Factors Influencing Corporate Donations Among Shariah-Compliant Companies in Malaysia

Nur Diyana Izzati Mohamed SHAARI(Nur Diyana Izzati Mohamed SHAARI ),Mazurina Mohd ALI(Mazurina Mohd ALI ),Suhaily HASNAN(Suhaily HASNAN ),Nassr Saleh Mohamad AHMAD(Nassr Saleh Mohamad AHMAD ) 한국유통과학회 2023 The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Busine Vol.10 No.1

Within the context of publicly traded Sharia-compliant companies in Malaysia, this study investigated the influence that board and company characteristics have on corporate donations. The primary focus of the study was (i) two board characteristics derived from upper echelons theory, namely gender composition and education level, and (ii) four firm variables derived from stakeholder theory, specifically company size, profitability, leverage, and industry category. This study used a total of 402 Shariah-compliant companies that operated in accordance with Shariah law. The information utilized in this study was culled by hand from the annual reports of various companies covering the years 2017 through 2019. According to the findings, the educational level of a company’s board of directors has a significant impact on the amount of money donated to charitable organizations by Shariah-compliant companies. The level of expertise possessed by board members can be of assistance to businesses in becoming more aware of the necessity of making contributions or donations. Corporate contribution practices among Shariah-compliant companies in Malaysia were also significantly influenced by the firm’s size, profitability, and the industry category in which the business was classified. The findings of the study contribute to a better understanding of the impact that board and company variables have on the activities of corporate donors.

Does Subcutaneous Infiltration of Liposomal Bupivacaine Following Single-Level Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Surgery Improve Immediate Postoperative Pain Control?

Marko Tomov,Kevin Tou,Rose Winkel,Ross Puffer,Mohamad Bydon,Ahmad Nassr,Paul Huddleston,Michael Yaszemski,Bradford Currier,Brett Freedman 대한척추외과학회 2018 Asian Spine Journal Vol.12 No.1

Study Design: Retrospective case-control study using prospectively collected data. Purpose: Evaluate the impact of liposomal bupivacaine (LB) on postoperative pain management and narcotic use following standardized single-level low lumbar transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Overview of Literature: Poor pain control after surgery has been linked with decreased pain satisfaction and increased economic burden. Unfortunately, opioids have many limitations and side effects despite being the primary treatment of postoperative pain. LB may be a form of pre-emptive analgesia used to reduce the use of postoperative narcotics as evidence in other studies evaluating its use in single-level microdiskectomies. Methods: The infiltration of LB subcutaneously during wound closure was performed by a single surgeon beginning in July 2014 for all single-level lumbar TLIF spinal surgeries at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. This cohort was compared against a control cohort of patients who underwent the same surgery by the same surgeon in the preceding 6 months. Statistical analysis was performed on relevant variables including: morphine equivalents of narcotic medication used (primary outcome), length of hospitalization, Visual Analog Scale pain scores, and total time spent on a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. Results: A total of 30 patients were included in this study; 16 were in the intervention cohort and 14 were in the control cohort. The morphine equivalents of intravenous narcotic use postoperatively were significantly less in the LB cohort from day of surgery to postoperative day 3. Although the differences lost their statistical significance, the trend remained for total (oral and intravenous) narcotic consumption to be lower in the LB group. The patients who received the study intervention required an acute pain service consult less frequently (62.5% in LB cohort vs. 78.6% in control cohort). The amount of time spent on a PCA pump in the LB group was 31 hours versus 47 hours in the control group (p =0.1506). Conclusions: Local infiltration of LB postoperatively to the subcutaneous tissues during closure following TLIF significantly decreased the amount of intravenous narcotic medication required by patients. Well-powered prospective studies are still needed to determine optimal dosing and confirm benefits of LB on total narcotic consumption and other measures of pain control following major spinal surgery.

An Objective and Reliable Method for Identifying Sarcopenia in Lumbar Spine Surgery Patients: Using Morphometric Measurements on Computed Tomography Imaging

Marko Tomov,Mohammed Ali Alvi,Mohamed Elminawy,Bradford Currier,Michael Yaszemski,Ahmad Nassr,Paul Huddleston,Arjun Sebastian,Mohamad Bydon,Brett Freedman 대한척추외과학회 2020 Asian Spine Journal Vol.14 No.6

Study Design: A retrospective observational study.Purpose: Establish a quantifiable and reproducible measure of sarcopenia in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery based on morphometric measurements from readily available preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging. Overview of Literature: Sarcopenia—the loss of skeletal muscle mass—has been linked with poor outcomes in several surgical disciplines; however, a reliable and quantifiable measure of sarcopenia for future assessment of outcomes in spinal surgery patients has not been established.Methods: A cohort of 90 lumbar spine fusion patients were compared with 295 young, healthy patients obtained from a trauma da¬tabase. Cross-sectional vertebral body (VB) area, as well as the areas of the psoas and paravertebral muscles at mid-point of pedicles at L3 and L4 for both cohorts, was measured using axial CT imaging. Total muscle area-to-VB area ratio was calculated along with intraclass correlation coefficients for interobserver and intraobserver reliability. Finally, T-scores were calculated to help identify those patients with considerably diminished muscle-to-VB area ratios.Results: Both muscle mass and VB areas were considerably larger in males compared with those in females, and the ratio of these two measures was not enough to account for large differences. Thus, a gender-based comparison was made between spine patients and healthy control patients to establish T-scores that would help identify those patients with sarcopenia. The ratio for paravertebral muscle area-to-VB area at the L4 level was the only measure with good interobserver reliability, whereas the other three of the four ratios were moderate. All measurements had excellent correlations for intraobserver reliability.Conclusions: We postulate that a patient with a T-score <−1 for total paravertebral muscle area-to-VB area ratio at the L4 level is the most reliable method of all our measurements that can be used to diagnose a patient undergoing lumbar spine surgery with sarcopenia.

An Ovariectomy-Induced Rabbit Osteoporotic Model: A New Perspective

Nathan Robert Wanderman,Cindy Mallet,Hugo Giambini,Nirong Bao,Chunfeng Zhao,Kai-Nan An,Brett A. Freedman,Ahmad Nassr 대한척추외과학회 2018 Asian Spine Journal Vol.12 No.1

Study Design: Experimental Animal Model. Purpose: The aim of our study was to validate a pure bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) female New Zealand white rabbit model of postmenopausal osteoporosis utilizing animal-sparing in vivo techniques for evaluating bone mineral density (BMD). We also sought to demonstrate that bilateral OVX in female New Zealand white rabbits can produce diminished BMD in the spinal column and simulate osteoporosis, without the need for adjuvant chemotherapeutic agents (i.e., no additional glucocorticosteroids or other drugs were used for stimulating accelerated BMD loss), which can be assessed by in vivo BMD testing. Overview of Literature: Multiple animal models of postmenopausal osteoporosis have been described. Rat ovariectomy models have been successful, but are limited by rats’ inability to achieve true skeletal maturity and a slight morphology that limits surgical instrumentation. Rabbit models have been described which do not have these limitations, but previous models have relied on adjunctive steroid therapy to achieve osteoporosis and have required animal sacrifice for bone mineral density assessment. Methods: Thirty-six skeletally mature female rabbits underwent bilateral OVX. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry on the metaphysis of the proximal tibia and distal femur, at baseline and 17 weeks postoperatively. Results: Mean BMD values were significantly reduced by 21.9% (p <0.05) in the proximal tibia and 11.9% (p <0.001) in the distal femur at 17 weeks. Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate a significant bone loss within four months of pure OVX in rabbits using animalsparing validation techniques. We believe that this OVX model is safe, reproducible, and can be employed to longitudinally evaluate the effect of anti-osteoporosis therapeutics and surgical interventions.

Prospective Evaluation of Radiculitis following Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Use for Transforaminal Interbody Arthrodesis in Spine Surgery

Arjun S. Sebastian,Nathan R. Wanderman,Bradford L. Currier,Mark A. Pichelmann,Vickie M. Treder,Jeremy L. Fogelson,Michelle J. Clarke,Ahmad N. Nassr 대한척추외과학회 2019 Asian Spine Journal Vol.13 No.4

Study Design: Prospective observational cohort study. Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) with regard to postoperative radiculitis. Overview of Literature: Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) is being used increasingly as an alternative to iliac crest autograft in spinal arthrodesis. Recently, the use of BMP in TLIF has been examined, but concerns exist that the placement of BMP close to the nerve roots may cause postoperative radiculitis. Furthermore, prospective studies regarding the use of BMP in TLIF are lacking. Methods: This prospective study included 77 patients. The use of BMP-2 was determined individually, and demographic and operative characteristics were recorded. Leg pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain and the Sciatica Bothersome Index (SBI) with several secondary outcome measures. The outcome data were collected at each follow-up visit. Results: Among the 77 patients, 29 were administered with BMP. Postoperative leg pain significantly improved according to VAS leg and SBI scores for the entire cohort, and no clinically significant differences were observed between the BMP and control groups. The VAS back, Oswestry Disability Index, and Short-Form 36 scores also significantly improved. A significantly increased 6-month fusion rate was noted in the BMP group (82.8% vs. 55.3%), but no significant differences in fusion rate were observed at the 12- and 24-month follow-up. Heterotopic ossification was observed in seven patients: six patients and one patient in the BMP and control groups, respectively (20.7% vs. 2.1%). However, no clinical effect was observed. Conclusions: In this prospective observational trial, the use of BMP in TLIF did not lead to significant postoperative radiculitis, as measured by VAS leg and SBI scores. Back pain and other functional outcome scores also improved, and no differences existed between the BMP and control groups. The careful use of BMP in TLIF appears to be both safe and effective.