A multiscale, spatially distributed model of asthmatic airway hyper-responsiveness.

ABSTRACT: We present a multiscale, spatially distributed model of lung and airway behaviour with the goal of furthering the understanding of airway hyper-responsiveness and asthma. The model provides an initial computational framework for linking events at the cellular and molecular levels, such as Ca(2+) and crossbridge dynamics, to events at the level of the entire organ. At the organ level, parenchymal tissue is modelled using a continuum approach as a compressible, hyperelastic material in three dimensions, with expansion and recoil of lung tissue due to tidal breathing. The governing equations of finite elasticity deformation are solved using a finite element method. The airway tree is embedded in this tissue, where each airway is modelled with its own airway wall, smooth muscle and surrounding

SUBMITTER: Politi AZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2939299 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature