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

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

Consumption of ultra-processed food and its association with obesity in Canada

Introduction: La prévalence de l'obésité a augmenté à l'échelle mondiale. Parallèlement, les régimes alimentaires traditionnels basés sur des préparations culinaires faites maison à partir de produits frais sont remplacés par des aliments transformés et prêts à manger. Objectifs: Cette étude vise à évaluer l'association entre la consommation d'aliments ultra-transformés et l'obésité au Canada. L’objectif secondaire consiste à étudier les déterminants associés à la consommation de ces aliments. Méthode: Étude transversale comprenant les adultes âgés de 18 ans ou plus qui ont participé à l'Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes, 2004, cycle 2.2. L'obésité est déterminée en utilisant l'indice de masse corporelle. La consommation d’aliments ultra-transformés est estimé en utilisant l'apport énergétique relatif provenant des aliments ultra-transformés du rappel alimentaire de 24 heures. La régression linéaire multivariée a été réalisée pour étudier les déterminants associés à la consommation d’aliments ultra-transformé, et la régression logistique multivariée a été réalisée pour évaluer l'association entre la consommation de ces aliments et l'obésité. Résultats: Les aliments ultra-transformés sont largement consommés au Canada. La consommation de ces aliments est plus élevée chez les hommes, les jeunes adultes, les personnes avec moins d'années d'études, les fumeurs, les personnes physiquement inactives, et celles nées au Canada. La consommation d’aliments ultra-transformés est associée à l'obésité. Une augmentation de dix points de pourcentage de l'apport énergétique relatif des aliments ultra-transformés augmente le risque d'obésité de 6%, après ajustement pour les facteurs de confusion potentiels (RC= 1,06; IC 95%= 1,02-1,10). Conclusion: Les Canadiens pourraient bénéficier d’une réduction de la consommation d'aliments ultra-transformés.Background: The prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide. Meanwhile, traditional dietary patterns based on homemade culinary preparations from fresh foods are being replaced by processed and ready-to-consume foods. Objectives: This study aims to assess the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and obesity in the Canadian population. A secondary objective consists in investigating potential determinants associated with ultra-processed food consumption. Methods: Cross-sectional study including adults aged 18 years or more from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey, cycle 2.2. Obesity is determined using body mass index. Ultra-processed food intake is estimated using daily relative energy intake of ultra-processed food (% of total energy intake) from 24-hour food recall. Multivariate linear regression is performed to investigate potential determinants of ultra-processed food consumption, and multivariate logistic regression is performed to verify the association between ultra-processed food consumption and obesity. Results: Ultra-processed foods are largely consumed in Canada, almost half (44.7%) of Canadians daily calories comes from these foods. Consumption of ultra-processed foods is higher amongst men, younger adults, with fewer years of formal education, smokers, physically inactive, and Canadian-born individuals. Ultra-processed food consumption is positively associated with obesity. A ten-percentage point increase in the relative energy intake of ultra-processed foods increases the odds of having obesity by 6%, after adjustment for potential confounding factors (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.02-1.10). Conclusion: Canadians willing to improve their health and diet would benefit in reducing consumption of ultra-processed foods and increasing consumption of freshly prepared dishes made from unprocessed and minimally processed foods

Dalla Convenzione alla Costituzione: la tacita sintonia tra le Corti. A margine di Corte cost. sent. n. 96 del 2015

The Author discusses the Constitutional Court's judgment no. 96 of 2015 on the constitutional legitimacy for fertile couples to make use of medically-assisted procreation techniques prior to a pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. After a brief analysis of its content, the Author investigates the Constitutional Court's decision from the angle of its relationship with the European Court of Human Rights' ruling in the Costa & Pavan v. Italy case. The Author then goes on by addressing the challenges of the mechanisms of interplay between the two Courts, by questioning, on the one hand, the Constitutional Court's refusal to make use of Article 117, 1, of the Italian Constitution and, on the other, by highlighting the coherence of the arguments between the two judgments