The effect of corporate governance on the cost of debt capital

Agency theory predicts that corporate governance (CG) and audit quality (AQ) enhance the convergence of interests between shareholders and managers and enable investors and lenders to have better perception on the optimum level of cost of debt capital. However, there is a lack of studies that investigate this issue in the emerging markets, particularly in Malaysia. Therefore, this research is conducted to investigate the relationship between internal monitoring characteristics of board of director and audit committee relating to the size, independence, financial expertise, frequency of meeting, ethnicity and education of directors and ethnicity of chairperson, and AQ as proxies by audit fees, non-audit service fees and industry specialist auditor, as external monitoring on the cost of debt capital. This study reports the results of multivariate analysis on dataset that were obtained from the Bursa Malaysia, DataStream, Bloomberg and annual reports of firms between 2003 and 2012. The empirical results of this study indicate that larger size and independent nonexecutive directors with less frequent directors’ meeting, ethnicity of Malay directors on the board, larger size and more frequent meeting of audit committee have significant effects on reducing the agency problem with internal monitoring function. These lead to a reduction in the cost of raising fund from lenders in capital market. The results also indicate that hiring industry specialist auditors and using non-audit services of external auditors have remarkable influence on reducing the information asymmetry with external monitoring function, which help to lower the cost of debt capital in the capital market. Findings are consistent with the agency theory, signaling theory and cultural theory, whereby internal and external CG mechanisms are associated with effective monitoring, which in turn helps to lower information asymmetry and agency problem in capital markets and consequently increases potential investors and lenders. The findings are of potential interest to policy makers, board members, audit committee members and external auditors

Potential effect of coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone) on serum NGAL biomarker and kidney function following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting surgery

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, and is associated with major adverse outcomes. Effect of preoperative administration of coenzyme Q10 was evaluated in order to realize that whether it could prevent the occurrence of AKI following elective CABG surgery. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and fifty patients who were candidate for elective CABG surgery between September 2017 and August 2018 were randomly assigned to intervention group (receiving coenzyme Q10, 300 mg BID for 2 days before surgery) and control group. Serum NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) was measured at baseline, 6 and 24 hours after surgery. Serum creatinine (sCr) and urine output (UO) were also measured at baseline and after surgery. Results: Fifty patients completed the study. The total incidence of acute kidney injury was 32%. There were no significant differences in the incidence of AKI (p=0.07) between the two groups. Serum NGAL was shown no significant difference at 6 (p=0.13) and 24 (p=0.22) hours after surgery compared to the baseline level between the two groups, whereas, the significant difference in the hospitalization duration was shown between them (p=0.02). Conclusion: CoQ10 supplementation did not significantly decrease the incidence of AKI in patients undergoing elective CABG

Electrochemical Anticoagulant Method

Delving into the science of electrochemistry to test living cells under the influence of metabolic disorders, infections, and injuries has been the focus of a group of interdisciplinary science researchers for decades. Considering that blood is an environment with chemical and physical properties, using non-chemical methods to influence this environment is not out of mind. Due to the presence of ions in the bloodstream and their role in blood coagulation, this passage can be used to obtain desired results in various clinical fields like preventing the clotting of blood. The use of chemical anticoagulants for research and therapeutic purposes is widespread; this group of anticoagulants is replaced under certain conditions due to their side effects. However, the chronic use of some anticoagulants has a potential impact on the future treatment decisions of patients

The Issues of Ethnicity in Financial Accounting Studies

This paper aims to provide a critical review of the empirical literature on the effect of ethnicity in financial accounting studies such as financial reporting quality, transparency, disclosure and corporate governance with particular reference to Malaysia. Traditional corporate governance system of the board of directors as well as alternative business governance system, culture and religious societies have been considered as having a significant impact on business governance systems used in a multi-ethnic country. Ethnicity can function as an appropriate representation to culture where each ethnic group keeps its distinctive cultural identification as well as ideals. This particular evaluation elucidates the association between ethnicity and financial reporting quality, transparency, disclosure and corporate governance in a multiracial context. Keywords: Ethnicity, transparency, financial accounting studies, Malaysia

Investigation of the relationship between structural empowerment and organizational commitment of nurses in Zanjan hospitals

Background: The demanding nature of nursing work environments signals longstanding and growing concerns about nurses' health and job satisfaction and the provision of quality care. Specifically in health care settings, nurse leaders play an essential role in creating supportive work environments to avert these negative trends and increase nurse job satisfaction.Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between structural empowerment and organizational commitment of nurses.Methods: 491 nurses working in Zanjan hospitals participated in this descriptive-correlational study in 2010. Tools for data collection were Meyer and Allen’s organizational commitment questionnaire and “Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II” (CWEQ-II). Data was analyzed by SPSS16. The statistical tests such as variance analysis, t-test, pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression were used for data analysis.Results: According to the findings, the perception of nurses working in hospitals on "Structural Empowerment" was moderate (15.98±3.29). Nurses believed "opportunity" as the most important element in structural empowerment with the score of 3.18 ±0.79. Nurses working in non-academic hospitals and in non-teaching hospitals had higher organizational commitment than others. There was a significant relationship between structural empowerment and organizational commitment.Conclusion: Generally, structural empowerment (relatively strong) correlates with nurses’ organizational commitment. We concluded that a high structural empowerment increases the organizational commitment of nurses.Keywords: Structural empowerment, organizational commitment, nurses, Zanja

Is Topical Zinc Effective in the Treatment of Melasma? A Double-Blind Randomized Comparative Study

Background and ObjectivesZinc plays a role in skin health, and preliminary data have shown its beneficial effects for melasma. We compared the effect of topical zinc with that of hydroquinone as the standard treatment on severity of melasma. Patients and MethodsNinety-three women with melasma were randomized to receive zinc sulfate 10% or hydroquinone 4% solutions once daily for 2months. They were followed for an additional 3months while using sunscreen. The severity of melasma was assessed at baseline and at 2 and 5months using the Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI). ResultsEighty-two patients completed the study. The MASI score fell significantly in both groups, but a greater decrease was seen in those who received hydroquinone (43.515.5% vs 18.6 +/- 20.8%, p<.001). Postinflammatory pigmentation occurred in 5.2% of the zinc group and irritation in 30.9% of the hydroquinone group. ConclusionTopical zinc therapy is not highly effective in reducing the severity of melasma, but further trials are needed to determine whether adding zinc to current topical treatments could improve treatment response

The prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression within front-line healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients:a systematic review and meta-regression

BACKGROUND: Stress, anxiety, and depression are some of the most important research and practice challenges for psychologists, psychiatrists, and behavioral scientists. Due to the importance of issue and the lack of general statistics on these disorders among the Hospital staff treating the COVID-19 patients, this study aims to systematically review and determine the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression within front-line healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. METHODS: In this research work, the systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression approaches are used to approximate the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression within front-line healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. The keywords of prevalence, anxiety, stress, depression, psychopathy, mental illness, mental disorder, doctor, physician, nurse, hospital staff, 2019-nCoV, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 and Coronaviruses were used for searching the SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, ScienceDirect, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science (ISI) and Google Scholar databases. The search process was conducted in December 2019 to June 2020. In order to amalgamate and analyze the reported results within the collected studies, the random effects model is used. The heterogeneity of the studies is assessed using the I 2 index. Lastly, the data analysis is performed within the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. RESULTS: Of the 29 studies with a total sample size of 22,380, 21 papers have reported the prevalence of depression, 23 have reported the prevalence of anxiety, and 9 studies have reported the prevalence of stress. The prevalence of depression is 24.3% (18% CI 18.2-31.6%), the prevalence of anxiety is 25.8% (95% CI 20.5-31.9%), and the prevalence of stress is 45% (95% CI 24.3-67.5%) among the hospitals' Hospital staff caring for the COVID-19 patients. According to the results of meta-regression analysis, with increasing the sample size, the prevalence of depression and anxiety decreased, and this was statistically significant (P < 0.05), however, the prevalence of stress increased with increasing the sample size, yet this was not statistically significant (P = 0.829). CONCLUSION: The results of this study clearly demonstrate that the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression within front-line healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients is high. Therefore, the health policy-makers should take measures to control and prevent mental disorders in the Hospital staff

Investigation of the relationship between structural empowerment and organizational commitment of nurses in Zanjan hospitals.

Background: The demanding nature of nursing work environments signals longstanding and growing concerns about nurses' health and job satisfaction and the provision of quality care. Specifically in health care settings, nurse leaders play an essential role in creating supportive work environments to avert these negative trends and increase nurse job satisfaction. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between structural empowerment and organizational commitment of nurses. Methods: 491 nurses working in Zanjan hospitals participated in this descriptive-correlational study in 2010. Tools for data collection were Meyer and Allen\u2019s organizational commitment questionnaire and \u201cConditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II\u201d (CWEQ-II). Data was analyzed by SPSS16. The statistical tests such as variance analysis, t-test, pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression were used for data analysis. Results: According to the findings, the perception of nurses working in hospitals on "Structural Empowerment" was moderate (15.98\ub13.29). Nurses believed "opportunity" as the most important element in structural empowerment with the score of 3.18\ub10.79. Nurses working in non-academic hospitals and in non-teaching hospitals had higher organizational commitment than others. There was a significant relationship between structural empowerment and organizational commitment. Conclusion: Generally, structural empowerment (relatively strong) correlates with nurses\u2019 organizational commitment. We concluded that a high structural empowerment increases the organizational commitment of nurses

Participation rate of cancer patients in treatment decisions: a cross sectional study

Background and objective: Cancer is one of the most common diseases and the second reason of death in Iran. Giving decision making authority to patients is one of the fundamental principles of the protection of patients. Patients have rights as consumers of health care services that nurses, physician and other health professionals are responsible for maintaining and protecting it. This study aimed to determine cancer patients’ involvement in treatment decisions making. Methods:This cross-sectional study was carried out as descriptive-analytic with practical purpose in 2017 in Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. The study population included 1,000 patients who had cancer that whom 450 patients were selected by simple random sampling. To measure patient participation in treatment decisions, was used of Levente Kristona standard questionnaire. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire was confirmed (coefficient = 0.82). For data analysis used of software spss21 with descriptive statistics and chi-square tests Results: among the patients, 197 men (53%) and 177 women (47%) with a mean age of 31 years were examined. The results of this study showed that the score of mean participation in treatment decisions among the cancer patients was 30 ± 12 and it was in low level. The patients’ participation in treatment decisions had a significant relationship with education level (P = 0.027), however, it was not statistical significant with gender, age, income, occupation and type of cancer and other demographic variables (P> 0.05). Conclusion: In general, that patients' participation in clinical decision making is weak and low. Since patients’ participation in clinical decisions could affect the quality of treatment decisions, therefore, health care providers should attention more to this fact. Also, culturalizating and education according to patients’ knowledge and use of treatment techniques are recommended for clinical decision making promotion. Paper Type:Research Article

Safety Evaluation of Nano-Liposomal Formulation of Amphotericin B (SinaAmpholeish) in Animal Model as a Candidate for Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Background: Development of a topical treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an important step in the im­provement of lesion management. Amphotericin B (AmB) is effective against Leishmania species but it is toxic, a Nano-liposomal form of AmB with a size of about 100nm (Lip-AmB) was developed and showed to be effective against Leishmania major, and Leishmania tropica in vitro and against L. major in vivo in animal model. This study was designed to check the irritancy Draize test in rabbits and was completed in the Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, TUMS, in 2012. Methods: Twenty rabbits in 3 steps were housed individually with artificial lighting (12/12h light/dark). SinaAm­pholeish cream or empty liposomes (prepared under GMP condition at Minoo Company, Tehran, Iran), was applied on a gauze patch and the patches were placed on the designated sites of the skin in the back of the rabbits. At 48 and 72h later, the erythema and oedema were checked, scored and recorded. Results: The erythema score in rabbits was 0.83+0.41 for the SinaAmpholeish and 0.5+0.55 for empty liposomes (P= 0.16). The average score for oedema was 0.67+0.52 for SinaAmpholeish and 0.33+0.52 for empty liposomes (P= 0.16). Conclusion: Based on skin irritancy reactions the topical formulation of SinaAmpholeish is safe and could be further checked in human trials