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Microstructure and mechanical properties of fibrin gels. / Thomas Marc Davies

Swansea University Author: Thomas Marc Davies

Abstract

"This thesis reports an extensive study of the structural and rheological characteristics of the three-dimensional fibrin clot network. The importance of blood clotting in the area of NanoHealth is testified to by the fact that complications due to thrombosis accounts for about 10 per cent of a...

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Published: 2009
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42760
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first_indexed 2018-08-02T18:55:28Z
last_indexed 2018-08-03T10:11:01Z
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spelling 2018-08-02T16:24:30.3829961 v2 42760 2018-08-02 Microstructure and mechanical properties of fibrin gels. c7a49ec99e24c3c59127e5b361d79724 NULL Thomas Marc Davies Thomas Marc Davies true true 2018-08-02 "This thesis reports an extensive study of the structural and rheological characteristics of the three-dimensional fibrin clot network. The importance of blood clotting in the area of NanoHealth is testified to by the fact that complications due to thrombosis accounts for about 10 per cent of all deaths in hospitals in the UK. It is therefore imperative to understand the clotting process of blood as fully as possible. The techniques implemented include confocal laser scanning microscopy, and rheo logical methods such as Fourier transform mechanical spectroscopy. Both techniques provide a foundation for performing a fractal analysis as a quantitative basis for defining, where appropriate, morphological/micro structural differentiation in clotting. Fractal analysis provides the framework for structural complexity and allows us to develop relationships between the structural features of blood clots and their rheological properties. The experimental methods involve following the mechanical properties of a gelling system up to and beyond the gel point. The mechanical (viscoelastic) properties of fibrin are significant and unique among polymers. Hence, they are essential to the physiology of blood clotting and vital for the understanding and therefore prevention and treatment of thrombosis. An unsatisfactory aspect of work in this area is that the micro structures of such clots are usually reported in only adjectival terms (e.g., "dense" or "tight") - usually on the basis of a visual inspection of fragments of desiccated clots in SEM micrographs. This work includes an extensive approach using confocal microscopy to visualise fibrin clot networks, with several forms of fractal analysis investigated for quantifying structural complexity. The present study is the first to report a modification of the fractal characteristics of incipient clots in fibrin-thrombin gels due to the availability of thrombin. This work confirms the hypothesis that the self-similar (fractal) stress relaxation behaviour recorded at the Gel Point of samples of coagulating blood (Evans et al., 2008) is associated with the micro structural characteristics of the incipient blood clot's fibrin network. It also supports the hypothesis that in various pathologies prothrombotic conditions can modify the underlying micro structure of a blood clot. The provision of a new technique capable of detecting the formation of altered clot microstructures at their incipient state could have significant clinical diagnostic potential e.g. in thromboembolic disease screening applications." E-Thesis Bioengineering. 31 12 2009 2009-12-31 COLLEGE NANME Engineering COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Doctoral Ph.D 2018-08-02T16:24:30.3829961 2018-08-02T16:24:30.3829961 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Uncategorised Thomas Marc Davies NULL 1 0042760-02082018162519.pdf 10807529.pdf 2018-08-02T16:25:19.8200000 Output 17320249 application/pdf E-Thesis true 2018-08-02T16:25:19.8200000 false
title Microstructure and mechanical properties of fibrin gels.
spellingShingle Microstructure and mechanical properties of fibrin gels.
Thomas Marc Davies
title_short Microstructure and mechanical properties of fibrin gels.
title_full Microstructure and mechanical properties of fibrin gels.
title_fullStr Microstructure and mechanical properties of fibrin gels.
title_full_unstemmed Microstructure and mechanical properties of fibrin gels.
title_sort Microstructure and mechanical properties of fibrin gels.
author_id_str_mv c7a49ec99e24c3c59127e5b361d79724
author_id_fullname_str_mv c7a49ec99e24c3c59127e5b361d79724_***_Thomas Marc Davies
author Thomas Marc Davies
author2 Thomas Marc Davies
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2009
institution Swansea University
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Uncategorised{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Uncategorised
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description "This thesis reports an extensive study of the structural and rheological characteristics of the three-dimensional fibrin clot network. The importance of blood clotting in the area of NanoHealth is testified to by the fact that complications due to thrombosis accounts for about 10 per cent of all deaths in hospitals in the UK. It is therefore imperative to understand the clotting process of blood as fully as possible. The techniques implemented include confocal laser scanning microscopy, and rheo logical methods such as Fourier transform mechanical spectroscopy. Both techniques provide a foundation for performing a fractal analysis as a quantitative basis for defining, where appropriate, morphological/micro structural differentiation in clotting. Fractal analysis provides the framework for structural complexity and allows us to develop relationships between the structural features of blood clots and their rheological properties. The experimental methods involve following the mechanical properties of a gelling system up to and beyond the gel point. The mechanical (viscoelastic) properties of fibrin are significant and unique among polymers. Hence, they are essential to the physiology of blood clotting and vital for the understanding and therefore prevention and treatment of thrombosis. An unsatisfactory aspect of work in this area is that the micro structures of such clots are usually reported in only adjectival terms (e.g., "dense" or "tight") - usually on the basis of a visual inspection of fragments of desiccated clots in SEM micrographs. This work includes an extensive approach using confocal microscopy to visualise fibrin clot networks, with several forms of fractal analysis investigated for quantifying structural complexity. The present study is the first to report a modification of the fractal characteristics of incipient clots in fibrin-thrombin gels due to the availability of thrombin. This work confirms the hypothesis that the self-similar (fractal) stress relaxation behaviour recorded at the Gel Point of samples of coagulating blood (Evans et al., 2008) is associated with the micro structural characteristics of the incipient blood clot's fibrin network. It also supports the hypothesis that in various pathologies prothrombotic conditions can modify the underlying micro structure of a blood clot. The provision of a new technique capable of detecting the formation of altered clot microstructures at their incipient state could have significant clinical diagnostic potential e.g. in thromboembolic disease screening applications."
published_date 2009-12-31T03:53:36Z
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score 11.013799

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