Tag Archives: microscopy

Dynamic electron microscopy: recording of ATP-induced myosin head movement in living muscle myosin filament

Muscle contraction results from relative sliding between actin and myosin filaments, caused by cyclic movement of myosin heads coupled with ATP hydrolysis. It is generally believed that individual myosin heads M), extending from myosin filaments, first bind

Understanding painful sex

Understanding Painful Sex. AoS

Feeling severe pain while trying to have intercourse is one of the worst experiences that can occur in a sexual relationship.  The most frequent cause of such pain is felt immediately upon penetration, i.e. at the entrance

Cells with an appetite: munching at a single-cell level

Cells with an appetite: munching at a single-cell level

Phagocytosis is defined as the receptor-mediated uptake of large particulate matter. This process is particularly efficient in specialized immune cells such as macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells. These cells constitute the first line of defense against invading

Domain strain-engineering for epitaxial ferroelectric thin films by sputtering

The integration of multiferroic materials in the new generation of nanostructured electronic devices requires precise and orderly control of the thin films growth, taking into account the nature of such materials to develop domain structures, that is,

Multi-scale mechanical characterization of prostate cancer cell lines

Cellular mechanics are of prime importance in the birth and the evolution of tumors towards increasingly aggressive stages and are often proposed as potential biomarkers to evaluate metastatic potential. Mechanical properties of two human prostate cell lines,

Plateau-like versus sawtooth-like force-extension response of macromolecules

In recent years, the folding and unfolding of single macromolecules has been largely investigated through atomic – force microscopes (AFM), laser optical tweezers (LOT) and magnetic tweezers (MT), which are able to apply external forces directly to

Biological applications of Brewster angle microscopy

Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) is an imaging technique that allows for the visualization of the film architecture of monolayers without the use of exogenous dyes. This is a relatively new system that was developed independently and concurrently

Go with the flow: Studying the movement of T-cells to sites of inflammation

Inflammation is the protective response of the immune system that aids the removal of invading infectious agents and repair tissue injury. It involves the movement of white blood cells (leukocytes) from the bloodstream, through the cells lining

A “Cool” way to study Parkinson´s Disease

The Big Bang Theory left us amazed about how Leonard was able to bring back a snowflake embedded in resin from the North Pole to give to Penny. The reality is that this concept is not so

Biophysical characterization of the potential role of polar lipids for the stability of tear films

The tear film is a thin structure that covers the surface of the eye. It functions as barrier to evaporation, foreign particles, and bacterial infection. These roles can be primarily attributed to the tear film structure and

Mapping the magnetic domain imaging for nano-magnetic films using novel MFM tips

MFM is an extended measurement function of the tapping-mode scanning and lift-mode controlling modes of atomic force microscopy (AFM), where the magnetic domain image is obtained by detection of magnetic force gradient changes between a magnetic tip



Biophysical characterization of monofilm model systems composed of selected tear film phospholipids

While our eyes are open they are constantly exposed to bacterial infections, injury, and dehydration. To provide the necessary protection against these hazards the outer surface of our eyes is covered by a thin layer known as

Faceted liquid droplets wag their tails

Nature typically strives to minimize the energy of a system. Making water flow downhill and a stretched rubber band shrink when released are just two examples. A commonly experienced consequence of this universal principle is the spherical

How do bacteria divide and multiply?

Bacteria interact with our bodies every day, resulting in both positive and negative outcomes. We rely on the billions of beneficial bacteria in our microbiome to support our digestion and immunity. At the same time, pathogenic bacteria

When the physician may identify microscopic tissue architecture in real time

Diagnosis of disease is the fundamental goal of medicine as treatment  and prognosis rely on it. The diagnostic process ends eventually with tissue sampling (biopsy) for microscopic evaluation. The paradigm “tissue is the issue” reflects the modern trend

Tuberculosis in ancient bones can also be identified by a protein of the pathogen

As we all know, DNA is the matrix for the proteins and the proteins are the molecules which are involved in every step of the metabolism of all living organisms inside and outside of cells. Without proteins

Imaging tumor development using next generation raster scan optoacoustic mesoscopy

Cancer is one of the major diseases in the 21st century. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent on cancer research in the last half century, but still, our understanding of the disease mechanisms is limited.

Cell vacuum: measuring micro-newton cell adhesion forces using micropipette suction

The force with which cells adhere to their substrate is of interest in the study of various diseases. For example, in the case of atherosclerosis, the disease that leads to heart attacks and strokes, the “leakiness” of

Building a matrix mediated cell expansion system for high-quality cartilage regeneration

Articular cartilage is a tissue found in joints throughout the body (knees, elbows, etc.) that plays a significant role in allowing the body to maintain proper movement and engage in physical activities; it also supports the transfer