A cell-type-specific atlas of the inner ear transcriptional response to acoustic trauma.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) results from a complex interplay of damage to the sensory cells of the inner ear, dysfunction of its lateral wall, axonal retraction of type 1C spiral ganglion neurons, and activation of the immune response. We use RiboTag and single-cell RNA sequencing to survey the cell-type-specific molecular landscape of the mouse inner ear before and after noise trauma. We identify induction of the transcription factors STAT3 and IRF7 and immune-related genes across all cell-types.

Intravenous delivery of a multi-mechanistic cancer-targeted oncolytic poxvirus in humans.

The efficacy and safety of biological molecules in cancer therapy, such as peptides and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), could be markedly increased if high concentrations could be achieved and amplified selectively in tumour tissues versus normal tissues after intravenous administration. This has not been achievable so far in humans. We hypothesized that a poxvirus, which evolved for blood-borne systemic spread in mammals, could be engineered for cancer-selective replication and used as a vehicle for the intravenous delivery and expression of transgenes in tumours.

Tick-borne relapsing fever and Borrelia hermsii, Los Angeles County, California, USA.

The primary cause of tick-borne relapsing fever in western North America is Borrelia hermsii, a rodent-associated spirochete transmitted by the fast-feeding soft tick Ornithodoros hermsi. We describe a patient who had an illness consistent with relapsing fever after exposure in the mountains near Los Angeles, California, USA. The patient's convalescent-phase serum was seropositive for B.