• 순환기질환의공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.3-18
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• 2002

Hemorheology plays an important role in atherosclerosis. Hemorheologic properties of blood include whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, hemaocrit, RBC deformability and aggregation, and fibrinogen concentration in plasma. Blood flow is determine by three parameters (pressure, lumen diameter, and whole blood viscosity), whole blood viscosity is one of the key physiological variables. However, the significance of whole blood viscosity has not yet not been fully appreciated. Whole blood viscosity has a unique property, non-Newtonian shear-thinning characteristics, which is primarily due to the presence of RBCs. Hence, RBC deformability and aggregation directly affect the magnitude of blood viscosity, and any factors or diseases affecting RBC characteristics influence blood viscosity. Therefore, on can see that whole blood viscosity is the causal mechanism by which traditional risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, exercise, obesity, age, and gender are related to atherogenesis. In this regard, we included whole blood viscosity in the three key determinants of injurious pulsatile flow that results in mechanical injury and protective adaptation in the arterial system. Because whole blood viscosity is a potential predictor of cardiovascular diseases, it should be measured in routine cardiovascular profiles. Incorporating whole blood viscosity measurements into a standard clinical protocol could improve our ability to identify patients at risk for cardiovascular disease and its complications.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.103-108
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• 2009

Hemorheological properties are easily modified by glucose-induced oxidation and glycation. Carnosine, a naturally occurring dipeptide ($\beta$-alanyl-LFull-size image-histidine), has been recently proposed to act as an antioxidant as well as a free-radical scavenger. In the present study, we investigate its protective and rejuvenating effects in erythrocytes that are exposed to glucose-rich plasma. Erythrocytes that were incubated in glucose solutions were treated with different concentrations of carnosine and for different incubation times. Their hemorheological alterations were examined. The results reveal that the presence of carnosine effectively prevented these rheological alterations in a concentration-dependent manner in glucose-rich media. It is proposed that moderate concentrations of carnosine might be further explored as potential therapeutic agents for pathologies that involve hemorheological modification.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2010

In order to obtain velocity profile of blood flow with high spatial resolution, a micro PIV technique consisted of a fluorescent microscope, double-pulsed YAG laser, cooled CCD camera was applied to in-vitro blood flow experiment through a micro round tube of a diameter $100{\mu}m$. Velocity distributions of blood flow for rabbit were obtained. The viscosity profiles for shear rate were found at flowing condition. To provide hemorheological characteristics of blood flow, the viscosities for shear rate were evaluated. The viscosity of blood also steeply increase by decreasing shear rate resulting in Non-Newtonian flow, especially in low shear rate region caused by RBC rheological properties. The results show typical characteristics of Non-Newtonian characteristics from the results of velocity profile and viscosity for blood flow. From the inflection points, cell free layer and two-phase flow consisted with plasma and suspensions including RBCs can be separated.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.30 no.11 s.254
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• pp.1027-1034
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• 2006

In order to investigate flow characteristics of chicken blood in a micro tube of 100$\mu$m in diameter, in-vitro experiments were carried out using a micro-PIV technique. The micro-PIV system consists of a microscope, 2-head Nd:YAG laser, 12 bit cooled CCD camera and a delay generator. Chicken blood with 40% hematocrit was supplied into a micro tube using a syringe pump. The blood flow shows clearly the cell free layer near the tube wall and its thickness is increased with increasing the flow speed. The hemorheological characteristics of chicken blood, including shear rate and shear stress were estimated from the PIV velocity field data obtained. Since the aggregation index of chicken blood is less than 50% of human blood, non-Newtonian flow characteristics of chicken blood are smaller than those of human blood. As the flow rate increases, the degree of flatness in the velocity profile at the center region is decreased and the parabola-shaped shear stress distribution becomes to have a linear profile. Under the same flow rate, chicken blood shows higher shear stress, compared with human blood.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.89-95
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• 2007

The flow characteristics of chicken blood in a micro-tube with a $100{\mu}m$ diameter are investigated using a micro-Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique. Chicken blood with 40% hematocrit is supplied into the micro-tube using a syringe pump. For comparison, the same experiments are repeated for human blood with 40% hematocrit. Chicken blood flow has a cell-free layer near the tube wall, and this layer's thickness increases with the increased flow speed due to radial migration. As a hemorheological feature, the aggregation index of chicken blood is about 50% less than that of human blood. Therefore, the non-Newtonian fluid features of chicken blood are not very remarkable compared with those of human blood. As the flow rate increases, the blunt velocity profile in the central region of the micro-tube sharpens, and the parabolicshaped shear stress distribution becomes to have a linear profile. The viscosity of both blood samples in a low shear rate condition is overestimated, while the viscosity in a high shear rate range is underestimated due to radial migration and the presence of a cell-depleted layer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.10-16
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• 2019

Considering the role of viscosity in the hemorheology, the characteristics of non-Newtonian fluid are important in the pulsatile blood flows. Stenosis, with an abnormal narrowing of the vessel, contributes to block blood flows to downstream tissue and lead to plaque rupture. Therefore, systematic analysis of blood flow around stenosed vessels is crucial. In this study, non-Newtonian behaviors of blood analog fluids around the micro-stenosis with 60 % severity in diameter of $500{\mu}m$ was examined by using CFX under the pulsatile flow conditions with the period of 10 s. Viscosity information of two non-Newtonian fluids were obtained by fitting the value of normal blood and highly viscous blood. As the Newtonian fluid, the water at room temperature was used. During the pulsatile phase, wall shear stress (WSS) is highly oscillated. In addition, high viscous solution gives rise to increases the variation in the WSS around the micro-stenosis. Highly oscillating WSS enhance increasing tendency of plaque instability or rupture and damage of the tissue layer. These results, related to the influence on the damage to the endothelium or stenotic lesion, may help clinicians understand relevant mechanisms.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 2009

Hemorheological results may be influenced by the time between blood sampling and measurement, and storage conditions (e.g., temperature, time) during sample delivery between laboratories may further affect the resulting data. This study examined possible hemorheological alterations subsequent to storage of rat and dog blood at room temperature ($22^{\circ}C$) or with cooling ($4{\sim}10^{\circ}C$) for 2, 4, 6, 24, 48 and 72 hours. Measured hemorheological parameters included hematological indices, RBC aggregation and RBC deformability. Our results indicate that marked changes of RBC deformability and of RBC aggregation in whole blood can occur during storage, especially for samples stored at room temperature. The patterns of deformability and aggregation changes at room temperature are complex and species specific, whereas those for storage at the lower temperature range are much less complicated. For room temperature storage, it thus seems logical to suggest measuring rat and dog cell deformability within 6 hours; aggregation should be measured immediately for rat blood or within 6 hours for dog blood. Storage at lower temperatures allows measuring EI up to 72 hours after sampling, while aggregation must be measured immediately, or if willing to accept a constant decrease, over 24~72 hours.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.117-123
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• 2005

Background: Reduced deformability of red blood cells (RBCs) may play an important role on the pathogenesis of chronic vascular complications of diabetes mellitus. However, available techniques for measuring RBC deformability often require washing process after each measurement, which is not optimal for day­to-day clinical use at point of care. The objectives of the present study are to develop a device and to delineate the correlation of impaired RBC deformability with diabetic nephropathy. Methods: We developed a disposable ektacytometry to measure RBC deformability, which adopted a laser diffraction technique and slit rheometry. The essential features of this design are its simplicity (ease of operation and no moving parts) and a disposable element which is in contact with the blood sample. We studied adult diabetic patients divided into three groups according to diabetic complications. Group I comprised 57 diabetic patients with normal renal function. Group II comprised 26 diabetic patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). Group III consisted of 30 diabetic subjects with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemo-dialysis. According to the renal function for the diabetic groups, matched non-diabetic groups were served as control. Results: We found substantially impaired red blood cell deformability in those with normal renal function (group I) compared to non-diabetic control (P = 0.0005). As renal function decreases, an increased impairment in RBC deformability was found. Diabetic patients with chronic renal failure (group II) when compared to non-diabetic controls (CRF) had an apparently greater impairment in RBC deformability (P = 0.07). The non-diabetic cohort (CRF), on the other hand, manifested significant impairment in red blood cell deformability compared to healthy: control (P = 0.0001). Conclusions: The newly developed slit ektacytometer can measure the RBC deformability with ease and accuracy. In addition, progressive impairment in cell deformability is associated with renal function loss in all patients regardless of the presence or absence of diabetes. In diabetic patients, early impairment in RBC deformability appears in patients with normal renal function.