This publication primarily focuses on the macro- and micro- rheological behavior of blood and its formed elements, on interactions between the formed elements and blood vessel walls, and on the microvascular aspects of hemodynamics. Since many aspects of hemorheology and hemodynamics are affected by disease or clinical states, these effects are discussed as are hyperviscosity syndromes, therapy for disturbed blood rheology, and methods in hemorheology and hemodynamics. Sections of the Handbook include History of Hemorheology; Hemorheology, covering basic aspects, blood composition, blood rheology, cell mechanics, pathophysiology, methods and comparative studies; Hemodynamics, covering basic principles, microcirculation, in vivo effects, endothelium and methods; and Clinical Aspects of Hemorheology, covering hyperviscosity, clinical significance and treatment. The goal is to foster greater interchange between workers in the fields so as to promote collaborative efforts and, hopefully, improved health. In selecting topics for this handbook the editors have attempted to provide a general overview of both basic science and clinical hemorheology and hemodynamics. Hemorheology and hemodynamics are closely related, the former dealing with all aspects of the flow and interactions of the individual blood cells mostly studied in vitro, the latter with the in vivo relationships among vessel architecture, driving pressure, flow rate and shear stress. The linkage between the in vitro and in vivo research described in the book will be of interest to both basic science and clinical investigators. The editors of the handbook have each been active in the fields of bio- and hemorheology for many years, and have published extensively. They have successfully achieved their objective to publish a well-written and well-edited handbook that will be valuable for researchers and students in the field.

This publication primarily focuses on the macro- and micro-rheological behavior of blood and its formed elements, on interactions between the formed elements and blood vessel walls, and on the microvascular aspects of hemodynamics. Since many aspects of hemorheology and hemodynamics are affected by disease or clinical states, these effects are discussed as are hyperviscosity syndromes, therapy for disturbed blood rheology, and methods in hemorheology and hemodynamics. Sections of the Handbook include History of Hemorheology; Hemorheology, covering basic aspects, blood composition, blood rheology, cell mechanics, pathophysiology, methods and comparative studies; Hemodynamics, covering basic principles, microcirculation, in vivo effects, endothelium and methods; and Clinical Aspects of Hemorheology, covering hyperviscosity, clinical significance and treatment. The goal is to foster greater interchange between workers in the fields so as to promote collaborative efforts and, hopefully, improved health. In selecting topics for this handbook the editors have attempted to provide a general overview of both basic science and clinical hemorheology and hemodynamics. Hemorheology and hemodynamics are closely related, the former dealing with all aspects of the flow and interactions of the individual blood cells mostly studied in vitro, the latter with the in vivo relationships among vessel architecture, driving pressure, flow rate and shear stress. The linkage between the in vitro and in vivo research described in the book will be of interest to both basic science and clinical investigators. The editors of the handbook have each been active in the fields of bio- and hemorheology for many years, and have published extensively. They have successfully achieved their objective to publish a well-written and well-edited handbook that will be valuable for researchers and students in the field.

Red blood cells in humans—and most other mammals—have a tendency to form aggregates with a characteristic face-to-face morphology, similar to a stack of coins. Known as rouleaux, these aggregates are a normally occurring phenomenon and have a major impact on blood rheology. What is the underlying mechanism that produces this pattern? Does this really happen in blood circulation? And do these rouleaux formations have a useful function? The first book to offer a comprehensive review of the subject, Red Blood Cell Aggregation tackles these and other questions related to red blood cell (RBC) aggregates. The book covers basic, clinical, and physiological aspects of this important biophysical phenomenon and integrates these areas with concepts in bioengineering. It brings together state-of-the-art research on the determinants, mechanisms, and measurement and effects of RBC aggregation as well as on variations and comparative aspects. After an introductory overview, the book outlines factors and conditions that affect RBC aggregation. It presents the two hypotheses—the bridging model and the depletion model—that provide potential mechanisms for the adhesive forces that lead to the regular packing of the cells in rouleaux formations. The book also reviews the methods used to quantify RBC aggregation in vitro, focusing on their importance in clinical practice. Chapters discuss the effect of RBC aggregation on the in vitro rheology of blood as well as on tube flow. The book also looks at what happens in the circulation when red blood cells aggregate and examines variations due to physiological and pathophysiological challenges. The concluding chapter explores the formation of red blood cell aggregates in other mammals. Written by leading researchers in the field, this is an invaluable resource for basic science, medical, and clinical researchers; graduate students; and clinicians interested in mammalian red blood cells.

From the perspective of blood flow, blood has some unusual properties: it is a suspension of blood cells of which the red blood cells are most numerous and are both deformable (at moderate and high flow rates) and will aggregate under conditions of slow flow. Also, the cellular volume concentration is high (about 40-45%). These features cause blood to have variable viscosity, dependent on flow conditions, and cause both red blood cell sedimentation and syneresis effects under slow flow conditions (which can lead to rheological artifacts). These effects also cause unusual flow phenomena when blood flows in systems of small diameter vessels (especially for diameters of about 500 μm or less). These phenomena are seen in non-uniform cell distributions in vessel cross sections, a cell-poor layer of mostly blood plasma at vessels walls, non-proportionate cellular distribution during blood flow through vascular bifurcations, which leads to a very wide distribution of vessel cellular concentrations (from zero to systemic values) in the smaller vessels of the microcirculation, etc. All these phenomena are discussed in this book, as well as the difficulties presented by in vivo microvessels having non-ideal geometries. Table of Contents: Introduction / The Composition of Blood / Viscometers / Constitutive Equations / At Last, Experimental Data! / Some In Vitro Blood Flows / The Fahraeus Effect / The Fahreus-Lindqvist Effect / In Vitro Arterial-Type Bifurcation Experimental Data / In Vivo Experimental Bifurcation Data / Flow in Microvascular Networks / Optimization / Concluding Statement / References

This book illustrates applications of mathematics to various processes (physiological or artificial) involving flowing blood, including hemorheology, microcirculation, coagulation, kidney filtration and dialysis, offering a historical overview of each topic. Mathematical models are used to simulate processes normally occurring in flowing blood and to predict the effects of dysfunctions (e.g. bleeding disorders, renal failure), as well as the effects of therapies with an eye to improving treatments. Most of the models have a completely new approach that makes patient-specific simulations possible. The book is mainly intended for mathematicians interested in medical applications, but it is also useful for clinicians such as hematologists, nephrologists, cardio-surgeons, and bioengineers. Some parts require no specific knowledge of mathematics. The book is a valuable addition to mathematics, medical, biology, and bioengineering libraries.

Critical care clinicians must be knowledgeable about the anatomic, physiologic, and biochemical processes that are critical to the restoration of a functioning microvascular affecting organ perfusion. These basic physiologic processes critical to tissue perfusion and cellular oxygenation are presented in this issue on Monitoring Tissue Perfusion and Oxygenation. A working knowledge of oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption at the microvascular level will provide critical information needed for clinicians to continuously question the adequacy of tissue perfusion given our current lack of microvascular bedside monitoring.

Computational Modelling of Objects Represented in Images: Fundamentals, Methods and Applications III contains all contributions presented at the International Symposium CompIMAGE 2012 - Computational Modelling of Object Presented in Images: Fundamentals, Methods and Applications (Rome, Italy, 5-7 September 2012). The contributions cover the state-of-art and new trends in the fields of: - 3D Vision; - Biometric Recognition; - Computational Bioimaging and Visualization; - Computer Vision in Robotics and Automation; - Data Acquisition, Interpolation, Registration and Compression; - Image Enhancement and Restoring; - Image Processing and Analysis; - Image Segmentation; - Medical Imaging; - Modeling and Simulation; - Motion and Deformation Analysis; - Remote Sensing; - Scientific Visualization Computational Modelling of Objects Represented in Images: Fundamentals, Methods and Applications III addresses different techniques, such as optimization methods, geometry, finite element method, principal component analysis, stochastic methods, neural networks and fuzzy logic. The book is useful to researchers and students with multidisciplinary interests related to Computational Vision, Computational Mechanics, Medicine, Engineering and Architecture.

Red blood cells in humans-and most other mammals-have a tendency to form aggregates with a characteristic face-to-face morphology, similar to a stack of coins. Known as rouleaux, these aggregates are a normally occurring phenomenon and have a major impact on blood rheology. What is the underlying mechanism that produces this pattern? Does this real

The function and life span of endothelial cells have a large impact upon the quality and expectancy of an individual's life. During low perfusion, the adaptation of different cells to hypoxia precipitate the aggressive progression of diseases. Although the clinical studies have convincingly shown that endothelial dysfunction occurs whenever the biological functions or bioavailability of nitric oxide are impaired, in all these scenarios, the role of endothelial cell-destructive process cross-talk is yet poorly understood. This book focuses on the contribution of molecular mechanisms to endothelial dysfunction in related metabolic disorders.