scholarly journals Blood Viscoelasticity Measurement Using Interface Variations in Coflowing Streams under Pulsatile Blood Flows

Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Jun Kang

Blood flows in microcirculation are determined by the mechanical properties of blood samples, which have been used to screen the status or progress of diseases. To achieve this, it is necessary to measure the viscoelasticity of blood samples under a pulsatile blood condition. In this study, viscoelasticity measurement is demonstrated by quantifying interface variations in coflowing streams. To demonstrate the present method, a T-shaped microfluidic device is designed to have two inlets (a, b), one outlet (a), two guiding channels (blood sample channel, reference fluid channel), and one coflowing channel. Two syringe pumps are employed to infuse a blood sample at a sinusoidal flow rate. The reference fluid is supplied at a constant flow rate. Using a discrete fluidic circuit model, a first-order linear differential equation for the interface is derived by including two approximate factors (F1 = 1.094, F2 = 1.1087). The viscosity and compliance are derived analytically as viscoelasticity. The experimental results showed that compliance is influenced substantially by the period. The hematocrit and diluent contributed to the varying viscosity and compliance. The viscoelasticity varied substantially for red blood cells fixed with higher concentrations of glutaraldehyde solution. The experimental results showed that the present method has the ability to monitor the viscoelasticity of blood samples under a sinusoidal flow-rate pattern.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 7260
Author(s):  
Yang Jun Kang

Determination of blood viscosity requires consistent measurement of blood flow rates, which leads to measurement errors and presents several issues when there are continuous changes in hematocrit changes. Instead of blood viscosity, a coflowing channel as a pressure sensor is adopted to quantify the dynamic flow of blood. Information on blood (i.e., hematocrit, flow rate, and viscosity) is not provided in advance. Using a discrete circuit model for the coflowing streams, the analytical expressions for four properties (i.e., pressure, shear stress, and two types of work) are then derived to quantify the flow of the test fluid. The analytical expressions are validated through numerical simulations. To demonstrate the method, the four properties are obtained using the present method by varying the flow patterns (i.e., constant flow rate or sinusoidal flow rate) as well as test fluids (i.e., glycerin solutions and blood). Thereafter, the present method is applied to quantify the dynamic flows of RBC aggregation-enhanced blood with a peristaltic pump, where any information regarding the blood is not specific. The experimental results indicate that the present method can quantify dynamic blood flow consistently, where hematocrit changes continuously over time.


Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Yang Jun Kang

To quantify the variation of red blood cells (RBCs) or plasma proteins in blood samples effectively, it is necessary to measure blood viscosity and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) simultaneously. Conventional microfluidic measurement methods require two syringe pumps to control flow rates of both fluids. In this study, instead of two syringe pumps, two air-compressed syringes (ACSs) are newly adopted for delivering blood samples and reference fluid into a T-shaped microfluidic channel. Under fluid delivery with two ACS, the flow rate of each fluid is not specified over time. To obtain velocity fields of reference fluid consistently, RBCs suspended in 40% glycerin solution (hematocrit = 7%) as the reference fluid is newly selected for avoiding RBCs sedimentation in ACS. A calibration curve is obtained by evaluating the relationship between averaged velocity obtained with micro-particle image velocimetry (μPIV) and flow rate of a syringe pump with respect to blood samples and reference fluid. By installing the ACSs horizontally, ESR is obtained by monitoring the image intensity of the blood sample. The averaged velocities of the blood sample and reference fluid (<UB>, <UR>) and the interfacial location in both fluids (αB) are obtained with μPIV and digital image processing, respectively. Blood viscosity is then measured by using a parallel co-flowing method with a correction factor. The ESR is quantified as two indices (tESR, IESR) from image intensity of blood sample (<IB>) over time. As a demonstration, the proposed method is employed to quantify contributions of hematocrit (Hct = 30%, 40%, and 50%), base solution (1× phosphate-buffered saline [PBS], plasma, and dextran solution), and hardened RBCs to blood viscosity and ESR, respectively. Experimental Results of the present method were comparable with those of the previous method. In conclusion, the proposed method has the ability to measure blood viscosity and ESR consistently, under fluid delivery of two ACSs.


Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 460
Author(s):  
Yang Jun Kang

Air compliance has been used effectively to stabilize fluidic instability resulting from a syringe pump. It has also been employed to measure blood viscosity under constant shearing flows. However, due to a longer time delay, it is difficult to quantify the aggregation of red blood cells (RBCs) or blood viscoelasticity. To quantify the mechanical properties of blood samples (blood viscosity, RBC aggregation, and viscoelasticity) effectively, it is necessary to quantify contributions of air compliance to dynamic blood flows in microfluidic channels. In this study, the effect of air compliance on measurement of blood mechanical properties was experimentally quantified with respect to the air cavity in two driving syringes. Under periodic on–off blood flows, three mechanical properties of blood samples were sequentially obtained by quantifying microscopic image intensity (<I>) and interface (α) in a co-flowing channel. Based on a differential equation derived with a fluid circuit model, the time constant was obtained by analyzing the temporal variations of β = 1/(1–α). According to experimental results, the time constant significantly decreased by securing the air cavity in a reference fluid syringe (~0.1 mL). However, the time constant increased substantially by securing the air cavity in a blood sample syringe (~0.1 mL). Given that the air cavity in the blood sample syringe significantly contributed to delaying transient behaviors of blood flows, it hindered the quantification of RBC aggregation and blood viscoelasticity. In addition, it was impossible to obtain the viscosity and time constant when the blood flow rate was not available. Thus, to measure the three aforementioned mechanical properties of blood samples effectively, the air cavity in the blood sample syringe must be minimized (Vair, R = 0). Concerning the air cavity in the reference fluid syringe, it must be sufficiently secured about Vair, R = 0.1 mL for regulating fluidic instability because it does not affect dynamic blood flows.


Author(s):  
Changhwan Park ◽  
Sangook Jun ◽  
Kyunghyun Park ◽  
Sangjong Lee ◽  
Kyoungsik Chang

In the present study, a methodology for conducting a system-level analysis of a fan–motor assembly in a vacuum cleaner is presented. This system consisted of three components, a fan, motor, and the flow resistance of the motor, or of the vacuum cleaner. The combined characteristics of the fan and the motor were obtained from torque matching at a constant throttling condition, and a pressure drop was implemented under a constant flow rate to account for the flow resistance. By combining these two steps, the performance characteristics of the fan–motor assembly and the vacuum cleaner system could be predicted over the whole range of operation, based on the characteristics of each component. The predicted performance for power, flow rate, pressure, and efficiency using the present method agreed well with the experimental results obtained for an equivalent system, within 2% difference at best efficiency point. Three models of the fan–motor assembly (S1, S2, and S3) were analyzed at the component level, and the decrease in efficiency produced by flow resistance was estimated to be 1% (S1 and S3 models) or 4.7% (S2 model) using the present method. The characteristics of the fan, extracted from those of the fan–motor assembly, were used for validating the computational fluid dynamics. The computational fluid dynamics results of this study predicted higher efficiency due to simplification of the geometry, but an accurate prediction of best efficiency point location was obtained. The proposed method is also applicable for detecting system leakage and identifying system resistance without direct measurement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 5273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Jun Kang

To monitor variations of blood samples effectively, it is required to quantify static and dynamic properties simultaneously. With previous approaches, the viscosity and elasticity of blood samples are obtained for static and transient flows with two syringe pumps. In this study, simultaneous measurement of pressure and equivalent compliance is suggested by analyzing the velocity fields of blood flows, where a blood sample is delivered in a periodic on-off fashion with a single syringe pump. The microfluidic device is composed of a main channel (mc) for quantifying the equivalent compliance and a pressure channel (pc) for measuring the blood pressure. Based on the mathematical relation, blood pressure at junction (Px) is expressed as Px = kβ. Here, β is calculated by integrating the averaged velocity in the pressure channel (<Upc>). The equivalent compliance (Ceq) is then quantified as Ceq = λoff · Q0/Px with a discrete fluidic model. The time constant (λoff ) is obtained from the transient behavior of the averaged blood velocity in the main channel (<Umc>). According to results, Px and Ceq varied considerably with respect to the hematocrit and flow rate. The present method (i.e., blood pressure, compliance) shows a strong correlation with the previous method (i.e., blood viscosity, elasticity). In conclusion, the present method can be considered as a potential tool for monitoring the mechanical properties of blood samples supplied periodically from a single syringe pump.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 2284
Author(s):  
Gwangho Kim ◽  
Sanghwa Jeong ◽  
Yang Jun Kang

When quantifying mechanical properties of blood samples flowing in closed fluidic circuits, blood samples are collected at specific intervals. Centrifugal separation is considered as a required procedure for preparing blood samples. However, the use of centrifuge is associated with several issues, including the potential for red blood cell (RBC) lysis, clotting activation, and RBC adhesions in the tube. In this study, an ultrasonic transducer is employed to separate RBCs or diluent from blood sample. The ultrasonic radiation force is much smaller than the centrifugal force acting in centrifuge, it can avoid critical issues occurring under centrifuge. Then, the RBC aggregation and blood viscosity of the blood sample are obtained using the microfluidic technique. According to the numerical results, ultrasonic transducers exhibited a maximum quality factor at an excitation frequency of 2.1 MHz. Periodic pattern of acoustic pressure fields were visualized experimentally as a column mode. The half wavelength obtained was as 0.5 λ = 0.378 ± 0.07 mm. The experimental results agreed with the analytical estimation sufficiently. An acoustic power of 2 W was selected carefully for separating RBCs or diluent from various blood samples (i.e., Hct = 20% ~ 50%; diluent: plasma, 1x phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and dextran solution). The present method was employed to separate fixed blood samples which tended to stack inside the tube while using the centrifuge. Fixed RBCs were collected easily with an ultrasonic transducer. After various fixed blood samples with different base solutions (i.e., glutaraldehyde solution, 1x PBS, and dextran solution) were prepared using the present method, RBC aggregation and the viscosity of the blood sample are successfully obtained. In the near future, the present method will be integrated into ex vivo or in vitro fluidic circuit for measuring multiple mechanical properties of blood samples for a certain longer period.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 574-579
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ubaid ◽  
Mahmood Ahmad ◽  
Farhan Ahmad Khan ◽  
Ghulam Murtaza

Objective:This study was aimed at conducting a pharmacokinetic evaluation of metformin in rabbit plasma samples using rapid and sensitive HPLC method and UV detection.Methods:Acetonitrile was used for protein precipitation in the preparation of plasma samples. Reverse phase chromatography technique with silica gel column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) at 30°was used for the separation purpose. Methanol and phosphate buffer (pH 3.2) mixture was used as a mobile phase with flow rate 0.8 ml/min. The wavelength of UV detector was adjusted at 240 nm.Results:The calibration curve was linear in a range of 0.1-1 µg/ml with R² = 0.9982. The precision (RSD, %) values were less than 2%, whereas, accuracy of method was higher than 92.37 %. The percentage recovery values ranged between 90.14 % and 94.97 %. LOD and LOQ values were 25 ng/ml and 60 ng/ml, respectively. Cmax and AUC0-t values were found to be 1154.67 ± 243.37 ng/ml and 7281.83 ± 210.84 ng/ml.h, respectively after treating rabbits with a formulation containing 250 mg metformin.Conclusion:Based on the above findings, it can be concluded that present method is simple, precise, rapid, accurate and specific and thus, can be efficiently used for the pharmacokinetic study of metformin.


2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Kracík ◽  
Jiří Pospíšil

Water flowing on a sprinkled tube bundle forms three basic modes: the Droplet mode (the liquid drips from one tube to another), the Jet mode (with an increasing flow rate, the droplets merge into a column) and the Membrane (Sheet) mode (with a further increase in the flow rate of the falling film liquid, the columns merge and create sheets between the tubes. With a sufficient flow rate, the sheets merge at this stage, and the tube bundle is completely covered by a thin liquid film). There are several factors influencing both the individual modes and the heat transfer. Beside the above-mentioned falling film liquid flow rate, these are for instance the tube diameters, the tube pitches in the tube bundle, or the physical conditions of the falling film liquid. This paper presents a summary of data measured at atmospheric pressure, with a tube bundle consisting of copper tubes of 12 millimetres in diameter, and with a studied tube length of one meter. The tubes are situated horizontally one above another at a pitch of 15 to 30 mm, and there is a distribution tube placed above them with water flowing through apertures of 1.0mm in diameter at a 9.2mm span. Two thermal conditions have been tested with all pitches: 15 °C to 40 °C and 15 °C to 45 °C. The temperature of the falling film liquid, which was heated during the flow through the exchanger, was 15 °C at the distribution tube input. The temperature of the heating liquid at the exchanger input, which had a constant flow rate of approx. 7.2. litres per minute, was 40 °C, or alternatively 45 °C.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Velasco ◽  
Adriana Mota-Cobián ◽  
Jesús Mateo ◽  
Samuel España

Abstract Background Multi-tracer positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can be accomplished by applying multi-tracer compartment modeling. Recently, a method has been proposed in which the arterial input functions (AIFs) of the multi-tracer PET scan are explicitly derived. For that purpose, a gamma spectroscopic analysis is performed on blood samples manually withdrawn from the patient when at least one of the co-injected tracers is based on a non-pure positron emitter. Alternatively, these blood samples required for the spectroscopic analysis may be obtained and analyzed on site by an automated detection device, thus minimizing analysis time and radiation exposure of the operating personnel. In this work, a new automated blood sample detector based on silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) for single- and multi-tracer PET imaging is presented, characterized, and tested in vitro and in vivo. Results The detector presented in this work stores and analyzes on-the-fly single and coincidence detected events. A sensitivity of 22.6 cps/(kBq/mL) and 1.7 cps/(kBq/mL) was obtained for single and coincidence events respectively. An energy resolution of 35% full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) at 511 keV and a minimum detectable activity of 0.30 ± 0.08 kBq/mL in single mode were obtained. The in vivo AIFs obtained with the detector show an excellent Pearson’s correlation (r = 0.996, p < 0.0001) with the ones obtained from well counter analysis of discrete blood samples. Moreover, in vitro experiments demonstrate the capability of the detector to apply the gamma spectroscopic analysis on a mixture of 68Ga and 18F and separate the individual signal emitted from each one. Conclusions Characterization and in vivo evaluation under realistic experimental conditions showed that the detector proposed in this work offers excellent sensibility and stability. The device also showed to successfully separate individual signals emitted from a mixture of radioisotopes. Therefore, the blood sample detector presented in this study allows fully automatic AIFs measurements during single- and multi-tracer PET studies.


Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 487
Author(s):  
Hongyan Xu ◽  
Zhangying Wu ◽  
Jinan Deng ◽  
Jun Qiu ◽  
Ning Hu ◽  
...  

The development of a simple, portable, and cost-effective plasma separation platform for blood biochemical analysis is of great interest in clinical diagnostics. We represent a plasma separation microfluidic device using microspheres with different sizes as the separation barrier. This plasma separation device, with 18 capillary microchannels, can extract about 3 μL of plasma from a 50 μL blood sample in about 55 min. The effects of evaporation and the microsphere barrier on the plasma biochemical analysis results were studied. Correction factors were applied to compensate for these two effects. The feasibility of the device in plasma biochemical analysis was validated with clinical blood samples.


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