A Codeterminação na Corporate Governance

Este estudo sobre “a codeterminação na corporate governance” na Europa fornece uma visão em que a codeterminação, i.e., a representação dos trabalhadores na direção e controlo da empresa é enquadrada em quatro dimensões: (i) caracteriza a sua autoridade, (ii) que se traduz em diferentes dimensões de poder, (iii) oferece voz formal a uma parte interessada e, (iv) permite uma melhor integração com outras instituições como a representação sindical, a negociação coletiva, os acionistas e o governo da organização. A diminuição global do número de empresas cotadas anuncia uma crise de confiança na qualidade de informação por parte do governo empresarial. Também a era digital levanta novas questões como os riscos ambientais, sociais e de governance (ESG) e de continuidade do negócio. A literatura aponta tendências para o reforço da codeterminação que se traduz na procura de soluções de governance que integrem todas as partes interessadas, nomeadamente a própria empresa. A empresa, como valor a preservar, é um sinal de novas políticas. Em 2020, a Comissão Europeia, a pedido da Confederação Europeia de Sindicatos, renovou esforços para assegurar um novo modelo de participação ao nível da administração através de legislação vinculativa da União Europeia. Também em Portugal, o Partido Socialista (que formou os dois últimos governos) apresentou a codeterminação no seu programa eleitoral de 2019 e de 2022. Observamos que Portugal estabelece na sua Constituição (art.º 54, nº 5 - Comissões de Trabalhadores) que “Constituem direitos das comissões de trabalhadores: f) Promover a eleição de representantes dos trabalhadores para os órgãos sociais de empresas pertencentes ao Estado ou a outras entidades públicas, nos termos da lei”. Mas, os raros exemplos desta determinação da Lei Suprema do País limitam-se a frágeis representações em órgãos sem efetiva capacidade de monitorizar o desenvolvimento da gestão. A codeterminação é um mecanismo distinto de envolvimento de todas as partes interessadas pelo que deve ser apresentado e debatido com base nos seus próprios méritos

Continuous Infusion of Flumazenil in the Management of Benzodiazepines Detoxification

An effective approach in the treatment of benzodiazepine (BZD) overdosing and detoxification is flumazenil (FLU). Studies in chronic users who discontinued BZD in a clinical setting suggested that multiple slow bolus infusions of FLU reduce BZD withdrawal symptoms. The aim of this study was to confirm FLU efficacy for reducing BZD withdrawal syndrome by means of continuous elastomeric infusion, correlated to drugs plasma level and patients\u2019 compliance. Methods: Seven-day FLU 1 mg/day subcutaneously injected through an elastomeric pump and BZDs lormetazepam, clonazepam, and lorazepam were assessed by HPLC-MS/MS in serum of patients before and after 4 and 7 days of FLU continuous infusion treatment. Changes in withdrawal severity were assessed by using the BZD Withdrawal Scale (BWS). Results: Fourteen patients (mean age \ub1 SD 42.5 \ub1 8.0 years, 5 male and 9 female), admitted to the hospital for high-dose BZD detoxification, were enrolled in the study. Serum FLU concentrations significantly decreased from 0.54 \ub1 0.33 ng/ml (mean \ub1 SD) after 4 days of treatment to 0.1 \ub1 0.2 ng/ml at the end of infusion. Lormetazepam concentrations were 502.5 \ub1 610.0 ng/ml at hospital admission, 26.2 \ub1 26.8 ng/ml after 4 days, and 0 at the end of treatment. BWS values decreased during FLU treatment temporal period. FLU was well-tolerated by patients. Conclusions: Elastomeric FLU infusion for BZD detoxification is a feasible administration device to maintain adequate, constant, and tolerated FLU concentrations for reducing BZD withdrawal symptoms

Modeling of cardiac muscle thin films: Pre-stretch, passive and active behavior

Recent progress in tissue engineering has made it possible to build contractile bio-hybrid materials that undergo conformational changes by growing a layer of cardiac muscle on elastic polymeric membranes. Further development of such muscular thin films for building actuators and powering devices requires exploring several design parameters, which include the alignment of the cardiac myocytes and the thickness/Young's modulus of elastomeric film. To more efficiently explore these design parameters, we propose a 3-D phenomenological constitutive model, which accounts for both the passive deformation including pre-stretch and the active behavior of the cardiomyocytes. The proposed 3-D constitutive model is implemented within a finite element framework, and can be used to improve the current design of bio-hybrid thin films and help developing bio-hybrid constructs capable of complex conformational changes.Engineering and Applied Science

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, cognitive dysfunction and quality of life in high-dose use of benzodiazepine and Z-drug

High-dose use of benzodiazepines (BZDs) and Z-drugs was found to be associated with adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and multidomain cognitive deficits, but the interplay between these factors and its effect on quality of life (QoL) is unclear. We explored (a) whether cognitive dysfunction differs in high-dose BZD/Z-drug users with and without adult ADHD and (b) the impact of cognitive deficits and adult ADHD on QoL in this substance-use disorder (SUD). From January 2015 to December 2019, we recruited 207 high-dose BZD/Z-drug users seeking treatment. We assessed the presence of adult ADHD with a screening tool, which was validated in SUD patients, and collected demographic, clinical and QoL data from the 76 included patients. A neuropsychological battery explored five cognitive domains. We found that: (a) screening for adult ADHD was frequently positive; (b) Short Form-36 (SF-36), a self-administered QoL questionnaire, was worse than the general population and worse in patients positive (ADHD+) vs. those negative (ADHD-) to ADHD screening tool; (c) executive function was significantly worse in ADHD+than ADHD- patients; (d) some SF-36 dimensions were negatively influenced by executive dysfunction; (e) multivariate analysis showed an interplay between adult ADHD and cognitive dysfunction in worsening QoL. We documented a complex interplay between adult ADHD, cognitive dysfunction and QoL in high-dose BZD/Z-drug users. Assessing adult ADHD, neuropsychological measures and QoL may offer a full scenario of these patients, who are frequently impaired in everyday activities. Future research should explore whether pharmacological treatment might improve cognitive dysfunction and QoL in this SUD

High-dose dependence and cognitive side effects to medical prescription of etizolam

Introduction: The use of novel designer drugs has increased worldwide over the years. Etizolam is a designer benzodiazepine (BZD) that has raised concern because of its growing non-medical use, liability to tolerance and dependence, and related harms. Studies exploring the abuse liability and cognitive effects of etizolam outside the therapeutic doses are lacking.Aims: To explore the abuse liability of etizolam and the characteristics of patients affected by etizolam high-dose dependence in a nationwide tertiary referral addiction unit. To document the cognitive changes to etizolam high-dose use.Design and Methods: Sociodemographic and clinical data on subjects with etizolam high-dose use were retrospectively collected from a database of 1,293 patients consecutively admitted to the Addiction Medicine Unit, Verona University Hospital, Italy for detoxification from high-dose BZDs or Z-drugs dependence. Thorough neuropsychological testing explored the cognitive side effects of high-dose etizolam use.Results: We found eleven etizolam high-dose users, of which eight used etizolam only, and three used etizolam with other BZDs/zolpidem. All the patients were prescribed etizolam for medical reasons, i.e., anxiety and/or insomnia. Neuropsychological evaluation showed deficits of working memory, visuospatial memory and executive function in a 27-year-old woman who used etizolam 15 mg daily.Discussion: Our findings suggest that abuse and dependence liability of etizolam should be considered a public health and social problem. They offer preliminary evidence on the cognitive side effects of etizolam high-dose use.Conclusions: This report offers new information on the potential harms of etizolam in patients who are prescribed this drug for medical reasons

Rendimento e eficiência da fermentação alcoólica na produção de hidromel.

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Polysubstance use patterns among high dose benzodiazepine users: a latent class analysis and differences between male and female use

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) represent one of the most widely used groups of pharmaceuticals, but if used for long periods of time they are associated with dependence and an increased risk of harmful effects. High-dose (HD) BZD dependence is a specific substance use disorder associated with a poor quality of life. It is especially important to pinpoint differences in HD BZD addict subgroups in order to tailor treatment to the individual's specific needs, also considering possible comorbidities with other substance use disorders. We conducted a study to evaluate HD BZD dependence (converted doses to diazepam equivalents, mg) in an Italian sample of 1,354 participants. We also investigated if and to which extent participants co-used other substances (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis/cannabinoids, cocaine, and heroin). We then performed latent class analysis (LCA) to identify the use patterns of these substances, finding three classes: participants in Class 1 (4.3% of the sample) had the highest probability of also using cocaine and alcohol (Polysubstance BZD users); Class 2 comprised subjects with the highest probability of being former heroin, cocaine, THC, and alcohol users (Former polysubstance BZD users); Class 3 represented mono-dependence BZD users (78.5% of the sample) and was the most prevalent among women, while young men were most prevalent in Class 1. The present study underlines different characteristics in HD BZD users both concerning other addictions and sex, and also highlights the need for a stricter control of BZD use, ranging from prescriptions to sales

Membrane association of peroxiredoxin-2 in red cells is mediated by n-terminal cytoplasmic domain of band 3

Band 3(B3),the anion transporter, is an integral membrane protein that plays a key structural role by anchor in the plasmamembrane to the spectrin-based membrane skeleton in the red cell. In addition, it also plays a critical role in the assembly of glycolytic enzymes to regulate red cell metabolism. However, its ability to recruit proteins that can prevent membrane oxidation has not been previously explored. In this study, using a variety of experimental approaches including cross-linking studies, fluorescence and dichroic measurements,surface plasmon resonance analysis, and proteolytic digestion assays, we document that the antioxidant protein peroxiredoxin-2(PRDX2), the third most abundant cytoplasmic protein in RBCs, interacts with the cytoplasmic domain of B3. The surface electrostatic potential analysis and stoichiometry measurements revealed that the N-terminal peptide of B3 is involved in the interaction. PRDX2 underwent a conformational change upon its binding to B3 without losing its peroxidase activity. Hemichrome formation induced by phenylhydrazine of RBCs prevented membrane association of PRDX2, implying overlapping binding sites. Documentation of the absence of binding of PRDX2 to B3 Neapolis red cell membranes, in which the initial N-terminal 11 amino acids are deleted, enabled us to conclude that PRDX2 binds to the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of B3 and that the first 11 amino acids of this domain are crucial for PRDX2 membrane association in intact RBCs. These findings imply yet another important role for B3 in regulating red cell membrane function

Tyrosine phosphorylation modulates peroxiredoxin-2 activity in normal and diseased red cells

Peroxiredoxin-2 (Prx2) is the third most abundant cytoplasmic protein in red blood cells. Prx2 belongs to a well-known family of antioxidants, the peroxiredoxins (Prxs), that are widely expressed in mammalian cells. Prx2 is a typical, homodimeric, 2-Cys Prx that uses two cysteine residues to accomplish the task of detoxifying a vast range of organic peroxides, H2O2, and peroxynitrite. Although progress has been made on functional characterization of Prx2, much still remains to be investigated on Prx2 post-translational changes. Here, we first show that Prx2 is Tyrosine (Tyr) phosphorylated by Syk in red cells exposed to oxidation induced by diamide. We identified Tyr-193 in both recombinant Prx2 and native Prx2 from red cells as a specific target of Syk. Bioinformatic analysis suggests that phosphorylation of Tyr-193 allows Prx2 conformational change that is more favorable for its peroxidase activity. Indeed, Syk-induced Tyr phosphorylation of Prx2 enhances in vitro Prx2 activity, but also contributes to Prx2 translocation to the membrane of red cells exposed to diamide. The biologic importance of Tyr-193 phospho-Prx2 is further supported by data on red cells from a mouse model of humanized sickle cell disease (SCD). SCD is globally distributed, hereditary red cell disorder, characterized by severe red cell oxidation due to the pathologic sickle hemoglobin. SCD red cells show Tyr-phosphorylated Prx2 bound to the membrane and increased Prx2 activity when compared to healthy erythrocytes. Collectively, our data highlight the novel link between redox related signaling and Prx2 function in normal and diseased red cells