Comparative Investigation on the Concentrations of Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and Testosterone Levels in Infertile Males attending a Private University Teaching Hospital, in Rivers State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to determine the concentrations of Dehydroepiandrosterone hormone (DHEAS) and testosterone in infertile males and compared with fertile males attending Madonna University Teaching Hospital (MUTH) Elele. Thirty apparently infertile males and 30 apparently fertile male as control had their Dehydroepiandrosterone hormone (DHEAS) and testosterone determined using competitive immune enzymatic colorimetric method and Enzyme Immunoassay while the semen analysis was done using Microscopy method. There was significant increase (P<0.05) in DHEAS of 1.23+0.07 ug/ml obtained in infertile male compared with 3.78 +0.13 ug/ml in the control. There was significant difference in Semen count of 56.27 +2.82million/ml in fertile males compared with 7.73+ 0.10 million/ml while testosterone in infertile males of 2.53+0.09 was significantly lower than 7.52+0.31 in fertile males(P<0.05). The study showed that DHEAS is elevated in infertility hence should be considered an indicator of infertility.

A single molecule localization microscopy method for tissues reveals nonrandom nuclear pore distribution in Drosophila

Single Molecule Localisation Microscopy (SMLM) can provide nanoscale resolution in thin samples but has rarely been applied to tissues, because of high background from out of focus emitters and optical aberrations. Here we describe a line scanning microscope that provides optical sectioning for SMLM in tissues. Imaging endogenously-tagged nucleoporins and F-actin on this system using DNA- and peptide-PAINT routinely gives 30 nm resolution or better at depths greater than 20 µm. This revealed that the nuclear pores are nonrandomly distributed in most Drosophila tissues, in contrast to cultured cells. Lamin Dm0 shows a complementary localisation to the nuclear pores, suggesting that it corrals the pores. Furthermore, ectopic expression of the tissue-specific Lamin C distributes the nuclear pores more randomly, whereas lamin C mutants enhance nuclear pore clustering, particularly in muscle nuclei. Since nucleoporins interact with specific chromatin domains, nuclear pore clustering could regulate local chromatin organisation and contribute to the disease phenotypes caused by human Lamin A/C laminopathies.

Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy Illuminating Soft Matter

Volumetric microscopic imaging data acquired at high speeds is often needed in studies of soft matter. Several microscopy techniques exist for this purpose, but a relative newcomer is light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM). This microscopy method has seen spectacular growth in the biological sciences over the past two decades. In this perspective, we highlight how LSFM may also apply to the field of soft matter. We review the principles and recent advances of LSFM and discuss how it has been used in prior soft matter studies. We demonstrate how a recent implementation of LSFM can be used to study capillary wave fluctuations and droplet coalescence in a colloidal fluid system.

High-resolution positron emission microscopy of patient-derived tumor organoids

Tumor organoids offer new opportunities for translational cancer research, but unlike animal models, their broader use is hindered by the lack of clinically relevant imaging endpoints. Here, we present a positron-emission microscopy method for imaging clinical radiotracers in patient-derived tumor organoids with spatial resolution 100-fold better than clinical positron emission tomography (PET). Using this method, we quantify 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose influx to show that patient-derived tumor organoids recapitulate the glycolytic activity of the tumor of origin, and thus, could be used to predict therapeutic response in vitro. Similarly, we measure sodium-iodine symporter activity using 99mTc- pertechnetate and find that the iodine uptake pathway is functionally conserved in organoids derived from thyroid carcinomas. In conclusion, organoids can be imaged using clinical radiotracers, which opens new possibilities for identifying promising drug candidates and radiotracers, personalizing treatment regimens, and incorporating clinical imaging biomarkers in organoid-based co-clinical trials.

Partitioning of ribonucleoprotein complexes from the cellular actin cortex

The cell cortex plays a crucial role in cell mechanics, signaling, and development. However, little is known about the influence of the cortical meshwork on the spatial distribution of cytoplasmic biomolecules. Here, we describe a new fluorescence microscopy method to infer the intracellular distribution of labeled biomolecules with sub-resolution accuracy. Unexpectedly, we find that RNA-binding proteins are partially excluded from the cytoplasmic volume adjacent to the plasma membrane that corresponds to the actin cortex. Complementary diffusion measurements of RNA-protein complexes suggest that a rudimentary model based on excluded volume interactions can explain this partitioning effect. Our results suggest the actin cortex meshwork may play a role in regulating the biomolecular content of the volume immediately adjacent to the plasma membrane.

Chipboards as raw material of furniture

The problem of using wood materials in residential premises is closely related to the issues of forestry. This is due to the fact that the wood subsequently processed into materials and products emits a gas harmful to humans - formaldehyde. In Russia, there are strict requirements for the permissible level of formaldehyde in the air (0.01 mg/m3) both in residential premises and in the atmosphere. The environmentally friendly wood emits formaldehyde. The emission of formaldehyde may exceed the permissible level up to 10 times when obtaining chipboards using urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins. Such an excess of the permissible level of formaldehyde is especially characteristic for chipboards. Moreover, a much larger amount of formaldehyde is emitted from urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins during their hot curing than it is in the liquid resin in its free form. Therefore, much attention in this work is paid to the curing process of urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins in relation to the manufacturing conditions of chipboards. The study of this process was based on the models related to the manufacturing conditions of chipboards using the microscopy method. It was found that some formaldehyde is preserved in vapor-gas bubbles and eventually moves out the chipboards.

INTRODUCING GAP IN HAIR FOLLICLE ELECTROMAGNETISM AS MECHANISM FOR THE PRESENCE OF BIPOLAR ELECTRICAL CHARGES INHERENT IN THE HUMAN HAIR SHAFT

The human hair consists of a follicle anchored in the skin and a protruding shaft, it has also been described as a miniorgan, having its own cell divisions, metabolism, and known to undergo aging stages; eventually reaching a point where the old hair sheds and a new hair growing cycle begins from the same follicular tissue. Using sophisticated magnetometers, magnetic field emitted by direct current (DC) in human hair follicles were detected and introduced in 1980. Most recently in 2015, a tabletop optical microscopy method was developed and published in 2016, thus allowing for the detection of hair follicles and shaft magnetic fields. Qualitative images are presented where the bipolar electrical property of the shaft is documented. This finding was inferred since blood tissue carries a negative charge, thus repelled by an equal charge; experiments support a positive (+) field as triggering coagulation. The shaft is repeatedly shown in experiments to express a contralateral positive side triggering. Fibrin formation is also documented by images showing intricate networks indicative of blood coagulation. In conclusion, the genesis of hair shafts bipolarity is shown resulting from a “gap” in the follicle electromagnetic fields inhibiting energy from fully engulfing the shaft.