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Arterial geometry, flow pattern, wall shear and mass transport: potential physiological significance.

ABSTRACT: We have studied numerically steady and unsteady flow in a straight and a helically stented common carotid artery, in order to model porcine experimental results that show reduced intimal hyperplasia (IH) in the helical case. The combination of flow pulsatility and three-dimensionality generates a sweeping motion of the Dean vortices, which overall reduced extremes of both oxygen flux to the vessel wall and wall shear stress (WSS). Since IH and atherosclerosis affect preferentially low WSS regions, these findings imply that vessel three-dimensionality and flow pulsatility can play important protective roles in respect of these diseases. The amplitude and frequency of the velocity waveform are important parameters of the system. Increase in amplitude increases WSS and oxygen flux to the vessel wall. Increase in frequency has a small effect; it increases WSS but has no effect on the oxygen flux to the vessel wall.

SUBMITTER: Coppola G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2696143 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Arterial geometry, flow pattern, wall shear and mass transport: potential physiological significance.

Coppola G G Caro C C

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface 20081125 35

We have studied numerically steady and unsteady flow in a straight and a helically stented common carotid artery, in order to model porcine experimental results that show reduced intimal hyperplasia (IH) in the helical case. The combination of flow pulsatility and three-dimensionality generates a sweeping motion of the Dean vortices, which overall reduced extremes of both oxygen flux to the vessel wall and wall shear stress (WSS). Since IH and atherosclerosis affect preferentially low WSS region ...[more]

PMID: 19033138

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Fabry disease is an X-linked recessive lysosomal storage disease resulting in the cellular accumulation of globotriaosylceramide particularly globotriaosylceramide. The disease is characterized by a dilated vasculopathy with arterial ectasia in muscular arteries and arterioles. Previous venous plethysomographic studies suggest enhanced endothelium-dependent vasodilation in Fabry disease indicating a functional abnormality of resistance vessels. METHODS:We examined the mechanical properties of the radial artery in Fabry disease, a typical fibro-muscular artery. Eight control subjects and seven patients with Fabry disease had a right brachial arterial line placed allowing real time recording of intra-arterial blood pressure. Real time B-mode ultrasound recordings of the right radial artery were obtained simultaneously allowing calculation of the vessel wall internal and external diameter, the incremental Young's modulus and arterial wall thickness. By simultaneously measurement of the distal index finger-pulse oximetry the pulse wave speed was calculated. From the wave speed and the internal radial artery diameter the volume flow was calculated by Womersley analysis following truncation of the late diastolic phase. RESULTS:No significant difference was found between Fabry patients and controls for internal or external arterial diameters, the incremental Young's modulus, the arterial wall thickness, the pulse wave speed and the basal radial artery blood flow. Further, no significant difference was found for the radial artery blood flow in response to intra-arterial acetylcholine or sodium nitroprusside. Both drugs however, elevated the mean arterial flow. CONCLUSIONS:The current study suggests that no structural or mechanical abnormality exists in the vessel wall of fibro-muscular arteries in Fabry disease. This may indicate that a functional abnormality downstream to the conductance vessels is the dominant feature in development Fabry vasculopathy.

Project description:Introduction: Carotid geometry and wall shear stress (WSS) have been proposed as independent risk factors for the progression of carotid atherosclerosis, but this has not yet been demonstrated in larger longitudinal studies. Therefore, we investigated the impact of these biomarkers on carotid wall thickness in patients with high cardiovascular risk. Methods: Ninety-seven consecutive patients with hypertension, at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor and internal carotid artery (ICA) plaques (wall thickness ≥ 1.5 mm and degree of stenosis ≤ 50%) were prospectively included. They underwent high-resolution 3D multi-contrast and 4D flow MRI at 3 Tesla both at baseline and follow-up. Geometry (ICA/common carotid artery (CCA)-diameter ratio, bifurcation angle, tortuosity and wall thickness) and hemodynamics [WSS, oscillatory shear index (OSI)] of both carotid bifurcations were measured at baseline. Their predictive value for changes of wall thickness 12 months later was calculated using linear regression analysis for the entire study cohort (group 1, 97 patients) and after excluding patients with ICA stenosis ≥10% to rule out relevant inward remodeling (group 2, 61 patients). Results: In group 1, only tortuosity at baseline was independently associated with carotid wall thickness at follow-up (regression coefficient = -0.52, p < 0.001). However, after excluding patients with ICA stenosis ≥10% in group 2, both ICA/CCA-ratio (0.49, p < 0.001), bifurcation angle (0.04, p = 0.001), tortuosity (-0.30, p = 0.040), and WSS (-0.03, p = 0.010) at baseline were independently associated with changes of carotid wall thickness at follow-up. Conclusions: A large ICA bulb and bifurcation angle and low WSS seem to be independent risk factors for the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in the absence of ICA stenosis. By contrast, a high carotid tortuosity seems to be protective both in patients without and with ICA stenosis. These biomarkers may be helpful for the identification of patients who are at particular risk of wall thickness progression and who may benefit from intensified monitoring and treatment.

Project description:Electroactive bacteria such as Geobacter sulfurreducens and Shewanella onedensis produce electrical current during their respiration; this has been exploited in bioelectrochemical systems. These bacteria form thicker biofilms and stay more active than soluble-respiring bacteria biofilms because their electron acceptor is always accessible. In bioelectrochemical systems such as microbial fuel cells, corrosion-resistant metals uptake current from the bacteria, producing power. While beneficial for engineering applications, collecting current using corrosion resistant metals induces pH stress in the biofilm, unlike the naturally occurring process where a reduced metal combines with protons released during respiration. To reduce pH stress, some bioelectrochemical systems use forced convection to enhance mass transport of both nutrients and byproducts; however, biofilms' small pore size limits convective transport, thus, reducing pH stress in these systems remains a challenge. Understanding how convection is necessary but not sufficient for maintaining biofilm health requires decoupling mass transport from momentum transport (i.e. fluidic shear stress). In this study we use a rotating disc electrode to emulate a practical bioelectrochemical system, while decoupling mass transport from shear stress. This is the first study to isolate the metabolic and structural changes in electroactive biofilms due to shear stress. We find that increased shear stress reduces biofilm development time while increasing its metabolic rate. Furthermore, we find biofilm health is negatively affected by higher metabolic rates over long-term growth due to the biofilm's memory of the fluid flow conditions during the initial biofilm development phases. These results not only provide guidelines for improving performance of bioelectrochemical systems, but also reveal features of biofilm behavior. Results of this study suggest that optimized reactors may initiate operation at high shear to decrease development time before decreasing shear for steady-state operation. Furthermore, this biofilm memory discovered will help explain the presence of channels within biofilms observed in other studies.

Dataset Information

Arterial geometry, flow pattern, wall shear and mass transport: potential physiological significance.

Publications

Arterial geometry, flow pattern, wall shear and mass transport: potential physiological significance.

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