154 research outputs found
Fractional exhaled nitric oxide in preterm-born subjects: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background
Decreased lung function is common in pretermâborn survivors. Increased fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) appears to be a reliable test for eosinophillic airway inflammation especially in asthma. We, systematically, reviewed the literature to compare FeNO levels in pretermâborn children and adults who did or did not have chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD) in infancy with termâborn controls.
Methods
We searched eight databases up to February 2018. Studies comparing FeNO levels in pretermâborn subjects (<37â
weeksâ gestation) in childhood and adulthood with and without (CLD) with termâborn subjects were identified and extracted by two reviewers. Data were analysed using Review Manager v5.3.
Results
From 6042 article titles, 183 full articles were screened for inclusion. Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Seventeen studies compared FeNO levels in pretermâ and termâborn children and adults; 11 studies (preterm nâ=â640 and term nâ=â4005) were included in a metaâanalysis. The mean FeNO concentration difference between the pretermâborn and termâborn group was â0.74 (95% CI â1.88 to 0.41) ppb. For the six studies reporting data on CLD (preterm nâ=â204 and term nâ=â211) the mean difference for FeNO levels was â2.82 (95% CI â5.87 to 0.22) ppb between the pretermâborn CLD and termâborn groups.
Conclusions
Our data suggest that preterm born children with and without CLD have similar FeNO levels to termâborn children suggesting an alternative mechanism to eosinophilic inflammation for symptoms of wheezing and airway obstruction observed in pretermâborn subjects
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Associations between biological markers of prenatal stress and infant negative emotionality are specific to sex
Purpose
Fetal programming is the idea that environmental stimuli can alter the development of the fetus, which may have a long-term effect on the child. We have recently reported that maternal prenatal cortisol predicts infant negative emotionality in a sex-dependent manner: high prenatal cortisol was associated with increased negative emotionality in females, and decreased negative emotionality in males. This study aims to test for this sex-specific effect in a different cohort, and investigate whether sex differences in fetal programming may be specific to glucocorticoid mechanisms by also examining a maternal salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) by sex interaction.
Methods
88 pregnant women (mean gestational age = 27.4 weeks, SD = 7.4) collected saliva samples at home over two working days to be assayed for the hormone cortisol (range = 0.13â88.22 nmol/l) and the enzyme alpha-amylase (range = 4.57â554.8 units/ml). Samples were collected at waking, 30-min post-waking and 12 h post-waking. Two months after birth participants reported infant negative emotionality using the distress to limits subscale of the Infant Behavior Questionnaire.
Results
The interaction between maternal prenatal cortisol and infant sex to predict distress to limits approached significance (p = 0.067). In line with our previous finding there was a positive association between prenatal cortisol and negative emotionality in females, and a negative association in males. The interaction between sAA and sex to predict distress was significant (p = 0.025), and the direction of effect was the same as for the cortisol data; high sAA associated with increased negative emotionality in females and reduced negative emotionality in males.
Conclusions
In line with our previous findings, this research adds to an emerging body of literature, which suggests that fetal programming mechanisms may be sex-dependent. This is the first study to demonstrate that maternal prenatal sAA may be an important biomarker for infant behavior, and the findings have implications for understanding sex differences in developmental psychopathology
Corporate Social Responsibility Strategies of Spanish Listed Firms and Controlling Shareholdersâ Representatives
This article aims at analyzing how controlling shareholdersâ representatives on boards affect
corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies (disclosing CSR matters) in Spain, a context
characterized by high ownership concentration, one-tier boards, little board independence, weak
legal protection for investors, and the presence of large shareholders, especially institutional
shareholders. Furthermore, among controlling shareholdersâ representatives, we can distinguish
between those appointed by insurance companies and banks and those appointed by mutual funds,
investment funds, and pension funds. The effect of these categories of directors on CSR strategies
is, therefore, also analyzed. Our findings suggest that controlling shareholdersâ representatives
have a positive effect on CSR strategies, as do directors appointed by investment funds, pension
funds, and mutual funds, while directors appointed by banks and insurance companies have no
impact on CSR strategies. This analysis offers new insights into the role played by certain types
of directors on CSR strategies
Synthesising Corporate Responsibility on Organisational and Societal Levels of Analysis: An Integrative Perspective
This article develops an integrative perspective on corporate responsibility by synthesising competing perspectives on the responsibility of the corporation at the organisational and societal levels of analysis. We review three major corporate responsibility perspectives, which we refer to as economic, critical, and politico-ethical. We analyse the major potential uses and pitfalls of the perspectives, and integrate the debate on these two levels. Our synthesis concludes that when a society has a robust division of moral labour in place, the responsibility of a corporation may be economic (as suggested under the economic perspective) without jeopardising democracy and sustainability (as reported under the critical perspective). Moreover, the economic role of corporations neither signifies the absence of deliberative democratic mechanisms nor business practices extending beyond compliance (as called for under the politico-ethical perspective). The study underscores the value of integrating different perspectives and multiple levels of analysis to present comprehensive descriptions and prescriptions of the responsibility phenomenon
How Does It Fit? Exploring the Congruence Between Organizations and Their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Activities
Evidence of two distinct functionally specialized fibroblast lineages in breast stroma
Forest Sector Sustainability Communication in Europe: a Systematic Literature Review on the Contents and Gaps
Communicative Dynamics and the Polyphony of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Network Society
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