Reaction-Diffusion Modelling of Interferon Distribution in Secondary Lymphoid Organs

This paper proposes a quantitative model of the reaction-diffusion type to examine the distribution of interferon-α (IFNα) in a lymph node (LN). The numerical treatment of the model is based on using an original unstructured mesh generation software Ani3D and nonlinear finite volume method for diffusion equations. The study results in suggestion that due to the variations in hydraulic conductivity of various zones of the secondary lymphoid organs the spatial stationary distribution of IFNα is essentially heterogeneous across the organs. Highly protected domains such as sinuses, conduits, co-exist with the regions in which where the stationary concentration of IFNα is lower by about 100-fold. This is the first study where the spatial distribution of soluble immune factors in secondary lymphoid organs is modelled for a realistic three-dimensional geometry

Modelling Stochastic and Deterministic Behaviours in Virus Infection Dynamics

Many human infections with viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV--1) are characterized by low numbers of founder viruses for which the random effects and discrete nature of populations have a strong effect on the dynamics, e.g., extinction versus spread. It remains to be established whether HIV transmission is a stochastic process on the whole. In this study, we consider the simplest (so-called, 'consensus') virus dynamics model and develop a computational methodology for building an equivalent stochastic model based on Markov Chain accounting for random interactions between the components. The model is used to study the evolution of the probability densities for the virus and target cell populations. It predicts the probability of infection spread as a function of the number of the transmitted viruses. A hybrid algorithm is suggested to compute efficiently the dynamics in state space domain characterized by a mix of small and large species densities

Spider-Venom Peptides as Therapeutics

Spiders are the most successful venomous animals and the most abundant terrestrial predators. Their remarkable success is due in large part to their ingenious exploitation of silk and the evolution of pharmacologically complex venoms that ensure rapid subjugation of prey. Most spider venoms are dominated by disulfide-rich peptides that typically have high affinity and specificity for particular subtypes of ion channels and receptors. Spider venoms are conservatively predicted to contain more than 10 million bioactive peptides, making them a valuable resource for drug discovery. Here we review the structure and pharmacology of spider-venom peptides that are being used as leads for the development of therapeutics against a wide range of pathophysiological conditions including cardiovascular disorders, chronic pain, inflammation, and erectile dysfunction

Vessel Wall Models for Simulation of Atherosclerotic Vascular Networks

There are two mathematical models of elastic walls of healthy and atherosclerotic blood vessels developed and studied. The models are included in a numerical model of global blood circulation via recovery of the vessel wall state equation. The joint model allows us to study the impact of arteries atherosclerotic disease of a set of arteries on regional haemodynamics

Patient Specific Haemodynamic Modeling after Occlusion Treatment in Leg

In this work we propose a method for analysis of postsurgical haemodynamics after femoral artery treatment of occlusive vascular disease. Patient specific reconstruction algorithm of 1D core network based on MRI data is proposed as a tool for such analysis. Along with presurgical ultrasound data fitting it provides effective personalizing predictive method that is validated with clinical observations

Blood Flow Simulation in Atherosclerotic Vascular Network Using Fiber-Spring Representation of Diseased Wall

We present the fiber-spring elastic model of the arterial wall with atherosclerotic plaque composed of a lipid pool and a fibrous cap. This model allows us to reproduce pressure to cross-sectional area relationship along the diseased vessel which is used in the network model of global blood circulation. Atherosclerosis attacks a region of systemic arterial network. Our approach allows us to examine the impact of the diseased region onto global haemodynamics