Co-axial fibrous scaffolds integrating with carbon fiber promote cardiac tissue regeneration post myocardial infarction.

Myocardium is an excitable tissue with electrical conductivity and mechanical strength. In this work, carbon fibers (CFs) and co-axial fibrous mesh were integrated which combined the high modulus and excellent electrical conductivity of CFs and the fibrous and porous structures of the electrospun fibers. The scaffold was fabricated by simply integrating coaxial electrospun fibers and carbon fibers through a freeze-drying procedure.

A panel of DNA methylation biomarkers for detection and improving diagnostic efficiency of lung cancer.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Although low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT) screening is used for the detection of lung cancer in a high-risk population, false-positive results of LDCT remain a clinical problem. Here, we developed a blood test of a novel panel of three established lung cancer methylation biomarkers for lung cancer detection.

Association between syphilis seroprevalence and age among blood donors in Southern China: an observational study from 2014 to 2017.

Objective: This study investigated the association between syphilis seroprevalence and age among blood donors, and described the distribution of serological titres among syphilis-infected donors, aiming to confirm the syphilis epidemic characteristics and to promote effective interventions for older adults.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Shenzhen Programme for Syphilis Prevention and Control in 2014-2017. Blood samples were screened using the ELISAs, and confirmed using the particle agglutination assay (TPPA) and toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST).

High Modulus Conductive Hydrogels Enhance In Vitro Maturation and Contractile Function of Primary Cardiomyocytes for Uses in Drug Screening.

Effective and quick screening and cardiotoxicity assessment are very crucial for drug development. Here, a novel composite hydrogel composed of carbon fibers (CFs) with high conductivity and modulus with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is reported. The conductivity of the composite hydrogel PVA/CFs is similar to that of natural heart tissue, and the elastic modulus is close to that of natural heart tissue during systole, due to the incorporation of CFs.

Macrophage phenotypic mechanomodulation of enhancing bone regeneration by superparamagnetic scaffold upon magnetization.

Macrophages are involved in all phases of scaffold induced tissue regeneration, orchestrating the transition from an inflammatory to regenerative phenotype to guide all other cell types to complete the wound healing process when a tissue defect advances beyond the critical size. Therefore, harnessing macrophages by scaffolds is important for facilitating tissue regeneration in situ. In this work we utilized the superparamagnetic scaffold upon magnetization as a mechanostimulation platform to apply forces directly to macrophages grown in the scaffold, aiming to figure out whether the functions of macrophages related to bone tissue regeneration can be mechanomodulated and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Visible light-switched cytosol release of siRNA by amphiphilic fullerene derivative to enhance RNAi efficacy in vitro and in vivo.

Unlabelled: Cationic macromolecules are attractive for use as small interfering RNA (siRNA) carriers due to their performance in non-immunological reactions, customization during synthesis, and low costs compared to viral carriers. However, their low transfection efficiency substantially hinders their application in both clinical practices and academic research, which is mostly attributable to the low capacity of siRNA/cationic macromolecule complexes to escape lysosomes. To address this challenge, we designed an amphiphilic fullerene derivative (C-Dex-NH) for efficient and controllable siRNA delivery.