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LabTrax 8/16 hardware combined with MDAC software is an excellent choice for WPI's SI-H line of muscle physiology products like the SI-MT Muscle Platform, SI-CTS Cell Tester and SI-HTB Horizontal Tissue Baths. This data acquisition system is ideal for testing physiological characteristics like the contractile and elastic properties of different tissues in various conditions like isometric, anisometric or isotonic states. This data acquisition system was designed with the muscle researcher in mind, because the knowledge of physiological characteristics of muscles is critical when quantifying the beneficial or adverse effects of a stimulus (like a pharmaceutical drug) on muscle function in pre-clinical studies.

 Up to 8 Channels with Independent Control

LabTrax 8/16 is a powerful low noise and high resolution data acquisition system, allowing up to 8 ADC channels and 4 DAC channels synchronously for user-defined muscle length and electrical stimulation protocols. It includes a number...more

The type of pump you choose for your fluid handling will largely depend on your laboratory application. In this article, we will compare the popular pump types.

Microinjectors

WPI Microinjectors use carefully regulated air pres­sure for injecting cells with fluid. Injected volumes range from picoliters to nanoliters. The port supplies positive pressure for high-pressure ejection. The pressure port maintains a low positive “compensation” pres­sure to the injecting pipette between injection pulses to prevent fluid up­take through capillary action. 

Timing, injection pressure and compensation pressure are adjusted inde­pen­dent­ly using the touch screen interface. Time intervals can range from 2 seconds down to 10 ms or less, depending on the injection pressure setting. The injection pressure interval is triggered by using a foot switch or a computer-controlled TTL pulse.  

The WPI Microinjectors are designed to inject very small quantities of fluids, such as drugs, into cells or small...more

The proper care and handling of your valuable surgical instruments will improve their longevity and function. Choose a protocol appropriate for your environment from the cleaning techniques below. See the videos here.

RINSING

Immediately after use, rinse instruments under warm or cool running water to remove all blood, body fluids and tissue. Dried soils may damage the instrument surface and make cleaning very difficult. Do not use hot water as this will coagulate proteinous substances.

CLEANING TECHNIQUES

Time, temperature, and agitation play important roles in the cleaning process.

Time — the efficiency of cleaning chemicals is often time dependant

Temperature — higher temperature cleaning solutions result in better cleaning

Agitation — whether manual or ultrasonic, it is helpful in loosening the soil on the surface of the instrument

Ultrasonic Cleaning

Ultrasonic is the most effective cleaning method. Ultrasonic cleaning is the result of cavitation. Vibrating sound waves create micron-size...more

Surgical instruments for dissecting come in a variety of patterns, types, shapes and sizes. Choosing the correct one for your application will improve outcome and reduce the frustration of trying to use an inappropriate tool.

Choosing a Set of Forceps

Ceramic Forceps

Ceramic contains no metal. So, ceramic forceps will not leave any trace metal residue on tissue. This is especially useful in forensic science research. Ceramic is not electrically conductive, so it can be used for handling gels in an electrophoresis bath. Ceramic's corrosion resistance allows its use in highly corrosive solutions. For example, it could be used to clean quartz cover glass or lithographic produced chip sensors in an acid solution without damaging the forceps. Ceramic's low heat conductivity and high heat resistance allow it to hold parts in a flame for sterilizing or fabricating. Although the flame with eventually reduce the strength of the ceramic tip, it will be minimal.

Ceramic Coated Instruments

Titanium...more

First, let's consider volumes.

• A milliliter (mL) is one thousandth the volume of a liter (L) or 10^-3L
• A microliter (µL) is one thousandth the volume of a mL (10^-6L)
• A nanoliter (nL) is one thousandth the volume of a µL (10^-9L)
• A picoliter (pL) is one thousandth the volume of a nL (10^-12L)

This is graphically represented at the right. Notice that the mL is one trillion times larger than the picoliter. The table (right) shows that the side of a cube with a volume of 1mL is 1cm long. Likewise, the side of a cube with a volume of 1pL is 10µm long. Just for comparison, it shows that the diameter of a sphere with a volume of 1mL is 1.24cm, and the volume of a sphere with a volume of 1pL is 12.4µm.

With these volume comparisons in mind, lets consider some of the available options for microinjection pumps.

Surgery in the Middle Ages

It’s hard to imagine that surgery wasn’t always the prestigious profession it is today. But, in medieval Europe, physicians didn’t practice surgery, because such things were handled by lesser men… or even by women. Often, the local barber took care of minor surgeries. He would travel from town to town, and you could stop in to get a haircut and shave, and at the same time get a tooth pulled or have a minor surgery.

In the 1500s, women were prohibited from becoming physicians but were allowed to practice surgery. It was an occupation they learned by apprenticeship, and they often used it to serve the poor. During the 1700s, as the profession advanced and higher learning was required, women were barred from practicing surgery, because they were also excluded from universities where the skills were taught. Thankfully, the world has changed!

Modern Medicine

Life science research through the centuries has led us to this age of modern medicine that we enjoy. Many brilliant...more

World Precision Instruments' PUL-1000 is a microprocessor controlled, four-stage, horizontal puller for making glass micropipettes or microelectrodes used in intracellular recording, microperfusion and microinjection. It offers programmable sequences of up to four steps with complete control over the heating, force, movement and cooling time. This allows graduated cycles for a variety of applications. PUL-1000 can produce pipettes with tip diameters from less than 0.1µm to 10+ µm.

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