EMG-based learning approach for estimating wrist motion.

This paper proposes an EMG based learning approach for estimating the displacement along the 2-axes (abduction/adduction and flexion/extension) of the human wrist in real-time. The algorithm extracts features from the EMG electrodes on the upper and forearm and uses Support Vector Regression to estimate the intended displacement of the wrist. Using data recorded with the arm outstretched in various locations in space, we train the algorithm so as to allow robust prediction even when the subject moves his/her arm across several positions in space. The proposed approach was tested on five healthy subjects and showed that a R(2) index of 63.6% is obtained for generalization across different arm positions and wrist joint angles.

Alpha B-crystallin is not a dominant peripheral T-cell autoantigen in multiple sclerosis amongst Sardinians.

The heat shock protein alpha B-crystallin appears to be the dominantly recognized autoantigen in the early demyelinative process of multiple sclerosis (MS) in brain of patients. In Sardinia, MS is linked to human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR alleles that might influence the production of cytokines from peripheral lymphocytes. We tested the nature of peripheral anti-alpha B-crystallin-specific T-cell response in the context of predisposing HLA haplotypes both in MS patients and healthy controls. The alpha B-crystallin specific T-cell lines were generated by using the 'split-well' technique. The results indicate that the presence of short-term T-cell lines towards alpha B-crystallin is numerically comparable between the two groups and not restricted to MS-predisposing HLA-DR alleles. As for the T-cell characterization, CD4+ anti-alpha B-crystallin T cells secreting high levels of interferon-gamma are similarly identified in MS and healthy donors. In conclusion, the peripheral response towards the myelin antigen alpha B-crystallin is neither quantitatively nor qualitatively peculiar to MS, in contrast to the theoretical paradigm suggesting peripheral activation of myelin-reactive T cells to be the prerequisite for MS induction.