An experimental study to measure the effect of autothinking game on primary school students’ computational thinking knowledge

https://www.ester.ee/record=b5371244*es

LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE MANNERS OF HOLDING SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSEMBLIES IN THE CONDITIONS OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC

The functioning of the world social and economic order in the 21st century has faced many challenges, but the global Covid-19 pandemic has caused unpredictable tendencies that require immediate, effective and adequate reactions that will respond seriously to the new situation. No society, including Macedonia, has remained immune to the consequences caused by this pandemic, penetrating deeply into all segments of society. The Covid-19 pandemic directly raised the question of the readiness of national socio-economic orders to function in digital format. The functioning of the main carriers of economic fluctuation, i.e., business entities and their capacity for digitalization, is one of the main preoccupations imposed by the pandemic. These issues are current in global and Macedonian aspects. The main purpose of this paper is, through analysis of the practice of joint stock companies listed on the Macedonian Stock Exchange and those with special reporting obligations, to identify the degree of utilization of the opportunity provided in the Law on Trade Companies for organization at shareholders' assemblies by electronic means during the conditions of the pandemic. At the same time, the paper concentrates on the effects that the pandemic causes in the realization of the shareholder rights under the newly created conditions. In addition to analyzing the current situation, the paper provides guidance for improving the provisions for the organization of shareholders' assemblies by electronic means and the exercise of shareholders' rights. Keywords: Joint stock companies, shareholders’ assemblies by electronic means, shareholders' rights, COVID 19 pandemi

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATIONS AND TRANSPARENCY OF JOINT STOCK COMPANIES IN CHANGED SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

The tendencies that prevailed internationally after the financial crisis of 2008 indetermining the contours of good corporate governance were aimed at ensuring standardizationand unification of the quality and quantity of information that joint stock companies shouldpublish. The predictability of market fluctuations is largely based on the transparency anddisclosure of information by joint stock companies. These postulates contribute to improvingthe information of shareholders and stakeholders, primarily potential investors in making theright investment decisions. However, the global economic and social climate in the recentperiod is influenced by particularly pronounced variables such as health, economic, energy,social and legal effects. These effects caused drastic market fluctuations, which changed thebehavior of all businesses, including joint stock companies. In that regard, the main goalof the paper is to determine the intensity of the newly created social circumstances on thetransparency of joint stock companies, i.e., on the credibility of the information disclosureprocess. The paper analyzes the legal solutions that regulate the transparency of joint stockcompanies at the international level, and at the European and Macedonian levels. In additionto this, the legal measures that are taken as a result of overcoming the negative consequencesof the health, economic and energy crisis are analyzed. Through the method of synthesis, thepaper measures the impact of the desired effects of the undertaken anti-crisis response oninformation disclosure and transparency and draws conclusions and recommendations forjoint stock companies

MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS ON ANTICOAGULANT THERAPY UNDERGOING DENTAL SURGICAL PROCEDURES. Review Article.

Dental treatment performed in patients receiving oral anticoagulant drug therapy is becoming increasingly common in dental offices.The aim of oral anticoagulant therapy is to reduce blood coagulability to an optimal therapeutic range within which the patient is provided some degree of protection from thromboembolic events. This is achieved at the cost of a minor risk of haemorrhage. Frequently raised questions concern the safety and efficacy of the various anticoagulation regimens and their accompanying thromboembolic and bleeding risks relative to invasive dental procedures.The aim of this literature review is to evaluate the available evidence on the impact of anticoagulant medications on dental treatment and highlight certain patient management issues closely interrelated to various aspects of dental treatment. For that purpose literature search in the electronic database of Medscape, Pubmed-Medline, Science Direct, and EBSCO host, in the data base of Medical University Plovdiv and specialised published books in general medicine and dentistry was made.A total of 33 publications between 1995 and 2013 were identified: 12 review articles, 11 randomized controlled and non-randomised studies, 6 guidelines and practical guides, 1 meta-analysis and 3 specialised books

Catechol-o-methyltransferase inhibitor tolcapone improves learning and memory in naïve but not in haloperidol challenged rats

Objective(s): Dopamine plays an important role in cognitive functions. Inhibition of the dopamine-degrading enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) may have beneficial effects. Our aim was to assess the effect of COMT inhibitor tolcapone (TCP) on learning and memory in naïve and haloperidol-challenged rats.Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into 9 groups (n=8):  naïve-saline, tolcapone 5; 15 and 30 mg/kg BW; haloperidol (HP) challenged-saline, haloperidol, haloperidol+tolcapone 5; 15 and 30 mg/kg BW. Two-way active avoidance test (TWAA), elevated T-maze, and activity cage were performed. Observed parameters were: number of conditioned responses (CR) and unconditioned responses (UCR), working memory index, and vertical and horizontal movements. Results: Naïve rats with 30 mg/kg BW TCP had a significantly increased number of CR  and  UCR during the long-term memory test. The animals with 5 mg/kg BW TCP significantly increased the number of UCR during the two retention tests. In haloperidol-challenged rats, the three experimental groups decreased the number of CR and UCR during the learning session and the two memory tests, compared to the saline group.  There was no significant difference between the HP-challenged rats treated with TCP and the haloperidol control group. All experimental naïve groups had significantly increased working memory index whereas none of the HP-challenged groups showed significant increase in this parameter. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that in naïve rats tolcapone improves memory in the hippocampal-dependent TWAA task and spatial working memory in T-maze

Early and sustained efficacy with apremilast monotherapy in biological-naïve patients with psoriatic arthritis: a phase IIIB, randomised controlled trial (ACTIVE)

Trial registration number NCT01925768[Abstract] Objective Evaluate apremilast efficacy across various psoriatic arthritis (PsA) manifestations beginning at week 2 in biological-naïve patients with PsA. Methods Patients were randomised (1:1) to apremilast 30 mg twice daily or placebo. At week 16, patients whose swollen and tender joint counts had not improved by ≥10% were eligible for early escape. At week 24, all patients received apremilast through week 52. Results Among 219 randomised patients (apremilast: n=110; placebo: n=109), a significantly greater American College of Rheumatology 20 response at week 16 (primary outcome) was observed with apremilast versus placebo (38.2% (42/110) vs 20.2% (22/109); P=0.004); response rates at week 2 (first assessment) were 16.4% (18/110) versus 6.4% (7/109) (P=0.025). Improvements in other efficacy outcomes, including 28-joint count Disease Activity Score (DAS-28) using C reactive protein (CRP), swollen joint count, Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI), enthesitis and morning stiffness severity, were observed with apremilast at week 2. At week 16, apremilast significantly reduced PsA disease activity versus placebo, with changes in DAS-28 (CRP) (P<0.0001), HAQ-DI (P=0.023) and Gladman Enthesitis Index (P=0.001). Improvements were maintained with continued treatment through week 52. Over 52 weeks, apremilast’s safety profile was consistent with prior phase 3 studies in psoriasis and PsA. During weeks 0–24, the incidence of protocol-defined diarrhoea was 11.0% (apremilast) and 8.3% (placebo); serious adverse event rates were 2.8% (apremilast) and 4.6% (placebo). Conclusions In biological-naïve patients with PsA, onset of effect with apremilast was observed at week 2 and continued through week 52. The safety profile was consistent with previous reports

Long-Term Safety and Tolerability of Apremilast Versus Placebo in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Pooled Safety Analysis of Three Phase III, Randomized, Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) requires long-term treatment, yet safety concerns and monitoring requirements make maintenance a challenge. This analysis of pooled Psoriatic Arthritis Long-term Assessment of Clinical Efficacy (PALACE) 1, 2, and 3 data describes 3-year apremilast safety and tolerability in PsA. METHODS: Patients with active PsA were randomized (1:1:1) to placebo, apremilast 30 mg twice daily, or apremilast 20 mg twice daily. Placebo patients were re-randomized to apremilast 30 mg twice daily or 20 mg twice daily at week 16 (early escape) or 24. Double-blind treatment continued to week 52; patients could continue apremilast during an open-label, long-term treatment phase. RESULTS: In total, 1493 patients received at least one dose of study medication and were included in the safety population (placebo: n = 495; apremilast 30 mg: n = 497; apremilast 20 mg: n = 501). Among patients receiving apremilast, 53.2% (767/1441) completed 3 years of treatment. Greater rates of adverse events (AEs) were reported with apremilast (61.1%; exposure-adjusted incidence rate [EAIR]/100 patient-years, 265.1) versus placebo (47.5%; EAIR/100 patient-years, 200.7) in the placebo-controlled period. During weeks 0 to ≤52, the most common AEs occurring in apremilast-exposed patients were diarrhea (13.9%; EAIR/100 patient-years, 18.6), nausea (12.3%; EAIR/100 patient-years, 16.0), headache (9.4%; EAIR/100 patient-years, 12.1), upper respiratory tract infection (9.1%; EAIR/100 patient-years, 11.5), and nasopharyngitis (6.2%; EAIR/100 patient-years, 7.7). Most AEs were mild/moderate with apremilast exposure ≤156 weeks. Rates of depression remained low (EAIR/100 patient-years, 1.8). Major adverse cardiac events (EAIR/100 patient-years, 0.5), malignancies (EAIR/100 patient-years, 0.9), and serious opportunistic infections (EAIR/100 patient-years, 0.0) were infrequent over the 3-year exposure period. Discontinuation rates due to AEs were low ( CONCLUSION: Apremilast demonstrated a favorable safety profile and was well tolerated up to 156 weeks