EMG-based visual-haptic biofeedback: a tool to improve motor control in children with primary dystonia.

New insights suggest that dystonic motor impairments could also involve a deficit of sensory processing. In this framework, biofeedback, making covert physiological processes more overt, could be useful. The present work proposes an innovative integrated setup which provides the user with an electromyogram (EMG)-based visual-haptic biofeedback during upper limb movements (spiral tracking tasks), to test if augmented sensory feedbacks can induce motor control improvement in patients with primary dystonia. The ad hoc developed real-time control algorithm synchronizes the haptic loop with the EMG reading; the brachioradialis EMG values were used to modify visual and haptic features of the interface: the higher was the EMG level, the higher was the virtual table friction and the background color proportionally moved from green to red. From recordings on dystonic and healthy subjects, statistical results showed that biofeedback has a significant impact, correlated with the local impairment, on the dystonic muscular control. These tests pointed out the effectiveness of biofeedback paradigms in gaining a better specific-muscle voluntary motor control. The flexible tool developed here shows promising prospects of clinical applications and sensorimotor rehabilitation

Artificial Intelligence-Based Discrimination: Theoretical and Normative Responses. Perspectives from Europe

The paper examines the relationships between AI and discrimination. The first part challenges the adequacy of antidiscrimination laws to tackle AI-based discrimination. The second analyses the regulatory responses proposed by the European Union and the Council of Europe. The investigation includes a study of the case law, which highlights the challenges prompted by AI when coupled with the principle of non-discrimination and the lack of effective legislative and judicial remedies to counter it. Lastly, the paper argues that AI is contributing to the emergence of a new form of discrimination, the global acknowledgment of which is still far away in coming

The Istanbul Convention: yes and nos

The article discusses the status quo of the Istanbul Convention in the context of the Council of Europe. The investigation delves into three areas: The first deals with the lack of an intersectional approach underpinning the text and approach of the Convention; the second covers the effectiveness of the Convention, by examining the Council of Europe’s member states’ responses in terms of signatures, ratifications, reservations, and withdrawals; lastly, the article investigates the European Court of Human Rights’ case-law to test whether and to what extent the ECtHR is acting like a supplementary judicial treaty body, ensuring the implementation of the Convention

Intended or new parenthood? The child’s best interest: Italy and the European Court of Human Rights

The article investigates domestic and supranational responses towards new forms of parenthood in the light of the child’s best interest. Examining the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Italian Courts on artificial reproductive technologies and surrogacy agreements, this article contends that the European Court of Human Rights did not abandon the ideal type of families based on biological bonds despite efforts to ensure the paramount relevance of children’s rights. Interlacing the Italian case and the European Court of Human Rights’ judgments against Italy, this article argues that persists a long way before the full recognition of forms of parenthood lacking genetic links, despite the willingness to safeguard the legal status of the child

Equality & Non-discrimination between the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights: Challenges and Perspectives in the Religious Discourse

Si pubblicano di seguito i testi degli interventi tenuti il 28 settembre 2018 in occasione del Convegno internazionale sul tema \u201cPluralismo religioso e integrazione europea: le nuove sfide\u201d organizzato dal Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza dell\u2019Universit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca e dal Corso di Pluralismo religioso \u2013 Modulo Jean Monnet. I contributi sono stati selezionati a cura del Comitato organizzativo. Papers presented at the international conference "Religious pluralism and European integration: new challenges" held at the University of Milano-Bicocca on 28th September, 2018. Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The papers were selected by the organizing Committe

GEN-O-MA project: an Italian network studying clinical course and pathogenic pathways of moyamoya disease—study protocol and preliminary results

Background: GENetics of mOyaMoyA (GEN-O-MA) project is a multicenter observational study implemented in Italy aimed at creating a network of centers involved in moyamoya angiopathy (MA) care and research and at collecting a large series and bio-repository of MA patients, finally aimed at describing the disease phenotype and clinical course as well as at identifying biological or cellular markers for disease progression. The present paper resumes the most important study methodological issues and preliminary results. Methods: Nineteen centers are participating to the study. Patients with both bilateral and unilateral radiologically defined MA are included in the study. For each patient, detailed demographic and clinical as well as neuroimaging data are being collected. When available, biological samples (blood, DNA, CSF, middle cerebral artery samples) are being also collected for biological and cellular studies. Results: Ninety-eight patients (age of onset mean ± SD 35.5 ± 19.6 years; 68.4% females) have been collected so far. 65.3% of patients presented ischemic (50%) and haemorrhagic (15.3%) stroke. A higher female predominance concomitantly with a similar age of onset and clinical features to what was reported in previous studies on Western patients has been confirmed. Conclusion: An accurate and detailed clinical and neuroimaging classification represents the best strategy to provide the characterization of the disease phenotype and clinical course. The collection of a large number of biological samples will permit the identification of biological markers and genetic factors associated with the disease susceptibility in Italy

Epigenetic regulation of Cyprinus carpio ribosomal cistron during the acclimatization process

Ribosomal RNA synthesis is the major transcriptional activity in a cell, required for ribosome biogenesis, and it is critical to ensure the supply of ribosomal RNA in order to meet the cellular needs for protein synthesis. Considerable evidence indicates that epigenetics is an important regulatory mechanism for this intricate process. In addition, cells must also have the ability to maintain their functions by constantly sensing and adapting to environmental variations (homeostasis). Seasonal acclimatization of the fish Cyprinus carpio (common carp) requires the implementation of complex molecular and cellular mechanisms to coordinate “phenotypic plasticity.” This process involves a reprogramming of gene expression, which in turn integrates the homeostatic response. Our laboratory has reported that in different cell types of the carp, the nucleolus undergoes a dramatic rearrangement of its molecular structure. During winter, fibrillar and granular components of the nucleolus are segregated and surrounded by a thick layer of heterochromatin, which is an ultrastructural feature accompanied by a transient repression of ribosomal RNA transcription. In contrast, this condition is reversed during the summer, and is associated with a recovery of active ribosomal biosynthesis. Thus, the process of seasonal adaptation in the carp certainly involves a fine modulation of the transcriptional activity of ribosomal genes (rDNA). Recent studies on the regulation of ribosomal genes indicate that the numerous copies of rDNA are comprised of at least two distinct transcriptional states: active or silenced. The two states can be differentiated by their chromatin configuration and may require specific triggers to be interconverted. Thus, the use of epigenetic mechanisms to control chromatin architecture may represent an important strategy to modulate and switch the transcriptional activity of rDNA during seasonal adaptation. In this context, the protein TTF-I has been described as playing a central role in the transcriptional modulation of ribosomal genes through its interaction with epigenetic modifiers, such as the nucleolar remodeling complex (NoRC), thus playing an active role in the silencing of rDNA transcription. Most of the conclusions regarding regulatory mechanisms that control rRNA transcription have been proposed based on in vitro approaches. Thus, the natural cyclic modulation of rRNA transcriptional activity observed during carp acclimatization emerges as a valuable model towards studying the overall phenomenon in a living organism. Therefore, the general purpose of this thesis consists in studying the epigenetic regulation of the ribosomal cistron during the acclimatization process of the Cyprinus carpio. Consequently, our hypothesis proposes that "The factor TTF-I and the chromatin remodeling complex NoRC contribute significantly to the negative regulation of transcriptional expression of rRNAs during the seasonal adaptation of Cyprinus carpio.” Thus our results represent a first approach in epigenetic control involved in the expression of ribosomal genes in a natural context, where the factor TTF-I and NoRC complex play a fundamental role during the carp acclimatization process

Dystonia and paroxysmal dyskinesias: under-recognized movement disorders in domestic animals? A comparison with human dystonia/paroxysmal dyskinesias.

Dystonia is defined as a neurological syndrome characterized by involuntary sustained or intermittent muscle contractions causing twisting, often repetitive movements, and postures. Paroxysmal dyskinesias are episodic movement disorders encompassing dystonia, chorea, athetosis, and ballism in conscious individuals. Several decades of research have enhanced the understanding of the etiology of human dystonia and dyskinesias that are associated with dystonia, but the pathophysiology remains largely unknown. The spontaneous occurrence of hereditary dystonia and paroxysmal dyskinesia is well documented in rodents used as animal models in basic dystonia research. Several hyperkinetic movement disorders, described in dogs, horses and cattle, show similarities to these human movement disorders. Although dystonia is regarded as the third most common movement disorder in humans, it is often misdiagnosed because of the heterogeneity of etiology and clinical presentation. Since these conditions are poorly known in veterinary practice, their prevalence may be underestimated in veterinary medicine. In order to attract attention to these movement disorders, i.e., dystonia and paroxysmal dyskinesias associated with dystonia, and to enhance interest in translational research, this review gives a brief overview of the current literature regarding dystonia/paroxysmal dyskinesia in humans and summarizes similar hereditary movement disorders reported in domestic animals