Abstract: Provided is a nucleic acid inhibiting a function of a target miRNA. Provided is a double-stranded nucleic acid complex comprising a first nucleic acid strand of 6 to 30 nucleotide length that hybridizes to a target miRNA to inhibit a function of the target miRNA, and a second nucleic acid strand complementary to the first nucleic acid strand, wherein the first nucleic acid strand is a mixmer comprising a natural nucleoside and a non-natural nucleoside, and the second nucleic acid strand comprises at least one of one or more modified internucleoside linkages and one or more sugar modified nucleosides.

Abstract: Provided is a thrombin-carrying hemostatic sheet that is suitable for hemostasis during surgery, in particular, for hemostasis during spine surgery, that is convenient without preparation before use, and that is bioabsorbable and can be embedded in the body as it is. The hemostatic sheet is composed of a gelatin sponge carrying an effective amount of thrombin, wherein (A) the density is 30 to 55 mg/cm3, and (B) the shape maintaining angle in wet conditions is 55 to 120°.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a double-stranded nucleic acid complex having a reduced number of PS modifications in an antisense strand and maintaining an antisense effect. An optimal PS modification pattern for double-stranded nucleic acid complexes is disclosed. Such a nucleic acid complex comprising an antisense strand having an optimal PS modification pattern has a characteristic of having low toxicity and high bioavailability. The double-stranded nucleic acid complex comprising an antisense strand having an optimal PS modification pattern according to the present invention is useful when used as a nucleic acid drug that utilizes inhibition of expression of a specific gene (knockdown), activity that changes the function of coating or non-coding RNA for a specific gene, or activity that changes the function of RNA by inducing exon skipping during processing of pre-mRNA for a specific gene.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a biomagnetism measuring device capable of accurately detecting biomagnetism regardless of the object to be measured. This biomagnetism measuring device (1) is provided with: a plurality of magnetic sensors (11) which detect biomagnetism of a living body (100); a retaining portion (12) including retaining holes (12a) which retain the plurality of magnetic sensors (11) with freedom to move individually; and a movement mechanism which moves the magnetic sensors (11) individually in a contacting/separating direction causing the magnetic sensors (11) to come into contact with or separate from the living body (100). As movement mechanisms there may be mentioned, for example, a pneumatic/hydraulic mechanism (20), a resilient body mechanism (30), a screw mechanism (40) and a gear mechanism (50).

Abstract: The present invention provides novel compositions for suppressing or improving hair loss, and compositions for suppressing or improving graying. More specifically, it provides agents that stabilize type XVII collagen expression, preferably agents that suppress the degradation of type XVII collagen by ELANE inhibitors and such, and compositions comprising a DNA repair-promoting agent or a DNA damage-suppressing agent as an active ingredient. Advantageous suppressive effects of hair loss and graying can be obtained when a composition comprising as an active ingredient a suppressive agent of type XVII collagen degradation such as an ELANE inhibitor is administered to a mammal. For the ELANE inhibitors, suppressive agents of type XVII collagen degradation and DNA repair-promoting agents, low-molecular compounds, polypeptides, proteins, antibodies, or nucleic acid medicine such as antisense oligos or siRNAs may be used.

Abstract: Provided is a nucleic acid strand that can efficiently deliver an antisense oligonucleotide into the body, particularly a nucleic acid complex comprising a first nucleic acid strand and a second nucleic acid strand, wherein the first nucleic acid strand includes a base sequence that is capable of hybridizing with at least a portion of a target transcription product, and exerts an antisense effect on the target transcription product; the second nucleic acid strand includes a complementary region having a base sequence complementary to the first nucleic acid strand and at least one overhang region located on the 5? and/or 3? side of the complementary region; and the first nucleic acid strand is annealed to the complementary region in the second nucleic acid strand.

Abstract: There is provided a salt-tolerant Lactobacillus having high foodstuff suitability, being easily produced, and having an immunostimulatory action. Salt-tolerant Lactobacillus having an immunostimulatory action with viability and activation potency of B cells.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a processor programmed to obtain a first radiation image of a subject captured from a first direction, obtain a second radiation image of the subject captured from a second direction that intersects the first direction, and either correct one of the first radiation image and the second radiation image based on positional information of a device for capturing the one of the first radiation image and the second radiation image, or correct another one of the first radiation image and the second radiation image based on information on a position of a specific region of the subject obtained from the one of the first radiation image and the second radiation image.

Abstract: The present invention can provide a nucleic acid medicine which has a higher effect and a more prolonged effect of inhibiting the expression of ?-synudein can be provided. Disclosed is the oligonucleotide or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof, the oligonucleotide containing at least one nucleoside structure represented by Formula (I): (where each of Base and A are defined substituent or structure), can bind to an ?-synudein gene, has activity for inhibiting expression of the ?-synudein gene, and is complementary to the ?-synudein gene, and the oligonucleotide has a length of twelve to twenty bases.

Abstract: A medical device includes a shaft portion with a hollow shape and inflected portions or an exposed portion. The shaft portion is inserted into a cortical bone or penetrates through the cortical bone and is inserted to a position reaching a cancellous bone at an inner side of the cortical bone. The inflected portions are inflected to radial direction outer sides from one end portion of an axial direction of the shaft portion, and are exposed at a surface of the cortical bone. The exposed portion includes a portion that extends to the radial direction outer side from the one end portion of the axial direction of the shaft portion, and is exposed at the surface of the cortical bone.

Abstract: This invention provides a simple analysis method by a PCR method that simultaneously performs, in a single container, separating nucleic acid of pathogens contained in a tissue fragment and preparing a PCR buffer solution, and a kit used for the analysis method. A method for detecting a pathogen includes: (1) obtaining a liquid specimen mixture by adding a tissue fragment containing a pathogen to a PCR buffer solution containing a proteolytic enzyme; (2) heating the liquid specimen mixture at a first temperature; (3) further heating at a second temperature; (4) performing PCR by adding a portion of the liquid mixture obtained in (3) above to a solid composition for PCR reaction containing DNA polymerase and one or more kinds of PCR primer pair; and (5) detecting a PCR product generated in (4) above.

Abstract: There is provided a biological gas measurement device that continuously collects biological gas, and is able to immediately and chronologically measure a target substance from the collected biological gas. A skin gas measurement device includes a biological gas collector 10 having an aperture portion 11 in a side thereof that faces a living body, and having a recessed portion 12 that is connected with the aperture portion 11 and serves as a space for collecting biological gas, a measurement device 100 that measures a target substance in the biological gas collected by the biological gas collector 10, an outflow path 40 through which collected biological gas is discharged from the recessed portion 12 to the measurement device 100, and a correction device 124 that corrects measurements of the target substance performed by the measurement device 100, and enables measurement results of the target substance from which effects of moisture present inside the outflow path 40 have been excluded to be output.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and a reagent for increasing lentiviral vector production in 293T cells. When the 293T cells are cotransfected with a packaging mix comprising a plurality of plasmids that comprise genes encoding proteins essential for lentiviral particle formation and a plasmid that comprises a gene transcribed into RNA to be incorporated into lentiviral particles containing a transgene to be expressed in target cells according to the method for producing a lentiviral vector, HTLV-1 Tax, HIV-1 Tat, or NF-?B RelA are coexpressed in the 293T cells, so as to increase the amount of lentiviral vector production.

Abstract: A method of reducing the level of a transcription product in a cell comprising contacting with the cell a composition comprising a double-stranded nucleic acid complex comprising a first nucleic acid strand annealed to a second nucleic acid strand, wherein: (i) the first nucleic acid strand hybridizes to the transcription product and comprises (a) a region consisting of at least 4 consecutive nucleotides that are recognized by RNase H when the strand is hybridized to the transcription product, (b) one or more nucleotide analogs located on 5? terminal side of the region, (c) one or more nucleotide analogs located on 3? terminal side of the region and (d) a total number of nucleotides and nucleotide analogs ranging from 8 to 35 nucleotides and (ii) the second nucleic acid strand comprises (a) nucleotides and optionally nucleotide analogs and (b) at least 4 consecutive RNA nucleotides.

Abstract: This invention provides a nucleic acid that can attenuate toxicity caused by abnormal accumulation of RNA-binding proteins in cells and can be used for prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and an agent for prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative diseases containing such nucleic acid. Such nucleic acid comprises a repeat RNA consisting of nucleotides represented by the formula: (U(Me)GX1X2X3 . . . Xm)n, wherein U(Me) is 2?-O-Me-modified; X1, X2, X3, . . . Xm may or may not be present, each independently represent A, C, G, or U in the presence thereof, and may be the same or different; m is 1 to 10; G, X1, X2, X3, . . . Xm may or may not be each independently 2?-O-Me-modified; and n is 4 to 15. The agent for prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative diseases induced by abnormal accumulation of TDP-43 in cells comprises such nucleic acid as an active ingredient.

Abstract: An improved device capable of releasing a drug in response to stimuli such as a glucose concentration is provided. Provided is a drug delivery device, including a porous body such as a hollow fiber having biocompatibility and drug permeability, a stimuli-responsive gel composition filling inside of the porous body, and a drug surrounded by the gel composition inside of the porous body.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for obtaining information on a risk of a decrease in a respiratory function of a patient with interstitial pneumonia, the method comprising measuring at least one biomarker in a biological sample of the patient with interstitial pneumonia, wherein the biomarker comprises CCL17 and CXCL9, and a measurement result of the biomarker is an index of the risk of a decrease in the respiratory function of the patient.

Abstract: A diagnostic support system includes a spinal cord/spinal nerve evoked magnetic field data acquisition device configured to acquire spinal cord/spinal nerve evoked magnetic field data and a medical image information acquisition device configured to acquire first medical image information having each pixel associated with a corresponding pixel of visualized data of the spinal cord/spinal nerve evoked magnetic field data. The diagnostic support system superimposes the visualized data of the spinal cord/spinal nerve evoked magnetic field data on second medical image information based on information included in the first medical image information.

Abstract: A bioelectric current estimation method includes acquiring position information of a nerve in a measurement target region of a subject for which magnetic data is measured with a magnetic sensor, the position information of the nerve being acquired based on a nerve image included in a morphological image of the measurement target region; acquiring a positional relationship between a position of the nerve and a position of the magnetic sensor, based on the acquired position information of the nerve and position information of the magnetic sensor when the magnetic sensor is positioned to face the measurement target region; and estimating a neural activity current, which is generated in association with neural activity of the subject, based on the acquired positional relationship and the magnetic data of the measurement target region measured by the magnetic sensor.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel therapeutic agent for frontotemporal lobar degeneration. The present invention provides a therapeutic agent for frontotemporal lobar degeneration containing an active ingredient which suppresses gene expression or protein function of Gas6 and/or Tyro3. The active ingredient may contain a nucleic acid.