A luminometer is a device that uses a photomultiplier tube to measure faintly visible light emissions emanating from a sample. Luminometers are highly sensitive instruments that can measure extremely tiny amounts of light, often just a few photons. Typically, they work with tiny samples—sometimes as little as a few microliters—such as protein solutions or suspensions of cells in microcentrifuge tubes, microplate wells, or protein solutions.

Because samples evaluated by a luminometer emit light on their own (due to a chemical reaction), rather than requiring excitation light, they often do not require a lamp or excitation optics, which is how they vary from fluorometers.

A luminometer must be distinguished from a photometer and a light metre despite the terms seeming similar:

- A photometer is a fairly general term that refers to any instrument that measures light, such as luminometers, light metres, spectrophotometers, and other similar instruments.
- Although the word "light metre" is general, it typically refers to a small camera accessory used to measure ambient light.

PRINCIPLE OF A LUMINOMETER

Luminometers use a photomultiplier tube to be able to measure the smallest amounts of light (PMT). Weak incoming signals can be detected thanks to a photomultiplier tube's significant amplification. A PMT operates on the following principle:

1. The photoelectric effect occurs when photons strike a photocathode at the PMT's entrance window and create electrons as a result.
2. Following that, a high-voltage field accelerates those electrons, and secondary emission causes them to multiply within a series of dynodes.
3. The anode, which is coupled to an output processing circuit, is where the amplified electrons finally arrive.
4. The circuit converts the input signal to an output signal, which can either be an analogue current or a pulse (if the PMT operates in photon counting mode) (if the PMT works in analogue mode, also known as a current mode). While analogue mode performs better with high light intensities and is frequently used for fluorescence measurements, photon counting mode offers the best sensitivity and is the optimum mode for luminescence measurement.

The PMT must be placed very close to the sample and in an ideal position to minimise photon loss from the sample while also keeping photons from adjacent wells out of the way (in the case of microplate luminometers) in order to capture the most photons feasible (crosstalk).

Besides the PMT, the following components of a luminometer are crucial:

The dark chamber: Complete protection from outside light is required for the area where samples are measured. The dark chamber must also be appropriate for the sample format being measured, such as tubes, plates, or other vessels.
Injectors: are not always required, however since a chemical reaction produces luminescence, reagents must be supplied to the sample. Reagents can be manually added if the reaction's kinetics are slow, but when the reaction's kinetics are fast, reagent injectors can be helpful (to precisely control the timing between reagent dispense and measurement) or even necessary (if the reaction only lasts a few seconds, as in the case of flash assays).

Since light of all wavelengths is gathered and measured collectively, the majority of luminometers do not require filters or a monochromator. Filters are required for some tests, such BRET, to distinguish between the light produced by various proteins in the sample.

PRINCIPLE OF ATP TESTING FOR HYGIENE MONITORING

The total ATP content of the sample is calculated for hygienic testing. Eukaryotic and microbial ATP are included in this. Due to the prevalence of ATP on various surfaces, caution must be taken to prevent contamination of the sample or substance.

The user may use an ATP-free buffer, water, or extractant to moisten an ATP-free swab that has been provided pre-moistened. ATP is successfully released from the surface when extractant is used, which can aid in sampling. Testing the swab is typically done immediately using portable luminometers. On the contrary, some products' swabs remain stable for several hours, allowing the user to return to the instrument at a "workstation" if they so want.

Utilizing selective extraction, the microbial ATP level is determined. non-microbial ATP is first removed using a non-ionic detergent (Triton X-100), and it is then destroyed for 5 minutes by being exposed to a high concentration of potato ATPase. The microbial ATP is then extracted using cationic detergents, trichloroacetic acid (5%) or an organic solvent (ethanol, acetone, or chloroform), which needs to be diluted afterwards to prevent luciferase suppression. The final stage involves adding luciferase and luciferin and measuring luminescence with a luminometer. To allow for luciferase inhibition, the timing of mixing and reading must be carefully considered (Simpson & Hammond, 1991).|Since eukaryotic cells have three orders of magnitude more ATP than bacterial cells, it can be challenging to accurately measure the ATP levels of the two types of cells individually.

To make the technique simpler and quicker, several manufacturers provide all required reagents and supplies as ready-to-use kits.

So do we! With our Hygiena Luminometers! Perfect for any application it's widely used in a healthcare settings, hospitality, food manufacturing and many more!
Hygiena ATP Luminometer & Accessories (anaeron.com.au)

What Does Hand Sanitiser Mean?

Hand sanitisers are a form of antiseptic and disinfectant that are used to eliminate germs (pathogens) like dangerous bacteria, fungus, and viruses.

Most alcohol-based hand sanitisers are available in gel, foam, or liquid form. After use, alcohol-based hand sanitisers can get rid of 99.9 to 99.999 per cent of bacteria.

But there are also non-alcoholic hand sanitisers out there that can do the same work without the irritating side effect of drying out and irritating your skin's integrity.
For more Info about non-alcoholic hand, sanitisers check out our shopping page for non-alcoholic hand sanitisers and moisturisers: Hand Hygiene (anaeron.com.au)

Anaeron Explains Hand Sanitisers:

Most alcohol-based hand sanitisers combine isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, or propanol in their formulas. There are also non-alcohol hand sanitisers, but in professional environments (like hospitals), the alcohol versions are prefered because many companies have unproven ingredients that are to date not tested enough to make the same claims as alcohol-based hand sanitisers. 

Hand sanitisers are not effective against all types of pathogens. They do not effectively kill bacterial spores, and certain parasites and viruses are resistant to their use. Hand sanitisers are less effective if they are applied to skin that is contaminated with certain non-harmful chemicals such as grease. They also cannot effectively remove many harmful chemicals, such as paint, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers such as phosphates.

Alcohol-based sanitisers must contain at least 60% alcohol to be effective, but larger concentrations (up to 95%) perform better and are frequently mandated by law for use in safety-sensitive occupations. Hand sanitisers must also be used by particular standards, such as EN 1500, that outline the best ways to utilise them.

Automated dispenser systems are used to distribute a lot of hand sanitisers. By guaranteeing that each person who uses the dispenser receives an effective dose, these are intended to further guarantee effectiveness.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, hand sanitisers—which were initially largely used in healthcare settings—became a standard occupational safety practice. Since alcohol-based and some non-alcohol-based hand sanitisers (as shown in studies) can successfully eradicate the COVID-19 virus, many OHS agencies introduced ad hoc regulations or instructions to promote their usage in workplaces as soon as the epidemic started.

Alcohol has been used as an antiseptic or sterilisation component for many years, but only recently has it been the subject of scientific investigation. The first-hand sanitisers were created somewhere in the second half of the 20th century, and they became widely used around the world in the 1980s, especially into the 1990s and the beginning of the 21st century.

Hand sanitisers became common in hospitals around the early twenty-first century, and subsequently became an expected component in 2009 after the World Health Organization (WHO) published official guidelines recommending their use.

Whether or not hand sanitisers are used properly determines how effective they are. A hand sanitiser should be massaged into the skin for 20 seconds for general use, by which time it should have dried. If it is removed before it is completely dry, it will not function as intended.

The hand sanitisation procedure is significantly stricter for surgical applications due to the significance of making sure that as many bacteria as possible are eradicated. The least acceptable application time in this situation is typically 90 seconds, however, in many instances, the sanitiser will be administered for significantly longer.

As part of the requirements for using hand sanitiser during surgery, the product must also adhere to a recognised quality standard, such as EN 12791, and the application procedure itself must follow a recognised hand sanitiser application standard, such as EN 1500. While alternative hand sanitiser standards may be imposed in other jurisdictions, the EN standards are European and are accepted worldwide.

The majority of governmental OHS agencies do not have specific rules that mandate the use of hand sanitisers in general settings because the use of hand sanitisers in the majority of non-medical occupational settings only became widespread after the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in early 2020. As a result, OHS organisations may offer voluntary guidelines to encourage the use of hand sanitiser, enact general duty laws to police its use or rely on court orders presented by public health organisations to serve as a foundation for legal enforcement.

Although alcohol-based hand sanitisers are the most popular and best-known hand sanitisers, non-alcohol-based hand sanitisers may be better suited in some situations, especially if there is a possibility that an environment-borne microorganism that is resistant to alcohol may be present. Triclosan, chlorhexidine gluconate, and chloroxylenol are often found compounds in non-alcoholic hand sanitisers. In circumstances when the presence of alcohol may provide a risk to one's health or safety, non-alcohol hand sanitisers may also be utilised.

To be marketed as a hand sanitiser, a product need only be shown to be effective. Because of this, several governments offer lists of hand sanitisers to stay away from or lists of hand sanitisers that have been deemed to be efficient disinfectants.

 

Welcome to the EnSURE™ Touch

EnSURE™ Touch - Performing a Quick Test

EnSURE™ Touch - Adding and Managing Plans

EnSURE™ Touch - Adding and Managing Locations

The ultrasounds, which give you a chance to see your unborn child growing inside of you, are some of the most thrilling times of any pregnancy! But why on earth do we have to feel icy, sticky, and gooey every time we get an ultrasound? By rubbing the freezing gel on our skin before the process, sonographers aren't torturing us; in fact, it's vital to get the finest ultrasonic scan results.

But Why Do We Need It?  

To understand the answer to this question we have to understand that a link between the skin and the ultrasound transducer is made possible by the conductive ultrasound gel. The gel keeps any extra air space between the probe and your skin to ensure a clean image of the foetus because the ultrasound sound waves have trouble travelling through air. This is why mothers are also asked to come to their ultrasound with a full bladder in early pregnancy. The tech will be able to clearly see your baby thanks to your full bladder and the ultrasound gel acting as a coupling agent.

What Exactly Is This Stuff? 

The next time you cringe as soon as the gel hits your skin, remember that more gel offers better outcomes! The gel is made to lessen static overall and is made of water and propylene glycol. Many people have noted that the gel has a tendency to be thick and sticky, but this is necessary so that it won't drip off your skin when the sonographer is using the ultrasound.

Why Does It Have To Be So Cold?

The most frequent criticism of ultrasound gel is not its stickiness, but rather its coldness. By employing a gel warmer before the surgery, this is simply avoided. Ask the sonographer to warm up the gel the next time you get an ultrasound. Ultrasound gels come in a wide range of variations, including hypoallergenic ones.

To find Ultrasound Geld and Gelwarmers visit our shop!
Ultrasound Consumables - Gel & Accessories (anaeron.com.au)

Our product finds a wide range of use in the community so it's not farfetched if it's used to renovate and restore historical pieces.

In this article, I want to show you one of the many ways our products are uniquely potent.

Mould can be incredibly hard to deal with. The degradation of cultural heritage is greatly accelerated by fungi and the enzymes they produce.
Therefore, historical pieces stored inside or outside are in great danger of being attacked by fungi and damaged or even destroyed by it.
Often the mould increase is so quick and strong that traditionally non-hazardous methods just simply can't do the job anymore.

That's why Heights Heritage Conservation reached out to S-7XTRA to finally find a cheap and easy-to-use solution for their GROWING problem. (Get it? Cause mould grows right ?!)

Well, did you know that there are more than 50.000 different species of fungi known to man and several hundred of them have been found to cause significant damage to art all around the world?

While there are ways to store artifacts safely it's tough for a lot of pieces since the only real way to prevent mould from accruing is to store whatever item in a room or container that is free from any water, therefore a room or container would have to be air-dried by around 30°C-40°C which itself can cause harm to a lot of items or damage them significantly. 

So, yes there are prevention solutions for some but not for most!

There are more solutions to this problem but just like the first one, they are a lot harder to implement, cost a lot or are simply non-applicable for most pieces.

So, to get back to the topic what do you then do if your piece, house or whatever it is ended up getting infected with mould and the only way now is to try to find the best way to remove it? 

Well, the answer is S-7XTRA before I show you the conclusive result of the restoration process here are some before and after images to show the strength of our product:

So, yes you can see for yourself what our product is capable of without damaging S-7XTRA was capable of doing the heavy lifting and could remove all the mould.
On top of all that our product comes with reactive barrier technologie to prevent reinfection in between cleanings.

So what are you still waiting for? Got mould problems? Contact Us NOW!

Let's start with what mould is: 

Moulds are tiny organisms that are crucial to the decomposition of plant and animal materials. Moulds can be found outside in wet, shaded areas or locations where leaves or other vegetation are rotting. Any surface in an indoor environment can support the growth of moulds as long as organic material, oxygen, and moisture are available.

Where do you usually find mould in your Home:

• Fireplace and chimney.
• In the attic.
• In the basement.
• In the garage.
• Walls and ceiling.
• Carpeting, fabric, and upholstery.
• Washing machines and dryers.
• Air conditioning and heating ducts. Your HVAC system is an extremely important place to be on the lookout for mould.

Why is mould so hard to remove long-term:

Because it gets into the air. Growing conditions can be found on any surface that can produce and retain moisture and has access to food (oil, dirt, or grease). Moulds will grow on porous surfaces because they hold moisture. Imagine that everything is covered in a tiny, invisible coating of dust. You can never get rid of everything. It goes into self-defence mode and releases even more mould spores if you disturb it or use bleach. 

Why does mould keep coming back after being removed?

1. Using Bleaching Products

The majority of people think bleach can kill mould. This is a widely held misconception that only helps to alter the hue to a white or clear shade, never eliminating mould. You won't have solved the issue; instead, you'll have produced an atmosphere where mould can continue to thrive. Additionally, using bleaching chemicals is not a good idea because the fumes and airborne mould spores generated during the procedure can be inhaled.

2. Using Mold-Resistant Paint on Existing Paint

If you thought of using mould-resistant paint to treat mouldy old walls, it might function as a temporary solution but it won't get rid of the mould. If there are still minute mould spores behind the paint, they will grow larger and become noticeable. Due to the difficulty of completely removing the mould from your walls, you will need to spend a lot of money on your renovation project.

3. Poor Ventilation and Leaky Pipes

Mould is a fungus that thrives in damp, chilly environments with inadequate ventilation. Mould spores thrive under ideal conditions, especially in homes with faulty pipes. One of the primary conditions moulds need to flourish is moisture, so if all sources of condensation or moisture are left unchecked, the mould issue may never be resolved. If your pipes continue to leak even after you remove the mould, you will merely be making space for new moulds since nothing stops them from growing. Mould growth is accelerated in stuffy, poorly ventilated spaces, making them a persistent issue.

4. Failure to Replace Wet Items

Some people are normally quite attached to their possessions and find it difficult to part with them when they become mouldy. Many people would rather clean their wet garments, mats, or carpets before bringing them back inside after they appear dry and mould-free. This is incorrect since moulds must build a substantial network around their food source to become visible, making it challenging to get rid of them. Because employing bleaching treatments would merely alter their colour or appearance, there are extremely significant odds that you won't be able to properly clean your flooded carpet or mats. The moulds will eventually come back, making it challenging to stop their spread.

So the final question for us to ask is: How to Eliminate/Remove Mould?

Identify the Source of Mould Growth

It's critical to understand what is causing the mould to grow in your house. Some of the typical causes that promote the growth of mould are frozen pipes or leaking plumbing. These may be brought on by persistent wetness in a space, inadequate water drainage, or roof leaks. You may be sure that the mould will be removed once you've located and addressed the main sources of the problem.

USE S-7XTRA Cleaning Product

Our Steri-7 or S-7XTRA cleaning range has an innovative and completely new formula that deals with mould differently than conventional products that are believed to help against mould without using bleach or similar ingredients to fight against the mould. Our reactive components don't simply change the colour of the mould or even help spread spores, our active components eliminate the mould that has been manifested on the surface. 
Therefore it will take much longer for the mould to regrow in places that are wet and humid where it would regrow either way and it removes it from items or places that don't usually would grow mould but got mouldy anyway.

Here is a testimony of our effectiveness:

So what are you waiting for try out our S-7XTRA cleaning range!

Additional Tip!

Replace Wet Items

It is not sufficient to just dry off and bring wet goods that have mould on them back into the house. Instead, you might think about getting rid of them to solve the issue. To prevent mould growth from happening again, it is preferable to replace carpets or mats that had mould growth as a result of flooding or standing water.
The main causes of mould regrowth after removal include excessive moisture and failure to remove all factors that support their growth. It's crucial to keep an eye on the moisture levels in your home and use fans to maintain the space well-ventilated. Replace draughty, outdated windows and get your leaking pipes professionally sealed. If the moulds are persistent and you need assistance, you can always turn to professionals if you cannot identify the source of the problem.

The purpose of this study was to validate the use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for evaluating hygiene intervention effectiveness in reducing viral dissemination in an office environment. The bacterial virus MS-2 was used to evaluate two scenarios, one where the hand of an individual was contaminated and another where a fomite was contaminated. MS-2 was selected as a model because its shape and size are similar to many human pathogenic viruses.

Two separate experiments were conducted, one in which the entrance door push plate was inoculated and the other in which the hand of one selected employee was inoculated. In both scenarios, 54 selected surfaces in the office were tested to assess the dissemination of the virus within the office. Associated surface contamination was also measured employing an ATP meter. More than half of the tested hands and surfaces in the office were contaminated with MS-2 within 4 h. Next, an intervention was conducted, and each scenario was repeated.

Half of the participating employees were provided hand sanitiser, facial tissues, and disinfecting wipes, and were instructed in their use. A significant (p \ 0.05) reduction was observed in the number of surfaces contaminated with virus. This reduction in viral spread was evident from the results of both viral culture and the surface ATP measurements, although there was no direct correlation between ATP measurements with respect to viral concentration. Although ATP does not measure viruses, these results demonstrate that ATP measurements could be use- ful for evaluating the effectiveness of hygiene interventions aimed at preventing viral spread in the workplace.

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1: Installation & Unit Set-Up: SureTrend Healthcare Series

1: Hygiena's ATP Cleaning Verification System for Infection Prevention & EVS