www.Usenet.com
www.Usenet.com
| <-- __Chronological__ --> | <-- __Thread__ --> |
On 3 Sep 2003 15:47:58 -0700, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Alex) wrote: >r norman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>... >> On 2 Sep 2003 17:43:53 -0700, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Alex) wrote: >> >> >I'm doing a science fair project for my high school, and we're allowed >> >to do some "clinical trials" on mice if we need to test an idea. Me >> >and my partner wanted to know how it might be possible to get the >> >blood pressure of a mouse. There has to be a way, right? any leads >> >and/or help would be great >> >-thanks >> >Alex >> >> I am surprised that you are allowed to do experiments with vertebrate >> animals like this, especially with mammals. The laws on animal >> experimentation are usually quite rigid about demandiing proper care >> and handling, housing and feeding, protocols for drug treatment, etc. >> >> In any event, the standard way is to use a small pressure cuff that >> goes around the base of the tail and then monitoring the pulse in >> the artery in the tail just below the cuff. It it just like taking >> the pressure in your arm, except using muc smaller cuffs. >> >> The problem is, not just getting the right equipment (there are >> special cuffs and even automated electronic instruments to do just >> that, but they tend to be quite expensive). The technique is also a >> bit tricky to learn. Finally, there is the problem of handling the >> mice without exciting them so that their blood pressure is changed. >> >> Why don't you visit a local university with a department of physiology >> or pharmacology and ask at the department office if anyone in the >> department is doing that kind of thing. I bet people in the lab would >> be happy to show you. > >Thanks for the help and about the trials. Most of the experiments >would deal with like natural products found in like fruits or most >foods and extracting different chemicals. The rule is that you can't >cause undue harm to the mice. But, yes, for a high school AP Bio class >it is pretty advanced to do trials on mice and all. >-Alex Here are some examples of the specialized equipment that is available commercially. Again, I warn you these are very expensive. But you can get an idea what is involved. http://www.adinstruments.com/products/product.php?id=MLT125M http://www.adinstruments.com/products/product.php?id=ML125/M (the first is the cuff alone, the second has the electronics) http://www.harvardapparatus.com/pdffiles/B2K_J019.pdf http://www.harvardapparatus.com/pdffiles/B2K_J018.pd Another company: the frst is the cuff, the second the electronics http://www.kentscientific.com/catalogpagesearch5akent.asp?page=8 The manual available on-line has some useful information http://www.sdr.com.au/ratbp.html This also has some good information http://pga.jax.org/protocol_005.html This has specific instructions (quite elaborate, too!) for using one particular type of equipment. Attention to all this detail is really part of a good experimental design. f
| <-- __Chronological__ --> | <-- __Thread__ --> |
