Expressing one’s feelings and listening to others increases emotional intelligence: a pilot study of Asian medical students

<p>Background: There has been considerable interest in Emotional Intelligence (EI) in undergraduate medical education, with respect to student selection and admissions, health and well-being and academic performance. EI is a significant component of the physician-patient relationship. The emotional well-being of the physician is, therefore, a significant component in patient care. The aim is to examine the measurement of TEIQue-SF in Asian medical students and to explore how the practice of listening to the feelings of others and expressing one’s own feelings influences an individual’s EI, set in the context of the emotional well-being of a medical practitioner.</p> <p>Methods: A group of 183 international undergraduate medical students attended a half-day workshop (WS) about mental-health and well-being. They completed a self-reported measure of EI on three occasions, pre- and post-workshop, and a 1-year follow-up.</p> <p>Result: The reliability of TEIQue-SF was high and the reliabilities of its four factors were acceptable. There were strong correlations between the TEIQue-SF and personality traits. A paired t-test indicated significant positive changes after the WS for all students (n=181, p= .014), male students (n=78, p= .015) and non-Japanese students (n=112, p= .007), but a repeated measures analysis showed that one year post-workshop there were significant positive changes for all students (n=55, p= .034), female students (n=31, p= .007), especially Japanese female students (n=13, p= .023). Moreover, 80% of the students reported that they were more attentive listeners, and 60% agreed that they were more confident in dealing with emotional issues, both within themselves and in others, as a result of the workshop.</p> <p>Conclusion: This study found the measurement of TEIQue-SF is appropriate and reliable to use for Asian medical students. The mental health workshop was helpful to develop medical students’ EI but showed different results for gender and nationality. The immediate impact on the emotional awareness of individuals was particularly significant for male students and the non-Japanese group. The impact over the long term was notable for the significant increase in EI for females and Japanese. Japanese female students were more conscious about emotionality. Emotion-driven communication exercises might strongly influence the development of students’ EI over a year.</p&gt

Using glycyrrhizic acid to target sumoylation processes during Epstein-Barr virus latency.

Cellular sumoylation processes are proposed targets for anti-viral and anti-cancer therapies. We reported that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) dysregulates cellular sumoylation processes, contributing to its oncogenic potential in EBV-associated malignancies. Ginkgolic acid and anacardic acid, known inhibitors of sumoylation, inhibit LMP1-induced protein sumoylation; however, both drugs have adverse effects in hosts. Here we test the effects of glycyrrhizic acid, a medicinal botanical extract with anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-viral properties, on cellular sumoylation processes. While glycyrrhizic acid is known to inhibit EBV penetration, its affect on cellular sumoylation processes remains to be documented. We hypothesized that glycyrrhizic acid inhibits cellular sumoylation processes and may be a viable treatment for Epstein-Barr virus-associated malignancies. Results showed that glycyrrhizic acid inhibited sumoylation processes (without affecting ubiquitination processes), limited cell growth, and induced apoptosis in multiple cell lines. Similar to ginkgolic acid; glycyrrhizic acid targeted the first step of the sumoylation process and resulted in low levels of spontaneous EBV reactivation. Glycyrrhizic acid did not affect induced reactivation of the virus, but the presence of the extract did reduce the ability of the produced virus to infect additional cells. Therefore, we propose that glycyrrhizic acid may be a potential therapeutic drug to augment the treatment of EBV-associated lymphoid malignancies

Verhaltens- und emotionale Störungen mit Beginn in der Kindheit und Jugend

Die Verhaltens- und emotionalen Störungen mit Beginn in der Kindheit und Jugend umfassen ein weites Spektrum verschiedener Störungen: Störungen der motorischen Aktivität und Aufmerksamkeit, Störungen des Sozialverhaltens, emotionale Störungen, Störungen sozialer Funktionen, Ticstörungen sowie Verhaltens- und emotionale Störungen mit Beginn in der Kindheit und Jugend. Einige der Störungen beschränken sich auf Kindheit und Jugend, andere können bis ins Erwachsenenalter hinein persistieren. Die Klassifikation der ICD-10, besonders bei den emotionalen Störungen, ist in einzelnen Punkten inkonsequent oder unlogisch. So kommen z. B. depressive Entwicklungen und Angststörungen auch schon im Kindes- und Jugendalter vor, werden aber andernorts klassifiziert. Ebenso werden potenzielle komorbide Störungen als Ausschlussgrund definiert, z. B. bei Autismus und ADHS, so dass die klinische Praxis häufig vom ICD-10 abweicht. Die Krankheitsursachen sind häufig multikausal. Demzufolge kann die Therapie u. U. auch multimodal von der Beratung der Eltern über Psycho- und Familientherapie bis hin zur Pharmakotherapie reichen. Manchmal ist auch die Beratung weiterer Bezugspersonen, z. B. der Lehrer, nötig