Housing rent dynamics in Italy

In this paper we focus on tenant rents in Italy and compare results from several methods for the rent dynamic estimation. We first document the sources of data available and then introduce quality-adjusted techniques, which enable us to separate the price variation due to qualitative changes in housing attributes from pure price changes. Finally, we compare these measures with unconditional and matched-type price indices derived from microdata. Over the period 1998-2006, we estimate a cumulative rent increase ranging between 40 and 80%. The upper bound refers to the average dynamic for a subset of flats entering the market in a given period. The hedonic approach suggests a substantially lower overall growth in tenant rent, around 40% for the same period.Hedonic regressions, Matched-models, CPI, Downward bias

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against drug-induced antigens in L5178Y mouse lymphoma.

In vivo treatment with antineoplastic compounds has been reported to lead to the expression of new antigenic specificities which were not detected on parental cells, and which were transmissible as a genetic character. The current study is concerned with antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxic (ADCC) activity in serum of syngeneic mice challenged with LY/DTIC cells, a subline of LY murine lymphoma, antigenically altered by the drug DTIC. LY/DTIC target cells coated with LY/DTIC-immune serum were specifically lysed by virgin lymphocytes. The genetic background of the effector cells, whether syngeneic, allogeneic or xenogeneic, did not produce significant differences in the percentage of target-cell lysis. ADCC activity was reduced when the immune serum was added directly to the incubation medium, without precoating. Although sera from individual animals exhibited different levels of ADCC activity, they nevertheless followed the general trend of the pooled sera. Peak activity of ADCC was obtained in the sera collected on Days 8 and 30 after LY/DTIC cell challenge. The ADCC activity elicited by LY/DTIC cells may contribute to the rejection of drug-altered tumour cells

Extended neutral hydrogen filamentary network in NGC 2403

We present new neutral hydrogen (H 

A Model-Predictive Motion Planner for the IARA Autonomous Car

We present the Model-Predictive Motion Planner (MPMP) of the Intelligent Autonomous Robotic Automobile (IARA). IARA is a fully autonomous car that uses a path planner to compute a path from its current position to the desired destination. Using this path, the current position, a goal in the path and a map, IARA's MPMP is able to compute smooth trajectories from its current position to the goal in less than 50 ms. MPMP computes the poses of these trajectories so that they follow the path closely and, at the same time, are at a safe distance of eventual obstacles. Our experiments have shown that MPMP is able to compute trajectories that precisely follow a path produced by a Human driver (distance of 0.15 m in average) while smoothly driving IARA at speeds of up to 32.4 km/h (9 m/s).Comment: This is a preprint. Accepted by 2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA

Comment on: The Effect of Intra-articular Hyaluronic Acid Injections and Payer Coverage on Total Knee Arthroplasty Procedures: Evidence From Large US Claims Database

not availabl

Treatment of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in children: The role of bedaquiline and delamanid

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) has been emerging at an alarming rate over the last few years. It has been estimated that about 3% of all pediatric TB is MDR, meaning about 30,000 cases each year. Although most children with MDR-TB can be successfully treated, up to five years ago effective treatment was associated with a high incidence of severe adverse effects and patients with extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB had limited treatment options and no standard regimen. The main objective of this manuscript is to discuss our present knowledge of the management of MDR-and XDR-TB in children, focusing on the characteristics and available evidence on the use of two promising new drugs: bedaquiline and delamanid. PubMed was used to search for all of the studies published up to November 2020 using key words such as “bedaquiline” and “delamanid” and “children” and “multidrug-resistant tuberculosis” and “extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis”. The search was limited to articles published in English and providing evidence-based data. Although data on pediatric population are limited and more studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of bedaquiline and delamanid, their use in children with MDR-TB/XDR-TB appears to have good tolerability and efficacy. However, more evidence on these new anti-TB drugs is needed to better guide their use in children in order to design effective shorter regimens and reduce adverse effects, drug interactions, and therapeutic failure

Mediterranean diet and mitochondria: New findings

Mitochondria are subcellular organelles known for their central role in several energetic processes. Accumulating evidence supports a key role for mitochondria in the physiological response to both acute and chronic stress exposure, and, ultimately, the biological embedding of adversity in health and psychological functioning that increases the interest of these organelles in several medical conditions typical of older people. At the same time, Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) seems to affect the function of mitochondria further justifying the role of this diet in lowering the risk of negative health outcomes. In this review, we have elucidated the role of mitochondria in human diseases including the fundamental role in stress, aging, and neuropsychiatric and metabolic disorders. Overall, MedDiet can limit the production of free radicals, being rich in polyphenols. Moreover, MedDiet reduced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) production and ameliorated mitochondrial damage and apoptosis. Similarly, whole grains can maintain the mitochondrial respiration and membrane potential, finally improving mitochondrial function. Other components of MedDiet can have anti-inflammatory effects, again modulating mitochondrial function. For example, delphinidin (a flavonoid present in red wine and berries) restored the elevated level of mitochondrial respiration, mtDNA content, and complex IV activity; similarly, resveratrol and lycopene, present in grapefruits and tomatoes, exerted an anti-inflammatory effect modulating mitochondrial enzymes. Altogether, these findings support the notion that several positive effects of MedDiet can be mediated by a modulation in mitochondrial function indicating the necessity of further studies in human beings for finally confirming these findings

Secukinumab for Psoriasis in Obese Patients: Minireview and Clinical Experience

Psoriasis (PsO) has been associated with obesity, and its severity increases in obese subjects. The link between psoriatic condition and obesity is based on shared pathophysiological pathways where local and systemic inflammation promote each other; PsO is an inflammatory, immune-mediated disease, and the adipose tissue is the source of proinflammatory adipokines. Moreover, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an important comorbidity of PsO that reduces quality of life and makes difficult the patient's management. Treatment of obese subjects with moderate to severe PsO, even more if PsA is present, is challenging because of reduced efficacy of several systemic drugs and increased risk of adverse events. Secukinumab, a monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to and neutralizes interleukin 17A, shows efficacy on PsO in all body weight groups, even in the highest, whose response has a slight downward trend. Clinical features of two obese subjects, affected by PsO and PsA, successfully treated with secukinumab, are described