Rôle de l’intelligence émotionnelle dans la vie sociale et professionnelle

L’intelligence émotionnelle (IE) devient un atout de plus en plus important dans la vie de chacun de nous. Malgré la diversité de définitions que cette forme d’intelligence peut avoir selon les scientifiques, l’IE consiste toujours à la capacité à comprendre ses propres émotions et celles des autres afin de produire les actions adéquates. Même si intelligence et émotions pourraient sembler contradictoires, les recherches scientifiques ont démontré que les individus ayant une IE sont ceux qui possèdent une plus grande chance de réussir leur vie professionnelle et sociale. L’importance de l’intelligence cognitive (IC) est indiscutable dans notre vie moderne où la technologie et la science sont des piliers de notre civilisation. Toutefois, dans de nombreux domaines notamment l’éducation, la santé et même dans le monde de l’entreprise, l’IC toute seule s’avère insuffisante pour avoir les meilleurs résultats. Les recherches scientifiques dans ces domaines ont permis d’apprécier l’impact positif de l’IE sur l’amélioration du quotidien social et professionnel des étudiants, des enseignants et des professionnels de santé. L’IE permet également aux patients de mieux appréhender leur maladie et d’augmenter leur qualité de vie. Le but de ce mémoire est de présenter une matière de réflexion sur l’impact de l’IE sur la vie sociale et professionnelle dans l’espoir de partager avec les personnes intéressées le besoin d’intégrer cette forme d’intelligence dans nos vies et nos pratiques

Evaluation of aminosteroid compounds as a new class of antimicrobial agents in the context of cystic fibrosis

Les dérivés aminostéroïdiens (DASs) comme la squalamine et ses analogues ont démontré une activité antimicrobienne évaluée in vitro contre des bactéries et des champignons de référence et jamais contre des souches cliniques et/ou multi résistantes. Il a été montré que la squalamine agit contre des bactéries à Gram négatif en perturbant l’intégrité de leur membrane externe. Au contraire, son mécanisme contre les bactéries à Gram-positif n’a pas été étudié. Ainsi, l’objectif de ce travail a été d’évaluer d’une part l’activité antimicrobienne in vitro de la squalamine et de dérivés aminostéroïdiens (DAS 1-2, Figure 1) contre un panel de souches cliniques de bactéries et de champignons filamenteux isolés des crachats des patients atteints de mucoviscidose et des levures impliquées dans des fongémies, et d’autre part de mieux comprendre leur mécanisme d’action vis-à-vis des bactéries à Gram-positif et à Gram-négatif. Nous avons trouvé que les DASs possèdent une activité antibactérienne intéressante qui était d’autant plus importante que la bactérie est non mucoïde et/ou sensible à la colistine laissant supposer qu’une corrélation existe entre l’activité des DASs et celle de la colistine vis-à-vis des bactéries à Gram-négatif. Malgré cette corrélation, les DASs ont été plus actifs contre les bactéries à Gram-positif suggérant la présence de deux mécanismes d’action différents à l’égard des deux groupes de bactéries. Alors que les agents antifongiques classiques ont montré des activités hétérogènes vis-à-vis des champignons filamenteux et des levures testés d’une manière dépendante de l’espèce, les DASs ont présenté des activités homogènes indiquant que ces molécules possèdent un mécanisme d’action différent e ceux rapporté avec les antifongiques classiques. Ainsi, nous données préliminaires ont indiqué que la squalamine induit une rupture de la membrane de levures par, probablement, un effet "mécanique". L’analyse du mécanisme d’action antibactérien de la squalamine a montré que cette molécules agit en perturbant l’intégrité de bactéries à Gram-négatif d’un mécanisme comparable à celui d’un détergeant et en dépolarisant la membrane des bactéries à Grampositif conduisant à la rupture totale de cette membrane et au drainage de la matière cytoplasmique. Finalement, la faisabilité d’une forme galénique aérosol contenant un composé aminostéroïdien a été démontrée.Aminosterol derivatives (ASDs) such as squalamine and its analogs have demonstrated an interesting in vitro antimicrobial activity evaluated against bacterial and fungal reference strains and never against clinical and / or multiresistant pathogens. It was shown that squalamine acts against Gram-negative bacteria by disrupting the integrity of their outer membrane. Instead, its mechanism of action against Gram-positive bacteria has never been studied. Thus, the aim of this study was firstly to evaluate in vitro antimicrobial activity of squalamine and two synthesized ASDs (ASD 1-2, Figure 1) against a panel of clinical strains of bacteria and filamentous fungi isolated from sputum of cystic fibrosis patients and yeasts involved in fungemia, and secondly to better understand their mechanism of action against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We found that ASDs possess an interesting in vitro antibacterial activity which was more important against non-mucoid and/or colistin sensitive strains suggesting that a correlation exists between the activity of ASDs and that of colistin against Gram-negative bacteria. Despite this correlation, ASDs were more active against Gram-positive bacteria indicating the presence of two different mechanisms of action against both groups of bacteria. While classical antifungal agents showed heterogeneous activities against tested filamentous fungi and yeasts specie-dependent manner, ASDs presented homogeneous activities indicating that these molecules may possess a mechanism of action different from those reported with conventional antifungals. Thus, our preliminary data indicated that squalamine induced the disruption of yeast membrane, probably via a "mechanical" effect. Analysis of the antibacterial mechanism of action of squalamine has shown that this molecule acts by disrupting the integrity of bacterial membrane of Gram-negative bacteria via a detergent-like mode of action and by depolarizing the membrane of Grampositive leading to a total disruption of this membrane. Finally, the suitability of one of our compounds to be integrated in an aerosol formulation has been demonstrated

Prescription errors related to the use of computerized provider order-entry system for pediatric patients

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In vitro activity of aminosterols against yeasts involved in blood stream infections

International audienceSqualamine and other aminosterols have demonstrated interesting antimicrobial activities against clinical bacterial isolates and a limited number of reference yeast strains. We aimed to test whether squalamine and a synthetic aminosterol derivative (ASD) display any in vitro activity comparable to currently available systemic antifungals, an acceptable safety index, as well as to provide insights into their mechanism of action. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of squalamine, ASD and available antifungals were determined against 21 yeast isolates that were recovered from cases of fungemia. Remarkably, homogeneous MICs ranging from 8-16 mg/L and from 1-2 mg/L were noted for squalamine and ASD, respectively, as opposes the heterogenous in vitro activity of available systemic antifungals. Aminosterols induced haemolysis, a surrogate for toxic effects to mammalian cells, at concentrations high above their MICs. In time-kill studies, killing was as fast with ASD as with amphotericin B. Both aminosterols induced a time-dependent disruption of yeast membrane, as evidenced by gradual increase of ATP efflux. In conclusion, our preliminary data indicate that aminosterols have the potential to be further developed as antifungals. Additional work is warranted to assess their toxicity and activity in experimental models

New insights into the antibacterial mechanism of action of squalamine

International audienceAntimicrobial resistance is an increasingly life-threatening problem that emphasizes the need to develop new antibacterial agents. The in vitro antibacterial activity of squalamine, a natural aminosterol, has been previously demonstrated against multidrug-resistant bacteria and moulds. Although the antibacterial activity of squalamine was found to correlate with that of other drugs, such as colistin, against Gram-negative bacteria, the former was active against Gram-positive bacteria, which are resistant to colistin. In this work, we provide new insights into squalamine's antibacterial mechanism of action compared with other known antibiotics. We evaluated squalamine's antibacterial mechanism of action using the broth microdilution method for MIC determination and time-kill assays, transmission electron microscopy for morphological change studies, bioluminescence for ATP release measurements and fluorescence methods for membrane depolarization assays. Concerning Gram-negative bacteria, squalamine, similar to colistin, required interaction with the negatively charged phosphate groups in the bacterial outer membrane as the first step in a sequence of different events ultimately leading to the disruption of the membrane. Conversely, squalamine exhibited a depolarizing effect on Gram-positive bacteria, which resulted in rapid cell death. The new insights into the mechanism of action of squalamine highlight the importance of aminosterols in the design of a new class of antibacterial compounds that could be used as disinfectants and detergents

Comparative in vitro performance of three small-volume valved holding chambers with beclomethasone/formoterol pressurized metered dose inhaler

International audienceBackground: The use of valved holding chambers (VHCs) with pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) is reported to reduce the oral deposition of inhaled drugs and to facilitate the handling of these devices by patients, especially children. Although the number of commercially available VHCs is increasing, the correct choice of VHC in clinical practice is important, because VHCs are not equally effective regarding medication delivery. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the use of three small-volume VHCs-Vortex (R), AeroChamber (R) Plus (ACP), and Able Spacer (TM) (AS)-along with a commercial pMDI containing a combination of beclomethasone and formoterol (Innovair (R)) frequently used by asthma patients. Methods: Evaluation of the delivered dose of both drugs and analysis of particle size distribution of aerosols emitted for the inhaler were performed using the Next Generation Impactor with and without the tested VHCs. Results: The VHCs retained significant quantities of both drugs and dramatically reduced the quantity of drugs deposited in the throat of the impactor, indicating that particles with large size were preferably retained in the VHCs. Interestingly, although the delivered dose of both drugs was reduced by the use of VHCs, the use of the Vortex and the ACP resulted in comparable fine particle doses (FPDs) to that obtained when the pMDI was used alone, whereas the AS VHC significantly reduced the FPDs of both drugs. This may be due to the fact that, unlike the AS VHC, the Vortex and the ACP VHCs are made of antistatic materials that minimize the electrostatic interaction with emitted aerosols, enhancing medication delivery. Conclusion: The Vortex and the ACP VHCs present interesting advantages over the AS VHC to be used with Innovair pMDI. However, these results are based on an in vitro evaluation and need to be validated in an in vivo study in order to clinically assess the performance of these VHCs