Abstract: This invention is intended to provide a method capable of diagnosis of pancreatic tumor type at an early stage. More specifically, this invention relates to an examination method for determining pancreatic tumor type comprising detecting the degree of methylation in a 5?-untranslated region or a region comprising a 5?-untranslated region and a translated region of a gene encoding a mucin core protein in a pancreatic fluid sample from a subject, and identifying the pancreatic tumor as being of pancreatic tumor type selected from the group consisting of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the gastric type, an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the intestinal type, and an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreatobiliary type using the degree of methylation as an index value.

Abstract: The present invention provides a peptide which functions as a mimic peptide of an amyloid ? peptide and is capable of inhibiting the fibrillogenesis of an amyloid ? peptide. The present invention relates to an 8- to 30-amino acid residue peptide comprising an amino acid sequence represented by the following formula (I): X1-Asp-X2-X3-X4-Pro-X5-X6 (SEQ ID NO: 28) (I), wherein X1 represents a branched chain amino acid, and X2, X3, X4, X5, and X6 are the same or different and each represents an ?-amino acid, and to a pharmaceutical composition and an amyloid ? fibrillogenesis inhibitor comprising the peptide.

Abstract: [Problem] To provide a novel and effective method for treating cancer, method for preventing cancer, and method for suppressing metastasis by targeting cancer stem cells, the methods being capable of labeling and damaging cancer stem cells; and to provide a method for damaging and a method for identifying cancer stem cells. [Solution] The present invention provides a viral vector having a promoter that is specifically expressed in cancer stem cells and that can be used for treatment and diagnosis. Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for treating cancer, a method for preventing cancer, and a method for suppressing metastasis using this viral vector, and further provides a method for damaging and a method for identifying cancer stem cells. Furthermore, the present invention provides a labeling agent and a toxic agent for cancer stem cells containing the vector as the active ingredient, and further provides a diagnostic drug, a therapeutic drug, and a metastasis suppressant for cancer.

Abstract: A heat pipe for cooling an exothermic body by the vaporization and condensation of an enclosed cooling medium is disclosed. The heat pipe comprises a flat plate-like upper plate, a flat plate-like lower plate opposed to the upper plate, and a plurality of flat plate-like intermediate plates overlaid on each other between the upper plate and the lower plate and having internal through-holes. The internal through-holes formed in each of a plurality of the intermediate plates are adapted such that only part of each through-hole is overlapped on each other to form capillary tube paths, each having a cross-sectional area smaller than the cross-sectional area of the through-hole in the flat surface direction.

Abstract: Disclosed is a vector, preferably a viral vector, containing a treatment factor and/or a nucleic acid encoding a cytotoxic factor under control of an Aurora kinase promoter. Also disclosed is a virus vector in which the promoter of a nucleic acid encoding a factor necessary to the replication or assembly of at least one virus is substituted by the Aurora kinase promoter. Also disclosed are a disease treatment agent, in particular a cancer treatment agent, which contains the aforementioned vector, and a clinical diagnostic agent, in particular a cancer diagnostic agent, which contains the vector containing the Aurora kinase promoter.

Abstract: This invention is intended to discover a peptide that induces production of an antibody specific for an abnormal amyloid ? peptide from mimic peptides of the amyloid ? peptide and to utilize the same as a vaccine or immunogen. This invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition containing a peptide consisting of 8 to 30 amino acid residues, wherein the peptide comprises at least one of an amino acid sequence represented by formula (I): Tyr-Gly-Thr-Lys-Pro-Trp-Met (SEQ ID NO: 28) (I), and an amino acid sequence represented by formula (II): Leu-Asp-Ile-Phe-Ala-Pro-Ile (SEQ ID NO: 29) (II); or a conjugate of such peptide and a carrier.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a uronic acid-containing glucan or a modified product thereof. The glucuronic acid-containing glucan of the present invention is a glucuronic acid-containing glucan in which a glucuronic acid residue is bound to at least one non-reducing end of a glucan, and the glucan is a branched ?-1,4 glucan or a linear ?-1,4 glucan. The glucuronic acid-containing glucan of the present invention can be provided by allowing ?-glucan phosphorylase derived from Aquifex aeolicus VF5 to act on glucuronic acid-1-phosphate to thereby transfer a glucuronic acid residue to the non-reducing end of the receptor glucan.

Abstract: The present invention provides a watermark information embedding device, a watermark information processing system, a watermark information embedding method and program that can provide a two-dimensional code enabling detection of copying. The watermark information embedding device comprises a first wavelet transform unit (12), a watermark information embedding unit (14) and an inverse wavelet transform unit (150). The first wavelet transform unit (12) performs a discrete wavelet transform on an original image of a two-dimensional code and decomposes this into various frequency components, namely an LL component, an LH component, an HL component and an HH component. The watermark information embedding unit (14) embeds the watermark information in the HH component as a high-frequency component in an oblique direction.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detection of a basic peptide by mixing a sample suspected to contain the basic peptide and a reagent containing denatured albumin and detecting turbidness due to a complex of the basic peptide and denatured albumin.

Abstract: An audio/video communication system includes plural network terminals. Each network terminal has a communication node and a stand-by node. Every node in a communication group has a first lower node connector and a second lower node connector, and is arranged to store a first value indicating a number of nodes in a first side diverging from the first lower node connector and a second value indicating a number of nodes in a second side diverging from the second lower node connector. A new node is added to the communication group such that the first value and the second value stored in each node is substantially equal, in order to define a balanced binary tree structure. Data sent from a node in the communication group reaches all other nodes in the communication group within a time proportional to a logarithm of the number of nodes in the communication group.

Abstract: Previously, it was difficult to obtain high-affinity antibodies that specifically bind to HMGB-1 but not to HMGB-2. Under this circumstance, the present inventors successfully obtained antibodies that are more reactive to HMGB-1 than to HMGB-2 by using specific peptides as an antigen. The present inventors also demonstrated that the antibodies had a HMGB-1-neutralizing activity. The present inventors administered the antibodies to amyloidosis model animals, and as a result, successfully demonstrated that the antibodies produced a significant therapeutic effect.

Abstract: As a result of collecting blood from pancreatic cancer patients, esophageal cancer patients, and stomach cancer patients, and conducting mass spectrometry on N-linked sugar chains in the plasmas, sugar chains whose abundances are significantly different from those of healthy subjects have been successfully identified from the blood samples of the cancer patients.

Abstract: The present invention provides means and a method assuring the effectiveness of early diagnosis of cancers including gastric cancers. Specifically, the present invention provides an antibody, which is prepared using, as an antigen, (a) a peptide comprising at least contiguous amino acids at positions 69 to 75 in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, or (b) a peptide consisting of an amino acid sequence in which one or several amino acids are deleted, substituted or added in at least contiguous amino acids at positions 69 to 75 in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, and having the antigenicity of human MUC1 protein, and which is reactive with human mucin 1 (MUC1) protein.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for efficiently detecting DNA methylation. The method for detecting DNA methylation comprises subjecting DNA to bisulfite treatment, subjecting DNA after bisulfite treatment to a first PCR, subjecting the resultant to nested PCR, and subjecting amplified DNA to denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.

Abstract: The present invention provides a peptide capable of specifically binding to human IgG. In particular, the present invention relates to a human IgG binding peptide tag of 11 to 16 amino acids in length, comprising at least an amino acid sequence of the formula I: C-(X)n-W-X-X-X-W-(X)m-C (I) (SEQ?ID?NO:?17) wherein n and m are each an integer of 1 or more and the sum n+m is 4 or 5, wherein X-X-X in the formula I contains no cysteine residue, and wherein said amino acid sequence satisfies either or both of a) and b): a) (X)n-W in the formula I denotes Za-G-Y-W (SEQ ID NO: 18); and b) W-(X)m in the formula I denotes W-G-L-Zb (SEQ ID NO: 19) wherein Za and Zb are each 0, 1, or more amino acid residues.

Abstract: Previously, it was difficult to obtain high-affinity antibodies that specifically bind to HMGB-1 but not to HMGB-2. Under this circumstance, the present inventors successfully obtained antibodies that are more reactive to HMGB-1 than to HMGB-2 by using specific peptides as an antigen. The present inventors also demonstrated that the antibodies had a HMGB-1-neutralizing activity. The present inventors administered the antibodies to amyloidosis model animals, and as a result, successfully demonstrated that the antibodies produced a significant therapeutic effect.

Abstract: A remote-controlled mobile machine has a pair of flexible shafts (10) formed by inserting torque transmission driving wires (11) into tubes (12). One ends of the flexible shafts (10) are respectively connected to power sources (2), and the other ends thereof are respectively connected to a pair of left and right crawler mechanisms (102). The crawler mechanisms (102) are driven/controlled by remote control via the flexible shafts (10) to make the mobile machine travel.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detection of a basic peptide by mixing a sample suspected to contain the basic peptide and a reagent containing denatured albumin and detecting turbidness due to a complex of the basic peptide and denatured albumin.

Abstract: Disclosed are: a marker for the diagnosis of a liver disease, which can determine the disease in a simple manner; an antibody directed against the marker; a diagnostic agent; a diagnosis method; and a method for marker detection in blood or serum. Proteome analysis revealed that quantities of the full-length kininogen and three partial peptides thereof (sequence A: position-440 to position-456, sequence B: position-439 to position-456, and sequence C: position-438 to position-456) in sera of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are significantly different from those in sera of healthy individuals; and a diagnostic agent and a detecting method for the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease that can be conveniently used for medical examination are established.

Abstract: A hue conversion unit (124) converts a value of a first color difference (i.e., chrominance) signal (color difference signal of color pair hard to be distinguished by dichromat) obtained by a luminance signal/color difference signal conversion unit (123) into a value of a second color difference signal (color difference signal of color pair easy to be distinguished by dichromat), and converts a value of the second color difference signal obtained by the luminance signal/color difference signal conversion unit (123) into a value of the first color difference signal. A hue-converted color image generation unit (127) generates a hue-converted color image based on a luminance signal and the first color difference signal after conversion and the second color difference signal after conversion which are obtained by the hue conversion unit (124).