This study compared the physiological effects and recovery profiles of two chemical restraint protocols in 15 collared peccaries: KMA (ketamine-medetomidine-atipamezole) and TZX (tiletaminezolazepam-xylazine-yohimbine). Qualitative and quantitative parameters (heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation) were recorded. Both protocols provided stable anaesthesia. KMA showed a shorter induction time (P = 0.04) and lower heart rates, while recovery times were similar. Although KMA may be preferred for more rapid induction, individual variability highlights the need for tailored monitoring and careful dose selection.
The tropical tree crop Theobroma cacao has many cultivars that differ genetically and show differences in resistance to disease. These cultivars also host diverse microbiomes, including endophytic fungi, with the capacity to protect the plant against diseases. Further research is needed to utilize these fungi effectively in biological control. This study aimed to (i) assess whether host genotypic differences affect the diversity and taxonomic composition of cacao fruit's endophytic mycobiome, at one cacao producer locality in Panama; (ii) determine whether the biocontrol capacity of endophytic fungi against the cacao frosty pod pathogen, Moniliophthora roreri, varies depending on host genotypes with contrasting levels of disease resistance; and (iii) evaluate endophytic fungi effects on the secondary chemistry profile of T. cacao pods. Internal transcribed spacer-based metabarcoding of the cacao pod fungal endophyte community associated with four host genotypes revealed 342 amplicon sequence variants representing 13 classes, 33 orders, 62 families, and 92 genera. Alpha diversity of the fungal endophyte community was influenced by host genotype. A field trial to evaluate the biocontrol efficacy of fungal endophytes Waltergamsia zeylanica and Clonostachys rosea against M. roreri in two T. cacao genotypes showed that C. rosea significantly reduced M. roreri sporulating lesions, and this effect was larger in the most susceptible genotype. Inoculation with both fungi downregulated specific metabolites in the fruit of cacao. This study shows that host genotype affects the composition of the cacao pod mycobiome and that the mycobiome can be manipulated to enhance disease resistance in what is normally considered a susceptible genotype.Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
Brain decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) can be an attractive scaffold capable of mimicking the native ecosystem of the central nervous system tissue. We studied the in vitro response of neural cultures exposed to region-specific brain decellularized ECM scaffolds from three distinct neuroanatomical sections: cortex, cerebellum and remaining areas. First, each brain region was evaluated with the isotropic fractionator method to understand the cellular composition of the different cerebral areas. Second, the cerebral regions were subjected to the decellularization process and their respective characterization using molecular, histological, and ultrastructural techniques. Third, the levels of neurotrophic factors in the decellularized brain scaffold were analyzed. Fourth, we studied the region-specific brain decellularized ECM as a mimetic platform for the maturation of PC12 cells, as a unidirectional model of differentiation. Finally, in vitro studies were carried out to evaluate the cell recovery capacity of brain decellularized ECM under stroke-mimetic conditions. Our results show that region-specific brain decellularized ECM can serve as a biomimetic scaffold capable of promoting the growth of neural lineage cells and, in addition, it possesses a combination of structural and biochemical signals (e.g., neurotrophic factors) that are capable of inducing cell phenotypic changes and promote viability and cell recovery in a stroke/ischemia model in vitro.
Improving the interfacial stability of graphite anodes remains a major challenge for extending the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries. In this study, ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) and nitrogen-incorporated UNCD (N-UNCD) coatings were employed as protective layers to enhance the electrochemical and mechanical robustness of graphite electrodes. Half-cells were cycled for 60 charge–discharge cycles, and their behavior was examined through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Distribution of Relaxation Times (DRT), and Equivalent Circuit Modeling (ECM) to disentangle the characteristic relaxation processes. The potential–capacity profiles exhibited the typical LiC12–LiC6 transition plateaus without any additional features for the coated electrodes, confirming that the UNCD and N-UNCD films do not participate in lithium storage but serve as chemically inert and electrically stable interlayers. In contrast, the uncoated reference graphite anodes showed greater capacity fluctuations and increasing interfacial impedance. DRT and ECM analyses revealed four consistent relaxation processes—electronic transport (τ1), ionic transport through the electrolyte (τ2), Solid Electrolyte Interface (SEI) response (τ3), and lithium intercalation (τ4). The τ2 process remained invariant, whereas τ3 and τ4 were markedly stabilized by the UNCD and N-UNCD coatings. UNCD exhibited the lowest SEI-related resistance and the most stable charge-transfer kinetics, while N-UNCD displayed an initially higher τ3 resistance followed by progressive self-stabilization after 20 charge/discharge cycles, linked to reorganization of nitrogen-rich grain boundaries. Overall, polycrystalline diamond coatings—particularly UNCD—proved to be highly effective in suppressing SEI layer growth, minimizing impedance rise, and preserving lithium intercalation efficiency, leading to enhanced long-term electrochemical performance. These findings highlight the potential of diamond-based protective layers as a durable and scalable strategy for next-generation graphite anodes.
BACKGROUND:Honey bees are the principal commercial pollinators. Along with other arthropods, they are increasingly under threat from anthropogenic factors such as the incursion of invasive honey bee subspecies, pathogens and parasites. Better tools are needed to identify bee subspecies. Genomic data for economic and ecologically important organisms is increasing, but in its basic form its practical application to address ecological problems is limited. RESULTS:We introduce HBeeID a means to identify honey bees. The tool utilizes a knowledge-based network and diagnostic SNPs identified by discriminant analysis of principle components and hierarchical agglomerative clustering. Tests of HBeeID showed that it identifies African, Americas-Africanized, Asian, and European honey bees with a high degree of certainty even when samples lack the full 272 SNPs of HBeeID. Its prediction capacity decreases with highly admixed samples. CONCLUSION:HBeeID is a high-resolution genomic, SNP based tool, that can be used to identify honey bees and screen species that are invasive. Its flexible design allows for future improvements via sample data additions from other localities.
