Major Amendments Research Articles

International Arbitration in China: 2023 in Review

2023 was a year of progress for international arbitration in China, as there was positive activity in the Ministry of Justice, in the Courts, and in the arbitral institutes, each paving the way toward making China a more favourable venue for international arbitration. There were also encouraging developments abroad as several foreign court decisions recognized awards issued in China under the rules of Chinese arbitration institutions, demonstrating increasing global acceptance of awards issued in China by Chinese institutions, such as the China International Economic & Trade Arbitration Commission.With major amendments proposed to modernize its arbitration law, updates of key arbitral institute rules to be aligned with international practices, and judicial and policy measures in aid of arbitration, China has taken concrete steps to strengthen itself as a more modern international arbitration jurisdiction.

Efficacy and safety of fentanyl inhalant for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

BackgroundBreakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) has a negative impact on patients’ quality of life, general activities, and is related to worse clinical outcomes. Fentanyl inhalant is a hand-held combination drug-device delivery system providing rapid, multi-dose (25μg/dose) administration of fentanyl via inhalation of a thermally generated aerosol. This multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, multiple-crossover, double-blind study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of fentanyl inhalant in treating BTcP in opioid-tolerant patients.MethodsThe trial was conducted in opioid-tolerant cancer patients with 1 ~ 4 BTcP outbursts per day. Each patient was treated and observed for 6 episodes of BTcP (4 with fentanyl inhalant, 2 with placebo). During each episode of targeted BTcP, patients were allowed up to six inhalations, with an interval of at least 4 min between doses. Primary outcome was the time-weighted sum of PID (pain intensity difference) scores at 30 min (SPID30).ResultsA total of 335 BTcP episodes in 59 patients were treated. The mean SPID30 was -97.4 ± 48.43 for fentanyl inhalant-treated episodes, and -64.6 ± 40.25 for placebo-treated episodes (p < 0.001). Significant differences in PID for episodes treated with fentanyl inhalant versus placebo was seen as early as 4 min and maintained for up to 60 min. The percentage of episodes reported PI (pain intensity) scores ≤ 3, a ≥ 33% or ≥ 50% reduction in PI scores at 30 min, PR30 (pain relief scores at 30 min) and SPID60 favored fentanyl inhalant over placebo. Only 4.4% of BTcP episodes required rescue medication in fentanyl inhalant group. Most AEs were of mild or moderate severity and typical of opioid drugs.ConclusionTreatment with fentanyl inhalant was shown to be a promising therapeutic option for BTcP, with significant pain relief starting very soon after dosing. Confirmation of effectiveness requires a larger phase III trial.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05531422 registered on 6 September 2022 after major amendment, NCT04713189 registered on 14 January 2021.

Robust Watchdogs, Toothless Tigers, or Kangaroo Courts? The Evolution of Anti-corruption Commissions in Australia

The spotlight has been shone on anti-corruption commissions with the creation of the National Anti-corruption Commission at the federal level in 2023. Despite the importance of these agencies in combating corruption in government, there is relatively little academic research in this area. This article will conduct a historical analysis of the development and evolution of anti-corruption commissions across the Australian federation. It will examine major legislative amendments to Australian anti-corruption commissions from their inception, and the political context in which amendments have occurred, with the goal of determining whether the changes to these bodies are attempts to bolster their function, clip their wings, or protect individual rights. We argue that while principles of independence, accountability and individual protection are important at the level of institutional design, the history and evolution of these bodies reveal the significant and sometimes overwhelming importance of political factors in driving design changes.

GHANA’S REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE MINING SECTOR

The mining sector in Ghana predates independence and has, over the years, contributed significantly to Ghana’s socio-economic development through revenue generation, employment creation and increase in foreign direct investments. This can be attributed largely to the institution of comprehensive and attractive legal, fiscal and institutional frameworks by the Ghanaian Government, which have helped to attract investments into the mining industry. Nonetheless, lack of effective revenue mobilization, generous tax incentives, damaging environmental effects, and destruction of livelihoods of host communities, especially due to illegal mining activities, remain major challenges. Most of the problems associated with mining in Ghana are due mainly to a weak mining regulatory framework. Ghana has enacted the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) (the Minerals and Mining Act), as amended in 2010, 2015, and 2019, as the basic law that regulates the mining sector, to improve the fiscal regime and to ensure effective regulation and sustainability of the mining industry. Even though Act 703 has been amended twice, and the Government has proposed a third amendment, previous amendments focused on “non-essential” areas, without special focus on the management of the environment for sustainability in the mining sector. Making the mining industry sustainable seems to have been addressed as an incidental. The Minerals and Mining Act has not undergone any major amendments to align it with regional frameworks, reflect international best practices and address sustainability challenges in the mining sector in Ghana. This paper reviews the key provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act, with a special focus on how the same facilitates environmental management for sustainability in the mining sector.

Contribution of the Pilot Study for Methodological Enrichment of the Main Study

Introduction: A Pilot Study (PS) is useful for the assessment of the practicability of the methods and processes as well as the management of challenges before the main final study. The PS was conducted for the preparation of the mixed-method study related to nurses’ and parents’ perspectives regarding preterm infants’ care practice in neonatal care units (NCUs) in Nepal. Methods: Mixed method PS was conducted among nurses and mothers of preterm infants (PTIs) admitted to a NCU of an academic tertiary hospital. For data collection among nurses, a self-administered questionnaire and focus group discussion (FGD) were used in the quantitative and qualitative phases respectively. Whereas in-person interviews and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted among mothers in the quantitative and qualitative phases respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis methods. Results: The major amendments based on PS findings were the study design from convergent parallel to exploratory sequential mixed-method design for contextual instrument development, the addition of the observation method of data collection for enhancing the validity of the findings related to care practice, and the inclusion of both parents of PTIs instead of only mothers. The PS was also useful for providing the experience of qualitative and mixed-method study for the researcher for the final study, especially for the qualitative part. Conclusion: This article reflects the contribution of the PS to the main mixed-method study. Therefore, it is worthy to conduct the PS to enhance the methodological rigor of the study. It is commendable to discuss and disseminate the PS findings.

Law on Higher Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia

In 1991, the Soviet model of higher education in 15 republics of the USSR, with its 5.1 million students and 946 higher education institutions, started 15 independent journeys. All countries within the Soviet heritage, shared the legacies of the single Soviet approach to higher education provision: a centrally planned organization and financing, subordination to multiple sectoral ministries, a national curriculum, a vocational orientation based on the combination of strong basic education and narrow specialized job-related training, a nomenclature of types of higher education institutions, tuition-free study places and guaranteed employment upon graduation combined with mandatory job placement. After 70 years of Soviet legacy, back in 1991 Armenia initiated its independent journey. The Law on Higher and Postgraduate Education of the Republic of Armenia (RA) entered into force on April 14, 1999 and since then has undergone a number of amendments. Back in 2019 a new draft Law on Higher Education and Science was published on the Unified Website for Publication of Legal Acts’ Drafts, inviting public discussions from 03.12.2019 till 18.12.2019. Throughout two decades this was the first time when major and fundamental amendments were foreseen in the existing law on Higher and Postgraduate Education and the Law on Scientific and Scientific-Technical operations; at least this is what has been announced by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MoESCS). However, the reality is that after long- lasting public discussions, debates and a lot of time spent on final version of the document, on August 2, 2021, the Constitutional Court declared the law “On Higher Education and Science” unconstitutional. This paper aims to analyze the reasons behind the proposed amendments to existing laws and the negative reception of the draft law. Specifically, it focuses on the Draft Law on Higher Education and Science, examining the historical, social, and political factors that may have influenced the agenda-setting process. Additionally, the paper employs a critical policy discourse analysis framework, with a particular emphasis on contextualization, to study the agenda-setting process.

An Analysis of the Rationality of Expanding the Subject of the Crime of Trust—Based on the Major Amendment of &lt;i&gt;The&lt;/i&gt; 12&lt;i&gt;th Amendment to the Criminal Law&lt;/i&gt;

An Analysis of the Rationality of Expanding the Subject of the Crime of Trust—Based on the Major Amendment of &lt;i&gt;The&lt;/i&gt; 12&lt;i&gt;th Amendment to the Criminal Law&lt;/i&gt;

Revised guidelines for sustainability reporting: readability and assurance

PurposeIn 2015, Bursa Malaysia Berhad (BMB) issued the first edition of the Sustainability Reporting Guide (SRG 1.0) to aid Malaysian public listed companies (PLCs) in preparing corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR). After receiving users' commentaries, BMB issued the second edition of SRG (SRG 2.0) in 2018. Given the major amendments in CSRR regulatory guidelines, there is a need to analyze the readability of CSRR in light of the new guide and to investigate the combined effects of SRG 2.0 and the assurance of CSR information on the readability of CSRR.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs two readability indices to compare the readability of CSRR ex-ante and ex-post the implementation of SRG 2.0 across a sample of Malaysian PLCs that maintained their market capitalization among the top 100 companies.FindingsThe practical findings of the multivariate regression revealed that the readability of CSRR is reduced after the introduction of SRG 2.0. Meanwhile, the readability of CSRR is positively influenced by combining the effect of SRG 2.0 and CSRR assurance.Practical implicationsThis study provides empirical evidence that the amendment to CSRR has made CSR reports more challenging to read and thus reduces their communicative value. Therefore, in their quest to mandate more CSRR information from companies, regulators might need to consider advocating that such data is reported in a readable manner. This study also shows the influential role of CSR information assurance in enhancing the readability of CSRR.Originality/valueThis study helps assess the readability of CSRR among Malaysian companies after the adoption of SRG 2.0. It also contributes to the literature on CSRR, as the readability of such reporting within the context of Malaysia has not been widely examined in previous studies.

Evolution of English Language Learning in US Schools

This article will track the difference in language, legislation, and provisions for English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States from the years 1995 to 2020 with a focus on changes within different presidential administrations and how those administrations attempted to address the education and rights of these students. In the 1995 Annual Report for the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR), during the Clinton Administration, several issues and solutions were discussed concerning the Civil Rights of what was referred to as Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students within US schools. Since then, several steps have been taken to achieve equity for these students, including major amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In 2002, the Bush Administration signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which intended to institute greater regulations for schools to ensure marginalized students, including English Language Learners (ELLs), are receiving adequate education and having issues taken into account in programming and tools. In 2015, the Obama Administration passed a new version of this bill titled the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which attempted to address out-of-date regulations from NCLB as well as institute new expectations for schools, additional support for teachers, and increase access to quality preschools. This article will look at the changes implemented by these Acts and their efficacy using governmental and non-governmental sources, including the OCR’s 2020 Annual Report to compare current issues facing ELLs with those from 1995.This article will provide introductory literature on the issues related to English language learning in US schools, which we will build on in our timeline and discussion.

Stability of constitutional structures and identity amidst ‘political settlement’: lessons from Kenya and Israel

In 2021, two dramatic judgments were handed down in Kenya’s Court of Appeals (CoA) and the Israeli Supreme Court. In Kenya, the CoA upheld a ruling from the High Court that had found the Constitution Amendment Bill of 2020 – aimed to implement the Building Bridges Initiatives (BBI) – unconstitutional and void, inter alia, for violating the basic structure of the constitution. Politically, this was a blow to the BBI initiative, a key project for President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga. It is assumed that the real purpose of the initiative, beside ‘reconciliation’, was expansion of executive power by allowing both leaders to form a coalition for the sake of winning the 2022 general elections. About the same time, in Israel, after the March 2020 election did not lead to a clear result that would allow one of the two major competing parties to form a coalition, an agreement to form a unity government of the two was reached. Yet, in light of a deep distrust between the parties, a strong legal anchoring was needed. This led to a major constitutional amendment that transformed the system of government and established a ‘rotating government’ model which created a new position of ‘Alternate Prime Minister’ alongside the serving prime minister. This tailor-made constitutional reform served a political purpose of the two leaders to form a government. In both countries, the sought constitutional change was challenged before courts. Yet, while in Kenya, courts stopped the constitutional transformation, the Israeli court did not intervene. This article reviews both case studies in order to draw broad lessons on how political settlement may overcome constitutional rigidity and abuse the amending process for dismemberment of the constitution, and how courts may function as a veto institution that can be a useful countermeasure against radical change to constitutional structures and identity.

Quantitative Textual Analysis as a means to explore corporate interests in food safety.

The growing body of scholarship on the commercial determinants of health has, so far, mostly employed qualitative methods but this is now being complemented by a small, yet growing, corpus of quantitative studies. We illustrate the use of one such method, quantitative text analysis (QTA), in a case study of submissions to a public consultation on a draft scientific opinion by the European Food Safety Authority on the chemical acrylamide, demonstrating how this method can be used and insights that might be drawn from it. We use Wordscores as one example of QTA to illuminate the diverse positions taken by actors submitting comments and then assess whether the final policy documents moved towards or away from the positions taken by different stakeholders. We find a broadly uniform position among the public health community, opposed to acrylamide, contrasting with industry positions that were not monolithic. Some firms recommended major amendments to the guidance, largely reflecting the impact on their practices, while policy innovators seeking ways to reduce acrylamide in foods aligned with the public health community. We also find no clear movement in the policy guidance, likely because most submissions supported the draft document. Many governments are required to conduct public consultations, some attracting enormous numbers of responses, with little guidance on how best to synthesise the responses so the default position is often a count of those for and against. We argue that QTA, primarily a research tool, might usefully be applied in analysing public consultation responses to understand better the positions taken by different actors.

Update for NCI-COG Pediatric MATCH: Active trial cohorts for children, adolescents and young adults with refractory cancers.

TPS10071 Background: The National Cancer Institute–Children's Oncology Group Pediatric Molecular Analysis for Therapy choice (MATCH) trial seeks to facilitate evaluation of molecular-targeted therapies in biomarker-selected cohorts of childhood and young adult patients with cancer by screening tumors for actionable alterations. The Pediatric MATCH screening protocol and first seven treatment arms were activated in July 2017 for patients treated at COG sites across the United States; six additional treatment arms were activated between 2017 and 2020. In 2022 a major screening protocol amendment discontinued centralized tumor testing at MATCH laboratories and mandated use of molecular profiling reports from outside laboratories to determine treatment arm eligibility. Methods: The trial assigns patients aged 1 to 21 years with relapsed or refractory solid tumors, lymphomas, and histiocytic disorders to phase 2 treatment arms of molecularly-targeted therapies based on the genetic alterations detected in their tumor. Starting in January 2022, a clinical tumor molecular profiling report from a CAP/CLIA-approved laboratory has been required for patients to enroll in the screening protocol. The treating site indicates which molecular alteration in the submitted report is believed to be actionable as well as the open Pediatric MATCH study arm for which the patient is proposed to be eligible. The submitted report is then reviewed by the study Molecular Review Committee to determine if an actionable alteration is present (based upon study-defined levels of preclinical and clinical evidence): if so, the patient is assigned to the relevant MATCH treatment arm. Other treatment arm eligibility requirements are typical of phase 2 pediatric trials including adequate patient performance status and standard washout periods for prior therapy. Each treatment arm follows a one (arms A, D, F, M, N) or two (arm K) stage design with a 20 patient primary cohort and option for histology-specific expansion cohort(s) if at least 3 objective responses are seen in a tumor histology. The primary endpoint is objective response rate; secondary endpoints include safety/tolerability and progression-free survival. Therapy is discontinued if there is evidence of progressive disease or drug related dose-limiting toxicity that requires removal from therapy; therapy may otherwise continue for up to 2 years. As of January 2023, 6 of the 13 Pediatric MATCH treatment arms remain open to enrollment (Table). Clinical trial information: NCT03155620 . [Table: see text]

Italian cross-cultural adaptation of the Quality of Communication questionnaire and the 4-item advance care planning engagement questionnaire.

Advance care planning (ACP) is influenced by several factors (e.g., patient's readiness to engage, clinician's skills, and the cultural environment). Availability of reliable and valid self-reported measures of the ACP domains is crucial, including cross-cultural equivalence. To culturally adapt into Italian the 19-item Quality of Communication (QOC) and the 4-item ACP Engagement (4-item ACP-E) questionnaires. We translated and culturally adapted the two questionnaires and produced a significant other (SO) version of the QOC (QOC-SO). Each questionnaire was field tested via cognitive interviews with users: nine patients (QOC, 4-item ACP-E) and three SOs (QOC-SO) enrolled at three palliative care services. We made minor changes to 5/19 QOC items, to improve clarity and internal consistency; we changed the response option 'didn't do' into 'not applicable'. Finally, we slightly revised the QOC to adapt it to the paper/electronic format. QOC debriefing revealed that the section on end of life was emotionally challenging for both patients and SOs. We simplified the 4-item ACP-E layout, added a sentence in the introduction, and revised the wording of one item, to improve coherence with the Italian ACP legislation. ACP-E debriefing did not reveal any major issue. Results were satisfactory in terms of semantic, conceptual and normative equivalence of both questionnaires. Acceptability was satisfactory for the 4-item ACP-E, while findings of the QOC cognitive debriefing informed a major amendment of a pilot trial protocol on ACP in multiple sclerosis (ConCure-SM): use of the interviewer version only, in an adaptive form. Psychometric testing of both questionnaires on a large, independent sample will follow.

Drug Act 1978 of Nepal: A Critical Analysis

Background: With the enactment of the Drug Act in 1978, through the establishment of different bodies under the act, drug-related activities have been regulated and controlled in Nepal so as to provide safe and efficacious drugs of standard quality to the general public. However, with the overgrowing use of drugs, cosmetics, biotechnological products, nutraceuticals, and veterinary products in the present market and the present act failing to include these aspects, this paper tries to critically analyze the Drug Act 1978 of Nepal which will comprise strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats faced in current scenario regarding the act. The regulation of drugs in Nepal was started with the enactment of the Drugs Act in 1978 AD, which is being carried out by the Department of Drug Administration as provisioned in the section 5 of the act. To facilitate the proper implementation of the act, various rules, regulations and guidelines are framed. The objective of this study was to explore the areas to improve in the Drugs Act and help foster the use of safe, efficacious and quality drugs. Method: The Drugs Act 1978 was critically analyzed focusing on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the act as of current scenario. Result: After critically analyzing the drugs act 1978 we found out that there is lack in regulations of use of cosmetics, newer biotechnology products, nutraceuticals, veterinary product, innovative pharmaceutical products as well as the online pharmacy services. Conclusion: A major amendment and periodic revision is required with the consequence of meeting timely needs and promoting the idea of safety and efficacy in drug related activities.

Taking the Bull by the Horns: A Mauritian Qualitative Study of the Doctoral Training in French Studies

Extant literature reveals that reports of the experiences of humanities doctoral students are relatively rare. In view of examining whether there is a need to review the traditional French studies doctoral training into the New-route PhD to reboot and reinvigorate the field, an inventory of how doctorates were and are still trained was conducted in 2019. An informal interview with five PhD holders, who have completed their PhD in the same field at different universities in France and Mauritius, was done. Two main themes were manually coded during data collection: research community, and doctoral training and career guidance. Despite major amendments over the centuries, the doctoral training for candidates enrolled in this PhD in both France and Mauritius still lags behind and is often accused of being completely irrelevant in solving social issues. In this empirical study, the focus group has enabled us to investigate the support doctoral students have received in order to make learning leaps and develop research and technical skills which can benefit them in or outside academia. Despite the resilience of all respondents to complete their PhD (French studies), it seems that some changes are needed in the field. The role of the university and Education 4.0 is not to simply produce and disseminate knowledge but must also prepare the student to face the labour market and to enable the doctoral candidate achieve what is called “doctorateness”, participate in (inter)-national research community and use advanced technology such as programming languages/artificial intelligence/metaverse/virtual reality among others.

N2O emission factors for organic amendments in Japan from measurement campaign and systematic review

Organic amendments are important sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural soils. In 2020, the total amount of N in organic amendments applied to Japanese agricultural soils (440 ktN) was larger than that of synthetic fertilizer (374 ktN). However, N2O emissions from organic amendments were estimated by using the country-specific N2O emission factor (EF) for synthetic fertilizer (0.31 % for rice paddy, 2.9 % for tea, and 0.62 % for other crops) in the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report of Japan. Thus, we conducted a N2O flux measurement campaign at 12 different experimental sites across Japan to estimate fertilizer-induced N2O EFs for major organic amendments in Japan, that is, poultry manure compost, swine manure compost, cattle manure compost, and organic fertilizer pellets. In addition, we conducted systematic review of N2O emissions and EFs for organic amendments, including data from our measurement campaign and published data from peer-reviewed papers in Japan. The final dataset, including the field measurement campaign and published data, resulted in 404 observations (including synthetic fertilizer and zero-N control) in 29 sites. Results showed that soil type affected EFs, that is, the mean EF of Andosols was lower than that of non-Andosols, which is similar to the case of EFs for synthetic fertilizer. Mean EFs for poultry manure compost, swine manure compost, cattle manure (compost and slurry), and non-animal manure organic fertilizers were 0.83 % (uncertainty range of 2.5th and 97.5th percentile: 0.09 % to 3.46 %), 0.70 % (0.02 % to 2.45 %), 0.39 % (0.00 % to 1.62 %), and 1.16 % (0.41 % to 3.03 %), respectively, when weighted by area of soil types. The mean EF of all organic amendments was 0.84 % (0.00 % to 2.91 %), when the area of soil type and amount of organic amendment used in Japan were considered. Our study provides country-specific EFs to estimate N2O emission from organic amendments in Japan.

Balancing Rights and Responsibilities: The Role of Government and Citizens in Combatting Gun Violence

Congress passed the first federal legislation on firearms safety in decades at nearly the same moment that the Supreme Court issued its first major Second Amendment decision since 2008. It will take time to assess the effects of these actions on both gun safety and Second Amendment rights, but, with gun violence skyrocketing across the country, it is clear that finding a balance between rights and safety is desperately needed. The public is ill-equipped to protect itself against the broad harms of gun violence, so the government has a central role to play in addressing those harms and the racial disparities that come with them. Gun owners, too, must recognize their obligations to fellow citizens, not only to act responsibly with firearms, but to accept the limitations of their constitutional protections. An evidence-based path forward can be forged that mitigates the harm of gun violence while minimally burdening the rights and interests of those who own firearms.

Preliminary experience with a new institutional tumor board dedicated to patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms.

PurposeTo determine the decision patterns of a neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) tumor board (TB) and the factors behind those.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed all NEN-TB recommendations from 07/2018 to 12/2021 and recorded patient characteristics, TB outcomes and associations between them.ResultsA total of 652 patient entries were identified. Median age of participants was 61 years and an equal number of men and women were presented. Most patients (33.4%) had tumors originating in the small bowel with 16.8% of high grade and 25.9% of pancreatic origin. Imaging was reviewed 97.2% of the time, with most frequently reviewed modalities being PET (55.3%) and CT (44.3%). Imaging review determined that there was no disease progression 20.8% of the time and significant treatment changes were recommended in 36.1% of patients. Major pathology amendments occurred in 3.7% of cases and a clinical trial was identified in 2.6%. There was no association between patient or disease presentation with the tumor board outcomes. There was a slight decrease in number of patients discussed per session, from 10.0 to 8.2 (p < 0.001) when the TB transitioned to a virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic but all other factors remained unchanged.ConclusionNEN-TB relies heavily on image review, can impact significant treatment changes in patients with rare tumors like NENs, and was not affected by the switch to a virtual format. Finally, none of the examined factors were predictive of the tumor board recommendations.

The key role of examining the placenta in establishing a probable cause for stillbirth

IntroductionAutopsy is regarded as the “gold standard” to determine probable causes of stillbirths. However, autopsy is expensive and not readily available in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, we assessed how the clinical cause of death is modified by adding placental histology and autopsy findings. MethodData from the Safe Passage Study was used where 7060 pregnant women were followed prospectively. Following a stillbirth, each case was discussed and classified at weekly perinatal mortality meetings. This classification was later adapted to the WHO ICD PM system. Clinical information was presented first, and a possible cause of death decided upon and noted. The placental histology was then presented and, again, a possible cause of death, using the placental and clinical information, was decided upon and noted, followed by autopsy information. Diagnoses were then compared to determine how often the additional information changed the initial clinical findings. ResultsClinical information, placental histology, and autopsy results were available in 47 stillbirths. There were major amendments from the clinical only diagnoses when placental histology was added. Forty cases were classified as due to M1: complications of placenta, cord, and membranes, when placental histology was added compared to 7 cases with clinical classification only, and M5: No maternal condition identified decreased from 30 cases to 3 cases. Autopsy findings confirmed the clinical and placental histology findings. DiscussionClinical information together with examination of the placenta revealed sufficient information to diagnose the most probable cause of death in 40 of 47 cases of stillbirth (85%).

Towards More Flexible Czech Corporate Law: Revised Corporations Act

In 2014, the brand-new Civil Code and the Corporations Act took effect in the Czech Republic and introduced innovations to corporate governance of Czech companies which could be considered revolutionary for Czech corporate law. Six years later, Czech lawmakers decided to reflect practical experience with the new law and adopt the first major amendment to the Corporations Act, which took effect last year. This article outlines the most significant changes provided in the amendment (namely in respect of the one-tier management system in a jointstock company, new regulation of legal persons who are board members, new regulation of shareholders’ right to appoint/remove board members or new regulatory framework for shareholders’ say on fundamental transactions), as well as practical consequences that are associated with the new regulation. corporate governance, general meeting, the one-tier management system, fundamental transactions