Ultrastructural membrane dynamics of mouse and human cortical synapses.

Live human brain tissues provide unique opportunities for understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of synaptic transmission. Investigations have been limited to anatomy, electrophysiology, and protein localization-while crucial parameters such as synaptic vesicle dynamics were not visualized. Here we utilize zap-and-freeze time-resolved electron microscopy to overcome this hurdle.

Inactivation Effects of Hypochlorous Acid, Chlorine Dioxide, and Ozone on Airborne SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A Virus.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A virus are primarily transmitted through droplets or aerosols from patients. The inactivation effects of existing virus control techniques may vary depending on the environmental factors. Therefore, it is important to establish a suitable evaluation system for assessing virus control techniques against airborne viruses for further real-world implementation.

scEGOT: single-cell trajectory inference framework based on entropic Gaussian mixture optimal transport.

Background: Time-series scRNA-seq data have opened a door to elucidate cell differentiation, and in this context, the optimal transport theory has been attracting much attention. However, there remain critical issues in interpretability and computational cost.

Results: We present scEGOT, a comprehensive framework for single-cell trajectory inference, as a generative model with high interpretability and low computational cost.

Plasma and serum concentrations of VEGF-A121, but not of VEGF-A165, increase post-bevacizumab administration.

Background: VEGF-A concentrations were measured in the blood of bevacizumab-treated cancer patients in previous studies, but a consensus has not formed that would develop VEGF-A into a clinical biomarker. Recently, methods to strictly distinguish between the VEGF-A isoforms have been developed but have not yet been applied to cancer patients undergoing bevacizumab treatment.

Methods: An ELISA that strictly distinguishes between VEGF-A121 and VEGF-A165-the major isoforms of VEGF-A-and a commercially available ELISA for VEGF-A are used to determine the concentration of VEGF-A121, VEGF-A165, and VEGF-A in the blood of 12 patients with advanced colorectal cancer receiving bevacizumab therapy.