Skin gas collection device and skin gas collection method

Abstract

To provide a skin gas collection device and a skin gas collection method which achieve improved sensitivity of analysis of a skin gas.SOLUTION: A skin gas collection device includes: a scavenger which absorbs a skin gas and which desorbs the absorbed skin gas by heating; and a case part which stores the scavenger and which includes an arrangement space as a space for arranging the scavenger and a first opening part as an opening for making skin communicate with the arrangement space when the skin gas collection device is made contact with the skin. The scavenger is formed into a tabular shape, and is held in the arrangement space in such a state that both front and rear faces are exposed to the arrangement space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a skin gas collection device and a skin gas collection method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, analyzing components in skin gases emitted from the body surface has shown the possibility of utilizing the analysis results for purposes such as checking the subject's health, preventing body odor, predicting illness, and personal authentication, drawing attention to the collection and analysis of skin gases. As a method for collecting skin gases, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a planar collection material made of filter paper carrying a compound reactive with skin gases is held in a substantially cylindrical, bottomed container. Patent Document 2 also discloses a skin permeation gas measuring device that collects skin permeation gases from the subject's skin into a container and circulates the collected skin permeation gases through a gas circulation path containing a color-developing reagent using a blower fan. Non-Patent Document 1 also discloses a configuration in which a sampler equipped with a collection material is fixed to the skin using tape or the like, and the collected components are extracted from the collection material by solvent extraction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4654045 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4024818 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] GL Sciences Inc. website: https: / / www.gls.co.jp / product / gas_sampling / monotrap / 02501.html (verified January 22, 2024) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, since the absolute amount of skin gas components such as volatile components emitted from the body surface is small, a method that enables measurement with higher sensitivity is desired. Furthermore, since the time for collecting skin gas should be appropriately set depending on the purpose of analyzing the skin gas and the skin gas components to be collected, it is desirable to use a device that can handle collection for relatively long periods of time. In contrast, for example, the skin permeation gas collection device described in Patent Document 2 has a complex structure that includes a double-structure container for storing skin permeation gas, a gas introduction device connected to this container, and a gas discharge device, etc., which can sometimes make it difficult for the subject to wear the device for long periods of time to collect skin gas. Therefore, a technology that enables skin gas collection for relatively long periods of time and can further improve the analytical sensitivity of skin gases is desired. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms. (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a skin gas collecting device, comprising: a collecting agent that adsorbs skin gas and desorbs the adsorbed skin gas by heating; and a case that houses the collecting agent, the case having an arrangement space for disposing the collecting agent and a first opening that communicates the skin with the arrangement space when the skin gas collecting device is brought into contact with the skin; the collecting agent is formed in a plate shape and is held within the arrangement space with both its front and back surfaces exposed to the arrangement space. This type of skin gas trapping device uses a trapping agent that desorbs adsorbed skin gas by heating, and the trapping agent is formed in a plate shape and is held in the arrangement space with both the front and back surfaces exposed to the arrangement space. In this way, by using a trapping agent that desorbs by heating and making it possible to utilize the adsorption capacity of both sides of the trapping agent, the detection sensitivity of skin gas can be improved. (2) In the skin gas trapping device of the above aspect, the case may include a partition that constitutes a part of the inner wall of the case, that separates the first opening from the arrangement space while communicating between them, and that has a second opening that is an opening of the arrangement space and has a shape that prevents the adsorbent from passing through, so that the adsorbent is held in the arrangement space without being fixed to the inner wall surface of the arrangement space. With this configuration, the adsorbent can be held in the arrangement space in a state that allows the adsorption capacity of both sides of the adsorbent to be utilized with a simple configuration. (3) In the skin gas trapping device of the above embodiment, the trapping agent may have a thickness of 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm and a Young's modulus of 10 MPa to 4000 MPa. This configuration ensures flexibility of the trapping agent, and therefore, by a simple operation such as fitting the trapping agent through the first opening, the trapping agent can be placed in the placement space so that both the front and back surfaces are exposed to the placement space. (4) The skin gas collection device of the above embodiment may further include a dehumidifying agent placed in the placement space or in another space formed within the case and communicating with the placement space. With this configuration, even when water vapor (such as sweat) is emitted from the skin when the skin gas is adsorbed onto the adsorbent, an increase in humidity in the placement space can be suppressed. Therefore, even when a relatively hydrophilic thermal desorption adsorbent is used, a decrease in the adsorption amount of the adsorbent due to moisture absorption can be suppressed, a longer adsorption time can be ensured, and the analytical sensitivity of skin gas can be further improved. (5) In the above-described skin gas trapping device, the dehumidifying agent may be disposed in the other space, and the other space may be in communication with the first opening through the placement space. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a decrease in adsorption efficiency of the trapping agent due to the presence of the dehumidifying agent. (6) In the above-described skin gas collection device, the case may include an attachment section for attaching a fastening strap for fastening the case to the skin while the case is in contact with the skin. This configuration allows the skin gas collection device to be easily physically secured to the skin. This reduces the inconveniences that arise from using other fastening means (e.g., rashes caused by using adhesive tape for fastening, an increase in blank components due to adhesive, etc.). (7) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for collecting skin gas, which includes contacting the skin gas collecting device according to any one of (1) to (6) with skin, allowing the skin gas that has passed through the first opening to be adsorbed by the adsorbent, and recovering the skin gas adsorbed by the adsorbent from the adsorbent by thermal desorption. According to this form of skin gas collection method, the above-mentioned skin gas collection device is used to increase the amount of skin gas adsorbed to the collector, and the skin gas is recovered from the collector by thermal desorption, thereby improving the detection sensitivity of skin gas. The present disclosure can be realized in various forms other than those described above, such as a method for manufacturing a skin gas collection device, or a method for checking health status using a skin gas collection device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a skin gas collection device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a skin gas collection device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing how the skin gas collection device is fixed on the skin. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for collecting skin gas using a skin gas collection device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of a skin gas collection device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of a skin gas collection device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7]An explanatory diagram showing the analysis results of a skin gas component (2-Hexenal). [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram showing the analysis results of skin gas components (Ethylbenzene). [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of principal component analysis of components in skin gas. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of principal component analysis of components in skin gas. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the detected amounts of skin gas components (8 components). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A. First embodiment: FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a skin gas collection device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the skin gas collection device 10. In FIG. 1, the position of the cross section of FIG. 2 is indicated as the 2-2 cross section. In FIGS. 1 and 2, and in FIGS. 5 and 6 (described later), mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes are shown to identify directions. The X, Y, and Z axes shown in each figure each indicate the same direction. In this specification, the Z axis indicates the vertical direction, and the X and Y axes indicate the horizontal direction. The vertical and horizontal directions are specified for convenience of explanation and may not coincide with the orientation of the skin gas collection device 10 when in use. Note that FIGS. 1 and 2, and in FIGS. 5 and 6 (described later) show the layout of each component only and do not accurately represent the dimensional ratios of each component.

[0009] Skin gas collecting device 10 of this embodiment is a device that is attached to the skin surface to collect skin gases emitted from the skin, specifically, for example, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the skin gases. As shown in Fig. 2, skin gas collecting device 10 includes a collector 20 and a case 30 that houses collector 20.

[0010] The collector 20 is a component for adsorbing and collecting skin gases. By heating the collector 20 that has adsorbed skin gases, the skin gas components adsorbed to the collector 20 can be desorbed and collected. The collector 20 of this embodiment is also referred to as a "thermal desorption collector." In this embodiment, the collector 20 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. The size of the collector 20 can be set appropriately depending on the target skin gas components, the location where the skin gas collection device 10 is installed, the expected adsorption time, the adsorbent components contained in the collector 20, etc., and can have a side length of 5 mm or more and 50 mm or less, for example.

[0011] The material of the collector 20 is not particularly limited as long as it can be formed into a plate shape and can desorb skin gas components using thermal desorption. For example, a collector in which adsorbent components are fixed to a plate-shaped carrier made of a ceramic material such as silicon dioxide (silica) or a carbon material can be used as the collector 20. The plate-shaped carrier used is not particularly limited as long as it can fix the desired adsorbent components, but a porous material is preferable from the viewpoint of sufficiently fixing the adsorbent components. For example, using a carbon mesh sheet as the plate-shaped carrier makes it easy to increase the flexibility of the collector 20. The adsorbent components fixed to the plate-shaped carrier can be appropriately selected depending on the type of skin gas component to be analyzed. For example, the adsorbent components can be fixed to the plate-shaped carrier by coating the surface of the plate-shaped carrier with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), an adsorbent component, or by introducing octadecylsilyl groups (ODS groups, C18 groups) to the surface of the plate-shaped carrier. As a method for coating the plate-shaped carrier with the adsorbent component, for example, an impregnation method can be used in which the plate-shaped carrier is immersed in a liquid containing the adsorbent component and then dried.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the case 30 has an external shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. As shown in FIG. 2, the case 30 has an arrangement space 14 formed therein, which is a space for arranging the collector 20. The arrangement space 14 is a rectangular space when viewed from above (when viewed in the −Z direction), and its outer periphery when viewed from above is larger than that of the collector 20. For example, the length of each side of the rectangular outer periphery when viewed from above of the arrangement space 14 may be longer than the length of each side of the collector 20, which is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate. In addition, the height (size in the Z-axis direction) of the arrangement space 14 is larger than the thickness (size in the Z-axis direction) of the collector 20. In addition, a first opening 13 communicating with the arrangement space 14 is formed on the bottom surface 11 of the case 30 in the −Z direction. When collecting skin gas, the bottom surface 11 of the skin gas collection device 10 is brought into contact with the skin, and part of the skin is covered with the skin gas collection device 10, and the first opening 13 connects the skin to the placement space 14.

[0013] Furthermore, the case 30 includes a partition 12 that constitutes a part of the inner wall of the case 30. The partition 12 has a stepped structure that separates the first opening 13 and the arrangement space 14 while allowing them to communicate with each other, and forms a second opening 15, which is an opening of the arrangement space 14 and has a shape that the adsorbent 20 cannot pass through. For example, if the second opening 15 has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, the shape that the adsorbent 20 cannot pass through can be a shape in which the length of each side of this rectangular shape is shorter than the length of each side of the adsorbent 20, which is formed in a rectangular plate shape. This configuration makes it possible to hold the adsorbent 20 in the arrangement space 14 without fixing it to the inner wall surface of the arrangement space 14. As a result, the adsorbent 20 can be held in the arrangement space 14 with both the front and back surfaces of the adsorbent 20 exposed to the arrangement space 14. When the skin gas trapping device 10 is arranged so that the +Z direction faces vertically upward, the trapping agent 20 is arranged so as to block the second opening 15 within the arrangement space 14. The above phrase "both the front and back surfaces of the trapping agent 20 are exposed within the arrangement space 14" refers to a state in which the surface of the trapping agent 20 can be exposed to gas containing skin gas components that diffuses into the arrangement space 14, including when one surface of the trapping agent 20 blocks the second opening 15. The trapping agent 20 may be held within the arrangement space 14 with both the front and back surfaces of the trapping agent 20 exposed within the arrangement space 14; for example, a portion of the side surface (surface in the thickness direction) of the trapping agent 20 may be fixed to the inner wall surface of the arrangement space 14.

[0014] When the adsorbent 20 is held in the arrangement space 14 without being fixed to the inner wall surface of the arrangement space 14, the adsorbent 20 can be placed by the simple operation of fitting the adsorbent 20 into the arrangement space 14 through the first opening 13 and the second opening 15. In this case, it is desirable that the adsorbent 20 have sufficient flexibility so that the adsorbent 20 can be fitted through the first opening 13 and the second opening 15. Specifically, for example, the thickness of the adsorbent 20 is desirably 5.0 mm or less, and more desirably 3.0 mm or less. From the viewpoint of ensuring the handleability and strength of the adsorbent 20, it is desirably 0.1 mm or more. Furthermore, the Young's modulus of the adsorbent 20 is desirably 4000 MPa or less, and more desirably 3000 MPa or less. From the viewpoint of ensuring the handleability of the adsorbent 20, it is desirably 10 MPa or more.

[0015] However, in cases where a less flexible adsorbent 20 is used, the adsorbent 20 may be disposed in the arrangement space 14 by a method other than fitting so that both the front and back surfaces of the adsorbent 20 are exposed to the arrangement space 14. For example, an engagement structure that enables the case portion 30 to be separated into upper and lower halves and recombined may be provided at a position midway in the height direction of the arrangement space 14, as indicated by arrow α in Fig. 2, and the adsorbent 20 may be disposed in the arrangement space 14 by separating the case portion 30 into upper and lower halves using the engagement structure to expose the inside of the arrangement space 14.

[0016] Furthermore, the case part 30 includes an attachment part 16 formed as a through-hole that penetrates the case part 30 in the Y-axis direction, at a position in the +Z direction from the arrangement space 14. The attachment part 16 is a structure for fixing the case part 30 on the skin while bringing the case part 30 into contact with the skin.

[0017] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how skin gas collection device 10 is secured on skin 32 when collecting skin gas. To secure skin gas collection device 10, belt-like fastening strap 22 is passed through attachment portion 16, which is a through-hole, and wrapped around the area of ​​skin gas collection target, such as arm 30, and fastened using, for example, a hook-and-loop fastener, thereby securing skin gas collection device 10 on skin 32. The location to which skin gas collection device 10 is secured may be the arm, finger, wrist, palm, neck, or other appropriate location depending on the skin gas components to be analyzed and the condition of the subject. The structure for attaching fastening strap 22 to case portion 30 may be a structure other than a through-hole provided in case portion 30 for passing fastening strap 22 through. For example, a structure for fixing one end of each of the two fastening straps 22 may be provided as an attachment portion on both the +Y side and the -Y side of the case portion 30, and the two fastening straps may be wrapped around the arm 30 or the like and fastened together using the other ends to fix the skin gas collection device 10 on the skin 32.

[0018] There are no particular limitations on the material that can be used to form the case 30, as long as it does not substantially emit volatile components that may interfere with the analysis of skin gases, adsorbs a sufficiently small amount of skin gas, and can be molded into a desired shape. For example, various materials can be selected, including resin materials such as fluororesin, silicone resin, cycloolefin resin, and acrylic resin, as well as metal materials such as glass and stainless steel.

[0019] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for collecting skin gas using skin gas collecting device 10. When collecting skin gas using skin gas collecting device 10, first, as described above, skin gas collecting device 10 is placed on skin 32 and secured using fastening strap 22 (step T100). This closes the internal space, including placement space 14, in case 30, creating a closed space between skin 32. Skin gas emitted from skin 32 spreads into the internal space of case 30, including placement space 14, and is adsorbed by adsorbent 20. Subsequently, skin gas collecting device 10 is held on skin 32, and the operation of adsorbing skin gas onto adsorbent 20 is continued (step T110). After the skin gas has been adsorbed onto adsorbent 20 in this manner, adsorbent 20 is removed from case 30 (step T120). The skin gas components adsorbed onto adsorbent 20 are then recovered by thermal desorption (step T130). The collected skin gas can be analyzed using gas chromatography, etc. By using the method described above, the skin gas emitted from the skin can be concentrated and analyzed.

[0020] According to the skin gas collection device 10 of this embodiment configured as described above, a thermal desorption adsorbent is used as the adsorbent 20, and the plate-shaped adsorbent 20 is held within the arrangement space 14 with both the front and back surfaces exposed to the arrangement space 14. This improves the analytical sensitivity of skin gases. This is because, in general, higher sensitivity is achieved when using a thermal desorption adsorbent compared to when using a solvent extraction adsorbent. For example, even if the same adsorbent can be used for both thermal desorption and solvent extraction methods, the thermal desorption method enables more sensitive analysis. Furthermore, by exposing both the front and back surfaces of the adsorbent 20 to the arrangement space 14, the adsorption capabilities of both the front and back surfaces of the adsorbent 20 can be utilized, allowing skin gases to be adsorbed onto the adsorbent 20 using both the front and back surfaces. For example, in a conventional skin gas collection device such as that described in Non-Patent Document 1, the adsorbent was attached to the bottom surface of the collection device, which meant that only one exposed surface of the adsorbent could be used. According to the skin gas collecting device 10 of this embodiment, both sides of the collecting agent 20 can be used, thereby increasing the analytical sensitivity of skin gases.

[0021] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, skin gas can be collected by a simple method in which bottom surface 11 of skin gas collection device 10, which has a relatively simple cup shape, is brought into contact with the skin to cover a portion of the skin, and first opening 13 is used to connect the skin to placement space 14. This reduces the burden on the subject and allows skin gas collection device 10 to be worn for a relatively long period of time. As a result, a more sufficient amount of skin gas can be adsorbed onto collection agent 20, further improving analytical sensitivity.

[0022] B. Second embodiment: 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of skin gas collection device 110 of the second embodiment. Skin gas collection device 110 has a similar configuration to skin gas collection device 10 of the first embodiment, and therefore the same reference numerals are used for common parts. Skin gas collection device 110 includes case 130, which has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape similar to case 30, instead of case 30, and FIG. 5 shows a cross section taken at the same position as FIG. 2.

[0023] The case portion 130 of the second embodiment is provided with a dehumidifying space 18, which is another space formed within the case portion 130 and communicates with the arrangement space 14, between the arrangement space 14 arranged in the Z-axis direction and the attachment portion 16. As shown in FIG. 5 , the dehumidifying space 18 communicates with the first opening 13 via the arrangement space 14. A dehumidifying agent 24 and a mesh sheet 26 are arranged within the dehumidifying space 18.

[0024] The dehumidifying agent 24 is not particularly limited as long as it can reduce humidity within the placement space 14 and does not dissipate volatile components that cause contamination. For example, it can contain silica gel or calcium chloride as a dehumidifying component. The dehumidifying agent 24 can be in any shape, such as a sheet, bead, or irregular shape. The mesh sheet 26 only needs to be able to transmit gas containing water vapor from the placement space 14 side to the dehumidifying space 18 side. From the perspective of allowing good water vapor transmission, the mesh sheet 26 is preferably made of a hydrophobic material, and can be made of a hydrophobic resin such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

[0025] The case 130 of the second embodiment includes a partition 17 that forms part of the inner wall of the case 130. The partition 17 has a stepped structure that separates the arrangement space 14 and the dehumidifying space 18 while allowing them to communicate with each other, and forms a third opening 19, which is an opening in the dehumidifying space 18 that has a shape that prevents the mesh sheet 26 from passing through. Furthermore, the mesh sheet 26 has a mesh size that prevents the dehumidifying agent 24 from passing through. With this configuration, the dehumidifying agent 24 is retained within the dehumidifying space 18. The mesh sheet 26 may be fixed to the partition 17, but it does not have to be fixed as long as it can keep the dehumidifying agent 24 within the dehumidifying space 18.

[0026] This configuration can suppress an increase in humidity in the space within the case 130, including the placement space 14, even when water vapor (such as sweat) is emitted from the skin during the step of adsorbing skin gases onto the collector 20 (step T110). While both relatively hydrophilic and relatively hydrophobic collectors are known as collectors suitable for solvent extraction, collectors suitable for thermal desorption are generally relatively hydrophilic. When using a hydrophilic collector, it may be necessary to reduce the time for adsorbing skin gases to avoid performance degradation, such as a decrease in adsorption capacity, due to moisture absorption by the collector (e.g., JIS A 1966 states that the adsorption capacity of many physical adsorption collectors decreases under high humidity). Furthermore, moisture absorption by the collector may hinder accurate analysis. In this embodiment, by disposing the dehumidifying agent 24 within the case 130, it is possible to suppress an increase in humidity within the placement space 14 and moisture absorption by the adsorbent 20. This makes it possible to set a longer time for the adsorbent 20 to adsorb skin gases when using a hydrophilic thermal desorption adsorbent. As a result, even under relatively high humidity conditions where the use of highly hydrophilic adsorbents was previously difficult, hydrophilic adsorbents can be used without any problems, thereby increasing the freedom of adsorbent selection and enabling the analysis of a wider range of components. Furthermore, by enabling longer skin gas collection periods, the amount of skin gas adsorbed by the adsorbent 20 can be increased, further improving the sensitivity of skin gas analysis. Furthermore, it becomes possible to perform continuous measurement of skin gases over time.

[0027] The arrangement of the dehumidifying agent 24 may be different from that shown in FIG. 5 . For example, when the dehumidifying agent 24 containing a dehumidifying component is formed into a sheet, the dehumidifying agent 24 may be shaped so as not to pass through the third opening 19, and the mesh sheet 26 may not be provided. Alternatively, the dehumidifying space 18 may not be provided in the case 110, and the dehumidifying agent 24 may be arranged together with the adsorbent 20 in the arrangement space 14. In this case, for example, the dehumidifying agent 24 may be spaced apart from the adsorbent 20, specifically, fixed to a side surface or an upper surface in the +Z direction of the arrangement space 14, so as not to interfere with the adsorption of skin gas by the adsorbent 20. Alternatively, the dehumidifying space 18 containing the dehumidifying agent 24 may be provided between the first opening 13 and the arrangement space 14 in which the adsorbent 20 is arranged, and the arrangement space 14 may be connected to the first opening 13 via the dehumidifying agent 24. However, from the viewpoint of ensuring the efficiency of adsorption of skin gases in the collector 20, it is desirable to provide an arrangement space 14 between the first opening 13 and the dehumidifying space 18, as shown in FIG.

[0028] C. Third embodiment: 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of skin gas collection device 210 of the third embodiment. Skin gas collection device 210 has a similar configuration to skin gas collection device 10 of the first embodiment, and therefore the same reference numerals are used for common parts. Skin gas collection device 210 includes case 230, which has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape similar to case 30, instead of case 30, and FIG. 6 shows a cross section taken at the same position as FIG. 2.

[0029] Although the skin gas collection device 10 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the skin gas collection device 110 of the second embodiment have an attachment portion 16 as a structure for securing the skin gas collection device on the skin, a special structure for securing the skin gas collection device on the skin may not be provided. FIG. 6 shows an example of a configuration in which a special structure for securing the skin gas collection device on the skin is not provided. The skin gas collection device 210 of FIG. 6 has a structure including a dehumidifying agent 24 as a dehumidifying structure, similar to the skin gas collection device 110 of the second embodiment, but may not have a dehumidifying structure, similar to the skin gas collection device 10 of the first embodiment. When the case portion 230 does not have a structure for securing the skin gas collection device on the skin as shown in FIG. 6, the skin gas collection device 210 may be secured to the skin using, for example, surgical tape or medical tape.

[0030] Even with this configuration, skin gases can be adsorbed using both sides of the thermal desorption collector, as in the first and second embodiments, and the same effect of increasing the analytical sensitivity of skin gases can be achieved. However, if a structure for physically fixing the skin gas collection device using a fastening strap or the like is provided as in the first and second embodiments, this is preferable because it can suppress the inconveniences that arise from using additional fixing means (for example, rashes caused by the fixing tape and an increase in blank components due to the adhesive components of the fixing tape).

[0031] D. Other Embodiments: In the above-described embodiments, the case and the collector 20 have a rectangular shape when viewed from above, but they may have a different shape. For example, the outer shape of the case may be cylindrical, and the case and the collector 20 may have a circular shape when viewed from above. [Example]

[0032] <Performance comparison with conventional methods> The performance of skin gas collection was compared between the analytical results of skin gas collection and recovery by the present method using the skin gas collection device 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the analytical results of skin gas collection by a conventional method. Three subjects, two males and one female, were used. In the following description, the male subjects are referred to as Sub1 and Sub2, and the female subject is referred to as Sub3. In the skin gas collection device 10 according to the present method, TF-SPME (PDMS / HLB) (manufactured by Markes International) was used as the collection agent 20. This is a carbon fiber mesh sheet coated with a liquid phase of PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) and HLB (Polydipoly(divinylbenzene-co-N-vinyl-pyrrolidone) skeleton) particles. Skin gas collection by the conventional method was performed by purchasing a commercially available device described in Non-Patent Document 1 and outsourcing the analysis. A MonoTrap SG DCC18 skin gas sampler manufactured by GL Sciences Inc. was used. That is, the collection of skin gases by the conventional method was carried out by pressing the back surface of the collector against the inner wall surface of the skin gas collection device and fixing it, and the skin gas adsorbed by the collector was recovered by solvent extraction. The collection of skin gases was carried out for the same time period (two hours from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM) for two consecutive days, and the skin gas collection was carried out by wearing the skin gas collection device 10 according to the present application and the skin gas collection device by the conventional method at the same time.

[0033] A gas chromatography / mass selective detector (GC / MSD) system was used to analyze the skin gas collected by the collector 20. Specifically, an 8890GC, 5977C MSD (Agilent Technologies) system equipped with an autosampler: MPS2 (Gerstel) with a thermal desorption unit (TD3.5+, Gerstel) was used. Here, the sampled collector 20 was inserted into a stainless steel tube (outer diameter 13.8 mm) and placed in the autosampler. By using this autosampler, during analysis, the stainless steel tube was transported to the thermal desorption unit, and the adsorbed components were thermally desorbed. The desorbed gas was then concentrated in a cooling concentrator (CIS4), reheated, and introduced into a GC separation column for analysis. Thermal desorption was performed at 250°C for 7 minutes, and cooling concentration was performed at a cooling concentration temperature of -10°C using the adsorbent Tenax TA (GL Sciences).

[0034] 7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the analysis results of skin gas components for each subject's sample. FIG. 7 shows the results of detecting 2-hexenal, and FIG. 8 shows the results of detecting ethylbenzene. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, by using skin gas collection device 10, components that could not be detected by conventional methods were detected, indicating that there are skin gas components that can be analyzed with higher sensitivity than conventional methods.

[0035] 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams showing the results of principal component analysis of the 46 quantified components using the analysis results of the skin gas collected as described above, plotting the first and second principal components. FIG. 9 shows the results of analysis of skin gas collected using the skin gas collection device 10 of the present application, and FIG. 10 shows the results of analysis of skin gas collected using a conventional method. As shown in FIG. 10, the analysis results of skin gas collected using the conventional method resulted in a mixed cluster of male subjects Sub1 and Sub2, and the two could not be distinguished. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 9, the analysis results of skin gas collected using the skin gas collection device 10 of the present application showed clusters of three subjects each, indicating the possibility of identifying subjects from the analysis results. It has been proposed that skin gas can be used for biometric personal authentication (biometric authentication) by utilizing the component species and their concentration patterns as fingerprints. It has been demonstrated that the skin gas collection device of the present application can be suitably used for such purposes.

[0036] <Confirming the effect of exposing both sides of the collector> Using the same adsorbent 20 as above, a comparison was made by examining the difference in the detection amounts of various skin gas components between a collection method in which both sides of the adsorbent 20 are exposed using the skin gas collection device 10 of the present application and a collection method in which the back side of the adsorbent 20 is fitted into the bottom of a measuring device and fixed in a pressed state, as in the conventional method, and only one side of the adsorbent 20 is exposed to skin gas. Skin gas was collected from the adsorbent 20 using a thermal desorption method under similar conditions. Here, skin gas collection using the skin gas collection device 10 of the present application (double-sided exposure) and skin gas collection using the conventional method (single-sided exposure) were simultaneously performed on two subjects.

[0037] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the detected amounts of eight components widely known as skin gas components. FIG. 11 shows the ratio of the average value of the measured values ​​obtained by the skin gas collection device 10 (double-sided exposure) according to the present invention, when the average value of the measured values ​​obtained by the conventional method (single-sided exposure) described above is set to 100%. The error bars indicate the distribution range of the measured values ​​obtained by the double-sided exposure. As shown in FIG. 11, by exposing the collector 20 on both sides, various skin gas components can be detected with higher sensitivity than when exposed on one side.

[0038] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0039] The present disclosure can also be realized in the following forms. [Application example 1] A skin gas collection device, a collector that adsorbs skin gases and desorbs the adsorbed skin gases by heating; a case for accommodating the scavenger, the case having an arrangement space for arranging the scavenger and a first opening that communicates the skin with the arrangement space when the skin gas collection device is brought into contact with the skin; Equipped with The collector is formed in a plate shape and is held in the arrangement space with both the front and back surfaces exposed to the arrangement space. Skin gas collection device. [Application example 2] The skin gas collection device according to Application Example 1, the case portion includes a partition portion that constitutes a part of an inner wall of the case portion, that partitions the first opening portion and the arrangement space while allowing them to communicate with each other, and that has a second opening portion that is an opening portion of the arrangement space and has a shape that prevents the collector from passing through; The collecting agent is held in the arrangement space without being fixed to the inner wall surface of the arrangement space. Skin gas collection device. [Application example 3] The skin gas collection device according to Application Example 1 or 2, The collector has a thickness of 0.1 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, and a Young's modulus of 10 MPa or more and 4000 MPa or less. Skin gas collection device. [Application example 4] The skin gas collection device according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 3, further comprising: a dehumidifying agent disposed in the arrangement space or in another space formed in the case portion and communicating with the arrangement space; Skin gas collection device. [Application example 5] The skin gas collection device according to Application Example 4, the dehumidifying agent is disposed in the other space, The other space is in communication with the first opening through the arrangement space. Skin gas collection device. [Application Example 6] The skin gas collection device according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 5, The case includes an attachment portion for attaching a fastening strap to fasten the case to the skin while the case is in contact with the skin. Skin gas collection device. [Application Example 7] A method for collecting skin gas, comprising: The skin gas trapping device according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 6 is brought into contact with the skin, and the skin gas that has passed through the first opening is adsorbed by the trapping agent. The skin gas adsorbed on the collector is recovered from the collector by thermal desorption. Skin gas collection method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10, 110, 210...Skin gas collection device 11...Bottom 12...Partition 13...First opening 14…Placement space 15...Second opening 16...Mounting part 17...Partition 18...Dehumidification space 19...Third opening 20...Collecting agent 22... Fastening belt 24...Dehumidifier 26...Mesh sheet 30, 130, 230...Case section 32…Skin

Claims

1. A skin gas collection device, a collector that adsorbs skin gases and desorbs the adsorbed skin gases by heating; a case for accommodating the scavenger, the case having an arrangement space for arranging the scavenger and a first opening that communicates the skin with the arrangement space when the skin gas collection device is brought into contact with the skin; Equipped with The collector is formed in a plate shape and is held in the arrangement space with both the front and back surfaces exposed to the arrangement space. Skin gas collection device.

2. The skin gas collection device according to claim 1, the case portion includes a partition portion that constitutes a part of an inner wall of the case portion, that partitions the first opening portion and the arrangement space while allowing them to communicate with each other, and that has a second opening portion that is an opening portion of the arrangement space and has a shape that prevents the collector from passing through; The collecting agent is held in the arrangement space without being fixed to the inner wall surface of the arrangement space. Skin gas collection device.

3. The skin gas collection device according to claim 2, The collector has a thickness of 0.1 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, and a Young's modulus of 10 MPa or more and 4000 MPa or less. Skin gas collection device.

4. The skin gas collection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a dehumidifying agent disposed in the arrangement space or in another space formed in the case portion and communicating with the arrangement space; Skin gas collection device.

5. The skin gas collection device according to claim 4, the dehumidifying agent is disposed in the other space, The other space is in communication with the first opening through the arrangement space. Skin gas collection device.

6. The skin gas collection device according to claim 1, The case includes an attachment portion for attaching a fastening strap to fasten the case to the skin while the case is in contact with the skin. Skin gas collection device.

7. A method for collecting skin gas, comprising: The skin gas collecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is brought into contact with skin, and the skin gas that has passed through the first opening is adsorbed by the collecting agent. The skin gas adsorbed on the collector is recovered from the collector by thermal desorption. Skin gas collection method.

Images