Review of Nanoscale Fluid Dynamics in Physiological Processes

1 Introduction: What's the matter at very small scales?; Main subjects covered by this review; Main sources used. 2 Nanotechnology: Founding Fathers; Atomic and molecular probes; Nanoelectronics; Micromachining; "Engines of creation"; Nanotechnology and the biomedical sciences. 3 The ultrastructural and functional basis of nanoscale transport phenomena in physiology: Biological "molecular machinery"; Biomechanics. 4 Capillary permeability and trans-capillary transport: The capillary wall as a selective barrier; Trans-capillary fluxes; Ultrastructure of the capillary wall; Models of trans-capillary transport; Models of vesicular transcytosis; Changes in capillary permeability. 5 Transport of macromolecules across the arterial wall and its relevance to atherogenesis, and other issues in blood-wall interaction: Structure and functions of the arterial wall; Pathogenesis and mechanisms of atherosclerosis; Transport and uptake of substances in the arterial wall; Models of arterial uptake and trans-mural transport; Fluid flow and atherogenesis; Mechanochemical transduction of fluid shear stress; Role and nature of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor (nitric oxide); The endothelial glycocalix. 6 Filtration in the kidney glomerulus: Ultrastructure and composition; The glomerular basement membrane as an ultrafilter; Theoretical studies and proposed models; Changes in permeability of the glomerular barrier. 7 Nanoscale-dependent rheology of articular cartilage and other soft hydrated tissues: Preliminary remarks ; Ultrastructural aspects; Electromechanochemical phenomena; Experimental results; Models and theories of rheology and swelling. 8 Transport phenomena in the cell: The organization of the eukaryotic cell; Plasmalemma and intracellular membranes; Summary of transport processes in cells; Diffusion in bilayer membranes; Transport of small molecules and ions across the cell membrane; Transport of macromolecules and particles across the cell membrane; Membrane fusion; Movement of vesicles in the cytosol. 9 Microhydrodynamics phenomena in the circulation: Blood rheology in relation to the red blood cell microhydrodynamics; Microcirculation; Mechanical and rheological properties of erythrocytes and other blood components; Red blood cell deformation and burst; Blood flow in arterioles and venules (diameter 30-200 ?m); Blood flow in capillaries (diameter < 30 ?m). 10 Computational methods for nanoscale fluid flow problems: General aspects; Methods based on a discrete approach; Stokes flow; Stokes-multiparticle flow; The boundary integral approach; The boundary element method; "Stokesian dynamics" and "Brownian dynamics"; Quasi-stationary approach; Other models.