Abstract: A method of quantifying a target non-peptidic compound having an amino group contained in one or more biological samples, which comprises a step of producing a difference in the mass of the target non-peptidic compound between samples, by using a combination of two or more kinds of stable isotopes of a compound represented by the formula (I): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are the same or different and each is hydrogen, halogen or alkyl, or a salt thereof, as a labeling compound; and a kit and the like usable for such method.

Abstract: The present invention provides a protein analysis method using a combination of two or more kinds of stable isotopes of a compound represented by the formula (I): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are the same or different and each is hydrogen, halogen or alkyl, or a salt thereof, as a labeling compound to produce a difference in the mass of the same kind of protein contained in each sample.

Abstract: The present invention provides an agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of retinopathy or AMD containing PRDX 5 or PRDX 6, as well as an agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of retinopathy or AMD containing a polynucleotide encoding PRDX 5 or PRDX 6. The present invention also provides a method for the prophylaxis or treatment of retinopathy or AMD in a patient suffering from the disease, which includes administering to the patient an effective amount of PRDX 5 or PRDX 6, or administering to the patient an effective amount of a polynucleotide encoding PRDX 5 or PRDX 6.

Abstract: The present invention provides a stent and tubular organ treatment device that can flexibly deform according to a curved portion of a tubular organ, contracts less in the longitudinal direction during insertion, and is easy to handle. A stent (1) is formed into a tubular form by arranging five tubular unit bodies in an axial direction and connecting them by a connecting filament (F). Each tubular unit is formed into a closed loop by cutting a metal wire to a predetermined length, bending it in a zigzag manner in a peripheral direction, and securely connecting both ends thereof. A tubular unit body (W) having two bent portions projected in the axial direction is connected to and rockably retained by a tubular unit body (U1). Similarly, a tubular unit body (V) is rockably retained by the tubular unit body (W), whereby the entire stent can easily deform into a curved shape.

Abstract: A magnetizing device for superconductor and a superconducting synchronous machine are provided capable of constituting more compact and simple equipment that uses a superconductor as a magnet. The magnetizing device for superconductor includes a superconductor (131); a coolant chamber (142) for cooling the superconductor (131) down to or below a critical temperature at which the transition to a superconducting state occurs; coils (111, 111?) for generating a magnetic field equal to or higher than a critical magnetic field in which the intrusion of a magnetic flux into the superconductor (131) starts, around the superconductor (131) cooled down to or below the critical temperature at which the transition to the superconducting state occurs; and position modification means capable of arranging the superconductor (131) on a disk (120) and modifying the relative positional relationship with the coils (111, 111?).

Abstract: An immunostimulatory oligonucleotide that is represented by the general formula 5?-Gm-GACGATCGTC-Gn-3? or 5?-Gm-CACGATCGTG-Gn-3? (in the formula, m and n are each independently an integer from 1 to 9 and m+n=10) and that comprises any of the following base sequences: GGACGATCGTCGGGGGGGGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 1), GGGACGATCGTCGGGGGGGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 2), GGGGACGATCGTCGGGGGGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 3), GGGGGGGACGATCGTCGGGG (SEQ ID NO: 4), GGGGGGGGACGATCGTCGGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 5), GGGGGGGGGACGATCGTCGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 6), GGGGGGGGGGACGATCGTCG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 7), and GGGGGGGGGCACGATCGTGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 8).

Abstract: A character recognition apparatus has space storage to store Eigen spaces made from a plurality of rotated character images, loci storage to store loci drawn for projection points obtained by projecting the plurality of rotated character images in corresponding Eigen spaces; an input unit to input the recognition target images; a distance calculation unit to obtain distances between projection points obtained by projecting the recognition target images in Eigen space and respective loci for the plurality of character types, and a candidate selection unit to select candidates for images for recognition target characters from the plurality of character types based on the distance.