Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a recombinant LPA phosphatase capable of specifically hydrolyzing LPA, which is useful for elucidation of the metabolism pathway of LPA, and also for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases with which LPA is associated; a method capable of simply and inexpensively determining LPA associated with various diseases; and a kit for determination suitable for the method. The present invention has succeeded in purifying the LPA phosphatase using bovine brain as raw material, and further in cloning human LPA phosphatase gene.

Abstract: An improvement in the production of imidazole derivatives including histamine H3 agonist immepip and histamine H3 antagonist VUF4929.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and a kit for detecting or quantitatively determining homocysteine rapidly and simply and with high sensitivity by oxidizing the residual homocysteine cosubstrate, the produced homocysteine-converting enzyme product or an enzyme reaction product thereof in the presence of an SH reagent to produce hydrogen peroxide and determining the produced hydrogen peroxide by color development using an oxidative color-developing agent. By using the method and kit of the present invention, homocysteine in biological samples, in particular, in body fluids such as blood and urine can be detected and quantitatively determined rapidly and simply and with high sensitivity.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a recombinant LPA phosphatase capable of specifically hydrolyzing LPA, which is useful for elucidation of the metabolism pathway of LPA, and also for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases with which LPA is associated; a method capable of simply and inexpensively determining LPA associated with various diseases; and a kit for determination suitable for the method. The present invention has succeeded in purifying the LPA phosphatase using bovine brain as a raw material, and further in cloning human LPA phosphatase gene.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a recombinant LPA phosphates capable of specifically hydrolyzing LPA, which is useful for elucidation of the metabolic pathway of LPA, and also for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases with which LPA is associated. The present invention also provides for a method capable of simply and inexpensively determining LPA associated with various diseases. The present invention also provides for a kit for determination suitable for the method. The present invention has succeeded in purifying the LPA phosphatase using bovine brain as a raw material, and further in cloning human LPA phosphatase gene.

Abstract: An electrode device is for microwave coagulation therapy disclosed in which the direction of its electrode tip can be controlled by operation in its proximal region.

Abstract: A medical apparatus comprising an apparatus body and a terminal instrument which operates when receiving a terminal output which is an electric or electromagnetic output. The terminal instrument is provided with an installed cell of predetermined capacity and the apparatus body is provided with a circuit for measuring the electromotive force (emf) of the installed cell while discharging the emf via a predetermined resistance as the terminal instrument is used. A comparator compares the emf with a standard voltage and the output command is blocked from the primary control section when the emf of the installed cell is below the standard voltage. Moreover, an alarm is generated when the emf of the installed cell is below the standard voltage level during the use of the terminal instrument.

Abstract: A process for advantageously preparing a piperazinesulfonamide derivative represented by the general formula (III): wherein R1 is hydrogen atom, a straight or branched chain alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, hydroxyl group, trifluoromethyl group, nitro group or amino group; R2 is a phenyl group which may have as substituents on its phenyl ring 1 to 3 groups selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, hydroxyl group, trifluoromethyl group, nitro group and amino group, 2-pyridyl group, 3-pyridyl group or 4-pyridyl group; each of R3 and R4 is independently hydrogen atom, a straight or branched chain alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having 3 to 8 carbon atoms, or a phenyl group which may be substituted; and Y is an alkylene group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and

Abstract: This invention relates to a needle attached suture manufacturing method and apparatus capable of cutting a suture exactly at the same length, with a simple construction and high efficiency. A transport/holding device 42 holds a suture Y and transports the suture straight forward toward a needle swaging device 20 a distance corresponding to a predetermined target value. Thereafter, the suture Y is cut at a certain position to obtain a suture strand. The suture strand is then inserted in an insertion hole formed at the end of a needle and is swaged by the needle swaging device 20. As an altered method, after the suture Y is inserted in the insertion hole of the needle, the suture Y is cut at a position away from the end of the needle a predetermined target distance.

Abstract: This invention relates to a needle supply device for use in a needle attached suture manufacturing apparatus or its equivalent to automatically supply curved needles one by one to a predetermined position of the apparatus in a state that the needle is accurately set in the same posture. The needle supply device has a passage defining member 32 including a needle storage portion 42, passages 44 and 46, and a needle discharge tray 55 in this order. By driving the passage defining member 32 to vibrate, needles N set on the needle storage portion 42 proceed along the passages 44 and 46 toward the needle discharge tray 55. There are provided selecting units 48, 50, and 52 each in a certain passage form on the way of the passages 44 and 46 to exclusively allow the needles N in the predetermined posture to pass while maintaining the predetermined posture.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a needle attached suture and an apparatus therefor. A needle attached suture is obtained by inserting a suture into an insertion hole formed in the end of a needle N which is held by a needle retaining unit 16 and by swaging the end of the needle with the suture. The method and the apparatus have been developed to accurately position the end of the needle for swaging with the suture to stabilize the swaging strength between the suture and the needle. Before the swaging, the needle is held by the needle retaining unit 16, and the end of the needle N is pushed to a certain position by a rod 99 or its equivalent. Thereby, the end of the needle N relative to the needle retaining unit 16 is accurately positioned.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to provide a needle attached suture manufacturing apparatus, with a simple construction and reduced cost, capable of assuredly inserting the lead end of a suture in an insertion hole formed in the end of a needle before the end of the needle is swaged. In order to accomplish the above object, a needle swaging device 20 of this apparatus includes die support members 101 and 102 on which swaging dies 111 and 112 are mounted to be movable toward and away from each other. Suture guide plates 95 and 96 are mounted on the die support members 101 and 102 and are formed with guide grooves 95a and 96b, respectively. Before a swaging operation of the needle end by the swaging dies 111 and 112, the suture guide plates 95 and 96 move to a contact state or to a close contact state with each other when the swaging dies 111 and 112 are set to a pre-swaging position in contact with or in close contact with the end of the needle.