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1. The sound of blood: photoacoustic imaging in blood analysis

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medntd.2023.100219  

   Veverka, Mitchell; Menozzi, Luca; Yao, Junjie (June 2023, Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices)
2. Protective mechanism of dried blood spheroids: stabilization of labile analytes in whole blood, plasma, and serum

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D1AN01132D  

   Frey, Benjamin S.; Damon, Deidre E.; Allen, Danyelle M.; Baker, Jill; Asamoah, Samuel; Badu-Tawiah, Abraham K. (November 2021, The Analyst)

   Three-dimensional (3D) dried blood spheroids form when whole blood is deposited onto hydrophobic paper and allowed to dry in ambient air. The adsorbed 3D dried blood spheroid present at the surface of the hydrophobic paper is observed to offer enhanced stability for labile analytes that would otherwise degrade if stored in the traditional two-dimensional (2D) dried blood spot method. The protective mechanism for the dried blood spheroid microsampling platform was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which revealed the presence of a passivation thin film at the surface of the spheroid that serves to stabilize the interior of the spheroid against environmental stressors. Through time-course experiments based on sequential SEM analyses, we discovered that the surface protective thin film forms through the self-assembly of red blood cells following the evaporation of water from the blood sample. The bridging mechanism of red blood cell aggregation is evident in our experiments, which leads to the distinct rouleau conformation of stacked red blood cells in less than 60 min after creating the blood spheroid. The stack of self-assembled red blood cells at the exterior of the spheroid subsequently lyse to afford the surface protective layer detected to be approximately 30 μm in thickness after three weeks of storage in ambient air. We applied this mechanistic insight to plasma and serum to enhance stability when stored under ambient conditions. In addition to physical characterization of these thin biofilms, we also used paper spray (PS) mass spectrometry (MS) to examine chemical changes that occur in the stored biofluid. For example, we present stability data for cocaine spiked in whole blood, plasma, and serum when stored under ambient conditions on hydrophilic and hydrophobic paper substrates. 

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3. Estimating hemodynamic stimulus and blood vessel compliance from cerebral blood flow data

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.10.011  

   Calvetti, D.; Prezioso, J.; Somersalo, E. (January 2019, Journal of Theoretical Biology)
4. Mechanical fatigue of human red blood cells

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910336116  

   Qiang, Yuhao; Liu, Jia; Dao, Ming; Suresh, Subra; Du, E. (October 2019, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   null (Ed.)

   Fatigue arising from cyclic straining is a key factor in the degradation of properties of engineered materials and structures. Fatigue can also induce damage and fracture in natural biomaterials, such as bone, and in synthetic biomaterials used in implant devices. However, the mechanisms by which mechanical fatigue leads to deterioration of physical properties and contributes to the onset and progression of pathological states in biological cells have hitherto not been systematically explored. Here we present a general method that employs amplitude-modulated electrodeformation and microfluidics for characterizing mechanical fatigue in single biological cells. This method is capable of subjecting cells to static loads for prolonged periods of time or to large numbers of controlled mechanical fatigue cycles. We apply the method to measure the systematic changes in morphological and biomechanical characteristics of healthy human red blood cells (RBCs) and their membrane mechanical properties. Under constant amplitude cyclic tensile deformation, RBCs progressively lose their ability to stretch with increasing fatigue cycles. Our results further indicate that loss of deformability of RBCs during cyclic deformation is much faster than that under static deformation at the same maximum load over the same accumulated loading time. Such fatigue-induced deformability loss is more pronounced at higher amplitudes of cyclic deformation. These results uniquely establish the important role of mechanical fatigue in influencing physical properties of biological cells. They further provide insights into the accumulated membrane damage during blood circulation, paving the way for further investigations of the eventual failure of RBCs causing hemolysis in various hemolytic pathologies. 

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5. Extended supercooled storage of red blood cells

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06463-4  

   Isiksacan, Ziya; William, Nishaka; Senturk, Rahime; Boudreau, Luke; Wooning, Celine; Castellanos, Emily; Isiksacan, Salih; Yarmush, Martin_L; Acker, Jason_P; Usta, O_Berk (June 2024, Communications Biology)

   Abstract Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions facilitate many life-saving acute and chronic interventions. Transfusions are enabled through the gold-standard hypothermic storage of RBCs. Today, the demand for RBC units is unfulfilled, partially due to the limited storage time, 6 weeks, in hypothermic storage. This time limit stems from high metabolism-driven storage lesions at +1-6 °C. A recent and promising alternative to hypothermic storage is the supercooled storage of RBCs at subzero temperatures, pioneered by our group. Here, we report on long-term supercooled storage of human RBCs at physiological hematocrit levels for up to 23 weeks. Specifically, we assess hypothermic RBC additive solutions for their ability to sustain supercooled storage. We find that a commercially formulated next-generation solution (Erythro-Sol 5) enables the best storage performance and can form the basis for further improvements to supercooled storage. Our analyses indicate that oxidative stress is a prominent time- and temperature-dependent injury during supercooled storage. Thus, we report on improved supercooled storage of RBCs at −5 °C by supplementing Erythro-Sol 5 with the exogenous antioxidants, resveratrol, serotonin, melatonin, and Trolox. Overall, this study shows the long-term preservation potential of supercooled storage of RBCs and establishes a foundation for further improvement toward clinical translation. 

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