP70 and its mRNA in stress disorders such as major depression.

The serotonin-2A receptor polymorphism and clinical symptoms in mood disorders, schizophrenia and alcohol dependence in Japan.

In the past, there have been many epidemiological and genetic studies of mood disorders, schizophrenia, and alcohol dependence, and in this study, the human serotonin 2A receptor (5-HTR2A) polymorphism was examined in 80 patients with mood disorders, 50 patients with schizophrenia and 41 patients with alcohol dependence. 5-HTR is related to affectivity, regulation, and pharmacologic effects of antidepressant, anti-anxiety and antipsychotic medications. The polymorphism in 5-HTR2A (102T/C, -1438 A/G) was identified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The results suggest that 5-HTR2A (102T/C, -1438G/A) polymorphism might not be associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia or mood disorders, and it might not be a risk factor contributing to alcohol dependency. We found that the 102T/C polymorphism was in linkage disequilibrium with the -1438G/A polymorphism in psychosis (mood disorder, schizophrenia, and alcohol dependence) and in health controls. Further studies are needed to determine whether or not the novel serotonin receptor (5-HTR) polymorphism reflects the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, mood disorders, and alcohol dependence.

Some ethical and psychiatric aspects of right-lobe liver transplantation in the United States and Japan.

Cadaver sources are insufficient for the increasing demand for liver transplantation. Right-lobe liver transplantation from living donors is fully developed in Japan and has been rapidly increasing in the United States during the past 2 years, although donor risk is greater than in other types of solid organ transplantation. The authors examine the psychiatric and ethical aspects of right-lobe liver transplantation in light of cultural differences between the United States and Japan.

Peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors on platelets are correlated with the degrees of anxiety in normal human subjects.

RATIONALE: Anxiety is the one of the main symptoms of psychiatric disorders. Psychosocial stressors have been shown to be related to the onset of anxious episodes. Peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors (PBR) are involved in regulating stress responses. The sensitivity of PBR to acute or chronic stress has been demonstrated in various situations. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is one of the longest standing and most frequently used measures of anxiety. The development, evaluation, and use of biological markers with anxious conditions in psychiatry are extremely important. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this survey are to see whether PBR can be used in screening the degrees of anxiety which occur when normal persons are placed in the stressful conditions. METHODS: Twenty-four healthy volunteers (14 men, 10 women; mean age 46 years) participated in this study. We administered the STAI to all the volunteers. The binding of the radioactive PBR antagonist [(3)H]PK 11195 to platelet membranes was determined for these volunteers. RESULTS: The mean STAI scores were 40.3+/-8.0 for trait anxiety and 39.0+/-8.9 for state anxiety. B(max) of the platelet PBR binding was 2845+/-2109 fmol/mg protein. Pearson correlational analyses revealed that B(max) values were significantly and positively correlated with scores for trait anxiety but not significantly correlated with scores for state anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: PBR on platelets are correlated with trait anxiety scales of the STAI in healthy normal subjects. It is therefore suggested that the density of platelet PBR is highly associated with these personality traits for anxiety tolerance. PBR density in platelet could also be used as a promising biological marker of stressful conditions.

Psychiatric disorders among patients undergoing hemodialysis therapy.

We examined the incidence rates of psychiatric disorders in end-stage renal failure patients on hemodialysis (HD) based on 4-year long-term follow-up. Among various psychiatric disorders, the frequency of three psychiatric disorders, dementia, delirium, and major depression, was relatively high. One-year incidence rate of whole psychiatric disorders was 10.6% (7.1% in non-aged and 13.7% in aged). One-year incidence rate of dementia in aged patients was 4.2% (dementia of the Alzheimer's disease, 0.5%; multi-infarct dementia, 3.7%). One-year incidence rate of multi-infarct dementia in aged HD patients was 7.4 times as large as that in the elderly general populations, suggesting that aged HD patients tend to exhibit multi-infarct dementia. The high incidence rate may be closely related to advanced arteriosclerosis and other medical conditions. Psychiatric management is required for ESRD patients with three major psychiatric disorders, dementia, delirium, and major depression, in particular for aged patients with multi-infarct dementia who has received long-term HD therapy.

Living-related liver transplantation: a Thai family's stressors and concerns.

This case study reviews the experience of a Thai family who traveled to Japan for living-related liver transplantation. The recipient experienced multiple problems after transplantation, which placed additional stress on the family. The cultural gap and language barrier resulted in a lack of understanding and often made it difficult for the medical team and family to communicate effectively. However, the use of interpreters helped to resolve these problems. This study shows that it is especially important for transplant coordinators and social workers to facilitate the collaboration and understanding between families and the medical team when cultural and language differences exist.

Psychosocial factors associated with quality of life in Japanese patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The purpose of this study was to identify psychosocial factors, including coping style, that are associated with quality of life (QOL) in Japanese patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and to clarify the difference in coping style between patients with hemophilia and patients with sexually transmitted infection. We administered the World Health Organization QOL-26 questionnaire, the Mental Adjustment Toward Cancer scale, and the Social Support scale to 50 patients with HIV infection. Regarding QOL scores, Fighting Spirit was the positive coping style; Helplessness/Hopelessness and Anxious Preoccupation were negative coping styles. Psychological QOL scores in patients with hemophilia were lower than those in patients with sexually transmitted infection. Patients with hemophilia had a significantly weaker Fighting Spirit than patients with sexually transmitted infection.

Association between pretransplant psychological assessments and posttransplant psychiatric disorders in living-related transplantation.

The authors examined pretransplant assessment in order to predict posttransplant occurrence of psychiatric disorders in living-related transplantation (LRT). Before LRT, the authors administered the Integrated House-Tree-Person Drawing Test (I-HTP) and 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to 31 donor-recipient pairs undergoing living-related liver transplantation (LRLT) and 65 pairs undergoing living-related kidney transplantation (LRKT). After LRT, the authors examined the occurrence of psychiatric disorders for the recipients and donors. Pretransplant, two psychological indicators,-alexithymia, a lack of verbalized emotion and abnormal projective drawings such as truncated tree representation-were significantly related to the manifestation of paradoxical psychiatric syndrome (PPS) in LRLT and LRKT. The occurrence of PPS was significantly related to recipients' guilt feelings toward living donors, but these were strongly superseded by recipients' desires to escape from approaching death just before LRT. These results suggest that pretransplant psychological assessment is useful for predicting posttransplant occurrence of psychiatric disorders.

Alexithymia and sociocultural factors in a Japanese sample: a study with the Rorschach.

We reexamined the Japanese version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, a self-report sc ale for measuring alexithymic characteristics, by comparing the scores on three factors and the total scores with variables of the Rorschach in a sample of 40 (originally 48) Japanese college students. Based on prior studies, our aims were to further validate the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale by comparing its scores with those on a projective technique. We also investigated whether sociocultural factors, such as repression of hostility. are associated with scores on the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (especially Factor 3). None of the seven Rorschach Alexithymia Variables were significantly related to the factors and total scores of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. However, scores for Factor 1 (difficulty identifying feelings) of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale correlated positively with scores on Sum C' (reserved responses to emotional stimuli) and Adj es (stimulus demand), suggesting that individuals who score high for Factor 1 experience gloomy, depressive feelings but in constricted ways. Scores for Factor 3 (externally oriented thinking) correlated positively with the D scores (stress tolerance) and negatively with m (situational stress) responses, suggesting that Factor 3 may reflect a psychological defense that enhances stress tolerance. There was a nonsignificant negative correlation between Factor 1 and Factor 3 scores, but, unlike our hypothesis. Factor 3 was neither related to AG (aggression) nor S (space responses reflecting oppositional tendency), indices of aggression or hostility in the Rorschach Comprehensive System. It may be that the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Rorschach measure quite different aspects of personality, but further research is necessary.