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Veterinary clinical pathology2023; doi: 10.1111/vcp.13290

Performance of a manually operated salad spinner centrifuge for serum separation in the healthy domestic horse (Equus caballus) and southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum).

Abstract: Field veterinarians and researchers studying wild species, such as the southern white rhinoceros, often work in remote areas with limited access to standard laboratory equipment, hindering the ability to measure serum analytes. Objectives: The first objective was to produce an inexpensive, manually operated centrifuge that could accept standard laboratory tubes by modifying a consumer-grade salad spinner with low-cost materials. The second objective was to compare biochemistry analysis results obtained from equine and southern white rhinoceros serum separated by traditional laboratory and manual salad spinner centrifugation. Methods: We optimized the design and serum separation protocol using non-anticoagulated equine blood. Equine and rhinoceros serum samples were separated by manual salad spinner or traditional laboratory centrifugation. Measured analytes included sodium, potassium, chloride, urea nitrogen, creatinine, phosphorous, total calcium, magnesium, glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, creatinine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total bilirubin, bicarbonate, sorbitol dehydrogenase, and triglycerides. Results obtained from serum separated by each centrifugation technique were compared by Deming regression and Bland-Altman analyses. Results: A tube adaptor insert modeled after a swing angle rotor and a two-step salad spinner centrifugation yielded serum comparable to traditional laboratory centrifugation. For the majority of analytes, no proportional or constant biases were detected between centrifugation methods. A positive proportional bias in the measurement of ALP in serum separated by manual centrifugation was detected in both equine and rhinoceros samples. Conclusions: Manual centrifugation with a modified salad spinner yields diagnostic quality serum suitable for the measurement of most standard biochemistry analytes.
© 2023 The Authors. Veterinary Clinical Pathology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.
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Publication Date: 2023-07-26 PubMed ID: 37495543DOI: 10.1111/vcp.13290Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Researchers successfully modified a regular salad spinner to act as a low-cost centrifuge for separating blood samples, providing a practical solution for veterinarians and researchers working in remote areas. This modified tool produced results comparable to standard laboratory equipment for most tested substances.

Background

  • Field veterinarians and researchers, especially those studying wild species like the southern white rhinoceros, often operate in remote locations.
  • These locations usually lack standard laboratory equipment, making it difficult to measure substances in blood samples (serum analytes).

Objectives

  • The study had two main goals:
  • First, to create a cost-effective, hand-operated centrifuge using a regular salad spinner, enhanced with affordable materials, that can accommodate standard lab tubes.
  • Second, to compare the results of blood tests (biochemistry analyses) of horse and rhinoceros serum separated using both the modified salad spinner and traditional lab centrifuges.

Methods

  • The team first fine-tuned the design and serum separation process using horse blood that wasn’t mixed with any anticoagulants.
  • Both horse and rhinoceros serum samples were separated using either the modified salad spinner or traditional lab centrifuges.
  • Various substances (analytes) in the serum, like sodium, potassium, glucose, and several enzymes, were then measured.
  • The results from both centrifugation techniques were then compared using specific statistical methods (Deming regression and Bland-Altman analyses).

Results

  • They crafted a tube adapter for the salad spinner, inspired by a particular type of rotor, combined with a two-step centrifugation process. This yielded serum similar to what standard lab centrifuges produce.
  • For most of the substances tested, there were no significant differences or biases between the results from the two centrifugation methods.
  • However, there was a noticeable difference (positive proportional bias) in the measurement of one enzyme, ALP, in samples from both horses and rhinoceroses when separated by manual centrifugation.

Conclusions

  • Using a salad spinner as a manual centrifuge can produce high-quality serum suitable for measuring most standard biochemistry substances.
  • This innovation offers a viable solution for fieldwork in remote locations, allowing for essential blood tests without the need for traditional lab equipment.

Cite This Article

APA
Cassady KR, Minter LJ, Gruber EJ. (2023). Performance of a manually operated salad spinner centrifuge for serum separation in the healthy domestic horse (Equus caballus) and southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Vet Clin Pathol. https://doi.org/10.1111/vcp.13290

Publication

Veterinary clinical pathology
ISSN: 1939-165X
NlmUniqueID: 9880575
Country: United States
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Cassady, Katherine R
  • Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Minter, Larry J
  • Hanes Veterinary Medical Center, North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro, NC, USA.
Gruber, Erika J
  • Department of Population Medicine and Pathobiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.

Grant Funding

  • Faculty start-up funds / NCSU Department of Population Health and Pathobiology

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