Fusion terminée, fusion interminable ? Le cas Peugeot-Citroën

Quand, lors d'une fusion entre des firmes dont la valeur provient de marques fortes, les dirigeants décident de maintenir ces marques, il est probable qu'ils enclenchent un processus de nature indéterminable ou, tout du moins, un processus dont la fin est indéterminable. C'est ce que semble montrer le cas de la fusion entre Peugeot et Citroën, étudié sur une période de plus de trente ans

Fusion terminée, fusion interminable ? Le cas Peugeot-Citroën

Quand, lors d'une fusion entre des firmes dont la valeur provient de marques fortes, les dirigeants décident de maintenir ces marques, il est probable qu'ils enclenchent un processus de nature indéterminable ou, tout du moins, un processus dont la fin est indéterminable. C'est ce que semble montrer le cas de la fusion entre Peugeot et Citroën, étudié sur une période de plus de trente ans.fusion;acquisition;Peugeot;Citroën;autonomie des marques;mutualisation

Comment passer du matériau de recherche à l'analyse théorique ? A propos de la notion de template

C omment passer d'un matériau brut, foisonnant, discontinu, tel qu'il est recueilli dans une étude de cas, à l'analyse théorique ? Bien évidemment, le recueil de ce matériau ne s'est pas fait à l'aveuglette, sans orien-tations théoriques. Mais, pour que l'étude de cas ait un sens, ces orientations théori-ques ne doivent pas structurer le matériau recueilli ou il y a risque de circularité (on retrouve la théorie et les concepts dans le matériau). L'aller et retour entre les mémos théoriques et les mémos matériau articule dans le temps ce passage du matériau à l'analyse1. Dans les pages qui vont suivre, nous voudrions développer l'idée qu'il peut exister une intermédiation entre le matériau et l'analyse théorique, qui est ce que les anglo-saxons nomment template.

Somatostatin and Neuropeptide Y in Cerebrospinal Fluid: Correlations With Amyloid Peptides Aβ1–42 and Tau Proteins in Elderly Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

A combination of low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Amyloid β1–42 (Aβ1–42) and high Total-Tau (T-Tau) and Phosphorylated-Tau (P-Tau) occurs at a prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and recent findings suggest that network abnormalities and interneurons dysfunction contribute to cognitive deficits. Somatostatin (SOM) and Neuropeptide Y (NPY) are two neuropeptides which are expressed in GABAergic interneurons with different fates in AD the former only being markedly affected. The aim of this study was to analyze CSF SOM, NPY and CSF Aβ1–42; T-Tau, P-Tau relationships in 43 elderly mild cognitively impairment (MCI) participants from the Biomarker of AmyLoïd pepTide and AlZheimer’s disease Risk (BALTAZAR) cohort. In these samples, CSF SOM and CSF Aβ1–42 on the one hand, and CSF NPY and CSF T-Tau and P-Tau on the other hand are positively correlated. CSF SOM and NPY concentrations should be further investigated to determine if they can stand for early AD biomarkers.Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier #NCT01315639

Relationships between Personality Traits, Medial Temporal Lobe Atrophy, and White Matter Lesion in Subjects Suffering from Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a heterogeneous cognitive status that can be a prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is particularly relevant to focus on prodromal stages of AD such as MCI, because patho-physiological abnormalities of AD start years before the dementia stage. Medial temporal lobe (MTL) atrophy resulting from AD lesions and cerebrovascular lesions [i.e., white matter lesions (WML), lacunar strokes, and strokes] are often revealed concurrently on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in MCI subjects. Personality changes have been reported to be associated with MCI status and early AD. More specifically, an increase in neuroticism and a decrease in conscientiousness have been reported, suggesting that higher and lower scores, respectively, in neuroticism and conscientiousness are associated with an increased risk of developing the disease. However, personality changes have not been studied concomitantly with pathological structural brain alterations detected on MRI in patients suffering from MCI. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between MTL atrophy, WML, lacunar strokes, and personality traits in such patients. The severity of WML was strongly associated with lower levels of conscientiousness and higher levels of neuroticism. Conversely, no association was detected between personality traits and the presence of lacunar strokes or MTL atrophy. Altogether, these results strongly suggest that personality changes occurring in a MCI population, at high risk of AD, are associated with WML, which can induce executive dysfunctions, rather than with MTL atrophy

Gliomatosis cerebri presenting as rapidly progressive dementia and parkinsonism in an elderly woman: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Dementia is one of the most important neurological disorders in the elderly. Dementia of tumoral origin is rare and parkinsonism of neoplastic origin is unusual. We herein report a case of gliomatosis cerebri, a very rare brain tumor seldom affecting the elderly, which presented as rapidly progressive dementia and parkinsonism.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>An 82-year-old woman very rapidly developed progressive dementia and akineto-rigid parkinsonism. Brain CT scan was normal. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium injection highlighted a diffuse tumor-related infiltration involving both lobes, the putamen, the pallidum, the substantia nigra, and the brainstem, corresponding to the specific description and definition of gliomatosis cerebri.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This atypical presentation of a gliomatosis cerebri, and the infiltration of the substantia nigra by the tumor, merits attention.</p

NY-ESO-1-Specific Circulating CD4+ T Cells in Ovarian Cancer Patients Are Prevalently TH1 Type Cells Undetectable in the CD25+FOXP3+Treg Compartment

Spontaneous CD4+ T-cell responses to the tumor-specific antigen NY-ESO-1 (ESO) are frequently found in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). If these responses are of effector or/and Treg type, however, has remained unclear. Here, we have used functional approaches together with recently developed MHC class II/ESO tetramers to assess the frequency, phenotype and function of ESO-specific cells in circulating lymphocytes from EOC patients. We found that circulating ESO-specific CD4+ T cells in EOC patients with spontaneous immune responses to the antigen are prevalently TH1 type cells secreting IFN-γ but no IL-17 or IL-10 and are not suppressive. We detected tetramer+ cells ex vivo, at an average frequency of 1∶25000 memory cells, that is, significantly lower than in patients immunized with an ESO vaccine. ESO tetramer+ cells were mostly effector memory cells at advanced stages of differentiation and were not detected in circulating CD25+FOXP3+Treg. Thus, spontaneous CD4+ T-cell responses to ESO in cancer patients are prevalently of TH1 type and not Treg. Their relatively low frequency and advanced differentiation stage, however, may limit their efficacy, that may be boosted by immunogenic ESO vaccines

Admission criteria and management of critical care patients in a pandemic context: position of the Ethics Commission of the French Intensive Care Society, update of April 2021.

Intensive care unit professionals have experience in critical care and its proportionality, collegial decision-making, withholding or withdrawal of treatment deemed futile, and communication with patients' relatives. These elements rely on ethical values from which we must not deviate in a pandemic situation. The recommendations made by the Ethics Commission of the French Intensive Care Society reflect an approach of responsibility and solidarity towards our citizens regarding the potential impact of a pandemic on critical care resources in France, with the fundamental requirement of respect for human dignity and equal access to health care for all