Frequently Asked Questions
Analgesia - Plantar Test
Glass acts as a heat sink
and can alter the reaction time of the animal therefore
IITC recommends heated
glass when temperature in the
lab is kept at cool temperatures.
 Do I need to order software for each Analgesia Series 8 equipment I purchase or can
I order one software to be used on all the units?
Yes, software needs to be
ordered for each individual piece of equipment that is
ordered. the proprietary information requires the purchase
of software for each unit ordered as well as the information
being supplied from each system is different and therefore
requires programming of the chips for each unit.
Is there anything in your
equipment that can cause preconditioning of the animals
prior to testing?
No there is not...No clicking,
beeping or any other type of sounds are emitted out of
our systems that would cause your animals to become forewarned
that the test is about to begin.
Is the warranty period two
years as stated?
Yes, warranty is two years
on almost all items in the Analgesia Equipment line,
Rotarods and Animal
Treadmills.
This is the only system
commercially available that has the capability of the
Tail
Flick Test and the Plantar
Test in one complete
system.
Is the glass on the Plantar systems tempered?
Yes they are tempered for
safety purposes.
What is the supplied with
the Plantar System?
The system is supplied complete
with the following
Electronics, test head, standard base or heated base,
legs, animal enclosure, RS232 and printer outputs all
standard.
Do I need the purchase any
type of calibration unit for the heat source?
No, not needed or required.
Can I adjust the temperature
of the heated
glass if ordered?
Yes, the glass is preset
by us at 34 deg. C but can be adjusted in 2 degree increments,
32, 34, and 38 degrees Celsius. Temperature setting is
dependent upon environment.
No for obvious reasons that
when working with live animals, they will move or flinch,
flick and therefore with automatic detection there is
the possibility of the system reading these natural movements
as "reaction" versus movement, stop the test; causing
a stop and reset by the investigator
Electronic von Frey Anesthesiometer
(ElectrovonFrey), EVF
What test subjects can the
EVF be use on?
Humans, mice, rats, cats,
dogs, monkeys, the most universal system on the market.
They are 15 individual hairs
with an 8 mm uniform tip diameter on each hair. Why?
Because the varying tip diameters can cause false reactions
to the difference in the amount of hair touching test
subjects in the traditional hairs and that is the reason
IITC developed the "uniform tip diameter".
What is the maximum range
of the probes?
Depending on which probe
is ordered will determine the maximum force range the
probe will allow. When testing mice the 90 gram probe
should be ordered. When testing rats and other larger
test subjects the 400 (now 800 gram supplied) probe should
be ordered. When testing larger subjects (dogs, cats,
monkeys) the 100 gram probe should be ordered.
My research will be for pain
and or sensory reactions, which system should I order?
If your studies will include
both pain threshold and sensory values then both the
rigid tips as well as the 15 flexible von Frey hairs
need to be ordered to allow measurement of both.
Yes absolutely! A true first
on the market which will finally allow you to purchase
one of the three available systems complete and the only
additional purchase required is the individual modules
to perform the various tests in one electronic system.
No it is not required to
be ordered for the EVF testing but is recommended
when you studies will have a large group of animals in
the study. the animal enclosure allows up to 6 rats and
12 mice in one enclosure supplied standard. Or if your
studies will be with a smaller group of animals the smaller Mesh
Stand may be ordered - 2 rats - 4 mice.
How many probes am I able
to have connected to the electronics?
A total of three pressure
probes can be connected at any one time.
What is the warranty supplied
on the system?
One year warranty supplied.
Our system will record,
display and store the readings of the pressure of the
test subjects reaction in the electronics. No need to
test and manually record data. all data is displayed
and stored.
How accurate is the system?
It is the most accurate
system on the market today. It has been compared to the
traditional von
frey hairs and has come out far ahead
with the statement that "If one is to test allodynia
then the best method or choice would be the IITC Life
Science Electronic
von Frey.
It is the first commercially
available system in the world that finally allows automatic
pressure readings of the paw
pressure test. You are no
longer required to perform this test in a cumbersome
manner. A simple pressure applicator is all that is
needed which is connected to the electronics. apply the
pressure and upon reaction release the applicator and
your display will show the pressure in grams.
Can it be used on mice and
rats?
Am I able to test both mice
and rats wit just the purchase of one Rotarod system?
Yes, no other items are
required to enable testing of both mice and rats.
How does the Rotarod system
record the tests?
The animals are placed on
the drums and the system is started, once the animals
fall onto the platforms below the platforms trigger the
electronics which in turn shut down for that individual
lane and the test data for that test are displayed, recorded
and stored in the system and shown on the digital read
out..
Rat and Mouse Blood Pressure
What temperature is the recommended temperature when measuring rat and mouse blood pressure?
Recommended temperature for rats is 32 deg. C and mice 34 deg. C. Depending on the environment, type and animal and weight the above average temperatures might need adjustment up or down accordingly, but within the known temperature threshold without causing thermostress to the animal
How long does it take to perfom a blood pressure test on an animal?
Our systems average 15 seconds per test. (Inflation/Deflation cycle)
What is the best method to warm an animal?
1. Heating pads sitting directly against the animal?
2. Heating pads placed underneath a metal plate where the animals sit?
3. Blowing hot air onto the the tail back end of an animal?
4. Warming Chambers?
Answer: 4
Reason is:
Warming chambers supply light constant warm circulating air continuously around the animal not direct high heat in turn causing thermostress and in some cases death.
All other systems on the current market require temperatures over the known threshold when obtaining rat or mouse blood pressure measurements and having the high heat applied directly to the animal. This is necessary in order for their cuffs to pickup pulses.
Which
method is best Photoelectric or Piezoelectric aka (VPR)?
The Photoelectric method is
by far the superior choice, lowest temperature, accurate.
The system is the only system that has been validated to
telemetry and direct blood presssure. See articles under
"literature references"
on the mouse rat blood pressure section. Still the only
method that uses low temperature due to the method.
Attention!
We continue to receive information from customers that a
particular company in the field of rat and mouse blood pressure
measurement equipment is supplying verbal and written lies
about our equipment, features and functions.
We
cannot stress enough that any person interested in IITC
Life Sciences rat and mouse blood pressure systems contact
us directly and feel free to ask for facts, references,
documentation that only IITC Life Science can provide accurately.
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