Optical incoherent technique for noninvasive assessment of blood flow in tissues: Theoretical model and experimental study

Laser noninvasive methods for assessment of a tissue blood flow (BF), for example, the Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF), are well-known today. However, in such methods, low-frequency fluctuations (LFFs) in the registered optical signal caused by blood volume changes inside a tissue have not been studied in details until now. The aim of this study is to investigate the LFFs formation and to justify the LFFs-based diagnostic technique for cutaneous BF assessment. LFFs are theoretically described and experimentally shown in the input LDF signal inside the frequency range 0 to 10 Hz. They are substantiated as the basis of the new diagnostic method, in which BF is defined as the magnitude of blood volume changes in a tissue per unit time. The hand-made prototype of the promising diagnostic tool with light emitted diodes is used to validate the technique in experiments in vivo on 16 healthy volunteers in comparison with the LDF method. Experimental results show a good similarity of the recorded BF for both coherent and incoherent method. The proposed technique makes it possible the creation of inexpensive diagnostic equipment for assessment of cutaneous BF without using lasers and coherent light, completely and functionally comparable to LDF devices.     

Loss of alveolar membrane diffusing capacity and pulmonary capillary blood volume in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Background

Reduced gas transfer in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is traditionally attributed to remodeling and progressive loss of pulmonary arterial vasculature that results in decreased capillary blood volume available for gas exchange.

Methods

We tested this hypothesis by determination of lung diffusing capacity (DL) and its components, the alveolar capillary membrane diffusing capacity (D_m) and lung capillary blood volume (V_c) in 28 individuals with PAH in comparison to 41 healthy individuals, and in 19 PAH patients over time. Using single breath simultaneous measure of diffusion of carbon monoxide (DL_CO) and nitric oxide (DL_NO), DL and D_m were respectively determined, and V_c calculated. D_m and V_c were evaluated over time in relation to standard clinical indicators of disease severity, including brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) by echocardiography.

Results

Both DL_CO and DL_NO were reduced in PAH as compared to controls and the lower DL in PAH was due to loss of both D_m and V_c (all p < 0.01). While DL_CO of PAH patients did not change over time, DL_NO decreased by 24 ml/min/mmHg/year (p = 0.01). Consequently, D_m decreased and V_c tended to increase over time, which led to deterioration of the D_m/V_c ratio, a measure of alveolar-capillary membrane functional efficiency without changes in clinical markers.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that lower than normal gas transfer in PAH is due to loss of both D_m and V_c, but that deterioration of D_m/V_c over time is related to worsening membrane diffusion.     

Modeling of Surface-Tension-Driven Flow of Blood in Capillary Tubes

Surface-tension-driven blood flow into a capillary tube, as in some medical devices, is studied. In a previous article, we considered the early stages of the entry flow from a drop of blood into a capillary, and solved the problem analytically under the assumption that the resistance of the air is negligible. In the present note we consider a capillary tube of finite length, with the far end containing a small window which opens to the atmosphere. The dynamic reverberation of the air in the capillary tube is analyzed in conjunction with the dynamics of the blood. Existing computing programs are used to solve the Navier-Stokes equations. The interface is characterized by the surface tension between the blood and the air, and the contact angle at the triple point where the air-blood interface meets the capillary tube wall. The results tell us how good our earlier simplified analysis is. The new numerical results show that the smaller the window, the larger is the effect of aerodynamic reverberation. However, even for a window as small as 4% of the capillary cross section, and located at the end of the capillary, the difference of the time of arrival of the interface at the window is less than 5%.     

Measurement of gas exchange rates in plant tissue culture vessels

The aerial microenvironment in culture vessels has a significant effect on the growth and development of plantlets in vitro. Since the gas exchange between outside air and inner air can influence the microenvironment of culture vessel, it is necessary to measure the air exchange rate for various vessels. In this study, water vapor was used as the tracer gas, and the change of absolute humidity inside the vessel was calculated continuously by the measured values of a relative humidity sensing element. The outside environment was maintained at constant humidity level by a saturated salt solution. The RH data were transformed into absolute humidity and the specific humidity ratio. The air exchange rates of several tissue culture vessels were then calculated. The exchange rate was between 0.0145 h^–1 to 0.0376 h^–1. This technique provides an inexpensive, rapid and simple way to determine the air exchange rate of a culture vessel within a short period. The effects of the air current velocities on the exchange rates of vessels were also determined.     

Effect of biologically produced sulfur on gas absorption in a biotechnological hydrogen sulfide removal process

Absorption of hydrogen sulfide in aqueous suspensions of biologically produced sulfur particles was studied in a batch stirred cell reactor, and in a continuous set-up, consisting of a lab-scale gas absorber column and a bioreactor. Presence of biosulfur particles was found to enhance the absorption rate of H(2)S gas in the mildly alkaline liquid. The mechanism for this enhancement was however found to depend on the type of particles used. In the gently stirred cell reactor only small hydrophilic particles were present (d(p) < 3 microm) and the enhancement of the H(2)S absorption rate can be explained from the heterogeneous reaction between dissolved H(2)S and solid elemental sulfur to polysulfide ions, S(x) (2-). Conditions favoring enhanced H(2)S absorption for these hydrophilic particles are: low liquid side mass transfer (k(L)), high sulfur content, and presence of polysulfide ions. In the set-up of gas absorber column and bioreactor, both small hydrophilic particles and larger, more hydrophobic particles were continuously produced (d(p) up to 20 microm). Here, observed enhancement could not be explained by the heterogeneous reaction between sulfide and sulfur, due to the relatively low specific particle surface area, high k(L), and low [S(x) (2-)]. A more likely explanation for enhancement here is the more hydrophobic behavior of the larger particles. A local increase of the hydrophobic sulfur particle concentration near the gas/liquid interface and specific adsorption of H(2)S at the particle surface can result in an increase in the H(2)S absorption rate.