Wind- and Operation-Induced Vibration Measurements of the Main Reflector of the Nobeyama 45 m Radio Telescope

As deformations of the main reflector of a radio telescope directly affect the observations, the evaluation of the deformation is extremely important. Dynamic characteristics of the main reflector of the Nobeyama 45 m radio telescope, Japan, are measured under two conditions: The first is when the pointing observation is in operation, and the second is when the reflector is stationary and is subjected to wind loads when the observation is out of operation. Dynamic characteristics of the main reflector are measured using piezoelectric accelerometers. When the telescope is in operation, a vibration mode with one nodal line horizontally or vertically on the reflector is induced, depending on whether the reflector is moving in the azimuthal or elevational planes, whereas under windy conditions, vibration modes that have two to four nodal lines are simultaneously induced. The predominant mode is dependent on the direction of wind loads.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Vibration Engineering & Technologie

A novel autophagy inhibitor, bTBT, disturbs autophagosome formation

Macroautophagy (hereafter, autophagy) is a form of intracellular degradation in which autophagosome formation is systematically coordinated by multiple processes involving numerous autophagy-related gene (ATG) proteins. Autophagy-modulating compounds are valuable for understanding the molecular mechanism of autophagy and its clinical application. Although several autophagy inhibitors have been identified, their inhibitory steps during autophagosome formation by the inhibitors are limited. Herein, we identified a novel autophagy inhibitor, bis-tributyltin (bTBT), which inhibits a unique step in autophagosome formation. In mammalian cells, bTBT treatment suppresses LC3 flux and accumulates most of ATG proteins, including LC3 and early ATG proteins (ULK1, ATG16L1, and WIPI2), in punctate structures. On the other hand, LAMP1, a lysosomal marker, did not co-localize with accumulated LC3 after bTBT treatment, indicating bTBT inhibits a late step of autophagosome formation. Stx17, a soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor protein that mediates autophagosome–lysosome fusion, is usually recruited to LC3-positive structures after the dissociation of early ATG proteins. However, bTBT accumulates Stx17 and WIPI2 positive large autophagic structures and maintains the autophagic structures for much longer. In conclusion, we identified a novel type of autophagy inhibitor, bTBT, which disturbs autophagosome formation

Analysis of Sorafenib Outcome: Focusing on the Clinical Course in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Treatment outcomes of sorafenib therapy may greatly vary depending not only on tumor spread but also on past clinical processes prior to sorafenib therapy and timing of sorafenib administration in the past clinical course of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We evaluated the efficacy of sorafenib in patients with HCC, taking into account of their past clinical courses.Patients with HCC treated with sorafenib as a first-line systemic therapy, whose courses documented from the time of the initial diagnosis, were retrospectively analyzed.Of the 123 patients receiving sorafenib therapy at an advanced-stage, baseline characteristics differed including the rate of hepatitis C virus, Child-Pugh class, and status of intrahepatic lesions according to stage progression processes. Overall survival (OS) in patients progressed directly from the early-stage (15.3 months) was significantly longer than that in patients diagnosed at the advanced-stage (5.3 months, P = 0.022) and progressed from the intermediate-stages (6.0 months, P = 0.041). Of 105 patients diagnosed at the intermediate-stage on past clinical courses, OS of starting sorafenib therapy before progression to the advanced-stage (67 patients) was significantly longer than for patients starting sorafenib therapy only after progression to the advanced-stage (38 patients) (P = 0.015).Characteristic differences between past stage progression processes might affect prognosis in advanced-stage HCC patients receiving sorafenib. Switching to sorafenib therapy before progression to the advanced-stage appears more effective than that after progression to the advanced-stage in patients diagnosed in the intermediate-stage on past clinical courses prior to sorafenib administration

Acute Liver Failure in an Antimitochondrial Antibody-Positive 63-Year-Old Man

Antimitochondrial antibody (AMA) is one of the representative features of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). PBC is a female-dominant disease usually presenting intrahepatic bile duct destruction, cholestasis and fibrosis with or without chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis. We presented the case of a 63-year-old man with acute liver failure who had AMA, pronounced alanine aminotransferase elevation and high bilirubinemia. We administered corticosteroids and rescued this patient without liver transplantation. It is well known that some patients within the spectrum of autoimmune liver disease present with characteristics of both PBC and autoimmune hepatitis. Although corticosteroids may be associated with a significant worsening of adverse events in patients with PBC, if acute liver failure in AMA-positive cases is progressive, the administration of corticosteroids has to be considered, as well as the preparation of urgent liver transplantation