Data managers: A survey of the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists in certified multi-disciplinary breast centers.

The European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) requires that the breast centers' core team includes a trained person responsible for data collection and analysis. We addressed a questionnaire to the data managers of the EUSOMA breast centers network in order to acquire information with regard to their education, training, role, activity, recognition, and satisfaction. Breast centers' data managers are highly educated individuals with a variety of backgrounds carrying out, more frequently part-time and as temporary employees, a job for which they received little specific training. These findings support the importance of defining a core curriculum and a training program

Quartz Crystal Microbalances for Space: Design and Testing of a 3D Printed Quasi-Kinematic Support

Outgassing or thruster’s generated contaminants are critical for optical surfaces and optical payloads because scientific measurements and, in general, the performances can be degraded or jeopardized by uncontrolled contamination. This is a well-known issue in space technology that is demonstrated by the growing usage of quartz crystal microbalances as a solution for measuring material outgassing properties data and characterizing the on-orbit contamination environment. Operation in space requires compatibility with critical requirements, especially the mechanical and thermal environments to be faced throughout the mission. This work provides the design of a holding structure based on 3D printing technology conceived to meet the environmental characteristics of space application, and in particular, to face harsh mechanical and thermal environments. A kinematic mounting has been conceived to grant compatibility with a large temperature range, and it has been designed by finite element methods to overcome loading during the launch phases and cope with a temperature working range down to cryogenic temperatures. Qualification in such environments has been performed on a mockup by testing a prototype of the holding assembly between −110 °C and 110 °C and allowing verification of the mechanical resistance and stability of the electrical contacts for the embedded heater and sensor in that temperature range. Moreover, mechanical testing in a random environment characterized by an RMS acceleration level of 500 m/s2 and excitation frequency from 20 to 2000 Hz was successfully performed. The testing activity allowed for validation of the proposed design and opened the road to the possible implementation of the proposed design for future flight opportunities, also onboard micro or nanosatellites. Moreover, exploiting the manufacturing technology, the proposed design can implement an easy assembling and mounting of the holding system. At the same time, 3D printing provides a cost-effective solution even for small series production for ground applications, like monitoring the contaminants in thermo-vacuum chambers or clean rooms, or depositions chambers

Circadian clock proteins regulate neuronal redox homeostasis and neurodegeneration

Brain aging is associated with diminished circadian clock output and decreased expression of the core clock proteins, which regulate many aspects of cellular biochemistry and metabolism. The genes encoding clock proteins are expressed throughout the brain, though it is unknown whether these proteins modulate brain homeostasis. We observed that deletion of circadian clock transcriptional activators aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator–like (Bmal1) alone, or circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (Clock) in combination with neuronal PAS domain protein 2 (Npas2), induced severe age-dependent astrogliosis in the cortex and hippocampus. Mice lacking the clock gene repressors period circadian clock 1 (Per1) and period circadian clock 2 (Per2) had no observed astrogliosis. Bmal1 deletion caused the degeneration of synaptic terminals and impaired cortical functional connectivity, as well as neuronal oxidative damage and impaired expression of several redox defense genes. Targeted deletion of Bmal1 in neurons and glia caused similar neuropathology, despite the retention of intact circadian behavioral and sleep-wake rhythms. Reduction of Bmal1 expression promoted neuronal death in primary cultures and in mice treated with a chemical inducer of oxidative injury and striatal neurodegeneration. Our findings indicate that BMAL1 in a complex with CLOCK or NPAS2 regulates cerebral redox homeostasis and connects impaired clock gene function to neurodegeneration

Epilepsy and intellectual disability linked protein Shrm4 interaction with GABA B Rs shapes inhibitory neurotransmission

Shrm4, a protein expressed only in polarized tissues, is encoded by the KIAA1202 gene, whose mutations have been linked to epilepsy and intellectual disability. However, a physiological role for Shrm4 in the brain is yet to be established. Here, we report that Shrm4 is localized to synapses where it regulates dendritic spine morphology and interacts with the C terminus of GABA B receptors (GABA B Rs) to control their cell surface expression and intracellular trafficking via a dynein-dependent mechanism. Knockdown of Shrm4 in rat severely impairs GABA B R activity causing increased anxiety-like behaviour and susceptibility to seizures. Moreover, Shrm4 influences hippocampal excitability by modulating tonic inhibition in dentate gyrus granule cells, in a process involving crosstalk between GABA B Rs and extrasynaptic \uce-subunit-containing GABA A Rs. Our data highlights a role for Shrm4 in synaptogenesis and in maintaining GABA B R-mediated inhibition, perturbation of which may be responsible for the involvement of Shrm4 in cognitive disorders and epilepsy

The GLUR2 subunit of AMPA receptors : synaptic role

Ampa receptors mediate the majority of excitatory synaptic transmission in the brain. Thus, the mechanisms that control the developmental and activity-dependent changes in the functional synaptic expression of AMPA receptors are of fundamental importance. Here we focus on the role of GluR2 subunit in synaptic function and plasticity. (C) 2009 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

STUDY OF HYGIENIC QUALITY OF BIONDA DELL’ADAMELLO GOAT MILK

The objective of the study was to determine the microbiological and hygienic quality of milk of Bionda dell’Adamello goats. Forty-three samples of bulk untreated goats’ milk and 42 milk-filter samples, obtained from six farms, were analysed. The results showed the absence of Listeria spp. in all the milk and milk-filter samples. Considerable differences were observed in terms of milk hygiene (related to total coliforms, E. coli and plate count at 30°C) as the microbiological quality of the milk from only half (3/6) of the farms resulted satisfactory. This finding provides that the ideal way of using the milk of Bionda dell’Adamello goats is producing cheese matured for more than 60 days, as the typical cheese Fatulì

Oligophrenin-1 regulates synaptic activity dependent shuttling between synapses and nucleus of Rev-erbAalpha

Oligophrenin-1 (OPHN1) is a synaptic RhoGTPase-activating protein involved in X-linked mental retardation that regulates dendritic spines shape and outgrowth of axons in brain (Govek et al., 2004). By using the C-terminal fragment of Oligophrenin 1 as bait in a two-hybrid screening of a human fetal brain cDNA library we identified as an interactor, NR1D1 (Rev-erbAalpha). Rev-erbAalpha is an orphan nuclear receptor that constitutively suppresses gene transcription and regulates the circadian clock in the CNS (Preitner et al. 2002). We confirmed the interaction in vitro and in vivo by co-immunoprecipitation and GST-pull down. In COS-7 cells we observed that overexpressed Oligophrenin-1 is able to recruit Rev-erbAalpha (normally localized in the nucleus) to the cytoplasm. Furthermore, overexpression Oligophrenin-1 induces an accumulation of endogenous Rev-erbAalpha in dendritic spines in hippocampal neurons. The Oligophrenin-1deltaC (deleted of C-terminus), a mutant that mimics the mutation present in the XLMR patients, wasn\u2019t able to induce this effect in COS7 and in hippocampal neurons. In HEK cells we observed that Oligophrenin-1 protects Rev-erbAalpha from degradation by GSK3beta We also have found that RNAi knockdown of Oligophrenin-1 inhibited the translocation of Rev-erbAalpha into the dendritic spines. More remarkable, synaptic activity mediated by AMPA receptors induces translocation of Rev-erbAalpha to the dendritic spines. RNAi experiments showed that Oligophrenin-1 is required for the translocation of Rev-erbAalpha in spines induced by synaptic activity. Moreover we observed an alteration of Rev-erbAalpha expression in Oligophrenin-1 KO mouse: there is a reduction of Rev-erbAalpha in hippocampus. Our results demonstrate for the first time the interaction between an orphan receptor (Rev-erbAalpha) and a synaptic protein (Oligophrenin-1). This interaction regulates the localization of Rev-erbAalpha between synapse and nucleus induced by synaptic activation

Structural optimization of supporting structures for the DORA telescope

The mass optimization of payloads for space applications is always one of the main drivers in the design phase. This paper presents the evolution of the design from the breadboard of the DORA telescope, through a structural redesign in order to achieve competitive overall performance with minimum mass. A generative optimization technique has been applied to allow an effective distribution of the mass in the component. The optimized component has been manufactured and verification tests performed to validate the developed model