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Dendritic spines are the primary sites of excitatory transmission in the mammalian brain. Spines of cerebellar Purkinje Cells (PCs) are plastic, but they differ from forebrain spines in a number of important respects, and the mechanisms of spine plasticity differ between forebrain and cerebellum. Our previous studies indicate that in hippocampal spines cortactin—a protein that stabilizes actin branch points—resides in the spine core, avoiding the spine shell. To see whether the distribution of cortactin differs in PC spines, we examined its subcellular organization using quantitative preembedding immunoelectron microscopy. We found that cortactin was enriched in the spine shell, associated with the non-synaptic membrane, and was also situated within the postsynaptic density (PSD). This previously unrecognized distribution of cortactin within PC spines may underlie structural and functional differences in excitatory spine synapses between forebrain, and cerebellum.

The study presents a systematic review of published scientific articles investigating the effects of interventions aiming at aflatoxin reduction at the feed production and animal feeding phases of the milk value chain in order to identify the recent scientific trends and summarize the main findings available in the literature. The review strategy was designed based on the guidance of the systematic review and knowledge synthesis methodology that is applicable in the field of food safety. The Web of Science and EBSCOhost online databases were searched with predefined algorithms. After title and abstract relevance screening and relevance confirmation with full-text screening, 67 studies remained for data extraction, which were included in the review. The most important identified groups of interventions based on their mode of action and place in the technological process are as follows: low-moisture production using preservatives, acidity regulators, adsorbents and various microbiological additives. The results of the listed publications are summarized and compared for all the identified intervention groups. The paper aimed to help feed producers, farmers and relevant stakeholders to get an overview of the most suitable aflatoxin mitigation options, which is extremely important in the near future as climate change will likely be accompanied by elevated mycotoxin levels.