AJAE Appendix: Deriving a Flexible Mixed Demand System: The Normalized Quadratic Model

The material contained herein is supplementary to the article named in the title and published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Volume 89, Number 4, November 2007.Demand and Price Analysis,

On the Segregation of Genetically Modified, Conventional, and Organic Products in European Agriculture: A Multi-Market Equilibrium Analysis

Evaluating the possible benefits of the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops must address the issue of consumer resistance as well as the complex regulation that has ensued. In the European Union (EU), this regulation envisions the co-existence of GM food with conventional and quality-enhanced products, mandates the labelling and traceability of GM products and allows only a stringent adventitious presence of GM content in other products. All these elements are brought together within a partial equilibrium model of the EU agricultural food sector. The model comprises conventional, GM and organic food. Demand is modelled in a novel fashion, whereby organic and conventional products are treated as horizontally differentiated but GM products are vertically differentiated (weakly inferior) relative to conventional ones. Supply accounts explicitly for the land constraint at the sector level and for the need for additional resources to produce organic food. Model calibration and simulation allow insights into the qualitative and quantitative effects of the large-scale introduction of GM products in the EU market. We find that the introduction of GM food reduces overall EU welfare, mostly because of the associated need for costly segregation of non-GM products, but the producers of quality-enhanced products actually benefit.

On the Segregation of Genetically Modified, Conventional and Organic Products in European Agriculture: A Multi-market Equilibrium Analysis

Evaluating the possible benefits of the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops must address the issue of consumer resistance as well as the complex regulation that has ensued. In the European Union (EU), this regulation envisions the co-existence of GM food with conventional and quality-enhanced products, mandates the labelling and traceability of GM products and allows only a stringent adventitious presence of GM content in other products. All these elements are brought together within a partial equilibrium model of the EU agricultural food sector. The model comprises conventional, GM and organic food. Demand is modelled in a novel fashion, whereby organic and conventional products are treated as horizontally differentiated but GM products are vertically differentiated (weakly inferior) relative to conventional ones. Supply accounts explicitly for the land constraint at the sector level and for the need for additional resources to produce organic food. Model calibration and simulation allow insights into the qualitative and quantitative effects of the large-scale introduction of GM products in the EU market. We find that the introduction of GM food reduces overall EU welfare, mostly because of the associated need for costly segregation of non-GM products, but the producers of quality-enhanced products actually benefit

Use, Attitudes and Knowledge of Complementary and Alternative Drugs (CADs) Among Pregnant Women: a Preliminary Survey in Tuscany

To explore pregnant women's use, attitudes, knowledge and beliefs of complementary and alternative drugs (CADs) defined as products manufactured from herbs or with a natural origin. A preliminary survey was conducted among 172 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy, consecutively recruited in two obstetrical settings; 15 women were randomly selected to compute a test-to-retest analysis. Response rate was 87.2%. Test-to-retest analysis showed a questionnaire's reproducibility exceeding a K-value of 0.7 for all items. Mean age was 32.4 ± 0.4 years; most women were nulliparae (62.7%). The majority of subjects (68%) declared to have used one or more CADs during their lifetime; 48% of pregnant women reported taking at least one CAD previously and during the current pregnancy. Women's habitual use of CADs meant they were at higher risk of taking CADs also during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio = 10.8; 95% confidence interval: 4.7–25.0). Moreover, 59.1% of the subjects were unable to correctly identify the type of CADs they were using. The majority of women resorted to gynecologists as the primary information source for CADs during pregnancy, while they mainly referred to herbalists when not pregnant. Habitual use of CADs seems to be a strong predictor for their ingestion also during pregnancy; in addition most subjects were unable to correctly identify the products they were taking. In the light of the scanty data concerning the safety of CADs during pregnancy, these preliminary results confirm the need to investigate thoroughly the situation of pregnant women and CADs consumption

Changes in renal function after nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract carcinoma: analysis of a large multicenter cohort (Radical Nephroureterectomy Outcomes (RaNeO) Research Consortium)

Purpose To investigate prevalence and predictors of renal function variation in a multicenter cohort treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Methods Patients from 17 tertiary centers were included. Renal function variation was evaluated at postoperative day (POD)-1, 6 and 12 months. Timepoints differences were Delta 1 = POD-1 eGFR - baseline eGFR; Delta 2 = 6 months eGFR - POD-1 eGFR; Delta 3 = 12 months eGFR - 6 months eGFR. We defined POD-1 acute kidney injury (AKI) as an increase in serum creatinine by >= 0.3 mg/dl or a 1.5 1.9-fold from baseline. Additionally, a cutoff of 60 ml/min in eGFR was considered to define renal function decline at 6 and 12 months. Logistic regression (LR) and linear mixed (LM) models were used to evaluate the association between clinical factors and eGFR decline and their interaction with follow-up. Results A total of 576 were included, of these 409(71.0%) and 403(70.0%) had an eGFR < 60 ml/min at 6 and 12 months, respectively, and 239(41.5%) developed POD-1 AKI. In multivariable LR analysis, age (Odds Ratio, OR 1.05, p < 0.001), male gender (OR 0.44, p = 0.003), POD-1 AKI (OR 2.88, p < 0.001) and preoperative eGFR < 60 ml/min (OR 7.58, p < 0.001) were predictors of renal function decline at 6 months. Age (OR 1.06, p < 0.001), coronary artery disease (OR 2.68, p = 0.007), POD-1 AKI (OR 1.83, p = 0.02), and preoperative eGFR < 60 ml/min (OR 7.80, p < 0.001) were predictors of renal function decline at 12 months. In LM models, age (p = 0.019), hydronephrosis (p < 0.001), POD-1 AKI (p < 0.001) and pT-stage (p = 0.001) influenced renal function variation (ss 9.2 +/- 0.7, p < 0.001) during follow-up. Conclusion Age, preoperative eGFR and POD-1 AKI are independent predictors of 6 and 12 months renal function decline after RNU for UTUC

Use of the gated-SPECT in evaluating patients undergoing a cardiac resynchronization therapy

BACKGROUND: La terapia di resincronizzazione cardiaca (CRT) mediante stimolazione biventricolare è una procedura consolidata nei pazienti affetti da scompenso cardiaco, in classe NYHA III-IV, nel caso in cui la terapia medica ottimizzata non sia risultata efficace. Gli studi condotti in letteratura hanno dimostrato come la CRT sia in grado di migliorare la sopravivenza dei pazienti oltre a determinare la regressione del rimodellamento ventricolare sinistro in circa il 70% dei pazienti. Una percentuale tuttavia rilevante, circa 30%, non risponde positivamente a tale terapia. Negli ultimi anni diversi metodi sono stati proposti per identificare i pazienti best-responder a questa terapia senza tuttavia arrivare ad un risultato definitivo. Il riconoscimento preventivo di tali fattori è di rilevante importanza al fine di riservare la CRT a quei pazienti che hanno la maggiore probabilità di rispondere positivamente. SCOPO: Valutare la risposta clinica e funzionale alla CRT in pazienti con scompenso cardiaco affetti da cardiopatia ipocinetica ischemica; studiare la perfusione miocardica basale mediante gated-SPECT in questi pazienti candidati alla CRT per verificare se lo stato di perfusione basale può giocare un ruolo nell’identificare i pazienti best-responder a tale terapia; esaminare se lo studio della perfusione miocardica mediante gated-SPECT risulti affidabile per identificare i pazienti responder e se esiste una correlazione tra risposta clinica e parametri di reverse remodeling. MATERIALI E METODI: nel periodo tra il 2007-2008, 22 pazienti affetti da cardiopatia ipocinetica di natura ischemica, FE 120 msc sono stati sottoposti a gated SPECT per valutare la perfusione miocardica prima e dopo 6 mesi l'impianto di pacemaker biventricolare. Sono stati misurati i parametri LVEF, LVED, LVES, WMSI, SRS; i pazienti erano sottoposti ad esame ecocardiografico, valutazione clinica (ECG, determinazione classe NYHA, QoL mediante Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire), esami ematici prima della procedura e dopo 6 mesi dall’impianto del dispositivo. Sono stati considerati responder i pazienti con miglioramento di almeno 1 grado di classe NYHA correlato ad un miglioramento del QoL oppure con reverse remodeling efficace se LVEF ≥ 25% o LVESV < 15%. RISULTATI: Ad un follow-up di 6 mesi 20 pazienti sono rimasti nel follow up; la percentuale di pazienti non responder è risultata elevata: infatti 11 pts (55%) non hanno risposto positivamente e le condizioni cliniche sono rimaste stabili mentre 9 pazienti hanno risposto positivamente alla terapia di resincronizzazione cardiaca secondo i parametri clinici. Se valutiamo globalmente i pazienti non si è assistito ad un miglioramento significativo della FE (LVEF 27.6% ± 5.1% vs 29.1 ± 4.6%) e dei parametri volumetrici LVED (163 ± 46 ml vs 158 ± 38 ml) LVES (118 ± 41 vs 112 ± 32 ml) e degli altri parametri, WMSI (2.3 ± 0.3 vs 2.2 ± 0.2), SRS (24 ± 3 vs 22 ± 2); differenziando i pts responder (gruppo A) da quelli non responder (gruppo B) invece si nota come i pazienti responder presentino non solo un miglioramento clinico ma anche reverse remodeling con miglioramento della FE (27.5 ± 4.2 vs 30.9 ± 4.6 % p< 0.05), e riduzione significativa dell’LVES (123± 35 ml vs 105 ± 30 ml p< 0.05) . La differenza basale tra i due gruppi più significativa riguarda i difetti di captazione di perfusione basale, infatti i pts non responder presentano maggiori difetti di perfusione rispetto ai pazienti responder WMS e SRS (P<0.05) oltre che ridotti volumi diastolici ventricolari basali. CONCLUSIONI: La scintigrafia miocardica gated SPECT, in associazione alle altre metodiche, sembra essere utile nell’identificare i pazienti potenziali responder alla terapia di resincronizzazione cardiaca tra i pazienti affetti da cardiopatia dilatativa ipocinetica postischemica; infatti i pazienti con gravi difetti di perfusione miocardica basale, ridotti volumi ventricolari telediastolici non sembrano presentare un miglioramento da tale terapia. Inoltre gated-SPECT può assicurare di caratterizzare lo stato basale dei pazienti con scompenso cardiaco e definire un metodo oggettivo di valutazione nel follow-up durante CRT correlando bene i parametri volumetrici e di funzione e le variazioni cliniche

On the Segregation of Genetically Modified, Conventional, and Organic Products in European Agriculture: A Multi-market Equilibrium Analysis

Evaluating the possible benefits of the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops must address the issue of consumer resistance as well as the complex regulation thathasensued.IntheEuropeanUnion(EU)thisregulationenvisionsthe“co-existence” of GM food with conventional and quality-enhanced products, mandates the labelling and traceability of GM products, and allows only a stringent adventitious presence of GM content in other products. All these elements are brought together within a partial equilibrium model of the EU agricultural food sector. The model comprises conventional, GM and organic food. Demand is modelled in a novel fashion, whereby organic and conventional products are treated as horizontally differentiated but GM products are vertically differentiated (weakly inferior) relative to conventional ones. Supply accounts explicitly for the land constraint at the sector level and for the need for additional resources to produce organic food. Model calibration and simulation allow insights into the qualitative and quantitative effects of the large-scale introduction of GM products in the EU market. We find that the introduction of GM food reduces overall EU welfare, mostly because of the associated need for costly segregation of non-GM products, but the producers of quality-enhanced products actually benefit.</p

AJAE Appendix: Deriving a Flexible Mixed Demand System: The Normalized Quadratic Model

The material contained herein is supplementary to the article named in the title and published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Volume 89, Number 4, November 2007