Microcomputer-based system for data acquisition and analysis of oxygen uptake studies.

The use of a Warburg Respirometer to study oxidation reactions is tedious and time-consuming. A microcomputer-based oxygen uptake device that is more sensitive than a Warburg Respirometer is described. The device consists of stainless steel or Teflon reaction vessels coupled to ultrasensitive pressure transducers. A high speed analog to digital convertor is used to poll the transducers. The direct memory access (DMA) controller of an IBM XT is used to poll the convertor and store the data in memory. Software used to program the DMA controller and IBM XT is described. The reproducibility and utility of the device is demonstrated with a brief study of lipid oxidation.