Deformable Biomechanics of DMEK Tissue Scrolls Traveling Through Narrow Lumens: The Inverse Relationships Between Fluid Velocity, Scroll Width, and Wall Contact and Their Clinical Implications for Preloading.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) scroll width and length in relation to variable velocities as the tissue transits through wide and narrow lumen glass tubes.

Methods: Sets of DMEK tissue were processed using the Iowa Lions Eye Bank standard DMEK protocol and were passed through 2 glass tube widths at variable speeds. Two hourglass-shaped glass tubes were created, one "wide" and one "narrow.

Using a Cone-Shaped Glass Funnel Adapter Reduces Endothelial Cell Loss Caused by Preloading Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Tissue.

Purpose: The aims of this study were (1) to compare "front" and "rear" methods for loading Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) tissue into both micro-Jones and standard-Jones tubes and (2) to evaluate the efficacy of a cone-shaped glass funnel adapter designed to make loading DMEK tissue safer for corneal endothelial cells.

Methods: The corneal endothelium was stained with 0.06% trypan blue to confirm equivalence between mate corneas.

Synergy between Diastolic Mitral Valve Function and Left Ventricular Flow Aids in Valve Closure and Blood Transport during Systole.

Highly resolved three-dimensional (3D) fluid structure interaction (FSI) simulation using patient-specific echocardiographic data can be a powerful tool for accurately and thoroughly elucidating the biomechanics of mitral valve (MV) function and left ventricular (LV) fluid dynamics. We developed and validated a strongly coupled FSI algorithm to fully characterize the LV flow field during diastolic MV opening under physiologic conditions. Our model revealed that distinct MV deformation and LV flow patterns developed during different diastolic stages.

Alterations in cancer cell mechanical properties after fluid shear stress exposure: a micropipette aspiration study.

Over 90% of cancer deaths result not from primary tumor development, but from metastatic tumors that arise after cancer cells circulate to distal sites via the circulatory system. While it is known that metastasis is an inefficient process, the effect of hemodynamic parameters such as fluid shear stress (FSS) on the viability and efficacy of metastasis is not well understood. Recent work has shown that select cancer cells may be able to survive and possibly even adapt to FSS in vitro.

Micro-scale blood particulate dynamics using a non-uniform rational B-spline-based isogeometric analysis.

The current research presents a novel method in which blood particulates - biconcave red blood cells (RBCs) and spherical cells are modeled using isogeometric analysis, specifically Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) in 3-D. The use of NURBS ensures that even with a coarse representation, the geometry of the blood particulates maintains an accurate description when subjected to large deformations. The fundamental advantage of this method is the coupling of the geometrical description and the stress analysis of the cell membrane into a single, unified framework.