Natural Clinoptilolite Nanoparticles Coated with Phosphatidylcholine.

A nanocarrier was obtained by coating the natural clinoptilolite particle surface with a phosphatidylcholine layer. The shell effective size does not exceed the thickness of the phospholipid molecular layer, which was confirmed by UV spectrometry and molecular mass spectrometry. The hydrodynamic diameter of the formulated nanocarrier, which was determined by dynamic light scattering, is smaller than the clinoptilolite core size. This effect is assumed to be caused by the phospholipid shell, which reduces the aqueous medium friction. The nanosize of the formulated nanocarrier, the natural clinoptilolite core, and the phospholipid shell together allow a combination of fruitful features that can be used for the fabrication of multifunctional platforms for the delivery of biologically active substances, bioimaging, or as a basis for biosensors.

Laser Microtomography for IVF Oocyte of Human.

For in vitro fertilization technology, the quality of oocytes has a direct impact on the egg fertilization and developmental competence of early embryo. The morphological criteria are used for the estimation of oocyte quality before its fertilization in vitro. To date, only one method is known to determine the maturity of oocyte. This is the routine observation with a light microscope. The aim of this article was to adapt the noninvasive quantitative laser scanning microtomography (QLSM) for the investigation of morphological features of a human oocyte in vitro. This approach was used to accumulate the Z-stack gallery of optical sections of IVF oocyte. The layer-by-layer acquisition allows the fine cytoplasmic structure imaging. Applying the QLSM Z-stack of optical sections, the cellular volume was calculated with quantitative 3D reconstruction of a human oocyte. The volume value and intracellular structure were used as novel criteria to assess the oocyte state after the stress evoked by cryopreservation procedure.

Bacterial Film Disintegration with Electrochemically Reduced Water.

The aim of this work was to study the fine structure of bacterial films grown on the inner tube surface of a flow reactor. Using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) approaches, the detailed biofilm relief was visualized. The action of electrochemically reduced water (ERW) on the biofilm ultrastructure generated by the plankton form of E. coli and/or lacto bacteria was investigated. The treatment with an ERW solution destroyed the biofilm organic polymer matrix and bacterial cells embedded in the matrix.

Disintegration of Bacterial Film by Electrochemically Activated Water Solution.

The structure of bacterial film formed at the inner surface of the recirculation reactor tube, is studied. The surface relief of the biofilm was visualized by scanning electron microscopy. The effect of electrochemically activated water solution on the film formed from planktonic lactobacteria or E. coli was studied. Treatment with electrochemically activated water solution destroys cells and polymeric matrix of the biofilm.

Amino Acid Correction of Regulatory Volume Decrease Evoked by Hypotonic Stress in Mouse Oocytes In Vitro.

Regulatory volume decrease in response to hypotonic stress is typical of the oocytes and early mouse embryos. Changes in the kinetics of osmotic reaction can be used as a marker of the modulating effect of the incubation medium on transmembrane transport in embryonic cells. Quantitative laser scanning microtomography (QLSM) was used to measure oocyte volume. In this paper, it is shown that addition of 5 µM glycine, taurine, or GABA, as well as ATP to Dulbecco's medium abolished the regulatory volume decrease in mature mouse oocytes.

[Nonspecific effect of Na+/K(+)-ATPase inhibition with strophanthin or under hypothermia in rat heart].

Electron probe microanalysis was applied to study the kinetics of changes in potassium and sodium concentration in muscle cells of isolated heart from Wistar rat during experimental ischemia. Hypoxic perfusion without glucose was shown to evoke the potassium deficiency and sodium accumulation in cardiac myocells. Short-term action (10 min) of strophanthin (0.1 mM/l) recovered Na/K balance in ischemic myocells. Hypothermic perfusion exhibited the opportunity to conserve the cytoplasmic elemental contents in the state corresponding to the beginning of low temperature (4 degrees C) operation.

[Cyto B dependent and ouabain insensitive regulatory volume decrease in bicellular mouse embryo].

Mouse single-cell embryos exhibit robust Regulatory Volume Decrease (RVD). In what manner the very early mammalian embryo following zygote stage is appreciably altered by the anisotonic extracellular solution is, as yet, totally unclear. Little attention was paid to this direction since there was no way to determine the blastomere volume. This work has served to quantitatively investigate the osmotic response of bicellular mouse embryos employing Laser Scanning Microtomography (LSM) followed with three-dimensional reconstruction (3 DR). We have shown that bicellular mouse embryos in hypotonic Dulbecco's experience RVD. Embryonic cells subjected to hyposmolar exhibit rapid osmotic swelling followed by gradual shrinking back toward their original volume. The van't Hoff law defines swelling phase with the effective hydraulic conductivity of 0.3 micron x min(-1) x atm(-1). Water release during RVD in bicellular mouse embryos is abolished by Cytochalasin B (Cyto B) and the volume recovery is insensitive to ouabain treatment.

Estimation of isotonic point of incubation medium for two-cell mouse embryo.

Osmolarity of Dulbecco's medium at which the volume of two-cell mouse embryo remained similar to that of intact embryo was determined. The method is based on comparison of kinetic curves describing the volume of embryonic cell in solutions of different osmolarity. The blastomere volume was measured by quantitative laser microtomography after fixed osmotic stress intervals. It was found that Dulbecco's saline with 125 mM NaCl solution is an isotonic solution for two-cell mouse embryo. This concentration corresponds to 290 mOsm, which is lower than osmolarity (~310 mOsm) of media routinely used for culturing of differentiated cells or biological fluids, e.g. blood plasma.