Designing the urban commons through gender and nature-based approach. A renewed project for public space in times of crisis.

The design of the contemporary public space can include the new needs of society, incorporating the values of the current era. The contribution aims to present the possibility of a transversal approach, in which the ideals of an ecological and fair society are integrated into space and in its design phases. This method is revealed through the use of nature-based solutions and gender-sensitive approach, applied within urban regeneration processes of marginal areas, considered fertile contexts, in which there is an overlap of environmental problems linked to climate change and gender inequalities. The article will display the application of the aforementioned strategies through the presentation of two case studies, in which the project is not subordinated to the production of the form but rather intertwines ethical and aesthetic values in the construction of common space

I prototipi di Yasmeen Lari: diffusione e valore sociale di due moduli abitativi

Il contributo propone la rilettura critica di due prototipi abitativi di Yasmeen Lari, rivelatori di un approccio progettuale trasversale capace di integrare nozioni di giustizia sociale e ambientale, democratizzare la concezione di spazio e costruzione, traducendo e trovando sintesi nelle architetture progettate dall’architetta pakistana e nella loro diffusione. Un primo fuoco riflette su matericità e riproducibilità dei prototipi abitativi, sottolineando la complementarità tra le esperienze fisiche e digitali. Un secondo fuoco riflette sul potenziale di queste architetture nel diventare uno strumento di empowerment per le donne, sviluppando la tematica dell’integrazione in una prospettiva gender-sensitive. In ultima analisi il testo analizza l’impatto di queste architetture minime per la comunità che le accoglie.The contribution proposes the critical reinterpretation of two housing prototypes by Yasmeen Lari, revealing a transversal design approach capable of integrating notions of social and environmental justice, democratizing the conception of space and construction, translating and finding a synthesis in the designed architectures and their diffusion. A first focus reflects on the materiality and reproducibility of housing prototypes, underlining the complementarity between physical and digital experiences. The second focus, dealing with the issue of integrating a gender-sensitive perspective, reflects on the potential of these architectures in becoming an empowerment tool for women. Ultimately, the text opens up to the impact of these minimal architectures on the society that welcomes them

La crisi nel vuoto

The crisis into the void Considering the city, and its buildings, as a place of union of physical and socio-economic relationships, what happens when one of this aspects is missing? In light of the current pandemic, the real relationship space that characterized part of the urban and architectural composi- tion clashes with the regulatory provisions, in order to ensure physical (but not social) distancing. The article reflects on the “times of crisis”, for cities and their inhabitants, looking into these spaces of relationship, which re-read their raison d’être in a term of forced virtual relationships

Expanding the spectrum of genes responsible for hereditary motor neuropathies.

Background Inherited peripheral neuropathies (IPNs) represent a broad group of genetically and clinically heterogeneous disorders, including axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2) and hereditary motor neuropathy (HMN). Approximately 60%\u201370% of cases with HMN/CMT2 still remain without a genetic diagnosis. Interestingly, mutations in HMN/CMT2 genes may also be responsible for motor neuron disorders or other neuromuscular diseases, suggesting a broad phenotypic spectrum of clinically and genetically related conditions. Thus, it is of paramount importance to identify novel causative variants in HMN/CMT2 patients to better predict clinical outcome and progression. Methods We designed a collaborative study for the identification of variants responsible for HMN/CMT2. We collected 15 HMN/CMT2 families with evidence for autosomal recessive inheritance, who had tested negative for mutations in 94 known IPN genes, who underwent whole-exome sequencing (WES) analyses. Candidate genes identified by WES were sequenced in an additional cohort of 167 familial or sporadic HMN/CMT2 patients using next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel analysis. Results Bioinformatic analyses led to the identification of novel or very rare variants in genes, which have not been previously associated with HMN/CMT2 (ARHGEF28, KBTBD13, AGRN and GNE); in genes previously associated with HMN/CMT2 but in combination with different clinical phenotypes (VRK1 and PNKP), and in the SIGMAR1 gene, which has been linked to HMN/CMT2 in only a few cases. These findings were further validated by Sanger sequencing, segregation analyses and functional studies. Conclusions These results demonstrate the broad spectrum of clinical phenotypes that can be associated with a specific disease gene, as well as the complexity of the pathogenesis of neuromuscular disorders

Ascorbic acid in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT-TRIAAL and CMT-TRAUK): a double-blind randomised trial

Ascorbic acid reduced the severity of neuropathy in transgenic mice overexpressing peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), a model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) associated with the PMP22 duplication. However, in three 1-year trials, ascorbic acid had no benefit in human beings. We did a multicentre 2-year trial to test the efficacy and tolerability of ascorbic acid in patients with CMT1A