Influence of electromagnetic pulse on the offspring sex ratio of male BALB/c mice.

Public concern is growing about the exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and its effect on male reproductive health. Detrimental effect of EMF exposure on sex hormones, reproductive performance and sex-ratio was reported. The present study was designed to clarify whether paternal exposure to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) affects offspring sex ratio in mice. 50 male BALB/c mice aged 5-6 weeks were exposed to EMP daily for 2 weeks before mated with non-exposed females at 0d, 7d, 14d, 21d and 28d after exposure. Sex hormones including total testosterone, LH, FSH, and GnRH were detected using radioimmunoassay. The sex ratio was examined by PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis. The results of D0, D21 and D28 showed significant increases compared with sham-exposed groups. The serum testosterone increased significantly in D0, D14, D21, and D28 compared with sham-exposed groups (p<0.05). Overall, this study suggested that EMP exposure may lead to the disturbance of reproductive hormone levels and affect the offspring sex ratio.

TiO2-decorated graphene nanohybrids for fabricating an amperometric acetylcholinesterase biosensor.

This work describes a highly sensitive and rapid amperometric biosensor for organophosphate compounds (OPs) based on immobilization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on a novel TiO(2)-decorated graphene (TiO(2)-G) nanohybrid, which was constructed by in situ growth of TiO(2) nanoparticles (NPs) on the graphene sheet. The well-dispersed TiO(2) NPs eliminated the restacking of TiO(2)-G nanohybrids. Due to the integrating of TiO(2)-G nanohybrids, the as-prepared biosensor showed high affinity to acetylthiocholine (ATCl) with a Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) value of 0.22 mM, and rapid inhibition time (3 min). Further, based on the inhibition of OPs on the enzymatic activity of the immobilized AChE, and using carbaryl as a model compound, the inhibition of carbaryl was proportional to its concentration ranging from 0.001 to 0.015 and 0.015 to 2 µg mL(-1) with a detection limit of 0.3 ng mL(-1) (S/N = 3). The developed biosensor exhibited a good performance for organophosphate pesticide detection, including good reproducibility and acceptable stability, which provided a new and promising tool for the analysis of enzyme inhibitors.

Enhanced direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase and biosensing for glucose via synergy effect of graphene and CdS nanocrystals.

Integrating graphene-based composites with enzyme provides a potent strategy to enhance biosensor performance due to their unique physicochemical properties. Herein we report on the utilization of graphene-CdS (G-CdS) nanocomposite as a novel immobilization matrix for the enzymes, which glucose oxidase (GOD) was chosen as model enzyme. In comparison with the graphene sheet and CdS nanocrystal, G-CdS nanocomposite exhibited excellent electron transfer properties for GOD with the rate constant (k(s)) of 5.9 s(-1) due to the synergy effect of graphene sheet and CdS nanocrystals. Further, based on the decrease of the electrocatalytic response of the reduced form of GOD to dissolved oxygen, the obtained glucose biosensor displays satisfactory analytical performance over an acceptable linear range from 2.0 to 16 mM with a detection limit of 0.7 mM, and also prevents the effects of interfering species, which is suitable for glucose determination by real samples. These results mean that this immobilization matrix not only can be used for immobilizing GOD, but also can be extended to other enzymes and bioactive molecules, thus providing a promising platform for the development of biosensors.