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Prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases:

Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The increasing prevalence of risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity underscores the need for early detection and management, creating a substantial market demand for screening tools.
 

Growing Emphasis on Preventive Healthcare:

There is a growing emphasis on preventive healthcare, with individuals and healthcare systems investing in early detection and management of chronic conditions to reduce healthcare costs and improve outcomes.
 

Technological Advancements:

Advances in micro-fluidics, optics, and sensor technologies are driving the development of innovative, cost-effective diagnostic devices, expanding the potential market for affordable screening solutions.

Combining Optical Examination with Micro-fluidics:

Offers significant advantages for population screening for blood viscosity-related abnormalities, including rouleaux formation. This integrated approach can enhance the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the screening tool while maintaining simplicity and accessibility. Understanding and monitoring blood viscosity, especially in conditions where rouleaux formation is increased, is crucial for assessing cardiovascular risk and guiding therapeutic interventions. Regular monitoring and appropriate management can help mitigate the adverse effects of increased blood viscosity on cardiovascular health.

Integrated Analysis:

The combined optical micro-fluidic device can simultaneously capture optical images of blood samples and analyse fluidic properties using a range of standardised microstructure features either natural or built into the flexible slides, providing a more comprehensive assessment of blood behaviour and can indicate the presence of underlying pathology that may require further investigation.

Real-time Monitoring:

Micro-fluidic channels can facilitate the real-time monitoring of blood flow vitality and aggregation patterns under controlled conditions, enhancing the dynamic assessment of rouleaux formation. Use on smartphone or tablet allows simultaneous recording and distribution.

Reduced Sample Volume:

Micro Lab requires the smallest of sample volumes, a simple pin prick, making it suitable for non-invasive point-of-care testing and minimising patient discomfort and allows self testing at home for subsequent monitoring.

Portable and User-friendly:

A compact, integrated device has been designed for portability and ease of use, allowing for decentralised testing in various healthcare settings, including  home and remote and resource-limited environments. Due to it's incredibly small size and simplicity it can also be employed by first responders and the data can be immediately relayed to Accident and Emergency centres.

Device creation and development:

Designing an integrated optical micro-fluidic device requires addressing technical challenges related to device miniaturisation, fluid control through microstructures, and optical detection sensitivity and resolution. This has been achieved using TIR wave theory micro optics with an industry first micro illumination device providing DIC like 3D images using photonic nano jet emission for constructive interference contrast. The single sided top illumination is provided by a magnetic light source that has a switchable run time of 2000 hours. Total product weight is 7g with a sub miniature optical slide plate measuring 0.5mm x 45mm x 45mm.

Validation and Calibration:

Rigorous validation studies are essential to evaluate the device's performance against established laboratory methods and ensure accurate and reliable results.

Cost and Accessibility:

While micro-fluidic technologies have become more affordable, the development and production of Micro Lab has improved cost-effectiveness by at least a factor of 10 and now ensures accessibility in an array of diverse healthcare settings.

Maintenance and Durability:

The device is simple and durable with no maintenance requirements and  supports long-term use in various clinical and field settings. Low cost consumables are readily available.

Conclusion:
Incorporating optical examination with micro-fluidics in a single accessable device gives the potential to revolutionise the widespread screening of blood for rouleaux and other viscosity-related abnormalities, offering a rapid, accurate, and user-friendly solution for healthcare providers. Collaborative research and development efforts involving multidisciplinary expertise in optics, micro-fluidics, engineering, and clinical medicine will continue to further enhance the extraordinary performance and utility of Micro Lab.

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Besides its primary role of screening for cardiovascular risk assessment, the Micro lab can be used for checking rouleaux as an indicator of general health, diet and adequate grounding. It also acts a reminder - or realisation, that our blood is alive and exists in an unfathomable bio universe. To actually see and guide our own blood around natural microstructures is something that we have never seen before and  demands our appreciation and respect for natures terrain.

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A very good lesson for children to see live nature at work on the micro scale, ideal for the budding microbiologist. Micro Lab can also be used to view Tardigrades or water bears as they are sometimes called. A real adventure for children to find them in moss and a step by step process to get them onto a special slide we produce, and when you get to see one - they are amazing. DIC images of Tardigrades show clear 3D structure of all their moving parts, they are a special class of animal still around from before the dinosaurs. Certainly more likely stir curiosity than stained leaf cells and ant legs.

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Healthy individuals of all ages with an active lifestyle, good diet and environment, will have little or no rouleaux in the main strata of plasma. However at the still edges of the slide sample, where contact is made with air molecules, the process of coagulation is initiated and rouleaux can often be seen at work.

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Rouleaux can be an excellent indicator of what elements of your lifestyle and environment you need to control to maintain the vitality of your blood.

 

                                  Things that are known to cause rouleaux:

 

Fast food /low fat diet/Seed oils used for frying. 6.

EMF radiation from cell phones/nearby towers. 7.

Airborne toxins - industrial, aerial and automotive emissions.

Toxins in every day materials, impure water, parasites, and alcohol.

Mouthwash - disrupts mouth biome and halts nitric oxide production.

Stress, anxiety and negative social media interaction

Underlying pathology that requires further investigation.

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Further work:

Real-time monitoring of haemoglobin levels during surgeries, especially in critical situations like haemorrhaging, is crucial for timely intervention and patient safety. While traditional lab testing provides accurate results, the time delay can be life-threatening in emergencies.
 

In the first patent applications for Micro Lab two years ago, are described a microstructure layout and method to measure haemoglobin Hb in real time. The optics are now fully capable of this but we need to further trial microstructures and develop an app for cell count and volume change. The app can be designed to seamlessly integrate with the requirements of healthcare centres and hospital  workflow in the appropriate languages.

                        

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Reference links to Published articles:

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1.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13182211/

Rouleaux formation intensity of plasma and E.S.R

2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cnm.3597

                     Non-Newtonian blood rheology impacts left atrial stasis in patient-specific simulations

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11204548/

   Dielectric approach to investigation of erythrocyte aggregation. II. Kinetics of erythrocyte  aggregation-disaggregation in quiescent and flowing blood

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1300836/

Kinetics of linear rouleaux formation studied by visual monitoring

of red cell dynamic organization.

5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 21730178/.  2011 Jul 19;108(29):11772-7

                                   Predicting human blood viscosity in silico

6. https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/health-issues/pilot-research-study-    live-blood-analysis-of-adults/#gsc.tab=0

     Live Blood Analysis of Adults Comparing the Weston A. Price Foundation Diet and the Conventional Modern Diet

7. https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/does-short-term-exposure-to-cell-phone-radiation-affect-the-blood/#gsc.tab=0

Does Short-term Exposure to Cell Phone Radiation Affect the Blood?

8.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38675987/

Back to the Basics of SARS-CoV-2 Biochemistry: Microvascular Occlusive Glycan Bindings Govern Its Morbidities and Inform Therapeutic Responses.

9.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35269703/

A Deadly Embrace: Haemagglutination Mediated by SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein at Its 22 N-Glycosylation Sites, Red Blood Cell Surface Sialoglycoproteins, and Antibody

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                          Preventative health care

                                - Why awareness of rouleaux is important -
 

Rouleaux formation refers to the stacking or aggregation of red blood cells (RBCs) in a linear or coin-like fashion, resembling a stack of coins. This phenomenon can significantly impact blood viscosity, which is the resistance of blood to flow due to its thickness and stickiness. Increased rouleaux formation can increase blood viscosity, potentially leading to reduced blood flow and various cardiovascular complications.

Impact of Rouleaux on Blood Viscosity:
Reduced Blood Flow: Increased blood viscosity due to rouleaux formation can reduce blood flow through the vessels. This reduced flow can compromise oxygen and nutrient delivery to tissues, leading to tissue ischemia (lack of blood supply).

Increased Risk of Thrombosis:

Higher blood viscosity can increase the risk of thrombus formation (blood clotting), leading to conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, and stroke.

Impaired Micro circulation:

Rouleaux formation can impair microcirculation, affecting the perfusion of vital organs and tissues, which can have detrimental effects on their function and health.
 

Measuring Blood Viscosity:
Blood viscosity can be measured using various methods, both direct and indirect:
Viscometers: These are instruments specifically designed to measure the viscosity of fluids, including blood. There are different types of viscometers available, such as rotational viscometers and capillary viscometers, which measure the resistance of blood flow under specific conditions.

Haematocrit:

Although not a direct measure of blood viscosity, hematocrit can provide an indirect estimation. Hematocrit measures the percentage of blood volume occupied by red blood cells. An elevated hematocrit may suggest increased blood viscosity due to higher concentrations of RBCs.
Plasma Viscosity: This measures the viscosity of the plasma component of blood. Elevated plasma viscosity can indicate increased blood viscosity due to factors such as increased protein concentration.

Microfluidic Devices:

Advances in micro-fluidic technology have led to the development of devices that can measure blood viscosity using only a small volume of blood. These devices offer the advantage of rapid testing and can be used in point-of-care settings.

Conclusion:
Understanding and monitoring blood viscosity, especially in conditions where rouleaux formation is increased, is crucial for assessing cardiovascular risk and guiding therapeutic interventions (such as lifestyle and dietary changes). Regular monitoring and appropriate management can help mitigate the adverse effects of increased blood viscosity on cardiovascular health.

 

                   Micro Lab is able to screen for rouleaux easily and inexpensively.

It could be a life saver.

 

                                       Micro Lab

 

   using the smallest pin prick blood sample from the finger tip of any current test                    device, is the least invasive of any blood screening test, and is -

 

  The single most cost effective Cardio Vascular Risk Assessment Device currently available.

 

The blood screening test shown here is the standard dark field microcopy which is currently the most cost effective method of displaying the formation of rouleaux, however only the outlines of the blood cells can be seen.​