Estimation and Updating Methods for Hedonic Valuation

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Machine Learning Applications to Land and Structure Valuation

Acknowledgments: We thank Nicola Stalder and his IAZI team for preparing the dataset for the Swiss case study. The authors are grateful to the referees, whose feedback and comments have improved the quality of the paper.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A Microfluidic Platform for Cavitation-Enhanced Drug Delivery.

An endothelial-lined blood vessel model is obtained in a PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) microfluidic system, where vascular endothelial cells are grown under physiological shear stress, allowing -like maturation. This experimental model is employed for enhanced drug delivery studies, aimed at characterising the increase in endothelial permeability upon microbubble-enhanced ultrasound-induced (USMB) cavitation. We developed a multi-step protocol to couple the optical and the acoustic set-ups, thanks to a 3D-printed insonation chamber, provided with direct optical access and a support for the US transducer. Cavitation-induced interendothelial gap opening is then analysed using a customised code that quantifies gap area and the relative statistics. We show that exposure to US in presence of microbubbles significantly increases endothelial permeability and that tissue integrity completely recovers within 45 min upon insonation. This protocol, along with the versatility of the microfluidic platform, allows to quantitatively characterise cavitation-induced events for its potential employment in clinics

Evidences on overweight of regular blood donors in a center of Southern Italy

Objective: Smoking, unhealthy diet and obesity, sedentary behavior and inability to maintain adequate exercise have significant consequences for several chronic disorders. Blood centers can play a public health role in obesity surveillance and interventions. The purpose study was to evaluate the health status of the blood donors by monitoring the nutritional habits and lifestyle. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional face-to-face questionnaire was developed. It included a 41 item dietary assessment, reporting semi-quantitative food frequency, dietary behavior and questions on self-rated health status. Donors were regular repeat blood donors, eligible to donate. Results: Of the 2468 blood donors enrolled between July 2017 and January 2018, 1390 were repeat donors. Only 205 agreed to respond to the questionnaire. Data showed that donors followed mainly a Mediterranean diet and had more awareness to lifestyle, women more than men, in comparison with general population. The prevalence of overweight was found 50.7% in men and 16.9% in women. Conclusions: Overweight and obesity are common among regular blood donors and it is more frequent in men than women. The female blood donors seem to be characterized by better knowledge on the relationship between lifestyle and health, and by a better “putting into practice” of the information possessed

Early and long-term results of pectoralis muscle flap reconstruction versus sternal rewiring following failed sternal closure

Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare early and long-term results of pectoralis muscle flap reconstruction with those of sternal rewiring following failed sternal closure. Primary outcomes of the study were survival and failure rate. Respiratory function, chronic pain and quality of life were also evaluated. Methods: In a propensity-score matching analysis, of 94 patients who underwent sternal reconstruction, 40 were selected; 20 underwent sternal reconstruction with bilateral pectoralis muscle flaps (Group 1) and 20 underwent sternal rewiring (Group 2). Survival and failure rates were evaluated by in-hospital records and at follow-up. Respiratory function measures, including vital capacity (VC), were evaluated both by spirometry and computed tomography (CT) volumetry. Chronic pain was evaluated by the visual analogue pain scale. Results: At 85 ± 24 months of follow-up, survival and procedure failure were 95 and 90% in Group 1 and 60 and 55% in Group 2, respectively (P < 0.01, for both comparisons). Based on CT-scan volumetry, in Group 1, severe non-union and hemisternal paradoxical movement occurred less frequently (2 vs 7, P = 0.01). At spirometry assessment, postoperative VC was greater in Group 1 (3220 ± 290 vs 3070 ± 290 ml, P = 0.04). The same trend was detected by CT-scan in-expiratory measures (4034 ± 1800 vs 3182 ± 862 mm3, P < 0.05). Correspondingly, in Group 1, less patients presented in NYHA Class III (P < 0.05), and both chronic persistent pain score and physical health quality-of-life score were significantly better in the same group. Conclusions: In our study, muscle flap reconstruction guaranteed better early and late-term results as shown by lower rates of mortality, procedure failure and hemisternum stability. Moreover, Group 1 patients had greater postoperative VC, lower NYHA class and better quality of life. These results suggest that, in patients with multiple bone fracture, the rewiring approach does not promote physiological bone consolidation, whereas the muscle flap reconstruction can assure more physiological ventilatory dynamics.© The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved