The Bifunctional Effects of Lactoferrin (LFcinB11) in Inhibiting Neural Cell Adhesive Molecule (NCAM) Polysialylation and the Release of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs).

The expression of polysialic acid (polySia) on the neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is called NCAM-polysialylation, which is strongly related to the migration and invasion of tumor cells and aggressive clinical status. Thus, it is important to select a proper drug to block tumor cell migration during clinical treatment. In this study, we proposed that lactoferrin (LFcinB11) may be a better candidate for inhibiting NCAM polysialylation when compared with CMP and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), which were determined based on our NMR studies. Furthermore, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent the most dramatic stage in the cell death process, and the release of NETs is related to the pathogenesis of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, with proposed involvement in glomerulonephritis, chronic lung disease, sepsis, and vascular disorders. In this study, the molecular mechanisms involved in the inhibition of NET release using LFcinB11 as an inhibitor were also determined. Based on these results, LFcinB11 is proposed as being a bifunctional inhibitor for inhibiting both NCAM polysialylation and the release of NETs.

Reversible Switching Between Microwave Absorption and EMI Shielding of VO2 Composite Foam.

Developing lightweight composite with reversible switching between microwave (MW) absorption and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is promising yet remains highly challenging due to the completely inconsistent attenuation mechanism for electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Here, a lightweight vanadium dioxide/expanded polymer microsphere composites foam (VO2/EPM) is designed and fabricated with porous structures and 3D VO2 interconnection, which possesses reversible switching function between MW absorption and EMI shielding under thermal stimulation. The VO2/EPM exhibits MW absorption with a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 3.25 GHz at room temperature (25 °C), while provides EMI shielding of 23.1 dB at moderately high temperature (100 °C). This reversible switching performance relies on the porous structure and tunability of electrical conductivity, complex permittivity, and impedance matching, which are substantially induced by the convertible crystal structure and electronic structure of VO2. Finite element simulation is employed to qualitatively investigate the change in interaction between EM waves and VO2/EPM before and after the phase transition. Moreover, the application of VO2/EPM is demonstrated with a reversible switching function in controlling wireless transmission on/off, showcasing its excellent cycling stability. This kind of smart material with a reversible switching function shows great potential in next-generation electronic devices.

Simultaneous SERS Sensing of Cysteine and Homocysteine in Blood Based on the CBT-Cys Click Reaction: Toward Precisive Diagnosis of Schizophrenia.

At present, there is a lack of sufficiently specific laboratory diagnostic indicators for schizophrenia. Serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels have been found to be related to schizophrenia. Cysteine (Cys) is a demethylation product in the metabolism of Hcy, and they always coexist with highly similar structures in vivo. There are few reports on the use of Cys as a diagnostic biomarker for schizophrenia in collaboration with Hcy, mainly because the rapid, economical, accurate, and high-throughput simultaneous detection of Cys and Hcy in serum is highly challenging. Herein, a click reaction-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensor was developed for simultaneous and selective detection of Cys and Hcy. Through the efficient and specific CBT-Cys click reaction between the probe containing cyan benzothiazole and Cys/Hcy, the tiny methylene difference between the molecular structures of Cys and Hcy was converted into the difference between the ring skeletons of the corresponding products that could be identified by plasmonic silver nanoparticle enhanced molecular fingerprint spectroscopy to realize discriminative detection. Furthermore, the SERS sensor was successfully applied to the detection in related patient serum samples, and it was found that the combined analysis of Cys and Hcy can improve the diagnostic accuracy of schizophrenia compared to a single indicator.

Enhancing the Interaction of Carbon Nanotubes by Metal-Organic Decomposition with Improved Mechanical Strength and Ultra-Broadband EMI Shielding Performance.

The remarkable properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have led to promising applications in the field of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. However, for macroscopic CNT assemblies, such as CNT film, achieving high electrical and mechanical properties remains challenging, which heavily depends on the tube-tube interactions of CNTs. Herein, we develop a novel strategy based on metal-organic decomposition (MOD) to fabricate a flexible silver-carbon nanotube (Ag-CNT) film. The Ag particles are introduced in situ into the CNT film through annealing of MOD, leading to enhanced tube-tube interactions. As a result, the electrical conductivity of Ag-CNT film is up to 6.82 × 105 S m-1, and the EMI shielding effectiveness of Ag-CNT film with a thickness of ~ 7.8 µm exceeds 66 dB in the ultra-broad frequency range (3-40 GHz). The tensile strength and Young's modulus of Ag-CNT film increase from 30.09 ± 3.14 to 76.06 ± 6.20 MPa (~ 253%) and from 1.12 ± 0.33 to 8.90 ± 0.97 GPa (~ 795%), respectively. Moreover, the Ag-CNT film exhibits excellent near-field shielding performance, which can effectively block wireless transmission. This innovative approach provides an effective route to further apply macroscopic CNT assemblies to future portable and wearable electronic devices.

Hypofractionated radiotherapy for refractory or relapsed aggressive B-cell lymphoma in the rituximab era.

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy (RT) is an effective and available local treatment for patients with refractory or relapsed (R/R) aggressive B-cell lymphomas. However, the value of hypofractionated RT in this setting has not been confirmed. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients with R/R aggressive B-cell lymphoma who received hypofractionated RT between January 2020 and August 2022 at a single institution. The objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and acute side effects were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients were included. The median dose for residual disease was 36 Gy, at a dose per fraction of 2.3-5 Gy. After RT, the ORR and complete response (CR) rates were 90% and 80%, respectively. With a median follow-up of 10 months (range, 2-27 months), 10 patients (33.3%) experienced disease progression and three died. The 1-year OS and PFS rates for all patients were 81.8% and 66.3%, respectively. The majority (8/10) of post-RT progressions involved out-of-field relapses. Patients with relapsed diseases, no response to systemic therapy, multiple lesions at the time of RT, and no response to RT were associated with out-of-field relapses. PFS was associated with response to RT (P = 0.001) and numbers of residual sites (P < 0.001). No serious non-hematological adverse effects (≥ grade 3) associated with RT were reported. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that hypofractionated RT was effective and tolerable for patients with R/R aggressive B-cell lymphoma, especially for those that exhibited localized residual disease.

Prediction of viral pneumonia based on machine learning models analyzing pulmonary inflammation index scores.

OBJECT: To obtain Pulmonary Inflammation Index scores from imaging chest CT and combine it with clinical correlates of viral pneumonia to predict the risk and severity of viral pneumonia using a computer learning model. METHODS: All patients with suspected viral pneumonia on CT examination admitted to The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University from December 2022 to March 2023 were retrospectively selected. The respiratory viruses were monitored by RT-PCR and categorized into patients with viral pneumonia and those with non-viral pneumonia. The extent of lung inflammation was quantified according to the Pulmonary Inflammation Index score (PII). Information on patient demographics, comorbidities, laboratory tests, pathogenetic testing, and radiological data were collected. Five machine learning models containing Random Forest(RF), Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), K Nearest Neighbour Algorithm (KNN), and Kernel Ridge Regression (KRR) were used to predict the risk of onset and severity of viral pneumonia based on the clinically relevant factors or PII. RESULTS: Among the five models, the SVM model performed best in ACC (76.75 %), SN (73.99 %), and F1 (72.42 %) and achieved a better area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) (0.8409) when predicting the risk of developing viral pneumonia. RF had the best overall classification accuracy in predicting the severity of viral pneumonia, especially in predicting pneumonia with a PII classification of grade I, the RF model achieved an accuracy of 98.89%. CONCLUSION: Machine learning models are valuable in assessing the risk of viral pneumonia. Meanwhile, machine learning models confirm the importance in predicting the severity of viral pneumonia through PII. The establishment of machine learning models for predicting the risk and severity of viral pneumonia promotes the further development of machine learning in the medical field.

The NMR studies of CMP inhibition of polysialylation.

The overexpression of polysialic acid (polySia) on neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM) promotes hypersialylation, and thus benefits cancer cell migration and invasion. It has been proposed that the binding between the polysialyltransferase domain (PSTD) and CMP-Sia needs to be inhibited in order to block the effects of hypersialylation. In this study, CMP was confirmed to be a competitive inhibitor of polysialyltransferases (polySTs) in the presence of CMP-Sia and triSia (oligosialic acid trimer) based on the interactional features between molecules. The further NMR analysis suggested that polysialylation could be partially inhibited when CMP-Sia and polySia co-exist in solution. In addition, an unexpecting finding is that CMP-Sia plays a role in reducing the gathering extent of polySia chains on the PSTD, and may benefit for the inhibition of polysialylation. The findings in this study may provide new insight into the optimal design of the drug and inhibitor for cancer treatment.

Reviews of fungi and mycotoxins in Chinese dark tea.

The fermentation is the main process to form the unique flavor and health benefits of dark tea. Numerous studies have indicated that the microorganisms play a significant part in the fermentation process of dark tea. Dark tea has the quality of "The unique flavor grows over time," but unscientific storage of dark tea might cause infestation of harmful microorganisms, thereby resulting in the remaining of fungi toxins. Mycotoxins are regarded as the main contributor to the quality of dark tea, and its potential mycotoxin risk has attracted people's attention. This study reviews common and potential mycotoxins in dark tea and discusses the possible types of masked mycotoxins in dark tea. A summary of the potential risks of mycotoxins and masked mycotoxins in dark tea is presented, intending to provide a reference for the prevention and risk assessment of harmful fungi in dark tea.

Enhancing the Chemical Stability of MXene Through Synergy of Hydrogen Bond and Coordination Bond in Aqueous Solution.

MXenes with unique physicochemical properties have shown substantial potential in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. However, the chemical instability and mechanical fragility of MXenes has become a major hurdle for their application. Abundant strategies have been dedicated to improving the oxidation stability of colloidal solution or mechanical properties of films, which always come at the expense of electrical conductivity and chemical compatibility. Here, hydrogen bond (H-bond) and coordination bond are employed to achieve chemical and colloidal stability of MXenes (0.1 mg mL-1 ) by occupying the reaction sites of Ti3 C2 Tx attacking of water and oxygen molecules. Compared to the Ti3 C2 Tx , the Ti3 C2 Tx modified with alanine via H-bond shows significantly improved oxidation stability (at room temperature over 35 days), while the Ti3 C2 Tx modified with cysteine by synergy of H-bond and coordination bond can be maintained even after 120 days. Simulation and experimental results verify the formation of H-bond and Ti-S bond by a Lewis acid-base interaction between Ti3 C2 Tx and cysteine. Furthermore, the synergy strategy significantly improves the mechanical strength of the assembled film (up to 78.1 ± 7.9 MPa), corresponding the increment of 203% compared to untreated one, almost without compromising the electrical conductivity and EMI shielding performance.

Spatially resolved transcriptomics revealed local invasion-related genes in colorectal cancer.

Objective: Local invasion is the first step of metastasis, the main cause of colorectal cancer (CRC)-related death. Recent studies have revealed extensive intertumoral and intratumoral heterogeneity. Here, we focused on revealing local invasion-related genes in CRC. Methods: We used spatial transcriptomic techniques to study the process of local invasion in four CRC tissues. First, we compared the pre-cancerous, cancer center, and invasive margin in one section (S115) and used pseudo-time analysis to reveal the differentiation trajectories from cancer center to invasive margin. Next, we performed immunohistochemical staining for RPL5, STC1, AKR1B1, CD47, and HLA-A on CRC samples. Moreover, we knocked down AKR1B1 in CRC cell lines and performed CCK-8, wound healing, and transwell assays to assess cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Results: We demonstrated that 13 genes were overexpressed in invasive clusters, among which the expression of CSTB and TM4SF1 was correlated with poor PFS in CRC patients. The ribosome pathway was increased, while the antigen processing and presentation pathway was decreased along CRC progression. RPL5 was upregulated, while HLA-A was downregulated along cancer invasion in CRC samples. Pseudo-time analysis revealed that STC1, AKR1B1, SIRPA, C4orf3, EDNRA, CES1, PRRX1, EMP1, PPIB, PLTP, SULF2, and EGFL6 were unpregulated along the trajectories. Immunohistochemic3al staining showed the expression of STC1, AKR1B1, and CD47 was increased along cancer invasion in CRC samples. Knockdown of AKR1B1 inhibited CRC cells' proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conclusions: We revealed the spatial heterogeneity within CRC tissues and uncovered some novel genes that were associated with CRC invasion.

Untargeted metabolomics and quantification analysis reveal the shift of chemical constituents between instant dark teas individually liquid-state fermented by Aspergillus cristatus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus tubingensis.

Instant dark teas (IDTs) were individually liquid-state fermented using the fungi Aspergillus cristatus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus tubingensis. To understand how the chemical constituents of IDTs were affected by the fungi, samples were collected and measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed that 1,380 chemical constituents were identified in positive and negative ion modes, and 858 kinds of chemical components were differential metabolites. Through cluster analysis, IDTs were different from the blank control, and their chemical constituents mostly included carboxylic acids and their derivatives, flavonoids, organooxygen compounds, and fatty acyls. And the metabolites of IDTs fermented by A. niger and A. tubingensis had a high degree of similarity and were classified into one category, which showed that the fungus used to ferment is critical to the formation of certain qualities of IDTs. The biosynthesis of flavonoids and phenylpropanoid, which involved nine different metabolites such as p-coumarate, p-coumaroyl-CoA, caffeate, ferulate, naringenin, kaempferol, leucocyanidin, cyanidin, and (-)-epicatechin, were significant pathways influencing the quality formation of IDTs. Quantification analysis indicated that the A. tubingensis fermented-IDT had the highest content of theaflavin, theabrownin, and caffeine, while the A. cristatus fermented-IDT had the lowest content of theabrownin, and caffeine. Overall, the results provided new insights into the relationship between the quality formation of IDTs and the microorganisms used in liquid-state fermentation.

Transcriptional regulation of NDUFA4L2 by NFIB induces sorafenib resistance by decreasing reactive oxygen species in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Sorafenib is one a first-line therapeutic drugs for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, only 30% of patients benefit from sorafenib due to drug resistance. We and other groups have revealed that nuclear factor I B (NFIB) regulates liver regeneration and carcinogenesis, but its role in drug resistance is poorly known. We found that NFIB was more upregulated in sorafenib-resistant SMMC-7721 cells compared to parental cells. NFIB knockdown not only sensitized drug-resistant cells to sorafenib but also inhibited the proliferation and invasion of these cells. Meanwhile, NFIB promoted the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells in vitro and facilitated tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Knocking down NFIB synergetically inhibited tumor growth with sorafenib. Mechanically, gene expression profiling and subsequent verification experiments proved that NFIB could bind with the promoter region of a complex I inhibitor NDUFA4L2 and promote its transcription. Transcriptional upregulation of NDUFA4L2 by NFIB could thus inhibit the sorafenib-induced reactive oxygen species accumulation. Finally, we found that NFIB was highly expressed in HCC tissues, and high NFIB expression level was associated with macrovascular invasion, advanced tumor stage, and poor prognosis of HCC patients (n = 156). In summary, we demonstrated that NFIB could transcriptionally upregulate NDUFA4L2 to enhance both intrinsic and acquired sorafenib resistance of HCC cells by reducing reactive oxygen species induction.

Dietary assessment of ochratoxin A in Chinese dark tea and inhibitory effects of tea polyphenols on ochratoxigenic Aspergillus niger.

In recent years, there has been an increasingly heated debate on whether Chinese dark tea is contaminated with mycotoxins and whether it poses health risks to consumers. In this study, a rapid method based on high-performance liquid chromatography was used to detect ochratoxin A (OTA) in Chinese dark tea samples from different regions of China and different years. Of the 228 Chinese dark tea samples tested, 21 were detected for OTA contamination, with a concentration ranging from 2.51 ± 0.16 to 12.62 ± 0.72 µg/kg. Subsequently, a dark tea drinking risk assessment was conducted, and the hazard quotient for each group was far below the acceptable level of 1.0. Of the 12 Aspergillus spp. strains isolated, one strain of Aspergillus niger had the ability to produce OTA. We also found that tea polyphenols and epigallocatechin gallate inhibited the growth of ochratoxin-producing Aspergillus niger and the expression of non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), a key gene for ochratoxin synthesis. Thus, OTA contamination of dark tea is at an acceptable risk level, and the inhibition of ochratoxigenic Aspergillus niger by polyphenols provides new insights into the safety of dark tea consumption.

Dynamic changes in the diversity and function of bacterial community during black tea processing.

Among all types of tea, black tea is produced in the largest amount worldwide, and its consumption is still increasing. Enzymatic fermentation is considered majorly contribute to quality formation of black tea, and the information about the roles of bacterial community in black tea processing is scarce. This study aimed to analyze the dynamic changes in composition, structure, and function of microbial communities during black tea processing and reveal the roles of bacterial community in black tea processing. Results showed that the genera Sphingomonas and Variovorax were dominant throughout the processing of black tea. Prediction function analysis of bacterial community showed that the mean proportions of glucuronoarabinoxylan endo - 1,4 - beta - xylanase, aminopeptidase B, phosphoserine phosphatase, homoserine O-acetyltransferase, glycolysis related enzymes, pyruvate dehydrogenase, tricarboxylic acid cycle related enzymes, and glyoxylate bypass were significantly elevated in the rolling and fermentation stages. The contents of amino acids, soluble sugar, theaflavins, thearubigins, and theabrownins increased greatly during the rolling and fermentation processes. Redundancy and Pearson's correlation analyses showed that the relative abundance of bacteria was closely related to the contents of water extract, tea polyphenols, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, catechin gallate, thearubigins, theaflavins, and theabrownins. Overall, the findings provided new insights into the variation of bacterial community during black tea processing and improved our understanding of the core functional bacteria involved in black tea processing.

The value of routine bone marrow examination in patients with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma staged with PET/CT.

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence supports the omission of routine bone marrow (BM) examination (biopsy and aspiration) in patients with nasal-type extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL). This study was aimed at assessing whether BM examination provides valuable information for positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)-based staging in this patient population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients newly diagnosed with ENKTCL who underwent initial staging with both PET/CT and BM examination between 2013 and 2020 were retrospectively identified in two Chinese institutions. Overall, 742 patients were included; the BM examination was positive in 67 patients. RESULTS: Compared with BM biopsy alone, the combination of BM biopsy and aspiration assessment did not afford any additional diagnostic value. No patient with a positive BM biopsy was found to have early-stage disease by PET/CT. BM biopsy or PET/CT led to upstaging from stage III to IV as a result of BM involvement in 21 patients. In 135 patients with distant organ involvement, BM involvement was associated with worse overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with the corresponding durations in patients without BM involvement (2-year OS: 35.9% vs. 60.4%, p < .001; PFS: 26% vs. 40.7%, p = .003). No difference in survival was noted between groups judged positive based on PET/CT and BM biopsy. CONCLUSION: Compared with aspiration, BM biopsy led to the detection of more BM lesions. Baseline PET/CT can be safely used to exclude BM involvement in early-stage disease. Overall, routine BM examination affords diagnostic or prognostic value over PET/CT in patients with advanced-stage nasal-type ENKTCL.

Metallized Skeleton of Polymer Foam Based on Metal-Organic Decomposition for High-Performance EMI Shielding.

Highly conductive polymer foam with light weight, flexibility, and high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is highly desired in the fields of aerospace, communication, and high-power electronic equipment, especially in the board-level packaging. However, traditional technology for preparing conductive polymer foam such as electroless plating and electroplating involves serious pollution, a complex fabrication process, and high cost. It is urgent to develop a facile method for the fabrication of highly conductive polymer foam. Herein, we demonstrated a lightweight and flexible silver-wrapped melamine foam (Ag@ME) via in situ sintering of metal-organic decomposition (MOD) at a low temperature (200 °C) on the ME skeleton modified with poly(ethylene imine). The Ag@ME with a continuous 3D conductive network exhibits good compressibility, an excellent conductivity of 158.4 S/m, and a remarkable EMI shielding effectiveness of 63 dB in the broad frequency of 8.2-40 GHz covering X-, Ku-, K-, and Ka-bands, while the volume content is only 2.03 vol %. The attenuation mechanism of Ag@ME for EM waves is systematically investigated by both EM simulation and experimental analysis. Moreover, the practical EMI shielding application of Ag@ME in board-level packaging is demonstrated and it shows outstanding near-field shielding performance. This novel strategy for fabrication of highly conductive polymer foam with low cost and non-pollution could potentially promote the practical applications of Ag@ME in the field of EMI shielding.

High sensitivity multitasking non-reciprocity sensor using the photonic spin Hall effect.

A non-reciprocity sensor based on a layered structure with multitasking is proposed, which realizes biological detection and angle sensing. Through an asymmetrical arrangement of different dielectrics, the sensor obtains non-reciprocity on the forward and backward scales, thus achieving multi-scale sensing in different measurement ranges. The structure sets the analysis layer. Injecting the analyte into the analysis layers by locating the peak value of the photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE) displacement, cancer cells can accurately be distinguished from normal cells via refractive index (RI) detection on the forward scale. The measurement range is 1.569∼1.662, and the sensitivity (S) is 2.97 × 10-2 m/RIU. On the backward scale, the sensor is able to detect glucose solution with 0∼400 g/L concentrations (RI = 1.3323∼1.38), with S = 1.16 × 10-3 m/RIU. When the analysis layers are filled with air, high-precision angle sensing can be achieved in the terahertz range by locating the incident angle of the PSHE displacement peak; 30°âˆ¼45°, and 50°âˆ¼65° are the detection ranges, and the highest S can reach 0.032 THz/°. This sensor contributes to detecting cancer cells and biomedical blood glucose and offers a new way to the angle sensing.

Molecular Mechanism of Inhibition of Polysialyltransferase Domain (PSTD) by Heparin.

The polysialic acid (polySia) is a unique carbohydrate polymer produced on the surface of Neuronal Cell Adhesion Molecule (NCAM) in a number of cancer cells, and strongly correlates with the migration and invasion of tumor cells and with aggressive, metastatic disease and poor clinical prognosis in the clinic. Its synthesis is catalyzed by two polysialyltransferases (polySTs), ST8SiaIV (PST) and ST8SiaII (STX). Selective inhibition of polySTs, therefore, presents a therapeutic opportunity to inhibit tumor invasion and metastasis due to NCAM polysialylation. It has been proposed that NCAM polysialylation could be inhibited by two types of heparin inhibitors, low molecular heparin (LMWH) and heparin tetrasaccharide (DP4). This review summarizes how the interactions between Polysialyltransferase Domain (PSTD) in ST8SiaIV and CMP-Sia, and between the PSTD and polySia take place, and how these interactions are inhibited by LMWH and DP4. Our NMR studies indicate that LMWH is a more effective inhibitor than DP4 for inhibition of NCAM polysialylation. The NMR identification of heparin-binding sites in the PSTD may provide insight into the design of specific inhibitors of polysialylation.

The effect of inhibiting exosomes derived from adipose-derived stem cells via the TGF-ß1/Smad pathway on the fibrosis of keloid fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: The main mechanism of keloid formation is that keloid fibroblasts (KFs) apoptosis is inhibited, leading to excessive proliferation. Transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) is a key signal molecule in the process of regulating cell fibrosis. This paper discusses the effect of adipose-derived stem cell exosomes (ADSCs-EXO) on the proliferation and apoptosis of KFS and its possible mechanism, in order to provide reference for the clinical intervention of hypertrophic scar. METHODS: ADSCs were isolated and cultured from human adipose tissue, the supernatant was collected, and the exosomes secreted by ADSCs-EXO were extracted by ultracentrifugation. At the same time, KFs were cultured from human keloid tissue to P3 generation, and then divided into four groups: control group, experimental group A, experimental group B and experimental group C. KFs were then cultured with four concentrations of ADSCs-EXO (0, 1, 10, and 100 µg/mL, respectively). After 24 hours, cells in each group were taken to detect the following: proliferation of cells in each group using the cell counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) method, cell migration ability via the Transwell test, cell apoptosis by flow cytometry, collagen synthesis using the hydroxyproline method, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of fibrosis-related genes in each group by real-time fluorescent polymerase chain amplification, and the expression of fibrosis-related proteins in the cells of each group by western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the proliferation rate, migration rate, and collagen synthesis levels in the three experimental groups decreased with the increase of ADSCs-EXO concentration, while the apoptosis rate in the three experimental groups increased with the increase of ADSCs-EXO concentration, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Also, compared with the control group, the relative mRNA and protein expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), TGF-ß1, and Smad3 in the three groups decreased significantly, while the expression of three kinds of mRNA and protein decreased with the increase of ADSCs-EXO concentration, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ADSCs-EXO may inhibit the proliferation and migration, and promote the apoptosis of KFs by inhibiting the expression of the TGF-ß1/Smad pathway.

Ultrathin Densified Carbon Nanotube Film with "Metal-like" Conductivity, Superior Mechanical Strength, and Ultrahigh Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness.

Flexible and lightweight high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding materials with minimal thickness, excellent mechanical properties, and outstanding reliability are highly desired in the field of fifth-generation (5G) communication, yet remain extremely challenging to manufacture. Herein, we prepared an ultrathin densified carbon nanotube (CNT) film with superior mechanical properties and ultrahigh shielding effectiveness. Upon complete removal of impurities in pristine CNT film, charge separation in individual CNTs induced by polar molecules leads to strong CNT-CNT attraction and film densification, which significantly improve the electrical conductivity, shielding performance, and mechanical strength. The tensile strength is up to 822 ± 21 MPa, meanwhile the electrical conductivity is as high as 902,712 S/m, and the density is only 1.39 g cm-3. Notably, the shielding effectiveness is over 51 dB with a thickness of merely 1.85 µm in the broad frequency range of 4-18 GHz, and it reaches to ∼82 dB at 6.36 µm and ∼101 dB at 14.7 µm, respectively. Further, such CNT film exhibits excellent reliability after an extended period in strong acid/alkali, high temperature, and high humidity. It demonstrates the best overall performance among representative shielding materials by far, representing a critical breakthrough in the preparation of shielding film toward applications in wearable electronics and 5G communication.