JP2002148263A - Method for evaluating and selecting absorptive article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for evaluating and selecting absorptive article which can satisfy the physiological and psychological needs of a wearer, using an absorptive article, such as the paper diaper, sanitary napkin, etc., itself. SOLUTION: In this method, the absorptive article is evaluated and selected, based on the concentration of immunoglobulin in the humor of the person wearing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for evaluating and selecting absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for measuring an immunoglobulin concentration in a body fluid, and evaluating and selecting an absorbent article that meets the physiological and psychological requirements of the wearer based on the measured value.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, in the market, absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, vagina liners, breast milk pads, etc., have different sizes (length, thickness, etc.), shapes, absorption amounts, prices, and the like. Classified and sold. Therefore, the purchaser selects and purchases an absorbent article based on the size, shape, and other external shapes, absorption amount, price, and the like.
In addition, since there is usually no specialized sales person at the sales floor, the purchaser selects and purchases the articles placed on the product shelf based on the size, shape, absorption amount, etc. displayed on the product package. That is the fact.

[0003] For example, in diapers for babies and infants, depending on the size according to weight (for newborns, S, M, L, etc.) and the classification based on whether or not the user can stand up (assembled with tape, pants type), adult paper diapers are used. Is purchased and selected by the purchaser according to waist size (S, M, L, etc.) and shape. However, in the case of infant diapers and adult paper diapers, since the purchaser and the user (wearer) are usually different, the size, leakage, etc. of the purchaser, It is normal that a product is selected after being determined. In particular,
This tendency is strong in infants with poor language and motor skills or in elderly people who have symptoms of dementia.

[0004] For this reason, products that meet the physiological and psychological requirements of the wearer themselves are not selected, and as a result, the wearer's feeling of wearing (feeling, tightening, and ease of movement) is inferior. Diaper rash (contact dermatitis) on the outside of the human body as a result of the risk of selecting a product
Etc., or cause stress on the wearer. Furthermore, the potential stress of continuous wearing of such an absorbent article can cause the wearer's immune function to decrease.

In the case of sanitary napkins, the absorption amount, length (large days, small days), and shape (presence or absence of blades)
For example, a product is selected and purchased. In the case of sanitary napkins, since the purchaser and the user (wearer) usually match, use products that match the user's physical condition and taste (feel, shape, absorption amount, etc.). Can be purchased from the user's experience, but the physiological and psychological requirements that the user perceives from the experience are not always correct, and may cause stress. May be. Furthermore, younger users have little experience in using napkins, so it is difficult to select products that meet true physiological and psychological requirements, and the selection criteria tend to be inclined toward taste.

[0006] In the field of product development and manufacture of absorbent articles such as diapers and sanitary napkins, such market conditions have led to the pursuit of purchasers' preferences and simplicity. May deviate from the true physiological and psychological requirements of the individual. However, a method for correcting such a situation has not been developed so far, and an appropriate index (measure) for evaluating and selecting an absorbent article that matches the comfort and wearing feeling of the wearer has been developed. There is no actual situation.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of evaluating and selecting an absorbent article that matches the physiological and psychological requirements of a wearer who uses an absorbent article such as a disposable diaper or a sanitary napkin.
More specifically, in producers who develop and manufacture absorbent articles such as diapers and sanitary napkins, select articles that are closer to physiological and psychological requirements such as the wearer's own comfort,
It is an object to provide a method that can be evaluated, and a method that enables a purchaser of an absorbent article such as a diaper or a sanitary napkin to select an article that matches the physiological and psychological requirements of the wearer.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems The present inventors have conducted intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, and as a result, have evaluated an absorbent article by using the concentration of immunoglobulin in a body fluid as an index (measure). And found that they can be selected, leading to the present invention. The present inventors have studied various indices that can objectively estimate the physiological state and psychological state of the wearer, and focused on the amount of immunoglobulin, and measured the immunoglobulin concentration in the body fluid of the wearer. It has been found that it has a relationship with the comfort of the absorbent article. In other words, the present inventors have found out that the immunoglobulin concentration in the body fluid of the wearer changes when the user wears the absorbent article and feels comfortable and when the user feels uncomfortable.

That is, the present invention provides (1) a method for evaluating the quality of an absorbent article using an immunoglobulin concentration in a body fluid as an index, and (2) a method for evaluating a wearer using the immunoglobulin concentration in a body fluid of the wearer as an index. (3) measuring the immunoglobulin concentration in the body fluid of the wearer wearing the absorbent article before and after urination, and changing the immunoglobulin concentration before and after urination And the method of the above (1) or (2), wherein the change rate is used as an index,
(4) The method according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the body fluid is saliva, and (5) the immunoglobulin is secretory immunoglobulin A, wherein (1) to (4). Method.

According to the present invention, an absorbent article which meets physiological and psychological requirements such as comfort of the wearer is evaluated by evaluating the absorbent article using the immunoglobulin concentration in the body fluid or the rate of change thereof as an index. Can be objectively and easily selected and evaluated.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The absorbent article according to the present invention includes a paper diaper, a sanitary napkin,
Mention may be made of sanitary tampons, interlabial absorbent pads, vaginal liners and breast milk pads, but the invention is also applicable to incontinence shorts and the like.

[0012] Immunity is a mechanism for preventing the internal environment of a living body from being disturbed by foreign substances such as bacteria that enter the living body environment from outside the living body, and maintaining the homeostasis of the living body. Representative proteins involved in immunity include lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and immunoglobulins. Immunoglobulins include IgD, IgG, IgE, IgA, Ig
Although classified into M and the like, IgA (immunoglobulin A) is a major immunoglobulin in the exocrine fluid and helps prevent infection on mucosal surfaces. IgA is commonly found in saliva, nasal secretions, intestinal and tracheal secretions, but is also present in serum.

When applying IgD, IgG, IgE, IgM, etc. to the measurement, blood must be collected, but when secretory immunoglobulin (sIgA) is measured, saliva may be collected and analyzed. Therefore, no pain is given to the subject. In order to collect blood, it is necessary to injure the skin with an injection needle or the like, and the pain itself is not only a stress but also may cause an infection from the wound, so it is preferable to avoid it. In the present invention, from such a viewpoint, it is preferable to measure secretory immunoglobulin (sIgA) in saliva.

Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIg) in saliva
The measurement of A) may be performed by any means capable of measuring sIgA (radioimmunoassay or sandwich antibody method). The following is an example of a method for measuring the sIgA concentration (Japanese Society of Physiological Anthropology) (See Handbook of Human Science Measurements, edited by the Measurement Research Subcommittee, published by Gihodo pp. 430-432).

[Method of collecting saliva] Five to six cotton pieces cut to about 3 cm are prepared, packed in the back of a cheek of a subject, and left for 5 minutes. The cotton that has absorbed the saliva is put into a centrifuge, and centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 5 minutes to separate and collect only the saliva.

[Procedure for measuring sIgA] The measurement was performed using “EIA s
-IgA test kit (manufactured by MBL Co., Ltd.) "as follows. 1) Addition of sample (i) The saliva collected and centrifuged is diluted 20, 50 and 100 times. (Ii) 0.4 ml of the reaction buffer is placed in a test tube, and 10 μl of the diluted sample is added and mixed well. 2) Primary reaction (i) Add anti-human secretary component-bound polystyrene balls to test tubes. (ii) Incubate at 37 ° C for 1 hour. 3) Washing (i) After completion of the reaction, the reaction solution is removed by suction. (Ii) After adding 1 ml of phosphate buffer and shaking well,
Remove by suction. (Iii) The operations of (i) and (ii) are repeated twice. 4) Secondary reaction (i) Add 0.3 ml of enzyme (peroxidase) -labeled anti-human IgA to the test tube after the above operation. (Ii) Leave at 20 ° C. for one hour. 5) Washing The same washing as in the above 3) is repeated three times. 6) Enzyme reaction (i) To a new test tube, add 0.5 ml of the enzyme substrate (δ-phenylenediamine) solution, and put the polystyrene ball in which the washing of 5) is completed. (Ii) Let stand at 20 ° C. for 30 minutes. 7) Termination of reaction After completion of the enzyme reaction in 6), add 2 ml of 1N sulfuric acid to the test tube to stop the reaction. 8) Measurement of absorbance The amount of 2,2'-diaminoazobenzol produced by the reaction is measured for absorbance at a wavelength of 492 nm using a spectrophotometer, and is applied to a standard curve to determine the s-IgA concentration.

The relationship between the sIgA concentration thus measured and the feeling of wearing the absorbent article was tested using a diaper. The following two types of pants-type diapers were prepared for the test.

[Table 1] Note) Absorption rate: The time until 200 ml of physiological saline is injected into the diaper surface and the entire amount of physiological saline is absorbed from the top sheet. Re-wet amount: 200 ml of physiological saline was charged, and after 5 minutes, a filter paper was placed under a load of 35 g / cm ² on the top sheet surface, and the amount of physiological saline absorbed by the filter paper. Absorbed amount: The whole diaper was immersed in physiological saline for 30 minutes, pulled up, and the weight before water absorption was subtracted from the weight of water drained under a load of 35 g / cm ² for 20 minutes. (G / p represents the absorbed weight per diaper). Water retention: What was obtained by subtracting the weight before absorption from the weight after centrifugal dehydration at 150 G for 90 seconds after the operation of measuring the absorption. Here, diaper I is a sample that represents a diaper having a high functionality and a high absorption rate, rewet amount, water absorption amount, and water retention amount, and diaper II is a low absorption rate, rewet amount, water absorption amount, and water retention amount. This is a sample that represents a diaper with poor functionality.

[Wearing test] A wearing test was carried out by seven adult panelists A to G. Room temperature 28 ° C, Humidity 60R
In the room of H%, the diaper I and the diaper II were attached to the panelists, and after 25 minutes, 37 ° C. simulated urine was poured into the diaper crotch portion using a silicone tube, and then the diaper was caught at 25%.
Continued wearing for minutes. For each panel, the sIgA concentration (ng / ml) before and immediately after urinating the simulated urine was measured by the measurement method described above.

The results are shown in Table 2.

[Table 2]

According to the results shown in Table 2, the diaper has good functionality.
In the case of diaper II, sIgA concentration after urination was higher than that of inferior diaper II, and the sIgA concentration after urination increased remarkably compared to that before urination. Low rate. Table 2 also shows the rate of change of the sIgA concentration before and after urination. Looking at the rate of change in sIgA concentration before and after urination, the diaper I with good functionality was 61.2% on average among seven panelists, whereas the diaper II with poor functionality was 25% in diaper II with poor functionality. 0.8%.

From these results, it was found that the diaper having good functionality had a high sIgA concentration after urination and a significantly high change rate of the sIgA concentration before and after urination. Conversely, it was found that the quality of the diaper can be evaluated and judged by measuring the sIgA concentration after urination and / or the change rate of the sIgA concentration before and after urination. This result not only indicates that the sIgA concentration and its rate of change at the diaper development site or production site can be used as an evaluation index of the quality of the diaper, but also for wearers who cannot express the feeling of wearing such as infants or the elderly in language. It shows that it can be applied as an index for selecting a diaper that feels comfortable and has a good fit.

By applying this result, it is possible to develop and produce a diaper having a high rate of change in the sIgA concentration of a try-on person and the sIgA concentration before and after urination, thereby providing a suitable product to a user (wearer). It is possible to achieve an excellent effect of becoming. Also, by wearing diaper I, it is possible to increase the sIgA concentration of the wearer as compared with wearing diaper II, so by continuing to wear the diaper selected in this evaluation, It is expected that immunity will be enhanced.

Although the present invention has been described above by showing the relationship between the difference in the absorption performance of diapers and the immunoglobulin concentration, the same applies to other physical properties of the absorbent article, such as feel, tightening, and ease of movement. By measuring the state of immunity according to the method described above, it is possible to select an absorbent article having a function appropriate for the wearer. Further, the relationship with the immunoglobulin concentration was tested using diapers as an example, but similar results are expected for absorbent articles other than diapers.

[0024]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Embodiment 1 As Embodiment 1, an embodiment of a diaper will be described.
Three diapers I to III having different absorption performances (see Table 3) were attached to seven adult panelists. Room temperature 28 ° C, Humidity 6
In a room of 0 RH%, the diapers were mounted on panelists, and after 25 minutes, simulated urine at 37 ° C. was injected into the diaper crotch using a silicone tube, and was continuously worn for 25 minutes.

[SIgA Concentration] For each panelist, the sIgA concentration (ng / m 2) was measured before urination of the simulated urine and immediately after urination.
l) was measured by the measurement method described above. Table 4 shows the average sIgA concentration obtained from the seven panelists together with the rate of change in sIgA concentration before and after urination.

[Comfort] The comfort of the wearer after urination was evaluated on the following three levels. 3: Almost no change compared to the feeling of wearing before urination. 2: Slightly uncomfortable compared to the feeling of wearing before urination. 1: Discomfort compared to the feeling of wearing before urination. Table 4 shows the average values of the seven panelists.

[Observation of skin condition] Each diaper was worn by an elderly subject in need of nursing care, the average of seven diapers was changed daily, and after 5 days of use, the condition of the skin was visually observed. Table 4 shows the results
Shown in

[0028]

[Table 3]

[0029]

[Table 4]

From the results in Tables 3 and 4, sIg after urination was obtained.
It was confirmed that the A concentration and the rate of change of the sIgA concentration before and after urination were proportional to the comfort of the wearer. In addition, sIgA after urination
It was confirmed that the diaper having a high rate of change in the concentration and the sIgA concentration was also excellent on the skin of the wearer.

[0031]

Example 2 Example 2 shows an example of an absorbent article for women. [Sample] Two types of sanitary napkins I and II (see Table 5) having different performances were prepared.

[Table 5] Note) Hardness of surface slip: MIU value (average friction coefficient) measured using an automatic surface tester (KES FB-4S, manufactured by Kato Tech). The larger the value, the harder the surface slips. Surface roughness: automatic surface tester (Kato Tech K
MFD value (fluctuation in friction coefficient) measured using ES FB-4S). The higher the value, the greater the surface roughness. Surface roughness: Automatic surface tester (Kato Tech KES)
SMD value (fluctuation in surface thickness) measured using FB-4S). The higher the value, the rougher the surface. The MIU value, MMD value, and SMD value are indices that are often used to represent the surface characteristics of a film-like sample such as cloth, paper, and nonwoven fabric (Kikawa Kawabata, Textile Engineering, Vol. 33, No.
2 (1980) pp136-142).

[Wearing test] Room temperature 26 ° C, humidity 60RH%
In the room, 15 panelists were fitted with napkins I and II. All panelists are women in their twenties with regular menstrual cycles, 7 to 10 days after the onset of menstruation. After entering the room, the panelist rested in a sitting position for 20 minutes, then put on napkin I or II, and continued wearing it in a resting state.

[SIgA concentration]

[0015]

[0016] Saliva was collected from panelists and the sIgA concentration was measured by the method described in (1). The sIgA concentration was measured immediately after the napkin I or II was attached (30 minutes after entering the room) and after 9 minutes.
Performed after 0 minutes. The average of the 15 panelists is shown in Table 6 together with the average of the rate of increase.

[Sensory Evaluation Method] At 90 minutes after entering the room,
The napkin I or II was subjected to a sensory evaluation of the rough feeling on the following five levels. 1: I feel very soft. 2: Feels soft. 3: Neither can be said. 4: Gogowawa. 5: Very rough. Table 6 shows the average values of 15 panelists.

[0035]

[Table 6]

From the results of napkins I and II in Table 6, it was confirmed that napkin I having no rough feeling had a larger increase rate of sIgA concentration in saliva. Further, since napkin I has a larger increase rate of sIgA concentration, it can be said that napkin I has an effect of enhancing immunity. From the above, it was found that even in the absorbent article for women, it is possible to evaluate and select the difference in the feeling of wearing due to the difference in the physical properties of the surface from the immune state of the human body. This not only indicates that the concentration of immunoglobulins in body fluids and the rate of change in the development or production of women's absorbent articles are evaluation criteria for the quality of women's absorbent articles. It also shows that the wearing feeling of the wearer can be objectively evaluated from the globulin concentration.

[0037]

According to the present invention, if immunoglobulin is used as an index, an absorbent article having an appropriate function can be objectively evaluated. Therefore, it is possible to develop and provide an absorbent article having an appropriate function. Can help. Also, by measuring the sIgA concentration of the wearer and the rate of change thereof before and after urination, it becomes possible to select and purchase an absorbent article that matches the comfort of the wearer.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A method for evaluating the quality of an absorbent article using an immunoglobulin concentration in a body fluid as an index. 2. A method for selecting an absorbent article suitable for a wearer using an immunoglobulin concentration in a body fluid of the wearer as an index. 3. The immunoglobulin concentration in the body fluid of the wearer wearing the absorbent article is measured before and after urination, the rate of change of the immunoglobulin concentration before and after urination is determined, and the change rate is used as an index. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is used as: 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the body fluid is saliva. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the immunoglobulin is secretory immunoglobulin A.