Corporate governance, market valuation and dividend policy in Brazil

This study investigates the effects of the corporate governance structure on market valuation and dividend payout of Brazilian companies. The empirical results indicate a high degree of ownership and control concentration. We can also note a significant difference between the voting and total capital owned by the largest shareholders, mainly through the existence of non-voting shares, pyramidal structures, and shareholding agreements. These mechanisms seem to be used by controlling shareholders to keep the firm’s control without having to own 50% of the total capital. The evidence also reveals that there is a relationship between governance structure, market valuation, and dividend policy in Brazil.Indisponível

Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand position statement on acute oxygen use in adults : 'swimming between the flags'

Oxygen is a life-saving therapy but, when given inappropriately, may also be hazardous. Therefore, in the acute medical setting, oxygen should only be given as treatment for hypoxaemia and requires appropriate prescription, monitoring and review. This update to the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) guidance on acute oxygen therapy is a brief and practical resource for all healthcare workers involved with administering oxygen therapy to adults in the acute medical setting. It does not apply to intubated or paediatric patients. Recommendations are made in the following six clinical areas: assessment of hypoxaemia (including use of arterial blood gases); prescription of oxygen; peripheral oxygen saturation targets; delivery, including non-invasive ventilation and humidified high-flow nasal cannulae; the significance of high oxygen requirements; and acute hypercapnic respiratory failure. There are three sections which provide (1) a brief summary, (2) recommendations in detail with practice points and (3) a detailed explanation of the reasoning and evidence behind the recommendations. It is anticipated that these recommendations will be disseminated widely in structured programmes across Australia and New Zealand

A prologue to the respirology tuberculosis review series 2010 : impact of tuberculosis on patients : learning from the past?

Editorial. The author reflects on the increase in number of incidence related to tuberculosis. The author mentions that the disease remains among the 10 major causes of mortality. Moreover, the author notes that the disease is also a significant public health problem in Asia, despite a worldwide alert for the disease over a decade and half ago

Implementation of evidence into practice : the key to improving patient outcomes

The significant delay in translating evidence into practice and policy has been well recognized. The importance of evidence‐based practice being actively implemented into policy and health systems has also been acknowledged as passive implementation has been proven to be relatively ineffective. Over the past 20 years, a critical discussion around implementation has gained momentum with real‐world implementation at individual and organizational levels being considered of equal importance. Alongside these discussions, implementation research has continued to evolve with the rapid development in this field resulting in over 40 different frameworks and models that include the description of processes and elements associated with translating evidence into policy and practice

[In Press] Review of fever management advice on government and hospital websites in Australia

Background: The public often searches the internet for information about managing symptoms of various diseases, with government and major hospital websites often providing valid and freely available information. Objectives: Fever is a common symptom of viral illness, and this review sought to identify information related to fever self-management on government and major hospital websites. Methods: Two distinct search strategies were used. The first was an internet-based search reviewing fever management advice published on Australian government websites (state, territory, and federal). The second search strategy pertained to fever management advice posted by major Australian tertiary adult and children's hospitals. Results: A total of 4,797 results were identified during the two searches, with a total of 12 websites on fever self-management identified for inclusion; four were from either federal or state government, with the remaining eight from tertiary hospital websites. The information identified showed a discordant definition of fever and lack of consistency in self-management advice. Discussion: This review identified a lack of consistent online government and hospital information. The information discrepancy across multiple websites was not underpinned by clinical evidence to support the self-management of fever

Emergency oxygen for adults guideline : a change in oxygen therapy?

Editorial. Evidence based guidelines underpin and guide much of our clinical practice today and these guidelines are usually disease or situation specific. Rarely do we see a guideline that has wide ranging relevance with the potential for an impact on most healthcare settings. The British Thoracic Society (BTS) emergency oxygen for adults guideline (Leach & Davison 2009) changes the way we think about oxygen as a medical gas and as a therapeutic agent. In this editorial, we have highlighted the key areas that have altered from previously accepted ways of delivering oxygen therapy. These changes will require modifications to policy and adjustments to local practice along with an educational update for staff to ensure future safe clinical practice

Nursing management : obstructive pulmonary diseases

Imagine needing to think consciously about every breath that you take for minutes, hours or days. Many individuals with obstructive lung disease have this experience, and chronic respiratory diseases are imposing a significant, and growing, burden on resources within Australia and New Zealand. Obstructive pulmonary disease, the most common chronic lung disease, is characterised by increased resistance to airflow as a result of airway obstruction or airway narrowing. Breathlessness is a key feature of obstructive lung disease. Types of obstructive lung disease include asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis (CF) and bronchiectasis. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that results in variable episodes of airflow obstruction, but is usually reversible. COPD is an obstructive pulmonary disease with progressive limitation in airflow that is not fully reversible. The patient with asthma has variations in airflow over time, usually with normal lung function between exacerbations, whereas the limitation in expiratory airflow in the patient with COPD is generally more constant. The pathology of asthma and the response to therapy differ from those associated with COPD. However, the patient with a diagnosis of obstructive pulmonary disease may have features of both asthma and COPD. Patients with asthma who have less-responsive reversible airflow obstruction are difficult to distinguish from COPD patients. Cystic fibrosis , another form of obstructive pulmonary disease, is a genetic disorder that produces airway obstruction because of changes in exocrine glandular secretions, resulting in increased mucus production. Bronchiectasis is an obstructive disease characterised by dilated bronchioles. It most frequently results from untreated or poorly treated pulmonary infections that cause an increase in sputum production

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), is it more than smoking related disease?

Nearly every nurse, at some stage of their career, will care for a patient with a diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

A call for a stronger articulation of education and role delineation for nurse researchers

Editorial: High‐quality clinical research that generates knowledge and positively impacts services and health outcomes is vital. While rigorous research preparation meets altruistic notions of knowledge creation, outside of university‐based academia, visible and well‐defined clinical career options for nurse researchers are scant. Two articles in this issue propose pathways and expectations for clinical research roles

Controlling epidemic of human respiratory viral infections

In the past decade, we have had two significant viral epidemics, first, severe acuter respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002/2003 and then the H1N1 09 influenza A pandemic in 2009/2010. Several other viruses have threatened, but so far, not evolved into pandemics, including strains of H5, H7, and H9 avian influence, and more recently, a novel coronavirus is thought to have originated in the Middle East. Thankfully, neither of the recent viral epidemics came remotely close to the severity of the 1918 influenza pandemic. However, both viruses did present a major challenge to public health authorities and clinicians managing patients with epidemic respiratory infections, from which we have learnt some significant lessons about the strengths and weaknesses of international, national, and local responses to emerging epidemics. It should also be remembered that even though H1N1 09 was considered a mild infection no worse than usual seasonal influenza, it is still estimated to have caused between 200,000 and 300,000 deaths worldwide. Given the constant stream of candidates identified, increasing global population, and increasing proximity of animals and humans favouring interspecies transmission, further epidemics are not only inevitable, but are likely to occur with increasing regularity. In this chapter, we will focus on what was learnt from the SARS and H1N1 09 experiences regarding what we should and should not do, in our attempts to control the next new epidemic virus that emerges