Plasmonic tuning of aluminum doped zinc oxide nanostructures by atomic layer deposition

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109627/1/pssr201409359.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109627/2/pssr201409359-sup-0001-figuresS1-S10_tableS1.pd

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Why is Essential Tremor so Difficult to Treat? A Literature Review

Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder and affects tens of millions of individuals worldwide. It is characterized by isolated upper-limb tremors for at least three years without other neurological signs or tremors in other locations. Despite ET being a widespread movement disorder, its etiology and pathophysiology are poorly understood. This lack of understanding poses significant challenges towards the development of treatments and cures. There is no cure for ET, and current treatments for ET are limited and are often insufficient. ET symptoms can differ greatly between patients, and phenotyping is the only method for diagnosis. ET often overlaps with other disorders including dystonia and Parkinson’s disease, which further complicates diagnosis and treatment. Current treatments begin with pharmacotherapy, and progress to surgical options in drug-resistant patients. There is ongoing research into non-invasive electrical stimulation treatments that may prove to be safe and effective; however, further research is needed. The aim of this review is to assess the literature and summarize why ET is so difficult to treat. We evaluate the efficacy of current treatments, and the potential of future treatments. We summarize four reasons why ET remains so difficult to treat: 1) the unknown etiology and pathophysiology, 2) the lack of a suitable animal model, 3) difficulties with diagnosis, and 4) absence of personalized treatments. Despite the current challenges, ET remains an active area of research and novel experimental treatments may produce safe and effective non-invasive therapeutic options for ET

Why is Essential Tremor so Difficult to Treat? A Literature Review

Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder and affects tens of millions of individuals worldwide. It is characterized by isolated upper-limb tremors for at least three years without other neurological signs or tremors in other locations. Despite ET being a widespread movement disorder, its etiology and pathophysiology are poorly understood. This lack of understanding poses significant challenges towards the development of treatments and cures. There is no cure for ET, and current treatments for ET are limited and are often insufficient. ET symptoms can differ greatly between patients, and phenotyping is the only method for diagnosis. ET often overlaps with other disorders including dystonia and Parkinson’s disease, which further complicates diagnosis and treatment. Current treatments begin with pharmacotherapy, and progress to surgical options in drug-resistant patients. There is ongoing research into non-invasive electrical stimulation treatments that may prove to be safe and effective; however, further research is needed. The aim of this review is to assess the literature and summarize why ET is so difficult to treat. We evaluate the efficacy of current treatments, and the potential of future treatments. We summarize four reasons why ET remains so difficult to treat: 1) the unknown etiology and pathophysiology, 2) the lack of a suitable animal model, 3) difficulties with diagnosis, and 4) absence of personalized treatments. Despite the current challenges, ET remains an active area of research and novel experimental treatments may produce safe and effective non-invasive therapeutic options for ET

The skin microbiome of elasmobranchs follows phylosymbiosis, but in teleost fishes, the microbiomes converge

BACKGROUND: The vertebrate clade diverged into Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, and chimeras) and Osteichthyes fishes (bony fishes) approximately 420 mya, with each group accumulating vast anatomical and physiological differences, including skin properties. The skin of Chondrichthyes fishes is covered in dermal denticles, whereas Osteichthyes fishes are covered in scales and are mucous rich. The divergence time among these two fish groups is hypothesized to result in predictable variation among symbionts. Here, using shotgun metagenomics, we test if patterns of diversity in the skin surface microbiome across the two fish clades match predictions made by phylosymbiosis theory. We hypothesize (1) the skin microbiome will be host and clade-specific, (2) evolutionary difference in elasmobranch and teleost will correspond with a concomitant increase in host-microbiome dissimilarity, and (3) the skin structure of the two groups will affect the taxonomic and functional composition of the microbiomes. RESULTS: We show that the taxonomic and functional composition of the microbiomes is host-specific. Teleost fish had lower average microbiome within clade similarity compared to among clade comparison, but their composition is not different among clade in a null based model. Elasmobranch's average similarity within clade was not different than across clade and not different in a null based model of comparison. In the comparison of host distance with microbiome distance, we found that the taxonomic composition of the microbiome was related to host distance for the elasmobranchs, but not the teleost fishes. In comparison, the gene function composition was not related to the host-organism distance for elasmobranchs but was negatively correlated with host distance for teleost fishes. CONCLUSION: Our results show the patterns of phylosymbiosis are not consistent across both fish clades, with the elasmobranchs showing phylosymbiosis, while the teleost fish are not. The discrepancy may be linked to alternative processes underpinning microbiome assemblage, including possible historical host-microbiome evolution of the elasmobranchs and convergent evolution in the teleost which filter specific microbial groups. Our comparison of the microbiomes among fishes represents an investigation into the microbial relationships of the oldest divergence of\ua0extant vertebrate hosts and reveals that microbial relationships are not consistent across evolutionary timescales. Video abstract