Mussel-inspired soft-tissue adhesive based on poly(diol citrate) with catechol functionality.

Marine mussels tightly adhering to various underwater surfaces inspires human to design adhesives for wet tissue adhesion in surgeries. Characterization of mussel adhesive plaques describes a matrix of proteins containing 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), which provides strong adhesion in aquatic conditions. Several synthetic polymer systems have been developed based on this DOPA chemistry. Herein, a citrate-based tissue adhesives (POEC-d) was prepared by a facile one-pot melt polycondensation of two diols including 1,8-octanediol and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), citric acid (CA) and dopamine, and the effects of hydrophilic and soft PEO on the properties of adhesives were studied. It was found that the obtained adhesives exhibited water-soluble when the mole ratio of PEO to 1,8-octanediol was 70%, and the equilibrium swelling percentage of cured adhesive was about 144%, and degradation rate was in the range of 1-2 weeks. The cured adhesives demonstrated soft rubber-like behavior. The lap shear adhesion strength measured by bonding wet pig skin was in the range of 21.7-33.7 kPa, which was higher than that of commercial fibrin glue (9-15 kPa). The cytotoxicity tests showed the POEC-d adhesives had a low cytotoxicity. Our results supports that POEC-d adhesives, which combined strong wet adhesion with good biodegradability, acceptable swelling ratio, good elasticity and low cytotoxicity, have potentials in surgeries where surgical tissue adhesives, sealants, and hemostatic agents are used.

Revealing the Development Patterns of the Mandibular Glands of Apis mellifera carnica Based on Transcriptomics and Morphology.

The mandibular gland in worker bees synthesizes and secretes the organic acids present in royal jelly, and its development directly affects yield and quality. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the differences in morphology and gene expression in the mandibular glands of Apis mellifera carnica worker bees of different ages (3, 6, 9, 12, and 16 d). We dissected their mandibular glands and performed morphological and transcriptomic analyses to investigate the development of the mandibular gland and the molecular regulatory mechanisms involved in royal jelly secretion. Microscopy revealed that mandibular gland development is likely completed in the early stages. There were no significant differences in the structural morphology or organelles involved in the secretion of royal jelly at different ages. Transcriptomics revealed a total of 1554 differentially expressed genes, which were mainly involved in fat metabolism, lipid transport, and energy metabolism. The extracellular matrix-receptor interaction pathway was significantly enriched and contributed to the royal jelly secretion process. These results elucidate the genetic basis of the role of the mandibular gland in royal jelly secretion in A. mellifera and provide a reference for the genetic improvement of bees with high royal jelly production in the future.

Immediate loading of maxillary and mandibular implant-supported fixed complete dentures: a 1- to 10-year retrospective study.

This study evaluated the success rates of 50 full-arch maxillary and/or mandibular implant-supported fixed complete dentures. After a mean follow-up time of 42.1 months, 269 implants remained in function, which corresponded to cumulative implant success rates of 85.2% and an absolute success rate of 90.6% (269/297 implants). This study suggested that higher implant failure rates might be associated with a dental history of bruxism (29.3%) vs no history of bruxism (4.6%) and surgeons with limited experience (≤5 years; 12.2%) vs surgeons with experience (2.4%).