JP5372739B2 - Mammal stress measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a tool for measuring a stress level in an mammal. The tool comprises a test sheet (10) having an adhesive agent (22) intended to be adhered onto a foot pad of the mammal and a cobalt chloride paper (18), wherein cobalt chloride is a reagent that can change its color in accordance with a moisture content. The test sheet (10) has a transparent film (12) intended to be adhered onto the foot pad by the action of the adhesive agent (22). A color reference (16) for the color developed in the cobalt chloride paper (18) is provided on the transparent film (12) and in proximity to the cobalt chloride paper (18). A stress level in an animal can be measured by adhering the test sheet (10) onto a foot pad of the animal and determining the quantity of moisture evaporated from the food pad and the rate of change in that quantity as the measures for the stress level.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mammal stress measuring instrument for measuring the stress of a mammal.

  Conventionally, many mammals such as dogs and cats have been kept as pets at home, but it has been difficult to understand when they are under stress. Methods for measuring mammalian stress are given in the following references. The method for measuring stress in mammals disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses the amount of adrenal cortex hormone in free saliva as an indicator of the amount of stress, and determines its activity in the hypothalamic-adrenal system. By measuring, the amount of stress in a certain mammal is measured.

  The stress measurement method disclosed in Patent Document 2 measures the rate of change in blood kynurenine (KYN) concentration or the rate of change in blood tryptophan (TRP) concentration, and uses that value as an index to determine the degree of stress. Is to measure.

  The method for measuring the level of stress or relaxation in a mammal disclosed in Patent Document 3 is to measure the level of stress and relaxation in a mammal by quantitatively measuring the concentration of deoxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin in blood. is there.

The simple evaluation method of the anti-stress effect disclosed in Patent Document 4 is based on the fact that messenger ribonucleic acid (m-RNA) production of metallothionein in blood and organs with low production of metallothionein is expressed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT- The anti-stress effect is evaluated by amplifying DNA by PCR and quantifying this DNA with a densitometer to determine the amount of mRNA.
JP 2005-506516 A JP 2004-198325 A JP 2003-265445 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-89897

  In the case of each of the above patent documents, blood and saliva are collected from a mammal in order to measure stress. This operation not only gives stress to the mammal, but also a dedicated device is used for quantifying each component. It was necessary and the analysis took a long time. In addition, the measuring device is expensive, and its use is limited to hospitals, inspection institutions, etc., and cannot be easily performed at home.

  On the other hand, the inventor of the present application has invented a skin moisture test patch for measuring transepidermal moisture evaporation (hereinafter referred to as TEWL value) from human skin. In this product, filter paper impregnated with cobalt chloride, which changes from blue to pink as the amount of water molecules bound, is fixed to an adhesive tape. When this is affixed to human skin, the transpirational moisture is adsorbed on the filter paper and discolored due to the change in the crystal structure of cobalt chloride, so that the TEWL value can be almost determined from the degree of discoloration of the filter paper. The inventor of the present application invented a stress test patch capable of examining the degree of stress by measuring the amount of evaporated water from the palm. In this clinical trial, subjects were subjected to mental arithmetic load, and blood pressure before and after that, pulse, and the amount of evaporated water from the palm were measured and analyzed. As a result, we found that there was a significant correlation between human mental and physical stress and the amount of water evaporated from the palm.

  Based on this, there is a relationship between the stress of mammals kept as pets, such as dogs and cats, and the amount of sweat from the paws of the feet, and mammals also measure stress by changing the amount of evaporated water from the paws. I thought I could do it. Thus, adult dogs (beagle dogs) and adult cats were used as experimental animals, and electrocardiograms caused by stress load and TEWL values from meat balls were measured. As a result, when the smell of a strange smell was given, the stress by the approach of different animals / same animals and other stimuli were given, and the TEWL value from the electrocardiogram and the meat ball was measured, there was a significant correlation between the stress and the TEWL value. Confirmed that there is.

  However, the TEWL measuring device for measuring the TEWL value is expensive, and when the device is set on the foot of a mammal, the animal is very disliked and feels stress, so it is not practical to use the TEWL measuring device for stress measurement. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a mammal stress measuring instrument capable of accurately measuring a mammal's stress with a simple operation. To do.

The present invention relates to a stress measuring instrument for mammals that measures stress using the amount of water transpiration from the paws of mammals and the rate of change as an index, and includes a test sheet attached to the paws of mammals. The test sheet has a transparent film attached to the paws with an adhesive, a holder that is provided on the adhesive side of the transparent film and adsorbs a reagent that changes color depending on the amount of moisture, and the transparent film. A color sample printed in the vicinity of the holding body and colored by the reagent is provided, and the holding body changes the degree of coloration of the reagent corresponding to the amount of water evaporation depending on the degree of stress. The transparent film is cut into a circular shape, the color sample is provided in a plurality of sections along the circumference, and a display unit for confirming the color of the holding body is provided at the center of the color sample, color sample A segment are those showing a state in which no stress, other subdivision is stress measurement instrument for mammal exhibiting a great stress.

The reagent is cobalt chloride , and the holder is adjusted so that the degree of coloration of the cobalt chloride changes corresponding to the amount of water that varies depending on the degree of stress. Cobalt chloride is blue in anhydrous salt and changes to pink when it absorbs moisture. The holder is made of a hygroscopic material such as filter paper.

One section of the color sample is a blue color close to the anhydrous salt of cobalt chloride and the water content is 100 μg / cm ² / min or less indicating that there is no stress, and the other section is when cobalt chloride absorbs moisture. It is pink and has a water content of 300 μg / cm ² / min.

Further, the holding body having cobalt chloride may be provided with a plurality of ones having different sensitivities.

  The mammal stress measuring instrument of the present invention can accurately check the type and degree of mammal stress in a simple operation and in a short time. Moreover, it does not give stress for measurement such as pain to mammals, does not limit the place and environment for measurement, and can be tested inexpensively and easily.

It is a front view of the test sheet of one embodiment of this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a front view which shows the use condition of the test sheet of this embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Test sheet 12 Transparent film 14 Display part 16 Color sample 18 Cobalt chloride paper 22 Adhesive 24 Nonwoven fabric 26 Release sheet

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the mammal stress measurement method of this embodiment, a test sheet 10 which is an animal stress measurement tool to be described later is pasted on the paws of a mammal for a predetermined time, and the stress is measured using the amount of water evaporation and the rate of change as an index. It is a measuring method to measure.

  1 to 3 show a test sheet 10, and the test sheet 10 is provided with a transparent film 12 serving as an adhesive film, and the material thereof is flexible and made of a transparent synthetic resin. For example, polyolefin, polypropylene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyethylene, nylon, urethane and the like are used. The thickness is 20 to 100 μm, preferably 50 to 75 μm. The transparent film 12 is cut into a circle. The circular diameter is, for example, 5 to 20 mm, and is selected according to the size of the target mammal's meat ball. In particular, the size of dogs varies, and the size of the paws varies from ultra-large dogs weighing 60 kg or more to ultra-small dogs weighing 2-3 kg such as chihuahua. Dogs and cats with a body weight of 5 kg or more have paws of 15 mm or more, but small animals such as chihuahua may have a size of 10 mm or less, and the size needs to be selected according to the paws of the animals.

A predetermined pattern is printed on the surface 12 a of the transparent film 12. A colorless and transparent concentric circular display unit 14 is provided at the center of the surface 12a. A color sample 16 in a colored state of cobalt chloride paper 18 which is a holding body to be described later is printed around the display unit 14. The color sample 16 is equally divided into four sections along the circumference of the transparent film 12. In the color sample 16, the first section 16a located on the left in the drawing of FIG. 1 is blue that is close to the anhydrous salt of cobalt chloride. For example, the TEWL value is 100 μg / cm ² / min or less indicating a stress-free state. is there. The second section 16b located on the upper side is a sky blue where moisture absorption of cobalt chloride has advanced, and the third section 16c located on the right is white to light pink where moisture absorption has progressed more. The fourth section 16d located below is pink when cobalt chloride has completely absorbed moisture, and for example, the TEWL value is 300 μg / cm ² / min or more indicating a large stress.

And the adhesive 22 for making it an adhesive film is apply | coated to the back surface 12b of the transparent film 12. FIG. The pressure-sensitive adhesive 22 is formed of a material having shape retention and elasticity, and is provided with a constant thickness. Cobalt chloride paper 18 is affixed to the adhesive 22 so as to face the display unit 14. The cobalt chloride paper 18 is obtained by adsorbing a cobalt chloride aqueous solution on a hygroscopic sheet such as a filter paper and drying it. The cobalt chloride is blue in anhydrous salt and changes to pink when moisture is absorbed. Cobalt paper 18 chloride discolored amount ranging adsorbed water is 30~500μg / cm ² / min, the blue below 100μg / cm ² / hr, are adjusted so that light red in 500 [mu] g / cm ² / min or more ing. In the range of 200 to 450 μg / cm ² / min, the color gradually changes from sky blue to white to light pink. Thereby, if the sticking time is 1 to 5 minutes, the TEWL value can be measured in the range of 30 to 25 mg / cm ² / min. Further, a non-woven fabric 24 of an olefin resin such as polypropylene having a basis weight of 30 to 100 g / m ² is attached to the cobalt chloride paper 18 by heat welding or other means. The nonwoven fabric 24 is hydrophobic and spreads over the entire surface of the cobalt chloride paper 18 without adsorbing moisture.

  The test sheet 10 is affixed to a release sheet 26 having the same shape as or larger than that of the transparent film 12. The test sheet 10 is attached so as to be peelable by the adhesive force of the adhesive 22. A plurality of test sheets 10 having the same shape may be attached to a single large release sheet 26. The test sheet 10 to which the release sheet 26 is attached is packaged and sealed in a bag such as a resin film.

  Next, the usage method of the test sheet 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated. First, the release sheet 26 is peeled off from the test sheet 10 to expose the adhesive 22, and the test sheet 10 is affixed to the meat ball 28 of a mammal to be tested, here a cat. In addition, before sticking the test sheet | seat 10, the sweat etc. of a meat ball are wiped off. Dry well if your feet are wet. After the test sheet 10 is attached, the test sheet 10 is left in that state for a predetermined time, for example, 3 minutes. At this time, the evaporated water and sweat from the meat balls 28 that are generated are adsorbed by the cobalt chloride paper 18 and the crystal structure of the cobalt chloride changes, and the color changes from blue to pink. At this time, the non-woven fabric 24 is hydrophobic, and moisture from individual sweat glands of the meat ball 28 is not adsorbed by the non-woven fabric 24 and spreads over the entire surface of the cobalt chloride paper 18. Then, by looking at the color change of the cobalt chloride paper 18, the color of the cobalt chloride paper 18 is compared with the color sample 16, and it is determined which one corresponds to the first section 16a to the fourth section 16d, and the stress Check status.

  When the color of the cobalt chloride paper 18 is close to the first section 16a, the stress is determined to indicate no stress. When the color of the cobalt chloride paper 18 is close to the second section 16b, the stress is low and the mind and body are almost stable and relaxed. Show. A case close to the third section 16c indicates that there is a slight excitability stress, but there is no problem. When it is close to the fourth section 16d, it indicates that excitability stress is high.

  According to the test sheet 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to examine the type and degree of stress of mammals in a simple operation and in a short time (for example, 3 minutes), and it is easy to test at home regardless of location or environment. can do. Since the test sheet 10 is attached to the meat ball 28 and the change in the color of the display unit 14 is observed in comparison with the color sample 16, there is no pain or stress on the mammal. Since the color change of cobalt chloride is observed from the display unit 14 and only the degree of stress is determined from the TEWL value as compared with the color sample 16, it is excellent in reproducibility, easy to determine, and difficult to understand from the appearance. Stress can be measured relatively accurately. Further, since the display unit 14 is adjacent to the color sample 16, it can be accurately compared with the color sample 16. Further, the test sheet 10 is disposable every time, is clean and simple, is low in cost, and is an economically superior method. Since the pressure-sensitive adhesive 22 is made of a material having shape retention and elasticity, the pressure-sensitive adhesive 22 can be securely attached to fit the unevenness of the meat ball. Moreover, since mammals do not care at all even if test sheets 10 are affixed to paws, the degree of stress of mammals can be accurately measured. Easily determine the level of stress on pets, knowing the type and degree of stress, check for excessive stress and fatigue, and if necessary, take a walk, rest, or sleep or nutrition intake, It can be used as a measure of health management, such as the timing of breaks, intake and treatment of nutrients, and can be used to promote the health of pets.

  In addition, the animal stress measurement method and the measurement tool thereof according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the mammal stress can be measured not only by the test sheet but also by the TEWL measurement device. It is. Further, the shape and material of the test sheet can be changed as appropriate, and the design of the printed pattern portion can also be changed as appropriate. The number of color sample categories can be changed as appropriate. In addition, a plurality of display units may be provided, and cobalt chloride paper adjusted so that the reaction rate may be different may be attached to each display unit. According to this, the TEWL value can be determined more accurately.

  An example of how to make the test sheet 10 of the mammal stress measuring instrument of the present invention will be described. The cobalt chloride paper 18 of the test sheet 10 was dissolved by adding 20 ml of purified water and 15 ml of ethyl alcohol to 5 g of cobalt chloride, and then adsorbed and dried on a commercially available quantitative filter paper (Toyo filter paper No. 50), with hot air at 100 ° C. It is made to dry until it becomes blue, and it is set as the cobalt chloride paper 18. The obtained cobalt chloride paper 18 is cut into 6 mm × 6 mm, and fixed to the back surface 12 b of the transparent film 12 with an adhesive 22. Thereafter, the transparent film 12 is punched into a circle having a diameter of 15 mm and hermetically packaged.

With the test sheet 10 produced here, an experiment was conducted to confirm the relationship between stress and coloration of the cobalt chloride paper 18 in mammals. First, a test sheet 10 with a diameter of 15 mm was applied to the hind paw ball of a beagle dog that had been acclimatized for a certain period of time at the animal house, and a tress load was applied. The correlation between the time TEWL value and the autonomic response was examined. First, a beagle dog is fixed with an animal jacket, and when it is in a relaxed state and a load such as the proximity of an unfamiliar person, the TEWL value is measured from the meat ball with the electrocardiogram and the TEWL measuring device, and the color change on the test sheet 10 Examined. As a result, the TEWL value was 30-50 μg / cm ² / min in the relaxed state and the color of the test patch remained blue, whereas the blood pressure and pulse when stressed (unfamiliar people approached) The TEWL value increased 3 to 4 times with the increase. At this time, the color of the test patch was changed to pink.

  Next, the test sheet 10 was tested on a Japanese cat. A Japanese cat (male, 8 years old, weighing 7.2 kg) was affixed to the paws of the hind legs and examined for color change after 3 minutes. As a result, when no stress was applied, there was no color change after 3 minutes and the test film remained blue, but when an unfamiliar person approached, the color change after 3 minutes showed a pink color .

From the above confirmation experiment, the correlation between the stress state, the TEWL value, and the color of the cobalt chloride paper 18 was confirmed. First, when there is no stress, the TEWL value is 30 μg / cm ² / min and the cobalt chloride paper 18 remains blue for 3 minutes. When there is a little stress, the TEWL value is 120 μg / cm ² / min and the cobalt chloride paper 18 becomes pink in 3 minutes. When the stress is large, the TEWL value is 250 μg / cm ² / min and the cobalt chloride paper 18 becomes pink in 1-2 minutes. From this, it was confirmed that the stress of the mammal is accurately measured by the test sheet 10.

Claims (2)

A mammal stress measuring instrument that measures stress using the amount of water transpiration from the paws of mammals and its rate of change as an index,
A test sheet attached to the paws of a mammal's foot is provided, and the test sheet has a transparent film attached to the paws with an adhesive and discolored depending on the amount of water provided on the adhesive side of the transparent film. A holding body on which the reagent to be adsorbed and a color sample printed in the vicinity of the holding body of the transparent film and colored by the reagent are provided,
The holder is adjusted so that the degree of coloration of the reagent changes corresponding to the amount of water evaporation that varies depending on the degree of stress,
The transparent film is cut into a circular shape, the color sample is provided in a plurality of sections along the circumference, a display unit for confirming the color of the holding body is provided at the center of the color sample, and one section of the color sample Indicates a state in which there is no stress, and the other category indicates a large stress, a mammal stress measuring instrument, 2. The mammal according to claim 1, wherein the reagent is cobalt chloride, and the holder is adjusted so that the degree of coloration of cobalt chloride changes corresponding to the amount of water evaporation that varies depending on the degree of stress . Stress measuring instrument.

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