Kroniek van het ondernemingsrecht:Over ondernemingsrecht en 'corporate governance'

In 2016 was er de nodige aandacht voor de maatschappelijke aspecten van ondernemingen en het ondernemingsrecht. Dat is met name tot uitdrukking gekomen in de fundamentele herziening van de Nederlandse Corporate Governance Code, maar ook in de Nota Ondernemingsrecht, die respectievelijk op 8 en 9 december 2016 in finale vorm zijn gepresenteerd. Het onderscheid tussen beursgenoteerde en niet-beursgenoteerde ondernemingen wordt door de Corporate Governance Code gerelativeerd. Dat geldt tevens voor grote non-profit organisaties, die ook overigens steeds meer gelijk worden behandeld met naamloze en besloten vennootschappen bijvoorbeeld als het gaat om aansprakelijkheid van bestuurders en commissarissen of leden van een raad van toezicht. Specifiek met het oog daarop is in 2016 het wetsvoorstel Bestuur en toezicht rechtspersonen ingediend. Wat betreft rechtspraak wordt naast corporate governance, aandacht besteed aan de lage drempels voor ontvankelijkheid bij de Ondernemingskamer, aansprakelijkheid van bestuurders van rechtspersonen en vereenzelviging van rechtspersonen, doorwerking van aandeelhoudersovereenkomsten in vennootschapsrechtelijke toetsing en toetsing van dividendbesluiten. Aan de hand van jurisprudentie van de Ondernemingskamer wordt tevens het creatieve gebruik van de bevoegdheden door de Ondernemingskamer geïllustreerd

Metabolomics signatures of depression:the role of symptom profiles

Depression shows a metabolomic signature overlapping with that of cardiometabolic conditions. Whether this signature is linked to specific depression profiles remains undetermined. Previous research suggested that metabolic alterations cluster more consistently with depressive symptoms of the atypical spectrum related to energy alterations, such as hyperphagia, weight gain, hypersomnia, fatigue and leaden paralysis. We characterized the metabolomic signature of an "atypical/energy-related" symptom (AES) profile and evaluated its specificity and consistency. Fifty-one metabolites measured using the Nightingale platform in 2876 participants from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety were analyzed. An 'AES profile' score was based on five items of the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS) questionnaire. The AES profile was significantly associated with 31 metabolites including higher glycoprotein acetyls (β = 0.13, p = 1.35*10 -12), isoleucine (β = 0.13, p = 1.45*10 -10), very-low-density lipoproteins cholesterol (β = 0.11, p = 6.19*10 -9) and saturated fatty acid levels (β = 0.09, p = 3.68*10 -10), and lower high-density lipoproteins cholesterol (β = -0.07, p = 1.14*10 -4). The metabolites were not significantly associated with a summary score of all other IDS items not included in the AES profile. Twenty-five AES-metabolites associations were internally replicated using data from the same subjects (N = 2015) collected at 6-year follow-up. We identified a specific metabolomic signature-commonly linked to cardiometabolic disorders-associated with a depression profile characterized by atypical, energy-related symptoms. The specific clustering of a metabolomic signature with a clinical profile identifies a more homogenous subgroup of depressed patients at higher cardiometabolic risk, and may represent a valuable target for interventions aiming at reducing depression's detrimental impact on health. </p

Metabolomic profiles discriminating anxiety from depression

Objective: Depression has been associated with metabolomic alterations. Depressive and anxiety disorders are often comorbid diagnoses and are suggested to share etiology. We investigated whether differential metabolomic alterations are present between anxiety and depressive disorders and which clinical characteristics of these disorders are related to metabolomic alterations. Methods: Data were from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), including individuals with current comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders (N = 531), only a current depression (N = 304), only a current anxiety disorder (N = 548), remitted depressive and/or anxiety disorders (N = 897), and healthy controls (N = 634). Forty metabolites from a proton nuclear magnetic resonance lipid-based metabolomics panel were analyzed. First, we examined differences in metabolites between disorder groups and healthy controls. Next, we assessed whether depression or anxiety clinical characteristics (severity and symptom duration) were associated with metabolites. Results: As compared to healthy controls, seven metabolomic alterations were found in the group with only depression, reflecting an inflammatory (glycoprotein acetyls; Cohen's d = 0.12, p = 0.002) and atherogenic-lipoprotein-related (e.g., apolipoprotein B: Cohen's d = 0.08, p = 0.03, and VLDL cholesterol: Cohen's d = 0.08, p = 0.04) profile. The comorbid group showed an attenuated but similar pattern of deviations. No metabolomic alterations were found in the group with only anxiety disorders. The majority of metabolites associated with depression diagnosis were also associated with depression severity; no associations were found with anxiety severity or disease duration. Conclusion: While substantial clinical overlap exists between depressive and anxiety disorders, this study suggests that altered inflammatory and atherogenic-lipoprotein-related metabolomic profiles are uniquely associated with depression rather than anxiety disorders

Working memory moderates the relation between the brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and psychotherapy outcome for depression

Background: Insight into patient characteristics that predict response to treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) may help to personalize treatment and improve outcomes. One mechanism that has been linked to the success of treatment for MDD is brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF). BDNF is implicated in learning and memory and may play a role in the effects of psychotherapy that involves changing cognitions and behaviors. In addition, only in individuals with low BDNF, low working memory capacity has been associated with increased symptoms of depression. However, the role of BDNF and working memory capacity in psychotherapy outcome is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of BDNF and its interaction with working memory capacity in psychotherapy outcomes for MDD. Method: Adult patients with MDD were randomized to weekly or twice weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy. BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) (n = 138) was defined and serum BDNF was quantified before (n = 138) and after psychotherapy (n = 82). Results: Baseline serum BDNF and the Val66Met polymorphism were not associated with outcome and associations did not differ between treatment conditions. Working memory capacity significantly moderated the relation between baseline serum BDNF and outcome: high serum BDNF at baseline was related to less depressive symptoms following psychotherapy in the presence of high working memory capacity, but not low working memory capacity. Discussion: These findings, if replicated, might indicate that while BDNF may not be related to psychotherapy outcomes in general, they may play a role in the presence of specific learning processes such as working memory capacity

Associations between depressive symptom profiles and immunometabolic characteristics in individuals with depression and their siblings

Objectives: The present study examined associations between immunometabolic characteristics (IMCs) and depressive symptom profiles (DSPs) in probands with lifetime diagnoses of depression and/or anxiety disorders and their siblings.Methods: Data were from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, comprising 256 probands with lifetime diagnoses of depression and/or anxiety and their 380 siblings. Measured IMCs included blood pressure, waist circumference, and levels of glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, CRP, TNF-α and IL-6. DSPs included mood, cognitive, somatic and atypical-like profiles. We cross-sectionally examined whether DSPs were associated with IMCs within probands and within siblings, and whether DSPs were associated with IMCs between probands and siblings.Results: Within probands and within siblings, higher BMI and waist circumference were associated with higher somatic and atypical-like profiles. Other IMCs (IL-6, glucose and HDL cholesterol) were significantly related to DSPs either within probands or within siblings. DSPs and IMCs were not associated between probands and siblings.Conclusions: The results suggest that there is a familial component for each trait, but no common familial factors for the association between DSPs and IMCs. Alternative mechanisms, such as direct causal effects or non-shared environmental risk factors, may better fit these results

Report on Information on Groups

Informal Company Law Expert Grou

Report on digitalisation in Company law

Informal Company Law Expert Grou