Biorheology is the study of
flow properties
In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids—liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) and ...
(rheology) of
biological fluids
Body fluids, bodily fluids, or biofluids, sometimes body liquids, are liquids within the human body. In lean healthy adult men, the total body water is about 60% (60–67%) of the total body weight; it is usually slightly lower in women (52-55%). ...
. The term was first proposed by
Alfred L. Copley
Alfred Lewin Copley (1910–1992) was a German- American medical scientist and an artist at the New York School in the 1950s. As an artist he worked under the name L. Alcopley. He is best known as an artist for his abstract expressionist paintings ...
, a German-American medical scientist, at the first International Congress on
Rheology
Rheology (; ) is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in a fluid ( liquid or gas) state, but also as "soft solids" or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an appl ...
in 1948.
Objectives and study domains
Biorheological research aims to determine and characterize the
dynamics of
physiological processes at all levels of biological organization, and the inter-relationships between
rheological properties of various biological systems. Biorheological studies can include both animal and plant systems, and can be in broad contexts like the rheology of
macromolecules
A macromolecule is a very large molecule important to biophysical processes, such as a protein or nucleic acid. It is composed of thousands of covalently bonded atoms. Many macromolecules are polymers of smaller molecules called monomers. The ...
and macromolecular arrays, or in narrower contexts like the rheology in cells, tissues or organs.
Practical use
The biorheological approach applies in particular to molecular studies where changes of physical properties and conformation are investigated without reference to how the process actually takes place. Biorheological analyses include study of
pathological
Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when us ...
processes through clinical research in the related fields of
hemodynamics
Hemodynamics or haemodynamics are the dynamics of blood flow. The circulatory system is controlled by homeostatic mechanisms of autoregulation, just as hydraulic circuits are controlled by control systems. The hemodynamic response continuously mo ...
and
hemorheology
Hemorheology, also spelled haemorheology (from Greek ‘αἷμα, ''haima'' 'blood' and rheology, from Greek ῥέω ''rhéō'', ' flow' and -λoγία, ''-logia'' 'study of'), or blood rheology, is the study of flow properties of blood and its ...
, and may have clinical implications in aiding the treatment of specific diseases.
See also
*
Alfred L. Copley
Alfred Lewin Copley (1910–1992) was a German- American medical scientist and an artist at the New York School in the 1950s. As an artist he worked under the name L. Alcopley. He is best known as an artist for his abstract expressionist paintings ...
, a German-American medical scientist who first proposed the term "biorheology".
*
Hemorheology
Hemorheology, also spelled haemorheology (from Greek ‘αἷμα, ''haima'' 'blood' and rheology, from Greek ῥέω ''rhéō'', ' flow' and -λoγία, ''-logia'' 'study of'), or blood rheology, is the study of flow properties of blood and its ...
, the study of flow properties of blood and its elements.
*
Biorheology (journal)
''Biorheology'' is a scientific journal in the field of biorheology, the study of flow properties (rheology) of biological fluids, published by IOS Press
IOS Press is a publishing house headquartered in Amsterdam, specialising in the publicat ...
, a scientific journal in the field of biorheology
External links
International Society of BiorheologyBulgarian Society of Biorheology
* {{cite journal , last1=Copley , first1=Alfred L. , title=Biorheology, Western medicine and acupuncture , journal=Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research , date=1 January 1985 , volume=10 , issue=4 , pages=279–296 , doi=10.3727/036012985816714360 , pmid=2871699
Fluid dynamics