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Background: This study aims to assess the impact of personality traits on emotional intelligence (EI) and decisionmaking among medical students in Lebanese Universities and to evaluate the potential mediating role-played by emotional intelligence between personality traits and decision-making styles in this population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between June and December 2019 on 296 general medicine students. Results: Higher extroversion was associated with lower rational decision-making style, whereas higher agreeableness and conscientiousness were significantly associated with a higher rational decision-making style. More extroversion and openness to experience were significantly associated with a higher intuitive style, whereas higher agreeableness and conscientiousness were significantly associated with lower intuitive style. More agreeableness and conscientiousness were significantly associated with a higher dependent decision-making style, whereas more openness to experience was significantly associated with less dependent decision-making style. More agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism were significantly associated with less spontaneous decision-making style. None of the personality traits was significantly associated with the avoidant decision-making style. Emotional intelligence seemed to fully mediate the association between conscientiousness and intuitive decision-making style by 38% and partially mediate the association between extroversion and openness to experience with intuitive decision-making style by 49.82 and 57.93% respectively. Conclusion: Our study suggests an association between personality traits and decision-making styles. The results suggest that EI showed a significant positive effect on intuitive decision-making style and a negative effect on avoidant and dependent decision-making styles. Additionally, our study underlined the role of emotional intelligence as a mediator factor between personality traits (namely conscientiousness, openness, and extroversion) and decisionmaking styles.

Background Thyroid associated orbitopathy (TAO) is defined as an immune mediated inflammatory process affecting the extraocular muscles, connective and adipose tissue of uncertain etiopathogenesis. TAO are classically described in Grave’s disease (GD) however it may occur in euthyroid and hypothyroid patients. Those patients usually test positive for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone receptor antibodies (TRAb). For instance, only few cases of severe Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) associated orbitopathy with negative TRAb are reported to date. Case presentation Herewith we report a rare case of a middle-aged female who presented with bilateral progressive upper and lower palpebral edema and a unilateral marked proptosis associated with asthenia, headache and decrease in visual acuity. Biological investigation was notable for high levels of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (Anti-TPO) in an otherwise euthyroid patient with negative TRAb. Orbital Magnetic resonance imaging revealed edema of the extraocular muscles and inflammation of periorbital soft tissue. The patient received a treatment with intravenous methylprednisolone followed by oral treatment with prednisone. This regimen was both effective and safe with minimal metabolic side effects in our patient. Conclusion Minor ocular manifestations of HT are common; however, severe sight threatening ophtalmopathy in the absence of TRAb is rare. Multiple differential diagnosis should be considered and investigated before diagnosing this rare entity. Management of similar cases is currently based on reports and no clear guidelines have been elaborated, corticosteroids is the mainstream of treatment with a potential benefit of selenium supplementation in mild to moderate cases.