Proto-type installation of a double-station system for the optical-video-detection and orbital characterisation of a meteor/fireball in South Korea

We give a detailed description of the installation and operation of a double-station meteor detection system which formed part of a research & education project between Korea Astronomy Space Science Institute and Daejeon Science Highschool. A total of six light-sensitive CCD cameras were installed with three cameras at SOAO and three cameras at BOAO observatory. A double-station observation of a meteor event enables the determination of the three-dimensional orbit in space. This project was initiated in response to the Jinju fireball event in March 2014. The cameras were installed in October/November 2014. The two stations are identical in hardware as well as software. Each station employes sensitive Watec-902H2 cameras in combination with relatively fast f/1.2 lenses. Various fields of views were used for measuring differences in detection rates of meteor events. We employed the SonotaCo UFO software suite for meteor detection and their subsequent analysis. The system setup as well as installation/operation experience is described and first results are presented. We also give a brief overview of historic as well as recent meteor (fall) detections in South Korea. For more information please consult http://meteor.kasi.re.kr .Comment: Technical/instrumentation description of a professional meteor detection system, 23 pages, 20 figures (color/monochrome), 5 tables, submitted to the Journal of Korean Astronomical Society (JKAS, http://jkas.kas.org/, http://jkas.kas.org/history.html

The ID1-CULLIN3 Axis Regulates Intracellular SHH and WNT Signaling in Glioblastoma Stem Cells

SummaryInhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1) is highly expressed in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs). However, the regulatory mechanism responsible for its role in GSCs is poorly understood. Here, we report that ID1 activates GSC proliferation, self-renewal, and tumorigenicity by suppressing CULLIN3 ubiquitin ligase. ID1 induces cell proliferation through increase of CYCLIN E, a target molecule of CULLIN3. ID1 overexpression or CULLIN3 knockdown confers GSC features and tumorigenicity to murine Ink4a/Arf-deficient astrocytes. Proteomics analysis revealed that CULLIN3 interacts with GLI2 and DVL2 and induces their degradation via ubiquitination. Consistent with ID1 knockdown or CULLIN3 overexpression in human GSCs, pharmacologically combined control of GLI2 and β-CATENIN effectively diminishes GSC properties. A ID1-high/CULLIN3-low expression signature correlates with a poor patient prognosis, supporting the clinical relevance of this signaling axis. Taken together, a loss of CULLIN3 represents a common signaling node for controlling the activity of intracellular WNT and SHH signaling pathways mediated by ID1

Achalasia Combined with Esophageal Cancer Treated by Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy

Achalasia is a rare neurological deficit of the esophagus that produces an impaired relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter and decreased motility of the esophageal body. Achalasia is generally accepted to be a pre-malignant disorder, since, particularly in the mega-esophagus, chronic irritation by foods and bacterial overgrowth may contribute to the development of dysplasia and carcinoma. We present a case of a 51-year-old man with achalasia combined with esophageal cancer who has had dysphagia symptoms for more than 20 years. Since there was a clinically high possibility of supraclavicular lymph node metastasis, concurrent chemoradiation therapy was scheduled. After the third cycle of chemoradiation therapy, transthoracic esophageolymphadenectomy was performed. Histopathological examination of the main esophagus specimen revealed no residual carcinoma. And the entire regional lymph node areas were free of carcinoma except for one azygos metastatic lymph node. In summary, achalasia is a predisposing factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Although surveillance endoscopy in achalasia patients is still controversial, periodic screening for cancer development in long-standing achalasia patients might be advisable

Corneal epithelial and stromal thickness changes in myopic orthokeratology and their relationship with refractive change.

PURPOSE:To investigate topographic changes in corneal epithelial thickness (CET) and stromal thickness following orthokeratology (OK) and to determine associated factors affecting refractive changes. METHODS:This study investigated the topographic changes in CET and stromal thickness in 60 myopic eyes that were fitted with OK lenses. CET and stromal thickness were obtained using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) before and after OK lens wear. Changes in refractive error and corneal topography data were obtained. The correlation between refractive change and corneal thickness change, and various refractive, lens, and topographic parameters were analyzed using simple regression analysis. RESULTS:Mean refractive error changed by 1.75 ± 0.79 diopters (D). The mean CET of the center zone (2 mm in diameter), paracenter (2 to 5 mm annular ring: 1 to 2.5 mm from center), and mid-periphery (5 to 6 mm annular ring: 2.5 to 3 mm from center) changed by -8.4, -1.4, and +2.7 μm, respectively, after OK lens wear. There was an increase of 2.0, 3.3, and 3.9 μm, respectively, in the center, paracenter, and mid-periphery of the stroma. A larger refractive correction was associated with a flatter base curve of the lens, larger decrease in the central epithelium, and smaller treatment diameter in corneal topography. CONCLUSION:OK lenses caused the central corneal epithelium to thin while the mid-peripheral epithelium and stroma became thicker. Refractive changes during OK are associated with changes in central epithelial thickness, while stromal changes did not contribute significantly

Development of a Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry-Based Inhibition Assay for the Screening of Steroid 5-α Reductase in Human and Fish Cell Lines

Steroid 5-α reductase (5AR) is responsible for the reduction of steroids to 5-α reduced metabolites, such as the reduction of testosterone to 5-α dihydrotestosterone (DHT). A new adverse outcome pathway (AOP) for 5AR inhibition to reduce female reproduction in fish (AOP 289) is under development to clarify the antiestrogenic effects of 5AR inhibitors in female fish. A sensitive method for the DHT analysis using chemical derivatization and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was developed. A cell-based 5AR inhibition assay that utilizes human cell lines, a transient overexpression system, and fish cell lines was developed. The measured IC50 values of two well-known 5AR inhibitors, finasteride and dutasteride, were comparable in the different systems. However, the IC50 of dutasteride in the fish cell lines was lower than that in the human cell lines. Finasteride showed a higher IC50 against the RTG-2 cell line. These results demonstrated that 5ARs inhibition could differ in terms of structural characteristics among species. The assay has high sensitivity and reproducibility and is suitable for the application in 5AR inhibition screening for various endocrine disruption chemicals (EDCs). Future studies will continue to evaluate the quantitative inhibition of 5AR by EDCs to compare the endocrine-disrupting pathway in different species

Mutation Variants Generated from Nonvirulent Coxsackievirus B3 Acquire Virulence Phenotypes by Active Virus Replication

Objective: To understand coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) virulence at the molecular level. Method: A mutation library was generated from noncardiovirulent CVB3/0. Highly virulent mutation variants were recovered and characterized both phenotypically and genotypically. Results: The variants consistently caused destruction of multiple tissues together with active virus production and induced severe mortality in vivo. The extent of infectious virus generation was directly correlated with that of histopathological aberration. Genotypic analysis of the entire genome indicated that the virulent viruses encode nucleotide substitutions in the 5′-nontranslated region, which have previously been identified in other virulent CVB3s. Conclusion: The present study provides evidence that particular nucleotide substitutions in the 5′-nontranslated region of nonvirulent CVB3 can lead to active virus replication, which is sufficient to induce virulence

A Small Interfering RNA Targeting Coxsackievirus B3 Protects Permissive HeLa Cells from Viral Challenge

We examined the ability of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to disrupt infection by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3). The incorporation of siRNAs dramatically decreased cell death in permissive HeLa cells in parallel with a reduction in viral replication. Three of four siRNAs had potent anti-CVB3 activity. The present study thus demonstrates that the antiviral effect is due to the downregulation of viral replication. In addition, an effective CVB3-specific siRNA had similar antiviral effects in other related enteroviruses possessing sequence homology in the targeted region. Because the CVB3-specific siRNA is effective against other enteroviruses, siRNAs have potential for a universal antienterovirus strategy

Characterization of Infections of Human Leukocytes by Non-Polio Enteroviruses

To elucidate the detailed susceptibilities of leukocytes to clinically important non-polio enteroviruses (EVs), primary monocytes and various human leukocyte cell lines were infected with coxsackievirus A24 (CVA24), coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), and enterovirus 70 (EV70). The permissiveness was then assessed by determining virus replication and resultant cytopathic effects. Different EVs varied markedly in their ability to infect leukocyte cell lines. CVB3 replicated effectively in leukocytes of B-cell, T-cell, and monocyte origin, CVA24 in leukocytes of B-cell and monocyte origin, and EV70 in leukocytes of monocyte origin. Primary monocytes, as well as monocyte-derived U-937 cells, were permissive to all three EVs. We observed a positive correlation between cytotoxicity and active virus replication, except in CVB3-infected monocytes. U-937 cells efficiently generated CVB3 progeny virus without severe cellular damage, including cell death. Moreover, infectivity on leukocytes was not absolutely associated with the availability of viral receptors. These findings suggest that the susceptibility of human leukocytes to non-polio EVs may be responsible for virus transport during the viremic phase, particularly to secondary target organs, and that active replication of CVB3 in all human leukocyte lineages leads to greater dissemination, in agreement with the ability of CVB to cause systemic diseases