Abstract: A pharmaceutical composition for nasal administration exhibits an improved bioavailability of a biologically active polypeptide, the active ingredient of the pharmaceutical composition. Specifically, the composition is prepared by uniformly dispersing and embedding a biologically active acidic polypeptide having an isoelectric point of 7 or lower on the surfaces of a polyvalent metal compound carrier with the help of an additive capable of dispersing and embedding the polypeptide on the surfaces of the carrier. The polyvalent metal compound carrier is a metal compound with a valent of 2 or higher that is either insoluble or little soluble in water, examples being aluminum compounds, calcium compounds, magnesium compounds, silicone compounds, iron compounds, and zinc compounds.

Abstract: A blister pack for a inhalant medicator has a plurality of medical powder storage chambers spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction. The inhalant medicator includes a pricking tool with a pair of parallel pins that prick inflow and outflow holes in one of the medical powder storage chambers during a preliminary operation of inhalant medication. The inflow and outflow holes are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in a direction parallel to a lid panel of the blister pack to produce turbulent airflow within the medical powder storage chamber during inhalation during which the medical powder is inhaled by a patient's breathing. The medical powder storage chambers are dimensioned and designed to properly regulate or control properties of the airflow passing through the medical storage chamber, to ensure the airflow is suitable for the medical powder storage chamber.

Abstract: A medicine administering device for nasal cavities of a patient suffering from nasal allergy or the like. The medicine administering device comprises a medicine administering device main body including a part defining a powdery medicine accommodating chamber, and a spray nozzle located at a tip end side of the main body. A pump is disposed at a base end side of the medicine administering device main body to discharge air within the pump through the powdery medicine accommodating chamber to the spray nozzle upon being pressed from an outside of the pump. Additionally, a restricting device is disposed within the pump to restrict a displacement amount of the pump in accordance with first and second kinds of pressing positions at which the pump is pressed. The first and second kinds of pressing positions lie respectively in first and second directions which are perpendicular to each other.

Abstract: An image processing system comprises a plurality of memories to which image data is input, a control circuit for selecting areas for image processing from the image data input to the memories, and a plurality of DSPs connected to the memories and performing image processing of the selected image data selected by the control circuit.

Abstract: A nasally administrable composition of a physiologically active substance, wherein an effective amount of said physiologically active substance is dispersed homogeneously in and adsorbed homogeneously onto a fine powdery form of a cereal, thereby enhancing the absorption of the physiologically active substance into a body via the nasal route. Examples of the cereal are rice, wheat, soybean, corn, foxtail, millet, buckwheat and the like, especially rice, and the physiologically active substance is a physiologically active peptide.

Abstract: A gas ejection valve includes a valve casing including first and second blocks that cooperate to define a holder groove and have a first mating face formed with an annular space, an inner peripheral seal ring disposed on the inner periphery of the valve casing to be in close contact with the outer periphery of a valve pin and being received in the holder groove, and an auxiliary seal ring received in the annular space for preventing communication between the inside of the gas container and the holder groove.

Abstract: A gas ejection valve includes a valve casing including first and second blocks that cooperate to define a holder groove and have a first mating face formed with an annular space, an inner peripheral seal ring disposed on the inner periphery of the valve casing to be in close contact with the outer periphery of a valve pin and being received in the holder groove, and an auxiliary seal ring received in the annular space for preventing communication between the inside of the gas container and the holder groove.

Abstract: A diffusion chamber block 14 is provided in a block mounting hole 13A of an inhalant port 13, and a granular medicine diffusion chamber 17 is formed in the diffusion chamber block 14. The granular medicine diffusion chamber 17 is formed at a side of the inhalant port 13 with a granular medicine inflow opening 17A and at a side of a capsule housing hole 9 with a granular medicine outflow opening 17B. A diffusion chamber in flow passage 18 is provided to communicate an outflow air passageway 12 with the granular medicine inflow opening 17A, whereas a diffusion chamber outflow passage is provided to communicate the granular medicine outflow opening 17B with the inhalant port 13. When inhaling granular medicines in the capsule housing hole 9 via the inhalant port 13 by way of breathing action, there results in counter-flow vortex within the granular medicine diffusion chamber 17.

Abstract: An inhalant medicator includes a medicator body 1 which is formed therein with a cylindrical fit hole 2, an inhalant port 3, an inflow air passageway 5, and an outflow air passageway 6, and a medical powder storage cylindrical member 8 which is installed or fitted into the cylindrical fit hole 2 in a manner so as to open or close the air passageways 5 and 6 with respect to a medical powder storage chamber 12. The inhalant medicator is constructed by two component parts, namely the medicator body 1 and the medical powder storage cylindrical member 8, thus ensuring simplified structure and reduced production costs. Additionally, powder-and-granular medicine or medical powder 16 is tightly encapsulated within the medical powder storage chamber 12 by means of the medical powder storage cylindrical member 8, thus preventing loss of flow of the medical powder 16.

Abstract: An inhalant medicator includes a medicator body 1 which is formed therein with a cylindrical fit hole 2, an inhalant port 3, an inflow air passageway 5, and an outflow air passageway 6, and a medical powder storage cylindrical member 8 which is installed or fitted into the cylindrical fit hole 2 in a manner so as to open or close the air passageways 5 and 6 with respect to a medical powder storage chamber 12. The inhalant medicator is constructed by two component parts, namely the medicator body 1 and the medical powder storage cylindrical member 8, thus ensuring simplified structure and reduced production costs. Additionally, powder-and-granular medicine or medical powder 16 is tightly encapsulated within the medical powder storage chamber 12 by means of the medical powder storage cylindrical member 8, thus preventing loss of flow of the medical powder 16.

Abstract: An inhalant medicator comprises a medicator body formed at one axial end with a capsule housing hole and at another axial end with an inhalant port, an inflow air passageway having an axial inflow passage extending in an axial direction of the medicator body and a first pin insertion hole extending in a radial direction of the medicator body for communicating the capsule housing hole with the atmosphere, an outflow air passageway having an outflow passage extending in the axial direction of the medicator body and a second pin insertion hole extending in the radial direction of the medicator body for communicating the capsule housing hole with the inhalant port, and a boring tool having pins insertable toward a capsule through the first and second insertion holes for pricking holes in the capsule accommodated in the capsule housing hole with the pins.

Abstract: A valve includes a valve case secured to a container that stores a pressurized fluid, and a valve pin moveable relative to the valve case and defining a fluid path in cooperation with the valve case. A seal separates the fluid path into an upstream portion communicating with inside of the container and a downstream portion communicating with outside of the container. The valve pin has a main passage always communicating with outside of the container, and a bypass passage. A valve pin adjuster, responsive to change in pressure acting on the valve pin within the container, shifts the valve pin between a first position where fluid communication between the main passage and the upstream portion of the fluid path is blocked to prevent the pressurized fluid from being discharged from the container, and a second position where fluid communication between the upstream and downstream portions of the fluid path is established through the bypass passage to allow the flow of the pressurized fluid from the container.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a nasally administrable composition of a physiologically active cyclic peptide and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof that is prepared by homogeneously dispersing a physiologically active cyclic peptide such as antifungal cyclic peptides (aerothricins, echinocandin analogs, pneumocandin analogs, and aureobacidines), antibacterial cyclic peptides (e.g. vancomycin, daptomycin), cyclosporin A, lanreotide, vapreotide, vasopressin antagonist (U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,003) and eptifibatide in unique carrier, i.e. a physiologically acceptable powdery or crystalline carrier containing a water insoluble polyvalent metal carrier, or organic carrier having a mean particle size of 20 to 500 &mgr;m, in the presence or absence of an absorption enhancer and by homogeneously adsorbing onto the carrier, and its use for therapeutic treatment of disease such as systemic fungal infections by intranasal administration.

Abstract: A valve and an inhalator with the valve are disclosed. A valve case is secured to a container storing pressurized fluid. A valve pin is moveably mounted to the valve case. First and second seals are arranged in a spaced relation in an axial direction of the valve pin. The first seal is mounted onto a piston portion of the valve pin that is received in the valve case and exposed to the pressurized fluid. The valve pin is formed with a fluid passage having an outlet communicating with the outside of the container and an inlet communicating with a space between the piston portion and the valve case and arranged between the seals in a spaced relation.

Abstract: A cylindrical main body 3 of a medicine administering device main body 1 is formed with a holder accommodating section 5, in which a capsule holding section 9 of a capsule holder 8 is disposed to be able to get in and out of the holder accommodating section 5. Accordingly, the capsule can be installed in a capsule fitting depression 10 formed in the capsule holding section 9, or the capsule after use can be taken out at a drawn-out position where the capsule holding section is drawn out of the holder accommodating section 5, so that installation and taking-out operations for the capsule can be easily made without decomposing respective parts like in a conventional technique. Additionally, the capsule can be located at a pushed-in position by pushing the capsule holding section 9 in the holder accommodating section 5.

Abstract: An inhalant medicator comprises a medicator body having a granular medicine accommodation chamber and an inhalant port, and air passageways disposed in the medicator body and communicating the inhalant port via the granular medicine accommodation chamber to the atmosphere for supplying granular medicines into the inhalant port. Also provided is a granular medicine diffusion means located downstream of the granular medicine accommodation chamber for efficiently diffusing the granular medicines. A cylindrical adapter 10 is detachably installed in the inhalant port 9.

Abstract: A gas injection valve comprises a valve casing fitted to a gas bottle, a valve pin slidably received in the valve casing, first and second seal rings fitted to the inner peripheral wall of the valve casing, and a fixed-quantity chamber defined between the first and second seal rings for capturing therein a fixed amount of gas before injection. The valve pin has a gas passage bore for intercommunicating a first port formed in the upper face of the tip of the valve pin and a second port formed in the outer peripheral wall of the valve pin. The second port is located to open into the substantially cylindrical hollow of the casing above the second seal ring with the valve pin kept in a lifted-up position and to open into the fixed-quantity chamber below the second seal ring during one-step pushing action and two-step pushing action of the valve pin.

Abstract: A nasally administrable composition which contains physiologically active compounds such as insulin, calcitonin, prostaglandin (PG) derivatives, monoclonal antibodies or interleukin derivatives (IL), and is enhanced in the in vivo absorbability of the physiologically active compound when administered nasally. The compositions are prepared by mixing fine particulate of the physiologically active compound with fine particulate of carrier having a mean particle size from 15 &mgr;m to 300 &mgr;m, and particle surface area from 0.1 to 0.4 m2/g, a which adhere to the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, and HPC—H as absorption accelerator.

Abstract: Provided are an image processing method employing pattern matching, whereby the number of calculations for a normalized correlation factor can be reduced and processing speed can be increased in a pattern matching process, and an image processing system therefor. In the pattern matching processing when an insensitive region is set in a template image, values (the sum and the squared sum) obtained during a previous operation for a prior search target sub-image are employed to perform calculations for a current search target sub-image, relative to coordinate sequence code that indicates the start point and the end point of a sequence of pixels having values of "1.

Abstract: A medicine administering apparatus, suitable for administering granular medicine to a patient, comprises a main body which has a medicine passage and a medicine accommodating chamber. The apparatus further includes a location changing member formed with a medicine loading chamber. The location of the medicine loading chamber is changed between a first position, where the medicine loading chamber is separate from the medicine passage, and a second position, where the medicine loading chamber is in the medicine passage. Movement of the location changing member changes the position of the medicine loading chamber. A medicine loading member compresses a predetermined amount of the medicine into the medicine loading chamber at the first position, the predetermined amount corresponding to one dose. Medicine within the medicine loading chamber may be inhaled through the medicine passage by a patient when the patient breathes in.