JP2010004770A - Device for sperm inspection - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for sperm inspection that carries out a detailed inspection. <P>SOLUTION: The device 1 for sperm inspection is provided with a vessel body 2 for storing a sample solution 5 containing a culture solution and semen and a first tube 3 and a second tube 4 that are connected to the vessel body 2 so as to penetrate the sample solution 5 to the insides and are transparent from the base ends to the tips. The first tube 3 has an approximately same inner diameter from the base end to the tip and the second tube 4 has a tapered shape gradually diminishing its inner diameter in the direction of the tip. The angles between each of the first tube 3 and the second tube 4 and the vertical direction of the vessel body 2 are mutually approximately the same and the first tube 3 and the second tube 4 are close to each other and connected approximately in parallel to the vessel body 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sperm tester. Specifically, the present invention relates to a sperm tester that can easily check the sperm state of a male subject with a microscope or the like.

Due to the recent stress society and environmental hormones, the proportion of infertile cases is increasing. In addition, progress in the treatment of male infertility, which accounts for about half of the causes of infertility, is expected, but the treatment results are not so good.
In addition, in order to take a medical test for infertility, the subject must go to a medical facility such as a hospital or a health check facility. However, it is a heavy burden on the subject that the subject himself / herself goes to the medical facility. In particular, when the subject's body is inconvenient, when the subject lives in an inconvenient location, when the subject's work style makes it difficult for them to receive a medical checkup or medical checkup, or when they have visited a medical facility The burden is more pronounced if you do not want to be seen.

  Therefore, it is expected to develop a method in which semen is put into a container by the subject himself and sent to a medical facility or inspection organization, and the medical facility or inspection organization creates the inspection result and reports the inspection result to the subject. As an instrument that can be used in such a method, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a sperm tester as shown in FIG. That is, Patent Document 1 describes a container 110 having a side wall (112, 114, 116, 118) and a bottom portion 120 that form a sample receiver 121 for storing a sample 130 containing a male donor's semen. . Further, Patent Document 1 describes that the capturing tool 124 is arranged in the sample receiver 121 or configured so that the moving sperm can migrate to the conduit 122 of the capturing tool 124. Further, Patent Document 1 describes that a second container 131 including a means for inspecting motor spermatozoa in order to determine the pregnancy ability of the sample 134 is placed in a test tube after the capturing tool is taken out of the container 110. .

Japanese National Patent Publication No. 11-514204

  However, with the sperm tester of Patent Document 1, it is possible to determine the number of sperm, but there are sperm with good movement and sperm with poor movement, and it is normal because there are many sperm. If the test results were obtained but it was not easy to become pregnant, it only confused the people concerned. Therefore, an inspection device capable of performing a more detailed inspection has been demanded.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a sperm tester capable of performing a detailed test.

  In order to achieve the above object, a sperm tester according to the present invention includes a container main body that contains a liquid, a first main body that is connected to the container main body so that the liquid can enter the inside, and at least a tip is transparent. A tube and a second tube, wherein the first tube has substantially the same inner diameter from the proximal end to the distal end, and the second tube has an inner diameter on the proximal end side larger than the inner diameter on the distal end side, The angle formed between each of the first tube and the second tube and the vertical direction of the container main body is substantially the same as each other, and sperm is inspected.

Here, the number of sperm can be observed by the first tube having substantially the same inner diameter from the proximal end to the distal end.
In addition, the number of sperm with good mobility can be observed by the second tube having a proximal end inner diameter larger than a distal end inner diameter.
In addition, the angle between the first tube and the second tube and the vertical direction of the container body is substantially the same, so that the conditions for sperm to enter the tube are the same.

  In the sperm tester of the present invention, the second tube can have a tapered shape whose inner diameter decreases in the distal direction.

  In the sperm tester according to the present invention, when the first tube and the second tube are connected to the container body in close proximity to each other, the first tube and the second tube are joined together with a microscope or the like. It is convenient to observe.

  Further, in the sperm tester of the present invention, when the first tube and the second tube are transparent from the proximal end to the distal end, the inside of the tube can be easily observed with a microscope or the like.

  In the sperm tester of the present invention, it is preferable that each of the first tube and the second tube is substantially parallel to the ground plane of the container body.

  A detailed test can be performed by the sperm tester according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a sperm tester to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, a sperm tester 1 according to the present invention includes a container main body 2 that contains a sample liquid 5 containing a culture solution and semen, and is connected to the container main body 2 so that the sample liquid 5 can enter the inside. A first tube 3 and a second tube 4 that are transparent from end to end are provided.
The first tube 3 has substantially the same inner diameter from the proximal end to the distal end, and the second tube 4 has a tapered shape in which the inner diameter gradually decreases in the distal direction.
In addition, the angles formed between the first tube 3 and the second tube 4 and the vertical direction of the container body 2 are substantially the same, and the first tube 3 and the second tube 4 are mutually connected. It is connected to the container body 2 in close proximity and in parallel.
Further, each of the first tube 3 and the second tube 4 is substantially parallel to the ground surface of the container body 2.

  Moreover, the length of the 1st pipe | tube 3 and the 2nd pipe | tube 4 is 20 mm, respectively. Further, the inner diameter of the first tube 3 is 0.13 mm, and the inner diameter in the vicinity of the proximal end of the second tube 4 is also 0.13 mm. 0.08 mm.

Here, as long as at least the distal ends of the first tube and the second tube are transparent, it is not necessarily transparent from the proximal end to the distal end.
Further, as long as the inner diameter on the proximal end side of the second tube is larger than the inner diameter on the distal end side, the second tube does not necessarily have a tapered shape in which the inner diameter gradually decreases in the distal direction.
The first tube has substantially the same inner diameter from the proximal end to the distal end, and the second tube has an inner diameter on the proximal end side larger than the inner diameter on the distal end side, and the first tube and the second tube respectively. And the vertical direction of the container body are substantially the same as each other, the first tube and the second tube may not necessarily be connected to the container body in parallel and close to each other, For example, they may be connected in directions opposite to each other by 180 degrees, and the first tube and the second tube may not be substantially parallel to the grounding surface of the container body. It may be oriented toward the ground or in the direction of the ground plane.
The first tube has substantially the same inner diameter from the proximal end to the distal end, and the second tube has an inner diameter on the proximal end side larger than the inner diameter on the distal end side, and the first tube and the second tube respectively. As long as the angles formed between the container and the vertical direction of the container body are substantially the same, the lengths and the inner diameters of the first tube and the second tube are not necessarily the above values.

Next, a sperm inspection method using the sperm tester of the present invention will be described.
A subject who has obtained the sperm tester 1 of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1 collects semen by using a technique in an ascetic period of 2 to 3 days at a subject's home and collects it in a cup. Semen is a mixture of sperm, prostate fluid, seminal vesicle fluid, etc., and since these are not uniform immediately after ejaculation, the collected semen is allowed to stand in air for 30-60 minutes to be uniform (liquefaction) .
Then, the test subject dropped several drops of 10% serum-added human fallopian tube synthesis medium (m-HTF) onto the container body 2 and added 10% serum to the tips of the first tube 3 and the second tube 4. Fill with human oviduct synthesis medium. Next, the subject collects the liquefied semen with a dropper, drops the liquefied semen until it overflows from the container body 2, and the first tube 3 filled with 10% serum-added human fallopian tube synthesis culture solution and The second tube 4 and semen are brought into contact.

Next, the subject sends the sperm tester 1 of the present invention containing the sample solution 5 containing the culture solution and the semen in this manner to a medical facility or an inspection organization. This is the end of the subject.
In a medical facility or inspection institution that has received the sperm tester 1 in which the sample solution 5 is accommodated, a doctor or a specialized laboratory engineer fills the first tube 3 or the second tube 4 with the sample solution 5 filled in the first tube 3. Observation with a microscope through the first tube 3 and the second tube 4. At this time, an antibody against sperm may be mixed with the sample solution 5 to develop the sperm. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the state of sperm in the tip of the first tube and in the tip of the second tube.

  Here, 10% serum-added human fallopian tube synthesis culture solution (m-HTF) is used as the culture solution, but a 10% serum-added human fallopian tube synthesis is not necessarily required if the sperm can survive and move. The culture solution (m-HTF) may not be used.

  FIG. 2 (a) shows a state in which the number of sperm is sufficient and the number of sperm with good motility is also sufficient. FIG. 2 (b) shows a state where the number of sperm is sufficient, but the number of sperm with good motility is small. Moreover, FIG.2 (c) shows a state with few sperm numbers and few sperm numbers with favorable motility.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the number of spermatozoa 6 in the distal end portion of the first tube 3 and the number of sperm 6 in the distal end portion of the second tube 4 are large. The reason why it is determined that there is a sufficient number of good sperm is as follows.
Since the first tube 3 has a straight shape with a constant inner diameter as shown in FIG. 1 and the lumen is eventually filled with semen evenly by convection, the distal end of the first tube 3 is also in the semen regardless of the sperm motility. Sperm are observed in proportion to the sperm concentration. On the other hand, the second tube 4 has a straight shape with a constant inner diameter and a tapered shape in which the inner diameter gradually decreases in the distal direction, but convection is significantly reduced at the point where the straight shape changes to a tapered shape. This is because the movement of the sperm toward the tip is thought to be due to the straight movement of the sperm itself.

  Next, the results of examining the sperm of eight male subjects by the method as described above using the sperm tester of the present invention are shown in the table.

As shown in the table, Examples 1 and 2 are examples with “small sperm count and poor movement”, and Examples 3 and 4 are examples with “low sperm count but good movement”. Examples 5 and 6 are examples of “there are many sperm counts but poor movement”, and examples 7 and 8 are examples of “there are many sperm counts and good movement”.
Therefore, by providing two types of tubes, the first tube and the second tube, the total number of sperm and the number of sperm with good motility can be determined and compared. The most important infertility treatment that was overlooked as normal, “the number of sperm is large, but the motility is not good (movement is poor)” can be determined, and thus a detailed test result can be obtained. It becomes possible.

  As described above, the sperm tester of the present invention includes the first tube having substantially the same inner diameter from the proximal end to the distal end, and the second tube having an inner diameter on the proximal end side larger than the inner diameter on the distal end side. The number of sperm can be observed with the first tube, and the number of sperm with good motility can be observed with the second tube. The total number of sperm and the number of sperm with good motility can be observed. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a detailed test result that “there is a large number of sperm but the motility is not good”.

  In addition, since the first tube and the second tube are connected to the container main body in close proximity to each other, the first tube and the second tube can be observed together with a microscope or the like. It is easy to compare the number with the number of sperm with good motility.

  In addition, since the culture solution and semen need only be put into the sperm tester of the present invention and then only observed with a microscope or the like, the subject does not bother to go to the medical facility or inspection facility, It is only necessary to perform a simple operation of placing the sperm tester into the sperm tester of the present invention, and then send the sperm tester filled with the culture solution and semen to the medical facility or inspection institution to obtain the test result from the expert. You can be notified.

It is the schematic explaining an example of the sperm inspection device to which this invention is applied. It is the schematic which shows the state of the sperm in the front-end | tip part of a 1st pipe | tube, and the front-end | tip part of a 2nd pipe | tube. It is the schematic of the conventional sperm tester.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sperm tester 2 Container body 3 1st pipe | tube 4 2nd pipe | tube 5 Sample liquid 6 Sperm

Claims (5)

A container body for containing a liquid;
A first tube and a second tube that are connected to the container body so that the liquid can enter the interior and at least the tip is transparent;
The first tube has substantially the same inner diameter from the proximal end to the distal end,
The second tube has a proximal inner diameter larger than a distal inner diameter,
An angle formed between each of the first tube and the second tube and the vertical direction of the container body is substantially the same. The sperm tester according to claim 1, wherein the second tube has a tapered shape in which an inner diameter decreases in a distal direction. The sperm tester according to claim 1, wherein the first tube and the second tube are connected to the container body in close proximity to each other and substantially parallel to each other. The sperm tester according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first tube and the second tube are transparent from a proximal end to a distal end. The sperm tester according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each of the first tube and the second tube is substantially parallel to a ground plane of the container body.

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