JPH0827289B2 - Method and device for automatic analysis of HDL cholesterol - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic analysis method for HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol, and more particularly to a conventional automatic blood analyzer for separating a sampled blood into an insoluble precipitate and serum. The present invention relates to an automatic analysis method capable of eliminating mistakes such as human error in measuring HDL cholesterol by forming a closed system using a sampling cup that can be used, and an apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Usually, the procedure for measuring HDL cholesterol is HDL as lipoprotein in blood.
(High density lipoprotein), VLDL (Very low density lipoprotein)
And a fractionation operation for fractionating LDL (low density lipoprotein) and a measurement operation for measuring a cholesterol level.

As a fractionation method for performing the above-mentioned fractionation operation, there are generally a centrifugation method, an immunochemical method, an electrophoresis method, a precipitation method, etc. As a method capable of performing rapid measurement processing, a method in which a centrifugation method and a precipitation method are combined to fractionate lipoprotein in supernatant blood is predominant.

On the other hand, in a blood test which is generally carried out, as a method of testing about 32 items, a sample dispensed from a vacuum blood collection tube into a cassette is opened, transported, dispensed, stored, Inspection management such as disposal, record of results,
In order to prevent mistakes in the sample from being touched by the human body, a closed system managed by a computer is used.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, in the above-mentioned HDL cholesterol measuring method, as described above, since the combination method of the centrifugation method and the precipitation method is used as the fractionation operation of lipoprotein, the step is inevitably artificial and complicated. It is inevitable to operate, and thus it is conventionally difficult to automate this HDL cholesterol measurement method. In addition, the recent rapid increase in the number of specimens causes a problem of reduced efficiency due to fatigue of test personnel, which is a factor that easily causes a test error. The method of measuring HDL cholesterol using the combination of
There is a problem that it is not always suitable as a clinical test.

[0006]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the HDL cholesterol measuring method.
By developing a sampling cup suitable for the measurement of cholesterol, the step of centrifuging which had to be done by an artificial operation in the past was omitted, and the insoluble precipitate in blood was filtered by this sampling cup,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an analysis method capable of continuously and automatically measuring a large number of specimens without error by spectroscopically measuring the filtered serum with an automatic analysis apparatus, and an apparatus therefor.

[0007] Claim 1 of the present invention relates to an analysis method as a concrete means for achieving the above-mentioned object, wherein blood is injected between a vacuum blood collection tube and an automatic blood analyzer by injection of a reagent. A sampling cup having a separation chamber having a filter medium for separating an insoluble precipitate and serum and a storage chamber for storing the serum filtered by the filter medium is arranged, and the separation in the sampling cup is performed by the automatic analyzer. The sample blood in the blood collection tube and the reagent are injected into the chamber, the blood is separated into an insoluble precipitate and serum in the separation chamber, and the serum filtered by the filter medium is stored in the storage chamber in the sampling cup. Then, the serum in the storage chamber is subjected to automatic spectroscopic measurement processing by the automatic analyzer.

The invention of claim 2 relates to an analyzer for separating blood into an insoluble precipitate and serum by injecting a reagent between the transfer route of the vacuum blood collection tube and the automatic blood analyzer. The separation chamber provided with the filter material, and the separation chamber is arranged a transfer path of the sampling cup consisting of a storage chamber of the serum filtered by the filter material which is partitioned by a partition wall, the automatic blood analyzer, Means for dispensing blood and reagent in the vacuum blood collection tube into the separation chamber of the sampling cup that moves at the same speed; and means for causing serum after the insoluble precipitate has been filtered by the filter material of the separation chamber to flow into the storage chamber. And means for transferring the serum in the storage chamber to the spectroscopic measurement device.

A third aspect of the present invention relates to a specific embodiment of the sampling cup, wherein a separation chamber having a wide cross-sectional area and a shallow bottom and a narrow cross-sectional area having a bottom are provided by a partition wall which is vertically oriented in the sampling cup. It is divided into a deep storage chamber of
A filter medium for separating an insoluble precipitate and serum by dispensing a reagent to blood injected into the separation chamber is provided on the bottom of the separation chamber, and the bottom faces toward the storage chamber. The present invention is characterized in that it has a flow channel whose tip is inclined and projects into the storage chamber, and the tip of the flow channel is closed by a severable shielding film.

The invention of claim 4 relates to a concrete means for causing the serum after being filtered in the separation chamber of the sampling cup to flow out into the storage chamber partitioned by the partition wall, and this means is provided in the storage chamber. It is characterized in that it comprises a cutting blade that breaks the cuttable shield film at the tip of the protruding flow path in the storage chamber.

Further, the invention of claim 5 relates to a specific embodiment of a filter medium for separating the sample blood, which is provided on the bottom surface of the separation chamber of the sampling cup, into an insoluble precipitate and serum, and the filter medium is a glass. It is characterized by comprising fibers, silica gel, and a layered filter made of a cation resin.

[0012]

According to the analysis method and apparatus of the present invention, when the vacuum blood collection tube and the sampling cup move to the front surface of the automatic blood analyzer at the same speed, the dispensing device of the automatic blood analyzer will have a predetermined vacuum. A sample blood is dispensed from a blood collection tube into a separation chamber of a corresponding sampling cup, and the sample blood is separated into an insoluble precipitate and serum by a filter medium in the separation chamber. When serum is filtered, the cutter of the automatic blood analyzer cuts the tip of the channel protruding into the storage chamber partitioned by the partition wall, and only the filtered serum is transferred to the storage chamber, and then the automatic blood analysis device Of the other dispensing device transfers the serum in the storage chamber to the spectroscopic measuring device of the automatic blood analyzer to automatically measure HDL cholesterol.

[0013]

EXAMPLE An apparatus for automatically analyzing HDL cholesterol according to the present invention will be described below with reference to an example shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of this apparatus, and A is a sampling cup 1. Is a transfer line for the vacuum blood collection tube 20, and C is an automatic blood analyzer.

2 and 3 show a sampling cup 1
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific configuration of the cup 1, which is made of synthetic resin, and has a partition wall 2 that partitions the inside of the cup in the vertical direction.
Thus, one of the cells has the same volume as the separation chamber 3 having a wide cross-sectional area and a shallow bottom, and the other is a storage chamber 4 having a narrow cross-sectional area and a deep bottom.

On the bottom surface 5 of the separation chamber 3, for example, glass fiber 7, silica gel 8 and cations are used as a filter medium for separating blood and insoluble precipitates generated by the divalent cation reagent and serum. A layered filter 6 made of resin 9 is provided. Further, on the lower surface of the bottom surface 5 of the separation chamber, there is provided a flow channel 10 in which the tip penetrates the partition wall 2 and is recessed so as to be sequentially inclined toward the adjacent storage chamber 4. The tip of the is closed by a shielding film 11 that can be easily cut by a cutter or the like.

The sampling cup 1 is filled with an appropriate amount of pure water 12 as a buffer for preventing the layered filter 6 from drying in the separation chamber 3 before use. The mouth of No. 1 is shielded by a cover film 13 such as aluminum foil.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of sampling cups 1 are arranged in advance in a stock yard 14 provided in the vicinity of the automatic blood analyzer C, and a transfer line for the automatic blood analyzer C and the vacuum blood collection tube 20. By the transfer line A provided in parallel with B, the respective sampling cups 1 are directed from the stockyard 14 in the processing direction at the same speed corresponding to the specific vacuum blood collection tube 20 in the transfer line B. Be transferred.

Further, in the automatic blood analyzer C, a drainer 31 for penetrating the cover film 13 at the mouth of the sampling cup 1 and sucking the pure water 12 in the separation chamber 3 from the right end portion. And a dispensing device 32 for transferring the sample blood in the vacuum blood collection tube 20 into the separation chamber 3 by the dispensing probe 33, and the storage chamber 4 of the sampling cup 1.
Cutting blade 3 for cutting off the tip of the flow path 10 inside
4 and a dispensing device 35 for transferring the filtered and filtered serum stored in the storage chamber 4 to the automatic spectroscopic measurement device 36 in the automatic blood analyzer C. In addition,
Reference numeral 37 indicates a reagent tank.

In FIG. 1, when the sampling cup 1a is sent to the front of the automatic blood analyzer C by the transfer line A, first, the barcode is set so that the sampling cup 1a and the specific vacuum blood collection tube 20a correspond to each other. Will be recorded. Next, the water removing device 31 of the analyzer C breaks through the cover film 13 at the mouth of the sampling cup 1a and sucks the pure water 12 in the separation chamber 3. Next, the analyzer C
The dispensing probe 33 of the dispensing device 32 sucks up the sample blood in the vacuum blood collection tube 20a and transfers the blood into the separation chamber 3 of the sampling cup 1a.

When the sample blood is transferred into the separation chamber 3 of the sampling cup 1a, the filter 6 in the separation chamber 3 causes a separation reaction between the insoluble precipitate in the blood and the serum, resulting in insolubility. The precipitate is adsorbed on the filter 6, and the filtered serum flows through the channel 10 provided on the bottom surface 5 toward the storage chamber 4. When the sampling cup 1a comes to the next position in the process, the cutting blade 34 provided in the analyzer C descends into the storage chamber 4 and cuts off the tip of the flow path 10, so that the HDL cholesterol-containing filtration is performed. Serum flows out and is stored in the storage chamber 4 through the flow path 10.

As described above, in order to prevent the filter 6 in the sampling cup 1 from being dried, if an appropriate amount of pure water 12 as a buffer is filled in the cup 1 in advance, the above-mentioned water drainage is performed. The filter 6 in a wet state after being drained by the device 31 facilitates the separation reaction between the insoluble precipitate in the blood and the serum, and the filtered serum contains a small amount of water and easily flows. This is preferable because it makes the outflow into the storage chamber 4 through the flow path 10 smooth.

The filtered serum passes through the flow path 10 and the storage chamber 4
When stored inside, another dispensing device 35 provided in the analyzer C sucks up the serum in the storage chamber 4 in the next process and transfers it to the automatic spectroscopic measurement device 36 of the analyzer C. Then, the HDL cholesterol level in the serum is automatically measured. After the measurement result is recorded in the analyzer C, the sampling cup 1 is discarded.

[0023]

According to the automatic analysis method and the apparatus therefor of the present invention, the serum containing HDL cholesterol is collected by the sampling cup equipped with the filter capable of separating the insoluble precipitate in the blood sample and the serum. Since it is automatically filtered, it is possible to omit the centrifuge method as a lipoprotein fractionation operation in this type of measurement method that was conventionally performed artificially, and to further analyze the serum after the lipoprotein fractionation. Since all the steps from the transfer to the measuring device to the measurement of HDL cholesterol level can be automatically performed without the need for human intervention, it is hygienic and there is a risk of causing a mistake in sample replacement. Moreover, there is an advantage that efficient measurement can be performed by significantly reducing the inspection time.

In the sampling cup used in the analytical method of the present invention, the silica gel constituting the filter is exchanged with various gels to separate and measure various proteins other than serum containing HDL cholesterol as described above. Also has the advantage of being available.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of an HDL cholesterol analyzer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a sampling cup used in the device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the sampling cup.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the HDL cholesterol analysis method according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Sampling cup A: Sampling cup transfer line B: Vacuum blood collection tube transfer line C: Blood automatic analyzer
2: Partition wall 3: Separation chamber 4: Storage chamber 5: Bottom surface 6: Filter (filter material) 7: Glass fiber 8: Silica gel 9: Cation resin 10: Flow path 11: Shielding membrane 12: Pure water 13: Lid membrane 14:
Stockyard 20: Vacuum blood collection tube 31: Drainer 32,3
5: Dispensing device 34: Cutting device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A separation chamber (3) having a shallow bottom and a deep storage chamber (4) defined by a vertical partition (2) is provided between a vacuum blood collection tube (20) and an automatic blood analyzer (C). Bottom 5 of 3
A filter medium 6 for separating an insoluble precipitate and serum by dispensing a reagent into blood is provided on the upper side, and a severable tip portion is provided below the bottom face 5 toward the inside of the adjacent storage chamber 4. A sampling cup 1 having a flow path 10 protruding in an inclined manner is arranged, and a dispensing device 3 of the automatic blood analyzer C is arranged.
2, the sample blood in the blood collection tube 20 and the reagent are injected into the separation chamber 3 in the sampling cup 1 to separate the blood into an insoluble precipitate and serum in the separation chamber 3, and then, Serum filtered by the filter medium 6 is stored in the storage chamber 4 by cutting the tip of the flow path 10, and the serum in the storage chamber 4 is transferred to the automatic blood analyzer C by the pipetting device 35 for automatic operation. HDL characterized by spectroscopic measurement processing
Automated method for cholesterol analysis. 2. A separation chamber 3 having a shallow bottom and a storage chamber 4 having a deep bottom, which are partitioned by a vertical partition 2, are provided between a vacuum blood collection tube 20 and an automatic blood analyzer C. Bottom 5 of 3
A filter medium 6 for separating an insoluble precipitate and serum by dispensing a reagent into blood is provided on the upper side, and a severable tip portion is provided below the bottom face 5 toward the inside of the adjacent storage chamber 4. A transfer path A of the sampling cup 1 having a flow path 10 protruding in an inclined manner is arranged, and the automatic blood analyzer C
The pipette 32 for moving the blood and the reagent in the vacuum blood collection tube 20 into the separation chamber 3 of the sampling cup 1 that moves at the same speed, and the serum separated by the filter medium 6 through the channel 10. HDL cholesterol having a cutting blade 34 for cutting the tip of the flow path 10 for transfer into the storage chamber 4 and a dispensing device 35 for transferring the serum in the storage chamber 4 to the automatic spectroscopic measurement device 36. Automatic analyzer. 3. A partition wall 2 in which the sampling cup 1 is vertically oriented.
Is divided into a separation chamber 3 having a wide cross-sectional area and a shallow bottom, and a storage chamber 4 having a narrow cross-sectional area and a deep bottom. The HDL cholesterol automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the distal end of the channel 10 projecting like a line is closed by a shielding film 11 that can be cut by an external cutting blade. 4. A filter medium 6 for separating blood into an insoluble precipitate and serum, which is provided on the bottom surface 5 in the separation chamber 3 of the sampling cup 1, is a layered layer made of glass fiber, silica gel and cation resin. The automatic analyzer for HDL cholesterol according to claim 2 or 3, which comprises a filter.