Financial targets for the sponsee and the sponsor in the restoration/recovery of the historical and architectural heritage

The paper explores the theme of sponsorship for the restoration/recovery of the historical-architectural heritage. The goal is to propose a model that allows both the sponsee (often public institution) and the sponsor company (mainly private) to maximize the monetary return generated by the investment. The model is tested through the following case study: the sponsorship of the restoration works of the Don Tullio’s Fountain located in the Villa Comunale of Salerno (Italy). In the logic of the model, the funding requested by the sponsee is necessarily inclusive of the amount equal to the cost of the restoration work but should also consider the financial advantage deriving from the advertising return to the sponsor company. These targets are estimated through the direct audience critical variable connected with the number of visitors of the location of interest. For the sponsor, on the other hand, assuming a Cobb-Douglas production function, it’s possible to quantify under static conditions the optimal percentage of turnover to invest in sponsorship to maximize profits. Assuming, therefore, that several companies are interested in sponsoring the restoration of the monument, the application of the model makes it possible to determine which company would be most suitable to sign the sponsorship contract

Ophthalmic Considerations in Cleft Lip and Palate Patients

Cleft lip and palate (CL and P) represents the second most frequently occurring congenital deformity after clubfoot deformity. CL and P could be associated with many other structural abnormalities of the adjacent vital structures of the face. In this study, an attempt was made to identify the abnormalities of the ocular structures seen in patients with isolated CL and P as well as in those with syndromic CL and P. Of the 322 patients with cleft lip and palate screened, 27 (8.3%) had ocular abnormalities. Totally 47 ocular defects were identified in 27 patients. Abnormalities of the eyelid were the commonest accounting for 22% of the total defects (11/47), which includes symblepharon, ectropion, lid colobomas, euryblepharon and ptosis. Second commonest abnormality was squint 8/47 (17%) followed by orbital defects 8/47 (17%) (Telecanthus and Hypertelorism). Abnormalities of the nasolacrimal apparatus 3/47 (6%), refractive errors 7/47 (15%), dermoids 4/47 (6%), cataract 2/47 (4%) and retinal colobomas 2/47 (4%) constituted the rest. Thus, children with cleft lip and palate should be assessed as soon as possible after birth by a multidisciplinary team involving the Pediatrician, Ophthalmologist and specialists from Maxillofacial, ENT and Plastic surgery. The medical problems in this group of children are global and therefore, should not be looked at in isolation

An epidemiological study determining blood pressure in a Portuguese cohort: the Guimaraes/Vizela study

Surveying the evolution of blood pressure (BP) levels and hypertension (HTN) prevalence is important. A stringent strategy was utilized in a population cohort study. The BP was measured at two visits at least 3 months apart, and the results were analyzed using the following two methods: the Surveillance method (three BP measurements were performed in one visit, and the results were compared with those published previously for the identical method) and the Clinical method (three measurements per visit for two visits, and the concordant results in both visits were used to determine the BP classification). A total of 2542 subjects completed the evaluation. Using the Clinical method, an average systolic/diastolic BP value of 129.8/76.8?mm?Hg was obtained, and the prevalence of HTN was 31.6%. Of the hypertensive patients, 74.3% were aware of his/her condition; 69.1% were treated and 40.8% of those treated had adequate BP control. A total of 24.7% of subjects changed his/her BP classification between visits, and 13.7% misreported HTN. Using the Surveillance method, we determined that the average global SBP has been maintained, with HTN prevalence increasing in this region, drifting from reported trends nationally and worldwide. There has been improvement in the proportion of treated and controlled subjects; however, the Surveillance method overestimated the HTN prevalence and underestimated the proportion of treated and controlled subjects. The BP levels were higher than observed worldwide in high-cardiovascular (CV) risk countries as well as higher than the minimum risk exposure level for developing CV disease