Urine treatment method and urine treatment system

Abstract

The present application relates to a urine treatment method and a urine treatment system. Specifically, the present application discloses a urine treatment method, comprising the following steps: S1. Dehydrating urine without separating urine sediment and supernatant in advance, gradually dehydrating the urine, and sequentially precipitating various crystals until all of them are precipitated; S2. Qualitatively and / or quantitatively analyzing at least one of oxalate, uric acid and urate, phosphate, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals with specific crystal morphology in the crystals to obtain relevant parameters of the target crystals. The present application also discloses a urine treatment system for implementing the urine treatment method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of urine testing technology, specifically to urine processing methods and systems. Background Technology

[0002] The academic community has clearly established that the direct cause and formation process of urinary tract stones mainly involve three stages in the following sequence: 1. Supersaturation of dissolved stone components in urine; 2. Precipitation of crystals from these components; 3. Crystal aggregation to form stones. Accurate evaluation and analysis of stages 1 and 2 are of great significance for stone prevention and risk assessment.

[0003] Currently, the most widely recognized and recommended method for the prevention and risk assessment of urinary tract stones in the domestic and international medical communities is 24-hour urine testing. This method focuses on detecting the concentration of stone components, that is, continuously collecting 24-hour urine samples from patients with stones. The test parameters include: urine volume, pH value, and the content of related metabolites (potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, ammonium and chloride, phosphate, sulfate, nitrate, oxalate, citric acid and uric acid, etc.). The testing institution can calculate the supersaturation of oxalate, phosphate, uric acid, etc. according to a special program. Although this method can accurately assess the content of stone-related metabolites in the urine sample, it also has obvious disadvantages: (1) Collecting multiple urine samples within 24 hours can only reflect the total metabolic indicators of urine during 24 hours, and cannot accurately reflect the high stone formation risk of high-concentration urine at certain times: because the formation of stones is the stone-forming effect of high-concentration stone-related metabolites in urine at different times of the body, and is also the accumulation of micro-stone crystal formation over a long period of time. The overall testing of 24-hour urine mainly reflects the overall metabolic situation over 24 hours, but cannot accurately reflect the situation of urine at different times of the day. For example, morning urine often has a higher concentration of metabolites, but this may not be consistent with the results of 24-hour urine testing. (2) The interpretation and explanation of the test results are relatively complicated, and the assessment of the causes and risks of stone formation is inaccurate: 24-hour urine testing can only provide the content of relevant substances, but cannot directly reflect the risk level of specific stone components. Even if the supersaturation of oxalate, phosphate, uric acid, etc. can be obtained through special design methods and calculation processes, since urine is a complex mixed solution and the interaction of stone-forming substances is extremely complex, the supersaturation index generated by these calculations is still affected by urine pH, ionic strength, other small molecules and organic macromolecules, making it difficult to accurately assess the risk of stone formation. Even the calculation methods of different testing institutions abroad are different. The mode settings are inconsistent, and there is no relevant calculation method in China; (3) The processing methods and steps are complicated and the testing costs are high: There are many types of analytes in 24-hour urine testing, including various anions, cations and related molecular substances. Different processing methods of different equipment are required for separate testing, including biochemical methods, chromatography and other methods. There is no single processing method to test all of them. Only a very few hospitals in China have all the testing equipment, and the calculation of supersaturation of oxalate, phosphate, uric acid and other substances has not been carried out; (4) The examination is inconvenient and follow-up is difficult: 24-hour urine testing requires carrying a urine collection container and collecting urine every time during 24 hours. This is very inconvenient for life and work. In addition, since urine composition is affected by diet, activity, climate and environment, it is difficult to accurately assess the risk of stones with a single or few tests. This is very inconvenient for urine indicators related to stones that need to be monitored for a long time.Due to the above disadvantages, the 24-hour urine test for stones is greatly limited. The usage rate of stone patients in developed countries is less than 10%, and it is even less common in China. As a result, there is currently a lack of accurate test indicators for screening the causes of urinary tract stones and assessing the risk of stone recurrence. (5) The complexity of equipment and processing leads to a long processing and testing process with high costs.

[0004] The information included in this background section of this application specification, including any references cited herein and any descriptions or discussions thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to develop a urine treatment method and system that can be used for etiological screening, prevention, and risk assessment of urinary tract stones.

[0006] In the "Urine Treatment Method and Urine Treatment System" filed by the inventors of this application on March 6, 2023, with application number 2023102019482, an analytical method for urine crystallization was proposed. This method involves separating the sediment and supernatant in urine, analyzing not only the crystals in the urine sediment, but also performing crystallization treatment and analysis on the supernatant, providing useful indicators for the etiological analysis, prevention, and risk assessment of urinary tract stones.

[0007] Based on the relevant research of the previous patent applications, the inventors of this application continued to conduct scientific experiments and technological research and found that although the urine treatment technology and system proposed in the "A Urine Treatment Method and Urine Treatment System" with patent application number 2023102019482 can indeed effectively analyze the causes of urinary tract stones and assess the risk of stone formation, and has good feasibility and practicality, the step of "separating urine sediment from supernatant" has been proven in a large number of practices to not only increase the number of testing steps and time in terms of operation, but also increase the cost of instruments and equipment and the complexity of structural design in terms of technology. This results in a longer processing and testing process and higher costs. Especially in medical institutions that need to conduct large-scale, multi-batch urine tests, the time and cost of the "separating urine sediment from supernatant" step in this invention are high, which is not conducive to large-scale testing.

[0008] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an improved urine treatment method and system that can solve the above defects and deficiencies and achieve the same or better technical effects as the aforementioned inventions.

[0009] In view of the foregoing and other aspects, the present invention is proposed.

[0010] According to one aspect of the concept of this application, a urine treatment method is provided, which can effectively detect / assess the urinary-related causes of urinary tract stones and their formation risk with lower cost, shorter time, and less equipment investment in practice. The method includes the following steps: S1. Dehydrating the urine without pre-separating the urine sediment and supernatant, i.e., without separating the liquid and solid phases of the urine, allowing the urine to gradually dehydrate, sequentially precipitating various crystals until all of them are precipitated; S2. Performing qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on at least one of the target crystals with specific crystal morphologies, including oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine, to obtain relevant parameters of the target crystals.

[0011] According to one embodiment, depending on the specific condition of the urine (such as hematuria, pyuria, bacteriuria, turbid urine, proteinuria, etc.), the urine can be left to stand for 10-120 minutes, and at least one layer from the upper, middle, and lower layers can be taken, or multiple layers of urine can be taken separately, for dehydration and crystallization treatment. The crystals appearing in each layer can be qualitatively and / or quantitatively analyzed, and the results of each layer can also be compared and analyzed.

[0012] According to one embodiment, in step S2, when the urine forms target crystals after crystallization treatment, qualitative and / or quantitative analysis is performed on the target crystals to obtain urine-related parameters, including the type of the target crystals and / or the amount of the target crystals.

[0013] According to one embodiment, before the urine is dehydrated, it is pre-identified whether sediment crystals are present in the urine. If they are present, the sediment crystals are qualitatively and / or quantitatively analyzed to obtain relevant parameters of the sediment crystals.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the relevant parameters of the sediment crystallization include the type of sediment crystallization and / or the amount of sediment crystallization.

[0015] According to one embodiment, in step S1, the dehydration process is carried out gradually, causing the crystals in the urine to precipitate out sequentially; and the dehydration process is continued until all crystals are precipitated; wherein, qualitative and / or quantitative analysis is performed on the newly precipitated crystals other than the sediment crystals during the dehydration process, the existing and unchanged crystals in the sediment crystals, and the existing and increasing crystals, respectively.

[0016] According to one embodiment, at least one of the oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals is subjected to qualitative and / or quantitative analysis by Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, or artificial or AI image recognition technology.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the qualitative and / or quantitative analysis includes identifying the crystal category of at least one of the oxalates, uric acid and urate crystals, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals using image recognition technology. This includes: when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of octahedron, equilateral rhombus, ellipse, dumbbell, biconvex prism, and drum, the crystal is identified as an oxalate; when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of irregular rhombus, square, blocky, multilayered sheet, and petal, the crystal is identified as uric acid; when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of strip, rod, bundle, feather, and chrysanthemum, the crystal is identified as a phosphate containing phosphate or hydrogen phosphate; when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of box lid, roof, envelope, and coffin lid, the crystal is identified as magnesium ammonium phosphate or terphosphate; and when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of regular hexagon and multilayered hexagon, the crystal is identified as cystine.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the image recognition technology is manual image recognition or AI image recognition technology.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the dehydration process includes an evaporative dehydration process.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the dehydration process includes a cooling process simultaneously with the evaporative dehydration process.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the AI ​​image recognition technology is based on algorithm recognition using a deep learning neural network model.

[0022] According to one embodiment, in step S1, if urine begins to crystallize, the dehydration process continues until most or substantially all of the crystals have precipitated (optionally, the appearance and changes of the target crystals during the stepwise dehydration process are recorded until all crystals are stably precipitated).

[0023] According to one embodiment, in step S1, if the urine does not precipitate target crystals of a specific form, the dehydration process continues until the residual water content of the urine is 0%.

[0024] According to one embodiment, prior to the dehydration process in step S1, the urine is not subjected to any of the centrifugation, sedimentation, or filtration processes.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the urine is primary urine.

[0026] According to one embodiment, urine is a single urine sample or a collection of multiple urine samples.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the urine may be diluted urine.

[0028] According to another aspect of the inventive concept of this application, a urine treatment system is provided, the urine treatment system comprising: a dehydration treatment module configured to dehydrate urine without pre-separating urine sediment from supernatant, until the urine precipitates various crystals and until all of them precipitate; and a crystallization analysis module configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on at least one of the target crystals having specific crystal morphologies, including oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine, to obtain relevant parameters of the target crystals.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the urine treatment system is configured to allow urine to stand for 10-120 minutes according to the specific condition of the urine (such as hematuria, pyuria, bacteriuria, turbid urine, proteinuria, etc.), take at least one layer from the upper, middle and lower layers, or take multiple layers of urine respectively, and perform dehydration and crystallization treatment. The crystals appearing in each layer are qualitatively and / or quantitatively analyzed, and the results of each layer can also be compared and analyzed.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the urine treatment system is configured to pre-identify whether sediment crystals are present in the urine before the urine undergoes dehydration treatment; if present, the sediment crystals are subjected to qualitative and / or quantitative analysis to obtain relevant parameters of the sediment crystals.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the relevant parameters of the sediment crystallization include the type of sediment crystallization and / or the amount of sediment crystallization.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the dehydration module is configured to perform dehydration treatment step by step to cause crystals in the urine to precipitate sequentially, and to continue the dehydration treatment until all crystals are precipitated; wherein, the dehydration module is further configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on newly precipitated crystals other than those in the sediment crystals during the dehydration process, crystals that are already present and remain unchanged in the sediment crystals, and crystals that are already present and continue to grow.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the urine treatment system is configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on at least one of the oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals using Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, or manual or AI image recognition technology.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the urine treatment system is configured to identify the crystal category of at least one of the oxalates, uric acid and urate crystals, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals using image recognition technology, including: when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of octahedron, equilateral rhombus, ellipse, dumbbell, biconvex prism, and drum, the crystal is identified as an oxalate; when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of irregular rhombus, square, block, multilayer sheet, and petal, the crystal is identified as uric acid; when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of strip, rod, bundle, feather, and chrysanthemum, the crystal is identified as a phosphate containing phosphate or hydrogen phosphate; when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of box lid, roof, envelope, and coffin lid, the crystal is identified as magnesium ammonium phosphate or terphosphate; and when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of regular hexagon and multilayer hexagon, the crystal is identified as cystine.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the image recognition technology is manual image recognition or AI image recognition technology.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the dehydration module is configured to perform evaporative dehydration.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the dehydration module is configured to perform evaporative dehydration while simultaneously undergoing a cooling process.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the crystallization analysis module further includes a deep learning neural network model for AI image recognition, the deep learning neural network model implementing AI image recognition technology based on algorithm recognition.

[0039] This application employs a simplified, practical processing procedure and technical analysis of urine to ultimately output qualitative and quantitative results of stone-related crystals in the urine, revealing the potential stone-forming components and formation risk of the urine, thus providing a basis for the etiological analysis and prevention of urinary tract stones.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the urine treatment system is configured to allow urine to stand for 10-120 minutes, depending on the specific condition of the urine (such as hematuria, bacteriuria, turbid urine, proteinuria, etc.), and to take at least one or more layers of urine from the upper, middle, and lower layers for dehydration and crystallization treatment. The crystals appearing in each layer can be qualitatively and / or quantitatively analyzed, and the results of each layer can be compared and analyzed.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the crystallization analysis module is configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on the target crystals when the urine is crystallized to form target crystals, and the urine-related parameters include the type of the target crystals and / or the amount of the target crystals.

[0042] The method and / or system provided in this application can analyze the etiology of stones and assess the risk of stone formation more directly and accurately than traditional and existing methods and / or systems; it has simpler and clearer test results, which are more intuitive and easier to interpret; the detection and analysis methods are integrated, making the detection process simpler and more efficient; the overall price of the system and equipment and the cost per test are lower, making it more convenient and economical for multiple follow-ups of the disease and long-term monitoring of stone recurrence. Attached Figure Description

[0043] The above-described features and advantages, as well as other features and advantages, and the ways in which they are implemented, of these embodiments will become more apparent and the embodiments of this application will be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0044] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a urine treatment method is shown schematically.

[0045] Figure 2 The illustration shows the execution Figure 1 An embodiment of a urine treatment system for the urine treatment method shown.

[0046] Figures 3A-3E Showing Figure 1 The following are common stone-related crystal patterns in the urine sediment after treatment according to the urine treatment method example shown: oxalates (CaOx), uric acid (UA) and urates, phosphates (CaP), magnesium ammonium phosphate (ST), and cystine crystals (CYS).

[0047] Figures 4A-4E Showing Figure 1 The urine treatment method shown in the example has the following target crystal patterns after dehydration: oxalates (CaOx), uric acid (UA), urates, phosphates (CaP), magnesium ammonium phosphate (ST), and cystine crystals (CYS).

[0048] Figures 5A-5C Showing Figure 1 The urine treatment method shown in the embodiment has sediment crystals after dehydration. Figure 5A The image shows images of the original sediment crystals remaining unchanged and newly precipitated crystals. Figure 5B and 5C The comparison shows images of the original sediment crystals continuing to grow and newly precipitated crystals. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The details of one or more embodiments of this application will be set forth in the following description of the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Other features, objects, and advantages of this application will become clear from these descriptions, drawings, and claims.

[0050] It should be understood that the illustrated and described embodiments are not limited in application to the details of the construction and arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The illustrated embodiments may be other embodiments and can be implemented or performed in various ways. The examples are provided by way of explanation rather than limitation of the disclosed embodiments. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments of this application without departing from the scope or spirit of this disclosure. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used with another embodiment to still produce another embodiment. Therefore, this disclosure covers such modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0051] Similarly, it is understood that the phrases and terms used in this document are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered restrictive. The use of "including," "contains," or "has" and its variations in this document is intended to include, in an open-ended manner, the items listed thereafter, their equivalents, and additional items. The term "urine sediment" refers to the solid phase that forms in urine after separation from the supernatant.

[0052] As used herein, the term “crystallization treatment” refers to the process of crystal formation. As used herein, the terms “target crystallization” and “sludge crystallization” are used only to distinguish the source of crystallization; target crystallization and sludge crystallization can be the same type of crystallization or different types of crystallization.

[0053] The present application will now be described in more detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof.

[0054] Example 1

[0055] Multiple patients with kidney stones, non-kidney stone patients, and healthy individuals were recruited as controls. Urine samples were collected from all participants, including morning urine, postprandial urine, nocturia, urine from a specific time period, or a mixture of multiple urine samples. The urine samples could be primary urine or a mixture of primary urine, or they could be diluted with distilled water or purified water at a certain ratio.

[0056] Without pre-separating the urine sediment from the supernatant, the urine is directly dehydrated, and the target crystals in the dehydrated crystals are analyzed to obtain relevant parameters of the target crystals.

[0057] like Figures 1-4E As shown, an exemplary detection and analysis step is as follows:

[0058] (1) Selective dry chemical analysis of urine is performed to obtain indicators such as pH, specific gravity, osmotic pressure, and conductivity. Urine dry chemical indicators play an important role in controlling the risk of stone formation and recurrence. For example, acidic pH values ​​tend to form calcium oxalate, uric acid, and cystine stones, while alkaline pH values ​​tend to form calcium phosphate and magnesium ammonium phosphate stones. High specific gravity and high osmotic pressure indicate a high concentration of solutes in the urine, and high conductivity indicates a high content of electrolytes in the urine. These are risk factors that affect stone formation and recurrence.

[0059] (2) Dehydrate the urine without pre-separating the urine sediment from the supernatant (e.g., centrifugation, filtration, etc.).

[0060] (3) Before dehydrating the urine, pre-identify whether sediment crystals are present in the urine. If present, perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis of the sediment crystals to obtain relevant parameters of the target sediment crystals. If sediment crystals are present in the urine sediment, qualitative and quantitative analysis can be performed using image recognition (e.g., but not limited to, using an Olympus optical microscope, digital camera, etc.) or Raman spectroscopy (e.g., but not limited to, using a micro Raman spectrometer). Qualitative analysis determines the presence and type of sediment crystals and analyzes the type of sediment crystals (e.g., Figures 3A-3E As shown, Figures 3A-3E This displays the types of target sediment crystals in the urine sediment, among which... Figure 3A The image shows the crystallization of CaOx (calcium oxalate salts) sediment, and its crystallization pattern can be, for example, octahedral, equilateral rhombus, elliptical or dumbbell-shaped, etc. Figure 3B The image shows UA (uric acid) sediment crystals, which can appear as irregular rhomboids, squares, or blocks, etc. Figure 3C The crystallization of CaP (calcium salts containing phosphate or hydrogen phosphate) sediment is shown, and its crystallization images can appear as strips, chrysanthemums, rods, bundles of firewood, feathers, etc. Figure 3D The sediment crystals ST (magnesium ammonium phosphate or terphosphate) are shown, and their crystallization patterns can appear as, for example, roof-shaped, box-lid-shaped, envelope-shaped, coffin-lid-shaped, etc. Figure 3E The results show CYS (cystine) sediment crystals, which may be, for example, regular hexagons or multi-layered hexagons, etc.; quantitative analysis involves statistical processing, such as counting and measuring the size of target sediment crystals that are qualitatively positive (+), to obtain relevant parameters of urine sediment crystals through qualitative and / or quantitative methods.

[0061] (4) The urine is processed and analyzed. A certain amount of urine is collected and then evaporated and crystallized at temperatures ranging from 10°C to 37°C, for example, at 10°C, 25°C, and 37°C. The urine gradually loses water and forms various crystals, which may include target crystals related to kidney stones. Qualitative analysis of the formed target crystals is performed using Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, or manual or AI image recognition, i.e., identifying the type, chemical composition, and crystal structure (e.g., [missing information]). Figures 4A-4E As shown, Figures 4A-4E This indicates the types of target crystals associated with kidney stones in urine, among which... Figure 4A The newly precipitated target CaOx crystals are shown, and their crystal images can be, for example, octahedral, equilateral rhomboid, elliptical, or dumbbell-shaped, etc. Figure 4B The newly precipitated target crystals UA (uric acid) are shown, and their crystal images can appear as irregular rhomboids, squares, or blocks, etc. Figure 4C The newly precipitated target crystals of CaP are shown, and their crystallization images can appear as, for example, strip-shaped, chrysanthemum-shaped, rod-shaped, bundle-shaped, feather-shaped, etc. Figure 4D The newly precipitated target crystal ST is shown, and its crystallization image can present shapes such as roof, box lid, envelope, coffin lid, etc. Figure 4E The newly precipitated target crystals (CYS, which may be in the form of regular hexagons or multi-layered hexagons, etc.) are analyzed by image analysis and quantitative counting of the target crystals, as well as by the size and area ratio of the target crystals and statistical data analysis, to obtain relevant parameters of the urine.

[0062] According to current medical research and theoretical consensus on the formation of urinary tract stones (references such as the International Urolithiasis Federation: Urolithiasis Metabolism and Management Guidelines 2022), the formation of urinary tract stones is closely related to the crystallization of urinary sediment and the saturation of stone-related components in urine. That is, (1) the sediment crystals in urinary sediment are crystals that already exist in the urine, indicating that the components of this crystal are already supersaturated in the urine (at least when the kidneys locally secrete to form urine), which is an important reason for stone formation. (2) The supersaturation of stone-related components in urine makes it easy to precipitate and form crystals, which is closely related to stone formation.

[0063] This embodiment continuously records and analyzes the crystallization of urine sediment (if urine sediment crystallization already exists) and the situation during the dehydration process, as well as the crystals that are newly precipitated and eventually all precipitated as urine gradually dehydrates. It may include: (1) crystals that already exist in the sediment crystallization and remain unchanged, (2) crystals that already exist and continue to grow, and (3) newly precipitated crystals other than sediment crystals. For the various target crystals in the above three situations, qualitative, classification, counting, appearance time, final size, etc., as well as statistical data and analysis are performed, and relevant results are output, which are the crystallization parameters related to the stones in the urine.

[0064] Qualitative and quantitative data on existing sediment crystals, newly precipitated target crystals, as well as data on the change process and the final total amount of crystals, provide a basis for clinical analysis of the etiology and risk of stones with corresponding components.

[0065] The results of the examples show that (1) when a certain stone-related crystal is present in the urine sediment, it indicates that the urine is in the stone formation stage, that is, the solid crystal in the urine may further form stones, and the stone risk of this component can be classified as high risk; (2) if there is no stone-related crystal in the urine sediment, but stone-related target crystals appear after urine dehydration, then the urine has the potential to form such crystals, and the stone risk of this component can be classified as medium risk; (3) if there is no stone-related crystal in the urine after dehydration, but considering that the urine concentration produced in different parts of each kidney is not completely consistent, there is still a possibility of local high concentration urine, and the possibility of crystal formation cannot be completely ruled out. Therefore, the stone risk is classified as low risk or very low risk. The urine dry chemical indicators such as pH value, specific gravity, osmotic pressure, and conductivity are auxiliary factors, which are factors that promote or inhibit the formation of a certain type of crystal and thus become stones. They are for reference and auxiliary judgment only.

[0066] Example 2

[0067] The implementation scheme and method steps of Example 2 are basically the same as those of Example 1. The difference is that in step (2) corresponding to Example 1, the separation treatment of urine sediment and supernatant is not performed in advance, that is, the separation treatment of liquid phase and solid phase of urine is not performed. However, the urine is allowed to stand for a short time to separate into layers (for example, stand for about 10-120 minutes, etc.), and the upper, middle or lower layer of urine is taken, or according to different conditions of urine (such as hematuria, pyuria, bacteriuria, proteinuria, turbid urine, etc.), urine samples from different layers are selected for separate processing. Single layer analysis or multi-layer comparative analysis can be performed to provide more comprehensive and accurate crystallization data, which is also conducive to image recognition of crystals.

[0068] In addition, this embodiment 2 continuously records and analyzes the crystallization of urine sediment (if urine sediment crystallization already exists) and the situation during the dehydration process, as well as the crystals that are newly precipitated and eventually all precipitated as urine gradually dehydrates. This may include: (1) crystals that already exist in the sediment crystallization and remain unchanged, (2) crystals that already exist and continue to grow, and (3) newly precipitated crystals other than sediment crystallization. For the various target crystals in the above three situations, qualitative, classification, counting, appearance time, final size, etc., as well as statistical data and analysis are performed, and relevant results are output, which are the crystallization parameters related to the stones in the urine; and (4) urine samples taken from different layers are processed separately, and individual analysis or comparative analysis can be selected to provide more comprehensive and accurate crystallization data, which is also conducive to image recognition of crystals.

[0069] Qualitative and quantitative data on existing sediment crystals and newly precipitated target crystals, as well as data on the change process and the final crystal size, morphology, and total amount, provide a basis for clinical analysis of the etiology and risk of corresponding component stones.

[0070] The remaining steps are basically the same as in Example 1, and will not be described in detail here.

[0071] Example 3

[0072] Example 3 is essentially the same as Example 1, except that in step (3), when sediment crystals have already been identified in the urine, the urine is further dehydrated. In this case, the following two situations may occur:

[0073] (1) The original sediment crystals remain unchanged, but new crystals will precipitate, such as Figure 5A As shown.

[0074] (2) The original sediment crystals continue to increase in size, and new crystals will precipitate at the same time, such as Figure 5B and 5C As shown.

[0075] In both cases, qualitative and / or quantitative analysis is performed on the sediment crystals that remain unchanged or continue to increase, as well as the newly precipitated crystals, to obtain relevant parameters of these crystals. Qualitative and quantitative analysis can be performed through image recognition (e.g., but not limited to, using an Olympus optical microscope, digital camera, etc.) or Raman spectroscopy (e.g., but not limited to, using a micro Raman spectrometer). Qualitative analysis determines the presence and type of the aforementioned crystals and analyzes the specific type of the crystals (e.g., specifically...). Figures 5A-5C (As shown), to obtain relevant parameters of urine.

[0076] Example 4

[0077] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a urine detection system is also provided. The modules of this system and the method steps for performing them are as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the urine treatment system may include:

[0078] (1) Dehydration module, configured to dehydrate urine without pre-separating urine sediment from supernatant, until multiple crystals precipitate from the urine and until all of them precipitate;

[0079] (2) Crystallization analysis module, which is configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on at least one of the target crystals with specific crystal morphologies, such as oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine, in order to obtain relevant parameters of the target crystals.

[0080] The dehydration module can be configured to allow urine to stand for a short time, such as several hours, more preferably for 10-120 minutes, to separate the urine into layers, and to process at least the upper and / or lower layers of urine, or to process multiple layers of urine, so that the urine is gradually dehydrated, and various crystals are precipitated in sequence until all of them are precipitated.

[0081] The urine treatment system can be configured to pre-identify whether sediment crystals are present in the urine before dehydration treatment. If present, the sediment crystals are qualitatively and / or quantitatively analyzed to obtain relevant parameters of the sediment crystals.

[0082] The relevant parameters for target sediment crystallization may include the type of sediment crystallization and / or the amount of sediment crystallization.

[0083] The dehydration module can be configured to perform dehydration treatment step by step to precipitate crystals in urine sequentially, and to continue dehydration treatment until all crystals are precipitated; wherein, the dehydration module is further configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on newly precipitated crystals other than sediment crystals, existing and unchanged crystals in sediment crystals, and existing and increasing crystals during the dehydration process.

[0084] The urine treatment system can be configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on at least one of oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals using Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, or manual or AI image recognition technology.

[0085] The urine treatment system can be configured to identify the crystal category of at least one of oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals using image recognition technology, including: when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of octahedron, equilateral rhombus, ellipse, dumbbell, biconvex prism, and drum, the crystal is identified as oxalates; when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of irregular rhombus, square, block, multilayered sheet, and petal, the crystal is identified as uric acid; when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of strip, rod, bundle, feather, and chrysanthemum, the crystal is identified as phosphates containing phosphate or hydrogen phosphate; when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of box lid, roof, envelope, and coffin lid, the crystal is identified as magnesium ammonium phosphate or triphosphate; and when the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of regular hexagon and multilayered hexagon, the crystal is identified as cystine.

[0086] The dehydration module can be configured to perform evaporative dehydration.

[0087] The dehydration module can be configured to perform evaporation and dehydration while simultaneously cooling.

[0088] Image recognition technology can be either manual image recognition or AI-based image recognition technology.

[0089] Regarding AI image recognition technology, the crystallization analysis module may further include a deep learning neural network model for AI image recognition, which implements AI image recognition technology based on algorithmic recognition. For example, the database module for establishing the deep learning neural network model can contain existing data, and especially machine-trained data, including a large amount of crystal information on urine crystals from the applicant's existing databases and relevant medical institutions, physical examination institutions, and medical databases, particularly including crystal patterns and the identified and classified crystal names (types). The pattern acquisition module for establishing the deep learning neural network model acquires and stores crystal patterns (including captured crystal images, data, etc.) through devices such as optical microscopes, digital cameras, and cameras on micro Raman spectrometers. The pattern cutting and feature extraction module for establishing the deep learning neural network model cuts out individual crystal images from the crystal patterns, extracts features, and can perform preprocessing such as size transformation, normalization, and standardization to extract crystal image features. A feature matching module of a deep learning neural network model is established to compare and match the aforementioned pre-existing crystal image features with the urine crystal information features stored in the database. This enables the matching and recognition of crystal patterns and their names / types, achieving rapid and accurate AI image recognition of crystals, greatly improving recognition efficiency and accuracy, and freeing up manual labor.

[0090] By employing a simplified, practical processing procedure and technical analysis of urine, the system ultimately outputs qualitative and quantitative results regarding the presence of stone-related crystals in the urine, indicating the risk of stone formation in that urine. This provides a basis for the etiological analysis and prevention of urinary tract stones.

[0091] According to one example, the urine treatment system can be configured to allow urine to stand for, for example, up to 3 hours or 10-120 minutes, depending on the specific condition of the urine (such as hematuria, bacteriuria, turbid urine, proteinuria, etc.), and then take at least one or more layers of urine from the upper, middle, and lower layers for dehydration and crystallization treatment. The system can also perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on the crystals appearing in each layer, and compare and analyze the results of each layer.

[0092] According to one example, the crystallization analysis module can be configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on the target crystals when urine is crystallized to form target crystals, to obtain urine-related parameters, including the type and / or amount of the target crystals.

[0093] According to one example, the crystallization analysis module is configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on the target crystals when urine is crystallized to form target crystals, and the urine-related parameters include the type and / or amount of the target crystals.

[0094] The improved urine treatment method and urine treatment system of the present invention have been proven in numerous practices to not only greatly and substantially reduce the number of testing steps and time in terms of operation, but also reduce the cost and structural design complexity of the required instruments and equipment in terms of technology. This shortens the overall processing and testing time, reduces the cost and expense of equipment and processing steps, and thus overcomes the defects and deficiencies of the prior art, and achieves better technical results than the prior art.

[0095] For more specific examples and instances of the urine treatment method and system described in this application, including specific implementation methods, systems, equipment or devices, and processing steps, please refer to, for example, the urine treatment and analysis method and system disclosed in application number 2023102019482, filed by the inventors of this application on March 6, 2023, including the equipment, components, processing methods, related steps, etc., all contents of that application related to this invention are incorporated herein by reference. In particular, in addition to the present invention, Figures 3A-3E , Figures 4A-4E and Figures 5A-5CIn addition to the crystallization patterns shown in the application, the crystallization patterns that may appear in the application "A method and system for treating urine" with application number 2023102019482 may also appear during the crystallization process. The crystallization patterns, names and their determination are incorporated herein by reference, including but not limited to those that can be used for artificial image recognition, AI image recognition and data training, as if they were specifically described and disclosed in the application.

[0096] Those skilled in the art will understand that, without departing from the inventive concept and while being feasible, the technical features, parameters, numerical points, etc., of the above embodiments can be combined in other feasible ways. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the various technical features in the above embodiments have been described. However, as long as the combinations of these technical features, parameters, numerical points, etc., do not contradict each other, they should be considered within the scope of this specification. The foregoing description of several embodiments of this application has been provided for illustrative purposes. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it intended to limit this application to the precise parameters, numerical values, steps, and / or forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations can be made based on the foregoing teachings. The scope of this application and all its equivalents are intended to be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A urine treatment method, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: S1. The urine is dehydrated without prior separation of urine sediment and supernatant, allowing the urine to gradually dehydrate, sequentially precipitating various crystals until all of them have precipitated; and S2. Perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on at least one of the target crystals with specific crystal morphologies, including oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine, to obtain relevant parameters of the target crystals.

2. The urine treatment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, the urine is allowed to stand for 10-120 minutes to allow it to separate into layers. At least the upper and / or lower layers of urine are taken for treatment, or multiple layers of urine are taken for treatment, so that the urine is gradually dehydrated and various crystals are precipitated in sequence until all of them are precipitated.

3. The urine treatment method according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, In step S2, when the urine forms target crystals after crystallization treatment, qualitative and / or quantitative analysis is performed on the target crystals to obtain urine-related parameters, including the type of target crystals and / or the amount of target crystals.

4. The urine treatment method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Before the urine is dehydrated, it is pre-identified whether there is sediment crystals in the urine. If so, the sediment crystals are qualitatively and / or quantitatively analyzed to obtain relevant parameters of the sediment crystals.

5. The urine treatment method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The relevant parameters for sediment crystallization include the type of sediment crystallization and / or the amount of sediment crystallization.

6. The urine treatment method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, In step S1, the dehydration process is carried out gradually, causing the crystals in the urine to precipitate out sequentially; and the dehydration process is continued until all crystals are precipitated out; wherein, newly precipitated crystals other than those in the sediment crystals during the dehydration process, existing crystals in the sediment crystals that remain unchanged, and existing crystals that continue to grow are all continuously recorded and qualitatively / or quantitatively analyzed.

7. The urine treatment method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Qualitative and / or quantitative analysis of at least one of the oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals is performed using Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, or artificial or AI image recognition technology.

8. The urine treatment method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The qualitative and / or quantitative analysis includes identifying the crystal category of at least one of the oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals using image recognition technology, including: When the image of the crystal is at least one of the following shapes: octahedron, equilateral rhombus, ellipse, dumbbell, biconvex prism, and drum-shaped, the crystal is identified as an oxalate. When the image of the crystal is at least one of the following shapes: irregular rhombus, square, blocky, multi-layered sheet, and petal-shaped, the crystal is identified as uric acid; When the image of the crystal is at least one of the following shapes: strip-shaped, rod-shaped, bundle-shaped, feather-shaped, and chrysanthemum-shaped, the crystal is identified as a phosphate containing phosphate or hydrogen phosphate. When the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of a box lid, a roof, an envelope, and a coffin lid, the crystal is identified as magnesium ammonium phosphate or a phosphate of triphosphate. When the image of the crystal is at least one of regular hexagons and multi-layered hexagons, the crystal is identified as cystine.

9. The urine treatment method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The image recognition technology mentioned is either manual image recognition or AI image recognition technology.

10. The urine treatment method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The dehydration process includes evaporative dehydration.

11. The urine treatment method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The dehydration process includes evaporation dehydration combined with cooling.

12. The urine treatment method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The AI ​​image recognition technology is based on algorithms using deep learning neural network models.

13. A urine treatment system, characterized in that, The urine treatment system includes: A dehydration module configured to dehydrate urine without prior separation of urine sediment and supernatant, until the urine precipitates various crystals and until all of them are precipitated; and The crystallization analysis module is configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on at least one of the target crystals having a specific crystal morphology, including oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine, to obtain relevant parameters of the target crystals.

14. The urine treatment system according to claim 13, characterized in that, The dehydration module is configured to allow urine to stand for 10-120 minutes to separate into layers, and to process at least the upper and / or lower layers of urine, or to process multiple layers of urine, so that the urine is gradually dehydrated, and various crystals are precipitated sequentially until all of them are precipitated.

15. The urine treatment system according to any one of claims 13-14, characterized in that, The crystallization analysis module is configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on the target crystals when the urine is crystallized to obtain urine-related parameters, including the type and / or amount of the target crystals.

16. The urine treatment system according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that, The urine treatment system is configured to identify whether sediment crystals are present in the urine before the urine is dehydrated. If so, the sediment crystals are qualitatively and / or quantitatively analyzed to obtain relevant parameters of the sediment crystals.

17. The urine treatment system according to claim 16, characterized in that, The relevant parameters for sediment crystallization include the type of sediment crystallization and / or the amount of sediment crystallization.

18. The urine treatment system according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, The dehydration module is configured to perform dehydration treatment step by step to precipitate crystals in the urine sequentially, and to continue the dehydration treatment until all crystals are precipitated; wherein, the dehydration module is further configured to continuously record and perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on newly precipitated crystals other than those in the sediment crystals during the dehydration process, crystals that are already present and remain unchanged in the sediment crystals, and crystals that are already present and continue to grow.

19. The urine treatment system according to any one of claims 13-18, characterized in that, The urine treatment system is configured to perform qualitative and / or quantitative analysis on at least one of the oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals using Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, or manual or AI image recognition technology.

20. The urine treatment system according to claim 19, characterized in that, The urine treatment system is configured to identify the crystal type of at least one of the oxalates, uric acid and urate, phosphates, magnesium ammonium phosphate, and cystine crystals using image recognition technology, including: When the image of the crystal is at least one of the following shapes: octahedron, equilateral rhombus, ellipse, dumbbell, biconvex prism, and drum-shaped, the crystal is identified as an oxalate. When the image of the crystal is at least one of the following shapes: irregular rhombus, square, blocky, multi-layered sheet, and petal-shaped, the crystal is identified as uric acid; When the image of the crystal is at least one of the following shapes: strip-shaped, rod-shaped, bundle-shaped, feather-shaped, and chrysanthemum-shaped, the crystal is identified as a phosphate containing phosphate or hydrogen phosphate. When the image of the crystal is at least one of the shapes of a box lid, a roof, an envelope, and a coffin lid, the crystal is identified as magnesium ammonium phosphate or a phosphate of triphosphate. When the image of the crystal is at least one of regular hexagons and multi-layered hexagons, the crystal is identified as cystine.

21. The urine treatment system according to any one of claims 13-20, characterized in that, The image recognition technology mentioned is either manual image recognition or AI image recognition technology.

22. The urine treatment system according to any one of claims 13-21, characterized in that, The dehydration module is configured to perform evaporative dehydration.

23. The urine treatment system according to any one of claims 13-22, characterized in that, The dehydration module is configured to perform evaporation dehydration while simultaneously cooling.

24. The urine treatment method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The crystallization analysis module further includes a deep learning neural network model for AI image recognition, which implements AI image recognition technology based on algorithm recognition.

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