Plasmas for medicine

Research pertaining to conductive polymers has gained significant traction in recent years, and their applications range from optoelectronics to material science. For all intents and purposes, conductive polymers can be described as Nobel Prize-winning materials, given that their discoverers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000. In this review, we seek to describe the chemical forms and functionalities of the main types of conductive polymers, as well as their synthesis methods. We also present an in-depth analysis of composite conductive polymers that contain various nanomaterials such as graphene, fullerene, carbon nanotubes, and paramagnetic metal ions. Natural polymers such as collagen, chitosan, fibroin, and hydrogel that are structurally modified for them to be conductive are also briefly touched upon. Finally, we expound on the plethora of biomedical applications that harbor the potential to be revolutionized by conductive polymers, with a particular focus on tissue engineering, regene...

Conductive Polymers: Opportunities and Challenges in Biomedical Applications

Magnetic nanoparticles are currently the focus of investigation for a wide range of biomedical applications that fall into the categories of imaging, sensing, and therapeutics A deep understanding of nanoparticle magnetization dynamics is fundamental to optimization and further development of these applications Here, a summary of theoretical models of nanoparticle dynamics is presented, and computational nonequilibrium models are outlined, which currently represent the most sophisticated methods for modeling nanoparticle dynamics Nanoparticle magnetization response is explored in depth; the effect of applied field amplitude, as well as nanoparticle size, on the resulting rotation mechanism and timescale is investigated Two applications in biomedicine, magnetic particle imaging and magnetic fluid hyperthermia, are highlighted

Nonequilibrium Dynamics of Magnetic Nanoparticles with Applications in Biomedicine.

Blood plasma has been considered a Newtonian fluid for decades. Recent experiments (Brust et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 2013, 110) revealed that blood plasma has a pronounced viscoelastic behavior. This claim was based on purely elastic effects observed in the collapse of a thin plasma filament and the fast flow of plasma inside a contraction-expansion microchannel. However, due to the fact that plasma is a solution with very low viscosity, conventional rotational rheometers are not able to stretch the proteins effectively and thus, provide information about the viscoelastic properties of plasma. Using computational rheology and a molecular-based constitutive model, we predict accurately the rheological response of human blood plasma in strong extensional and constriction complex flows. The complete rheological characterization of plasma yields the first quantitative estimation of its viscoelastic properties in shear and extensional flows. We find that although plasma is characterized by a spectrum of ultra-short relaxation times (on the order of 10-3-10-5 s), its elastic nature dominates in flows that feature high shear and extensional rates, such as blood flow in microvessels. We show that plasma exhibits intense strain hardening when exposed to extensional deformations due to the stretch of the proteins in its bulk. In addition, using simple theoretical considerations we propose fibrinogen as the main candidate that attributes elasticity to plasma. These findings confirm that human blood plasma features bulk viscoelasticity and indicate that this non-Newtonian response should be seriously taken into consideration when examining whole blood flow.

How viscoelastic is human blood plasma

Numerical investigation on heat transfer enhancement of heat sink using perforated pin fins with inline and staggered arrangement

Improvement of heat transfer with perforated circular holes in finned tubes of air-cooled heat exchanger

Comparison tests for plasma viscosity measurements

The whole blood viscosity (WBV) is one of the major independent indicators for the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial diseases. Furthermore, oxidized LDL molecules are known to cause atherosclerotic plaques in arteries, and it is one of the key components that increase WBV. The present study attempted to reduce WBV by coagulating plasma proteins and lipid molecules from blood plasma using non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and removing them through filtration. The DBD treatment was found to produce coagulated particles in blood plasma. After filtration of the coagulated particles, WBV decreased by 9.1 and 17.7% for both systolic and diastolic blood viscosities, respectively. The present results suggest that the removal of excess plasma proteins and lipid molecules might be feasible using DBD treatment.

Jin M. Jung

Papers

Improvement of heat transfer with perforated circular holes in finned tubes of air-cooled heat exchanger

Comparison tests for plasma viscosity measurements

Effect of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Treatment of Blood Plasma to Improve Rheological Properties of Blood

Determination of hematocrit using on-line conductance cell

New method of hematocrit correction of whole blood viscosity