Implementation, communication and the benefits of corporate codes of ethics in Taiwan and Turkey : a comparison across contexts

Purpose &ndash; The purpose of this paper is to examine the corporate codes of ethics (CCE) that are put in place by companies in Taiwan and Turkey. Design/methodology/approach &ndash; This study examines the use of CCE among the top companies in Taiwan and Turkey. It is a replication of a study performed in Australia, Canada and Sweden and a follow-up study. Findings &ndash; The empirical findings show many similarities with top companies in Australia, Canada and Sweden, but more importantly identify key differences distinctly unique to each of the two countries under investigation. Statistical analysis suggests that the implementation, communication and benefits of CCE are paramount to Turkish companies operating in a domestic environment where the aspiration to participate globally and join the European Union is high, whereas in Taiwan it is low in favor of more traditional business practices (similar to the Chinese concept of guanxi) that focus on individual relationships in favor of formalized regulatory frameworks (such as CCE). Originality/value &ndash; This study makes a complementary contribution to the accumulated knowledge in the area of CCE, particularly given the cultural and historical differences these countries possess in comparison to each other and those previously studied and documented in the literature.<br /

Electroacupuncture relieves portal hypertension by improving vascular angiogenesis and linking gut microbiota in bile duct ligation rats

The pathological increase in the intrahepatic resistance and decrease peripheral vascular tone in the development of portal hypertension (PHT). PHT has been linked to lower microbial diversity and weakened intestinal barrier, and interplay alters inflammatory signaling cascades. Electroacupuncture (EA) may ameliorate the inflammatory response and limit arterial vasodilatation and portal pressure. This study addresses the possible mechanisms underlying putative hemodynamics effects of EA in PHT rats. PHT was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) over 7 days in rats. BDL rats were treated with low-frequency EA (2 Hz) at acupoint, ST36, 10 min once daily for 7 consecutive days. EA significantly reduced portal pressure and enhanced maximum contractile responses in the aorta, and blunts the angiogenesis cascade in PHT rats. EA decreased the aortic angiogenesis signaling cascade, reflected by downregulated of ICAM1, VCAM1, VEGFR1, and TGFβR2 levels. In addition, EA preserved claudin-1, occludin, and ZO-1 levels in BDL-induced PHT model. Furthermore, EA demonstrates to have a positive effect on the gut Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and endotoxins. These results summarize the potential role of EA in the gut microbiota could potentially lead to attenuate intestine injury which could further contribute to vascular reactivity in PHT rats

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Assessment of Median Nerve Mobility by Ultrasound Dynamic Imaging for Diagnosing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral neuropathy and is characterized by median nerve entrapment at the wrist and the resulting median nerve dysfunction. CTS is diagnosed clinically as the gold standard and confirmed with nerve conduction studies (NCS). Complementing NCS, ultrasound imaging could provide additional anatomical information on pathological and motion changes of the median nerve. The purpose of this study was to estimate the transverse sliding patterns of the median nerve during finger movements by analyzing ultrasound dynamic images to distinguish between normal subjects and CTS patients. Transverse ultrasound images were acquired, and a speckle-tracking algorithm was used to determine the lateral displacements of the median nerve in radial-ulnar plane in B-mode images utilizing the multilevel block-sum pyramid algorithm and averaging. All of the averaged lateral displacements at separate acquisition times within a single flexion-extension cycle were accumulated to obtain the cumulative lateral displacements, which were curve-fitted with a second-order polynomial function. The fitted curve was regarded as the transverse sliding pattern of the median nerve. The R2 value, curvature, and amplitude of the fitted curves were computed to evaluate the goodness, variation and maximum value of the fit, respectively. Box plots, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and a fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm were utilized for statistical analysis. The transverse sliding of the median nerve during finger movements was greater and had a steeper fitted curve in the normal subjects than in the patients with mild or severe CTS. The temporal changes in transverse sliding of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel were found to be correlated with the presence of CTS and its severity. The representative transverse sliding patterns of the median nerve during finger movements were demonstrated to be useful for quantitatively estimating median nerve dysfunction in CTS patients

Ultrasound scanning.

<p>While the fingers performed active flexion and extension movements (a), the transverse sliding motion of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel was clearly identified in dynamic B-mode images. (b), (c) & (d) Representative US images obtained from normal subjects and mild- and severe- CTS patients, respectively. Note that the amount of transverse sliding of the median nerve varied with the severity of CTS. N indicates the median nerve. Normal, Mild, and Severe indicate normal subjects, mild-CTS and severe-CTS patients.</p

Estimation of the pattern of median nerve motion.

<p>During finger flexion and extension movements in normal subjects and mild-CTS and severe-CTS subjects, the median nerve showed non uniform transverse sliding motion over the ulnar-radial plane. (a) Red arrows indicate the direction of lateral displacements of representative pixels within the median nerve as calculated using a speckle-tracking algorithm. (b) Cumulative average lateral displacements (mean and SD values) of the median nerve at different acquisition times during one finger flexion–extension cycle, indicating marked variations of the motion patterns between normal subjects and mild-CTS and severe-CTS patients. Normal, Mild, and Severe indicate normal subjects, mild-CTS and severe-CTS patients.</p

Transverse sliding patterns of the median nerve.

<p>Representative fitted curves indicating the various transverse sliding patterns of the median nerve during fingers flexion and extension movements among a normal subject, a mild-CTS patient, and a severe-CTS patient. The dots, triangles, and diamonds represent the cumulative lateral displacements at different acquisition times and the intersecting lines indicate the fitted curves for the different subgroups, respectively. Normal, Mild, and Severe indicate normal subjects, mild-CTS and severe-CTS patients.</p

Three-dimensional FCM clustering analysis.

<p>Distinguishing normal subjects from CTS patients by combining three parameters was shown. Each symbol represents an individual subject. Blue and red lines indicate estimated normal and CTS clusters, respectively. Normal, Mild, and Severe indicate normal subjects, mild-CTS and severe-CTS patients.</p

Box plots analysis for the <i>R</i>², amplitude, and curvature estimates.

<p>The calculated distributions of <i>R</i>², amplitude, and curvature estimates of the fitted curves for the normal subjects, mild-CTS and severe-CTS patients were presented. The bisecting line, box boundaries, and whiskers indicate the median value, 25^th to 75^th percentiles, and the estimated data range, respectively. Two and three asterisks indicate <i>p</i> < 0.01 and <i>p</i> < 0.001, respectively. Normal, Mild, and Severe indicate normal subjects, mild-CTS and severe-CTS patients.</p