We studied 31 blunt trauma victims, Injury Severity Score (ISS) mean 14 (9-57), for the pattern of release of C-reactive protein (CRP) and cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). Blood samples were taken on admission (within 6 hours of injury), as well as at 24 hours, and 3, 5 and 7 days. Serum CRP and IL-6 were measured by ELISA. Subsequent surgical events and sepsis were noted. Serum IL-6 levels on admission were considerably higher (median 135 pg mL-1) than our laboratory reference range (< 5 pg mL-1), slowly returning towards reference values during the study. Serum CRP levels were similar to laboratory normal values on admission (median 8.5 mg L-1 vs 7.5 mg L-1), reaching peak values (median 110 mg L-1) after 3 days. There was a correlation between IL-6 release and ISS but not between CRP and ISS. Patients undergoing surgery showed further increases in IL-6 and CRP levels postoperatively. Of 24 surgical patients, 9 developed postoperative sepsis. In blunt trauma patients, early assessment of the markers CRP or IL-6 were not useful for the diagnosis of sepsis. Levels of CRP following accidental or surgical trauma should be assessed with caution.

This Australian study utilises disclosure requirements in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards AASB 1017: Related Party Disclosures, to provide a richer description of non-executive director characteristics. Consistent with the findings of Baysinger and Butler (1985) we find a three scale classification system for directors (insider, grey area, outsider) to better reflect board composition.The results indicate that 35% of non-executive directors were involved in transactions with their companies which potentially threaten their independence (i.e. grey area directors). On average, our findings reveal that the combination of insider and`grey' area directors would constitute a majority of the board. This could lead to companies appearing to comply with current Australian recommendations through possessing a non-executive majority on the board, whilst in fact being controlled by internal management. This finding similarly applied to the composition of the audit committee.

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There is a need for research to identify the relationship between psychological and endocrine responses to surgical operations, and to discover whether these responses differ with variations in practice between different settings. This preliminary study investigated 17 patients undergoing middle ear operations in two hospitals. Measurements included state anxiety, Recovery Inventory, cortisol excretion and noradrenaline excretion. All were made pre-operatively and on three post-operative days. Recovery Inventory correlated (between subjects) with state anxiety, but this relationship was confined to the post-operative days. No correlation between a psychological measure and an endocrine one reached significance. There was a non-significant tendency for pre-operative anxiety to be lower in one ward than another; cortisol levels were significantly higher in the same ward overall. These results do not support a view that anxiety is related to processes mediating physical recovery. Explanations for the difference in cortisol levels are considered. It is suggested that the influence of pre-operative psychological preparation on endocrine responses deserves systematic investigation.