JP5525676B2 - Biological observation stabilizer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a biological observation stabilizer that contacts a biological sample during observation of the biological sample and suppresses the behavior of the biological sample.

Conventionally, as a stabilizer for living body observation, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.
This living body observation stabilizer has a circular or U-shaped tip, and sucks a suction hole provided in a contact surface with the sample to a negative pressure, thereby adsorbing the sample by suction force, Dynamic behavior can be suppressed. According to the microscope observation system using the stabilizer for living body observation, it is possible to perform the microscope observation while suppressing the pulsation of the sample, and it is possible to obtain a clear image with less blur.

JP-A-2005-338631.

  However, in the stabilizer for living body observation of Patent Document 1, in order to increase the effect of suppressing dynamic behavior such as pulsation of a sample, if the negative pressure applied to the suction hole is increased, the sample adsorbed to the suction hole Since the surface of the liquid is sucked so as to enter the suction hole, there is a problem that congestion occurs in the portion or the sample is damaged. In addition, when the sample is aspirated with the tip in contact with the surface of the sample, if the sample is bleeding, blood is also sucked into the suction hole, and the suction hole is blocked with blood during the process of use. Inconvenience is also considered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and provides a biological observation stabilizer that can effectively suppress dynamic behavior such as pulsation of a sample by suction while maintaining the soundness of the sample. It is intended to provide. It is another object of the present invention to provide a living body observation stabilizer that prevents blood from entering a tube or a pump and can be easily removed even when blood or the like is sucked into a suction hole.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The present invention is a biological observation stabilizer that suppresses the behavior of a biological sample by contacting the biological sample when observing the biological sample, and includes a contact portion that is disposed around the observation range and is brought into contact with the biological sample. in part, the recess is provided to define a small space between the surface of the biological sample, the concave portion, a large number of through holes member made of a porous material having continuous pores is inserted, the small space is a negative pressure And a biological observation stabilizer that adsorbs the biological sample when the through-hole member is in contact with the biological sample.

According to the present invention, when the contact portion of the stabilizer is brought into contact with the biological sample around the observation range when the biological sample is observed, the opening of the concave portion provided in the contact portion is blocked by the surface of the biological sample, A small space is defined in the recess. By reducing the small space to a negative pressure, the surface of the biological sample is sucked and adsorbed on the contact portion. In this case, since the through-hole member is inserted into the recess, the suction cross-sectional area is reduced, and the surface of the biological sample can be prevented from being excessively sucked. In addition, since the through-hole member is disposed in the recess, the surface of the aspirated biological sample is prevented from entering the recess, and the occurrence of congestion and the like due to local aspiration of the surface of the biological sample is prevented. be able to.

In the above invention, the through-hole member may be inserted into the recess so as to be replaceable.
A through-hole member that reduces the suction cross-sectional area becomes clogged by sucked blood or the like and is difficult to reuse, but according to the present invention, the through-hole member in the recess can be easily replaced. This makes it possible to easily recover the suction force. Moreover, by doing in this way, waste can be reduced by replacing a through-hole member, without making the whole ecological observation stabilizer disposable.

In the said invention, the said through-hole member is good also as being comprised with the porous material which has a some continuous pore.
By doing so, the suction points of the biological sample are dispersed by a plurality of continuous pores, and the local suction force is prevented from acting on the biological sample, while maintaining the soundness of the biological sample, and the suction force Can be increased.

In the above invention, the contact portion is formed in a donut shape having a central through hole, and the concave portion is formed by an annular groove that surrounds the central through hole of the contact portion and is provided over the entire circumference. It is good to be.
By doing so, the pressure in the annular groove around the central through hole is reduced, and the periphery of the observation range of the biological sample is adsorbed over the entire circumference. Thereby, the dynamic behavior of the observation range can be effectively suppressed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively suppress dynamic behavior such as pulsation of a biological sample by suction while maintaining the soundness of the biological sample.
In addition, there is an effect that blood or the like can be easily removed even if it is sucked into the suction hole.

Hereinafter, the biological observation stabilizer 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The biological observation stabilizer 1 according to the present embodiment is an apparatus that is disposed in the vicinity of the microscope observation apparatus 2 as shown in FIG. The microscope observation apparatus 2 includes a stage 3 on which a sample (biological sample) A of a biological tissue such as a cell of a mammal including a small experimental animal, a muscle, or various organs such as a heart and a liver (biological sample) A is placed. And an objective unit 4 that is disposed and is disposed so as to face the sample A on the stage 3.

The stage 3 includes an adjustment dial 5, and by operating the adjustment dial 5, the sample A can be moved in two horizontal directions orthogonal to the optical axis of the objective unit 4, for example, the X and Y directions. ing.
The microscope observation apparatus 2 is attached to a support column 7 extending vertically from a base 6 by an elevating mechanism 8 so as to move up and down. By disposing the objective unit 4 vertically downward, the sample A on the stage 3 can be observed. Further, by operating the elevating mechanism 8, the objective unit 4 can be moved closer to and away from the sample A and the focus can be adjusted.

  The biological observation stabilizer 1 according to the present embodiment includes an arm 11 that is attached to a support column 9 that similarly extends vertically from a base 6 so as to be movable up and down by an elevating mechanism 10, and a distal end portion that is disposed at the distal end of the arm 11. 12 and a suction pump 14 that sucks air through a tube 13 connected to the arm 11. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the distal end portion 12 is formed in a donut shape having a through hole 15 larger than the observation range B by the objective unit 4 at the center.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the distal end portion 12 is provided with an annular recess 16 that is recessed over the entire circumference so as to surround the through-hole 15 on the contact surface 12 a to be brought into contact with the sample A. Yes. As shown in FIG. 4, the arm 11 has a hollow structure and is provided with a suction hole 17 connected to the tube 13. Further, the suction hole 17 is connected to the recess 16.

  In addition, the recess 16 is filled with a through-hole member 18 made of a porous material having a large number of continuous pores, such as a hard sponge, in an exchangeable manner. When the tip 12 is brought into close contact with the surface of the sample A, the opening of the recess 16 is closed by the surface of the sample A to form a closed small space, and when the suction pump 14 is operated, the tube 13 and A small space in the recess 16 is decompressed through the suction hole 17.

The operation of the biological observation stabilizer 1 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described below.
In order to perform microscopic observation of a sample using the biological observation stabilizer 1 according to the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 2, the outer skin C of an experimental small animal or the like is cut open to expose the sample A such as an organ. After that, the lifting mechanism 10 is operated to lower the arm 11 of the living body observation stabilizer 1, thereby bringing the tip 12 into close contact with the surface of the sample A. As a result, the entire opening of the concave portion 16 provided in the tip portion 12 is closed by the surface of the sample A, and a small space closed in the concave portion 16 is formed.

  Next, the suction pump 14 is operated to decompress the inside of the small space defined by the recess 16 and the surface of the sample A via the tube 13 and the suction hole 17 in the arm 11. As a result, the surface of the sample A closing the opening of the recess 16 is sucked through the continuous pores of the through-hole member 18 filled in the recess 16, and the sample A is adsorbed on the contact surface 12 a of the tip 12. Is done. In this state, the objective unit 4 of the microscope observation apparatus 2 is brought into close proximity to the observation range B arranged in the through hole 15 of the tip end portion 12 to perform focusing, and observation is performed by the microscope observation apparatus 2.

  According to the biological observation stabilizer 1 according to the present embodiment, the inside of the concave portion 16 provided in the distal end portion 12 is depressurized to adsorb the surface of the sample A, so that the dynamic behavior of the sample A can be suppressed. In this case, the upper surface of the sample A is fixed to the position of the contact surface 12a of the tip 12 by adsorption of the sample A, and the dynamic behavior of the sample A in the direction along the observation optical axis (Z direction) of the objective unit 4 is observed. In addition to the suppression of the sample A, the dynamic behavior of the sample A in the direction (X, Y direction) intersecting the observation optical axis of the objective unit 4 can also be suppressed by the adsorption of the sample A.

  Moreover, since the recessed part 16 is formed in the annular | circular shape surrounding the through-hole 15, the circumference | surroundings of the observation range B can be adsorb | sucked uniformly over a perimeter, and the dynamic behavior can be suppressed effectively. Therefore, the microscope observation device 2 can acquire a clear image with less blur.

  Moreover, according to the biological observation stabilizer 1 according to the present embodiment, the suction cross-sectional area is reduced by filling the recess 16 with the through-hole member 18. As a result, the adsorption force is weakened, but the size of the continuous pores formed in the through-hole member 18 is sufficiently smaller than the opening of the recess 16, so that the surface of the sample A adsorbed in the recess 16 is reduced. It does not enter the continuous pores, and inconveniences such as congestion due to local suction on the surface of the sample A can be prevented.

  Further, since a sponge-like member having a large number of continuous pores is adopted as the through-hole member 18, a plurality of continuous pores are distributed and arranged over the entire opening of the concave portion 16, and the suction position of the sample A is dispersed. be able to. As a result, the suction force is further dispersed and the burden on the sample A is reduced, so that dynamic behavior such as pulsation of the sample A can be effectively suppressed while maintaining the soundness of the sample A. .

  Furthermore, since the through-hole member 18 is filled in the recess 16 in an exchangeable manner, the through-hole member 18 can be removed and replaced with a new one after observation. It is conceivable that blood or the like contained in the sample A is sucked at the time of adsorption, and the continuous pores of the through-hole member 18 are clogged. In such a case, the suction force can be easily recovered by replacing it with a new one after observation. be able to. Further, when observing a different sample A, it is necessary to clean or sterilize the tip 12. By removing the through-hole member 18 in the recess 16, the tip 12 can be easily cleaned or sterilized. Can be. Further, since blood or the like is adsorbed by the through-hole member, the possibility of entering the tube 13 can be reduced, and troubles such as washing and sterilization of the tube 13 can be saved. Of course, a membrane having air permeability and waterproofness may be provided at the connection portion between the tube 13 and the distal end portion 12.

  In this embodiment, a sponge-like member having a large number of continuous pores is used as the through-hole member 18 filled in the recess 16, but the present invention is not limited to this, and sintering of metal or ceramics You may employ | adopt the thing of arbitrary materials, such as a body or cloth materials, such as a gauze and a nonwoven fabric.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the concave portion 16 provided in the distal end portion 12 is formed in an annular shape surrounding the central through hole 15, but instead, it surrounds the through hole 15 as shown in FIG. 5. A plurality of small holes 19 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction may be employed. All of these small holes 19 are connected and connected to the suction hole 17 in the arm 11. Thereby, all the small holes 19 can be depressurized uniformly, and the periphery of the observation range B can be adsorbed over the entire circumference.

Further, in place of the through-hole member 18 having a large number of continuous pores, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the through-hole member 20 having one or more small holes 20 a is inserted and disposed in each small hole-shaped recess 19. It is good to do.
Moreover, in this embodiment, although the donut-shaped thing which has the through-hole 15 in the center was illustrated as the front-end | tip part 12, it replaces with this and employ | adopts the front-end | tip parts 12 of other arbitrary shapes, such as U shape. May be. However, it is more effective to have an annular recess in that the sample can be adsorbed over the entire circumference around the optical axis.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the case where the suction pump 14 and the suction hole 17 of the arm 11 were connected by the tube 13 was demonstrated, as FIG. 8 shows, between the arm 11 and the suction pump 14, It is good also as interposing the reservoir 21 decompressed by the suction pump 14. By doing in this way, the tube 13, the suction hole 17, and the recessed part 16 are pressure-reduced when the reservoir 21 is pressure-reduced to a negative pressure. Further, when the liquid L such as blood is sucked from the sample A side, the sucked liquid L can be stored in the reservoir 21 without returning to the suction pump 14.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the biological observation stabilizer 1 is attached to the support column 9 provided in the vicinity of the microscope observation apparatus 2 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the microscope observation apparatus 2 is not limited thereto. The same effect can be achieved both when attached to the main body 2a and when attached to the objective unit 4 of the microscope observation apparatus 2.

  The distal end portion 12 of the biological observation stabilizer 1 may be made of any material, but is preferably made of a transparent material. By doing so, the state of the sample A being pressed by the tip 12 can be confirmed through the tip 12, and bleeding and the like occurring in the sample A can be detected and dealt with early. Is possible.

It is a whole lineblock diagram showing a microscope observation system provided with a stabilizer for living body observation concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between the objective unit in the microscope observation system of FIG. 1, and the stabilizer for biological observation. It is a partial bottom view which expands and shows the lower surface of the front-end | tip part of the stabilizer for biological observation of FIG. It is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view which expands and shows the front-end | tip part of the stabilizer for biological observation of FIG. It is a bottom view which shows the 1st modification of the front-end | tip part of the stabilizer for biological observation of FIG. It is a bottom view which shows the 2nd modification of the front-end | tip part of the stabilizer for biological observation of FIG. It is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the front-end | tip part of the stabilizer for biological observation of FIG. It is a whole block diagram which shows the 3rd modification of the front-end | tip part of the stabilizer for biological observation of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

A sample (biological sample)
B Observation range 1 Biological observation stabilizer 12 Tip (contact part)
14 Suction pump (pressure reduction means)
16 Recess 19 Small hole (Recess)
18, 20 Through-hole member

Claims (4)

When observing a biological sample, a biological observation stabilizer that contacts the biological sample and suppresses its behavior,
It is arranged around the observation range and has a contact part that can be brought into contact with the biological sample,
The contact portion is provided with a recess that defines a small space with the surface of the biological sample,
The recess, a number of through holes member made of a porous material having continuous pores is inserted,
A biological observation stabilizer that adsorbs a biological sample when the small space is depressurized to a negative pressure and the through-hole member contacts the biological sample.   The stabilizer for living body observation according to claim 1 in which said penetration member is exchangeably inserted in said crevice. The contact portion is formed in a donut shape having a central through hole,
The stabilizer for living body observation according to claim 1 or 2 in which said crevice is constituted by the annular groove provided over the perimeter surrounding the central penetration hole of said contact part. The living body observation stabilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the contact portion is made of a transparent material.

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