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In this paper, we critically interrogate the registration of migrants in pan-European, large-scale biometric databases, like Eurodac (European Asylum Dactyloscopy Database). We employ the notion of “epidermal politics”, which analytically captures how human bodies – and skin in particular – become sites of identification, violent control, and contestation. Thinking through epidermal politics allows us to understand how the development of technologies that render skin visible and analysable, such as fingerprint scanners and biometric matching algorithms, are entangled in relations of power, structural racism, and subjugation. Drawing on the work of Simone Browne (2015) and her elaboration of Franz Fanon’s theory of epidermisation, we argue that migration control in Europe, and its violent and racialising effects, are embedded within data infrastructures that “stigmatise” (Van Der Ploeg 1999) post-colonial “others” with codes to control their mobilities. We unpack this argument in three stages. First, we discuss the governmental rationales that inform the use of Eurodac for the management of migration and asylum in Europe. Second, we discuss how biometric control is related to different forms of state violence, including deportation, prolonged detention, and physical violence associated with the forced registration of migrants’ fingerprints. Third, we attend to strategies employed by migrants to contest biometric control, focusing specifically on fingertip burning and mutilation, which we interpret as acts of dissent and self-determination to escape control. Overall, our goal is to emphasise the need to pay closer attention to dynamics of violence and racialisation that emerge at biometric and other kinds of “hi-tech” borders.

Nel suo saggio del 1982 “Traveling theory”, Edward Said propone di rileggere la produzione dei saperi come il prodotto mai stabile di un intreccio di movimenti che attraversano tempi, spazi e discipline. Le teorie viaggiano e nel corso dei loro itinerari si trasformano, adattandosi di volta in volta ai contesti sociali, politici e culturali che incontrano nel loro procedere. Tuttavia, come ogni esperienza di mobilità insegna, le geografie teoriche non sono fatte solo di passaggi, ma anche di confini e sbarramenti che possono interferire con la circolazione di voci e idee. Il sapere geografico non fa naturalmente eccezione, rivelando il peso che dialoghi e incontri hanno avuto nel susseguirsi di scuole, tradizioni e paradigmi. L’obiettivo della sessione è di riflettere criticamente su come teorie, concetti, testi, modelli e idee abbiano circolato e circolino oggi all’interno della geografia italiana scandendone gli sviluppi e articolandone i dibattiti.

The article discusses the language of border externalisation processes by examining the knowledge that stands as the basis of the EU–Turkey deal and reports on its implementation, placing them in the context of the transformation of the EU border regime. It is the result of a study addressing the language and key concepts that organise border externalisation and its geographic and biopolitical episteme. Our interest lies in the production of knowledge emerging from the EU–Turkey deal, and its effects on both the mainstream discourse on migration and the legitimation and acceptance of violent border management practices. To do this, we offer an interpretation of the textual materials composing the deal as promoting a discourse on migrants that strictly categorises territories and peoples, and establishes geographies of control and hierarchies of deserving and undeserving subjects, by asserting new forms of biopolitical control and care over their bodies. The presentation of research results combines the extraction of keywords and sentences from the documents analysed with an interpretation of their epistemic strength in producing and promoting specific biased Eurocentric narratives on migrants and migration. At the core of the agreement’s texts we find the category of the ‘deserving migrant’ as increasingly defining and circumscribing mobility, and realised in the one-for-one swap policy.

Most patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) will develop an overt α-synucleinopathy over time, with a rate of phenoconversion of 73.5% after 12 years from diagnosis. Several markers of phenoconversion were identified; however, most studies investigated biomarkers separately, with retrospective study designs, in small cohorts or without standardized data collection methods. The risk FActoRs PREdictive of phenoconversion in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder: the Italian STudy (FARPRESTO) is a multicentric longitudinal retrospective and prospective study with a cohort of incident (prospective recruitment) and prevalent (retrospective recruitment) iRBD patients, whose primary aim is to stratify the risk of phenoconversion, through the systematic collection by means of electronic case report forms of different biomarkers. Secondary aims are to (1) describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with iRBD; (2) collect longitudinal data about the development of α-synucleinopathies; (3) monitor the impact of iRBD on quality of life and sleep quality; (4) assess the correlation between phenoconversion, cognitive performance, and loss of normal muscle atony during REM sleep; (5) identify RBD phenotypes through evaluating clinical, biological, neurophysiological, neuropsychological, and imaging biomarkers; and (6) validate vPSG criteria for RBD diagnosis. The FARPRESTO study will collect a large and harmonized dataset, assessing the role of different biomarkers providing a unique opportunity for a holistic, multidimensional, and personalized approach to iRBD, with several possible application and impact at different levels, from basic to clinical research, and from prevention to management. The FARPRESTO has been registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05262543).

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an occasion to reflect on the uneven geographies of threats and disasters in relation to diverse population groups, rising fundamental concerns on iss...

C9orf72 mutation (C9+) is a common genetic cause of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. C9+ clinical phenotype is heterogeneous and epilepsy has been recently described in few cases. We report a 47-year-old patient who developed reflex reading epilepsy (RRE) at the age of 19. After the first years with exclusive reflex seizures, afterwards the patients developed drug-resistant, unprovoked seizures and progressive cognitive deterioration. In the last years, a progressive motor impairment with spastic tetraparesis also occurred. During the hospitalization, the patient underwent an extensive workup identifying C9+ expansion and a family history suggestive for an autosomal dominant inheritance. This report, together with the few cases already described, raises the possibility that epileptic manifestations are part of the clinical phenotype of C9ORF72 mutation and reflect hyperexcitability of cortical networks involved in neurodegeneration.

This article analyses the pornographic genre of ‘border sex’, set on the US-Mexico border and produced in the US, which depicts uneven power relations taking shape at and through the border. I posi...

We summarize here the progress in identifying the neuronal network as well as the function of paradoxical sleep and the gaps of knowledge that should be filled in priority. The core system generating paradoxical sleep localized in the brainstem is now well identified, and the next step is to clarify the role of the forebrain in particular that of the hypothalamus including the melanin-concentrating hormone neurons and of the basolateral amygdala. We discuss these two options, and also the discovery that cortical activation during paradoxical sleep is restricted to a few limbic cortices activated by the lateral supramammillary nucleus and the claustrum. Such activation nicely supports the findings recently obtained showing that neuronal reactivation occurs during paradoxical sleep in these structures, and induces both memory consolidation of important memory and forgetting of less relevant ones. The question that still remains to be answered is whether paradoxical sleep is playing more crucial roles in processing emotional and procedural than other types of memories. One attractive hypothesis is that paradoxical sleep is responsible for erasing negative emotional memories, and that this function is not properly functioning in depressed patients. On the other hand, the presence of a muscle atonia during paradoxical sleep is in favour of a role in procedural memory as new types of motor behaviours can be tried without harm during the state. In a way, it also fits with the proposed role of paradoxical sleep in setting up the sensorimotor system during development.

Fluoride-based mouthwashes and gels are preventive measures in countering demineralization and caries but, modifying environmental acidity, can reduce the wet corrosion resistance of orthodontic alloys. To evaluate chemical stability, in vitro experiments were conducted on stainless steel and nickel–titanium wires, weighed before and after immersion in household fluorinated mouthwashes and gels, measuring weight variations and elution of metal ions from acid corrosion phenomena. Elution samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, detecting residual ion concentration, while surface changes were analyzed under scanning electron microscopy. Results showed stainless steel wires do not undergo significant erosion when exposed to most fluorinated mouthwashes but, at prolonged exposure, alloys elute gradually greater amounts of metals and Ni–Ti wires become more sensitive to some mouthwashes. Ions’ elution varies considerably, especially for Ni–Ti wires, if exposed to household fluorinated gels, for which significant negative values were obtained. Changes, affecting wires’ outer layer, negatively act on shiny appearance and luster, reducing corrosion resistance. Although examined orthodontic wires showed good chemical stability and low toxicity, surface corrosion from exposure to fluorinated agents was observed. Home use must be accompanied by clinician prescription and, for household dental gels, must follow manufacturers’ recommendations, ensuring prophylactic action without damaging alloys surfaces.

Fluoride is recommended for its cariostatic effect, but excessive fluoride intake may have health risks. Increased prevalence of dental fluorosis in areas with low fluoride content in drinking water has been attributed to the inappropriate excessive intake of fluoride supplements (tablets and drops) and toothpaste ingestion. The aim of the present study was to estimate the fluoride intake and the risk of fluorosis in children (6 months–6 years) in the Castelli Romani area (province of Rome, Italy), which is volcanic, therefore with a higher concentration of fluorine. Measurements of the fluoride content in drinking water, mineral waters, vegetables and commercial toothpaste for children were performed. The fluoride concentrations of all samples were determined using a Fluoride Ion Selective Electrode (GLP 22, Crison, Esp). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Differences between samples were determined by Student’s t-test. The fluoride content in tap water samples collected from public sources averaged from 0.35 to 1.11 ppm. The Pavona area showed the highest content of fluoride with respect to the others (p ≤ 0.05). The fluoride content in mineral water samples averaged from 0.07 to 1.50 ppm. The fluoride content of some vegetables showed increased mean values when compared to control vegetables (p ≤ 0.05). Within the limitations of the present study, considerations should be made when prescribing fluoride toothpaste for infants (6 months–4 years) in the areas with high fluoride content, because involuntary ingestion is consistent.

Background In fixed orthodontics, fluoride-based mouthwashes and gels are effective preventive oral devices in counteracting demineralisations and dental caries onset but, modifying environmental acidity, they can reduce the resistance to wet corrosion of orthodontic alloys. Methods To evaluate the effective chemical stability of these products, a series of in vitro experiments were performed on thirty-two preformed rectangular orthodontic wires, (twenty-four in stainless steel and eight in nickel-titanium), cut in sections, obtaining ninety-six samples. They were weighed before and after immersion in five mouthwashes and two fluorinated dental gel, at three time-points, to measure weight variations and metal ions elution by acid corrosion phenomena. Elution samples, including control group of normal saline, were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, to detect metal ions residual concentration. Results Minimal variations in loss from initial weight were recorded. Metallic ions release was quantified, at all time-points, for all wires and it was considered in correlation with alloys composition, pH and Fluor concentration of mouthwashes and gels, and time-exposition. Conclusions Acidic pH substances, like fluorinated agents and normal saline considered, cause metal ions dissolution from orthodontic wires. Dissolution depended by chemical nature of the elements, alloys composition, and Fluor concentration in mouthwashes and gels. This study helps in proposing timing and methods for the usage of fluorinated agents to guarantee the prophylactic action without damaging orthodontic alloys superficial structure.