Corporate governance codes in Australia and New Zealand: Propriety and prosperity

Overview of the central features of corporate governance codes, 'Principles of Good Corporate Governance and Best Practice Recommendations' (released by the ASX Corporate Governance Council) and 'Corporate Governance in New Zealand, Principles and Guidelines' (released by New Zealand Securities Commission) - whether the codes address the right problem - are the solutions of independence and disclosure conceptually and practically viable - whether codes pay sufficient attention to wealth creation.

Genetic covariation of pelvic organ and elbow mobility in twins and their sisters

A range of environmental risk factors, with childbirth the most notable, have been associated with the development of pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. However, indications of genetic influence (positive family histories, ethnic differences) have prompted research into the heritability of measures of pelvic organ descent and joint mobility, which have also been associated with prolapse and incontinence. Genes appear to influence about half of the variation in these measures and, furthermore, the pelvic organ measures are associated with elbow hyperextension at a phenotypic level (r approximate to .2). We examined these measures in young, nulligravid women to determine if their association is due to a common genetic source. Data were collected from 178 Caucasian female co-twins and non-twin sisters, 50 of whom returned to be retested, which allowed reliability to be estimated and unreliable variance to be isolated in the multivariate analyses. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate genetic associations between latent elbow and bladder mobility factors for which heritabilities were estimated to be 0.80 and 0.64 respectively. The association between these factors appeared to be mediated by common genes (genetic r = .48, non-shared environmental r = -.06), with genes influencing latent elbow mobility accounting for 14% of the variation in latent bladder mobility. We speculate that genes influencing connective tissue structure may underlie this association.

Detection of surfactant protein A (SP-A) and surfactant protein D (SP-D) in equine synovial fluid with immunoblotting

Once considered unique to the lung, surfactant proteins have been clearly identified in the intestine and peritoneum and are suggested to exist in several other organs. In the lung, surfactant proteins assist in the formation of a monolayer of surface-active phospholipid at the liquid-air interface of the alveolar lining, reducing the surface tension at this surface. In contrast, surface-active phospholipid adsorbed to articular surfaces has been identified as the load-bearing boundary lubricant of the joint. This raises the question of whether surfactant proteins in synovial fluid (SF) are required for the formation of the adsorbed layer in normal joints. Proteins from small volumes of equine SF were resolved by 1- and 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and detected by Western blotting to investigate the presence of surfactant proteins. The study showed that surfactant proteins A and D (SP-A and SP-D) are present in the SF of normal horses. We suggest that, like surface-active phospholipid, SP-A and SP-D play a significant role in the functioning of joints. Next will be clarification of the roles of surfactant proteins as disease markers in a variety of joint diseases, such as degenerative joint disease and inflammatory problems.

Factors influencing PRN medication use in nursing homes

Objective: To identify determinants of PRN ( as needed) drug use in nursing homes. Decisions about the use of these medications are made expressly by nursing home staff when general medical practitioners (GPs) prescribe medications for PRN use. Method: Cross-sectional drug use data were collected during a 7-day window from 13 Australian nursing homes. Information was collected on the size, staffing-mix, number of visiting GPs, number of medication rounds, and mortality rates in each nursing home. Resident specific measures collected included age, gender, length of stay, recent hospitalisation and care needs. Main outcome measures: The number of PRN orders prescribed per resident and the number of PRN doses given per week averaged over the number of PRN medications given at all in the seven-day period. Results: Approximately 35% of medications were prescribed for PRN use. Higher PRN use was found for residents with the lower care needs, recent hospitalisation and more frequent doses of regularly scheduled medications. With increasing length of stay, PRN medication orders initially increased then declined but the number of doses given declined from admission. While some resident-specific characteristics did influence PRN drug use, the key determinant for PRN medication orders was the specific nursing home in which a resident lived. Resident age and gender were not determinants of PRN drug use. Conclusion: The determinants of PRN drug use suggest that interventions to optimize PRN medications should target the care of individual residents, prescribing and the nursing home processes and policies that govern PRN drug use.