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Background: Neuroimmune axis is central in the physiopathology of hip osteoarthritis (OA), but its specific pathways are still unclear. This systematic review aims to assess the nervous and immune system profile of patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA) when compared to healthy controls. Methods: A systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines was conducted. A two-step selection process was completed, and from 609 references 17 were included. The inclusion criteria were: original articles on adult patients with hip OA, with assessment of neuroimmune expression. Articles with other interventions prior to analysis and those without a control group were excluded. Results: Thirty-nine relevant neuroimmune markers were identified, with assessments in bone, cartilage, synovial membrane, synovial fluid, whole blood, serum and/or immune cells. GM-CSF, IFN-gamma, IL-1 alpha, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1 and TNF-alpha presented variable expression among tissues studied when compared between hip OA and controls. VEGFs and TGF-beta isoforms showed similar tendencies among tissues and studies. On nervous expression, CGRP, Tuj-1 and SP were increased in synovial membrane. Overall, patients with hip OA presented a higher number of overexpressed markers. Conclusions: For the first time a systematic review on neuroimmune expression in patients with hip OA found an upregulation of neuroimmune markers, with deregulated balance between pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. However, no clear systematic pattern was found, and few information is available on nervous expression. This highlights the importance of future research with clear methodologies to guide the management of these patients.

Abstract
In the last decades, the weight of renewable energies sources (RES) in the electricity generation mix of most European countries has considerably increased. The implementation of these policies has been relying on different supporting schemes such as: the existence of a price premium for RES (feed-in tariffs); the assignment of priority access to renewable sources over conventional sources when entering the electricity network; and subsidizing investments in RE. While these incentives have certainly played a very important role in launching renewable energy production in Europe, more recently, both scholars and practitioners are claiming that RE generation should now be exposed to market incentives in order to promote economic efficiency. However, the inclusion of RE in the market may significantly affect equilibrium outcomes arising in electricity wholesale markets. Recent empirical studies, e.g. Puller (2007), point that the inclusion of RES in the market reduces average electricity prices at the cost of increasing price volatility (merit of order effect). Such outcomes can be explained by the intermittent nature of RES together with the asymmetry on generation marginal costs between RES and non-renewable energy sources (with the former being quite low for most of the available RES). However, the inclusion of RES in the wholesale electricity market may also yield strategic effects, as firms may strategically manipulate renewable energy production in order to have greater market power. In this paper, we provide an overview of the investment challenges following the introduction of market-based mechanisms for renewable production. The next step of this research project will be the development of a theoretical model, building on Milstein and Tishler (2011) in order to address the regulatory challenges related to capacity investment in a market with uncertain demand in which two firms offer two different electricity generation technologies, respectively using renewable and non-renewable energy sources. The renewable energy production is assumed to have an intermittent nature.

Abstract
The aim of this paper is to compare the electricity market design currently adopted in Portugal and in Brazil. We shed light on the differences and similarities between the two models regarding their rationale and risks. In particular, we highlight their differences regarding the organization of the wholesale and the retail activities: while the Portuguese model builds upon the pillars of competitive generation and retail, the Brazilian model is based on a centralized auction-contracting mechanism in the wholesale market and on captive consumption in the downstream market. We assess the advantages and disadvantages of each model by reviewing the theoretical and empirical literature on the benefits and limitations of retail choice and the literature on the pros and cons of electricity markets (in Portugal) versus contracts markets (in Brazil). The first approach yields competition in the market, whereas the second one fosters competition for electricity supply. We characterize the most stringent flaws in each model and we conclude that there is room for regulatory innovation in both models. The Portuguese model needs to be adjusted to create the necessary incentives to invest in the capacity that is needed to achieve the country's environmental and supply security goals. The Brazilian model already privileges investment incentives but it needs to be redesigned in order to account for the excessive risk allocated to distributors, which are quite vulnerable to exogenous shocks (e.g. hydrological shocks or demand-side macroeconomic shocks).