Understanding Independence: Board of Directors and CSR.

On August Business Roundtable (2019), the Business Roundtable redefined the purpose and social responsibility of the corporation. Yet, this statement must be followed by substantial changes in the business models of corporations for it to avoid becoming empty rhetoric. We believe that the figure of the independent director may be one of the catalysts needed for this change of paradigm for corporations.

The effect of opening wedge thoracostomy on thoracic insufficiency syndrome associated with fused ribs and congenital scoliosis.

Background: Thoracic insufficiency syndrome is the inability of the thorax to support normal respiration or lung growth and is seen in patients who have severe congenital scoliosis with fused ribs. Traditional spinal surgery does not directly address this syndrome.

Methods: Twenty-seven patients with congenital scoliosis associated with fused ribs of the concave hemithorax had an opening wedge thoracostomy with primary longitudinal lengthening with use of a chest-wall distractor known as a vertical, expandable prosthetic titanium rib.

The characteristics of thoracic insufficiency syndrome associated with fused ribs and congenital scoliosis.

1. Thoracic insufficiency syndrome is the inability of the thorax to support normal respiration or lung growth. 2.

[Evaluation of methods for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection].

Unlabelled: Helicobacter pylori is a gram negative curved bacillus recognized as etiologic agent of chronic gastritis and an important factor in the development of duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer. The purpose of this work is to evaluate three microbiologic methods for diagnosing H. pylori infection.

[Immunoenzymatic assay for serodiagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infections].

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) have been developed to diagnose H. pylori infection. However, the methods are not standardized.

[Helicobacter pylori eradication heals the duodenal ulcer. Randomized, simple, and controlled study with omeprazole].

60 patients with Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and duodenal ulcer (DU) were randomized to received either: I) Two weeks of bismuth subcitrate, metronidazole and amoxicillin (TG) or II) Omeprazole for four weeks (OG). Endoscopy and antral biopsies were done at entry and four weeks after treatment, control endoscopy was performed 2-4-8 and 12 weeks after inclusion in the trial. Healing was similar in both groups at two four weeks.

[Changes in the natural history of peptic ulcer after Helicobacter pylori eradication. Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial. Follow-up of 44 months].

We included 63 patients (p) with duodenal ulcer and Helicobacter pylori infection to be treated with Famotidine 40mg/day for six weeks. In the first ten days one group of 33p (TG) received Metronidazole 250mg plus Amoxicillin 500mg T.I.

[Portal hypertensive gastropathy: histologic and endoscopic correlation].

Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy (PHG) diagnosed in 42 patients by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and was correlated with histological findings of gastric biopsies taken from fundus-body and antrum and observed blinded by the pathologist. We found that in the fundus PHG was observed in 97.14% and of these 77.

[Gastric mucosa injuries in portal hypertension].

Portal Hypertension (PH) was diagnosed in 114/4145 patients (p) evaluated by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during 1991-92 (2.75%). Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) was found in 39.

[Splenic abscess, a diagnostic and therapeutic problem].

Splenic abscess remains a rare entity, reserved for patients with predisposing factors or immunosuppressive conditions. In our 13 patients in which a splenic abscess was diagnosed pre- or intra-operatively, an average of 14 days past before the diagnosis was made. Main symptoms were fever, upper left abdominal pain, auscultatory left basal anomalies and splenomegaly.

[The recurrence of duodenal ulcer after treatment for Helicobacter pylori. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study].

We studied 63 duodenal ulcer (DU) patients (p) diagnosed by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) and Helicobacter pylori positive (HP). Patients were randomized, double-blinded to receive placebo (PG) 30p or Amoxicillin plus Metronidazole 33p (TG). All of them took Famotidine for six weeks and at this point UGE was performed.

[Nonulcerative dyspepsia associated with Helicobacter pylori].

30 patients with non ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) were evaluated to find out if there was a relationship with Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. Gastric biopsies from the antrum were taken and two of them sent to pathology to be stained with H&E and Warthin-Starry. The other three were sent to Microbiology, for urease-test, culture and frotis with Gram stain.

[Non ulcer dyspepsia, endoscopic gastritis and Helicobacter pylori].

We studied 33 patients with non ulcer dyspepsia and endoscopic gastritis. 21 were female (63.4%) and 12 male (36.

[Percutaneous liver biopsy in outpatients].

We studied prospectively 44 patients with diffuse liver disease. We performed percutaneous liver biopsy in these outpatients. They were required to be in absolute response during the following 4-6 hours after the biopsy was completed.

[Barrett esophagus. Frequency, endoscopic, histologic, and clinical characteristics].

We reviewed 9210 upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations during a 66 month period and found 23 (0.24%) diagnosis of Barrett's Esophagus (BE). Male/female ratio was 1.

[Frequency of Campylobacter pylori in apparently healthy and asymptomatic Venezuelans].

We evaluated 21 healthy asymptomatic Venezuelan volunteers free of risk factors for gastritis with upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and four antral biopsies: a)2 for histological examinations, b) Urease test, c) culture and gram coloration. 13 out of 21 subjects were positive for Campylobacter pylori (61.30%) all of them had chronic gastritis and in the negative cases 7 were considered histologically normal.

[The urease test for the diagnosis of Campylobacter pylori infection].

To evaluate the usefulness of urea media routinely applied in the diagnosis of Campylobacter pylori infection, 50 patients with gastroduodenal pathology were studied. Two biopsies of antral mucosa were taken; one of them was placed on Urea Agar Base (Difco) prepared without agar, and the other in saline for Gram staining and culture in selective and enriched media. In 39 patients Campylobacter pylori was found by Gram staining and/or culture.