Rif1 restrains the rate of replication origin firing in Xenopus laevis.

Metazoan genomes are duplicated by the coordinated activation of clusters of replication origins at different times during S phase, but the underlying mechanisms of this temporal program remain unclear during early development. Rif1, a key replication timing factor, inhibits origin firing by recruiting protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) to chromatin counteracting S phase kinases. We have previously described that Rif1 depletion accelerates early Xenopus laevis embryonic cell cycles.

Pulse-Echo Measurements of Bone Tissues. Techniques and Clinical Results at the Spine and Femur.

The aim of this chapter is to review the available pulse-echo approaches for the quantitative evaluation of bone health status, with a specific application to the assessment of possible osteoporosis presence and to the fracture risk prediction. Along with a review of the main in-vivo imaging approaches for skeletal robustness evaluation and fracture risk assessment, further understanding into Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry (REMS), an ultrasound-based method measuring clinically relevant bone districts (i.e.

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) regulates DNA replication origin firing and interacts with Rif1 in Xenopus.

The activation of eukaryotic DNA replication origins needs to be strictly controlled at multiple steps in order to faithfully duplicate the genome and to maintain its stability. How the checkpoint recovery and adaptation protein Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) regulates the firing of replication origins during non-challenged S phase remained an open question. Using DNA fiber analysis, we show that immunodepletion of Plk1 in the Xenopus in vitro system decreases replication fork density and initiation frequency.

Organization of DNA Replication Origin Firing in Egg Extracts: The Role of Intra-S Checkpoint.

During cell division, the duplication of the genome starts at multiple positions called replication origins. Origin firing requires the interaction of rate-limiting factors with potential origins during the S(ynthesis)-phase of the cell cycle. Origins fire as synchronous clusters which is proposed to be regulated by the intra-S checkpoint.

First assessment of bone mineral density in healthy pregnant women by means of Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry (REMS) technology.

Objective: The maternal bone structure is the largest calcium reserve for the fetus during pregnancy, and this is claimed to lead to a bone mineral density (BMD) reduction in pregnant women. The primary outcome of the present work was to assess the BMD in a group of healthy pregnant women.

Study Design: In this prospective case - control observational study, a non-consecutive group of pregnant women with uncomplicated pregnancy at or >37 weeks were enrolled at the unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Parma, from February to December 2020.

Ultrahypofractionated radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer with simultaneous boost to the dominant intraprostatic lesion: a plan comparison.

Objective: To compare different stereotactic body techniques-intensity-modulated radiotherapy with photons and protons, applied to radiotherapy of prostatic cancer-with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) on the dominant intraprostatic lesion (DIL).

Methods: Ten patients were selected for this planning study. Dosimetric results were compared between volumetric modulated arc therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and intensity-modulated proton therapy both with two (IMPT 2F) and five fields (IMPT 5F) planning while applying the prescription schemes of 7.

MRI-based radiomics signature for localized prostate cancer: a new clinical tool for cancer aggressiveness prediction? Sub-study of prospective phase II trial on ultra-hypofractionated radiotherapy (AIRC IG-13218).

Objectives: Radiomic involves testing the associations of a large number of quantitative imaging features with clinical characteristics. Our aim was to extract a radiomic signature from axial T2-weighted (T2-W) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the whole prostate able to predict oncological and radiological scores in prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods: This study included 65 patients with localized PCa treated with radiotherapy (RT) between 2014 and 2018.

Association of quantitative MRI-based radiomic features with prognostic factors and recurrence rate in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Radiomics focuses on extracting a large number of quantitative imaging features and testing both their correlation with clinical characteristics and their prognostic and predictive values. We propose a radiomic approach using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to decode the tumor phenotype and local recurrence in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The contrast-enhanced T1-weighted sequences from baseline MRI examinations of OPSCC patients treated between 2008 and 2016 were retrospectively selected.

Mixed-beam approach for high-risk prostate cancer: Carbon-ion boost followed by photon intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Dosimetric and geometric evaluations (AIRC IG-14300).

Background And Purpose: The aim was to evaluate dosimetric uncertainties of a mixed beam approach for patients with high-risk prostate cancer (PCa). The treatment consists of a carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) boost followed by whole-pelvis intensity-modulated RT (IMRT).

Materials And Methods: Patients were treated with a CIRT boost of 16.

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is a positive regulator of DNA replication in the system.

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is a cell cycle kinase essential for mitosis progression, but also important for checkpoint recovery and adaptation in response to DNA damage and replication stress. However, although Plk1 is expressed in S phase, little is known about its function during unperturbed DNA replication. Using egg extracts, mimicking early embryonic replication, we demonstrate that Plk1 is simultaneously recruited to chromatin with pre-replication proteins where it accumulates throughout S phase.

Influence of different urinary bladder filling levels and controlling regions of interest selection on deformable image registration algorithms.

Purpose: Evaluation of Raystation ANAtomically CONstrained Deformation Algorithm (ANACONDA) performance to different urinary bladder filling levels in male pelvis anatomic site varying the controlling Regions Of Interest (ROIs).

Methods: Different image datasets were obtained with ImSimQA (Oncology System Limited, Shrewsbury, UK) to evaluate ANACONDA performances (RaySearch Laboratories, Stockholm, Sweden). Deformation vector fields were applied to a synthetic man pelvis and a real patient computed tomography (CT) dataset (reference CTs) resulting in deformed CTs (target CTs) with various bladder filling levels.

Lung optimized treatment with CyberKnife® in inoperable lung cancer patients: feasibility analysis of a mono-institutional 115 patient series.

CyberKnife® Lung Optimized Treatment (LOT) allows the treatment of lung cancer without invasive fiducial implantation. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to evaluate the feasibility, toxicity and clinical outcome. One hundred fifteen patients (124 lesions) were treated with CyberKnife® using LOT.

The emerging role of radiation therapists in the contouring of organs at risk in radiotherapy: analysis of inter-observer variability with radiation oncologists for the chest and upper abdomen.

Aims: To compare the contouring of organs at risk (OAR) between a clinical specialist radiation therapist (CSRT) and radiation oncologists (ROs) with different levels of expertise (senior-SRO, junior-JRO, fellow-FRO).

Methods: On ten planning computed tomography (CT) image sets of patients undergoing breast radiotherapy (RT), the observers independently contoured the contralateral breast, heart, left anterior descending artery (LAD), oesophagus, kidney, liver, spinal cord, stomach and trachea. The CSRT was instructed by the JRO e SRO.

Mixed-beam approach in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: IMRT followed by proton therapy boost versus IMRT-only. Evaluation of toxicity and efficacy.

To compare radiation-induced toxicity and dosimetry parameters in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer (LANPC) treated with a mixed-beam (MB) approach (IMRT followed by proton therapy boost) with an historic cohort of patients treated with a full course of IMRT-only. Twenty-seven patients with LANPC treated with the MB approach were compared to a similar cohort of 17 patients treated with IMRT-only. The MB approach consisted in a first phase of IMRT up to 54-60 Gy followed by a second phase delivered with a proton therapy boost up to 70-74 Gy (RBE).

Correction to: Late toxicity of image-guided hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate: non-randomized comparison with conventional fractionation.

Unfortunately, the denomination of the IEO was incorrectly published in the affiliation of this original.

Comparison of Outcomes and Toxicity Between Extreme and Moderate Radiation Therapy Hypofractionation in Localized Prostate Cancer: A Propensity Score Analysis.

Purpose: To compare clinical outcomes and toxicities of 2 radiation therapy (RT) schemes for localized prostate cancer (PCa): extreme hypofractionation (EH; fractions of 6.5-7 Gy to a total dose of 32.5-35 Gy) and the moderate hypofractionation (MH; 26 fractions of 2.

Genome wide decrease of DNA replication eye density at the midblastula transition of .

During the first rapid divisions of early development in many species, the DNA:cytoplasm ratio increases until the midblastula transition (MBT) when transcription resumes and cell cycles lengthen. S phase is very rapid in early embryos, about 20-30 times faster than in differentiated cells. Using a combination of DNA fiber studies and a embryonic replication system, we show that S phase slows down shortly after the MBT owing to a genome wide decrease of replication eye density.

Intra- and inter-observer variability in breast tumour bed contouring and the controversial role of surgical clips.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the visualization of surgical clips (SCs) on the same set of planning computed tomography (CT) of breast cancer (BC) patients influences agreement on tumour bed (TB) delineation. Planning CT (CT) of 47 BC patients with SCs to visualize the TB was processed in order to blur SCs and create a virtual CT (CT). Four radiation oncologists (ROs, 2 juniors and 2 seniors) contoured TB on both the CT sets.

On the Interplay of the DNA Replication Program and the Intra-S Phase Checkpoint Pathway.

DNA replication in eukaryotes is achieved by the activation of multiple replication origins which needs to be precisely coordinated in space and time. This spatio-temporal replication program is regulated by many factors to maintain genome stability, which is frequently threatened through stresses of exogenous or endogenous origin. Intra-S phase checkpoints monitor the integrity of DNA synthesis and are activated when replication forks are stalled.

Recurrent oligometastatic transitional cell bladder carcinoma: is there room for radiotherapy?

This paper presents a retrospective report on radiotherapy (RT) in the oligometastastic recurrence of bladder cancer. Thirteen patients treated for low-volume metastatic transitional cell urinary bladder carcinoma (TCC) were reviewed, with the primary endpoint to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RT, proposed as an alternative to systemic treatment and/or to defer commencement of systemic therapy. The inclusion criteria were: patients who received RT without other local/systemic therapy for oligometastatic TCC with lymph node, bone and lung lesions or local recurrence.

Impact of image guidance on toxicity and tumour outcome in moderately hypofractionated external-beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

To report toxicity and efficacy outcome of moderately hypofractionated image-guided external-beam radiotherapy in a large series of patients treated for prostate cancer (PCa). Between 10/2006 and 12/2015, 572 T1-T3N0M0 PCa patients received 70.2 Gy in 26 fractions at 2.

Reirradiation for isolated local recurrence of prostate cancer: Mono-institutional series of 64 patients treated with salvage stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).

Objective:: To evaluate high-precision external beam reirradiation (re-EBRT) for local relapse of prostate cancer (PCa) after radiotherapy.

Methods:: This retrospective study included patients with biochemical failure and evidence of isolated local recurrence of PCa after radical/salvage EBRT or brachytherapy that received salvage stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT, re-EBRT). Biopsy was not mandatory if all diagnostic elements were univocal (prostate specific antigen evolution, choline-positron emission tomography or magnetic resonance imaging).