Search

Background: Epilepsy (EP) is a common neurological disorder which is characterized by excessive abnormal synchronization of neuronal discharges in the brain due to chronic recurrent seizures of multiple etiologies. Variety of microRNAs have been associated with the occurrence and development of EP. This study aimed to determine the aberrant expression of miR-378 and miR-575 in EP patients to validate their potential to distinguish EP from healthy patients. Methods: RT-qPCR was used to determine the expressions of miR-378 and miR-575 from serum specimens of 106 EP and 103 control individuals. Clinical indicators between EP patients and controls were assessed. Based on surgical outcome, EP patients were further divided into Engel I-IV EP. The potentials of miR-378 and miR-575 in discriminating EP from healthy participants and predicting surgical prognosis were calculated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: We found the miR-378 and miR-575 were significantly declined (P

Simple Summary: The life cycle of marine benthic invertebrates includes a planktonic larval stage and a benthic adult stage, with larval settlement being the critical transition from a planktonic to a benthic lifestyle. Since adult mobility is limited or completely lost in the benthic environment, larval settlement directly affects population distribution, growth, and reproduction. Although larval settlement induced by natural chemical cues is widespread among marine invertebrates, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. Mytilopsis sallei, a typical marine fouling mussel, releases three purine compounds—adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine—that synergistically induce larval settlement. In this study, transcriptomic sequencing was employed to identify differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways associated with purine-compound-induced larval settlement. This research not only provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of larval settlement in marine benthic invertebrates, but also offers a scientific basis and theoretical foundation for the ecological control of marine fouling organisms. The settlement of marine benthic invertebrate larvae is a crucial stage in their life cycle, directly influencing their population distribution, growth, and reproduction. It is generally believed that multiple chemical inducers in the environment synergistically affect larval settlement, though the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Our previous study has established that three purine compounds (adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine) released by adults of the mussel Mytilopsis sallei synergistically induced larval settlement. In this study, we performed transcriptomic sequencing analysis on larvae exposed to individual purine compounds and those exposed to a combination of three purine compounds. A total of 21,850 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. KEGG enrichment analysis of these DEGs revealed that the AMPK signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, and the thyroid hormone signaling pathway play key roles in the settlement of M. sallei larvae. Moreover, in larvae exposed to the combined action of three purines, the expression of relevant signaling pathways and metabolic processes was more significant. This research provides important information for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the induction of larval settlement in M. sallei by purine compounds in natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an innovative design for interdigital transducers (IDTs), enabling phase modulation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) with a dislocated electrode structure. By designing the size and arrangement of these dislocated IDTs, a novel type of Airy SAWs can be generated, exhibiting self-accelerating, self-bending, and self-healing characteristics. The acceleration of the generated Airy SAW is 0.081 cm−1. Furthermore, particles and bubbles can be precisely manipulated using the generated Airy SAW. The proposed dislocated IDTs could be used for generation of many other types of SAWs, hence holding great promise for applications including SAW shaping, particle manipulation/sorting, and acoustic sensing/detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-resolution ultrasonic imaging, which is highly demanded in nondestructive evaluation, is inherently limited by the detection wavelength. Acoustic metamaterial is an emerging technique to achieve subwavelength-resolution ultrasonic imaging beyond the diffraction limit due to its unprecedented acoustic properties. However, existing reports focus on metalenses for manipulating acoustic waves propagating in fluids like air and water, typically at a low-frequency range below 10 kHz. In this paper, a 0.5 MHz periodic column-structured metalens is designed and fabricated to realize deep-subwavelength ultrasonic imaging for quantitive visualization of subsurface defects in solid structures. The silicon-based metalens is designed based on Fabry–Pérot resonance theory. It consists of silicon columns arranged periodically with a lattice constant of 0.2 mm. The Fabry–Pérot resonance frequency is analyzed theoretically and the wave fields of the metalens at resonance mode are verified numerically. The subwavelength ultrasonic imaging performance of the proposed metalens is numerically proved and experimentally demonstrated. As a result, super-resolution ultrasonic imaging (λ/30, with λ being the wavelength) with a high resolving contrast is realized to identify two separated subsurface defects in a stainless-steel structure experimentally with the designed column-structured metalens. This work demonstrates a valuable deep-subwavelength imaging method that beyond traditional diffraction limits and paves the way for enhanced applications in nondestructive evaluation and biomedical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]