• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• 제25권4E호
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• pp.159-165
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• 2006

Human, horse and rat bloods in a cylindrical chamber where flow was controlled by a stirring magnet were used for studying red blood cell aggregation. Ultrasound backscattered powers from blood were obtained from the backscattered signals measured by a 5 MHz focused transducer in a pulse-echo setup. The experimental results showed the differences in red blood cell (RBC) aggregation tendency among the three mammalian species with an order of horse > human > rat. The ultrasound backscattered power decreased with stirring speed in human and horse blood, but no variations were observed in rat blood. Sudden flow stoppage led to the slow increase of the backscattered power for human and horse blood. There was no self-aggregation tendency in rat blood. The enveloped echo images showed the spatial and temporal variations of RBC aggregations in the cylindrical chamber. These observations from the different mammalian species may give a better understanding of the mechanism of RBC aggregation.

• International Journal of Vascular Biomedical Engineering
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.4-12
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• 2003

The present study investigated the effect of transverse vibration on the hemorheological characteristics of blood using a newly designed pressure-scanning capillary viscometer. As vibration was applied, aggregated blood cells (rouleaux) were disaggregated. The range of vibration frequency and amplitude are $0{\sim}100\;Hz$ and $0{\sim}0.8\;mm$, respectively for a capillary diameter 0.84 mm. As vibration increased, blood viscosity initially increased and tended to decrease. In order to delineate the unexpected results, the present study proposed two counteracting mechanisms of vibration related with red blood cell (RBC) aggregation affecting hemo-rheological properties. One is the reduction of RBC aggregation due to vibration causing an increase of blood viscosity. The other is forced cell migration due to the transverse vibration, which in turn forms a cell-free layer near the tube wall and causes a decrease of flow resistance.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2004년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.1510-1515
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• 2004

Aggregability of red blood cells (RBCs) was determined by a laser backscattering light analysis in a microfluidic channel. Available techniques for RBC aggregation often adopt a rotational Couette-flow using bob-and-cup system for disaggregating RBCs, which causes the system to be complex and expensive. A disposable microfluidic channel and vibration generating mechanism were used in the proposed new detection system for RBC aggregation. Prior to measurement, RBC aggregates in a blood sample were completely disaggregated by applying vibration-induced shear. With the present apparatus, the aggregation indexes of RBCs can be easily measured with small quantities of blood sample. The measurements with the present aggregometer were compared with those of LORCA and showed a strong correlation between them. The aggregability of the defibrinogenated blood RBCs is markedly lower than that of the normal RBCs. The noble feature of this design is the vibration-induced disaggregation mechanism, which enables to incorporate disposable element that holds the blood sample.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.91-103
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• 2007

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the usability of live blood analysis on interior and exterior vascular laser irradiation therapy. Methods : We had analyzed the changing forms of the live blood sample with microscope before and after vascular laser irradiation therapy of blood. The live blood analysis was operated on Rouleau of red cell, erythrocyte aggregation, thrombocyte aggregation, uric acid crystals, red crystals, protoplasts. First, we analyzed all patients on each item, then did same thing classified two groups, Interior and exterior. Results : Rouleau of red cell, erythrocyte aggregation, thrombocyte aggregation, uric acid crystals, red crystals, protoplasts were decreased significantly, after interior and exterior aggregation, uric acid crystals. Interior vascular laser irradiation therapy was more effective than interior on Rouleau of red cell, erythrocyte aggregation, thrombocyte aggregation, uric acid crystals. Interior vascular laser irradiation therapy was more effective than exterior on red crystals, protoplasts. Conclusions : This study suggests that live blood analysis has the usability on vascular laser irradiation therapy. Then according to interior and exterior vascular laser irradiation therapy, the result has some different on each item. So it is better that choose the method, interior or exterior, for more effective therapy.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.887-893
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• 2005

The aggregability of red blood cells (RBCs) was determined by laser backscattering light analysis in a microfluidic channel. Available techniques for RBC aggregation often adopt a rotational Couette-flow using a bob-and-cup system for disaggregating RBCs, which causes the system to be complex and expensive. A disposable microfluidic channel and vibration generating mechanism were used in the proposed new detection system for RBC aggregation. Prior to measurement, RBC aggregates in a blood sample were completely disaggregated by the application of vibration-induced shear. With the present apparatus, the aggregation indexes of RBCs can be measured easily with small quantities of a blood sample. The measurements with the present aggregometer were compared with those of LORCA and the results showed a strong correlation between them. The aggregability of the defibrinogenated blood RBCs is markedly lower than that of the normal RBCs. The noble feature of this design is the vibration-induced disaggregation mechanism, which can incorporate the disposable element that holds the blood sample.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2004년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.1678-1681
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• 2004

The light-transmission technique has been applied to a slit rheometer for measuring red blood cell aggregation as well as blood viscosity over a range of shear rates. For measurement of blood viscosity and aggregation, instantaneous pressure and transmit-light intensity are measured with time. Using a precision pressure measurement, one can determine the shear stress and shear rate. In addition, a transmitted light through a blood sample indicates degree of RBC aggregation. With abruptly flowing with high shear rate, RBCs rapidly disaggregate and the intensity of the transmitted light becomes low. When continuously flowing with decreasing shear rate, RBCs tend to re-aggregate and the corresponding transmit-intensity gradually increases with time. The light intensity as a degree of RBC aggregation is plotted against shear rate and compared with blood viscosity. The advantages of this design are dual measurement at a time, simplicity, i.e., ease of operation and no moving parts, low cost, short operating time, and the disposable kit which is contacted with blood sample.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.129-134
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• 2004

The aggregation characteristics of red blood cells (RBCs) were measured using a newly developed light-transmission slit rheometer. Conventional methods of RBC disaggregation such as the rotational Couette system were replaced with a pressure-driven slit flow system with a vibrational mechanism. Using a vibration generator, one can disaggregate the RBC aggregates stored in the slit. While shear stress decreases exponentially, instantaneous pressure and the transmitted light intensity were measured over time. Applying an abrupt shearing flow after disaggregation caused a rapid elongation of the RBCs followed by loss of elongation with the decreasing shear stress. While the shear stress is further decreasing, the RBCs start to re-aggregate and the corresponding transmitted intensity increases with time, from which the aggregation indices can be obtained using a curve-fitting program.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2008년도 추계학술대회A
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• pp.1487-1491
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• 2008

Detailed knowledge on the motion of blood cells flowing in micro-channels under simple shear flow and the influence of blood flow is essential to provide a better understanding on the blood rheological properties and blood cell aggregation. The microscopic behavior of red blood cell (RBCs) is numerically investigated using a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) method based on the Arbitrary-Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) approach and the dynamic mesh method (smoothing and remeshing) in FLUENT (ANSYS Inc., USA). The employed FSI method could be applied to the motions and deformations of a single blood cell and multiple blood cells, and the primary thrombogenesis caused by platelet aggregation. It is expected that, combined with a sophisticated large-scale computational technique, the simulation method will be useful for understanding the overall properties of blood flow from blood cellular level (microscopic) to the resulting rheological properties of blood as a mass (macroscopic).

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.161-173
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• 2009

This study analyzes especially drag and lift models recently developed for fluid-solid, fluid-fluid or liquid-liquid two-phase flows to understand their applicability on the computational fluid dynamics, CFD modeling of pulsatile blood flow. Virtual mass effect and the effect of red blood cells, RBCs aggregation on CFD modeling of blood flow are also shortly reviewed to recognize future tendencies in this field. Recent studies on two-phase flows are found as very useful to develop more powerful drag-lift models that reflect the effects of blood cell's shape, deformation, concentration, and aggregation.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.9-13
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• 2005

The aggregation of red blood cells (RBCs) is a major determinant of blood flow resistance passing through various veins. Available techniques for measuring RBC aggregation often require pretreating and washing after each measurement, which is not optimal for day-to-day clinical use. A laser reflection technique has been combined with a vibration-aided disaggregation mechanism, which shows significant advances in aggregometer design, operation and data analysis. The essential features of this design are in its simplicity and a disposable element that is in contact with the blood sample. Using extremely small quantities of blood, the RBCs subjected to vibrations can be quickly and completely disaggregated. This is followed by measuring the backscattered light intensity. The measurements with the present sensor were compared with those of a commercial aggregometer and a strong correlation was found between them. The newly-developed optical aggregometer can measure the RBC aggregability difference between young and old cell suspension with ease and accuracy.