Selective Delivery of Tofacitinib Citrate to Hair Follicles Using Lipid-Coated Calcium Carbonate Nanocarrier Controls Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia Areata.

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is one of the common side effects in cancer treatment. The psychological distress caused by hair loss may cause patients to discontinue chemotherapy, affecting the efficacy of the treatment. The JAK inhibitor, Tofacitinib citrate (TFC), showed huge potential in therapeutic applications for treating baldness, but the systemic adverse effects of oral administration and low absorption rate at the target site limited its widespread application in alopecia. To overcome these problems, we designed phospholipid-calcium carbonate hybrid nanoparticles (PL/ACC NPs) for a topical application to target deliver TFC. The results proved that PL/ACC-TFC NPs showed excellent pH sensitivity and transdermal penetration in vitro. PL/ACC NPs offered an efficient follicular targeting approach to deliver TFC in a Cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced alopecia areata mouse model. Compared to the topical application of TFC solution, PL/ACC-TFC NPs significantly inhibited apoptosis of mouse hair follicles and accelerated hair growth. These findings support that PL/ACC-TFC NPs has the potential for topical application in preventing and mitigating CYP-induced Alopecia areata.

Investigation of Broadband Optical Nonlinear Absorption and Transient Dynamics in Orange IV Containing Azobenzene.

Broadband reverse saturable absorption is systematically investigated via Z-scan, transient absorption spectrum (TAS). The excited state absorption and negative refraction of Orange IV are observed in the Z-scan experiment at 532 nm. Meanwhile, two-photon-induced excited state absorption and pure two-photon absorption are observed at 600 nm and 700 nm with the pulse width of 190 fs, respectively. An ultrafast broadband absorption in the visible wavelength region is observed via TAS. The different nonlinear absorption mechanisms at multiple wavelengths are discussed and interpreted from the results of TAS. In addition, the ultrafast dynamics of negative refraction in the excited state of Orange IV are investigated via a degenerate phase object pump-probe, from which the weak long-lived excited state is extracted. All studies indicate that Orange IV has the potential to be further optimized into a superior broadband reverse saturable absorption material and also has certain reference significance for the study of optical nonlinearity in organic molecules containing azobenzene groups.

Dietary Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) Improves Nonspecific Immune Response of Chinese Rice Field Eel (Monopterus albus).

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been recognized as a potential additive for aquafeeds due to its beneficial biological functions. In order to evaluate the potential application of EGCG in Chinese rice field eel (Monopterus albus), six isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets containing 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg EGCG were formulated and were fed to Monopterus albus (M. albus) for 9 weeks. The results showed that M. albus fed diets containing 0 and 100 mg/kg EGCG presented higher weight again and specific growth rate than the other groups. Fish fed with 25, 50, and 400 mg/kg EGCG displayed lower whole-body lipid content. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentration significantly decreased in EGCG treated groups with the exception of 100 mg/kg group. Hepatic catalase (CAT) activity and glutathione (GSH) concentration decreased as EGCG level increased while malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration showed an opposite trend. EGCG supplementation resulted in a promoted lysozyme (LZM) activity and immunoglobulin M (IgM) level in the liver of M. albus. Furthermore, transcription of three immune related genes including major histocompatibility complex (mhc-2α), hepcidin, and interleukin-8 (il-8) mRNAs was upregulated by EGCG treatment; while transcription of interleukin-6 (il-6) and nuclear factor kappa-B (nf-kb) genes was downregulated. Results also showed a linear relation between EGCG inclusion level and parameters of AST, CAT, GSH, MDA, LZM, IgM, and immune-related genes transcriptions. In summary, it could be suggested that EGCG supplementation enhanced the nonspecific immune response of the Chinese rice field eel. Based on the broken-line regression analysis of IgM, the optimal dietary EGCG supplementation for M. albus was estimated to be 109.81 mg/kg.

The American Paddlefish Genome Provides Novel Insights into Chromosomal Evolution and Bone Mineralization in Early Vertebrates.

Sturgeons and paddlefishes (Acipenseriformes) occupy the basal position of ray-finned fishes, although they have cartilaginous skeletons as in Chondrichthyes. This evolutionary status and their morphological specializations make them a research focus, but their complex genomes (polyploidy and the presence of microchromosomes) bring obstacles and challenges to molecular studies. Here, we generated the first high-quality genome assembly of the American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) at a chromosome level. Comparative genomic analyses revealed a recent species-specific whole-genome duplication event, and extensive chromosomal changes, including head-to-head fusions of pairs of intact, large ancestral chromosomes within the paddlefish. We also provide an overview of the paddlefish SCPP (secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein) repertoire that is responsible for tissue mineralization, demonstrating that the earliest flourishing of SCPP members occurred at least before the split between Acipenseriformes and teleosts. In summary, this genome assembly provides a genetic resource for understanding chromosomal evolution in polyploid nonteleost fishes and bone mineralization in early vertebrates.

Screening and identification of female-specific DNA sequences in octaploid sturgeon using comparative genomics with high-throughput sequencing.

In this study, six candidate female-specific DNA sequences of octaploid Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii) were identified using comparative genomic approaches with high-throughput sequencing data. Their specificity was confirmed by traditional PCR. Two of these sex-specific sequences were also validated as female-specific in other eight sturgeon species and two hybrid sturgeons. The identified female-specific DNA fragments suggest that the family Acipenseridae has a ZZ/ZW sex-determining system. However, one of the two DNA sequences has been deleted in some sturgeons such as Sterlet sturgeon (Acipenser ruthenus), Beluga (Huso huso) and Kaluga (H. dauricus). The difference of sex-specific sequences among sturgeons indicates that there are different sex-specific regions among species of sturgeon. This study not only provided the sex-specific DNA sequences for management, conservation and studies of sex-determination mechanisms in sturgeons, but also confirmed the capability of the workflow to identify sex-specific DNA sequences in the polyploid species with complex genomes.

Assembly and characterization of the MHC class I region of the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis).

The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis; YFP) is the sole freshwater subspecies of N. asiaeorientalis and is now critically endangered. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a family of highly polymorphic genes that play an important immunological role in antigen presentation in the vertebrates. Currently, however, little is known about MHC region in the genome of the YFP, which hampers conservation genetics and evolutionary ecology study using MHC genes. In this work, a nucleotide sequence of 774,811 bp covering the YFP MHC class I region was obtained by screening a YFP bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library, followed by sequencing and assembly of positive BAC clones. A total of 45 genes were successfully annotated, of which four were MHC class I genes. There are high similarities among the four YFP MHC class I genes (>94%). Divergence in the coding region of the four YFP MHC class I genes is mainly localized to exons 2 and 3, which encode the antigen-binding sites of MHC class I genes. Additionally, comparison of the MHC structure in YFP to those of cattle, sheep, and pig showed that MHC class I genes are located in genome regions with regard to the conserved genes, and the YFP contains the fewest MHC class I genes among these species. This is the first report characterizing a cetacean MHC class I region and describing its organization, which would be valuable for further investigation of adaptation in natural populations of the YFP and other cetaceans.

Genetic diversity of the Pvk12 gene in Plasmodium vivax from the China-Myanmar border area.

BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin emerged in the Greater Mekong Sub-region has been associated with mutations in the propeller domain of the kelch gene Pfk13. METHODS: Here the polymorphisms in Pvk12 gene, the orthologue of Pfk13 in Plasmodium vivax, were determined by PCR and sequencing in 262 clinical isolates collected in recent years (2012-2015) from the China-Myanmar border area. RESULTS: Sequencing of full-length Pvk12 genes from these isolates identified three synonymous mutations (N172N, S360S, S697S) and one non-synonymous mutation M124I, all of which were at very low prevalence (2.0-3.1%). Moreover, these mutations were non-overlapping between the two study sites on both sides of the border. Molecular evolutionary analysis detected signature of purifying selection on Pvk12. CONCLUSIONS: There is no direct evidence that Pvk12 is involved in artemisinin resistance in P. vivax, but it remains a potential candidate requiring further investigation. Continuous monitoring of potential drug resistance in this parasite is needed in order to facilitate the regional malaria elimination campaign.

Fecal Bacterial Composition of the Endangered Yangtze Finless Porpoises Living Under Captive and Semi-natural Conditions.

Intestinal microbiota is essential to the health and physiology of host animals. We undertook the first microbiological study of the fecal bacterial composition from critically endangered (CR) Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis; YFPs) living under captive and semi-natural conditions using both high-throughput sequencing method and 16S rRNA gene clone library method. As determined by high-throughput sequencing of V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene, semi-natural samples harbored 30 and 36 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), which was more than the 22 and 27 OTUs detected from YFPs living in captivity. In captive YFPs Firmicutes was the predominant phylum, whereas this was Proteobacteria for YFPs living in semi-nature conditions. This suggests habitat-specific fecal bacterial composition of YFPs. Plesiomonas spp. and Aeromonas spp., which are potentially pathogenic, were identified in all the feces. Bacterial diversity from one porpoise living in captivity was also determined by constructing a 16S rRNA gene clone library and only 1 phylum was identified. High-throughput sequencing was more effective at determining the bacterial diversity compared to the 16S rRNA gene clone library. This study provides important information for the management and conservation of the CR YFPs.

De novo assembly and characterization of narrow-ridged finless porpoise renal transcriptome and identification of candidate genes involved in osmoregulation.

During the evolutionary transition from land to water, cetaceans have undergone numerous critical challenges, with osmoregulation being the major one. Two subspecies of the narrow-ridged finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis), the freshwater Yangtze finless porpoise (N. a. asiaeorientalis, NAA) and the marine East Asian finless porpoise (N. a. sunameri, NAS), provide excellent subjects to understand the genetic basis of osmoregulatory divergence between freshwater and marine mammals. The kidney plays an important and well-established role in osmoregulation in marine mammals and thus, herein, we utilized RNA-seq to characterize the renal transcriptome and preliminarily analyze the divergence between the NAA and the NAS. Approximately 48.98 million clean reads from NAS and 49.40 million clean reads from NAA were obtained by RNA-Seq. And 73,449 (NAS) and 68,073 (NAA) unigenes were assembled. Among these annotations, 22,231 (NAS) and 21,849 (NAA) unigenes were annotated against the NCBI nr protein database. The ion channel complex GO term and four pathways were detected as relevant to osmoregulation by GO and KEGG pathway classification of these annotated unigenes. Although the endangered status of the study species prevented analysis of biological replicates, we identified nine differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that may be vital in the osmoregulation of the narrow-ridged finless porpoise and worthwhile for future studies. Of these DEGs, the differential expression and distribution of the aquaporin-2 (AQP2) in the collecting duct were verified using immunohistochemical experiments. Together, this work is the first report of renal transcriptome sequencing in cetaceans, and it will provide a valuable resource for future molecular genetics studies on cetacean osmoregulation.

Genetic diversity and population structure of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) as revealed by mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA.

Ecological surveys have indicated that the population of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (YFP, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) is becoming increasingly small and fragmented, and will be at high risk of extinction in the near future. Genetic conservation of this population will be an important component of the long-term conservation effort. We used a 597 base pair mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and 11 microsatellite loci to analyze the genetic diversity and population structure of the YFP. The analysis of both mtDNA and microsatellite loci suggested that the genetic diversity of the YFP will possibly decrease in the future if the population keeps declining at a rapid rate, even though these two types of markers revealed different levels of genetic diversity. In addition, mtDNA revealed strong genetic differentiation between one local population, Xingchang-Shishou (XCSS), and the other five downstream local populations; furthermore, microsatellite DNA unveiled fine but significant genetic differentiation between three of the local populations (not only XCSS but also Poyang Lake (PY) and Tongling (TL)) and the other local populations. With an increasing number of distribution gaps appearing in the Yangtze main steam, the genetic differentiation of local populations will likely intensify in the future. The YFP is becoming a genetically fragmented population. Therefore, we recommend attention should be paid to the genetic conservation of the YFP.

Exploring auditory temporal resolution and dichotic listening skills among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The study aimed to explore the auditory temporal resolution and dichotic listening skills in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and identify associated health-related factors. Using a cross-sectional design, 87 adults with T2DM and 48 non-diabetic controls, all with normal hearing, participated. The two central auditory processing (CAP) skills were assessed through the Gaps-In-Noise (GIN) and Dichotic-Digits Listening (DDL) tests. T2DM participants underwent blood tests to measure various health-related factors. In the GIN test, the shortest gap threshold (GapTh) obtained across both ears was significantly higher in the diabetic group (9.1 ± 2.4 ms) compared to the non-diabetic group (7.5 ± 1.5 ms), and the score of correctly identified gaps (GapSc) in the diabetic group (45±11 %) was significantly lower than GapSc in the non-diabetic group (52±9 %), p < 0.001. In the DDL test, the free-recall score (73.8 ± 18.5 %) across both ears and the right-ear advantage (-1.3 ± 20.6 %) in the diabetic group were significantly lower than the free-recall score (85.8 ± 11.9 %) and right-ear advantage (6.9 ± 11.9 %) in the non-diabetic group, p < 0.005. Furthermore, the duration of diabetes, eGFR level, retinopathy, carotid plaque, fasting blood glucose level, and HDL-C (good cholesterol) level were factors significantly associated with performances in the GIN and/or DDL tests for T2DM participants. In conclusion, individuals with T2DM are at risk of reduced auditory processing skills in temporal resolution and dichotic listening, impacting their speech understanding. Six health-related factors were identified as significantly associated with CAP skills in T2DM patients.

RGBT Tracking via Challenge-Based Appearance Disentanglement and Interaction.

RGB and thermal source data suffer from both shared and specific challenges, and how to explore and exploit them plays a critical role in representing the target appearance in RGBT tracking. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, which performs target appearance representation disentanglement and interaction via both modality-shared and modality-specific challenge attributes, for robust RGBT tracking. In particular, we disentangle the target appearance representations via five challenge-based branches with different structures according to their properties, including three parameter-shared branches to model modality-shared challenges and two parameter-independent branches to model modality-specific challenges. Considering the complementary advantages between modality-specific cues, we propose a guidance interaction module to transfer discriminative features from one modality to another one to enhance the discriminative ability of weak modality. Moreover, we design an aggregation interaction module to combine all challenge-based target representations, which could form more discriminative target representations and fit the challenge-agnostic tracking process. These challenge-based branches are able to model the target appearance under certain challenges so that the target representations can be learned by a few parameters even in the situation of insufficient training data. In addition, to relieve labor costs and avoid label ambiguity, we design a generation strategy to generate training data with different challenge attributes. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate the superiority of the proposed tracker against the state-of-the-art methods on four benchmark datasets.

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles as a promising anti-tumor approach: A comprehensive assessment of effectiveness, safety, and mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEs) are expected to be a compelling alternative for cancer treatment due to their low cytotoxicity, low immunogenicity, high yield, and potential anti-tumor efficacy. Despite the significant advantages of PDEs, the reliable evidence for PDEs as promising anti-tumor approach remains unsystematic and insufficient. Some challenges remain for the clinical application and large-scale industrial production of PDEs. PURPOSE: Through systematic evaluation and meta-analysis, the objective was to provide scientific, systematic and reliable preclinical evidence to support the clinical use of PDEs in cancer therapy. METHODS: The search for relevant literature, conducted up to March 2024, encompassed various databases including Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and the China Science and Technology Journal Database. The SYRCLE´s risk of bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the animal studies. For overall effect analysis and subgroup analysis, RevMan 5.4 and Stata 12.0 were utilized. RESULTS: The analysis incorporated a total of 38 articles, comprising 29 in vivo studies and 9 in vitro studies. Meta-analysis indicated that PDEs significantly reduced cancer cell activity and induced apoptosis, reduced tumor volume and tumor weight when used as therapeutic agents, as well as exhibited synergistic anti-cancer via combination therapy. Additionally, PDEs-drugs exerted stronger inhibition of tumor volume compared to the free drug or commercial liposome-drugs. Their therapeutic effects were closely related to regulating tumor cell biological behavior and remodeling the tumor microenvironment. The safety was associated with administration route of PDEs, oral administration was currently preferred until more in-depth studies on the safety of other methods are conducted. CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analysis revealed that PDEs have systematic and reliable preclinical evidence in preclinical studies of cancer therapy, and their efficacy and certain safety could support the clinical application of PDEs in cancer therapy. Of course, further researches are required for large-scale industrial production to meet the needs of clinical applications.

The Effects of Dietary n-3 Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids on Growth, Antioxidant Capacity, Immunity, and Oxylipin Profiles in Acipenser dabryanus.

Currently, the effects of dietary levels of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immunity, and serum oxylipin profiles of female F2-generation Yangtze sturgeon remain unknown. A total of 75 Yangtze sturgeons, an endangered freshwater fish species, with an average body weight of 3.60 ± 0.83 kg, were randomly allocated to 15 concrete pools, with each dietary group represented by 5 fish per pool. The fish were fed five different experimental diets containing various levels of n-3 HUFAs (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.4%). After a feeding period of 5 months, no significant differences in the growth performances of the fish were observed among the five dietary groups (p > 0.05). However, we did note that the serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), and total cholesterol (TCHO) exhibited a marked increase in the fish that consumed higher dietary n-3 HUFA levels (p < 0.05). Conversely, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities showed a notable decrease as dietary n-3 HUFA levels increased (p < 0.05). Serum antioxidant indices, such as the activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), were significantly higher in the 2.4% HUFA group compared to the 0.5% HUFA group. Additionally, muscle antioxidant indices, including total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT), and SOD activity, exhibited notable increases as dietary n-3 HUFA levels increased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as dietary n-3 HUFA levels increased (p < 0.05). In relation to immune indices, only serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) and muscle complement 3 (C3) were found to be influenced by dietary n-3 HUFA levels (p < 0.05). A total of 80 oxylipins were quantified, and our subsequent K-means cluster analysis resulted in the classification of 62 oxylipins into 10 subclasses. Among the different n-3 HUFA diets, a total of 14 differential oxylipins were identified in the sera. These findings demonstrate that dietary supplementation with n-3 HUFAs exceeding a 1.0% level can enhance antioxidant capacity and regulate serum lipid metabolism, potentially through modulation of oxylipins derived from ARA, DHA, and EPA. These insights provide novel perspectives on the mechanisms underlying these observations.

Isolation of Robinsoniella peoriensis from the fecal material of the endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis.

The aim of this study was to determine the causative agent of diarrhea in an endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). From the fecal material collected from this porpoise Robinsoniella peoriensis was isolated.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Sexually Dimorphic Gene Expression in the Gonads of Brachymystax tsinlingensis Li.

Brachymystax tsinlingensis Li is an endangered cold-water salmonid fish native to China. This study aimed to identify sex-related genes and biological pathways via gonadal transcriptome sequencing of B. tsinlingensis Li. A total of 167,904 unigenes were identified with an average length of 836 bp and an N50 of 1452 bp, of which 84,977 (50.61%) unigenes were successfully annotated in six major databases. Comparative transcriptome analysis identified 22,864 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 17,231 were up-regulated (male-biased genes, mDEGs) and 5633 were down-regulated (female-biased genes, fDEGs). Several DEGs associated with gonadal development were found through Gene Ontology enrichment analysis, such as ccnb1, zp3, bmp15, dmrt1, and psmc3ip. Signaling pathways related to gonadal development were found to be enriched through analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database, such as genes involves in base excision repair, the notch signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, the VEGF signaling pathway, and the estrogen signaling pathway. In addition, mRNA expression levels of 19 DEGs were determined to validate the reliability of the transcriptomic data by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. These results revealed genes and signaling pathways potentially involved in gonadal development in B. tsinlingensis Li and provided basic molecular data for future research on reproductive regulation and breeding of B. tsinlingensis Li.

Transcriptome Analyses Reveal Expression Profiles of Morphologically Undifferentiated and Differentiated Gonads of Yangtze Sturgeon Acipenser dabryanus.

Sturgeon is known as a primitive fish with the ZZ/ZW sex determination system and is highly prized for its valuable caviar. Exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying gonadal differentiation would contribute to broadening our knowledge on the genetic regulation of sex differentiation of fish, enabling improved artificial breeding and management of sturgeons. However, the mechanisms are still poorly understood in sturgeons. This study aimed to profile expression patterns between female and male gonads at morphologically undifferentiated and early differentiated stages and identify vital genes involved in gonadal sex differentiation of sturgeons. The sexes of Yangtze sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) juveniles were identified via the sex-specific DNA marker and histological observation. Transcriptome analyses were carried out on female and male gonads at 30, 80 and 180 days post-hatching. The results showed that there was a total of 17 overlapped DEGs in the comparison groups of between female and male gonads at the three developmental stages, in which there were three DEGs related to ovarian steroidogenesis, including hsd17b1, foxl2 and cyp19a1. The three DEGs were highly expressed in the female gonads, of which the expression levels were gradually increased with the number of days after hatching. No well-known testis-related genes were found in the overlapped DEGs. Additionally, the expression levels of hsd17b1 and cyp19a1 mRNA were decreased with the knockdown of foxl2 mRNA via siRNA. The results further suggested that foxl2 should play a crucial role in the ovarian differentiation of sturgeons. In conclusion, this study showed that more genes involved in ovarian development than testis development emerged with sexually dimorphic expression during early gonadal sex differentiation, and it provided a preliminary understanding of the molecular regulation on gonadal differentiation of sturgeons.

Natural, synthetic and commercially-available biopolymers used to regenerate tendons and ligaments.

Tendon and ligament (TL) injuries affect millions of people annually. Biopolymers play a significant role in TL tissue repair, whether the treatment relies on tissue engineering strategies or using artificial tendon grafts. The biopolymer governs the mechanical properties, biocompatibility, degradation, and fabrication method of the TL scaffold. Many natural, synthetic and hybrid biopolymers have been studied in TL regeneration, often combined with therapeutic agents and minerals to engineer novel scaffold systems. However, most of the advanced biopolymers have not advanced to clinical use yet. Here, we aim to review recent biopolymers and discuss their features for TL tissue engineering. After introducing the properties of the native tissue, we discuss different types of natural, synthetic and hybrid biopolymers used in TL tissue engineering. Then, we review biopolymers used in commercial absorbable and non-absorbable TL grafts. Finally, we explain the challenges and future directions for the development of novel biopolymers in TL regenerative treatment.

Systematic evaluation of three porcine-derived collagen membranes for guided bone regeneration.

Guided bone regeneration is one of the most common surgical treatment modalities performed when an additional alveolar bone is required to stabilize dental implants in partially and fully edentulous patients. The addition of a barrier membrane prevents non-osteogenic tissue invasion into the bone cavity, which is key to the success of guided bone regeneration. Barrier membranes can be broadly classified as non-resorbable or resorbable. In contrast to non-resorbable membranes, resorbable barrier membranes do not require a second surgical procedure for membrane removal. Commercially available resorbable barrier membranes are either synthetically manufactured or derived from xenogeneic collagen. Although collagen barrier membranes have become increasingly popular amongst clinicians, largely due to their superior handling qualities compared to other commercially available barrier membranes, there have been no studies to date that have compared commercially available porcine-derived collagen membranes with respect to surface topography, collagen fibril structure, physical barrier property, and immunogenic composition. This study evaluated three commercially available non-crosslinked porcine-derived collagen membranes (Striate+TM, Bio-Gide® and CreosTM Xenoprotect). Scanning electron microscopy revealed similar collagen fibril distribution on both the rough and smooth sides of the membranes as well as the similar diameters of collagen fibrils. However, D-periodicity of the fibrillar collagen is significantly different among the membranes, with Striate+TM membrane having the closest D-periodicity to native collagen I. This suggests that there is less deformation of collagen during manufacturing process. All collagen membranes showed superior barrier property evidenced by blocking 0.2-16.4 µm beads passing through the membranes. To examine the immunogenic agents in these membranes, we examined the membranes for the presence of DNA and alpha-gal by immunohistochemistry. No alpha-gal or DNA was detected in any membranes. However, using a more sensitive detection method (real-time polymerase chain reaction), a relatively strong DNA signal was detected in Bio-Gide® membrane, but not Striate+TM and CreosTM Xenoprotect membranes. Our study concluded that these membranes are similar but not identical, probably due to the different ages and sources of porcine tissues, as well as different manufacturing processes. We recommend further studies to understand the clinical implications of these findings.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the largefin longbarbel catfish (Hemibagrus macropterus).

The largefin longbarbel catfish, Hemibagrus macropterus, is an economically important fish species in southwestern China, with males growing faster than females. This study presents a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of the largefin longbarbel catfish, generated by integrating Illumina short reads, PacBio HiFi long reads, and Hi-C data. The assembled genome size was 858.5 Mb, with a contig and scaffold N50 of 5.8 Mb and 28.4 Mb, respectively. A total of 656 contigs were successfully anchored to 30 pseudochromosomes with a BUSCO score of 97.7%, consistent with the number of chromosomes analyzed by karyotype. The genome contained 29.5% repeat sequences, and a predicted total of 26,613 protein-coding genes, of which 25,769 (96.8%) were functionally annotated in different databases. Evolutionary analysis showed that H. macropterus was most closely related to H. wyckioides, with a divergence time of approximately 16.3 million years. Chromosomal syntenic relationships among H. macropterus, H. wyckioides, and Pelteobagrus fulvidraco revealed a one-to-one relationship for most chromosomes, except for break, fission, and inversion of some chromosomes. The first high-quality reference genome will not only provide a valuable genetic resource for the study of sex determination mechanisms and genetic breeding of largefin longbarbel catfish, but also contribute to comparative analyses of genome and chromosome evolution within Siluriformes.