Convergent and divergent trajectories of corporate governance

This Special Issue revisits the classic question of comparative corporate governance research, namely whether national corporate governance systems are converging. More specifically, it focuses on several ‘convergence vectors’ which comprise the political, legal, economic and social arrangements that influence or drive the international trajectories of governance systems towards a common denominator. Taken together, the contributors to this Special Issue invite us to think critically about the functional explanations commonly mobilized in favour of convergence and consider instead the convergence debate from a broader and more interdisciplinary point of view

New Possibilities in Quantitative Assessment of Albuminuria in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Chronic Kidney Disease

Aim. To evaluate the relationship between albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) in a single and 24-hours urine spots and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression pace in patients with atrial fibrillation, CKD and diabetes mellitus.Material and methods. 60 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and CKD were enrolled, study duration was 15 months. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence of DM. Total number of ACR tests was 170, dynamics of CKD progression was estimated with CKD-EPI formula for first visit and 15th month’s follow-up.Results. The median score of CHA2DS2VASс scale was 4 [3;5]. The risk of hemorrhagic complications in both groups was low (median score 1 [1;1]. There is a strong statistically significant correlation between ACR in a single and 24-hours urine spots (p<0.001). No significant changes in kidney function within 15 months were found (GFR 53 [46;59] ml/min/1.73 m2 vs 50.5 [45.63] ml/min/1.73 m2 for patients with diabetes mellitus [DM] [p=0.94] and GFR 52.5 [46.58] ml/min/1.73 m2 vs 50 [44.58] ml/min/1.73 m2 for patients without DM [p=0.711]). When comparing the renal function of patients with and without DM after 15 months statistically significant differences were also not found (p = 0.510).Conclusion. In respect that assessment of single sample ACR is much more practical and reliable, this method might replace traditional 24-hours urine assessment in future. However, due to the small sample size and the presence of wide discrepancies in individual cases, which can be associated with preanalytical errors in urine collection, large randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm the obtained data

A further reply to Jean-Philippe Robé on the firm

AbstractDespite agreement on many points, including our shared insistence that ‘corporation’ and ‘firm’ are different concepts, Jean-Philippe Robé still maintains that they are mutually exclusive: no corporation is a firm, and no firm is a corporation. In contrast, we follow standard nomenclature when we point out that all (business) corporations are firms, but some firms are not corporations. We show here that this is a standard practice among lawyers writing in leading law journals and note that Robé seems to have abandoned the task of defining the firm.</jats:p

New Possibilities in Quantitative Assessment of Albuminuria in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Chronic Kidney Disease

Aim. To evaluate the relationship between albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) in a single and 24-hours urine spots and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression pace in patients with atrial fibrillation, CKD and diabetes mellitus.Material and methods. 60 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and CKD were enrolled, study duration was 15 months. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence of DM. Total number of ACR tests was 170, dynamics of CKD progression was estimated with CKD-EPI formula for first visit and 15th month’s follow-up.Results. The median score of CHA2DS2VASс scale was 4 [3;5]. The risk of hemorrhagic complications in both groups was low (median score 1 [1;1]. There is a strong statistically significant correlation between ACR in a single and 24-hours urine spots (p&lt;0.001). No significant changes in kidney function within 15 months were found (GFR 53 [46;59] ml/min/1.73 m2 vs 50.5 [45.63] ml/min/1.73 m2 for patients with diabetes mellitus [DM] [p=0.94] and GFR 52.5 [46.58] ml/min/1.73 m2 vs 50 [44.58] ml/min/1.73 m2 for patients without DM [p=0.711]). When comparing the renal function of patients with and without DM after 15 months statistically significant differences were also not found (p = 0.510).Conclusion. In respect that assessment of single sample ACR is much more practical and reliable, this method might replace traditional 24-hours urine assessment in future. However, due to the small sample size and the presence of wide discrepancies in individual cases, which can be associated with preanalytical errors in urine collection, large randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm the obtained data.</jats:p