Abstract: Provided is a spacer for ionizing radiation therapy, which can be easily disposed in a living body, does not require abdominal surgery for removing the disposed spacer after radiation therapy, and can effectively separate a tissue to be treated from other tissues. The spacer for ionizing radiation therapy includes a fiber assembly obtained by three-dimensionally entangling a fibrous material formed of a biocompatible synthetic polymeric material. Specifically, the spacer has a thickness of 1 mm to 100 mm.

Abstract: A microwave providing device is provided, which is capable of effectively extending the coagulation range of a treatment target tissue by setting the conditions for intermittently providing microwaves. An output controller controls a microwave generator based on a first efficiency of dielectric heating by microwaves with respect to a cumulative radiation period of microwaves radiated intermittently to a treatment target tissue S and a second efficiency of dielectric heating by microwaves with respect to a cumulative radiation period of microwaves radiated continuously to the treatment target tissue so that microwaves are intermittently radiated at least after a reference cumulative radiation period that is set in advance as a cumulative radiation period at which the first efficiency becomes larger than the second efficiency.

Abstract: A bone-tying cable tightening device is disclosed which makes itself unusable after having been used a predetermined number of times.

Abstract: A method of assaying a sample with the use of the aggregation reaction of immunological microparticles and an assay kit. The assay is conducted by using microparticles wherein the same or an analog of the analyte and a substance that specifically binds to a substance that can specifically bind to the analyte are both bound to an insoluble carrier. Thus, it becomes possible to conveniently carry out the assay even in the case where the analyte has only a small number of specific binding sites, without especially adding a competitive substance carrying hapten bonded thereto to the reaction system so as to induce simultaneous competition of the target substance and the competitive substance.

Abstract: Disclosed is a flat cable formed by braiding ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, in which degree of the fibers' close contact in a condition where no tensile force is applied is elevated compared with conventional ones. The cable is a flat cable formed by braiding ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, the area of whose cross section under a load of no tensile stress is not more than 110% of the cross section area under a load of a tensile stress of 22.7 N/mm2.

Abstract: Provided is a spacer for ionizing radiation therapy, which can be easily disposed in a living body, does not require abdominal surgery for removing the disposed spacer after radiation therapy, and can effectively separate a tissue to be treated from other tissues. The spacer for ionizing radiation therapy includes a fiber assembly obtained by three-dimensionally entangling a fibrous material formed of a biocompatible synthetic polymeric material. Specifically, the spacer has a thickness of 1 mm to 100 mm.

Abstract: A reagent kit for determining an analyte in a sample by agglutination includes a first reagent containing a first specific binding substance that is a substance that can specifically bind to the analyte; and a second reagent containing microparticles having a second specific binding substance bound thereto, the second specific binding substance being a monoclonal antibody against the first specific binding substance.

Abstract: A suspension storage container 10 has a flat portion across a specific region including the tail end. The flat portion has an outer peripheral wall 13 forming a flat outer peripheral surface and partition walls 14 that extend in the flat cross section of the outer peripheral wall 13 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the major axis direction of the flat cross section to partition a chamber inside the outer peripheral wall 13 into plural chambers S1 through S3 aligned side by side in the major axis direction. A suspension K is stored only in part of all the chambers S1 through S3, that is, the chamber S2, and a sealing film 21 having the outline almost identical with the outline of the outer peripheral wall is laminated to the tail end surfaces of the outer peripheral wall 13 and the partition walls 14.

Abstract: A method for determining an analyte in a sample, includes the steps of: (a) mixing the analyte and a first specific binding substance, the first specific binding substance being a substance that can specifically bind to the analyte; (b) adding microparticles having a second specific binding substance bound thereto to a mixture obtained in the step (a) and mixing therewith, the second specific binding substance being a substance that can specifically bind to the first specific binding substance; and (c) determining an agglutination reaction of the microparticles in a mixture obtained in the step (b).

Abstract: A bone-tying cable tightening device with improved easiness of handling of is disclosed. The device comprises a grip portion, a rod-like member extending forward, a knot supporter at the tip, a cable holder to grip and hold the tow arms together, and a sliding block mounted around the rod-like member and connected to a puller and an operation lever to drive the puller. The knot supporter supports two arms that can be hooked away from each other and laterally above the rod-like member, the cable holder is made up of a longitudinal through groove a locking recess which extends, at the end of the through groove, and a backward biased locking member which is provided movably back and forth behind the locking recess on the upper side of the sliding block made so that its forward movement is blocked when it fits in the locking recess.

Abstract: A method for measuring an analyte in a sample, includes the steps of (a) mixing a sample containing the analyte, a complex comprising a plurality of molecules of a substance that specifically binds to the analyte, and microparticles each having the analyte or an analog of the analyte bound to an insoluble support; and (b) measuring an agglutination reaction of the microparticles in a mixture obtained in the step (a). In the method, for example, an antibody is used in the form of a complex of a plurality of molecules of the antibody, rather than in the form of a single molecule of the antibody. Therefore, the sensitivity to the measurement is increased, and the measurement in a lower concentration range becomes possible. A reagent kit for measuring is also disclosed.

Abstract: Provided is a method for maintaining the reactivity of microparticles having a reactive substance bound thereto in a dispersion liquid of the microparticles over a long period of time by stabilizing the microparticles in the dispersion liquid. The method for stabilizing microparticles having a reactive substance bound thereto includes the step of allowing a sulfur-containing amino acid or a derivative thereof to coexist in a dispersion liquid of the microparticles. The sulfur-containing amino acid includes one or more of cysteine, cystine, and methionine. The method is particularly useful when a precipitation preventing substance, such as a polyanion, dextran, or the like, is allowed to coexist in the dispersion liquid.

Abstract: The subject of the present invention is to provide a useful antibody for measuring ADAMTS13 activity, in particular, a monoclonal antibody and a method for measuring ADAMTS13 activity. Further, another subject of the present invention also is to provide a monoclonal antibody which has specific reactivity to an antigenic determinant site produced by reacting ADAMTS13 with VWF that is a substrate or a partial peptide of VWF that is a potential substrate, but has no specific reactivity to the complete VWF molecule, and a use of the antibody of interest. Those subjects were achieved by succeeding in obtaining a monoclonal antibody (anti-N-10 monoclonal antibody) which has specific reactivity to a cleavage site that is cleavable by ADAMTS13 in the partial peptide of VWF, and further by finding a method for measuring ADAMTS13 activity using the monoclonal antibody of interest.

Abstract: A method of assaying a sample with the use of the aggregation reaction of immunological microparticles and an assay kit. The assay is conducted by using microparticles wherein the same or an analog of the analyte and a substance that specifically binds to a substance that can specifically bind to the analyte are both bound to an insoluble carrier. Thus, it becomes possible to conveniently carry out the assay even in the case where the analyte has only a small number of specific binding sites, without especially adding a competitive substance carrying hapten bonded thereto to the reaction system so as to induce simultaneous competition of the target substance and the competitive substance.

Abstract: A method for measuring an acrolein adduct present in a sample comprising the steps of: (a) mixing a sample containing the acrolein adduct with a solution comprising an immunoglobulin that specifically recognizes the acrolein adduct; (b) adding to the mixture obtained in the step (a), a solution comprising microparticles to which a substance that specifically binds to the immunoglobulin that specifically recognizes the acrolein adduct and a blocking agent have been bound, and mixing them; and (c) measuring an extent of an agglutination reaction of the microparticles in the mixture obtained in the step (b), wherein the extent of the agglutination reaction being decreased relative to an amount of the acrolein adduct in the sample. The method enables a measurement of an acrolein adduct without requiring a complex operation.

Abstract: A tape made of polyester fibers is disclosed which, though a flexible tape, is not easily elongated when it is pulled. The tape is a tape which is produced by braiding polyester fibers into a tape and then subjecting it to drawing, and whose maximum Young's modulus measured on a stress-elongation curve produced as it is pulled until its elongation reaches 5% of its initial length is not less than 2 GPa.

Abstract: A fecal analyzing apparatus includes an extraction/dilution section (43) for extracting a fecal suspension from a feces sampling container (1). The fecal suspension is formed by dispersing feces in a feces-dissolving liquid in the feces sampling container (1), and mixing a diluting solution having a different concentration than the feces-dissolving liquid, with respect to a specific pigment, into the extracted fecal suspension in a predetermined amount. An optical-absorbance measurement section (61) detects the concentration of the specific pigment to be changed in response to the addition of the diluting solution, and a control device (66) determines the adequacy of the extraction amount of the fecal suspension in accordance with the detected concentration of the specific pigment. The adequacy of the extraction amount of the fecal suspension can be determined to provide an adequate assay result.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for the measurement of the activity of homocysteinethiolactone hydrolyzing enzyme in a sample. The method involves mixing and reacting ?-thiobutyrolactone and the sample in the presence of a cholinesterase inhibitor, and measuring 4-mercaptobutyric acid product. The method is safe and easy to operate, since it does not involve the use of a radioactive substrate, and is free of influence of other compounds contained in a bodily sample.

Abstract: A method for determining an analyte in a sample, includes the steps of: (a) mixing the analyte and a first specific binding substance, the first specific binding substance being a substance that can specifically bind to the analyte; (b) adding microparticles having a second specific binding substance bound thereto to a mixture obtained in the step (a) and mixing therewith, the second specific binding substance being a substance that can specifically bind to the first specific binding substance; and (c) determining an agglutination reaction of the microparticles in a mixture obtained in the step (b).