Manipulability Optimization of a Rehabilitative Collaborative Robotic System

The use of collaborative robots (or cobots) in rehabilitation therapies is aimed at assisting and shortening the patient's recovery after neurological injuries. Cobots are inherently safe when interacting with humans and can be programmed in different working modalities based on the patient's needs and the level of the injury. This study presents a design optimization of a robotic system for upper limb rehabilitation based on the manipulability ellipsoid method. The human-robot system is modeled as a closed kinematic chain in which the human hand grasps a handle attached to the robot's end effector. The manipulability ellipsoids are determined for both the human and the robotic arm and compared by calculating an index that quantifies the alignment of the principal axes. The optimal position of the robot base with respect to the patient is identified by a first global optimization and by a further local refinement, seeking the best alignment of the manipulability ellipsoids in a series of points uniformly distributed within the shared workspace

New tools in percutaneous minimally invasive chronic subdural hematomas evacuation

Background: Incidence of chronic subdural hematomas (cSDH) is expected to progressive rise in the next decades. There is no univocal indication of the approach to be used. Furthermore, there is no data about the efficacy of twist drill craniostomy (TDC) in hematomas with membranes. Objective: To describe our modified technique for TDC in patients affected by cSDH with membranes and in treatment with antiplatelets. Methods: We analyzed a group of 37 patients, affected by cSDH with membrane (type D laminar membrane and type G trabecular membrane according to Nakaguchi classification), treated with mushroom TDC using a modified technique. Results: After surgery the average maximum thickness of the common postoperative liquoral subdural collection decreased from 18.8 to 6.21 mm. We documented one acute subdural hematoma (2.7%), asymptomatic and not treated, and one recurrence of cSDH (2.7%) after 2 months that needed re-intervention with single burr hole. Conclusions: We presented a modified twist drill technique, characterized by the introduction of an application of a new device that optimizes both surgical results, clinical outcome and surgical procedure time. The presence of membrane type D and G does not affect the efficacy of drainage, that is negatively related to the presence of clots or acute hematoma. This modified technique is safe, fast, effective and represents a valid first line treatment of an unstable and unpredictable pathology such as cSDH. We suggest performing such technique on a larger patients’ cohort to further validate its effectiveness

Safety of treatments for inflammatory bowel disease: Clinical practice guidelines of the Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IG-IBD)

Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic conditions of unknown etiology, showing a growing incidence and prevalence in several countries, including Italy. Although the etiology of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis is unknown, due to the current knowledge regarding their pathogenesis, effective treatment strategies have been developed. Several guidelines are available regarding the efficacy and safety of available drug treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases. Nevertheless, national guidelines provide additional information adapted to local feasibility, costs and legal issues related to the use of the same drugs. These observations prompted the Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IG-IBD) to establish Italian guidelines on the safety of currently available treatments for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. These guidelines discuss the use of aminosalicylates, systemic and low bioavailability corticosteroids, antibiotics (metronidazole, ciprofloxacin, rifaximin), thiopurines, methotrexate, cyclosporine A, TNFα antagonists, vedolizumab, and combination therapies. These guidelines are based on current knowledge derived from evidence-based medicine coupled with clinical experience of a national working group

Proceedings of the Fifth Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics CLiC-it 2018

On behalf of the Program Committee, a very warm welcome to the Fifth Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics (CLiC-­‐it 2018). This edition of the conference is held in Torino. The conference is locally organised by the University of Torino and hosted into its prestigious main lecture hall “Cavallerizza Reale”. The CLiC-­‐it conference series is an initiative of the Italian Association for Computational Linguistics (AILC) which, after five years of activity, has clearly established itself as the premier national forum for research and development in the fields of Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing, where leading researchers and practitioners from academia and industry meet to share their research results, experiences, and challenges

Rethinking Euro-Mediterranean cooperation: new approaches for research and education

In today’s world, the processes of cooperation meet, from one side, the need for a multifaceted approach to the development issues, thus including the different instances from institutions, transnational actors, and civil society; from the other, the demand of sustainability and of the application of new instruments and mechanisms in the relationships between people from different cultures and backgrounds. Starting from this point, rethinking Euro-Mediterranean cooperation means to reshape profoundly the dialogue with the Arab world, investing in the interdependence and the pursuit of common interests, especially after the intervention of the so-called Arab Springs. Moreover, it means the change of patterns in the educational programs, considering schools and universities as the hotbed of new ideas and tendencies for the international society in the future. This process needs to involve also the level of research and dissemination and to provide the use of the newest instruments of distance and active learning. This book represents the spin-off of the FEP/IT Program (Education for Experts in Transnationals Euro-Mediterranean Processes for the Internationalization and the Cooperation between Italy and Tunisia), conducted by the University for Foreigners of Perugia and funded by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The project, dedicated to a small group of ten students from Italy and Tunisia, represents one of the first concrete attempts at rethinking the paradigm of cooperation starting from young people from two shores of the Mediterranean. The book, thus demonstrating the innovative process of cooperation and cultural exchange, and moreover including a multidisciplinary vision, has the final aim to illustrate the challenges at the cooperation and educational level. In this view, the chapters included in this book focus, first of all, on a critical analysis of post-Arab springs geopolitical relations in the light of a paradigm shift. Consequently, the authors have focused their contributions on the EU’s response to Mediterranean socio-political changes after 2011 and to the role of international law in international cooperation specifically related to the Mediterranean dimension. The book dedicated a chapter to the new learning mechanism in IR, that finally encounters the fieldwork conducted by the students during the FEP/IT Program, illustrated in the last chapter

La Turchia nella NATO, un ruolo in evoluzione per un antico alleato

Con la fine della Guerra Fredda, l\u2019avvento della Global War on Terror post-2001 e l\u2019ascesa al potere nel 2002 dell\u2019AKP, la Turchia ha avviato un processo di ridefinizione della propria posizione all\u2019interno dell\u2019Alleanza Atlantica. In ambito NATO, l\u2019adozione della dottrina dell\u2019out-of-area prima e il palesarsi della minaccia jihadista poi hanno dato ad Ankara l\u2019opportunit\ue0 di riconsiderare il proprio ruolo da Paese di frontiera a Paese fulcro per il fronte oltremare dell\u2019Alleanza, come hanno dimostrato l\u2019impegno in Afghanistan e, ancor pi\uf9, il ruolo giocato nel quadro nell\u2019invasione americana dell\u2019Iraq. Parallelamente, la politica estera turca ha assistito a un\u2019evoluzione sia nell\u2019aspetto dottrinale, con maggiore enfasi sul soft power, che nella proiezione della sua influenza oltreconfine. Le Primavere Arabe nel 2011, in tal senso, hanno costituito un importante banco di prova per le ambizioni di Ankara. Prima in Libia, dove la Turchia ha preso parte all\u2019operazione NATO, e poi, soprattutto, in Siria gli interessi del Paese hanno tuttavia mostrato un\u2019ambivalenza nel rapportarsi con i major ally dell\u2019Alleanza Atlantica. In Siria, nonostante l\u2019invocazione dell\u2019articolo 4 del Patto Atlantico e aver richiesto assistenza militare ai membri NATO, gli attriti con gli Stati Uniti sono divenuti palesi, in particolare dal 2014 in relazione alla minaccia posta dall\u2019ISIS e alla questione dei curdi. I rapporti con Washington si sono fatti recentemente ancora pi\uf9 difficili a causa dell\u2019avvicinamento di Ankara alla Russia in un\u2019ottica di riequilibrio dei rapporti regionali proprio mentre gli Stati Uniti attraversano una nuova fase della \u2018minaccia russa\u2019 alla luce delle vicende che dal 2014 coinvolgono il fianco est della NATO. L\u2019acquisizione del sistema missilistico russo da parte di Ankara viene ritenuta da Washington una minaccia potenziale per la sicurezza euro-atlantica in quanto potrebbe garantire a Mosca un accesso ad alcune infrastrutture della NATO ritenuti cruciali per fronteggiare la (ri)ascesa della Russia a grande potenza

A systematic review of FOLFOXIRI chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: improved efficacy at the cost of increased toxicity.

AIM: The simultaneous administration of irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil, folinic acid and oxaliplatin (FOLFOXIRI) has been compared with standard 5-fluorouracil, folinic acid and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) in randomized trials in metastatic colorectal cancer patients. A superior efficacy of FOLFOXIRI has been reported by some authors, but others have failed to show any differences and do not recommend its use because of greater cost and toxicity. We performed a systematic review of the literature to analyse efficacy and toxicity of FOLFOXIRI. METHOD: Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to analyse dichotomous variables. Hazard ratios (HR) for progression and death were combined with an inverse variance method based on logarithmic conversion. A fixed-effect model and Mantel-Haenszel's method were used. Heterogeneity was tested with Cochrane's Q test and I(2) test. RESULTS: A significant increase in response rate (OR 2.04; P < 0.01) was associated with treatment by FOLFOXIRI and a benefit was also shown by the HR for progression (HR 0.72; P < 0.01) and death (HR 0.71; P < 0.01). Analysis for toxicity found a significant increase associated with FOLFOXIRI except for anaemia, fatigue and febrile neutropenia. CONCLUSION: FOLFOXIRI confers significant benefit in progression-free survival, survival, response and R0 resection rates but is more toxic compared with FOLFIRI

Poorly differentiated mast cell tumour and neuro and genesis:lack of correlations between microvessel density and mast cell density

Angiogenesis, a multistep process regulated by positive and negative soluble factors, plays an important role for tumour progression (growth, invasiveness and metastasis).A mutuai stimulation occurs between tumour cells and neoplastic cells by paracrine mechanism. Host inflammatory cells can also secrete angiogenic factor. Severa/experimental researches suggest that increase of mast-cells density (MCD) is joined with increase of microvessel density (MVD). To evaluate the putative role of MCD in the angiogenic process we studied, for the first time, a series of 16 poorly differentiated grade 3 (G3) dog mastocytomas. Mast celi tumours (MCT) are common in dog with an incidence much higher than those found in human, consequently dog MCT can be a va/id mode/ to study angiogenic process. Seria/ sections for each MCT were processed both with toluidine bleu specific for MC identification and immunohistochemical method using the polyclonal antibody anti FVIII - RA as an endothelial marker. Slides were evaluated using an image analysis system (Quantimet 500 Leica). The three most vascular areas "hot spots" in each tumour tissue were selected and individuai vessels and individuai mast cells were counted at 400x. Both MVD and MCD means and standard deviation (s.d.) were determined both for each tumour and in the gfobal series. MVD and MCD means value were l 8 ± l l and l 06 ± 97 respectively. The regression anafysis (pearson's test) between MVD and MCD failed to show any correfation (p= n.s.). On these basis we speculate that cutaneous malignant mastocytomas are fow vascufarized tumour and neoplastic mast cel/s shoufd not playa major role in the angiogenic process