An automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia

Abstract

This invention discloses an automated insect anesthesia monitoring system, comprising a test container, an anesthetic gas monitoring device, a counter, and a recovery container. The test container has a receiving cavity with an air inlet and an outlet at the top and a recovery outlet at the bottom. The air inlet is used to connect to an external anesthetic gas source, and the outlet is used to place experimental insects. The receiving cavity also has multiple vertically spaced blocking elements, each with an inclined guide surface. The anesthetic gas monitoring device is used to test the concentration of anesthetic gas at the bottom of the receiving cavity, and the counter is installed below the receiving cavity. The recovery container is located below the recovery outlet and is used to recover experimental insects. This automated insect anesthesia monitoring device can conveniently count insects and effectively distinguish between sleeping and anesthetized insects, achieving efficient insect anesthesia, meeting experimental needs such as screening for anesthesia sensitivity to different genotypes, shortening operation time, and facilitating observation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of biomedical technology, and in particular to an automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia. Background Technology

[0002] Insects such as fruit flies occupy an irreplaceable position in multiple fields, including genetics, developmental biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology, due to their clear genetic background, simple nervous system, sophisticated information system, and complex behavior. With the increasing number of major surgeries worldwide, general anesthesia has become indispensable in clinical medicine. General anesthesia can induce reversible loss and recovery of consciousness, and its mechanisms are among the most challenging problems in behavioral science and pharmacology. Insects such as fruit flies have proven to be excellent animal models for anesthesia research because their genetic manipulation can be easily queried and detected at the endpoint of anesthesia. This allows for the investigation of single-molecule and quantum release of neurotransmitters at larval synapses, and also enables electrophysiological or calcium imaging at the circuit level or whole-brain level under anesthesia.

[0003] When conducting anesthesia monitoring, issues such as large data discrepancies and low efficiency arise due to the small size of fruit flies, the large number of samples, the numerous experimental groups, and operator errors. Conventional insect anesthesia monitoring procedures are cumbersome, difficult to count, and challenging to distinguish anesthetized states. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic monitoring device for insect anesthesia. This device can conveniently count insects and can better distinguish between sleeping and anesthetized insects, facilitating observation and thus meeting experimental needs such as screening for anesthesia sensitivity of different genotypes.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned technical effects, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] This invention discloses an automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia, comprising: a test container having a receiving cavity, an air inlet and an inlet at the top of the receiving cavity, and a recovery port at the bottom; the air inlet being connected to an external anesthetic gas source, and the inlet being for placing experimental insects; the receiving cavity also having multiple vertically spaced blocking members, each of which has an inclined guide surface, the guide directions of adjacent blocking members being set at an angle; an anesthetic gas monitoring device for testing the concentration of anesthetic gas at the bottom of the receiving cavity; a counter installed below the receiving cavity for recording the experimental insects passing through the recovery port; and a recovery container located below the recovery port for recovering the experimental insects.

[0007] In some embodiments, the blocking member includes: a retaining ring fixed to the side wall of the receiving cavity; an arcuate plate connected to the retaining ring and defining a blocking cavity with the retaining ring, the bottom wall of the blocking cavity forming the guide surface, and the blocking cavity having an opening that opens toward the side wall of the receiving cavity.

[0008] In some embodiments, the receiving cavity includes a gradually expanding section, a first straight section, and a gradually contracting section connected in sequence, the insertion port is disposed on the circumferential surface of the gradually expanding section, a plurality of the blocking members are disposed in the first straight section, and the probe of the anesthetic gas monitoring device is disposed on the circumferential surface of the gradually contracting section.

[0009] In some specific embodiments, the receiving cavity further includes a second straight section, which is connected to the small end of the gradually expanding section, and the end of the second straight section away from the gradually expanding section is connected to the external anesthetic gas source through an air inlet tube.

[0010] In some embodiments, the receiving cavity includes a third straight section, the lower end of which forms the recycling port, and the counter includes: a first display having a timing display area and a counting display area; a light-emitting transistor disposed on the inner sidewall of the third straight section; and an infrared light source disposed on the inner sidewall of the third straight section and corresponding to the light-emitting transistor.

[0011] In some embodiments, the counter is further provided with a start button, a pause button, and a reset button.

[0012] In some embodiments, a control valve is provided above the recycling port.

[0013] In some embodiments, the receiving cavity is further provided with an air extraction connector, which is located above the recovery port; the insect anesthesia automatic monitoring system further includes an air extraction device, which is connected to the air extraction connector, and the air extraction device is used to extract the anesthetic gas from the receiving cavity.

[0014] In some specific embodiments, the air extraction device includes a housing and a vacuum pump disposed within the housing, with activated carbon provided between the housing and the vacuum pump.

[0015] In some embodiments, the anesthetic gas monitoring device includes a second display and a probe, the probe being disposed on the inner wall of the receiving cavity and located above the recovery port, and the second display being used to display the concentration of the anesthetic gas detected by the probe.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the automatic insect anesthesia monitoring system of the present invention are as follows: In actual operation, an external anesthetic gas source delivers anesthetic gas into the containment chamber through the inlet. Experimental insects are then blown into the containment chamber through the release inlet. Because the containment chamber is equipped with multiple vertically spaced obstructions, the anesthetized insects fall vertically onto these obstructions and continue to fall downwards under the guidance of the guide surface, eventually entering the recovery container through the recovery port. Insects that are not fully anesthetized will adjust their posture during the fall and will not immediately fall into the recovery container. This allows for better differentiation between sleeping and anesthetized insects, facilitating observation and meeting the experimental needs such as screening for anesthesia sensitivity to different genotypes. Simultaneously, an additional anesthetic gas monitoring device is added to test the concentration of anesthetic gas at the bottom of the containment chamber, and an additional counter is installed below the containment chamber to record the number of test insects passing through the recovery port. This facilitates insect counting and real-time monitoring of anesthetic gas concentration, simplifying the monitoring and data recording of anesthesia experiments.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic insect anesthesia monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the test container according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the counter according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the air extraction device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure label:

[0023] 100. Test container; 110. Receiving cavity; 111. Expanding section; 112. First straight section; 113. Contracting section; 114. Second straight section; 115. Third straight section; 120. Air inlet; 130. Inlet; 140. Recovery port; 150. Blocking component; 151. Fixing ring; 152. Arc plate; 160. Control valve; 170. Air extraction connector;

[0024] 200. Anesthetic gas monitoring device; 210. Second display; 220. Detector head;

[0025] 300. Counter; 310. First display; 311. Timing display area; 312. Counting display area; 313. Timing start button; 314. Timing stop button; 315. Reset button; 320. Light-emitting transistor; 330. Infrared light source;

[0026] 400. Recycle containers;

[0027] 500. Evacuation device; 510. Housing; 520. Vacuum pump. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the technical problems solved by the present invention, the technical solutions adopted, and the technical effects achieved clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0030] Furthermore, features specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of those features, used to distinguish and describe features, without any order or emphasis. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0031] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0032] The following is for reference. Figures 1-4 The specific structure of the automatic insect anesthesia monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0033] This invention discloses an automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the automatic insect anesthesia monitoring system includes a test container 100, an anesthetic gas monitoring device 200, a counter 300, and a recovery container 400. The test container 100 has a receiving cavity 110, with an air inlet 120 and a release inlet 130 at the top and a recovery inlet 140 at the bottom. The air inlet 120 is used to connect to an external anesthetic gas source, and the release inlet 130 is used to put in experimental insects. The receiving cavity 110 is also provided with multiple vertically spaced blocking members 150. Each blocking member 150 has an inclined guide surface, and the guide directions of the guide surfaces of two adjacent blocking members 150 are set at an angle. The anesthetic gas monitoring device 200 is used to test the concentration of anesthetic gas at the bottom of the receiving cavity 110. The counter 300 is installed below the receiving cavity 110 and is used to record the experimental insects to be tested passing through the recovery inlet 140. The recovery container 400 is located below the recovery inlet 140 and is used to recover experimental insects.

[0034] Understandably, in actual operation, an external anesthetic gas source delivers anesthetic gas into the receiving cavity 110 through the inlet 120. Experimental insects are then blown into the receiving cavity 110 through the release inlet 130. Because the receiving cavity 110 has multiple vertically spaced obstructions 150, the anesthetized insects fall vertically onto these obstructions 150 and continue falling downwards under the guidance of the guide surfaces, eventually entering the recovery container 400 through the recovery port 140. Insects that are not fully anesthetized will adjust their posture during their fall and will not immediately fall into the recovery container 400. This allows for better differentiation between sleeping and anesthetized insects, facilitating observation and meeting the experimental needs such as screening for anesthesia sensitivity in different genotypes. Simultaneously, an additional anesthetic gas monitoring device 200 is added to test the concentration of anesthetic gas at the bottom of the receiving cavity 110, and an additional counter 300 is installed below the receiving cavity 110 to record the number of test insects passing through the recovery port 140. This facilitates insect counting and real-time monitoring of anesthetic gas concentration, simplifying the monitoring and data recording of anesthesia experiments.

[0035] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the blocking member 150 includes a retaining ring 151 and an arc-shaped plate 152. The retaining ring 151 is fixed to the side wall of the receiving cavity 110. The arc-shaped plate 152 is connected to the retaining ring 151 and defines the blocking cavity with the retaining ring 151. The bottom wall of the blocking cavity forms a guide surface, and the blocking cavity has an opening that opens toward the side wall of the receiving cavity 110. It can be understood that the retaining ring 151 can ensure that the entire blocking member 150 is stably fixed in the receiving cavity 110, and the arc-shaped plate 152 ensures that the experimental insect can slide into the recovery container 400 under the guidance of the guide surface.

[0036] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2As shown, the receiving cavity 110 includes a gradually expanding section 111, a first straight section 112, and a gradually narrowing section 113 connected in sequence. An inlet 130 is located on the circumferential surface of the gradually expanding section 111. Multiple obstructions 150 are located within the first straight section 112, and the probe 220 of the anesthetic gas monitoring device 200 is located on the circumferential surface of the narrowing section 113. It is understood that the multiple obstructions 150 within the first straight section 112 ensure that each experimental insect passes through the obstructions 150 before falling into the recovery container 400, extending the time the experimental insect spends in the receiving cavity 110, ensuring complete anesthesia, and facilitating the differentiation between sleeping and anesthetized insects. The inlet 130, located on the circumferential surface of the gradually expanding section 111, provides sufficient space to blow in experimental insects, increasing the number of insects that can be blown in during a single experiment.

[0037] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the receiving cavity 110 also includes a second straight section 114, which is connected to the small end of the gradually expanding section 111. The end of the second straight section 114 furthest from the gradually expanding section 111 is connected to an external anesthetic gas source via an air inlet tube. It can be understood that by providing the second straight section 114 and connecting it to the external anesthetic gas source via an air inlet tube, on the one hand, it facilitates the connection between the testing container 100 and the external anesthetic gas source, simplifying experimental operations; on the other hand, the second straight section 114 can be inserted into the air inlet tube, improving the connection seal and preventing anesthetic gas leakage.

[0038] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the receiving cavity 110 includes a third straight section 115, the lower end of which forms a recovery port 140. (As indicated...) Figure 3 As shown, the counter 300 includes a first display 310, a light-emitting transistor 320, and an infrared light source 330. The first display 310 has a timing display area 311 and a counting display area 312. The light-emitting transistor 320 is disposed on the inner wall of the third straight section 115, and the infrared light source 330 is disposed on the inner wall of the third straight section 115 and is positioned corresponding to the light-emitting transistor 320. It is understood that during actual operation, when the experimental insects fall, the light emitted by the infrared light source 330 cannot reach the light-emitting transistor 320. Therefore, the signal received by the control system of the counter 300 from the light-emitting transistor 320 is in pulse form. Through an internal conversion program, the pulse signal can be converted into a digital signal and displayed on the counting display area 312, thus facilitating the recording of the number of experimental insects by the experimenter. The timing display area 311 can display the experimental duration, further facilitating experimental recording.

[0039] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3As shown, the counter 300 is also equipped with a timing start button 313, a timing pause button 314, and a reset button 315. It is understood that during the experiment, the timing start button 313, timing pause button 314, and reset button 315 can be used to record experimental data within a specified time period, facilitating the user's experimentation.

[0040] It should be noted that the control system built into the counter 300 and the control logic of the timing display area 311, the counting display area 312, the timing start button 313, the timing pause button 314, and the reset button 315 are all existing technologies and need not be described here.

[0041] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, a control valve 160 is provided above the recovery port 140. It can be understood that the control valve 160 is opened or closed as needed for the experiment, thereby achieving the counting function according to actual requirements.

[0042] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1-2 As shown, the receiving cavity 110 is also equipped with an extraction connector 170, which is located above the recovery port 140. The automatic insect anesthesia monitoring system also includes an extraction device 500, which, along with the extraction connector 170, is used to extract the anesthetic gas from the receiving cavity 110. It is understood that the anesthetic gas in the receiving cavity 110 needs to be recovered after the experiment, and it is also necessary to maintain a relatively balanced state of the anesthetic gas in the receiving cavity 110 during the experiment. The added extraction device 500 facilitates the recovery of the anesthetic gas and ensures that the anesthetic gas in the receiving cavity 110 is at the specified experimental concentration.

[0043] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the vacuum pumping device 500 includes a housing 510 and a vacuum pump 520 disposed within the housing 510. Activated carbon is disposed between the housing 510 and the vacuum pump 520. Thus, the vacuum pump 520 can perform vacuuming, and the activated carbon can adsorb anesthetic gases, preventing anesthetic gases from escaping into the experimental environment and ensuring experimental safety.

[0044] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the anesthetic gas monitoring device 200 includes a second display 210 and a probe 220. The probe 220 is disposed on the inner wall of the receiving cavity 110 and located above the recovery port 140. The second display 210 is used to display the concentration of the anesthetic gas detected by the probe 220. It is understood that the combined use of the second display 210 and the probe 220 facilitates real-time monitoring and observation of the anesthetic gas concentration by experimental personnel, thus simplifying the experiment.

[0045] Example:

[0046] like Figures 1-4 As shown, the automatic insect anesthesia monitoring system includes a test container 100, an anesthetic gas monitoring device 200, a counter 300, and a recovery container 400. The test container 100 has a receiving cavity 110, which includes a second straight section 114, a gradually expanding section 111, a first straight section 112, a gradually contracting section 113, and a third straight section 115 connected in sequence. The first straight section 112 has eight spaced-apart blocking members 150. Each blocking member 150 includes a fixing ring 151 and an arc-shaped plate 152. The fixing ring 151 is fixed to the side wall of the first straight section 112, and the arc-shaped plate 152 is connected to the fixing ring 151 and defines the blocking cavity with the fixing ring 151. The bottom wall of the blocking cavity forms a guide surface, and the blocking cavity has an opening that opens toward the side wall of the receiving cavity 110. The guide surfaces of two alternately arranged blocking members 150 are parallel. The circumferential surface of the gradually expanding section 111 has an inlet 130 for placing experimental insects. A suction connector 170 is provided on the converging section 113. The end of the second straight section 114 away from the expanding section 111 is connected to an external anesthetic gas source through an air inlet pipe. The lower end of the third straight section 115 forms a recovery port 140. The counter 300 includes a first display 310, a light-emitting transistor 320, and an infrared light source 330. The first display 310 has a timing display area 311, a counting display area 312, a timing start button 313, a timing pause button 314, and a zeroing button 315. The light-emitting transistor 320 is located on the inner wall of the third straight section 115, and the infrared light source 330 is located on the inner wall of the third straight section 115 and is positioned corresponding to the light-emitting transistor 320. A control valve 160 is provided above the recovery port 140. The suction device 500 includes a housing 510 and a vacuum pump 520 located inside the housing 510. Activated carbon is provided between the housing 510 and the vacuum pump 520. A vacuum pump 520 is connected to a vacuum connector 170 via a vacuum pipe. The anesthetic gas monitoring device 200 includes a second display 210 and a probe 220. The probe 220 is located on the inner wall of the tapered section 113, and the second display 210 displays the concentration of the anesthetic gas detected by the probe 220. A recovery container 400 is located below the recovery port 140 and is used to recover experimental insects.

[0047] The method of using the automatic insect anesthesia detection system in this embodiment is as follows:

[0048] First: When the experimental objective is to test the EC50 (concentration for 50% of maximal effect) of the anesthetic gas for fruit flies, turn off the vacuum pump 520, open the control valve 160, open the cap sealing the second straight section 114, and use the air inlet tube to introduce the anesthetic gas into the receiving cavity 110. Observe the anesthetic gas concentration in the tapering section 113 through the second display 210. Blow each group of fruit flies into the inlet 130, turn on the power switch of the counter 300, press the start button 313, and the falling fruit flies interrupt the beam emitted by the infrared light source 330. The pulse signal is transmitted into the counter 300, enabling the counter 300 to automatically record the number of anesthetized fruit flies. When the specified time is reached, press the pause button 314, record the number of fruit flies, then press the zero button 315, close the control valve 160, calculate the ratio of the number of anesthetized fruit flies in each group to the total number of fruit flies, plot the dose-response curve, and calculate the EC50.

[0049] Second: When the experimental objective is to screen the sensitivity of different genotypes of fruit flies, open control valve 160, turn on vacuum pump 520, and open the cap sealing the second straight section 114. Use the air inlet tube to introduce anesthetic gas into the receiving cavity 110. Observe the concentration of anesthetic gas in the tapering section 113 through the second display 210. After the gas concentration in the receiving cavity 110 is balanced, blow a large number of fruit flies of the test genotype into the inlet 130. Turn on the power switch of counter 300 and press the start time button 313. Falling fruit flies interrupt the beam emitted by infrared light source 330, and a pulse signal is transmitted to counter 300, enabling counter 300 to automatically record the number of anesthetized fruit flies. When the specified time (30 minutes) is reached, press the pause button 314, record the number of fruit flies, and then press the zero button 315. Replace with fruit flies of different genotypes, press the start time button 313 again to repeat the experiment, calculate the response index of different genotypes, and compare the sensitivity.

[0050] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "some embodiments," "other embodiments," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0051] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation and application scope based on the ideas of the present invention. The content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia, characterized in that, include: The test container (100) has a receiving cavity (110), the top of the receiving cavity (110) has an air inlet (120) and a placement inlet (130), and the bottom has a recovery port (140). The air inlet (120) is used to connect to an external anesthetic gas source, and the placement inlet (130) is used to place experimental insects. The receiving cavity (110) is also provided with a plurality of vertically spaced blocking members (150). Each blocking member (150) has an inclined guide surface, and the guide directions of the guide surfaces of two adjacent blocking members (150) are set at an angle. An anesthetic gas monitoring device (200) is used to test the concentration of anesthetic gas at the bottom of the receiving cavity (110); A counter (300) is installed below the receiving cavity (110) and is used to record the experimental insects to be tested passing through the recovery port (140); A recycling container (400) is disposed below the recycling port (140) and is used to recycle the experimental insects; wherein the blocking member (150) includes: A fixing ring (151) is fixed to the side wall of the receiving cavity (110); An arc-shaped plate (152) is connected to the fixing ring (151) and defines a blocking cavity with the fixing ring (151). The bottom wall of the blocking cavity forms the guide surface, and the blocking cavity has an opening that opens toward the side wall of the receiving cavity (110).

2. The automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia according to claim 1, characterized in that, The receiving cavity (110) includes a gradually expanding section (111), a first straight section (112), and a gradually contracting section (113) connected in sequence. The insertion port (130) is located on the circumferential surface of the gradually expanding section (111). A plurality of the blocking elements (150) are located in the first straight section (112). The probe (220) of the anesthetic gas monitoring device (200) is located on the circumferential surface of the gradually contracting section (113).

3. The automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia according to claim 2, characterized in that, The receiving cavity (110) further includes a second straight section (114), which is connected to the small end of the gradually expanding section (111), and the end of the second straight section (114) away from the gradually expanding section (111) is connected to the external anesthetic gas source through the air inlet pipe.

4. The automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia according to claim 1, characterized in that, The receiving cavity (110) includes a third straight section (115), the lower end of which forms the recovery port (140), and the counter (300) includes: A first display (310) having a timing display area (311) and a counting display area (312); A light-emitting transistor (320) is disposed on the inner sidewall of the third straight section (115); An infrared light source (330) is disposed on the inner wall of the third straight section (115) and is disposed corresponding to the light-emitting transistor (320).

5. The automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia according to claim 1, characterized in that, The counter (300) is also equipped with a timing start button (313), a timing pause button (314), and a reset button (315).

6. The automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia according to claim 1, characterized in that, A control valve (160) is provided above the recovery port (140).

7. The automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia according to claim 1, characterized in that, The receiving cavity (110) is also provided with an air extraction connector (170), which is located above the recovery port (140); The automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia also includes an air extraction device (500) and an air extraction connector (170). The air extraction device (500) is used to extract the anesthetic gas from the receiving cavity (110).

8. The automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia according to claim 7, characterized in that, The air extraction device (500) includes a housing (510) and a vacuum pump (520) disposed inside the housing (510), with activated carbon disposed between the housing (510) and the vacuum pump (520).

9. The automatic monitoring system for insect anesthesia according to claim 1, characterized in that, The anesthetic gas monitoring device (200) includes a second display (210) and a probe (220). The probe (220) is disposed on the inner wall of the receiving cavity (110) and located above the recovery port (140). The second display (210) is used to display the concentration of the anesthetic gas detected by the probe (220).

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