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The toxicity of QD has been extensively studied over the past decade. However, the potential toxicity of QDs impedes its use for clinical research. In this work, we established a preantral follicle in vitro culture system to investigate the effects of QD-Transferrin (QDs-Tf) bioconjugates on follicle development and oocyte maturation. The preantral follicles were cultured and exposed to CdTe/ZnTe QDs-Tf bioconjugates with various concentrations and the reproductive toxicity was assessed at different time points post-treatment. The invasion of QDs-Tf for oocytes was verified by laser scanning confocal microscope. Steroid production was evaluated by immunoassay. C-band Giemsa staining was performed to observe the chromosome abnormality of oocytes. The results showed that the QDs-Tf bioconjugates could permeate into granulosa cells and theca cells, but not into oocyte. There are no obvious changes of oocyte diameter, the mucification of cumulus-oocyte-complexes and the occurrence of aneulpoidy as compared with the control group. However, delay in the antrum formation and decrease in the ratio of oocytes with first polar body were observed in QDs-Tf-treated groups. The matured oocytes with first polar body decreased significantly by ~16% (from 79.6±10 % to 63±2.9 %) when the concentration of QDs-Tf bioconjugates exceeded 2.89 nmol·L(-1) (P < 0.05). Our results implied that the CdTe/ZnTe QDs-Tf bioconjugates were reproductive toxic for follicle development, and thus also revealed that this in vitro culture system of preantral follicle is a highly sensitive tool for study on the reproductive toxicity of nanoparticles.

We demonstrate a non-absorption grating approach for X-ray phase contrast imaging based-on grating interferometry. This technique overcomes the limitations imposed by absorption gratings, provides another choice for X-ray phase contrast imaging and potentially improves the image quality for higher X-ray photon energies. We constructed the key devices, established the system and obtained phase contrast images with a field of view larger than 5 centimeters, which is the limitation imposed by the size of our current CCD detector. This method has no need for absorption gratings, which represents a significant development for future promising applications in medicine and industry.

Confining DNA molecules in a nanofluidic channel, particularly in channels with cross sections comparable to the persistence length of the DNA molecule (about 50 nm), allows the discovery of new biophysical phenomena. This sub-100 nm nanofluidic channel can be used as a novel platform to study and analyze the static as well as the dynamic properties of single DNA molecules, and can be integrated into a biochip to investigate the interactions between protein and DNA molecules. For instance, nanofluidic channel arrays that have widths of approximately 40 nm, depths of 60 nm, and lengths of 50 mum are created rapidly and exactly by a focused-ion beam milling instrument on a silicon nitride film; and the open channels are sealed with anodic bonding technology. Subsequently, lambda phage DNA (lambda-DNA; stained with the fluorescent dye, YOYO-1) molecules are introduced into these nanoconduits by capillary force. The movements of the DNA molecules, e.g. stretching, recoiling, and transporting along channels, are studied with fluorescence microscopy.

Cells are equipped with a host of receptors that can convert chemical signals into electrical ones. Cell-based biosensors take cells as sensing elements for detecting the intracellular/extracellular microenvironment and some special characteristics of cells selves. This paper presents the design of the cell-based biosensor and optimization of the automatic fluidic system that makes it feasible to control the detecting process accurately, and the goal of which is to improve the maneuverability, repeatability and stability of sensor. In this study, excitable neural cells (rat cortical neurons or olfactory cell) are grown on top of the surface of the cell-based biosensor which is based on the principle of light-addressable potentiometric sensor. The optical beam is focused on the stimulated cell and the chip surface potential below the stimulated cell is recorded by the biosensor. Although the results demonstrate that this kind of cell-based biosensor has potential to monitor electrophysiology of living cell noninvasively for long term, the low signal-to-noise ratio so far hampers practical applications.