Friday, September 27, 2013

Great workshop in Bar Harbor!

As in the past, the Phenotyping Mouse Models of Human Lung Disease Workshop organized by The Jackson Laboratory attracted an international group of participants and presenters. Theoretical and hands-on laboratory sessions directed at accurate respiratory mechanics measurements using the forced oscillation techniques covered an important part of the workshop. This was complemented by other techniques employed to study human pulmonary diseases using mouse models.

The cordial format of the workshop permitted direct, one-on-one interactions with presenters and instructors. Participants also had an opportunity to get first-hand experience working with the flexiVent system while learning how to gather even more pertinent data for their research.

We are already looking forward to the next workshop. Join us next time!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Software release: flexiWare 7.5.2

The latest version of our Study Management and Experiment Control Software, flexiWare 7.5.2 is a service pack structured to offer you the choice of having the new Dose Response View while also benefiting from an upgrade that adds several new and exciting features to the software.

What you get with flexiWare 7.5.2:

New! Multi-Subject Extension (MSX) Support
New! Dataset analyzers for transfer impedance
New! Cleaning Wizard
New! Pressure controlled ventilation
New! Controlled delivered volume
New! Optimal ventilator waveform (OVW) perturbations included for mice
New! Dose Response view (additional paid feature)
Improved flow channel calibration for FEV and MSX (flexiVent FX)
Seamless database updating to include default templates
Ability to change experiment database on the Welcome Dialog
Automatic migration of templates

DOSE RESPONSE VIEW

An automated dose response plot allows you to instantly visualize and export the meta-data for every parameter from every dose or intervention including the peak, mean, area under the curve, peak-to-peak among others. This time saving feature eliminates the need for lengthy post-experimental data processing and is available as an additional paid option. If you are interested in including this feature in your flexiWare software upgrade, please contact our sales team for a quote (1-877-572-4737 or [email protected]).

MULTI-SUBJECT EXTENSION SUPPORT

flexiWare 7.5 now fully supports the new flexiVent Multi-Subject Extension (MSX) that permits studying up to four subjects simultaneously with a single flexiVent FX system. The software now seamlessly adapts ventilation and perturbation scaling as subjects are added or removed from the system, and new calibration methods and analyzers have been added to support the assessment of lung mechanics using transfer impedance.

VENTILATION ENHANCEMENTS

flexiWare 7.5 also introduces a number of enhancements to the control of mechanical ventilation for flexiVent users. We have added Pressure-Controlled Ventilation (PCV) as a new mode of ventilation that, when used with the MSX, allows standardization the inspiratory pressure across parallel subjects. For single-subject configurations, the software now offers a feature to control the delivered volume when using volume controlled ventilation patterns. This algorithm accounts for gas compression within the ventilator circuit to ensure that the subject is receiving the desired tidal volume with the best possible accuracy.

CONVENIENCE FEATURES

We listened to you and added more convenience features to this software version, little touches that equate to a better user experience and overall time saved. We have added a link on the Welcome Screen from which you can readily change your database connection. If you are upgrading from a previous software version, you will find that your templates are instantly converted to be compatible. In addition, any new databases that you create are automatically populated with our library of default templates. We assist you in the assignment of subjects to groups in the course of an experiment, you can now double click to zoom in on any data view panel and, finally, at the end of your experiments, you will find that you are led through the valve cleaning process by a step-by-step wizard.

HOW DO YOU UPGRADE?

If your current flexiWare installation is covered under our Complete Care program, our Technical Support team will be happy to assist you in downloading and installing your free upgrade. Otherwise, please contact our sales team at [email protected] for further details and pricing information.

Thank you ERS!

The SCIREQ team once again has enjoyed participating in the European Respiratoy Society's Annual Congress in Barcelona. Our partnership with our distributor EMKA Technologies was strengthened as we presented the flexiVent and inExpose systems in a joint booth.

It was a pleasure to see our international users come by the booth to discuss their research topics and experiences with our equipment. We always enjoy the opportunity to exchange ideas with our customers to learn about their applications while offering the best solutions for accurate respiratory mechanics measurements and inhalation exposure.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Participate in a hands-on workshop at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Habor

Our very own Senior Scientsist, Dr. Annette Robichaud will again be presenting at this years Jackson Lab workshop on Phenotyping Mouse Models of Human Lung Disease from September 15th to 20th. This workshop is an excellent opportunity to acquire hands-on training in respiratory mechanics measurements using the flexiVent as well as to learn from various experts in the field.

2013 Speakers include:
Jennifer Corrigan, M.S., The Jackson Laboratory
Kristin Cough, B.S., The Jackson Laboratory
Eric A. Hoffman, Ph.D., University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
James J. Lee, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Arizona
Lennart K.A. Lundblad, Ph.D., University of Vermont
John Macauley, Ph.D., The Jackson Laboratory
Frank McKeon, Ph.D., The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine
Wayne Mitzner, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Matthias Ochs, M.D., Hannover Medical School
Annette Robichaud, Ph.D., SCIREQ Scientific Respiratory Equipment, Inc.
Teresa Southard, D.V.M., Ph.D., Cornell University
Marge Strobel, Ph.D., The Jackson Laboratory
Douglas Taatjes, Ph.D., The University of Vermont
Jerrold Ward, DVM, Ph.D., Global VetPathology and NIAID, NIH
Wa Xian, Ph.D., The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine

Space still available, click here to register today!