Microvascular research
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In this paper we quantitatively investigate the hypothesis proposed by Michel (Exp. Physiol. 82, 1-30, 1997) and Weinbaum (Ann. Biomed. ⋯ Physiol. 388, 421-435, 1987) on frog mesentery capillary, but a small positive filtration once a steady state is achieved. The new model also predicts that the local protein concentration behind the surface glycocalyx can differ greatly from the tissue protein concentration, since the convective flux of proteins through the orifice-like pores in the junction strand will greatly impede the back diffusion of the proteins into the lumen side of the cleft when the local Peclet number at the orifice is >1. The net result is that the filtration in the capillaries is far less than heretofore realized and there may be no need for venous reabsorption.