George Frankl: an undervalued voice in the history of autism

This paper aims to propose that the psychiatrist George Frankl had more than a marginal role in the early history of autism. Frankl’s conception of autism as characterized by a lack of affective language has influenced both Asperger and Kanner. First, this proposal is historically supported; second it is corroborated by Frankl’s unpublished manuscript on Autism. We found that Frankl’s perspective about autism was, and still can be, considered innovative for multiple reasons. Specifically, Frankl proposed that autism could cover a spectrum of conditions; that it is a state of mind that is not necessarily abnormal; and that it is a neurobiological condition, which primarily needs to be understood by others. Finally, Frankl’s concepts of affective contact and affective language are reconsidered with reference to contemporary neuropsychology from which autism emerges not as a higher-order cognitive deficit, but as a result of an impairment of primordial ability to process low level sensory, motor and perceptual information gained through experiencing other persons

Invariant universality for quandles and fields

We show that the embeddability relations for countable quandles and for countable fields of any given characteristic other than 2 are maximally complex in a strong sense: they are invariantly universal. This notion from the theory of Borel reducibility states that any analytic quasi-order on a standard Borel space essentially appears as the restriction of the embeddability relation to an isomorphism-invariant Borel set. As an intermediate step we show that the embeddability relation of countable quandles is a complete analytic quasi-order

Co-offending and the persistence of violence: A dynamic analysis

This is the final version. Available from Springer via the DOI in this record. Data Availability: Due to privacy concerns, the research data supporting this publication are not publicly available.Objectives: Previous research underscores the influence of prior violent co-offending on subsequent violent behavior, linking it to a social contagion mechanism akin to the internalization of violence. However, these studies are limited by disregarding the entirety of a criminal career and overlooking diverse co-offending dynamics beyond co-offenders’ characteristics. This study examines the longitudinal impact of prior violent (solo and co-) offending on future individual-level violent behavior among Italian organized crime offenders. Methods: Leveraging criminal career data from 9819 Italian organized crime offenders, we model offending choices through a discrete-time Markov process. Subsequently, employing dynamic random-effects probit models, we quantify the influence of prior violent (solo and co-) offending on future violence, considering various confounders and unobserved individual-level effects. Results: Violence is a persistent and long-lasting behavior among organized crime offenders. Prior violent co-offending has a greater impact than prior violent solo offending on the probability of future violence. Prior violent co-offending increases the probability of future violent co-offending but does not impact the probability of future violent solo offending. Conclusions: The results show that co-offending promotes the transmission of violence but fail to support the internalization of violent behavior postulated by prior studies. We propose possible alternative mechanisms of violence transmission that operate through self-sustaining dynamics of violent co-offending within criminal groups. Although limited data on individual characteristics constrains interpretation, our results imply that violence transmission dynamics are independent from the individual characteristics of the co-offenders and more directly connected to group effects.European Union’s Horizon 202

Prevalence and clinical features of celiac disease in a cohort of italian children with autism spectrum disorders

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental conditions whose etiopathogenesis derives from a complex interaction between genetic liability and environmental factors. In this framework, mounting evidence suggests that immune system dysfunction could be a risk factor contributing to the development of ASD in at least a subpopulation of individuals. In particular, some studies suggest an association between celiac disease (CD)—a long‐term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the small intestine triggered by the ingestion of gluten—and ASD, while others hypothesized a random link. This investigation aimed to evaluate the prevalence of CD in a large sample of school‐aged children with ASD and to characterize their clinical profile. Methods: Medical records of 405 children with ASD aged 5–11 years (mean age: 7.2 years; SD: 1.8 years) consecutively referred to a tertiary‐care university hospital between January 2014 and December 2018 were reviewed; among them, 362 had carried out serological testing for CD. Results: Nine patients with positive CD serology were identified, eight of which satisfied the criteria for CD diagnosis. The estimated CD prevalence in ASD children was 2.18% (95% CI, 0.8–3.7), which was not statistically different (1.58%; p = 0.36) from that of an Italian population, matched for age range, considered as a control group (95% CI, 1.26–1.90). Three out of the eight ASD patients with CD did not have any symptoms suggestive of CD. Conclusions: Our findings did not show a higher prevalence of CD in ASD children than in the control population, but could suggest the utility of routine CD screening, given its frequent atypical clinical presentation in this population

Micro-fragmented adipose tissue transplantation (Matt) for the treatment of acetabular delamination. a two years follow up comparison study with microfractures

Background: Delamination of acetabular articular cartilage is a common progressive abnormality in hips with femoroacetabular impingement. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two different procedures for the arthroscopic treatment of acetabular delamination: microfractures (MFx) and micro-fragmented autologous adipose tissue transplantation (MATT) technique. Methods: We carried out a controlled retrospective study of 35 patients affected by an acetabular cartilage delamination in femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). In all the selected cases the size of the defect ranged from 1 to 2 cm2, with a mean size of 1.9 cm² in MFx group and 1.6 cm² in MATT group (p=0.1). Of these, 18 patients were treated with MFx while 17 patients were treated with MATT. The two groups were similar in terms of clinical, functional and radiological aspects. All the patients were assessed before and after the procedure, for pain and function, with the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS). The mean preoperative mHHS was 50±5 for MFx group and 53±6 for MATT group (p = 0.245). All the patients were followed-up for two years. Results: The final mHHS was 76±12 in MFx group and 97.1±3 in MATT group (p<0.001). In both groups neither a conversion to total hip arthroplasty nor a revision hip arthroscopy was observed. Conclusions: The results of this study provide proof that MATT technique improves clinical outcomes with a mHH scoring significantly higher than MFx group. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Diseño y aplicación de normas generales antiabuso nacionales e internacionales

Horizon 2020(H2020)758671Grenzen van fiscale soevereinitei

Evaluation of altered functional connections in male children with autism spectrum disorders on multiple-site data optimized with machine learning

No univocal and reliable brain-based biomarkers have been detected to date in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Neuroimaging studies have consistently revealed alterations in brain structure and function of individuals with ASD; however, it remains difficult to ascertain the extent and localization of affected brain networks. In this context, the application of Machine Learning (ML) classification methods to neuroimaging data has the potential to contribute to a better distinction between subjects with ASD and typical development controls (TD). This study is focused on the analysis of resting-state fMRI data of individuals with ASD and matched TD, available within the ABIDE collection. To reduce the multiple sources of heterogeneity that impact on understanding the neural underpinnings of autistic condition, we selected a subgroup of 190 subjects (102 with ASD and 88 TD) according to the following criteria: male children (age range: 6.5–13 years); rs-fMRI data acquired with open eyes; data from the University sites that provided the largest number of scans (KKI, NYU, UCLA, UM). Connectivity values were evaluated as the linear correlation between pairs of time series of brain areas; then, a Linear kernel Support Vector Machine (L-SVM) classification, with an inter-site cross-validation scheme, was carried out. A permutation test was conducted to identify over-connectivity and under-connectivity alterations in the ASD group. The mean L-SVM classification performance, in terms of the area under the ROC curve (AUC), was 0.75 ± 0.05. The highest performance was obtained using data from KKI, NYU and UCLA sites in training and data from UM as testing set (AUC = 0.83). Specifically, stronger functional connectivity (FC) in ASD with respect to TD involve (p < 0.001) the angular gyrus with the precuneus in the right (R) hemisphere, and the R frontal operculum cortex with the pars opercularis of the left (L) inferior frontal gyrus. Weaker connections in ASD group with respect to TD are the intra-hemispheric R temporal fusiform cortex with the R hippocampus, and the L supramarginal gyrus with L planum polare. The results indicate that both under-and over-FC occurred in a selected cohort of ASD children relative to TD controls, and that these functional alterations are spread in different brain networks

Focusing on autism spectrum disorder in xia–gibbs syndrome: Description of a female with high functioning autism and literature review

Background: Xia–Gibbs syndrome (XGS) is a rare disorder caused by de novo mutations in the AT-Hook DNA binding motif Containing 1 (AHDC1) gene, which is characterised by a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, including global developmental delay, intellectual disability, structural abnormalities of the brain, global hypotonia, feeding problems, sleep difficulties and apnoea, facial dysmorphisms, and short stature. Methods: Here, we report on a girl patient who shows a peculiar cognitive and behavioural profile including high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without intellectual disability and provide information on her developmental trajectory with the aim of expanding knowledge of the XGS clinical spectrum. On the basis of the current clinical case and the literature review, we also attempt to deepen understanding of behavioural and psychiatric manifestations associated with XGS. Results: In addition to the patient we described, a considerable rate of individuals with XGS display autistic symptoms or have been diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. Moreover, the analysis of the few psychopathological profiles of patients with XGS described in the literature shows a frequent presence of aggressive and self-injurious behaviours that could be either an expression of autistic functioning or an additional symptom of the ASD evolution. A careful investigation of the abovementioned symptoms is therefore required, since they could represent a “red flag” for ASD

Measuring Organised Crime Presence at the Municipal Level

While indicators assessing the quality of life often comprise measures of crime or fear of crime, these components usually refer to property or violent crimes. More complex crimes, which may significantly impact on the social, economic, and political conditions of local communities, are often overlooked, mostly due to problems in adequately measuring the levels of e.g. organised crime and corruption. Indeed, despite the growing scholarly attention, measurements of organised crime are rare and frequently affected by important methodological limitations. This study addresses this issue by proposing the Mafia Presence Index (MPI), a composite indicator measuring the presence of the mafias in Italy. The MPI aggregates variables measuring different dimensions of mafia presence, namely the presence and activities of mafia groups, mafia violence, and infiltration in politics and the economy. Furthermore, the analysis explores the validity and robustness of the MPI by considering possible alternative variables and by assessing the impact of different calculation strategies. Results show that the MPI is a parsimonious and consistent measure of mafia presence, relying on a core set of five variables directly related to mafia presence. The index is also robust to different calculation methods and is negatively associated with the most popular indexes measuring the quality of life in Italy

The role of the anterolateral ligament in knee’s biomechanics: a case–control retrospective study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the functional and clinical results of patients who underwent ACL reconstruction surgery and were divided into subpopulations related to ACL-associated lesions and focused on ALL-associated lesion. Methods: Our retrospective analysis included 62 patients who underwent standard ACL reconstruction surgery in our hospital from 2014 to 2016. The mean follow-up period was 21 months (range 11–35). We divided the sample into two subpopulations due to the presence or absence of ALL tear at the preoperative MRI. In 42 patients out of 62 (68%), ALL lesion was evident. We evaluated in both subpopulations the ACL failure rate, the functional outcomes rated with IKDC, KOOS, Lysholm scores and the clinical assessment of anteroposterior and rotatory instability with the Lachman test and pivot-shift test. Results: The overall re-injury rate in our cohort of patients was 4.8% with a smaller but not a significant difference between the two groups. A statistically significant difference was observed for the three functional scores, favoring the isolated ACL-lesion group (p < 0.05). Similarly, a better Lachman score was observed in the isolated ACL-lesion group, without statistical significance (p = 0.77); overall, the rate of positive test was lower in the isolated ACL-lesion group. We observed a significant difference of residual rotatory instability (positive pivot-shift test) in the two subpopulations (p = 0.036), and 9% of patients in the ACL + ALL lesion group showed residual jerk or subluxation. Conclusion: The additional ALL reconstruction/repair surgery should always be considered in patients with evident ALL tear at the preoperative MRI