JP2016038330A - Treatment device and treatment method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a treatment device and a treatment method capable of improving an agitation efficiency and reducing a treatment time when treating a treatment object, such as a piece of a biological tissue, by soaking in a treatment liquid.SOLUTION: A treatment device 1 is provided with: a treatment tank 10 that can accommodate the treatment liquid; a holding jig 16 that holds the treatment object within the treatment tank 10; a fixing part 17 that is capable of fixing the holding jig 16 holding the treatment object onto an inner wall of the treatment tank 10; an autorotation driving part 14 that causes the treatment tank 10 to auto-rotate around an autorotation axis A1; and a revolution driving part 15 that causes the treatment tank 10 to revolve around a revolution axis A2, which is different from the autorotation axis A1. The treatment device 1 is used to accommodate, in the treatment tank 10, the treatment object and the treatment liquid in which the treatment object is soaked, and perform at least one treatment among a fixing treatment, a decalcification treatment, a dewatering treatment, a defatting treatment, a replacement treatment, and a paraffin infiltration treatment by the autorotation of the treatment tank 10 caused by the autorotation driving part 14 and the revolution of the treatment tank 10 caused by the revolution driving part 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for immersing a processing target in a processing solution and a processing method using such a processing apparatus.

  Tissue specimens prepared from biological tissue pieces are used for physical and chemical sample analysis, microscopic observation of biological samples, and the like. For example, when preparing a tissue specimen for microscopic observation from a tissue piece of a living organism, immerse the tissue piece in a chemical solution, and then fix, degrease, dehydrate, decalcify, replace, paraffin permeate ”And the like are sequentially performed, and further“ embedding ”and the like are performed.

  Fixing is a chemical treatment for protecting tissue pieces collected from living organisms from degradation such as autolysis and decay, and is performed by immersing the tissue pieces in a chemical solution such as PFA (paraformaldehyde).

  Degreasing is a process for removing fat contained in a tissue piece, and is performed by immersing the tissue piece in a chemical solution such as ethanol. Dehydration is a process for removing moisture contained in a tissue piece, and is performed by immersing the tissue piece in a chemical solution such as ethanol. Since degreasing and dehydration are both treatments in which a tissue piece is immersed in ethanol, degreasing and dehydration can be performed by a single treatment.

  Decalcification is a treatment for softening the tissue, and is performed by immersing the tissue piece in a chemical solution such as EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid).

  The replacement is a treatment in which a chemical solution such as ethanol that has permeated into the tissue piece is replaced with an intermediate agent such as xylene that is compatible with both paraffin and ethanol.

  Paraffin permeation is a treatment in which a tissue piece is immersed in an embedding agent such as liquid paraffin to allow the paraffin to permeate into the tissue.

  Embedding is a process of generating a paraffin block in which a tissue piece is put in a predetermined frame and hardened.

  Thus, in the process of immersing the tissue piece in the chemical solution, it is important to efficiently infiltrate the chemical solution into the tissue piece. Examples of a method for efficiently infiltrating a chemical solution into a tissue piece include a stirring method such as a method of stirring with a magnetic stirrer housed in a processing tank, a method of rotating the processing tank itself, etc. A method of increasing the permeation efficiency using a means such as heating can be mentioned.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a method of repeating supply and discharge of a chemical solution.

JP 2001-133371 A

  However, in various treatments in which a chemical solution is infiltrated into a tissue piece, there is a problem that the treatment time may take a long time. In order to shorten the time, stirring is important in order to efficiently infiltrate the chemical solution into the tissue piece. However, the method using the magnetic stirrer described above has a low time shortening effect because sufficient stirring cannot be performed. Further, in the method of rotating the treatment tank itself, the stirring effect near the center of the treatment tank is weak and the chemical penetration effect cannot be enhanced, so the time shortening effect is low. Furthermore, the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 can improve the stirring effect by supplying and discharging liquid, but it is difficult to significantly reduce the processing time.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the processing time is reduced by performing rotation and revolution of the processing tank in a state where the processing target and the processing liquid that permeates the processing target are contained in the processing tank. An object is to provide a processing apparatus that shortens the time.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a processing method using the processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a processing apparatus according to the present invention is a processing apparatus that processes a processing target with a processing liquid, the processing tank capable of storing the processing target and the processing liquid, and a rotation of the processing tank. A rotation drive unit that rotates about an axis, and a revolution drive unit that revolves the processing tank around a revolution axis different from the rotation axis are provided.

  The processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a holding unit capable of holding the processing target in the processing tank.

  In addition, the processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a holder that can accommodate and hold the processing target, and a fixing portion that can fix the holder to an inner wall of the processing tank.

  Furthermore, the processing method according to the present invention is a processing method using a processing apparatus for processing a processing target with a processing liquid, and the processing liquid stored in the processing tank using the processing apparatus described above, A processing procedure for processing a target by the rotation of the processing tank by the rotation driving unit and the revolution of the processing tank by the revolution driving unit is performed.

  The processing method according to the present invention is characterized in that the processing target is a biological tissue piece.

  Moreover, the processing method according to the present invention is characterized in that the processing according to the processing procedure processes the processing target by infiltrating the processing liquid into the processing target.

  Further, in the treatment method according to the present invention, the treatment according to the treatment procedure includes a treatment for chemically protecting the treatment object from deterioration, a treatment for removing calcium in the treatment object, and removal of moisture in the treatment object. One or a plurality of processes: a process for removing fat in the process target, a process for replacing the alcohol content in the process target with another liquid, and a process for infiltrating the embedding agent into the process target It is characterized by being.

  The processing method according to the present invention is characterized in that one or a plurality of processes according to the processing procedure is performed as a pre-process of a slicing process in the tissue specimen preparation process.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the stirring effect can be enhanced.

  The processing apparatus and the processing method according to the present invention contain a processing target and a processing liquid that permeates the processing target in a processing tank. Then, the processing tank is driven to rotate and revolved to enhance the stirring effect. Thereby, this invention has the outstanding effects, such as being able to shorten the time which processing requires.

It is a sectional side view which shows an example of the principal part of the processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is an external view which shows an example of the holder with which the processing apparatus which concerns on this invention is provided. In the processing method which concerns on this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows notionally an example of the pre-process used as the pre-stage of the process by a processing apparatus. In the processing method which concerns on this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows notionally an example of the pre-process used as the pre-stage of the process by a processing apparatus. In the processing method which concerns on this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows notionally an example of the pre-process used as the pre-stage of the process by a processing apparatus. In the processing method which concerns on this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows notionally an example of the pre-process used as the pre-stage of the process by a processing apparatus. In the processing method which concerns on this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows notionally an example of the pre-process used as the pre-stage of the process by a processing apparatus. It is an external view which shows an example of the embedding tray used for the embedding process with respect to the tissue piece which passed through the processing method which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the embedding process which embeds the tissue piece which passed through the processing method which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the embedding process which embeds the tissue piece which passed through the processing method which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the embedding process which embeds the tissue piece which passed through the processing method which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the embedding process which embeds the tissue piece which passed through the processing method which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the embedding process which embeds the tissue piece which passed through the processing method which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the embedding process which embeds the tissue piece which passed through the processing method which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention relates to a technique for immersing a processing target in a processing solution. In the present invention, the treatment target is, for example, a tissue piece (an organ such as a liver, a tissue such as a bone or a tooth) of a living organism (animal or plant) such as a human or a pig. Treatment is various processes performed by immersing a tissue piece in a treatment liquid, fixing treatment for chemically protecting the treatment target from deterioration, degreasing treatment for removing fat in the treatment target, moisture in the treatment target Dehydration treatment to remove the calcium, decalcification treatment to remove the calcium content in the treatment object, substitution treatment to replace the alcohol content in the treatment object with other liquid, paraffin infiltration treatment to infiltrate the embedding agent such as paraffin into the treatment object Etc. are shown.

  In each treatment, the following chemical solution is used as the treatment solution. For the fixing treatment, a chemical solution such as 4% PFA (paraformaldehyde), 10% formalin, 10% neutral buffered formalin, tissue quick fix solution (Superfix KY-500 manufactured by Kurashiki Boseki Co., Ltd.) is used. For the degreasing treatment, a chemical solution such as ethanol, xylene, ethanol / xylene (1: 1) mixed solution, or chloroform is used. A chemical solution such as ethanol, methanol, or propanol is used for the dehydration treatment. For the decalcification treatment, chemical solutions such as EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), decalcification liquid (K-CX manufactured by Pharma Co., Ltd.), formic acid, plank crukuro liquid, other chelating agents, and hydrochloric acid are used. For the substitution treatment, a chemical solution such as xylene, chloroform, or acetone is used. A liquid chemical such as liquid paraffin is used for the paraffin infiltration treatment.

  The tissue pieces are processed in each process such as fixation, degreasing, dehydration, decalcification, substitution, paraffin infiltration, etc., then formed into paraffin blocks by embedding, further sliced, physicochemical sample analysis, microscopic observation It becomes the tissue specimen used for etc.

<Processing device>
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an example of a main part of a processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a movable part as a main part of the processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The processing apparatus 1 includes a plurality of processing tanks 10 that can store a processing target and a processing liquid. Each treatment tank 10 has a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open top, and the opening is closed by a lid 10a. Each processing tank 10 is detachable from a storage body 13 provided at each of distal ends of a plurality of arm bodies 12 extending radially from a shaft body 11 provided at the center of the processing apparatus 1 in a substantially horizontal direction. It is stored. Each processing tank 10 is stored in the storage body 13 so that the opening is inclined from the upper side toward the shaft body 11 side.

  Each storage body 13 includes a rotation driving unit 14 using a motor, and the rotation driving unit 14 rotationally drives the processing tank 10 around the central axis of the processing tank 10 stored in the storage body 13. can do. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the rotation axis of the rotation driving unit 14 and the center axis of the processing tank 10 are located on a straight line, and the processing tank 10 uses the center axis as the rotation axis by driving the rotation driving unit 14. It will rotate.

  The arm body 12 is rotatably supported by a shaft body 11, and is driven to rotate about the shaft body 11 as a rotation shaft by a revolution drive unit 15 using a motor. When the revolution drive unit 15 rotationally drives the arm body 12, each processing tank 10 revolves with the shaft body 11 as a revolution axis.

  That is, the processing tank 10 can rotate around the rotation axis and can revolve around a revolution axis different from the rotation axis. By rotating and revolving the processing tank 10, it becomes possible to improve the stirring efficiency of the processing liquid accommodated in the processing tank 10. By improving the stirring efficiency of the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 10, the penetration speed of the processing liquid with respect to the processing target is improved.

  The processing object is held by the holder 16 and is rotated and revolved in the state where the processing tank 10 is fixed to the inner wall of the processing tank 10 by the fixing portion 17. Thereby, compared with the case where it stirs without fixing a process target, for example, the penetration rate can be improved.

  Further, the main part of the processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is housed in a sealable casing, and the casing 18 is provided with a cooling unit 18 that blows out cool air. Can be suppressed. The storage body 13 itself can be used as the cooling section 18 by forming the storage body 13 from a material having high thermal conductivity and providing a heat radiating section, or by passing a coolant through the storage body 13. .

  Next, a method for fixing the processing target will be described. FIG. 2 is an external view showing an example of the holder 16 provided in the processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. 2A is a plan view and FIG. 2B is a side view. The holder 16 is a flat rectangular parallelepiped box, and the upper surface and the bottom surface are formed to be openable and closable. For example, the processing target such as a tissue piece can be accommodated inside by opening the upper surface. . The holder 16 that accommodates the processing target inside can hold the processing target by closing the upper surface. Since the top surface and the bottom surface of the holding tool 16 have mesh-shaped liquid passage holes, the processing liquid is passed through the top surface or the bottom surface by accommodating the holding tool 16 and the processing liquid in the processing tank 10. And penetrates the object to be treated. The front surface (right side in FIG. 2) of the holder 16 is inclined so as to face obliquely upward, so that the user can easily see the front surface, and information display such as sample name entry on the front surface. It can be carried out.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, a suction cup is attached to the bottom surface of the holder 16 as a fixing portion 17 that fixes the holder 16 to the inner wall of the treatment tank 10. The holder 16 is attached to the treatment tank by the fixing portion 17. 10 is detachably fixed to the inner wall. 2 shows an example in which a suction cup is used as the fixing portion 17. However, the holder 16 may be fixed so as to be locked in the processing tank 10, and may be held in the processing tank 10. It may be fixed. Here, the inner wall of the processing tank 10 is not limited to the side surface of the processing tank 10, but indicates the entire inner part including the bottom surface of the processing tank 10, the back side of the lid 10a, and the like. That is, as long as the holder 16 can be detachably fixed to the inner wall of the processing tank 10, the fixing portion 17 can be formed by appropriately forming the inner wall of the processing tank 10 and the holder 16. For example, an arm-like fixing portion 17 extending in the inner direction of the processing tank 10 may be provided on the back side of the lid 10a, and a support portion may be provided at the tip thereof to support and fix the holding tool 16. . Moreover, the structure which can fix the some holder 16 inside the processing tank 10 may be sufficient. In addition, as an example of the holder 16, a bowl-shaped one having a size slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the treatment tank 10 and having an interior partitioned into a plurality of regions so as to accommodate a plurality of treatment objects may be used. May be brought into contact with and fixed to the inner wall of the processing tank 10. In addition, a holding unit capable of holding the processing target may be appropriately formed on the inner wall of the processing tank 10, and the processing target may be held by housing the processing target in the holding unit. In other words, the holding unit has a configuration in which the holding tool 16 is integrated inside the processing tank 10. Such a holding part is formed, for example, on the inner wall surface of the treatment tank 10 as a pocket for accommodating a treatment target, provided with an opening / closing lid for opening and closing an insertion port for inserting the treatment target, and meshed at a portion in contact with the treatment liquid It is embodied as a shape that opened a liquid passage hole.

<Processing method>
Next, the processing method according to the present invention will be described. Here, an example in which a tissue specimen is prepared by immersing a biological tissue piece as a processing target, for example, a pig liver tissue in various processing solutions will be described.

  3A to 3E are explanatory views conceptually showing an example of pre-processing that is a pre-stage of processing by the processing device 1 in the processing method according to the present invention. FIG. 3A shows a state in which a chemical solution is accommodated in a drug bottle and the tissue piece S is immersed in the chemical solution in a fixing process called primary fixation. The primary fixation is a treatment in which after the tissue piece S is collected, the tissue piece S is immediately immersed in a chemical solution such as 4% PFA, 10% formalin, 10% neutral buffered formalin, or tissue rapid fixing solution.

  FIG. 3B conceptually shows trimming for cutting the tissue piece S. In the trimming, the tissue piece S immersed in the chemical solution by primary fixation is taken out, the taken tissue piece S is sliced within 5 mm, and the size can be stored in the holder 16 as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3B. It is a process to cut into.

  The trimmed tissue piece S is transferred to the holder 16 as shown in FIG. 3C and is accommodated in the holder 16 as shown in FIG. 3D. Then, a fixing process called secondary fixing is performed. The secondary fixation is a process of immersing the tissue piece S in a chemical solution such as 4% PFA, 10% formalin, 10% neutral buffered formalin, tissue rapid fixing solution while being accommodated in the holder 16.

  As described above, the fixation process performed as the primary fixation and the secondary fixation is a chemical process for protecting the tissue piece S to be processed from deterioration such as self-decomposition and decay.

  The tissue piece S after the fixing treatment is immersed in a chemical solution such as EDTA, decalcification liquid, formic acid, plank crukuro liquid, other chelating agents, hydrochloric acid or the like while the tissue piece S is accommodated in the holder 16. A decalcification process is performed. The decalcification treatment is a treatment for removing calcium from bones and cartilage to soften the tissue. The decalcification treatment is performed over several days while changing the chemical solution every day as necessary. The tissue piece S after the decalcification process can be penetrated without resistance when stabbed with an instrument such as a needle, and the remaining bone can be bent. In addition, since degassing process generate | occur | produces gas, it is performed in the state which provides a vent hole and does not seal. In addition, when the tissue piece S has a large amount of fat, degreasing is performed before decalcification.

  As described above, after performing the fixing process and the decalcification process as the pretreatment, the tissue piece S is fixed in the container while being held by the holder 16 as shown in FIG. 3E. The container for fixing the holding tool 16 holding the tissue piece S is a container that can be stored in the processing apparatus 1 as the processing tank 10, and the holding tool 16 is fixed to the inner wall of the container (processing tank 10) by the fixing portion 17. Is done. A chemical solution, which will be described later, is injected as a treatment liquid into a container (treatment tank 10) in which the holder 16 containing the tissue piece S is fixed. And the opening part of a container is closed by the cover body 10a, and is accommodated in the processing apparatus 1 as the processing tank 10. FIG.

  As a processing method using the processing apparatus 1, first, a fat tissue is degreased. The degreasing process is a process in which a chemical solution such as ethanol, xylene, ethanol / xylene (1: 1) mixed solution, chloroform or the like is injected as a processing solution into the processing tank 10 and penetrates into the tissue piece S. More specifically, the tissue piece S fixed in a state of being immersed in a chemical solution accommodated in the processing tank 10 is rotated by the rotation driving unit 14 provided in the processing apparatus 1 and the processing tank 10 by the revolution driving unit 15. This is a process of removing fat by causing the medicinal solution to permeate the tissue piece S and stirring.

  By removing fat in advance by degreasing, the effect of alcohol dehydration performed thereafter can be improved. In addition, by removing the fat in advance, it is possible to prevent the fat from being dissolved into paraffin and causing excessive extension of the tissue piece S in the treatment such as paraffin infiltration described later, and to stabilize the sliced sample described later. Can do.

  Next, as a treatment method using the treatment apparatus 1, dehydration treatment with alcohol is performed. The alcohol dehydration treatment is a treatment in which a chemical solution using an alcohol such as ethanol, methanol, propanol or the like is injected as a treatment liquid into the treatment tank 10 and penetrates into the tissue piece S. More specifically, the tissue piece S fixed in a state of being immersed in a chemical solution accommodated in the processing tank 10 is rotated by the rotation driving unit 14 provided in the processing apparatus 1 and the processing tank 10 by the revolution driving unit 15. This is a process of removing the moisture by agitating and revolving the chemical solution into the tissue piece S.

  The dehydration treatment with alcohol is performed a plurality of times while the chemical solution is updated to a new one in order to completely remove the water in the tissue piece S. For example, the first dehydration process is performed with a chemical solution of 70% concentration, and the second to sixth processes are performed with a chemical solution of 100% concentration. In addition, it is also possible to serve as a degreasing process and a dehydration process by using ethanol as a chemical | medical solution.

  Next, as a processing method using the processing apparatus 1, a replacement process using an intermediate agent is performed. The intermediate agent replacement process is a process in which a chemical solution such as xylene, chloroform, or acetone is injected as a processing solution into the processing tank 10 and permeates the tissue piece S. More specifically, the tissue piece S fixed in a state of being immersed in a chemical solution accommodated in the processing tank 10 is rotated by the rotation driving unit 14 provided in the processing apparatus 1 and the processing tank 10 by the revolution driving unit 15. In this process, the medicinal solution as an intermediate agent is infiltrated into the tissue piece S, and the alcohol component infiltrated into the tissue piece S is replaced with the intermediate agent (chemical solution).

  The replacement process with the intermediate agent is performed a plurality of times while the alcohol is replaced with a new one in order to completely replace the alcohol in the tissue piece S with the intermediate agent. For example, the alcohol is replaced with the intermediate agent by replacing the intermediate agent each time and performing the replacement process three times.

  Next, paraffin infiltration processing is performed as a processing method using the processing apparatus 1. The paraffin infiltration treatment is a treatment in which a chemical solution using an embedding agent such as liquid paraffin is injected as a treatment liquid into the treatment tank 10 and penetrates into the tissue piece S. More specifically, the tissue piece S fixed in a state of being immersed in a chemical solution accommodated in the processing tank 10 is rotated by the rotation driving unit 14 provided in the processing apparatus 1 and the processing tank 10 by the revolution driving unit 15. In this process, the chemical is permeated into the tissue piece S and the intermediate agent permeated into the tissue piece S is replaced with paraffin.

  The paraffin infiltration treatment is performed a plurality of times while the paraffin (chemical solution) is updated to a new one in order to completely replace the intermediate agent in the tissue piece S with paraffin. For example, paraffin is replaced each time, and the intermediate agent is replaced with paraffin by performing paraffin permeation treatment three times. In addition, since it is necessary for paraffin to maintain a liquid state, the processing apparatus 1 is appropriately provided with a heating mechanism, and is processed at a predetermined temperature such as 70 ° C. However, since the tissue piece S is easily damaged by heat, it is preferable to suppress the stirring time per infiltration treatment, and therefore it is desirable to shorten the treatment time and increase the number of treatments.

  As described above, after the pretreatment including the fixing treatment and the deashing treatment, the tissue piece S that has undergone various processes such as the degreasing treatment, the dehydration treatment, the replacement treatment, and the paraffin infiltration treatment using the treatment apparatus 1 is treated with the paraffin. By embedding in paraffin block, a paraffin block for tissue specimen can be prepared.

<Embedding process>
Next, the embedding process in which the tissue piece S that has undergone the processing method according to the present invention is embedded in paraffin to create a paraffin block will be described. FIG. 4 is an external view showing an example of an embedding tray used for embedding a tissue piece S that has undergone the processing method according to the present invention. 4A is a plan view, and FIG. 4B is a side view. The embedding tray is a dish-shaped processing tank having a rectangular shape in plan view and having an open upper side. The length of the long side and the short side of the lower part of the embedding tray is constant, and the upper part has a gradually expanded shape. Further, the upper end of the embedding tray is formed in a frame having a size and a shape in which the holder 16 can be fitted.

  5A to 5F are explanatory views showing an example of an embedding process for embedding the tissue piece S that has undergone the processing method according to the present invention. In the embedding process, the tissue piece S is placed in the embedding tray as shown in FIG. 5A, and liquid paraffin is injected into the embedding tray on which the tissue piece S is placed as shown in FIG. 5B.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5C, the holding tool 16 is fitted to the open portion of the embedding tray. The holder 16 is fitted into the embedding tray with the lower surface removed, and closes the upper open portion of the embedding tray. Then, as shown in FIG. 5D, liquid paraffin is poured into the embedding tray. Since the upper surface of the holder 16 is formed in a mesh shape, paraffin can be injected into the embedding tray with the holder 16 fitted. Thereafter, the embedding tray is cooled to solidify the injected paraffin.

  After the paraffin has solidified, as shown in FIG. 5E, the embedding tray is turned upside down with the retainer 16 fitted, and the embedding tray is removed as shown in FIG. Remove the buried paraffin block. The extracted paraffin block is sliced into a tissue specimen used for physicochemical sample analysis, microscopic observation and the like.

  As described above, in the treatment method according to the present invention, when preparing a tissue specimen from the tissue piece S, as a pretreatment of the slicing process, using the processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention, degreasing treatment, dehydration treatment, Steps such as replacement and paraffin infiltration are performed. In the processing method using the processing apparatus 1 of the present invention, the stirring efficiency can be increased by rotation and revolution, so that the effect of shortening the processing time and the like can be obtained, and the chemical solution can uniformly penetrate into the tissue. Therefore, a good slicing result can be obtained in the slicing process.

<Example>
Next, experimental results such as effects by the processing method according to the present invention will be described with examples. Table 1 shows an example of the dehydration process using the processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. Moreover, the comparative example at the time of performing the dehydration process by the conventional method is shown.

  The said Example and a comparative example accommodated 200 mL of chemical | medical solutions in the processing tank using a 400 mL container. The size of the container used as the treatment tank is φ78 × H100 mm. As the chemical solution, a reagent obtained by diluting 99.5% of the special grade reagent ethanol with ultrapure water is used, and the concentration after dilution is indicated by volume%. The treatment time was the time from the start of stirring, and the end point of the treatment was judged visually based on the appearance of the tissue and the color of the liquid phase. Specifically, the appearance of the tissue and the color of the liquid phase were visually observed, and it was determined that the end point had been reached when the phenomenon that the tissue turned whitish or the liquid phase turned yellow was visually recognized. In addition, the said Example stirred by the revolution speed 400 (rpm) and the autorotation speed 400 (rpm) with the processing apparatus 1 which concerns on this invention. Comparing the results of the above examples and comparative examples, it is clear that the examples to which the present invention is applied can significantly reduce the time compared to the comparative examples.

  Moreover, in the said Example, the result of having measured the liquid temperature before and behind each stirring is shown in Table 2.

  The said Example is the result of having stirred, without performing the cooling by the cooling part 18 on the conditions shown in Table 1. FIG. Although an increase in the liquid temperature estimated to be caused by stirring is observed, all of them do not hinder processing. In addition, by cooling by the cooling unit 18 and stirring in a state in which an increase in the liquid temperature is suppressed, an increase in the liquid temperature can be suppressed and the liquid temperature can be stabilized. As a result, the rotation speed and revolution speed can be increased, and further reduction in processing time can be expected.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be implemented in various other forms. Therefore, such an embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limited manner. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims, and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the said embodiment, although the form which performs a degreasing process, a dehydration process, a substitution process, and a paraffin infiltration process with the processing apparatus 1 which concerns on this invention was shown, this invention is not limited to this, It concerns on this invention One or a plurality of steps in a series of processes can be performed by the processing apparatus 1. For example, in the processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention, the fixing process and the deashing process may be performed, and the replacement process and the paraffin infiltration process may be performed by a conventional method.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing apparatus 10 Processing tank 10a Cover body 11 Shaft body 12 Arm body 13 Storage body 14 Rotation drive part 15 Revolution drive part 16 Holder 17 Fixing part 18 Cooling part A1 Rotation axis A2 Revolution axis S Tissue piece

Claims (8)

A processing apparatus for processing a processing target with a processing liquid,
A treatment tank capable of accommodating the treatment object and the treatment liquid;
A rotation drive unit that rotates the treatment tank around a rotation axis;
A revolving drive unit for revolving the processing tank around a revolving axis different from the revolving axis. The processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The processing apparatus further comprising a holding unit capable of holding the processing target in the processing tank. The processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A holder capable of accommodating and holding the processing object;
The processing apparatus further comprising: a fixing portion capable of fixing the holder to the inner wall of the processing tank. A processing method using a processing apparatus for processing a processing target with a processing liquid,
Using the processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A processing procedure for processing the processing target with the processing liquid stored in the processing tank by the rotation of the processing tank by the rotation driving unit and the revolution of the processing tank by the revolution driving unit is performed. Processing method. The processing method according to claim 4, wherein
The treatment target is a biological tissue piece. The processing method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein
The processing according to the processing procedure is as follows:
The processing method is characterized in that the processing target is processed by allowing the processing liquid to penetrate into the processing target. The processing method according to claim 6, wherein
The processing according to the processing procedure is as follows:
A process for chemically protecting the processing target from deterioration, a process for removing calcium in the processing target, a process for removing moisture in the processing target, a process for removing fat in the processing target, and the process A processing method comprising: one or a plurality of processes among a process of substituting an alcohol content in a target with another liquid and a process of infiltrating an embedding agent into the process target. A processing method according to any one of claims 4 to 7,
One or a plurality of processes according to the processing procedure is performed as a pre-process of the slicing process in the tissue specimen preparation process.

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