Calibrator for calibrating collagen content determination and method and system for measuring collagen content

Abstract

The invention relates to a calibration piece for calibrating collagen content determination and a method and a system for measuring collagen content. The calibration piece comprises a plurality of groups of collagen components with different collagen contents, and when the calibration piece is scanned by CT equipment, a collagen content-CT value corresponding relation is obtained based on CT scanning data of at least two groups of collagen components in the plurality of groups of collagen components and respective collagen contents of the at least two groups of collagen components. The method comprises the following steps: scanning the calibration piece through CT equipment to obtain a collagen content-CT value corresponding relation; scanning a measured object through the CT equipment to obtain CT scanning data of the measured object; and obtaining the collagen content in the measured object based on the corresponding relationship between the CT scanning data of the measured object and the collagen content-CT value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical testing, and more specifically to calibration devices for calibrating collagen content determination, and methods and systems for measuring collagen content. Background Technology

[0002] Collagen (also known as collagen protein) is essential for living organisms. Especially for the human body, collagen is the most abundant protein, found throughout various tissues and organs. It is a crucial structural protein component of connective tissues such as skin, bone and cartilage, teeth, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. It participates in physiological functions including cell morphology, proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, migration, individual development, reproduction, information transmission, blood clotting, and tissue repair. It is also related to skin aging and the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Therefore, measuring the collagen content in the human body is essential in clinical testing.

[0003] While various analytical methods commonly used in biochemistry and analytical chemistry can quantify collagen, they are extremely cumbersome. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), another method, not only requires specialized equipment, increasing complexity, but also has significant limitations. Furthermore, none of these methods can perform detection on living organisms; ex vivo samples must be obtained first for analysis.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new technology that can conveniently and accurately measure the collagen content of an object. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to overcome the above-mentioned and / or other problems in the prior art. By scanning the calibration piece provided by the present invention for calibrating collagen content determination with a CT (computed tomography) device, the method and system of the present invention for measuring collagen content can achieve accurate determination of collagen content in the human body or other objects.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a calibration device for calibrating collagen content determination is provided, which may include multiple groups of collagen components with different collagen contents, wherein when the calibration device is scanned by a CT device, a collagen content-CT value correspondence is obtained based on the CT scan data of at least two of the multiple groups of collagen components and the collagen content of each of the at least two groups of collagen components.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for measuring collagen content is provided, which may include the following steps: scanning the above-described calibration piece of the present invention using a CT device to obtain CT scan data of the at least two groups of collagen components; obtaining a correspondence between collagen content and CT value based on the CT scan data of the at least two groups of collagen components and the collagen content of each of the at least two groups of collagen components; scanning a measurement object using the CT device to obtain CT scan data of the measurement object; and obtaining the collagen content in the measurement object based on the CT scan data of the measurement object and the correspondence between collagen content and CT value.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a system for measuring collagen content is provided, which may include a CT device and a computing unit. The CT device may be configured to: scan the aforementioned calibration element of the present invention to obtain CT scan data of the at least two sets of collagen components; and scan a measurement object to obtain CT scan data of the measurement object. The computing unit may be configured to: obtain a collagen content-CT value correspondence based on the CT scan data of the at least two sets of collagen components and the collagen content of each of the at least two sets of collagen components; and obtain the collagen content in the measurement object based on the CT scan data of the measurement object and the collagen content-CT value correspondence.

[0009] Through extensive experimentation, the inventors of this application discovered a one-to-one correspondence between CT scan data (CT values) obtained from scanning different collagen contents and their corresponding collagen components using the same CT device (under the same system parameters), and this relationship is essentially linear. Based on this significant discovery, the inventors ingeniously introduced a calibration component comprising multiple sets of collagen components with different contents. By scanning this calibration component with the CT device, a highly accurate correspondence between collagen content and CT value under the CT device can be obtained based on the CT scan data and the pre-known different collagen contents. With this correspondence, the collagen content of any object scanned by the CT device can be conveniently and accurately measured.

[0010] It should be noted that even with the same CT scanner, system parameters can change over time, leading to different CT values ​​when scanning the same amount of collagen. The aforementioned calibration device effectively corrects for errors caused by these system parameter variations. By scanning the calibration device with the current CT scanner, a precise correspondence between collagen content and CT value under the current system parameters can be obtained.

[0011] The calibration device of the present invention is specifically designed for the above-mentioned collagen content measurement. Because existing technologies cannot perform collagen measurements using CT equipment, no calibration device is designed to contain multiple sets of collagen components with different contents. However, it should be noted that the calibration device of the present invention is not limited to use in the above-mentioned collagen content measurement; it can also be pre-scanned with a CT device before the collagen content measurement to obtain the correspondence between the collagen content and the CT value.

[0012] Furthermore, the calibration components of the present invention may include various types, such as phantoms and collagen-water mixtures.

[0013] Taking a phantom as an example, as mentioned earlier, existing technologies cannot perform collagen measurements using CT equipment, and therefore, there has never been a calibration phantom for collagen determination. However, this invention provides such a calibration phantom, which can include multiple regions, each of which can be equipped with a collagen raw material. The collagen raw materials in each region have collagen components with different collagen contents. Any CT device can obtain a high-precision correspondence between collagen content and CT value by scanning this phantom. Subsequently, by scanning any object with the same CT device, the collagen content of that object can be conveniently and accurately obtained.

[0014] As previously mentioned, the inventors discovered through experiments that there is a very close linear correspondence between different collagen contents and the CT scan data (CT values) obtained after scanning with a CT device. This correspondence can be represented by a linear function: y=kx+b, where y is the collagen content and x is the CT value.

[0015] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having encoded instructions recorded thereon, which, when executed, enable the method of the present invention for measuring collagen content.

[0016] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed, enables the method of the present invention for measuring collagen content.

[0017] Other features and aspects of the invention will become clearer from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The invention can be better understood by describing exemplary embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a calibration piece for calibrating collagen content determination according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 2 It shows the scanning method using a CT scanner. Figure 1The straight line showing the collagen content-CT value relationship fitted by the calibration piece shown; Figure 3 The figure shows a straight line representing the relationship between collagen content and corresponding CT scan data obtained by fitting different scanning parameters; Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for measuring collagen content according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 5 The slopes of the regression lines between the collagen content measured using the collagen content measurement method of this invention under different scanning conditions and the actual collagen content of the collagen component were compared; and Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of a system for measuring collagen content according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. More details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can obviously be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein. Those skilled in the art can make similar extensions and derivations based on actual application situations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment.

[0020] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the claims and description shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in the description and claims of this application do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. The terms "an" or "a" and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. The terms "comprising" or "including" and similar terms mean that the element or object preceding "comprising" or "including" encompasses the element or object listed following "comprising" or "including" and its equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. The terms "connected" or "linked" and similar terms are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, nor are they limited to direct or indirect connections.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a calibration piece for calibrating collagen content determination is provided.

[0022] Figure 1 The diagram schematically illustrates such a calibration element 100, which may include multiple groups of collagen components with different collagen contents (collagen component 1~collagen component 2). n (where n is a positive integer greater than 1), and they have collagen contents of 1 to collagen content respectively. n(This can be uniformly expressed as, for example, concentration, with units of mg / ml). When such as Figure 1 The calibration piece 100 was scanned using a CT scanner as shown in the figure, and the results corresponding to collagen components 1 to 100 were obtained. n CT scan data for each of them (CT value 1~CT value 2) n By selecting any two sets of values ​​from these CT scan data, such as CT value 1 and CT value 2, we can obtain two points (CT value 1, collagen content 1) and (CT value 2, collagen content 2) with the CT scan data on the horizontal axis and collagen content on the vertical axis. Based on these two points, a straight line that can approximately represent the relationship between collagen content and CT value can be fitted, such as... Figure 2 As shown in the image.

[0023] As previously stated, the inventors of this application have discovered through extensive experimental research that, for the same CT device with the same system parameters, regardless of the scanning conditions used, there is always a very close linear relationship between CT scan data and collagen content.

[0024] For example, eight sets of collagen-water mixed solutions with collagen contents of 0 mg / ml, 10 mg / ml, 20 mg / ml, 30 mg / ml, 40 mg / ml, 60 mg / ml, 80 mg / ml, and 100 mg / ml can be obtained by solution preparation. These eight sets of solutions are scanned by the same CT equipment under different scanning conditions, as shown in Table 1 below.

[0025]

[0026] After each scan of the eight solutions, eight CT values ​​are obtained. A total of six scans are performed. By fitting eight points (x-axis: CT value; y-axis: collagen content of the solution corresponding to each CT value) to each scan, six straight lines are obtained, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown, R 2 The coefficient of determination (the closer to 1, the better the fit), P < 0.001 (P < 0.05 indicates statistical significance; the smaller the P value, the stronger the reason to believe the result is due to the true effect rather than random error). From Figure 3 It can be clearly seen that regardless of the settings of the tube current and pitch parameters, the collagen content and the CT scan data obtained by scanning this collagen content are basically linearly related. This indicates that the linear relationship can accurately reflect the relationship between CT scan data and collagen content, approaching the true value.

[0027] Based on the above findings, the inventors pioneered the use of CT equipment to measure collagen, and the calibration piece of this invention is specifically designed for such measurement. No existing calibration piece has ever been specifically designed to include multiple groups of collagen components with different collagen contents, thereby allowing CT values ​​corresponding to different collagen contents to be obtained after scanning with a CT device. Subsequently, a collagen content-CT value correlation can be fitted based on these collagen contents and their corresponding CT values. For any CT device, simply scanning the calibration piece of this invention with it can easily yield a highly accurate collagen content-CT value correlation, making it possible to subsequently measure the collagen content of any object using this CT device.

[0028] It should be noted that, despite the above combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 The described embodiment is based on fitting two points to obtain the correspondence between collagen content and CT value. However, it can be understood that the more points the fitting is based on, the closer the fitted straight line will be to the true correspondence between collagen content and CT value.

[0029] Furthermore, as CT equipment's system parameters shift over time, the CT scan data may deviate from previous scans. Therefore, to ensure higher accuracy in the collagen content-CT value correspondence used for collagen content determination, the calibration piece of this invention can be scanned simultaneously with each collagen content determination, calibrating the collagen content-CT value correspondence to the level closest to the current system parameters. For example, a phantom can be placed below the object being measured, and the phantom can be scanned simultaneously with the object, thus obtaining both the CT value of the object and the current collagen content-CT value correspondence with the CT equipment. Alternatively, the calibration can be performed before or after each collagen content determination. It is understood that the shorter the time interval between the calibration and the subsequent collagen content determination, the higher the accuracy. However, it is understandable that, depending on the actual situation, it is not always necessary to recalibrate the collagen content-CT value correspondence using the calibration kit of this invention before and after each collagen content measurement using CT equipment. Instead, the collagen content-CT value correspondence obtained from the most recent calibration using the calibration kit of this invention can be used directly. For example, the time since the last calibration may be relatively recent, or the accuracy requirements for collagen content measurement may be sufficient even without recalibration, or the time for measuring collagen content may be tight.

[0030] Optionally, the calibration component of the present invention can be a phantom. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the phantom may include multiple regions, each region having a collagen raw material body, and the collagen raw material bodies in each region having collagen components with different collagen contents. Since prior art has never attempted to use CT equipment for collagen content determination, no calibration phantom has ever been specifically designed as this invention to contain multiple collagen components with different collagen contents in the form of a collagen raw material body. This phantom can be conveniently used with various different CT equipment to calibrate the collagen content-CT value correspondence corresponding to that CT equipment to the closest accuracy to the actual value.

[0031] Optionally, the calibration component of the present invention can also be a collagen-water mixture. In the absence of a phantom, multiple sets of collagen-water mixtures with different collagen contents can be prepared, and these multiple sets of collagen-water mixtures can be scanned using a CT scanner to obtain the collagen content-CT value correspondence for that CT scanner.

[0032] The phantom embodiments described above are equivalent to solid-state calibration devices, and the collagen-water mixed solution embodiments described above are equivalent to liquid-state calibration devices. However, it is understood that the calibration devices of the present invention are not limited to the two embodiments described above. Any entity having multiple sets of collagen components with different collagen contents that can be scanned by a CT scanner to obtain corresponding CT values ​​can serve as the calibration device of the present invention. Furthermore, when using the phantom calibration device for calibration, the CT scanner can be used to scan only certain areas as needed to obtain a collagen content-CT value correspondence sufficient to fit the required accuracy. Similarly, when using the collagen-water mixed solution calibration device for calibration, the CT scanner can be used to scan only a few sets of the multiple sets of collagen-water mixed solutions as needed to obtain a collagen content-CT value correspondence sufficient to fit the required accuracy.

[0033] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for measuring collagen content is provided.

[0034] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method 400 for measuring collagen content according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 As shown, the method 400 may include steps 420 to 480.

[0035] In step 420, the calibration piece of the present invention described above can be scanned using a CT device to obtain CT scan data of at least two sets of collagen components.

[0036] As described above Figure 1 The calibration component 100 of the present invention may include multiple groups of collagen components 1 to 2 collagen components with different collagen contents. n They respectively have collagen content of 1~ collagen contentn By scanning the calibration piece 100 with a CT scanner, at least two sets of CT values ​​can be obtained, for example, CT value 1 and CT value 2 corresponding to collagen component 1 and collagen component 2, respectively.

[0037] In step 440, the correspondence between collagen content and CT value can be obtained based on the CT scan data of the at least two groups of collagen components and the collagen content of each of the at least two groups of collagen components.

[0038] As described above Figure 1 and Figure 2 Based on the aforementioned CT values ​​1 and 2, and the respective collagen contents 1 and 2 of collagen components 1 and 2, two points (CT value 1, collagen content 1) and (CT value 2, collagen content 2) can be obtained, with the horizontal axis representing the CT scan data and the vertical axis representing the collagen content. A straight line that approximates the collagen content-CT value relationship can be fitted using these two points. Similarly, the more points the fitting is based on, the closer the fitted line will be to the true collagen content-CT value relationship.

[0039] Alternatively, a linear function y=kx+b can be used to represent the above correspondence between collagen content and CT value, where y is collagen content and x is CT value.

[0040] By substituting the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of the points (CT value 1, collagen content 1) and (CT value 2, collagen content 2) into the above y=kx+b, we can calculate: k = (collagen content 2 - collagen content 1) / (CT value 2 - CT value 1). b = Collagen content 1 - CT value 1 (Collagen content 2 - Collagen content 1) / (CT value 2 - CT value 1).

[0041] The collagen content-CT value correspondence corresponding to the CT device can be obtained for the first time through steps 420 and 440 above, so as to facilitate the subsequent measurement of the collagen content of any object based on this correspondence. Alternatively, steps 420 and 440 above can be used to calibrate the collagen content-CT value correspondence corresponding to the CT device that has been obtained in advance, so as to ensure that the collagen content of the object can be measured based on a more accurate collagen content-CT value correspondence in the future.

[0042] Next, in step 460, the object being measured can be scanned using the CT device to obtain CT scan data of the object, such as CT values. 测量物体 .

[0043] Then, in step 480, the collagen content in the measured object can be obtained based on the CT scan data of the measured object and the correspondence between the collagen content and the CT value.

[0044] For example, it can be Figure 2 The x-coordinate of the fitted line is the CT value. 测量物体 The point on the right, with its vertical coordinate representing the collagen content of the measured object, i.e., collagen content. 测量物体 Alternatively, x = CT value can be used. 测量物体 Substitute the values ​​into the linear function y=kx+b above to calculate the collagen content of the measured object.

[0045] Figure 5 The regression line slopes of collagen content measured using the collagen content measurement method of this invention under different scanning conditions were compared with those of the actual collagen content of the collagen component. A~C represent comparisons under different tube currents (tube current in A is 230mA, in B is 315mA, and in C is 400mA), and D and E represent comparisons under different pitches (pitch in D is 0.984:1, and in E is 0.516:1). The hypothesis H0 was that the regression line slopes were equal under all these different scanning conditions. The calculated p-values ​​were all greater than 0.05. Therefore, it can be concluded that the above hypothesis H0 cannot be rejected. This indicates that the regression line slopes under different scanning parameters (pitch, tube current) are not significantly different and are consistent, with the regression lines nearly parallel. This demonstrates that the collagen content measurement method of this invention has extremely high measurement accuracy and stability.

[0046] Table 2 below shows the consistency test results of two researchers using the collagen content measurement method of this invention to determine collagen content. The ICC range is 0.987~1.000 (ICC is the class correlation coefficient, used to assess the consistency of measurements; ICC < 0.4 is considered poor consistency, ICC 0.4-0.75 is considered good consistency, and ICC ≥ 0.75 is considered excellent consistency). Table 3 below shows the consistency test results of the same researcher using the collagen content measurement method of this invention to determine collagen content twice. The ICC range is 0.993~0.999. The above experiments demonstrate that the collagen content measurement method of this invention has excellent repeatability.

[0047]

[0048] Thanks to the inventor's groundbreaking discovery of the near-linear relationship between CT scan data and collagen content, the collagen content measurement method of this invention innovatively uses CT equipment to determine the collagen content of objects. By scanning the calibration piece of this invention with a current CT device to obtain the corresponding collagen content-CT value for that CT device, the high-precision measurement of collagen content in any object can be conveniently performed using that CT device. Compared to other existing methods for collagen content determination, this invention undoubtedly represents a qualitative leap in many aspects, including measurement accuracy, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and applicability. It particularly well meets the clinical needs for measuring human collagen content, allowing for non-invasive collagen content measurement, thus providing significant assistance for physiological repair and disease prevention.

[0049] According to embodiments of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, on which encoded instructions are recorded, which, when executed, implement the method for measuring collagen content described above. The computer-readable storage medium may include hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, optical disc read / write (CD-R / W) drives, digital universal disk (DVD) drives, flash memory drives, and / or solid-state storage devices, etc.

[0050] According to embodiments of the present invention, a computer program product is also provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed, implements the method for measuring collagen content according to the present invention. The computer program product can be implemented using various programming languages, such as C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, etc., to adapt to different development environments and platform requirements.

[0051] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a system for measuring collagen content is also provided.

[0052] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of a system 600 for measuring collagen content according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 6 As shown, the system 600 may include a CT device 620 and a computing unit 640.

[0053] The CT device 620 can be configured to: scan the calibration piece 100 of the present invention to obtain CT scan data of the at least two sets of collagen components; and scan a measurement object to obtain CT scan data of the measurement object.

[0054] The calculation unit 640 can be configured to: obtain a correspondence between collagen content and CT value based on the CT scan data of the at least two sets of collagen components and the collagen content of each of the at least two sets of collagen components; and obtain the collagen content in the measured object based on the CT scan data of the measured object and the correspondence between collagen content and CT value.

[0055] Optionally, the correspondence between collagen content and CT value can be: y = kx + b, where y is collagen content and x is CT value.

[0056] The system described above for measuring collagen content can implement the method for measuring collagen content according to the present invention as described above. Many of the design concepts and details applicable to the method for measuring collagen content described above are also applicable to the system described above for measuring collagen content, and the same beneficial technical effects can be obtained, which will not be repeated here.

[0057] The various aspects of the present invention have been described above through exemplary embodiments. However, it should be understood that various modifications can be made to the above exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, if suitable results can be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order and / or if components in the described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in different ways and / or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents, then correspondingly, these modified other embodiments also fall within the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A calibration piece for calibrating collagen content determination, comprising multiple sets of collagen components with different collagen contents, wherein when the calibration piece is scanned by a CT device, a collagen content-CT value correspondence is obtained based on the CT scan data of at least two sets of collagen components and the collagen content of each of the at least two sets of collagen components.

2. The calibration component as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The calibration components include a phantom and a collagen-water mixture.

3. The calibration component as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The phantom includes multiple regions, each of which is provided with a collagen raw material body. The collagen raw material bodies in each region have collagen components with different collagen contents.

4. A method for measuring collagen content, comprising the following steps: The calibration piece as described in any one of claims 1-3 is scanned using a CT scanner to obtain CT scan data of the at least two sets of collagen components; The correspondence between collagen content and CT value is obtained based on the CT scan data of the at least two groups of collagen components and the collagen content of each of the at least two groups of collagen components. The object being measured is scanned using the CT equipment to obtain CT scan data of the object. as well as The collagen content in the measured object is obtained based on the CT scan data of the measured object and the correspondence between the collagen content and the CT value.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The relationship between collagen content and CT value is: y = kx + b, where y is collagen content and x is CT value.

6. A system for measuring collagen content, comprising: The CT equipment is configured as follows: The calibration specimen as described in any one of claims 1-3 is scanned to obtain CT scan data of the at least two sets of collagen components; and The object being measured is scanned to obtain its CT scan data. as well as The computing unit is configured as follows: The correspondence between collagen content and CT value is obtained based on the CT scan data of the at least two groups of collagen components and the collagen content of each of the at least two groups of collagen components. and The collagen content in the measured object is obtained based on the CT scan data of the measured object and the correspondence between the collagen content and the CT value.

7. The system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The relationship between collagen content and CT value is: y = kx + b, where y is collagen content and x is CT value.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having encoded instructions recorded thereon, which, when executed, implement the method as claimed in claim 4 or 5.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed, implements the method as described in claim 4 or 5.

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