190 research outputs found
Reporting on sustainability and HRM: a comparative study of sustainability reporting practices by the world’s largest companies
As a response to the growing public awareness on the importance of organisational contributions to sustainable development, there is an increased incentive for corporations to report on their sustainability activities. In parallel with this has been the development of ‘Sustainable HRM’ which embraces a growing body of practitioner and academic literature connecting the notions of corporate sustainability to HRM. The aim of this article is to analyse corporate sustainability reporting amongst the world’s largest companies and to assess the HRM aspects of sustainability within these reports in comparison to environmental aspects of sustainable management and whether organisational attributes – principally country-of-origin – influences the reporting of such practices. A focus in this article is the extent to which the reporting of various aspects of sustainability may reflect dominant models of corporate governance in the country in which a company is headquartered. The findings suggest, first and against expectations, that the overall disclosure on HRM-related performance is not lower than that on environmental performance. Second, companies report more on their internal workforce compared to their external workforce. Finally, international differences, in particular those between companies headquartered in liberal market economies and coordinated market economies, are not as apparent as expected
Bone Healing Gone Wrong : Pathological Fracture Healing and Non-Unions—Overview of Basic and Clinical Aspects and Systematic Review of Risk Factors
Bone healing is a multifarious process involving mesenchymal stem cells, osteoprogenitor
cells, macrophages, osteoblasts and -clasts, and chondrocytes to restore the osseous tissue. Particularly
in long bones including the tibia, clavicle, humerus and femur, this process fails in 2–10% of all
fractures, with devastating effects for the patient and the healthcare system. Underlying reasons for
this failure are manifold, from lack of biomechanical stability to impaired biological host conditions
and wound-immanent intricacies. In this review, we describe the cellular components involved in
impaired bone healing and how they interfere with the delicately orchestrated processes of bone
repair and formation. We subsequently outline and weigh the risk factors for the development of
non-unions that have been established in the literature. Therapeutic prospects are illustrated and put
into clinical perspective, before the applicability of biomarkers is finally discussed
Reporting on sustainability and HRM: a comparative study of sustainability reporting practices by the world’s largest companies
As a response to the growing public awareness on the importance of organisational contributions to sustainable development, there is an increased incentive for corporations to report on their sustainability activities. In parallel with this has been the development of ‘Sustainable HRM’ which embraces a growing body of practitioner and academic literature connecting the notions of corporate sustainability to HRM. The aim of this article is to analyse corporate sustainability reporting amongst the world’s largest companies and to assess the HRM aspects of sustainability within these reports in comparison to environmental aspects of sustainable management and whether organisational attributes – principally country-of-origin – influences the reporting of such practices. A focus in this article is the extent to which the reporting of various aspects of sustainability may reflect dominant models of corporate governance in the country in which a company is headquartered. The findings suggest, first and against expectations, that the overall disclosure on HRM-related performance is not lower than that on environmental performance. Second, companies report more on their internal workforce compared to their external workforce. Finally, international differences, in particular those between companies headquartered in liberal market economies and coordinated market economies, are not as apparent as expected
RENO, a European Postmarket Surveillance Registry, confirms effectiveness of coronary brachytheraypy in routine clinical practice.
Purpose: To assess, by a European registry trial, the clinical event rate in patients with discrete stenotic lesions of coronary arteries (de novo or restenotic) in single or multiple vessels (native or bypass grafts) treated with -radiation.
Methods and Materials: Between April 1999 and September 2000, 1098 consecutive patients treated in 46 centers in Europe and the Middle East with the Novoste Beta-Cath System were included in Registry Novoste (RENO).
Results: Six-month follow-up data were obtained for 1085 patients. Of 1174 target lesions, 94.1% were located in native vessels and 5.9% in a bypass graft; 17.7% were de novo lesions, 4.1% were restenotic, and 77.7% were in-stent restenotic lesions. Intravascular brachytherapy was technically successful in 95.9% of lesions. Multisegmental irradiation, using a manual pullback stepping maneuver to treat longer lesions, was used in 16.3% of the procedures. The in-hospital rate of major adverse cardiac events was 1.8%. At 6 months, the rate was 18.7%.
Angiographic follow-up was available for 70.4% of the patients. Nonocclusive restenosis was seen in 18.8% and total occlusion in 5.7% of patients. A combined end point for late (30–180 days) definitive or suspected target vessel closure was reached in 5.4%, but with only 2% of clinical events. Multivariate analysis was performed for major adverse cardiac events and late thrombosis.
Conclusion: Data obtained from the multicenter RENO registry study, derived from a large cohort of unselected consecutive patients, suggest that the good results of recent randomized controlled clinical trials can be replicated in routine clinical practice. © 2003 Elsevier Science Inc
SARS-Cov-2 viral and serological screening of staff in 31 European fertility units
Study Question:
What is the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral presence and seroconversion in staff members in European fertility units prior to recommencement of clinical activity?
Summary Answer:
A large proportion of fertility clinic staff remain susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 with no evidence of seroconversion, indicating that continued comprehensive risk mitigation strategies are essential.
What is Known Already:
In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, routine fertility treatment was temporarily stopped in several European countries. The SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and seroconversion in fertility clinic staff, who are at potentially lower risk than routine healthcare workers, are unknown.
Study Design, Size, Duration:
This cross-sectional study included 554 staff in 16 European IVF clinics, 13 ultrasound clinics, one diagnostic laboratory and one head office in four European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany and the UK) between 15 April and 30 June 2020.
Participants/Materials, Setting, Methods:
There were 554 staff members returning for resumption of clinical activity. Paired nucleic acid amplification tests of oropharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 and serological testing for SARS-CoV-2 IgG were performed.
Main Results and the Role of Chance:
Of the 554 staff members tested, 0.19% (95% CI 0.03, 1.10%) had evidence of SARS-CoV-2 as detected by RT-PCR. In contrast, 23 staff members, i.e. 4.15% (95% CI 2.78, 6.15%), had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, with a wide range of antibody titres. There was no evidence of differences in seroconversion between countries with estimates ranging from 2.78% (95% CI 0.77, 9.58) in Austria to 6.75% (95% CI 4.46, 10.1) for the UK. There was no strong evidence of clustering within the clinics, with 21 of the 30 facilities having no staff members affected (prevalence estimates ranging from 0% to 35%), and one clinic having seven staff members affected (35% (95% CI 18.1%, 56.7%)). The single staff member who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus was in the pre-symptomatic phase and was isolated, with no contacts having evidence of infection on repeat testing.
Limitations, Reasons for Caution:
This was a cross-sectional study prior to resumption of clinical activity, with repeat testing not undertaken.
Wider Implications of the Findings:
The low prevalence of seroconversion of fertility clinic staff highlights the need for continued comprehensive risk mitigation strategies and engagement with national endeavours to identify and isolate new cases and their contacts as we embark on the resumption of fertility services.
Study Funding/Competing Interest(s):
The Fertility Partnership funded the study. S.M.N. reports personal fees from Access Fertility, personal fees from Merck, personal fees from Ferring, grants and personal fees from Roche Diagnostics, personal fees from The Fertility Partnership and personal fees from Modern Fertility, outside the submitted work. T.C. reports personal fees from Merck and personal fees from Ferring, outside the submitted work. G.T. reports personal fees from Merck, personal fees from Ferring and personal fees from Roche Diagnostics, outside the submitted work. S.E. and P.S.G. report no conflicts of interest
Cilostazol promotes blood vessel formation and bone regeneration in a murine non-union model
Non-unions represent a major complication in trauma and orthopedic surgery. Many factors contribute to bone
regeneration, out of which an adequate vascularization has been recognized as crucial. The phosphodiesterase-3
(PDE-3) inhibitor cilostazol has been shown to exert pro-angiogenic and pro-osteogenic effects in a variety of
preclinical studies. Hence, we herein investigated the effects of cilostazol on bone regeneration in an atrophic
non-union model in mice. For this purpose, a 1.8 mm femoral segmental defect was stabilized by pin-clip fixation
and the animals were treated daily with 30 mg/kg body weight cilostazol or saline (control) per os. At 2, 5 and 10
weeks after surgery the healing of femora was analyzed by X-ray, biomechanics, photoacoustic imaging, and
micro-computed tomography (µCT). To investigate the cellular composition and the growth factor expression of
the callus tissue additional histological, immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses were performed.
Cilostazol-treated animals showed increased bone formation within the callus, resulting in an enhanced bending
stiffness when compared to controls. This was associated with a more pronounced expression of vascular
endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a higher number of CD31-positive microvessels and an increased oxygen
saturation within the callus tissue. Furthermore, cilostazol induced higher numbers of tartrate-resistant acidic
phosphate (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts and CD68-positive macrophages. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that cilostazol is a promising drug candidate for the adjuvant treatment of atrophic non-unions in clinical
practice
Radiographic, Biomechanical and Histological Characterization of Femoral Fracture Healing in Aged CD-1 Mice
With a gradually increasing elderly population, the treatment of geriatric patients represents
a major challenge for trauma and reconstructive surgery. Although, it is well established that aging
affects bone metabolism, it is still controversial if aging impairs bone healing. Accordingly, we
investigated fracture healing in young adult (3–4 months) and aged (16–18 months) CD-1 mice using
a stable closed femoral fracture model. Bone healing was analyzed by radiographic, biomechanical
and histological analysis at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 weeks after fracture. Our results demonstrated an increased
callus diameter to femoral diameter ratio in aged animals at later time points of fracture healing
when compared to young adult mice. Moreover, our biomechanical analysis revealed a significantly
decreased bending stiffness at 3 and 4 weeks after fracture in aged animals. In contrast, at 5 weeks
after fracture, the analysis showed no significant difference in bending stiffness between the two study
groups. Additional histological analysis showed a delayed endochondral ossification in aged animals
as well as a higher amounts of fibrous tissue at early healing time points. These findings indicate a
delayed process of callus remodeling in aged CD-1 mice, resulting in a delayed fracture healing when
compared to young adult animals. However, the overall healing capacity of the fractured femora was
not affected by aging
Diclofenac, a NSAID, delays fracture healing in aged mice
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as diclofenac, belong to the most prescribed analgesic
medication after traumatic injuries. However, there is accumulating evidence that NSAIDs impair fracture
healing. Because bone regeneration in aged patients is subject to significant changes in cell differentiation and
proliferation as well as a markedly altered pharmacological action of drugs, we herein analyzed the effects of
diclofenac on bone healing in aged mice using a stable closed femoral facture model. Thirty-three mice (male n
= 14, female n = 19) received a daily intraperitoneal injection of diclofenac (5 mg/kg body weight). Vehicletreated mice (n = 29; male n = 13, female n = 16) served as controls. Fractured mice femora were analyzed
by means of X-ray, biomechanics, micro computed tomography (μCT), histology and Western blotting. Biomechanical analyses revealed a significantly reduced bending stiffness in diclofenac-treated animals at 5 weeks after
fracture when compared to vehicle-treated controls. Moreover, the callus tissue in diclofenac-treated aged animals exhibited a significantly reduced amount of bone tissue and higher amounts of fibrous tissue. Further
histological analyses demonstrated less lamellar bone after diclofenac treatment, indicating a delay in callus
remodeling. This was associated with a decreased number of osteoclasts and an increased expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) during the early phase of fracture healing. These findings indicate that diclofenac delays
fracture healing in aged mice by affecting osteogenic growth factor expression and bone formation as well as
osteoclast activity and callus remodeling
Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Biocompatible Alloy, ti-nb-zr-ta-sn
Many current-generation biomedical implants are fabricated from the Ti-6Al-4V alloy because it has many attractive properties, such as low density and biocompatibility. However, the elastic modulus of this alloy is much larger than that of the surrounding bone, leading to bone resorption and, eventually, implant failure. In the present study, we synthesized and performed a detailed analysis of a novel low elastic modulus Ti-based alloy (Ti-28Nb-5Zr-2Ta-2Sn (TNZTS alloy)) using a variety of methods, including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and tensile test. Additionally, the in vitro biocompatibility of the TNZTS alloy was evaluated using SCP-1, SaOs-2, and THP-1 cell lines and primary human osteoblasts. Compared to Ti-6Al-4V, the elastic modulus of TNZTS alloy was significantly lower, while measures of its in vitro biocompatibility are comparable. O2 plasma treatment of the surface of the alloy significantly increased its hydrophilicity and, hence, its in vitro biocompatibility. TNZTS alloy specimens did not induce the release of cytokines by macrophages, indicating that such scaffolds would not trigger inflammatory responses. The present results suggest that the TNZTS alloy may have potential as an alternative to Ti-6Al-4V. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: The experimental work was funded by the State Assignment (Russian Federation, Grant No. 0836-2020-0020) and DAAD together with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation within the Michael Lomonosov Program (project No. 57447934)
Mathematical Model of Stem Cell Differentiation and Tissue Regeneration with Stochastic Noise
- …