Photodynamic therapy-induced precise attenuation of light-targeted semicircular canals for treating intractable vertigo.

Vertigo is a common symptom of various diseases that affects a large number of people worldwide. Current leading treatments for intractable peripheral vertigo are to intratympanically inject ototoxic drugs such as gentamicin to attenuate the semicircular canal function but inevitably cause hearing injury. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a noninvasive therapeutic approach by precisely targeting the diseased tissue.

MultiPrime: A reliable and efficient tool for targeted next-generation sequencing.

We present multiPrime, a novel tool that automatically designs minimal primer sets for targeted next-generation sequencing, tailored to specific microbiomes or genes. MultiPrime enhances primer coverage by designing primers with mismatch tolerance and ensures both high compatibility and specificity. We evaluated the performance of multiPrime using a data set of 43,016 sequences from eight viruses.

Phylogeographic analyses of an epiphytic foliose lichen show multiple dispersal events westward from the Hengduan Mountains of Yunnan into the Himalayas.

is an endemic species of the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains. Little information is available on the phylogeography genetics and colonization history of this species or how its distribution patterns changed in response to the orographic history of the Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains. Based on samples covering a major part of the species' distribution range, we used 443 newly generated sequences of nine loci for molecular coalescent analyses in order to reconstruct the evolutionary history of , and to reconstruct the species' ancestral phylogeographic distributions using Bayesian binary MCMC analyses.

Implications of Mitigating Ozone and Fine Particulate Matter Pollution in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area of China Using a Regional-To-Local Coupling Model.

Ultrahigh-resolution air quality models that resolve sharp gradients of pollutant concentrations benefit the assessment of human health impacts. Mitigating fine particulate matter (PM) concentrations over the past decade has triggered ozone (O) deterioration in China. Effective control of both pollutants remains poorly understood from an ultrahigh-resolution perspective.

A bioinspired synthetic soft hydrogel for the treatment of dry eye.

Natural soft hydrogels are unique elastic soft materials utilized by living organisms for protecting delicate tissues. Under a theoretical framework derived from the Blob model, we chemically crosslinked high molecular weight hyaluronic acid at a concentration close to its overlap concentration (*), and created synthetic soft hydrogels that exhibited unique rheological properties similar to a natural soft hydrogel: being dominantly elastic under low shear stress while being viscous when the stress is above a small threshold. We explored a potential application of the hyaluronic acid-based soft hydrogel as a long-acting ocular surface lubricant and evaluated its therapeutic effects for dry eye.

Feeding containing the aerial part of promotes the growth and nutritive value of rabbit fish .

The root of (Scutellaria Radix) has been used as herbal medicine for years, while its stem and leaf (aerial part) are considered as waste. The water extract from the aerial part of (named as SBA) being included in the feeding of (grey rabbit fish) has been shown to replace antibiotics in aquaculture with excellent outcome. To strengthen the usage of SBA in fish feeding, the total fish output and its nutritive value were determined here.

Transcriptomic response of to nitrogen- or phosphorus-limited diet.

Effects of nutrient-imbalanced diet on the growth and fitness of zooplankton were widely reported as key issues to aquatic ecology. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms driving the physiological changes of zooplankton under nutrient stress.In this study, we investigated the physiological fitness and transcriptomic response of when exposed to nitrogen (N)-limited or phosphorus (P)-limited algal diet () compared to regular algae (N and P saturated).

Structural Basis of Human Helicase DDX21 in RNA Binding, Unwinding, and Antiviral Signal Activation.

RNA helicase DDX21 plays vital roles in ribosomal RNA biogenesis, transcription, and the regulation of host innate immunity during virus infection. How DDX21 recognizes and unwinds RNA and how DDX21 interacts with virus remain poorly understood. Here, crystal structures of human DDX21 determined in three distinct states are reported, including the apo-state, the AMPPNP plus single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) bound pre-hydrolysis state, and the ADP-bound post-hydrolysis state, revealing an open to closed conformational change upon RNA binding and unwinding.

Population genetic structure of the deep-sea mussel s (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) in the Northwest Pacific.

Studying population genetics of deep-sea animals helps us understand their history of habitat colonization and population divergence. Here, we report a population genetic study of the deep-sea mussel (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) widely distributed in chemosynthesis-based ecosystems in the Northwest Pacific. Three mitochondrial genes (i.

Electronic properties of the coronene series from thermally-assisted-occupation density functional theory.

To fully utilize the great potential of graphene in electronics, a comprehensive understanding of the electronic properties of finite-size graphene flakes is essential. While the coronene series with fused benzene rings at each side (designated as -coronenes) are possible structures for opening a band gap in graphene, their electronic properties are not yet fully understood. Nevertheless, because of their radical character, it remains very difficult to reliably predict the electronic properties of the larger -coronenes with conventional computational approaches.

Thiol-free oligonucleotide surface modification of gold nanoparticles for nanostructure assembly.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) decorated with thiol-modified DNA (HS-DNA) strands are an extensively studied, easily adjustable, and highly controllable material for constructing 3D nanostructures with various shapes and functions. However, few reproducible and robust methods involving DNA templates as a key reagent are available for obtaining 3D nanoparticle assemblies. It is still challenging to strictly control the number and location of DNA strands on the AuNP surface.