Early stage of erythrocyte sedimentation rate test: Fracture of a high-volume-fraction gel.

ABSTRACT: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a clinical parameter used as a nonspecific marker for inflammation, and recent studies have shown that it is linked to the collapse of the gel formed by red blood cells (RBCs) at physiological hematocrits (i.e. RBC volume fraction). Previous research has suggested that the observation of a slower initial dynamics is related to the formation of fractures in the gel. Moreover, RBC gels present specific properties due to the anisotropic shape and flexibility of the RBCs. Namely, the onset of the collapse is reached earlier and the settling velocity of the gel increases with increasing attraction between the RBCs, while the gel of spherical particles shows the opposite trend. Here, we report experimental observations of the gel structure during the onset

SUBMITTER: John T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10735292 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature