JPH04155257A - Test paper for urinalisis - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable handy disposal into a toilet by making a reagent for urinalisis impregnate in a piece of paper with a nature of being easy to disperse into water but maintaining a shape and a strength for a while even when wetted by water to form a test part. CONSTITUTION:Paper is used with a nature of being easy to disperse into water. In other words, this paper has cellulose fibers as main component in a mass of numerous molecules like a toilet paper and the molecules are coupled by a hydrogen bond. When the coupling is broken with the infiltration of water molecules, the paper is dispersed into the water eventually to be decomposed into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms. But it is necessary to maintain a shape and strength until the end of inspection even when the paper is wetted and so, the paper having both the characteristics as mentioned above is selected to perform a fixed chemical treatment. Then, reagents for detecting glucose, protein and latent blood respectively are applied to the paper thus obtained, dried and an exudation buffer band is provided for preventing the mixing of adjacent reagents. This enables handy inspection with a handy disposal into a toilet after inspections.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of Industrial Application The present invention provides a method for forming a part of a piece of paper that is easily dispersed in water but retains its shape and strength for a while even when wet with glucose. Urinalysis test strips (used for simple urine tests) manufactured by separately impregnating one or more of the following: a component that changes color when reacting with blood, a component that changes color in response to protein, and a component that changes color in response to occult blood. .

(2) Conventional technology It has been practiced for a long time to detect diseases early and to understand changes in pathological conditions through urine tests. Urine testing as a screening method has several advantages: it is easy to collect specimens, it reflects changes in the body, it can be used to compare diseases and changes in condition, and it can be detected even at an early stage. The method has the advantage that it is simple and does not require large-scale equipment. In conventional urine tests, urine is collected in a urine sample cup, and a piece of paper impregnated with a reagent is stretched over a plastic stick-shaped support that does not dissolve or disperse in water at all. Test equipment (
stick) is used. Alternatively, it has been carried out using liquid chemicals and large machinery.

The former test method has a problem with post-use treatment (disposal) in that the test paper is provided on a plastic support that does not disperse in water.

That is, since the support part that forms the mount for the paper strip impregnated with the reagent is made of plastic, it is psychologically difficult to dispose of it by throwing it away in the toilet after use. In fact, there is a high risk that the flush toilet will be clogged or clogged.

According to a survey mainly conducted by the inventor, ■Put it in a plastic bag and then throw it away. 2. Most of the items were wrapped in toilet paper and then placed in a plastic bag before being thrown away. (The term "throw away" in ■ and ■ above is understood to mean discarding for incineration in urban areas.) The reason for the above-mentioned process is that , shows the following. ■I think it's dirty as it is. (It smells, stinks, sticks somewhere, is unsanitary C) ■Think of it as something that cannot be thrown away as regular garbage.

■As a matter of course, think of it as etiquette. ■I think it's to hide from others. ■I think I shouldn't drop it into the toilet.

Urine is not generally seen as something clean. Therefore, when disposing of used sticks contaminated with urine, they are not treated as ordinary garbage.

(If it were to be treated as ordinary garbage, it would be a huge hygienic problem.) In other words, when using test strips, "disposal" after use may be a trivial matter, but it should be taken into consideration. It must be seen as an important thing to do.

In disseminating urine testing using test strips, if it is difficult for users to use, the usage rate will be low, and the significance of individual urine testing and self-care, which should be performed at any time, will be significantly impaired.

(3) Technical problems solved by the present invention The present invention provides a urinalysis test strip that can be disposed of directly into a toilet bowl or toilet after use without any problem.The urinalysis test strip of the present invention In this case, a person who wants to test his or her own urine can easily do the test himself, for example, in a toilet.Therefore, depending on the situation, it is also possible to perform the test without a urine test cup.

Even if a user uses a cup, the user may throw it into the toilet bowl after each use, wash it from the toilet faucet, and store it in the toilet. However, if there are symptoms of illness, especially bacterial infection, or if bacteria are subsequently revealed, the cup should be disposed of by incineration.

(4) Means for Achieving the Object The urinalysis test strip of the present invention has a urinalysis reagent on a piece of paper that is easily dispersed in water but maintains its shape and strength for a while even if it gets wet. The test site is formed by impregnating the test site with a paper-only support.

(Paper) In the patent specification and claims, "paper" mainly refers to plant fibers that are taken out, dispersed in water, tangled together thinly and flatly through the medium of water, and then raked up. It refers to something that has been dried. Furthermore, the term "property to easily disperse in water" refers to the property that paper fibers, such as those in toilet paper, are easily decomposed in water.

Cellulose fiber, the main component of paper, is made up of a large number of molecules that are connected by hydrogen bonds, forming a partially crystalline structure.

Paper maintains most of its strength solely through these hydrogen bonds, so if these bonds are broken by the intrusion of water molecules, the fibers will disperse into the water.

Moreover, it will eventually be decomposed by the action of microorganisms and become water and carbon dioxide.

In the case of Western paper, various chemical processes are often performed in processes other than the process of dispersing fibers. Even if it gets wet with water, it does not lose its shape or strength immediately, but it takes time for it to dissolve in water. Therefore, if it is poured into a flush toilet, there is a risk that the toilet system will become clogged. In the case of Japanese paper,
Generally, they are easily soluble in water and are therefore less likely to clog flush toilet systems, but they tend to quickly lose their shape and strength when wet.

It is desirable that the paper used for the urinalysis test strip of the present invention maintains its shape and strength until the end of the test even if it gets wet with water, and has the property of being easily dispersed in condensed water. A property that maintains its shape and strength during the time required to complete the test even when wet with water is necessary for urine testing, and a property that dissolves in condensate water allows it to be disposed of in a toilet bowl or toilet. Desirable for processing.

Examples of papers with the above-mentioned characteristics include water-soluble paper "Disorbo ■" (manufactured by Mishima Paper Co., Ltd.), Japanese Patent Publication No. 42-292
5 and 48-27605. but,
The material is not limited to this, and it is also possible to use fibers obtained by mixing the fibers of simple Japanese paper, pulp paper or blotting paper with the fibers of Western paper. Additionally, pulp paper can be subjected to certain chemical treatments to make it suitable for the purposes of the present invention.

(Reagent) The urinalysis test paper of the present invention contains 0.5
Apply the reagent to an area of approximately 0.5 cm2 and dry. An example of the principle of each reagent is shown below.

Glucose detection reagent Niglucose is joined by oxygen in the air under the catalysis of glucose oxidase, and becomes gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide solution. The resulting hydrogen peroxide solution reacts with tetramethylbenzidine under the catalyst of peroxidase to develop a green (French green) color.

Protein detection reagent: Utilizes the protein error of the indicator, in which the color change point of the indicator differs when protein is present and when it is absent. At pH 3, the indicator tetrabromophenol blue turns yellow when it does not contain protein, and turns blue when it contains protein.

Reagent for detecting occult blood: An oxidizing agent oxidizes tetramethylbenzidine under the catalyst of hemoglobin, resulting in a blue color.

(Permeation Buffer) Each reagent applied to the urinalysis test strip of the present invention may ooze out around the test site due to the moisture in the urine. Therefore, when several types of reagents are impregnated onto the same piece of paper, there is a risk that they will mix with other reagents applied adjacently. In order to prevent this phenomenon, a substance that has the function of preventing, inhibiting, or buffering water from seeping out for a certain period of time may be impregnated between the test sites to which each reagent is applied. For example, wax may be used, such as wax wax, paraffin, etc., which may be heated and melted and soaked into the paper. The process may be made easier by forming linear recesses in the paper and pouring molten wax into the recesses. (In the specification and claims of this patent, this region is referred to as a permeable buffer zone.) If the permeable buffer zone is provided between the test region to which the reagent is applied and the end of the test paper, the user However, you can avoid staining your fingers with urine by pinching the ends.

Furthermore, if the permeation buffer zone is provided so as to surround the periphery of the test site, it is possible to prevent the reagent from spreading on the test paper with urine and causing the color development to be diluted or uneven. . A similar effect can be obtained by impregnating a rectangular piece of paper with a reagent in a substantially square shape from one end of the short side to the other, and providing a permeable buffer zone on the outside of the other two sides.

(5) Examples (Paper support) First, the aforementioned "Disorbo ■" was used.

The paper thickness is approximately 180/M, and the density of the paper at the time of purchase is approximately 0.
．． 008g/cm3.

(Application of reagent) Each of the reagents exemplified above was prepared as follows. (The amounts shown below are for 1/4 piece of paper.

Glucose detection test strip: ■Tetramethylbenschif 50
Grind 0mg finely in an agate pot and add 50ml of ethanol.
The solution was completely dissolved in water, impregnated onto paper, and dried for about 1 hour.

(2) 50 mg of peroxidase and 150 mg of glucose oxidase were dissolved in 50 ml of pH 61 buffer solution, impregnated into the paper, and dried for about 5 hours.

Test paper for protein detection: ■First, make a pH 3 citrate buffer. 46.5 ml of 0.1 M citric acid solution (21.01 g of citric acid in 1000 m of water) and 3.5 ml of O.1 M sodium citrate solution (291 g of sodium citrate in 1000 m of water) were diluted to a total volume of 100 mf.

(2) 96 mg of tetrabromophenol blue was dissolved in 10-ml of ethanol, and the volume was made up to 50 ml with a pH 3 buffer. ■
Paper was impregnated with (■) and dried for about 5 hours.

Test strip for detecting occult blood: ■Tetramethyl bench sif 500m
g was dissolved in 50 ml of ethanol, impregnated onto paper, and dried for about 1 hour. ■Hydrogen peroxide solution 50ml1. (■)
paper was impregnated and dried for about 5 hours.

(Formation of test site) (a) At approximately the center of the paper piece of the above-mentioned paper dissolvo cut into 7 mm width and 70 mm length, place a 7 mm x
A test site of 7 zB was set up, impregnated with the above-mentioned glucose detection reagent in the above-mentioned quantitative ratio, and dried.

], (C) Cut the paper of the same quality as above to the same dimensions as (a), and place the above protein detection reagent) and occult blood on two other pieces of paper on which test areas have been set. A test site was provided by impregnating it with the detection reagent (C).

(d) 182 The urinalysis test strips prepared according to (a), (5), and (C), 03) and (C) were arranged in parallel in the arrangement shown below, and one end of each was glued together.

In addition, among the test strips (to), (F), (G), which have the same test sites for bacteria detection, white blood cell detection, hemoglobin detection, pH detection, etc.
It is also possible to provide a part or all of the test strips in parallel in addition to the above test strips (2) and (C) as appropriate.

(e) On a piece of paper with a width of 7 degrees and a length of 100 degrees (the paper quality is the same as in (a)), a test site of the size of Example (6) above is set up, and the above glucose detection reagent and protein detection reagent are added. , apply the same amount of occult blood detection reagent as above and dry.
Test sites were established in the sequence shown below. An appropriate support space was provided at one end of the test strip to make it suitable for pinching with fingers.

In addition, in the above example, the interval between test site 03) and (C) was shortened, and in addition to these, bacteria detection, white blood cell detection, hemoglobin detection, and PH detection 8
Test sites such as the following can be provided as appropriate.

(f) In the urinalysis test strip of Example (a) above,
Around the periphery of the test site, a permeable buffer zone of 5 mm x 5 mrn was created by infiltrating 2 mm of molten wax.
Established.

Formation of a permeable buffer zone allows the reagent to permeate It may be done before or after the step of adding.

Test strip odor using other urinalysis reagents However, a permeable buffer band can be provided in the same manner.

(IIcI) In the urinalysis test strip of Example (e) above, a permeable buffer zone was provided as shown below by the same method as in Example (f) above.

(Test) Oral Test paper from Example (a) above was tested with 50 mg of glucose/
When immersed in a pot containing aqueous solutions of di, 100 mg/cfj/d, and 300 mg/d, the test sites changed color from pale blue to French green, respectively.

(i) The test strip of Example (b) above was
/〃, 30mg1di, 50mg/a and 100■
When immersed in a pot containing an aqueous solution of /〃, the color of each test strip area changed from cream color to blue. (
i) Use the test strip of Example (C) above for 5 erythrocytes/red blood cells.

ll1m3.10 ko/, mm3100 ko/3
When immersed in water containing almost even amounts of 200-1/mm3 and 200-1/mm3, the test sites changed color from white to blue.

(Capital) The test paper of Example (C) above was immersed in aqueous solutions containing glucose, protein, and occult blood at various concentrations, and the behavior of the paper was compared. The strength of the paper was somewhat strong in the reagent part, and the reagent (protein) part in particular did not easily disperse in water. The non-reagent portion lost its strength in a short period of time, and it was considered that it was not optimal as a reagent paper in terms of strength.

(1) The test paper of Example (d) above was immersed in the same liquid mixture as that used in the test. The strength was weak in the non-reagent part and strong in the reagent part, especially the CB) reagent (protein) part, and it was considered that it was not optimal as a test strip.

(e) Disperse blotting paper in water, disperse Disorbo ■ in water, mix and stir, and mix the blotting paper and Disolbo ■ components at various mixing ratios ranging from 100:1 to 100:50 to make homemade products. A new paper was created using a hand-made machine. The paper thickness was approximately 250 microns.

Blotting paper is mostly pure cellulose fibers, but Disorbo ■ contains a lot of alpha-beta cellulose fibers that have been treated with polyvinyl alcohol. Therefore, when using a reagent, especially a protein reagent, the hydroxyl groups on the fiber bond with the substance in the reagent and stick to the dissolvo fiber, making it difficult to disperse in water. Therefore, we made a test paper similar to (a) using a new paper that mixed blotting paper and dissolvable fibers, which are easily dispersible in water, at the mixing ratio shown above. , an improvement in the property of maintaining its shape and strength for a while even when it gets wet with water was observed.

Preferably, the mixing ratio is between 100:5 and 100:30, particularly between 100:20 and 100:30, so that the strength and dispersion of the reagent part are in a range that is considered to be more suitable for use as a test strip. known.

In other words, the strength required for the test was maintained during the 3.4 minute test, and the product was dispersed within a few minutes after being immersed in water.

Therefore, except for the water permeation buffer part made of wax, color changes due to the reaction between the test reagent and the abnormal component can also be seen in the above revised examples (a), et al., (C), Co., Ltd., (i.
) and (j), and it was confirmed that a simple test strip that is useful as a screening test strip and that can be disposed of in a toilet bowl could be obtained.

(6) Effects of the present invention The urinalysis test strip of the present invention can be easily used by moistening it with urine in the toilet and examining the presence or absence of glucose, protein, or occult blood in the urine based on the presence or absence of discoloration. can be thrown into the toilet bowl. Therefore, if these are used, inspections can be easily carried out without worrying about disposal after inspection. If used in this manner, a urine sample cup is not necessarily necessary. Manufacturing costs are low and resources are saved. People can manage their own health as needed in a manner that is favorable for environmental health. Of course, it can be used for urine tests in hospitals, etc., but it is important for patients to continue conducting tests by themselves every day.

If this urinalysis test strip makes it possible to perform tests easily, we believe that it will make a tremendous contribution to improving the nation's insurance standards.

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) A part of a piece of paper, which is easily dispersed in water but retains its shape and strength for a while even if it gets wet, is impregnated with an ingredient that changes color when it reacts with glucose in urine and then dried. A test strip for urinalysis, characterized in that a test region is formed using the other portion of the paper strip, and the other portion of the paper strip serves as a support for the test region. (2) A part of a piece of paper, which is easily dispersed in water but retains its shape and strength for a while even if it gets wet, is impregnated with an ingredient that changes color when it reacts with protein in urine, and then dried. A test strip for urinalysis, characterized in that a test region is formed using the other portion of the paper strip, and the other portion of the paper strip serves as a support for the test region. (3) A part of a piece of paper, which is easily dispersed in water but retains its shape and strength for a while even if it gets wet, is impregnated with an ingredient that changes color when it reacts with occult blood in urine, and then dried. A test strip for urinalysis, characterized in that a test region is formed using the other portion of the paper strip, and the other portion of the paper strip serves as a support for the test region. (4) A test strip for urinalysis, characterized in that two or three of the test strips for urinalysis according to claims (1), (2), and (3) are formed in parallel in a fixed arrangement. (5) A component that changes color by reacting with glucose in urine on a suitable part of a piece of paper that is easily dispersed in water but retains its shape and strength for a while even when wet; Two or three of the components that change color when reacting with protein and the components that change color when reacting with occult blood are impregnated in a certain arrangement and dried to form respective test sites, A urinalysis test strip, characterized in that the other part of the paper strip serves as a support for the test site. (6) The urinalysis test strip according to claim (5) is characterized in that a permeation buffer zone impregnated with a material that buffers water permeation is provided between the test sites impregnated with different reagents. Test strips for urinalysis. (7) In the urinalysis test strip of claims (1) to (5), the test area impregnated with the reagent is surrounded by a permeation buffer band impregnated with a material that buffers water permeation. A urinalysis test strip that is characterized by: