Detecting changes of testicular interstitial cell membranes with a fluorescent probe after incubation and cryopreservation with cryoprotective agents.

Membrane alterations are among central factors predetermining cell survival during cryopreservation. In the present research, we tested some serum-/xeno-free cryoprotective compositions including dimethyl sulfoxide (MeSO) and polymers for their osmotic impact and toxicity towards testicular interstitial cells (ICs). IC survival was determined after their contact with MeSO, dextran (D40), hydroxyethyl starch (HES), polyethylene glycols (PEG1500 and PEG400), or after cryopreservation and cryoprotective agent (CPA) removal.

Phase transitions and mechanisms of cryoprotection of serum-/xeno-free media based on dextran and dimethyl sulfoxide.

The development of serum-/xeno-free media may help avoid the drawbacks of using serum and its components, such as probable contamination, instability of composition, or difficulty in sterilization. The objectives of this research were to investigate the use of combinations of a permeating cryoprotective agent (MeSO) and non-permeating polymers (polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene glycol, hydroxyethyl starch, dextran) for cryopreservation of interstitial cells (ICs) of rat testis, and to propose the mechanism of cryoprotection of such compositions. In the course of this study, the best combination was 100 mg/ml dextran (M.

Comparison between slow and rapid freezing for adrenal gland cryopreservation and xenotransplantation.

The aim of our study was to examine whether slow or rapid cryopreservation of adrenal xenografts affected xenotransplant outcome. Adrenal xenografts were got from newborn piglets (<24 h after birth). Receptor rats were randomly divided into four groups: a bilateral adrenalectomy group, fresh xenotransplantation group, rapid cryopreservation xenotransplantation group, and a slow cryopreservation xenotransplantation group.

Nanoscale Piezoelectric Properties and Phase Separation in Pure and La-Doped BiFeO Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Method.

Pure BiFeO (BFO) and doped BiLaFeO (BLFO) thin films were prepared on Pt/TiO/SiO/Si substrates by a modified sol-gel technique using a separate hydrolysis procedure. The effects of final crystallization temperature and La doping on the phase structure, film morphology, and nanoscale piezoelectric properties were investigated. La doping and higher crystallization temperature lead to an increase in the grain size and preferred (102) texture of the films.

Study of anti-virus actions of metabolites of lactobacteria.

Objective: The aim: of the work was to study the antiviral activity of the metabolites of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG or ATCC 53103) regarding clinical strains of enteroviruses (Coxsackie B-5, ECNO21) isolated from the feces of intestinal infections.

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods: The object of the study was substrate-dependent cell cultures of HeLa, Vero, Hep-2 lines. The titer of the virus was determined by the presence of a clear cytopathic action (CPA) in the monolayer infected cells of the virus.

Mn-Doped BaTiOCeramics: Thermal and Electrical Properties for Multicaloric Applications.

Multiferroic materialsare widely used in microelectronics because they are sensitive to elastic, magnetic, and electric fields and there is an intrinsic coupling between them. In particular, transition metal-doped BaTiO is consideredas a viable multiferroic because of the simultaneous presence of ferroelectricity and magnetism.In this work, we study the electrical and thermal properties of Mn-doped BaTiO ceramics that can be used for multicaloric applications.

Low-Frequency Vibration Energy Harvesting With Bidomain LiNbO Single Crystals.

Low-frequency vibration energy harvesting is becoming increasingly important for environmentally friendly and biomedical applications in order to power various wearable and implanted devices. In this paper, we propose the use of piezoelectric congruent LiNbO (LN) single crystals, with an engineered bidomain structure, as an alternative to the widely employed lead-based PZT. We thus compared experimentally the pure vibration energy scavenging performance of square-shaped bidomain and single-domain Y+128°-cut LN crystals and a conventional bimorph soft PZT ceramic bonded to long spring-steel cantilevers as a function of the frequency, load resistance, and tip proof mass.

An atomic force microscopy mode for nondestructive electromechanical studies and its application to diphenylalanine peptide nanotubes.

Nondestructive scanning probe microscopy of fragile nanoscale objects is currently in increasing need. In this paper, we report a novel atomic force microscopy mode, HybriD Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (HD-PFM), for simultaneous nondestructive analysis of piezoresponse as well as of mechanical and dielectric properties of nanoscale objects. We demonstrate this mode in application to self-assembled diphenylalanine peptide micro- and nanotubes formed on a gold-covered substrate.

AN69 hollow fiber membrane will reduce but not abolish the risk of transmission of porcine endogenous retroviruses.

As the risk of porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) infection is a major obstacle to the xenotransplantation of porcine tissue, we investigated whether an AN69 hollow fibre membrane, used for islets of Langerhans transplantation, could prevent the transfer of PERVs and thus reduce the risk of PERV infection. PK15 cells were used as a PERV source. A specific and highly sensitive RCR was used for detection of a PERV provirus DNA (gag region) and a porcine mtDNA.

Insulin treatment of mice recipients preserves beta-cell function in porcine islet transplantation.

Encapsulation of islets of Langerhans confers protection against cell-mediated immune destruction and so should allow the transplantation of islets without immunosuppression. Xenotransplantation of encapsulated islets of Langerhans might therefore help overcome problems of human organ donor shortage. Given that islets exposed to sustained hyperglycemia show impaired beta-cell function, we set out to determine whether recipient treatment with insulin could improve transplantation success rate.