Equilibrium structures in vertical oligopoly

The central purpose of this paper is to examine vertical integration as an equilibrium phenomenon. We model it as integration between Cournot oligopolists in both the upstream and the downstream stages. We consider the issue of private profitability versus collective profitability and show that under several situations the equilibrium outcomes may result in a Prisoner's dilemma. The analysis is extended to consider equilibrium outcomes in a dynamic setting, where we find no integration to be a relatively common outcome.

Histological Remission during Corticosteroid Therapy of Overlapping Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Autoimmune Hepatitis: Case Report and Literature Review

Concurrence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a rare condition that is challenging to diagnosis, due to the relatively high prevalence of autoantibodies in NASH. It is also difficult to determine the most effective treatment as corticosteroids are likely to worsen NASH despite being effective in the treatment of AIH. In this case report, we present a female diagnosed with NASH-AIH overlap with accompanying diabetes mellitus, who successfully achieved normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase levels following prednisolone therapy and weight loss. A follow-up liver biopsy performed 40 months after the initial diagnosis showed only minimal inflammatory infiltrates in the portal area without any NASH histology. Resolution of NASH, in conjunction with a reduction in hepatic fibrosis, might suggest that prednisolone itself does not aggravate steatohepatitis, but rather prevents disease progression. Appropriate immunosuppressive treatment may therefore be an important component of the optimum therapy for NASH-AIH overlap

Vertical Integration, Variable Proportions and Successive Oligopolies.

This paper investigates the problem of how the effect of vertical integration upon the final product price is related to the production and/or market structures. Some ambiguous results of the previous models are shown to involve the compound effect of vertical an d horizontal merger. This model considers purely vertical integration and shows that the (Lerner) index of monopoly remains unaffected before and after merger. Vertical integration is shown accordingly to yield an unambiguous decrease in the final product price-an increase in consumer welfare. Implications for antitrust laws are also discussed. Copyright 1988 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

mPGES-1 expression in non-cancerous liver tissue impacts on postoperative recurrence of HCC

AIM: To investigate whether microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in non-cancerous liver affects HCC prognosis after hepatectomy