[Automation]
Fluid Handling Device
Complements precision pipetting
Tecan, Männedorf, Switzerland, has launched the Cavro Omni Flex, which further extends the flexibility and convenience of the company’s Cavro Omni Robot. The device offers more hardware options to complement precision pipetting, including frames, input/output and power management, racks, worktables, and all the pumps and other options required to perform fluid handling tasks. Cavro Omni Flex was developed to simplify prototyping, method development, and regulatory approval. The modular system enables virtually any combination of axes, pipetting modules, pumps, and worktable options, with a wide range of additional options, such as skins, shields, sensors, locks, and carriers, to suit the needs of individual instrument designs and applications.
Tecan
(800) 352-5128; www.tecan.com
[Equipment]
Type S Ferrule Connection System
Suited for HPLC applications
The Type S ferrule for 10-32 conical ports with a Click-N-Seal fitting from Diba Industries Inc, Danbury, Conn, is pressure rated up to 2,500 psi, making it ideal for liquid chromatography applications. The connection system provides a secure, tool-free way to connect 1/16 inch OD PEEK tubing into a 10-32 high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-type conical port. The system uses Diba’s patented Click-N-Seal torque-limiting fitting, which eliminates guesswork and is suitable for such smaller, precision fluid connections as those found on HPLC instruments. Its design ensures a proper finger-tight connection without the possibility of under- or over-tightening, achieving the correct torque every time.
Diba Industries
(203) 744-0773; www.dibaind.com
Vertical Laminar Flow Cabinets
Manufactured with rear-wall perforations
Vertical laminar flow cabinets from Air Science, Fort Myers, Fla, are manufactured with rear-wall perforations that remove a small amount of air at the rear of the cabinet to minimize turbulence. Airflow directly strikes the work surface, and an ultra-low particulate air filter is mounted above it, providing a taller, deeper work space. Cabinets are available in 36-, 48-, and 72-inch widths. All three models provide a nominal filter face velocity of 0–45 m/s (90 fpm), which ensures a sufficient number of air changes to maintain cleanliness within the work zone.
Air Science
(800) 306-0656; www.airscience.com
[Misc supplies]
Hands-Free Door Handle
Sports anti-ligature design
The hands-free door handle from Jamm Products Ltd, Cornwall, UK, helps premises prevent harmful infections caused by germs being passed on via door handles. For most doors, the handle is a simple retrofit via two drilled holes and, once fitted, removes the need to touch door handles that may be contaminated with contagious germs. In addition, the handle has a lifetime silver ion additive that prevents bacteria from reproducing. Its anti-ligature design has also been mechanically tested in UK laboratory conditions to withstand severe forces and is certified as a grade 4 handle suitable for severe duty.
Jamm Products Ltd
(866) 976-2774; www.jamm-northamerica.com
UV Enclosure
Sanitizes in 48 seconds
The KR615 Germicidal Enclosure from Advanced Ultra-Violet Systems LLC (AUVS), South Hill, Va, aids in sanitizing small, mobile devices that often move freely throughout a hospital—even though they are known agents of cross-contamination. Such devices range from smart phones, small tablets, and TV remotes, to stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, glucose meters, nurse calls, and pillow speakers. Also referred to as “the UV Box,” the germicidal enclosure has been independently confirmed to sanitize 99.9% of Clostridium difficile and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pathogens in just 48 seconds. Items are simply placed inside the counter-top or wall-mounted enclosure, the door is closed, and the press of a button begins the UV decontamination cycle.
Advanced Ultra-Violet Systems
(716) 525-2127; advanceduvsystems.com
Storage Tubes
Suited for light-sensitive samples
Amber-tinted polypropylene storage tubes from Micronic, Lelystad, the Netherlands, are available in 0.75 mL and 1.40 mL sizes, and are used in conjunction with a secure screw cap or push cap to ensure the integrity of light-sensitive biological samples even over long-term storage periods. Available in non-coded and laser-encrypted 2D coded formats, the tubes are produced from special amber-colored material that eliminates sample degradation from exposure to light while still allowing visual checking of the enclosed sample volume. Supplied in a 96-position sample tube storage rack and manufactured to strict tolerances, the storage tubes maximize operational uptime when used with automated cherry picking and other sample handling systems.
Micronic
(484) 480-3372; www.micronic.com
[Testing/diagnostics]
Coagulation Analyzer
Uses fresh capillary whole blood
Siemens Healthineers, Tarrytown, NY, has announced FDA premarket notification (510(k)) clearance for its handheld portable Xprecia Stride coagulation analyzer. The device delivers reliable prothrombin time international normalized ratio (PT/INR) testing for point-of-care monitoring and management of oral anticoagulation therapy with warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist. The analyzer uses fresh capillary whole blood, and results are expressed as an INR. Safety features include a test strip eject button that allows the user to eject a used test strip and easily dispose of it without touching it, minimizing potential biohazard exposure.
Siemens Healthineers
(800) 743-6367; www.siemens.com
DNA Blood Kit
Stores at room temperature
Arcis Biotechnology, Daresbury, UK, has launched the Arcis DNA blood kit for in vitro diagnostic use. The kit prepares DNA from blood using a novel 3-minute, two-step system. Available in a ready-to-use format, the kit enables users to stabilize and extract nucleic acid from fresh or frozen whole blood samples in 3 minutes, without the need for prior sample preparation steps. The kit is also suitable for specimens that have been stored in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and heparin-containing solutions. The kit is nonhazardous, and ships and stores at room temperature for ease of handling.
Arcis Biotechnology
[email protected]; www.arcisbio.com
Molecular Panel
Detects common vaginal infections
BD, Franklin Lakes, NJ, has received FDA market authorization for the BD Max vaginal panel, a first-of-its-kind molecular test to detect the most common causes for vaginitis. Laboratories and clinicians will now be able to use a single test to detect the microorganisms responsible for bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and vulvovaginal candidiasis. The new in vitro diagnostic assay is the first multiplex, real-time polymerase chain reaction assay authorized by FDA for the diagnosis of both vaginitis and vaginosis in women who exhibit symptoms of vaginal infection. The panel has a unique algorithm that determines the ratio of healthy versus unhealthy bacteria.
BD
(201) 847-6800; www.bd.com
TSH Assay
Measures samples as low as 0.01 ?IU/mL
Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, Brea, Calif, has announced FDA premarket notification (510(k)) clearance and the commercial release of its new Access TSH (3rd International Standard (IS)) assay for use with the Access family of immunoassay systems. The assay is the next generation of the Access HyperSensitive hTSH and Access Fast hTSH assays for the quantitative determination of human thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). The assay is designed to offer confidence in patient results through standardization to the World Health Organization 3rd IS for human TSH (IRP 81/565). A larger reagent pack size of 100 tests/pack and 200 tests/kit seeks to improve laboratory efficiency. The assay range supports measuring patient samples as low as 0.01 ?IU/mL.
Beckman Coulter
(800) 526-3821; www.beckmancoulter.com
