Methodology of generation of CFD meshes and 4D shape reconstruction of coronary arteries from patient-specific dynamic CT.

Due to the difficulties in retrieving both the time-dependent shapes of the vessels and the generation of numerical meshes for such cases, most of the simulations of blood flow in the cardiac arteries use static geometry. The article describes a methodology for generating a sequence of time-dependent 3D shapes based on images of different resolutions and qualities acquired from ECG-gated coronary artery CT angiography. The precision of the shape restoration method has been validated using an independent technique. The original proposed approach also generates for each of the retrieved vessel shapes a numerical mesh of the same topology (connectivity matrix), greatly simplifying the CFD blood flow simulations. This feature is of significant importance in practical CFD simulations, as it gives the possibility of using the mesh-morphing utility, minimizing the computation time and the need of interpolation between boundary meshes at subsequent time instants. The developed technique can be applied to generate numerical meshes in arteries and other organs whose shapes change over time. It is applicable to medical images produced by other than angio-CT modalities.

Red blood cells tracking and cell-free layer formation in a microchannel with hyperbolic contraction: A CFD model validation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In recent years, progress in microfabrication technologies has attracted the attention of researchers across disciplines. Microfluidic devices have the potential to be developed into powerful tools that can elucidate the biophysical behavior of blood flow in microvessels. Such devices can also be used to separate the suspended physiological fluid from whole in vitro blood, which includes cells. Therefore, it is essential to acquire a detailed description of the complex interaction between erythrocytes (red blood cells; RBCs) and plasma. RBCs tend to undergo axial migration caused by occurrence of the Fåhræus-Lindqvist effect. These dynamics result in a cell-free layer (CFL), or a low volume fraction of cells, near the vessel wall. The aim of the paper is to develop a numerical model capable of reproducing the behavior of multiphase flow in a microchannel obtained under laboratory conditions and to compare two multiphase modelling techniques Euler-Euler and Euler-Lagrange. METHODS: In this work, we employed a numerical Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of the blood flow within microchannels with two hyperbolic contraction shapes. The simulation was used to reproduce the blood flow behavior in a microchannel under laboratory conditions, where the CFL formation is visible downstream of the hyperbolic contraction. The multiphase numerical model was developed using Euler-Euler and hybrid Euler-Lagrange approaches. The hybrid CFD simulation of the RBC transport model was performed using a Discrete Phase Model. Blood was assumed to be a nonhomogeneous mixture of two components: dextran, whose properties are consistent with plasma, and RBCs, at a hematocrit of 5% (percent by volume of RBCs). RESULTS: The results show a 5 µm thick CFL in a microchannel with a broader contraction and a 35 µm thick CFL in a microchannel with a narrower contraction. The RBC volume fraction in the CFL is less than 2%, compared to 7-8% in the core flow. The results are consistent for both multiphase simulation techniques used. The simulation results were then validated against the experimentally-measured CFL in each of the studied microchannel geometries. CONCLUSIONS: Reasonable agreement between experiments and simulations was achieved. A validated model such as the one tested in this study can expedite the microchannel design process by minimizing the need to prefabricate prototypes and test them under laboratory conditions.

Microchamber microfluidics combined with thermogellable glycomicrogels - Platform for single cells study in an artificial cellular microenvironment.

Microfluidic technology is a powerful tool to precisely establish artificial microenvironments and has been used to generate numerous biomimetic devices. Here, we present a combined microenvironment platform, which consists of microchamber microfluidics filled with thermoresponsive glycomicrogels, and enables live-cell immobilization and continuous observation. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgels containing trehalose has been selected from our previous study to possess adequate physicochemical characteristics and provide potential multivalent interactions with cell surfaces. We show that the designed microplatform enables small population of cells to be trapped in individual parallel microchambers and further immobilized in an artificial extracellular matrix. We applied our platform to long-term imaging experiments and studied HeLa cell growth dynamics under continuous, diffusion-dominated medium exchange. The mathematical modeling revealed that regardless of the initial number of cells, the growth dynamic follows the exponential growth pattern over the analyzed timespan (one week). These results confirm that the presented microsystem facilitates the long-term cell culture in a cellular-mimicking microenvironment without reaching environmental constraints.

Theoretical basis for the use of non-invasive thermal measurements to assess the brain injury in newborns undergoing therapeutic hypothermia.

The aim of this paper is to propose a new non-invasive methodology to estimate thermogenesis in newborns with perinatal asphyxia (PA) undergoing therapeutic hypothermia (TH). Metabolic heat production (with respect to either a neonate's body mass or its body surface) is calculated from the newborn's heat balance, estimating all remaining terms of this heat balance utilising results of only non-invasive thermal measurements. The measurement devices work with standard equipment used for therapeutic hypothermia and are equipped with the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), which allows one to record and monitor the course of the therapy remotely (using an internet browser) without disturbing the medical personnel. This methodology allows one to estimate thermogenesis in newborns with perinatal asphyxia undergoing therapeutic hypothermia. It also offers information about instantaneous values of the rate of cooling together with values of remaining rates of heat transfer. It also shows the trend of any changes, which are recorded during treatment. Having information about all components of the heat balance one is able to facilitate comparison of results obtained for different patients, in whom these components may differ. The proposed method can be a new tool for measuring heat balance with the possibility of offering better predictions regarding short-term neurologic outcomes and tailored management in newborns treated by TH.