Abstract: The present invention relates to a composition which contains an intestinal bacterium belonging to Bacteroidetes and having an inflammation reducing activity, or a substance derived from the intestinal bacterium and having an inflammation reducing activity and which has at least one activity selected from an anti-inflammatory activity, an immunoregulation activity, an epithelial barrier restoring activity, an IL-10-inducing activity, and an IL-22-inducing activity, and to an ameliorating agent for an inflammatory disease, an autoimmune disease, or an infectious disease containing the intestinal bacterium and the substance derived from the intestinal bacterium and having an inflammation reducing activity.

Abstract: There is provided an endoscopic snare including: a flexible sheath 1; a cable 2 configured to slide in the sheath; a snare loop 3 connected to the cable 2, and projecting from or retracting into the sheath 1; a distal end tip 4 disposed in a distal end part of the sheath and retaining the snare loop 3; and a hand operating part for operating the snare loop 3 via the cable 2. One end of the snare loop 3 is attached to the distal end tip and the other end of the snare loop 3 is attached to a distal end of the cable. The snare loop 3 is expanded into a ring shape without a protruding portion when it is projected from the sheath 1, and is formed into an asymmetric shape where expansion is deviated to either side about an axis of the sheath.

Abstract: An eyelids opening device with a drape comprising a flexible upper ring (1) applied in contact with the face while surrounding eyelids, a lower ring (2) inserted into a conjunctiva sac and applied in contact with the eyelids conjunctiva side, and an elastic sheet (3) of soft tubular thin film located to extend from the face side to the eyelids conjunctiva side and used to fix one end to the upper ring and to fix the other end to the lower ring by expanding, wherein the outside diameter at the smallest portion of the elastic sheet is substantially equal to or longer than the interpalpebral length (between upper and lower eyelids). Difference in size of conjunctiva sac or interpalpebral length of individuals is absorbed even by an appliance of one size, the eyelids can be opened by fitting the eyelids opening device to the eyelids or the face while burden on the eyeball is reduced and high safety is ensured.

Abstract: An ultrasonic puncture needle for conducting puncturing while observing a puncturing condition by an ultrasonic image, includes a needle tube main body including an edge at its tip end, and a plurality of corner cube mirrors provided at a predetermined position of the needle tube main body, wherein the plurality of corner cube mirrors are provided in parallel with a center axis of the needle tube main body.

Abstract: A puncture needle capable of clear imaging even if an angle to the irradiation direction of a detection wave is small. According to one embodiment, a ultrasonic puncture needle that conducts puncturing while observing a puncturing condition by means of a ultrasonic image is formed with an edge at the tip end of a puncture needle body, and formed at a specified position of the puncture needle body with at least one corner cube mirror formed by a triangular pyramid recess. Since a ultrasonic wave oscillated from the ultrasonic probe is reflected off the corner cube mirror to be returned to the ultrasonic probe, the reflected wave progresses in the same direction as the incident direction of the ultrasonic wave to be positively returned to the probe even when an angle formed by the irradiation route of a ultrasonic wave and the axis of the puncture needle is small.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a process according to which 5-ene-3-one or 3,6-dione derivatives of sterols can be synthesized with a better yield, as well as a process for production of lipid metabolism improvers, foods, drinks, and animal feeds containing the 5-ene-3-one or 3,6-dione derivatives of sterols. The process for production of 5-ene-3-one or 3,6-dione derivatives of sterols of the present invention involves preparing a culturing solution containing an Arthrobacter bacterium, which is a microorganism exhibiting a cholesterol oxidase activity, and then, adding to the culturing solution an equivalent amount of hexane so as to prepare a bilayer solution consisting of an aqueous layer and a hydrocarbon-based solvent layer. Thereafter, sterol, or a derivative thereof, is made as a substrate contained therein, a reaction performed with cholesterol oxidase at 30° C. for 2 days, and, ethanol then added to separate a hydrocarbon-based solvent layer.

Abstract: An eyelids opening device with a drape comprising a flexible upper ring (1) applied in contact with the face while surrounding eyelids, a lower ring (2) inserted into a conjunctiva sac and applied in contact with the eyelids conjunctiva side, and an elastic sheet (3) of soft tubular thin film located to extend from the face side to the eyelids conjunctiva side and used to fix one end to the upper ring and to fix the other end to the lower ring by expanding, wherein the outside diameter at the smallest portion of the elastic sheet is substantially equal to or longer than the interpalpebral length (between upper and lower eyelids). Difference in size of conjunctiva sac or interpalpebral length of individuals is absorbed even by an appliance of one size, the eyelids can be opened by fitting the eyelids opening device to the eyelids or the face while burden on the eyeball is reduced and high safety is ensured.

Abstract: A puncture needle capable of clear imaging even if an angle to the irradiation direction of a detection wave such as an ultrasonic wave of an ultrasonic probe is small. According to one embodiment, a ultrasonic puncture needle (1) that conducts puncturing while observing a puncturing condition by means of a ultrasonic image is formed with an edge (13) at the tip end of a puncture needle main body (1), and formed at a specified position of the puncture needle main body (11) with at least one corner cube mirror (12) formed by a triangular pyramid recess. Since a ultrasonic wave oscillated from the ultrasonic probe is reflected off the corner cube mirror (12) to be returned to the ultrasonic probe, the reflected wave progresses in the same direction as the incident direction of the ultrasonic wave to be positively returned to the probe even when an angle formed by the irradiation route of a ultrasonic wave and the axis of the puncture needle is small.

Abstract: The present invention provides a preventive and/or therapeutic agent for sleeping disorder, which comprises, as an active ingredient, a dibenzo[b,e]oxepine derivative represented by formula (I): (wherein R1, R2, and R3 may be the same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom or lower alkyl, and m and n may be the same or different and each represents an integer of 1 to 4) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

Abstract: A drying method, a drying device, and a drying machine, capable of remarkably reducing a drying time by assigning the standby time for an article to be dried to a preliminary drying time in drying, wherein hot air is supplied to the drying machine so as to dry the article to be dried and, at the same time, hot air exhausted from the drying machine is led into a preliminary drying machine so as to preliminarily dry the article to be dried before drying, and then the article to be dried contained in the preliminary drying machine is fed to the drying machine for drying.

Abstract: A riflescope capable of distance adjustment without arm stretching with improved precision and operability during a distance setting operation comprising a distance adjustment unit 30 equipped with a distance adjustment lens 31 disposed between an object lens and an erector lens 60. The riflescope can also have a distance adjustment unit 10 equipped with a distance adjustment ring 11 disposed in the vicinity of an eyepiece tube 3 equipped with an eyepiece optical system. The riflescope can also have a connector 50 which connects together distance adjustment unit 30 and distance adjustment operation unit 10. The riflescope is capable of distance adjustment by operation of a distance adjustment operation ring 11.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a telescopic sight which is characterized by the fact that in a telescopic sight for day and night use, [a] a night time imaging device can be connected without removing the ocular tube body connected to the ocular side of the objective tube body when there is a changeover from day time use to night time use, so that the telescopic sight can be used at night, [b] the sight can be used "as is" as a day time sight by removing the night time imaging device, and [c] attachment or detachment for day time or night time use can be accomplished quickly, easily and reliably by means of one hand while the gun is held in the other hand.

Abstract: Novel hG-CSF polypeptide derivatives having an amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence of the human granulocyte colony stimulating factor polypeptide by substitution of at least one amino acid by a different amino acid and/or deletion of at least one amino acid, recombinant plasmids containing a DNA fragment insert coding for any of these hG-CSF polypeptide derivatives, microorganisms carrying one of such plasmids, methods of producing the hG-CSF polypeptide derivatives using the microorganisms, a monoclonal antibody binding to the hG-CSF polypeptide derivative, and chemically modified hG-CSF or derivatives thereof are disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fermentation composition which makes use of rice brans, soybeans and sources of carbon as starting materials and which is innoxious, has a good SOD action (the action of effectively eliminating O.sub.2.sup.- which is harmful to the living body and the action of preventing diseases), and can prevent degradation of vitamin C. The invention also relates to an antihypertensive agent and constipation improver which are innoxious and have a good SOD action. The fermentation composition comprises a fermentation liquid obtained by inoculating and cultivating, under aerating and agitating conditions, bacillus natto or grass bacilli in a liquid medium,a pH of the medium is controled in the range of from 7.5 to 10 by alkaline agents, containing a rice bran, a soybean, a source of carbon and water, and filtering the resultant cultivation broth, or an evaporation residue of the fermentation liquid, vitamin C and, optionally, an extract of green tea or its evaporation residue.

Abstract: An improved zoom telescope which has a freely rotatable annular zoom ring connected through an interposition gear to a cam cylinder.

Abstract: The present invention relates to photopolymerizable compositions comprising an addition-polymerizable compound which has at least one ethylenically unsaturated double bond; a radical-producing agent and a squarylium compound represented by the formula (I): ##STR1## The compositions are highly sensitive to visible and near infrared lights, particularly He-Ne laser, LED, diode laser, etc. having oscillation wavelengths in a wavelength region of 600 nm or more, and thus are useful as materials for holograms, presentized plates for laser direct process, dry film resists, digital proofs, photosensitive microcapsules.

Abstract: Novel hG-CSF polypeptide derivatives having an amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence of the human granulocyte colony stimulating factor polypeptide by substitution of at least one amino acid by a different amino acid and/or deletion of at least one amino acid, recombinant plasmids containing a DNA fragment insert coding for any of these hG-CSF polypeptide derivatives, microorganisms carrying one of such plasmids, methods of producing the hG-CSF polypeptide derivatives using the microorganisms, a monoclonal antibody binding to the hG-CSF polypeptide derivative, and chemically modified hG-CSF or derivatives thereof are disclosed.

Abstract: There is provided a method for lining the internal surface of a pipe having a first open end and a second open end.

Abstract: Liquefied resin is supplied into a pipeline having a branch pipe from an end. Mass of the resin is moved by compressed air passing through the pipeline at constant speed, thereby lining inner walls of the pipeline and branch pipe with the resin.