Search results for "Microscopy"
showing 10 items of 3390 documents
In situ monitoring of moisture uptake of flax fiber reinforced composites under humid/dry conditions
2021
The use of green materials such as natural fiber-reinforced composites represents an increasingly stringent prerogative in the future planning of industrial and non-industrial production. The optimization of these materials is the main aim of the current research, focused on the evaluation of the behavior of flax fiber reinforced composites exposed to isothermal adsorption and desorption cycles, at varying the partial pressure of water vapor (P/P0). For this purpose, the moisture uptake and the morphology changes of the composite material and their constituents were in situ monitored through a measurement protocol, by using a dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) analysis, coupled with an environmen…
Advanced fluorescence microscopy for in vivo imaging of neuronal activity
2019
Brain function emerges from the coordinated activity, over time, of large neuronal populations placed in different brain regions. Understanding the relationships of these specific areas and disentangling the contributions of individual neurons to overall function remain central goals for neuroscience. In this scenario, fluorescence microscopy has been proved as the tool of choice for in vivo recording of brain activity. Optical advances combined with genetically encoded indicators allow a large flexibility in terms of spatiotemporal resolution and field of view while keeping invasiveness in living animals to a minimum. Here we describe the latest advancements in the field of linear and nonl…
Material properties of various intraocular lenses in an experimental study.
2002
<i>Introduction:</i> With the recent introduction of small-incision cataract surgery, requirements for intraocular lens (IOL) flexibility, strength and hydrophilicity have rapidly evolved. The IOL surface, however, remains a critical factor influencing uveal biocompatibility. <i>Purpose:</i> To objectively quantify factors of material properties of various IOLs using contact angle measurements, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic-mechanical measurements and scanning electron microscopy. <i>Material and Methods:</i> In our study, 17 currently available IOLs were investigated using contact angle measurements to assess hydrophilicity and biocompatibil…
Dendrites are dispensable for basic motoneuron function but essential for fine tuning of behavior.
2014
Dendrites are highly complex 3D structures that define neuronal morphology and connectivity and are the predominant sites for synaptic input. Defects in dendritic structure are highly consistent correlates of brain diseases. However, the precise consequences of dendritic structure defects for neuronal function and behavioral performance remain unknown. Here we probe dendritic function by using genetic tools to selectively abolish dendrites in identified Drosophila wing motoneurons without affecting other neuronal properties. We find that these motoneuron dendrites are unexpectedly dispensable for synaptic targeting, qualitatively normal neuronal activity patterns during behavior, and basic …
Probing ensemble polymorphism and single aggregate structural heterogeneity in insulin amyloid self-assembly.
2020
Ensembles of protein aggregates are characterized by a nano- and micro-scale heterogeneity of the species. This diversity translates into a variety of effects that protein aggregates may have in biological systems, both in connection to neurodegenerative diseases and immunogenic risk of protein drug products. Moreover, this naturally occurring variety offers unique opportunities in the field of protein-based biomaterials. In the above-mentioned fields, the isolation and structural analysis of the different amyloid types within the same ensemble remain a priority, still representing a significant experimental challenge. Here we address such complexity in the case of insulin for its relevance…
Phasor-FLIM analysis of Thioflavin T self-quenching in Concanavalin amyloid fibrils
2020
The formation of amyloid structures has traditionally been related to human neurodegenerative pathologies and, in recent years, the interest in these highly stable nanostructures was extended to biomaterial sciences. A common method to monitor amyloid growth is the analysis of Thioflavin T fluorescence. The use of this highly selective dye, diffused worldwide, allows mechanistic studies of supramolecular assemblies also giving back important insight on the structure of these aggregates. Here we present experimental evidence of self-quenching effect of Thioflavin T in presence of amyloid fibrils. A significant reduction of fluorescence lifetime of this dye which is not related to the propert…
Evaluation of near-Infrared fluorescence-conjugated peptides for visualization of human epidermal receptor 2-overexpressed gastric cancer.
2021
338 Background: HER2 is highly overexpressed in many kinds of cancers with a poor prognosis. Recently, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence-based imaging is a growing field for both pre-clinical and clinical application. In this study, we aimed to synthesize Human Epidermal Receptor2 (HER2)-specific near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence probes and evaluate their applicability in cancer-specific image-guided surgeries using an animal model. Methods: An NIR dye emitting light of 800 nm (IRDye800CW, Li-COR, USA) was conjugated to trastuzumab and HER2-specific affibody using click mechanism. HER2 affinity was assessed by the surface plasmon resonance technique. HER2 positive/negative gastric cancer cel…
Laser-Induced Fluorescence Imaging of Paper Surfaces
1993
Laser-induced fluorescence imaging has been used to study the microstructure of paper surfaces. Pulses from a XeCl-excimer laser, 10 ns in duration at 308 nm, were used for excitation, and fluorescence was collected at 420 nm. The excitation spot diameter was approximately 20 µm, and the sampling interval 0.15 mm. Within an area of 5*5 mm2, 1023 sampling points were recorded to generate 3D fluorescence maps of paper surfaces. Papers containing fluorescence whitening agents (FWAs) gave the highest average fluorescence signals. Coated papers with no FW As show weaker signals than the base sheet. For some thirty different paper samples, an obvious correlation between the amount of coating and…
Protein diffusion in mammalian cell cytoplasm.
2011
We introduce a new method for mesoscopic modeling of protein diffusion in an entire cell. This method is based on the construction of a three-dimensional digital model cell from confocal microscopy data. The model cell is segmented into the cytoplasm, nucleus, plasma membrane, and nuclear envelope, in which environment protein motion is modeled by fully numerical mesoscopic methods. Finer cellular structures that cannot be resolved with the imaging technique, which significantly affect protein motion, are accounted for in this method by assigning an effective, position-dependent porosity to the cell. This porosity can also be determined by confocal microscopy using the equilibrium distribut…
Site-specific near-infrared fluorescent labelling of proteins on cysteine residues with meso -chloro-substituted heptamethine cyanine dyes
2018
International audience; Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging is a promising new medical imaging modality. Associated with a targeting molecule, NIR fluorophores can accumulate selectively in tissues of interest and become valuable tools for the diagnosis and therapy of various pathologies. To facilitate the design of targeted NIR imaging agents, it is important to identify simple and affordable fluorescent probes, allowing rapid labelling of biovectors such as proteins, ideally in a site-specific manner. Here, we demonstrate that heptamethine cyanine based fluorophores, such as IR-783, that contain a chloro-cyclohexyl moiety within their polymethine chain can react selectively, at neutr…