14 Issue 6 2020
life sciences
Take control of patient tissue blocks with Epredia’s unique system
E
predia’s Arcos Block management system and Arcos SL slide management offer a unique way in which tissue management is handled and organised. The system is designed to minimise any errors, increase productivity and keep the lab resources focused on more important matters than hand sorting or finding lost tissue blocks – thus saving thousands of man-hours per year. The range is exclusive to Labotec locally. Some of the main features of the Arcos Block Management System: • File and store 240 blocks in just two minutes • Easy retrieval of old blocks • No more misplacements or misfiling. It’s very easy to operate - simply place your blocks in the Arcos tray right at the microtome. At the end of the day, push the tray into the scanner. In about two minutes, the system will scan, photograph and record the position of every block in the tray. Simply enter the location where you will store the tray and your database is immediately updated. Redundant protection: your database is automatically updated on Flash. The unit can be configured to automatically archive your database to your choice of secure storage – hard drive, external network- or cloud-based. Set control individual user database
access and modification permissions can be programmed. To retrieve the blocks quickly and easily, select the block you need with the Arcos system, and it will find the location of the tray and the position of the block within the tray. If you need to return the block to storage, simply place it in the next tray to be scanned, and the Arcos system will update your database to reflect the new position. The Arcos SL slide management system is designed to give laboratories a simple way to archive slide specimens while providing a highly secure chain of custody. Simply place slides in the Arcos SL slide tray and slide it into the scanner. The scanner will read each slide’s barcode and keep track of exactly where each slide is located in storage.
LABOTEC (PTY) LTD JHB: (011) 315 5434 CPT: (021) 531 7660 DBN: (031) 566 4870 Fax: (011) 315 5882 sales@labotec.co.za www.labotec.co.za
ActiveCount viable air samplers
L
ighthouse Worldwide Solutions (LWS), a leading supplier of real time contamination monitoring, offers the ActiveCount series of viable air samplers, with a touch screen interface, USB key data download, gas sampling option and intuitive design. Portable microbial sampler ActiveCount100 is a high performance portable microbial sampler suitable for use in cleanrooms and aseptic environments, with proven technology for high-end pharma, medical and hospital applications. ActiveCount 100 ensures easy and accurate counting of viable bacteria in both mobile and remote sampling systems. Microbial samplers with Hepa filtered exhaust ActiveCount100H and ActiveCount25H
portable active air samplers are ISO 14698 compliant with a d50 collection efficiency of 1 micron and HEPA filtered exhaust ports designed to avoid re-aspiration of sampled air. Complete sampling control The ActiveCount range offers continuous and periodic sampling for complete control on sampling cycles and intervals. The autoclavable impactor head, dust cover and sanitisable stainless steel enclosure ensure the air sampler does not contaminate your critical environments. The optional gas sampler is used to monitor compressed gases. All relevant sampling parameters are stored into memory, and available as electronic records providing traceability and compliance to Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP). Lighthouse’s remote sampling options make it easy to integrate your active air samplers into your real-time environmental monitoring programmes. NATIONAL SEPARATIONS (PTY) LTD Frances Renwick Tel: (011) 553 2300 Fax: (011) 553 2400 frances.renwick@microsep.co.za
biological testing A new twist in multichannel pipetting
I
f you’re looking for speed, ease and accuracy, Mettler Toledo’s Rainin Pipet-Lite XLS adjustable spacer pipettes are ideal for streamlining complex workflows. The Pipet-Lite XLS adjustable spacer puts a new twist on pipetting with six or eight channel adjustable nozzles to quickly transfer samples between sized formats with comfort, making it ideal for routine micro-well work, genomic, proteomic, tissue culture and cell culture applications. One can easily aspirate samples from microcentrifuge tubes, simply turn the spacing knob, and dispense into a 24, 48, or 96-well plate. Comfortable and ergonomic Lightweight and designed for use with either hand, the XLS is one of the most ergonomic adjustable spacer pipettes available. The carefully shaped fingerhook enables a relaxed grip. New elastomeric seals and polymer tip ejectors, along with Rainin’s patented LTS LiteTouch System, deliver smoothness and control. The sure-fit handle, light springs and “stictionless” sealing technology
ensure ease-of-use, light operation and significantly reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries. Consistent sample pick The LTS tip and nozzle design offers exceptionally easy multichannel tip mounting, providing consistent sample pickup across all channels. Perfect sealing is ensured without rocking or hand-tightening. And with LTS, tip ejection force is just 0.6kg. Compliant Pipet-Lite XLS pipettes are equipped with RFID tags for storing service and data profiles, tracking calibration data and managing pipette inventory.
MICROSEP (PTY) LTD Frances Renwick Tel: (011) 553 2300 Fax: (011) 553 2400 frances.renwick@microsep.co.za www.microsep.co.za
Misa portable food analysis system
T
he Misa (Metrohm Instant SERS Analyser) is a new, portable instrument for rapid, presumptive testing of foodstuffs at the point of sampling. Smaller than a shoebox, this new solution can be taken anywhere and enables public authorities and retailers to check all kinds of foodstuffs for notorious adulterants, residues of banned, highly toxic pesticides and herbicides, as well as illegal growth hormones in a few seconds. It is operated by a simple App and can be used by anyone with only a minimum of sample preparation required. Several free Application Notes prove the validity of the Misa system. Economically Motivated Adulteration (EMA) of food is a costly problem harming people all over the world. Notorious suspects are: • Industrial dyes used in brightly coloured candies • Pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables • Illicit pharmaceuticals used to mimic traditional herbal medicines • Illegal growth hormones in meat.
Metrohm is pleased to present a range of free applications to detect artificial colourants, residues of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that are banned by many public authorities due to their suspected carcinogenic nature. The 17 Application Notes can be downloaded for free from this link: https://bit.ly/3lr4DkN.
METROHM SA (PTY) LTD Tel: (011) 656 1918 CPT: (021) 852 0213 DBN: (031) 265 0067 Fax: (011) 656 2698 076 643 7113 info@metrohm.co.za www.metrohm.co.za
