Reviews

P. Race, 500 Tips on Group Learning, London: Kogan Page, 2000. ISBN: 0–7494–2884–8. Softback, vii + 135 pages, £15.99

From Value Protection to Value Creation: Rethinking Corporate Governance Standards for Firm Innovation

A company’s pro-innovation needs are often met by the exploitation of its resources, widely defined. The resource-based theory of the firm provides immense empirical insights into how a firm’s corporate governance factors can contribute to promoting innovation. However, these implications may conflict with the prevailing standards of corporate governance imposed on many securities markets for listed companies, which have developed based on theoretical models supporting a shareholder-centered and agency-based theory of the firm. Although prevailing corporate governance standards can to an extent support firm innovation, tensions are created in some circumstances where companies pit their corporate governance compliance against resource-based needs that promote innovation. In the present context of steady internationalization and convergence in corporate governance standards in global securities markets towards a shareholder-centered agency-based model, we argue that there is a need to provide some room for accommodating the resource-based needs for companies in relation to promoting innovation. We explore a number of options and suggest that the most practicable option would be the development of recognized exceptions that deviate from prevailing corporate governance standards. We further suggest as to how an exceptions-based regime can be implemented in the U.K. and U.S., comparing the rules-based regime in the U.S. with the principles-based regime in the U.K

Rating Apathy in Huntington’s Disease: Patients and Companions Agree.

BACKGROUND: Apathy is a common feature of Huntington’s disease (HD), even from early disease. However, patients are believed to lack insight into their own apathy and therefore clinicians and/or companions are relied upon to estimate the extent of a patient’s apathy. In addition, the evolution of apathy over time in HD has not been unequivocally established. OBJECTIVEs: The purpose of this study was to determine whether HD patient’s self-rated apathy scores were consistent with the scores given by companions who were also asked to rate the patients apathy. Furthermore, the clinical correlates of apathy and its stability over time were examined for both self-rated and companion-rated scores. METHODs: Apathy was measured in a large cross-sectional population of HD patients ranging from early to late stage disease (n = 106) using the Apathy Evaluation Scale; a subgroup of whom were followed longitudinally (n = 62) on average 18.7 (1.2 SD) months later. Comparisons were made between self-rated and companion-rated apathy and the relationship between apathy and motor, cognitive and functional performance was explored. RESULTS: Analysis of the cross-sectional data revealed that self-rated and companion-rated apathy were highly correlated, establishing the validity of using self-rated instead of, or in combination with, companion-rated assessments of apathy in future studies. Both self-rated and companion-rated scores had a relationship with motor and functional impairment, but had a complex relationship with cognition. The results of the longitudinal comparison revealed that apathy did not change over time in this cohort.CONCLUSIONs: Apathy can be equally well assessed by either patients or companions and does not change significantly over an18 month period. These findings have implications in the design of studies looking at treating this important aspect of HD.The work included in this manuscript has been partially funded by financial support from the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust.This is the accepted manuscript of a paper published in the Journal of Huntington's Disease (Mason S, Barker RA, Journal of Huntington's Disease 2015, 4, 49-59, doi:10.3233/JHD-140133). The final version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/JHD-14013

Reviews

Anne Brockbank, Ian McGill and Nic Beech, Reflective Learning in Practice, Aldershot: Gower Publishing, ISBN: 0 566 08377 9. £49.50

Direct Neuronal Reprogramming for Disease Modeling Studies Using Patient-Derived Neurons: What Have We Learned?

Direct neuronal reprogramming, by which a neuron is formed via direct conversion from a somatic cell without going through a pluripotent intermediate stage, allows for the possibility of generating patient-derived neurons. A unique feature of these so-called induced neurons (iNs) is the potential to maintain aging and epigenetic signatures of the donor, which is critical given that many diseases of the CNS are age related. Here, we review the published literature on the work that has been undertaken using iNs to model human brain disorders. Furthermore, as disease-modeling studies using this direct neuronal reprogramming approach are becoming more widely adopted, it is important to assess the criteria that are used to characterize the iNs, especially in relation to the extent to which they are mature adult neurons. In particular: i) what constitutes an iN cell, ii) which stages of conversion offer the earliest/optimal time to assess features that are specific to neurons and/or a disorder and iii) whether generating subtype-specific iNs is critical to the disease-related features that iNs express. Finally, we discuss the range of potential biomedical applications that can be explored using patient-specific models of neurological disorders with iNs, and the challenges that will need to be overcome in order to realize these applications.This research has received funding from the New York Stem Cell Foundation, the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme: FP/2007-2013 Neuro Stem Cell Repair (no. 602278), ERC Grant Agreement no. 30971, the Swedish Research Council treatment of the future grant agreement K2012-99X-22324-01-5, the Swedish Research Council 70862601/Bagadilico, Swedish Parkinson Foundation (Parkinsonfonden), the Strategic Research Area at Lund University Multipark and StemTherapy. JJ is supported by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (#FFL12-0074). JD is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) fellowship (#358492), and RB is supported by an NIHR Biomedical Research Centre grant to the University of Cambridge/Addenbrooke's Hospital. MP is a New York Stem Cell Foundation—Robertson Investigator

Progress in Huntington's disease: the search for markers of disease onset and progression.

Unlike most neurodegenerative disorders, individuals at risk from Huntington's disease can be identified prior to the onset of clinical signs of the disease by virtue of it being an autosomal dominant condition. This provides the hypothetical opportunity to delay disease onset and/or slow down the progression of the disease in the very early stages ahead of overt features of disease. To help prepare for therapeutic trials of disease-modifying compounds, extensive work has gone into (1) finding ways of better predicting the onset of disease in pre-manifest HD gene carriers (PMGC), (2) defining the extent of non-motor features of HD and (3) identifying robust and reliable tests by which to measure disease progression. In this short review, we summarise some of the major findings in this area of clinical research.The work included in this manuscript has been partially funded by financial support from the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust.This is the accepted manuscript of an article published by Springer. The final version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00415-015-7700-0

Testing self-report time-use diaries against objective instruments in real time

This study provides a new test of time-use diary methodology, comparing diaries with a pair of objective criterion measures: wearable cameras and accelerometers. A volunteer sample of respondents (n = 148) completed conventional self-report paper time-use diaries using the standard UK Harmonised European Time Use Study (HETUS) instrument. On the diary day, respondents wore a camera that continuously recorded images of their activities during waking hours (approximately 1,500–2,000 images/day) and also an accelerometer that tracked their physical activity continuously throughout the 24-hour period covered by the diary. Of the initial 148 participants recruited, 131 returned usable diary and camera records, of whom 124 also provided a usable whole-day accelerometer record. The comparison of the diary data with the camera and accelerometer records strongly supports the use of diary methodology at both the aggregate (sample) and individual levels. It provides evidence that time-use data could be used to complement physical activity questionnaires for providing population-level estimates of physical activity. It also implies new opportunities for investigating techniques for calibrating metabolic equivalent of task (MET) attributions to daily activities using large-scale, population-representative time-use diary studies

2018 International Consensus Statement on Golf and Health to guide action by people, policymakers and the golf industry

Scientific and public interest relating to golf and health has increased recently. Players, potential players, the golf industry and facilities, and decision makers will benefit from a better understanding of how to realise potential health benefits and minimise health issues related to golf. We outline an International Consensus on Golf and Health. A systematic literature review informed the development of a survey. Utilising modified Delphi methods, an expert panel of 25 persons including public health and golf industry leaders, took part in serial surveys providing feedback on suggested items, and proposing new items. Predefined criteria for agreement determined whether each item was included within each survey round and in the final consensus. The working group identified 79 scientifically supportable statement items from literature review and discussions. Twenty-five experts (100%) completed all three rounds of surveys, rating each item, and suggesting modifications and/ or new items for inclusion in subsequent surveys. After three rounds, 83 items achieved consensus with each with &gt;75% agreement and &lt;10% disagreement. These items are included in the final International Consensus on Golf and Health. The final consensus presented here can inform scientific knowledge, and action plans for (1) golfers and potential golfers, (2) golf facilities and the golf industry, and (3) policy and decision makers external to golf. These outputs, if widely adopted, will contribute to an improved understanding of golf and health, and aid these groups in making evidence-informed decisions to improve health and well-being.</p

Mild cognitive impairment and Parkinson's disease--something to remember.

Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson's disease (PD), and many patients will eventually develop a dementia, which has a devastating impact on the patient and their family. As such, there has been much interest in identifying a prodromal state to inform prognosis and facilitate earlier management, similar to the concept of 'MCI' in the Alzheimer's field. However, grouping the early cognitive deficits of PD together as 'PD-MCI' may not be the best way forward as it implies a single aetiological basis with one clinical consequence. In this review, we argue that cognitive deficits in PD arise from a number of different pathological pathways, only some of which herald a dementing process. This has important implications both for treatment of individual patients, and for the design of future disease-modifying therapy trials.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from IOS Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/JPD-14042