Monte Carlo derivative pricing with partial information in a class of doubly stochastic Poisson processes with marks

To model intraday stock price movements we propose a class of marked doubly stochastic Poisson processes, whose intensity process can be interpreted in terms of the effect of information release on market activity. Assuming a partial information setting in which market agents are restricted to observe only the price process, a filtering algorithm is applied to compute, by Monte Carlo approximation, contingent claim prices, when the dynamics of the price process is given under a martingale measure. In particular, conditions for the existence of the minimal martingale measure Q are derived, and properties of the model under Q are studied.Minimal martingale measure, News arrival, Marked point process, Nonlinear filtering, Reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo, Ultra high frequency data

Diagnosis and management of treatment-refractory hypothyroidism: an expert consensus report

There is a frequently encountered subset of hypothyroid patients who are refractory to standard thyroid hormone replacement treatment and require unexpectedly high doses of levothyroxine. In addition to clinical situations where hypothyroid patients are non-compliant, or where there is the possibility of excipient-induced disease exacerbation (gluten/celiac disease), therapeutic failure may be due to impaired absorption of the administered drug. The common approach to managing patients with unusual thyroxine needs is to escalate the dose of levothyroxine until targeted TSH levels are achieved. This approach can increase the risk for prolonged exposure to supratherapeutic doses of levothyroxine, which increase the chances of adverse outcomes. Repeated adjustments of levothyroxine can also escalate the costs of treatment, as frequent office visits and laboratory tests are required to determine and maintain the desired dose. Clinicians should take a systematic approach to managing patients whom they suspect of having treatment-refractory hypothyroidism. This may include searching for, and adjusting, occult medical conditions and/or other factors that may affect the absorption of levothyroxine, before up-titrating the dose of traditional levothyroxine therapy. Depending on the underlying pathology, another approach that may be considered is to try alternative formulations of levothyroxine that are less susceptible to intolerance issues related to excipients, or, in some cases, to malabsorption. The early discovery of these factors via a thoughtful patient work-up may avoid unnecessary thyroid medication adjustments and their consequences for both patients and clinicians

Thyroxine treatment with softgel capsule formulation. Usefulness in hypothyroid patients without malabsorption

Background: Levothyroxine sodium (LT4) is the therapy of choice for hypothyroidism. In the last decade, new LT4 formulations, such as liquid and softgel capsules, became available. Even if some evidence has been reached in the efficacy of liquid LT4 in patients with suboptimal TSH on tablet LT4, the usefulness of softgel LT4 has been rarely studied. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of switching from tablet to softgel LT4 patients without increased need for LT4. TSH was used as proxy of LT4 bioavailability and effectiveness. Methods: During the period from April to August 2017, 19 patients on tablet LT4 treatment for hypothyroidism, mostly due to autoimmune thyroiditis, were enrolled. Subjects with causes of malabsorption or increased requirement of LT4 were previously excluded. Patients finally included were asked to switch from tablet to softgel LT4 formulation at unchanged dose and ingestion fashion (30 min before breakfast). TSH was measured with chemiluminescence immunoassays. results: According to exclusion and inclusion criteria, 19 patients were finally selected. One of these had headache 4 days later and come back to tablet LT4, and 18 of them (16W/2M; mean age = 55 years; BMI 22.7 kg/m2) completed the study. They were treated with a median LT4 dose of 88 μg/day and showed a median TSH value of 3.33 mIU/L. The rate of cases with TSH ≤ 4.0 mIU/L was 61.1% (11/18 cases). When patients were re-evaluated after 3 months of softgel LT4, we observed that TSH reached levels under 4.0 mIU/L in 16/18 (88.9%) patients, TSH was lower in 11 cases, and in 6 out of 7 patients with pre-switch TSH values over the normal range. Overall, TSH values on softgel LT4 (median 1.90 mIU/L) was significantly lower from that observed during tablet LT4 (p = 0.0039). conclusion: These data show that hypothyroid patients with no proven malabsorption may have an improved TSH following 3 months from the switch from tablet to softgel LT4 preparation at unchanged dose

Aby Warburg: His Aims and Methods

In this issue of Engramma: Giulia Zanon’s "Zooming Mnemosyne" deals with the use of details in Warburg’s Bilderatlas, Monica Centanni’s "Collateral effects of the “visibile parlare” (Dante, Pg. X, v. 95)" reconstructs the hypothesis of a visual model for the legend of Trajan’s Justice, according to Warburg intuition about it; this contribution is connected of the paper by Filippo Perfetti’s "Dante, Botticelli, and Trajan. An Open Note" where the author investigates how Botticelli could have come to know that the bas-relief of the Arch of Constantine liberatori urbis was related to an episode in Trajan's life”. The focus of this issue is then extended to Warburg's cultural environment. Matilde Sergio’s "Aby Warburg, Walter Benjaming, and the Memory of Images" investigates the influence of Warburg's essay about Luther, on Benjamin's thought, while Dorothee Gelhard’s "Gertrud Bing’s Scientific Beginnings" reconstructs the intellectual history of Bing's doctoral thesis and its influences on Warburgian work. The theme of Warburg’s Denkraum is the focal point of Salvatore Settis’ "Anselm Kiefer's Logic of Inversion": a fundamental overview of Kiefer's Questi scritti, quando verranno bruciati, daranno finalmente un po’ di luce (Andrea Emo) on display at Sala dello Scrutinio in Palazzo Ducale, Venezia from March to October 2022. The third section of the issue is dedicated to new publications and exhibitions. Echoing Settis’ reflection on Denkraum, we present Clio Nicastro’s "La Dialettica del Denkraum in Aby Warburg", published this year for Palermo University Press; an introduction to "Cultural Memories": a series published by Peter Lang and edited by Katia Pizzi. Giacomo Calandra di Roccolino with "Mary Hertz Warburg: Free and Unconventional" reviews the exhibition of the artist Mary Hertz Warburg. The issue closes with the important "Choral Reading of "Il metodo di Aby Warburg" by Kurt W. Forster. L’antico dei gesti. Il futuro della memoria", where Barbara Baert, Victoria Cirlot, Georges Didi-Huberman, Michael Diers, Andrea Pinotti and Ianick Takaes offer us their personal reading of Warburg’s life and thought as they are presented by Forster’s newly translated book, edited by Ronzani editore

La escuela de Belgrano en Jujuy: entre la historia y la memoria

Las fuentes sobre los inicios de la escolarización en la provincia de Jujuy señalan que la primera escuela se fundó en 1813 por iniciativa de Manuel Belgrano. Sin embargo, el relato oficial (historiográfico e institucional) ha puesto en duda la creación de esa escuela, por ello, en el año 2004 se construyó un edificio y se inauguró la Escuela N.º 452 “Legado Belgraniano”, para saldar aquella deuda histórica con el pueblo de Jujuy. Más allá de las versiones oficiales, lo interesante es el valor simbólico que todavía atribuyen los actores a la escuela, evidente en la relevancia que tuvo el acto inaugural del edificio escolar en julio de 2004 que funcionaría como lugar de memoria. Este artículo propone, a partir de fuentes primarias y secundarias, el análisis de: a) la dimensión histórica, cómo fue el derrotero de la escuela y sus sedes; y b) la dimensión de memoria, en qué contexto se realizó la refundación del edificio ya en el siglo XXI y la mención en 2014 de interés legislativo a nivel local, de la escuela legada por Manuel Belgrano al pueblo de Jujuy.Sources on the beginnings of schooling in the Jujuy province indicate that the first school was founded in 1813 at the initiative of Manuel Belgrano. On the other hand, the official report has questioned the actual existence of the school, so in 2004 a building was built and School number 452 “Legado Belgraniano” was inaugurated to settle the historic debt with the town of Jujuy. Beyond the existing official versions, what is interesting is the symbolic value that actors still attribute to this school and this becomes evident in the relevance that the inaugural act of the school building had in July of 2004, which would be considered a place of memory ever since. Based on primary and secondary sources, this article proposes the following analysis: a) the historical dimension: what happened to the school and its headquarters; b) the dimension of memory: in what context was the reforming of the building done in the nineteenth century; Finally, the reference of legislative importance at the local level, made in 2014, to the school that Manuel Belgrano bequeathed to the town of Jujuy.Fil: Centanni, Antonela. Ctro Científico Tecnológico CONICET Salta. UE CISOR; Argentin

Iodine status in schoolchildren and pregnant women of Lazio, a central Region of Italy

The inhabitants of Lazio, similarly to those of other Italian regions, have been historically exposed to the detrimental effects of an inadequate intake of iodine. The latter is a micronutrient essential for the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones (TH). Iodine deficiency is responsible for a number of adverse effects on human health known as iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), the most common of which worldwide are goiter and hypothyroidism. In order to reduce IDD, a national salt iodination program was started in Italy in 2005. In this article we reviewed the available data regarding iodine intake in the Lazio population before and after the introduction of the national salt iodination program, in order to evaluate its efficacy and the eventual problem(s) limiting its success. On the whole, the information acquired indicates that, following the introduction of the program, the dietary iodine intake in the Lazio population is improved. There is, however, still much work ahead to ameliorate the iodine prophylaxis in this region. In fact, although a generally adequate iodine intake in school-age children has been observed, there are still areas where a mild iodine insufficiency is present. Moreover, two independent epidemiological surveys on pregnant women evidenced a low urinary iodine concentration with respect to the reference range conceived by the World Health Organization. These findings demonstrate the need for greater attention to the iodine prophylaxis by health care providers (i.e., obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, etc.), and the implementation of effective advertising campaigns aimed at increasing the knowledge and awareness of the favorable effects of iodine supplementation on population health

The Effect of Adolescent Alcohol on Dopaminergic and Gabaergic Neurotransmission in the Adult Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to play an important role in cognitive processes that are negatively impacted by alcohol exposure. Compared to other brain regions, the neuronal connections of the PFC undergo a critical period of reorganization and refinement during adolescence that coincides with improvements in cognitive control and decision-making. Environmental insults that occur during this period may be particularly damaging to the PFC, resulting in aberrant neurodevelopment along with long-lasting effects on cognitive functioning that negatively impacts decision-making and behavioral control. Experimentation with alcohol typically begins during adolescence when it is often consumed in excessive binge-like episodes resulting in high levels of intoxication followed by a short period of abstinence. This dissertation addresses the hypothesis that binge-like adolescent alcohol (AIE) exposure alters the development of neurotransmitter systems in the prelimbic PFC (PrL-C) and as a result, PFC-dependent cognitive functions are compromised in adulthood. First, the effect of adolescent alcohol abuse on dopaminergic neurotransmission in the adult PrL-C was examined. AIE compromised adult protein expression of the dopamine-related enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase and catechol-O-methyl transferase. Electrophysiology studies revealed a loss of D1 receptor modulation of pyramidal neuron evoked firing in adult layer V PrL-C. The next part of this dissertation focuses on the effect of AIE on development of the PrL-C GABA system. AIE produced marked reductions in GABAA receptor-mediated tonic currents in pyramidal neurons in layer V PrL-C. This effect appears to be largely mediated by developmental alterations specifically in GABAA receptors containing the δ-subunit. The dissertation concludes by assessing the effect of AIE on risky decision-making in adulthood. Furthermore, given the role of GABA in decision-making, exploratory studies sought to enhance tonic GABA currents using the novel δ-GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulator AA29504 and testing the effect of the drug on risk/reward decision-making. The results suggest that AIE did not alter risk/reward decision-making in adulthood. Moreover, AA29504 administration did not alter decision-making on the probabilistic discounting task. Taken together, this dissertation reveals that AIE exposure results in persistent deficits in both dopaminergic and GABAergic neurotransmission in the adult PrL-C that may contribute to deficits in PFC-dependent behavioral control in adulthood