The role of socio-economic determinants in the interregional allocation of healthcare resources: Some insights from the 2023 reform in the Italian NHS.

This paper discusses a reform recently implemented in the Italian National Health Service, aimed at adding some socio-economic indicators to the criteria adopted for allocating healthcare funding to Regions. The reform is based on international experience in healthcare financing in decentralized settings and provides a case study of special interest since Italy is a country with significant territorial disparities and severe budget constraints. The paper first discusses the long-standing debate between Italian Regions which led to the reform.

Controlling the size and elastic modulus of in-aqueous alginate micro-beads.

The fabrication of microgels, particularly those ranging from tens to hundreds of micrometers in size, represents a thriving area of research, particularly for biologists seeking controlled and isotropic media for cell encapsulation. In this article, we present a novel and robust method for producing structurally homogeneous alginate beads with a reduced environmental footprint, employing a co-flow focusing microfluidic device. These beads can be easily recovered in an oil-free aqueous medium, making the fabrication method highly suitable for diverse applications.