X-Message-Number: 24448
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 14:29:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jeff Davis <>
Subject: Drag Reducing Polymer

Cryofolk,

I've gotten the impression that viscosity is a
limiting factor in perfusion with glycerol-based
cryoprotectant.  So when I read the article excerpted
below, I thought maybe here was a substance which as
an additive "at minute concentrations" might reduce
perfusate viscosity.  

Best, Jeff Davis

   "Everything's hard till you know how to do it."
                           Ray Charles

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-07/uopm-fdf072604.php

Fluid derived from aloe plant prolongs life after
hemorrhagic shock in animal study

The central ingredient of Pitt's resuscitation fluid
comes from the slick substance inside the leaves of
the aloe vera plant. A so-called mucilage, it is rich
in polysaccharides and has a high molecular mass and
specific "visco-elastic" properties that allow it to
reduce resistance to turbulent flow when added to a
fluid at minute concentrations. 

"As a drag reducing polymer, it may provide better
diffusion of oxygen molecules from red blood cells to
tissues because of its ability to better mix in the
plasma surrounding red blood cells," explained Marina
Kameneva, Ph.D., research associate professor of
surgery and bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh,
and director of the Artificial Blood Program at the
McGowan Institute, who developed the fluid and has
been researching its potential for the past several years.


		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=24448