We study a colloidal model based on population balances in the context of complex fluid rheology. Two typical particle microstructure kinetics, orthokinetic, collisions due to shear, and perikinetic, collisions due to Brownian motion, are found to appear at continuum as different flow behaviors - those having monotonic and non-monotonic flow curves, respectively. Solving the colloidal model tog...

The appreciation that biomechanical forces induce signaling responses that regulate vascular tone and inflammatory responses has had a paradigm-shifting effect on our understanding of vascular biology. Endothelial cells are constantly exposed to rheologically imposed forces that vary due to vascular anatomic features and hemodynamic parameters, and of course shear fluctuates cyclically during t...

Numerous studies have demonstrated that the neighboring smooth muscle cells (SMC) influence the morphology, cytoskeleton and growth of co-cultured endothelial cells (EC). Also, flow-induced laminar shear stress has been shown to induce cell elongation, F-actin reorganization and growth inhibition in cultured EC. We investigated the effect of neighboring SMC and collagen matrix on the response o...

Cellular and isolated vessel experiments have shown that pulsatile and laminar shear stress to the endothelium produces significant release of mediators into the circulation. Periodic acceleration (pG(z)) applied to the whole body in the direction of the spinal axis adds pulses to the circulation, thereby increasing pulsatile and shear stress to the endothelium that should also cause release of...

The effect of shear stress on the viability of Chaetoceros muelleri was studied using a combination of a rheometer and dedicated shearing devices. Different levels of shear stress were applied by varying the shear rates and the medium viscosities. It was possible to quantify the effect of shear stress over a wide range, whilst preserving laminar flow conditions through the use of a thickening a...

OBJECTIVE Enhancing structural and functional integrity of mitochondria is an emerging therapeutic option against endothelial dysfunction. In this study, we sought to investigate the effect of fluid shear stress on mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial respiratory function in endothelial cells (ECs) using in vitro and in vivo complementary studies. METHODS AND RESULTS Human aortic- or um...

OBJECTIVE Polymorphisms in the platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM-1)-1 gene are linked to increased risk of coronary artery disease. Because PECAM-1 has been demonstrated to form a mechanosensory complex that can modulate inflammatory responses in murine arterial endothelial cells, we hypothesized that PECAM-1 contributes to atherogenesis in a shear-dependent and site-specific m...