Intragenerational Redistribution in Unfunded Pension Systems

This paper studies the intracohort redistributive aspects of the United States social security system in the context of a computable general equilibrium model. It determines how the well-being of individuals who differ by gender, race, and education is affected by government social security policy. Differences in life expectancy and labor productivity translate into differences in capital accumulation and labor supply distortions that are responsible for the observed welfare difference between individuals of the same age cohort. Copyright 2000, International Monetary Fund

Natural Right, Providence, and Order: Frédéric Bastiat's Laissez-Faire

The paper suggests that Bastiat’s theory of interests, harmony, and the State is rooted in a particular conception of Natural Right, in which the Lockeans and thomistic streams of thought meet. But it also suggests that Bastiat’s interpretation of the role that Providence plays in human events is not able to give a sustainable theory of liberal order. The paper also considers the criticisms to Bastiat’s economic and political theory coming from exponents of classical liberalism, from the Austrians, and from Catholic thinkers of that time, such as L. Taparelli d’Azeglio and M. Liberatore. The conclusion is that although the economic theory of Bastiat is by now obsolete from the conceptual point of view, his political theory and his criticism of the state do remain extraordinarily topical. Cet article suggère que les théories des intérêts, de l’harmonie et de l’Etat de Bastiat sont ancrées dans une conception particulière du droit naturel au confluent des pensées lockéenne et thomiste. Cependant, il suggère aussi que l’interprétation que donne Bastiat du rôle de la Providence dans les affaires humaines ne débouche pas sur une théorie recevable de l’ordre libéral. L’article examine aussi les critiques qu’adressent les partisans du libéralisme classique-tels que les économistes autrichiens, les penseurs catholiques de l’époque comme L. Taparelli d’Azeglio et M. Liberatore-à l’égard des théories économiques et politiques de Bastiat. L’article conclut que le caractère obsolète des théories de Bastiat d’un point de vue conceptuel ne remet pas en cause la singulière actualité de sa théorie politique et de sa critique de l’Etat

"Ileal bag modificato" e riduzione del rischio di ileo post-operatorio nella chirurgia del carcinoma ovarico. Studio caso-controllo

L’ileo post-operatorio è una condizione clinica frequente nei pazienti sottoposti a intervento chirurgico e consiste nell’arresto transitorio della motilità intestinale nell’immediato decorso post-operatorio, soprattutto dopo interventi di chirurgia addominale. I sintomi che caratterizzano l’ileo postoperatorio sono nausea, vomito, dolore e distensione addominale e generalmente si risolvono spontaneamente con la ripresa della peristalsi e della canalizzazione. Il prolungamento per più giorni di questa condizione ha un forte impatto negativo sulla morbilità, sulla durata e sui costi della degenza ospedaliera; inoltre influisce negativamente sulla percezione da parte del paziente del successo del trattamento chirurgico ricevuto. L’eziopatogenesi dell’ileo postoperatorio è multifattoriale ma principalmente sembra dipendere da meccanismi di tipo neurogeno e infiammatorio attivati in seguito alla manipolazione viscerale in sede intraoperatoria. Il carcinoma ovarico e il carcinoma primitivo del peritoneo sono patologie tumorali molto aggressive spesso diagnosticate in stadio avanzato; il trattamento chirurgico, in entrambi i casi, comporta una complessità chirurgica di medio-alta entità con conseguente aumento del rischio d’ileo post-operatorio. Sulla base di ciò abbiamo quindi valutato se fosse possibile attuare, in fase intraoperatoria, delle manovre protettive a livello intestinale per ridurre la manipolazione chirurgica e l’esposizione delle anse intestinali all’ambiente esterno. L’obiettivo primario dello studio è valutare l’efficacia dell’utilizzo intraoperatorio del dispositivo “Ileal bag modificato” sulla ripresa della peristalsi e canalizzazione nel decorso post-operatorio delle pazienti affette da carcinoma ovarico e carcinoma primitivo del peritoneo, sottoposte a intervento di staging intensivo e citoriduzione primaria. Obiettivo secondario dello studio è valutare l’influenza dell’utilizzo di tale dispositivo sulla durata della degenza postoperatoria. Studio caso controllo. Nel periodo 2014-2015 sono state selezionate 20 soggetti tra le pazienti ricoverate presso la UO di ginecologia ed ostetricia II dell’AOUP di Pisa con la diagnosi di carcinoma epiteliale dell’ovaio e carcinoma primitivo del peritoneo con indicazione al trattamento chirurgico laparotomico di staging e citoriduzione primaria. Durante l’intervento chirurgico è stato utilizzato il dispositivo “Ileal bag modificato” come rivestimento da disporre sulle anse prima dell’allestimento del campo operatorio. Un secondo gruppo di controllo comprende 33 pazienti con la medesima diagnosi sottoposte ad intervento chirurgico nel periodo 2012-2013 senza utilizzo del dispositivo. Nessuna delle pazienti di entrambi i gruppi è stata sottoposta a resezione intestinale. Nessuna differenza significativa tra i due gruppi per quanto riguarda l’età media delle pazienti, body mass index, la tipologia e la durata media dell’intervento chirurgico. Sono stati analizzati i seguenti parametri: peristalsi, ripresa della canalizzazione, giorni di degenza postoperatoria. L’analisi statistica dei dati ha evidenziato che l’utilizzo dell’“Ileal bag modificato” ha un effetto positivo sull’outcome postchirurgico delle pazienti sottoposte ad intervento per carcinoma ovarico riducendo significativamente i tempi di canalizzazione (OR 0.12; p<0.0011) e la durata del ricovero post-operatorio (OR 0.11; p<0.0005). Possiamo quindi concludere che l’utilizzo dell’“Ileal bag modificato”, riducendo i tempi di ileo post-operatorio, possa avere un effetto protettivo sulle anse intestinali in fase intraoperatoria, riducendo quindi la morbilità del trattamento chirurgico e i tempi di recupero post-operatori della paziente

Agent-based modelling in environmental policy analysis

This paper is a summary of the research developed in the author’s Ph.D. programme. The case study deals with the implementation of Energy Efficiency policies in the Building sector of the Lazio Region and carries out an ABM analysis of the impacts of training on the social actors involved. Its purpose is to reproduce the social mechanisms through the study of the actors’ actions with ABM in order to evaluate socio-economic impacts by interconnecting the social and economic variables by means of the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM)

Iatrogenic QT Abnormalities and Fatal Arrhythmias: Mechanisms and Clinical Significance

Severe and occasionally fatal arrhythmias, commonly presenting as Torsade de Pointes [TdP] have been reported with Class III-antiarrhythmics, but also with non-antiarrhythmic drugs. Most cases result from an action on K+ channels encoded by the HERG gene responsible for the IKr repolarizing current, leading to a long QT and repolarization abnormalities. The hydrophobic central cavity of the HERG-K+ channels, allows a large number of structurally unrelated drugs to bind and cause direct channel inhibition. Some examples are dofetilide, quinidine, sotalol, erythromycin, grepafloxacin, cisapride, dolasetron, thioridazine, haloperidol, droperidol and pimozide. Other drugs achieve channel inhibition indirectly by impairing channel traffic from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell membrane, decreasing channel membrane density (pentamidine, geldalamicin, arsenic trioxide, digoxin, and probucol). Whereas, ketoconazole, fluoxetine and norfluoxetine induce both direct channel inhibition and impaired channel trafficking. Congenital long QT syndrome, subclinical ion-channel mutations, subjects and relatives of subjects with previous history of drug-induced long QT or TdP, dual drug effects on cardiac repolarization [long QT plus increased QT dispersion], increased transmural dispersion of repolarization and T wave abnormalities, use of high doses, metabolism inhibitors and/or combinations of QT prolonging drugs, hypokalemia, structural cardiac disease, sympathomimetics, bradycardia, women and older age, have been shown to increase the risk for developing drug-induced TdP. Because most of these reactions are preventable, careful evaluation of risk factors and increased knowledge of drugs use associated with repolarization abnormalities is strongly recommended. Future genetic testing and development of practical and simple provocation tests are in route to prevent iatrogenic TdP

The structure of an LIM-only protein 4 (LMO4) and deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor-1 (DEAF1) complex reveals a common mode of binding to LMO4

LIM-domain only protein 4 (LMO4) is a widely expressed protein with important roles in embryonic development and breast cancer. It has been reported to bind many partners, including the transcription factor Deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor-1 (DEAF1), with which LMO4 shares many biological parallels. We used yeast two-hybrid assays to show that DEAF1 binds both LIM domains of LMO4 and that DEAF1 binds the same face on LMO4 as two other LMO4-binding partners, namely LIM domain binding protein 1 (LDB1) and C-terminal binding protein interacting protein (CtIP/RBBP8). Mutagenic screening analysed by the same method, indicates that the key residues in the interaction lie in LMO4LIM2 and the N-terminal half of the LMO4-binding domain in DEAF1. We generated a stable LMO4LIM2-DEAF1 complex and determined the solution structure of that complex. Although the LMO4-binding domain from DEAF1 is intrinsically disordered, it becomes structured on binding. The structure confirms that LDB1, CtIP and DEAF1 all bind to the same face on LMO4. LMO4 appears to form a hub in protein-protein interaction networks, linking numerous pathways within cells. Competitive binding for LMO4 therefore most likely provides a level of regulation between those different pathways.SJ was funded by an Australian Postgraduate Award (education.gov.au/australian-postgraduate-awards). JPM and JMM were awarded Senior Research Fellowships from the Australian National and Medical Research Council (www.nhmrc.gov.au). This project was funded by an Australian Research Council (www. arc.gov.au) Discovery Project Grant (DP110104332) to JMM and LC