We report the fabrication of a novel type of artificial small diameter blood vessels, termed biomimetic tissue-engineered blood vessels (bTEBV), with a modular composition. They are composed of a hydrogel scaffold consisting of two negatively charged natural polymers, alginate and a modified chitosan, N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (N,O-CMC). Into this biologically inert scaffold two biofunctionall...

A fundamental physics-based derivation of intraspecific scaling laws of vascular trees has not been previously realized. Here, we provide such a theoretical derivation for the volume-diameter and flow-length scaling laws of intraspecific vascular trees. In conjunction with the minimum energy hypothesis, this formulation also results in diameter-length, flow-diameter and flow-volume scaling laws...

Small-diameter (<4 mm) vascular constructs are urgently needed for patients requiring replacement of their peripheral vessels. However, successful development of constructs remains a significant challenge. In this study, we successfully developed small-diameter vascular constructs with high patency using our integrally designed computer-controlled bioreactor system. This computer-controlled bio...

Vascular prostheses (grafts) are widely used for hemodialysis blood access, trauma repair, aneurism and cardiovascular reconstruction. However, smaller-diameter (≤4 mm) grafts that would be valuable many reconstructions have not been achieved to date, although hundreds of papers on small-diameter vascular published. This perspective article presents a hypothesis may open new research avenues th...

Abnormalities of resistance arteries may play a role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of hypertension in experimental animals and humans. Vessels that, when relaxed, measure <400 microm in lumen diameter act as the major site of vascular resistance and include a network of small arteries (lumen approximately 100 to 400 microm) and arterioles (<100 microm). Because increased peripheral re...

The microcirculation of nodules (0.5 to 10 mm in diameter) from diethylnitrosamine-treated rats was studied in perfused livers. Microlight guides were placed on nodules and surrounding tissue on the capsular surface of the liver to measure fluorescence due to fluorescein-dextran (12 microM), a dye confined to the vascular space, infused via the hepatic artery and portal vein separately or simul...

Relative to normal tissues, tumor microcirculation exhibits high structural and functional heterogeneity leading to hypoxic regions and impairing treatment efficacy. Here, computational simulations of blood vessel structural adaptation are used to explore the hypothesis that abnormal adaptive responses to local hemodynamic and metabolic stimuli contribute to aberrant morphological and hemodynam...

Clinical needs to have a ready-to-use small-diameter vascular prostheses are very remarkable and cover different fields of surgery: plastic and reconstructive surgery (microvascular transfer of free flaps), heart surgery (treatment of ischemic heart diseases), vascular surgery (distal revascularization of lower limbs), neurosurgery (substitution of intracranial arteries), paediatric vascular su...

R isk factors for larger arterial diameters and enhanced wall thickening have been insufficiently assessed in young adults, an age-group where preventive measures have the greatest impact. Larger vessel diameter and wall thickening may represent underlying vascular remodeling, a dynamic process by which the vascular system attempts to compensate for vascular damage (1). The purpose of the curre...