Multiscale Materials Engineering via Self-Assembly of Pentapeptide Derivatives from SARS CoV E Protein.

Short peptide-based supramolecular hydrogels hold enormous potential for a wide range of applications. However, the gelation of these systems is very challenging to control. Minor changes in the peptide sequence can significantly influence the self-assembly mechanism and thereby the gelation propensity. The involvement of SARS CoV E protein in the assembly and release of the virus suggests that it may have inherent self-assembling properties that can contribute to the development of hydrogels. Here, three pentapeptide sequences derived from C-terminal of SARS CoV E protein are explored with same amino acid residues but different sequence distributions and discovered a drastic difference in the gelation propensity. By combining spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, the relationship between peptide sequence arrangement and molecular assembly structure are demonstrated, and how these influence the mechanical properties of the hydrogel. The present study expands the variety of secondary structures for generating supramolecular hydrogels by introducing the 310-helix as the primary building block for gelation, facilitated by a water-mediated structural transition into ß-sheet conformation. Moreover, these Fmoc-modified pentapeptide hydrogels/supramolecular assemblies with tunable morphology and mechanical properties are suitable for tissue engineering, injectable delivery, and 3D bio-printing applications.

Shape reconstruction of axisymmetric Taylor bubbles using conductivity probes through a scheme of combined experiment and theory.

A simple measurement scheme is proposed to reconstruct the geometry of an axisymmetric void propagating through a conducting liquid using a pair of parallel wire conductivity probes. An experimental study allows for obtaining the time variation of the resistance of the film surrounding the void. Analytical modeling and numerical simulation has been adopted to correlate the resistance between the wire electrodes and the film thickness. Finally, the shape of the void can be estimated by combining the predicted resistance-film thickness relationship and the measured time variation of resistance. For validation, this scheme has been used to reconstruct the shape of a rising Taylor bubble. There is a fair match between the reconstructed shape of the bubble and its photographic image. The probable errors in the measurement scheme have been discussed and assessed mathematically.

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics based FSI simulation of the native and mechanical heart valves in a patient-specific aortic model.

The failure of the aortic heart valve is common, resulting in deterioration of the pumping function of the heart. For the end stage valve failure, bi-leaflet mechanical valve (most popular artificial valve) is implanted. However, due to its non-physiological behaviour, a significant alteration is observed in the normal haemodynamics of the aorta. While in-vivo experimentation of a human heart valve (native and artificial) is a formidable task, in-silico study using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with fluid structure interaction (FSI) is an effective and economic tool for investigating the haemodynamics of natural and artificial heart valves. In the present work, a haemodynamic model of a natural and mechanical heart valve has been developed using meshless particle-based smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). In order to further enhance its clinical relevance, this study employs a patient-specific vascular geometry and presents a successful validation against traditional finite volume method and 4D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. The results have demonstrated that SPH is ideally suited to simulate the heart valve function due to its Lagrangian description of motion, which is a favourable feature for FSI. In addition, a novel methodology for the estimation of the wall shear stress (WSS) and other related haemodynamic parameters have been proposed from the SPH perspective. Finally, a detailed comparison of the haemodynamic parameters has been carried out for both native and mechanical aortic valve, with a particular emphasis on the clinical risks associated with the mechanical valve.

Hypoxia: Intriguing Feature in Cancer Cell Biology.

Hypoxia, a key aspect of the tumor microenvironment, plays a vital role in cell proliferation, angiogenesis, metabolism, and the immune response within tumors. These factors collectively promote tumor advancement, aggressiveness, metastasis and result in a poor prognosis. Hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), activated under low oxygen conditions, mediates many of these effects by altering drug target expression, metabolic regulation, and oxygen consumption. These changes promote cancer cell growth and survival. Hypoxic tumor cells develop aggressive traits and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, leading to increased mortality. Targeting hypoxic tumor offers a potential solution to overcome the challenges posed by tumor heterogeneity and can be used in designing diagnostic and therapeutic nanocarriers for various solid cancers. This concept provides an overview of the intricate relationship between hypoxia and the tumor microenvironment, highlighting its potential as a promising tool for cancer therapies. The article explores the development of hypoxia in cancer cells and its role in cancer progression, along with the latest advancements in hypoxia-triggered cancer treatment.

In Vitro Drug Release Testing Method For Nepafenac Ophthalmic Suspension.

In vitro release test (IVRT) method is important to monitor batch-to-batch quality variations during pharmaceutical manufacturing and also to show the pharmaceutical equivalence of a generic product with the innovator. To fulfil regulatory requirements for approval of a generic ophthalmic suspension product, in vitro release study is required. No compendial or non-compendial method is available for IVRT of nepafenac ophthalmic suspension. Current research is aimed to screen various approaches using different conventional and non-conventional instruments to suggest the most suitable technique appropriate for nepafenac ophthalmic suspension followed by optimization of method parameters and validation. The trials used the paddle apparatus (USP Type-2) with dialysis sacs, the flow-through cell apparatus (USP Type-4), the rotating bottle apparatus, and the Franz diffusion cell apparatus. With the USP Type-4 apparatus drug release was found to be ∼ 83% in the simulated tear fluid (STF) of pH 7.4 in 120 min that increased to ∼ 97% upon the addition of surfactant sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). With USP Type-2 and Franz diffusion cell apparatus, the drug release was either slow or not reaching close to the complete release. Whereas, in the case of the rotating bottle apparatus, a burst release profile was observed. The estimation of the drug release was done by the HPLC method and all the method validation parameters like specificity, accuracy, linearity, and precision were found to be within acceptance criteria.

Metformin-Loaded Hyaluronic Acid-Derived Carbon Dots for Targeted Therapy against Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Glutamine Metabolic Reprogramming.

Metabolic reprogramming is a significant hallmark of cancer that promotes chemoresistance by allowing tumor tissues to adapt to changes in the tumor microenvironment caused by anticancer therapies. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common types of primary tumors, is associated with recurrent metabolic reprogramming that maximizes cancer cell growth and proliferation. Herein, we developed metformin (MET)-loaded hyaluronic acid (HA)-derived carbon dots (HA-CD-MET) by a simple and green method with no involvement of any additives. HA-CD-MET was utilized for specifically binding the CD44 receptor overexpressed in HCC and induced glutamine metabolic rewiring to inhibit HCC cell proliferation. Exposure to HA-CD-MET resulted in ∼6.5-fold better anticancer efficacy against CD44+ Hep3B cells in comparison to CD44-, HepG2, and noncancerous HEK293 cells at a very low dose of 80 µg/mL. Moreover, treatment of three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroid model of HCC (Hep3B) with HA-CD-MET resulted in ∼4.9-fold reduction in tumor size. This improved anticancer efficacy of HA-CD-MET was attributed to the inhibition of glutaminase-1 (GLS-1), a mitochondrial enzyme that hydrolyzes glutamine into glutamate as confirmed from immunofluorescence and immunoblotting experiments. Furthermore, treatment with HA-CD-MET resulted in downregulation of glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) in Hep3B cells. Consequently, cancer cells were starved from essential nutrients, glutamine, and glucose, leading to the enhancement in intracellular ROS generation. This increase in intracellular ROS accumulation activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and inhibited AKT phosphorylation, leading to cancer cell apoptosis. Thus, this study offers the targeting of metabolic reprogramming by HA-CD-MET that opens up a promising strategy for therapeutic intervention in hepatocarcinoma.

Naphthalene Diimide-Based Orange Emitting Luminogen: A Fluorometric Probe for Thiol Sensing through the Click Reaction.

Fluorometric sensors have gained considerable attention in various fields, including environmental monitoring, biomedical research, and clinical diagnostics. This article delineates the fabrication of an orange emitting naphthalene diimide (NDI) derivative consisting of maleimide moiety (NDI-mal) for fluorometric sensing of thiols. Spherical shaped organic nanoparticles (∼100-150 nm) were constructed by NDI-mal in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/dimethylformamide (DMF)-water through J-type aggregation. NDI-mal displayed self-assembly driven aggregation-induced emission (AIE) through excimer formation at λem= 588 nm at fw = 99 vol % DMSO/DMF-water. Naphthyl residue at both terminals of NDI-mal facilitates intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) from the donor naphthyl residue to the acceptor NDI core. The fluorescence intensity of NDI-mal fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONPs) got quenched in the presence of thiols due to thiol-maleimide adduct formation (Michael addition). NDI-mal FONPs selectively probed thiol functionalized small molecules (4-aminothiophenol), biomolecules (glutathione (GSH)), and proteins (reduced BSA) with high sensitivity having a limit of detection of 15.3 nM, 6.0 nM, and 9.2 ng/mL, respectively. Importantly, thiol sensing was selective against analogous small molecules, biomolecules, and proteins devoid of thiol moieties. Cellular imaging demonstrated selective diagnosis of cancer cells by NDI-mal FONPs through quenching of its emission upon interaction with thiols in B16F10 cells due to the high abundance of GSH in cancer cells compared to NIH3T3 cells. NDI-mal FONPs emitted their native fluorescence inside cells subjected to reactive oxygen species mediated thiol oxidation via Fenton's reaction. Notably, GSH-maleimide adduct formation by NDI-mal FONPs displayed notable therapeutic efficacy against cancer cells having ∼2.4-fold higher killing of B16F10 in comparison to NIH3T3 cells possibly through oxidative stress induced apoptosis owing to the depletion in the GSH level. Thus, NDI-mal AIE-gen successfully emerged as a selective and sensitive probe toward thiols through thiol-maleimide click chemistry with therapeutic ability against cancer cells in the absence of systematic intervention.

Marangoni Flows in a Bilayer Liquid Microfilm Interface on Wave-Contoured Hot Substrates.

This study explores the thermal Marangoni hydrodynamics in an immiscible, binary-liquid thin-film system, which is open to the gas phase at the top and rests on a heated substrate with wavy topology. The sinusoidal contour of the heated (constant-temperature) substrate results in temperature gradients along the liquid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces, causing fluctuations in the interfacial tension, ultimately leading to Marangoni hydrodynamics in the liquid-liquid films. This type of flow is notable in liquid film coatings on patterned surfaces, which are widely used in MEMS/NEMS applications (Weinstein, S. J.; Palmer, H. J. Liquid Film Coating: Scientific Principles and Their Technological Implications; 1997, pp 19-62; Palacio, M.; Bhushan, B. Adv. Mater. 2008, 20, 1194-1198) and biological cell sorting operations (Witek, M. A.; Freed, I. M.; Soper, S. A. Anal. Chem. 2019, 92, 105-131). We solve the coupled Navier-Stokes and energy equations by the perturbation technique to obtain approximate analytical solutions and an understanding of the thermal and hydrodynamic transport in the system domain. Our study explores the parametric influence of the relative thermal conductivity of the liquid layers (k), film thickness ratio (r), and the system's Biot number (Bi) on these transport phenomena. While the strength of the thermal Marangoni effect that is generated reduces with an increase in the relative thermal conductivity (k), the impact of r depends on the k value. We observe that for k > 1 the intensity of Marangoni flow increases with r; however, the opposite holds for k < 1. Furthermore, larger values of Bi induce higher resistance to the vertical conduction from the wavy substrate compared to the convection resistance offered at the top surface, destructively interfering with the ability of the patterned substrate to generate interfacial temperature fluctuations and hence weakening the Marangoni flow.

Naphthalimide-Based AIEgens for Sensing Protein Disulfide Isomerase through Thiol-Disulfide Redox Exchange.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-based fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONPs) with distinctive characteristics are emerging as superior sensors due to their facile fabrication, high signal-to-noise ratio, and good biocompatibility. The present article delineates the detection and analysis of the redox behavior of the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) enzyme by exploitation of the AIE of novel naphthalimide (NI) derivatives having thiol (-SH) and disulfide (-S-S-) moieties. Self-aggregated spherical-shaped organic nanoparticles were prepared by synthesized NI-based amphiphiles (NISH, NISS, NINSS, and TNINSH) through J-type aggregation in DMSO-water (fw = 99 vol %). Naphthyl residue containing NI-derived amphiphiles (NINSS and TNINSH) exhibited AIE (blue and yellow) at 470 and 550 nm, respectively, in DMSO-water (fw = 99 vol %). NINSS and TNINSH FONPs were suitably utilized in sensing PDI through their redox nature of thiol-disulfide exchange. Fluorescence quenching of NINSS FONPs was observed due to reduction of disulfide to thiol by PDI, whereas emission intensity was progressively red-shifted and enhanced ("Dual-AIE") for TNINSH (containing ER-targeting N-tosylethylenediamine), owing to oxidation of thiol to disulfide by PDI. NINSS and TNINSH FONPs were found to be highly efficient in sensing PDI through the AIE-based "fluorescence off/on" mechanism having limits of detection of ∼12.6-17.7 and ∼11.7-16.5 ng/mL, respectively. In vitro cell imaging for NIH3T3 (noncancer) and B16F10 (melanoma) cells with NINSS and TNINSH FONPs displayed excellent diagnosis of eukaryotic cells upon interaction with indigenous PDI. Notably, detection of cancer cells was more sensitive over the noncancerous cells by these FONPs due to overexpression of PDI within cancer cells.

Performance of the transoesophageal echocardiography probe as an oesophageal temperature monitor in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Core temperature monitoring is critical during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). In this prospective observational study, we investigated the performance of the transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) probe for core (oesophageal) temperature monitoring during CPB. METHODS: Thirty adult patients, 18-70 years of either gender, undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB were enrolled. All patients received a reusable nasopharyngeal probe for monitoring core temperatures. In addition, the oesophageal temperatures were monitored with the TOE probe. The arterial outlet temperatures at the membrane oxygenator were also monitored and taken as the reference standard. Monitoring was performed every 5 min until 20 min, and then at 30 min during both the cooling and rewarming periods. RESULTS: During cooling, the oesophageal and nasopharyngeal temperatures lagged behind the arterial outlet temperatures. However, the intra-class correlation of the oesophageal temperatures with the arterial outlet temperatures was better (range 0.58-0.74) than the correlation of the nasopharyngeal temperatures with the arterial outlet temperatures (range 0.46-0.62). During rewarming, the performance of the TOE probe was significantly superior to the nasopharyngeal probe. After 15 and 20 min of rewarming, there was a difference of ∼1°C between the oesophageal and nasopharyngeal temperatures. At 30 min of rewarming, the oesophageal and the arterial outlet temperatures were similar, while the nasopharyngeal temperatures still lagged by 0.5°C. Bias was significantly less both during cooling and warming between the oesophageal temperatures and arterial outlet temperatures. CONCLUSIONS: Performance of the TOE probe as an oesophageal temperature probe is superior to the nasopharyngeal probe during CPB. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTRI no 2020/10/028228; ctri.nic.in.

Selective Sensing of Epinephrine by Phenylboronic Acid Tethered Carbon Dot.

The present work depicts development of phenylboronic acid (PBA) derived and appended carbon dots (CD1-PBAs) to detect epinephrine with high sensitivity and selectivity against structurally analogous biomolecules like norepinephrine, L-Dopa and glucose. Carbon dots were synthesized by hydrothermal method. Microscopic and spectroscopic studies ensured the suitability of CD1-PBAs for diol sensing. Catecholic-OH groups of epinephrine primarily form covalent adduct with CD1-PBAs via boronate-diol linkage that caused change in absorption intensity of CD1-PBAs. The limit of detection (LOD) for epinephrine was found to be 2.0 nM. For other analogous biomolecules, formation of boronate-diol linkage might have got retarded by the dominant participation of secondary interactions like hydrogen bonding owing to the presence of varying functional moieties. Subsequently, responsiveness in the change in absorbance intensity of CD1-PBAs was weaker compared to that for epinephrine. Hence, a selective and efficient carbon dot (CD1-PBAs) based epinephrine sensor was developed simply by utilizing boronate-diol linkage.

Peptide Amphiphilic Supramolecular Nanogels: Competent Host for Notably Efficient Lipase-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Water-Insoluble Substrates.

The present work depicts the development of stable nanogels in an aqueous medium that were exploited for efficient surface-active lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of water-insoluble substrates. Surfactant-coated gel nanoparticles (neutral NG1, anionic NG2, and cationic NG3) were prepared from peptide amphiphilic hydrogelator (G1, G2, and G3, respectively) at different hydrophilic and lipophilic balance (HLB). Chromobacterium viscosum (CV) lipase activity towards hydrolysis of water-insoluble substrates (p-nitrophyenyl-n-alkanoates (C4-C10)) in the presence of nanogels got remarkably improved by ~1.7-8.0 fold in comparison to that in aqueous buffer and other self-aggregates. An increase in hydrophobicity of the substrate led to a notable improvement in lipase activity in the hydrophilic domain (HLB>8.0) of nanogels. The micro-heterogeneous interface of small-sized (10-65 nm) nanogel was found to be an appropriate scaffold for immobilizing surface-active lipase to exhibit superior catalytic efficiency. Concurrently, the flexible conformation of lipase immobilized in nanogels was reflected in its secondary structure having the highest α-helix content from the circular dichroism spectra.

Risk Perception and Preventive Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the General Population.

Background People's perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated risk are very essential to prevent the spread of the infection. The awareness among individuals may contribute to preventing COVID-19 infections. Coronavirus disease is a serious public health issue. However, preventive practices toward COVID-19 are relatively unknown. The present study aims to survey the risk perception and preventive practice during the COVID-19 pandemic among the general population in Odisha. Method A cross-sectional online survey among 395 participants was conducted by adopting the convenience sampling technique. The tools used for the survey consist of three divisions: collection of sociodemographic data, assessment of risk perception toward COVID-19, and assessment of preventive practices during COVID-19 through an online survey method. Results The majority (83.29%) of the participants strongly agreed that social distancing is necessary to control the transmission of COVID-19, 65.82% strongly agreed that lockdown is relevant to control COVID-19 spread, 49.62% strongly agreed that wearing a mask protects from the infection, and 40.25% strongly agreed that they will be able to connect with healthcare professionals if they are infected with COVID-19 infection. The finding revealed that the highest number of participants are always practicing all the preventive measures such as maintaining hand hygiene (77.21%), wearing a mask (68.10%), avoiding shaking hands (87.59%), willingness to seek medical help (90.37%), avoiding going to the market or meeting friends (80.75%), discussing preventive measures related to COVID-19 with their family members (76.45%), and eating only homemade food (87.34%). Conclusion This study found that an average number of study participants who had the highest level of practice on preventive measures are those who had higher perceived risk among the general population. Expanding the knowledge regarding the infection and its ill effect on health through the proper channel can bring a drastic change in the attitude of the general public. As many people depend on television and social media for acquiring information about COVID-19, any information that reaches the public should be accurate and based on evidence. To avoid miscommunication and the further spread of COVID-19, health education and awareness have to be implemented to increase self-efficacy and risk identification among the general public, which eventually increases the practice of preventive measures.

Co2+ Doped Biotinylated Carbon Dot: A Theranostic Agent for Target Specific Killing of Cancer Cells via Hypoxia Induced Apoptosis.

Conventional cancer treatments have systematic side effects that stand against its desirable therapeutic efficacy. Alternative strategies using biochemical features of cancer cells to promote apoptosis are finding notable significance. One such important biochemical feature of malignant cells is hypoxia, alteration of which can lead to cell death. Hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) has the key role in hypoxia generation. Herein, we synthesized biotinylated Co2+ -integrated carbon dot (CoCDb ) that specifically diagnose and selectively killed cancer cells with 3-3.1-fold higher efficiency over non-cancer cells by hypoxia induced apoptosis in absence of traditional therapeutic intervention. Immunoblotting assay in CoCDb treated MDA-MB-231 cells confirmed the increased expression of HIF-1α that was responsible for efficient killing of cancer cells. In 2D cells and 3D tumor spheroid, CoCDb treated cancer cells showed significant apoptosis that make CoCDb a potential theranostic agent.

Socioeconomic Burden of Critically Ill Patients: A Descriptive Study.

Background The cost of critical illness treatment is generally recognized as expensive and increasing in India. Critical illness of the individual will affect the socioeconomic status of the individual and the family. The direct and indirect costs of intensive care and its impact on the socioeconomic status of critically ill patients and their families need to be estimated. The present study was carried out to evaluate the socioeconomic burden of critically ill patients admitted to ICUs in Eastern India. Methods A descriptive survey was conducted to measure the socioeconomic burden. One hundred fifteen critically ill patients and their family members were conveniently selected for the study. Critically ill patients admitted to ICUs and those who were bedridden for more than seven days along with anyone the family member, i.e., spouse, father, or mother, were included in the study to estimate the impact of long-term illness on the care providers in the family. Socio-demographic and socioeconomic burdens were analyzed through the interview method. Results Half (49.6%) of the critically ill patients were heads of the family, and their employment is the primary source of income for the family members. Most (60.9%) of the patients belonged to lower socioeconomic status. Critically ill patients spend a maximum (38169.6±3996.2) amount for pharmaceutical expenses. Eventually, the family members accompanying patients lost maximum working days because of the long length of hospital stay. Below upper-lower (p=0.046) class socioeconomic family, age less than 40 (p=0.018) years, and those families depending (p=0.003) on patients' income significantly reported higher socioeconomic burden. Conclusions Critical care hospitalization of patients increases the socioeconomic burden on the whole family, especially in lower-middle-income countries like India. It soberly affects younger age group patients with low socioeconomic status and families depending on the patient's income during their man days.

Correction: Anesthetic Challenges During Whole Lung Lavage: A Case Report.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.33659.].

Correction: Anesthetic Challenges During Whole Lung Lavage: A Case Report.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.33659.].

Anesthetic Challenges During Whole Lung Lavage: A Case Report.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is an uncommon lung disease characterized by the accumulation of surfactant in the lungs. Treatment is done by whole lung lavage. One-lung ventilation in diseased lungs is a challenge to anesthesiologists due to the rapid desaturation and hemodynamic fluctuations encountered during the procedure. A 24-year-old female, a known patient of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, who had undergone previous lung lavage presented with a dry cough and shortness of breath. Our management of the case included complete lung isolation with a double-lumen tube (DLT), one-lung ventilation, and an appropriate hemodynamic management strategy during the procedure.

Paper based microfluidic devices: a review of fabrication techniques and applications.

A wide range of applications are possible with paper-based analytical devices, which are low priced, easy to fabricate and operate, and require no specialized equipment. Paper-based microfluidics offers the design of miniaturized POC devices to be applied in the health, environment, food, and energy sector employing the ASSURED (Affordable, Sensitive, Specific, User-friendly, Rapid and Robust, Equipment free and Deliverable to end users) principle of WHO. Therefore, this field is growing very rapidly and ample research is being done. This review focuses on fabrication and detection techniques reported to date. Additionally, this review emphasises on the application of this technology in the area of medical diagnosis, energy generation, environmental monitoring, and food quality control. This review also presents the theoretical analysis of fluid flow in porous media for the efficient handling and control of fluids. The limitations of PAD have also been discussed with an emphasis to concern on the transformation of such devices from laboratory to the consumer.

Numerical assessment of hemodynamic perspectives of a left ventricular assist device and subsequent proposal for improvisation.

Due to the unavailability of donors, the use of left ventricular assist devices has emerged to be a reliable line of alternative treatment for heart failure. However, ventricular assist devices (VAD) have been associated with several postoperative complications such as thrombosis, hemolysis, etc. Despite considerable improvements in technology, blood trauma due to high shear stress generation has been a major concern that is largely related to the geometrical feature of the VAD. This study aims to establish the design process of a centrifugal pump by considering several variations in the geometrical feature of a base design using the commercial solver ANSYS-CFX. To capture the uncertain behavior of blood as fluid, Newtonian, as well as non-Newtonian (Bird-Carreau model), models are used for flow field prediction. To assess the possibility of blood damage maximum wall shear stress and hemolysis index have been estimated for each operating point. The results of the simulations yield an optimized design of the pump based on parameters like pressure head generation, maximum shear stress, hydraulic efficiency, and hemolysis index. Further, the design methodology and the steps of development discussed in the paper can serve as a guideline for developing small centrifugal pumps handling blood.