Blood viscosity is a major player in heart disease. When blood viscosity increases, it damages blood vessel and increases the risk of heart attacks. Currently, the only method is to take drugs like Aspirin that has, however, several unwanted side effects. Here we report our new finding that blood viscosity can be reduced with magnetic fields of 1 Tesla or above in the blood flow direction. One magnetic field pulse of 1.3 Tesla lasting about one minute can reduce the blood viscosity by 20-30%. After the exposure, in absence of magnetic field, the blood viscosity slowly moves up, but takes a couple of hours to return to the original value. The process is repeatable. Reapplying the magnetic field reduces the blood viscosity again. By selecting the magnetic field strength and duration, we can keep the blood viscosity within the normal range at around 1 cp. In addition, such viscosity reduction does not affect red cells’ normal function. This technology has high potential for physical therapy.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Reducing Blood Viscosity with Magnetic Fields
Blood viscosity is a major player in heart disease. When blood viscosity increases, it damages blood vessel and increases the risk of heart attacks. Currently, the only method is to take drugs like Aspirin that has, however, several unwanted side effects. Here we report our new finding that blood viscosity can be reduced with magnetic fields of 1 Tesla or above in the blood flow direction. One magnetic field pulse of 1.3 Tesla lasting about one minute can reduce the blood viscosity by 20-30%. After the exposure, in absence of magnetic field, the blood viscosity slowly moves up, but takes a couple of hours to return to the original value. The process is repeatable. Reapplying the magnetic field reduces the blood viscosity again. By selecting the magnetic field strength and duration, we can keep the blood viscosity within the normal range at around 1 cp. In addition, such viscosity reduction does not affect red cells’ normal function. This technology has high potential for physical therapy.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Probing Atoms to Understand the Coexistence of Superconductivity and Magnetism
LB13449
- Superconductivity and magnetism seem antagonistic and only coexist under very restricted conditions. Explaining their coexistence requires a detailed understanding of the interaction between magnetism and superconductivity down to the atomic scale. Researchers have for the first time utilized atom probe tomography (APT) to directly image the three-dimensional atomic arrangement in newly discovered Fe-based superconductors that exhibit both antiferromagnetism and superconductivity. APT, a cutting-edge analytical microscopy technique that allows atom-by atom mapping of a material, revealed that dopants form nanoscale clusters. Complementary advanced quantum-mechanics based simulations demonstrated that these clusters underpin the unique properties of this material. These exciting results, soon to appear in Physical Review Letters, demonstrate the potential of combining nanoscale materials characterization and advanced simulations to unveil the fundamentals and advance superconductor science, exactly 100 years after its discovery, and facilitate the design of future generations of superconductor devices.
- Superconductivity and magnetism seem antagonistic and only coexist under very restricted conditions. Explaining their coexistence requires a detailed understanding of the interaction between magnetism and superconductivity down to the atomic scale. Researchers have for the first time utilized atom probe tomography (APT) to directly image the three-dimensional atomic arrangement in newly discovered Fe-based superconductors that exhibit both antiferromagnetism and superconductivity. APT, a cutting-edge analytical microscopy technique that allows atom-by atom mapping of a material, revealed that dopants form nanoscale clusters. Complementary advanced quantum-mechanics based simulations demonstrated that these clusters underpin the unique properties of this material. These exciting results, soon to appear in Physical Review Letters, demonstrate the potential of combining nanoscale materials characterization and advanced simulations to unveil the fundamentals and advance superconductor science, exactly 100 years after its discovery, and facilitate the design of future generations of superconductor devices.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)