Multifunctional centrifuge tube
By designing a multifunctional centrifuge tube, the problems of difficulty in removing cells and unclear stratification when preparing cell blocks of serous cavity effusion using simple centrifuge tubes were solved. This enabled the complete acquisition of the precipitate and ensured that the thickness met the specifications, thereby improving the accuracy of diagnosis and the preservation value of the sample.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- THE FIRST AFFILIATED HOSPITAL OF XIAMEN UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-23
AI Technical Summary
Existing simple centrifuge tubes have several drawbacks when preparing cell blocks for serous cavity effusions. These problems include difficulty in completely removing the cell blocks, unclear stratification, insufficient thickness, inconvenient operation, and significant sample loss, resulting in low diagnostic value and high rates of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.
A multifunctional centrifuge tube was designed, comprising a tube cap, tube body, tube tail, and separable cell enrichment and bottom components. The connection is sealed with a tear-off annular connecting strip. The collection chamber has dimensions of 3mm×3mm×15mm. Combined with the long rod of the tube cap, the precipitate is pushed out, achieving clear stratification and thickness compliance with specifications.
The method achieved complete removal of the precipitate and clear stratification, and the thickness of the prepared cell blocks met pathological requirements, thus improving the diagnostic success rate and the preservation value of the samples.
Smart Images
Figure CN224388834U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of medical serous cavity effusion cytological separation, and particularly relates to a multifunctional centrifuge tube for serous cavity effusion. Background Technology
[0002] With the rapid development of minimally invasive medical techniques, clinicians are increasingly obtaining serous cavity effusion specimens from patients through non-invasive or minimally invasive methods, sending them to the pathology department for cytopathological diagnosis. The purpose of cytopathological diagnosis is to locate target cells such as tumor cells in the serous cavity effusion; it is a diagnostic method with high diagnostic value, simplicity, and affordability. Cell block preparation is a clinically significant technique following serous cavity effusion cytopathological smears. Cell block preparation involves aggregating loosely bound cells (lacking adhesion) into cell blocks, followed by dehydration, paraffin infiltration, embedding, and sectioning. This allows for a series of subsequent experiments, including serial sectioning, special staining, immunocytochemical staining, and molecular detection, to achieve accurate diagnosis and guide targeted clinical therapy. Furthermore, it allows for the long-term preservation of cytological samples. High-quality cell blocks from serous cavity effusion specimens can completely replace the function of smears, while smears cannot replace cell blocks because they cannot perform the subsequent experiments such as serial sectioning, special staining, immunocytochemical staining, and molecular detection.
[0003] Currently, the technical process for detecting serous cavity effusion cytopathology involves pouring the serous cavity effusion to be tested into a simple centrifuge tube, centrifuging it to concentrate the cells in the serous cavity effusion to the bottom of the centrifuge tube, discarding the supernatant, and using a pipette to aspirate the precipitate at the bottom of the centrifuge tube for smear preparation. If there is a large amount of precipitate and it is hard, it can be removed by using a manipulative to prepare cell blocks. However, there are currently the following industry pain points in preparing cell blocks from serous cavity effusion: (1) It is difficult to remove the cell blocks completely; (2) The slides prepared from the cell blocks cannot meet the industry requirement of clear separation of the red blood cell layer, the cell layer to be tested, and the plasma layer; (3) The prepared cell blocks cannot meet the industry standard that the thickness of the tissue pathology sample should be 0.3 cm. The reasons for the above-mentioned industry pain points are as follows: (1) According to the treatment guidelines, after centrifuging the serous cavity effusion, the precipitate at the bottom of the centrifuge tube should be aspirated with a pipette for smear preparation, and then the precipitate should be removed to make cell blocks. However, when "the precipitate at the bottom of the centrifuge tube is aspirated with a pipette", the precipitate will be dispersed to a large extent, making it difficult or even impossible to remove the precipitate; (2) Simple centrifuge tubes are usually 12cm long and 1-3cm in diameter. Even small centrifuge tubes with an inner diameter of 1cm have a limited amount of precipitate due to their large diameter, making it difficult to form a clearly layered precipitate at the bottom of the centrifuge tube. Relatively difficult; (3) Simple centrifuge tubes are long and narrow with only one top opening. Even if a precipitate is formed after centrifugation of the serous cavity effusion, the precipitate is located at the bottom of the centrifuge tube. To remove it from the centrifuge tube opening, the precipitate needs to pass through a 12cm long centrifuge tube body. The operation is inconvenient and often requires the use of a manipulator to pick it out. Therefore, the precipitate is often scattered during the removal process and cannot be completely removed, often resulting in varying degrees of sample loss or even failure to prepare cell blocks; (4) The serous cavity effusion precipitate consists of a red blood cell layer, a cell layer to be tested, and a plasma layer from bottom to top. The process of picking the precipitate with a manipulator is difficult. To a certain extent, these three components will be mixed together again, making the cell layer to be tested incomplete. After the precipitate is made into a cell block, it is difficult to identify the tumor cells in the cell layer to be tested, resulting in varying degrees of sample loss. The number of tumor cells in the cell block or even whether there are any can not be distinguished. When the cell block is used to make a slide, it may not be possible to find the actual tumor cells, resulting in missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis; (5) If the precipitate is poured directly from the bottom of the centrifuge tube, due to the long and narrow path, not only will the precipitate scatter to a large extent, but it will also cause red blood cells, tumor cells and plasma to mix together again, making it impossible to distinguish. The cell layer to be tested often causes the embedding surface to be incorrect, which can easily lead to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis; (6) After the precipitate is fixed and dehydrated, it forms a cell block. Industry standards require that the correct embedding surface of the cell block is that the red blood cell layer, the cell layer to be tested and the plasma layer are embedded horizontally on the bottom of the wax block layer by layer. Only when the slice is cut can these three components be displayed at the same time, which is beneficial to pathological diagnosis and a series of subsequent experiments. However, after the precipitate is taken out of the simple centrifuge tube, these three components are mixed together to a large extent and cannot be distinguished. Therefore, the embedding surface is often incorrect, which will result in different degrees of loss of tumor cell samples and easily lead to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis.The aforementioned defects result in a low success rate, low diagnostic value, and low sample preservation value when using simple centrifuge tubes to prepare cell blocks of serous cavity effusion. Utility Model Content
[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a multifunctional centrifuge tube to solve the problem.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model is implemented through the following technical solution:
[0006] A multifunctional centrifuge tube includes a cap, a body, and a tail. The cap is threaded onto the body. The tail is detachably mounted below the body. The tail includes a cell enrichment component and a bottom component. The cell enrichment component has several hollow collection cavities. The collection cavities are connected to the body. The bottom component is detachably mounted below the cell enrichment component to block the bottom of the collection cavities.
[0007] Preferably, the tail of the tube is truncated cone-shaped.
[0008] Preferably, the cell enrichment component is snapped into the tube body, and the cell enrichment component is snapped into the tube bottom component.
[0009] Preferably, the cell enrichment component is threadedly connected to the tube body, and the cell enrichment component is threadedly connected to the tube bottom component.
[0010] Preferably, a tearable annular connecting strip is wrapped around the connection between the cell enrichment component and the tube body to seal the connection between the cell enrichment component and the tube body; a tearable annular connecting strip is also wrapped around the connection between the cell enrichment component and the tube bottom component to seal the connection between the cell enrichment component and the tube bottom component.
[0011] Preferably, a long rod is fixed in the tube cap.
[0012] Preferably, the collecting cavity is for collecting, the long rod corresponds to the shape of the collecting cavity, and the long rod can be inserted into the collecting cavity.
[0013] Preferably, both the tube body and the cell enrichment element are made of a transparent material.
[0014] Preferably, the length, width, and height of the collecting cavity are 3mm, 3mm, and 15mm, respectively.
[0015] Beneficial effects
[0016] This invention uses a tearable annular connecting strip to seal the connection between the cell enrichment component and the bottom of the tube. At the same time, the tearable annular connecting strip also seals the connection between the cell enrichment component and the tube body. When in use, the upper and lower annular connecting strips are torn open to quickly separate and obtain the middle cell enrichment component. Then, the long rod of the tube cap is used to push out the precipitate in the collection chamber, which can overcome the industry pain point of "difficulty in completely removing cell blocks" in existing simple centrifuge tubes. Furthermore, this utility model sets the size of the collection chamber to "3mm long, 3mm wide, and 15mm high". This size can shape the sediment of the serous cavity effusion, which can overcome two other pain points in the pathology industry and achieve the following effects: (1) After centrifugation, the serous cavity effusion forms a sediment in the collection chamber with "clear separation of red blood cell layer, cell layer to be examined and plasma layer" from bottom to top. After the sediment is pushed out using the long rod of the tube cap, the cell block made is clearly separated, which meets the requirements of the pathology industry; (2) The cell block made after the sediment shaped in the collection chamber is pushed out has a thickness of 3mm, which meets the industry standard that the thickness of tissue pathology sampling should be 0.3cm. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Other features, objects, and advantages of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:
[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the multifunctional centrifuge tube provided by this utility model;
[0019] Figure 2 This is an exploded structural diagram of the multifunctional centrifuge tube provided by this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0020] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this utility model easier to understand, the present utility model will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.
[0021] Please see Figures 1-2 This utility model provides a multifunctional centrifuge tube, which includes a tube cap 1, a tube body 2, and a tube tail 3. In one embodiment, the tube body 2 has a length of 120 mm and a diameter of 30 mm.
[0022] The pipe cap 1 is threaded onto the pipe body 2 for easy opening and closing; the pipe tail 3 is detachably installed below the pipe body 2 for easy disassembly and replacement.
[0023] The tube tail 3 includes a cell enrichment component 31 and a tube bottom component 32.
[0024] The cell enrichment component 31 has several hollow collection cavities 311 extending along the length of the multifunctional centrifuge tube. These collection cavities 311 are connected to the interior of the tube body 2 and are used to enrich the cell blocks after centrifugation. In one embodiment, two collection cavities 311 are provided, and the cross-section of the collection cavities 311 is designed as a rectangular prism for better adaptation and fixation of samples of specific shapes. In one embodiment, the length, width, and height of the collection cavity are 3 mm, 3 mm, and 15 mm, respectively.
[0025] The tube bottom component 32 is detachably installed below the cell enrichment component 31 to block the bottom of the collection chamber 311 and prevent sample leakage during centrifugation.
[0026] In one embodiment, the cell enrichment component 31 and the tube bottom component 32 can be connected by a snap-fit method. The cell enrichment component 31 and the tube body 2, as well as the cell enrichment component 31 and the tube bottom component 32, are connected by a snap-fit structure, which facilitates quick installation and disassembly.
[0027] In another embodiment, preferably, the cell enrichment member 31 is connected to the tube body 2, and the cell enrichment member 31 is connected to the tube bottom member 32 by a threaded structure, providing a more stable connection effect.
[0028] It is worth mentioning that, regardless of the connection method used, a tearable annular connecting strip 4 is wrapped around the connection point to ensure the seal at the connection point and prevent sample leakage during centrifugation.
[0029] A long rod 11 is fixed in the tube cap 1. The shape of the long rod 11 is adapted to the shape of the collection chamber 311 (e.g., both are collection chambers), so that the long rod 11 can be inserted into the collection chamber 311 to push out the cell block.
[0030] Furthermore, at least one of the tube body 2 and the cell enrichment element 31 can be made of a transparent material, so that after centrifugation, when the cell layer to be tested is aspirated and smeared according to the diagnostic and treatment guidelines, it is convenient to observe the position of the cell layer to be tested.
[0031] Implementation steps: Pour the serous cavity effusion into tube body 2 through the opening on tube body 2, cover with tube cap 1, and centrifuge. After centrifugation, open tube cap 1, discard the supernatant, and use a disposable pipette to aspirate the residual supernatant and plasma layer from collection chamber 311. Aspirate the cell layer to be examined and prepare a smear according to the diagnostic and treatment guidelines. Then, tear open the annular connecting strip 4 in sequence. Hold the cell enrichment component 31 in one hand and tube cap 1 in the other hand. Using the long rod 11 of tube cap 1, push the precipitate out of collection chamber 311 downwards and place it on a embedding paper. Wrap the precipitate with the embedding paper and place it in an embedding cassette for dehydration and paraffin infiltration. The precipitate after dehydration and paraffin infiltration will form cell blocks of varying lengths (depending on the amount of precipitate), such as 3 mm wide and 3 mm high (collection chamber 311 is 3 mm wide and 3 mm high in this implementation step). Embed the cell blocks horizontally to prepare the precipitate.
[0032] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.
[0033] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.
Claims
1. A multifunctional centrifuge tube, characterized by: It includes a cap, a body, and a tail; the cap is threaded onto the body; the tail is detachably mounted below the body; the tail includes a cell enrichment element and a bottom element; the cell enrichment element has several hollow collection cavities; the collection cavities are connected to the body; the bottom element is detachably mounted below the cell enrichment element to block the bottom of the collection cavities.
2. The multifunctional centrifuge tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail of the pipe is truncated cone-shaped.
3. The multifunctional centrifuge tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cell enrichment component is snapped into the tube body, and the cell enrichment component is snapped into the tube bottom component.
4. The multifunctional centrifuge tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cell enrichment component is threadedly connected to the tube body, and the cell enrichment component is also threadedly connected to the tube bottom component.
5. The multifunctional centrifuge tube according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The connection between the cell enrichment component and the tube body is wrapped with a tearable annular connecting strip; the connection between the cell enrichment component and the tube bottom component is also wrapped with a tearable annular connecting strip.
6. The multifunctional centrifuge tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: A long rod is fixed inside the tube cap.
7. The multifunctional centrifuge tube according to claim 6, characterized in that: The collecting cavity is a cuboid with a collecting cross-section, and the shape of the long rod is adapted to the shape of the corresponding collecting cavity so that the long rod can be inserted into the collecting cavity.
8. The multifunctional centrifuge tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the tube body and the cell enrichment component are made of transparent material.
9. The multifunctional centrifuge tube according to claim 7, characterized in that: The length, width, and height of the collection chamber are 3mm, 3mm, and 15mm, respectively.