Abstract: An object of the present invention to provide an agent for promoting the self-renewal of the neural stem cells and a method of using the same. ECF-L contained in a culture supernatant of endothelial progenitor cells derived from bone marrow has an effect of promoting the self-renewal of neural stem cells. Accordingly, ECF-L can be used as an ingredient of an agent for promoting the self-renewal of the neural stem cells, a pharmaceutical composition for growing the neural stem cells, and a pharmaceutical composition for treating a disease associated with neural dysfunction.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods for treating hearing loss associated with loss of cochlear hair cells, e.g., caused by noise exposure, using certain gamma secretase inhibitors, in post-neonatal animals, e.g., adolescents and adults.

Abstract: To generate an animal model exhibiting symptoms similar to those of human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and/or human frontotemporal lobar degeneration. An animal model exhibiting symptoms similar to those of human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and/or human frontotemporal lobar degeneration can be produced by means of generating a mutation in a vertebrate so that expression of a mutant protein with a substitution of tyrosine for alanine at a position corresponding to position 382 of SEQ ID NO. 1 or a mutant protein with a substitution of cysteine for glycine at a position corresponding to position 348 of SEQ ID NO. 1 is regulated by an endogenous TDP-43 gene promoter in at least one allele of an endogenous TDP-43 gene of the vertebrate.

Abstract: The present invention is a solid sustained-release formulation comprising an agent for inhibiting semaphorin 3A as an active ingredient, which comprises an agent for inhibiting semaphorin 3A and pharmaceutically acceptable hardly water-soluble solid substance, in which the carrier is silicone.

Abstract: The present invention provides an agent for promoting neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells, which contains a p38 inhibitor. In addition, the present invention provides a method of promoting neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells, which includes cultivating neural stem cells in the presence of a p38 inhibitor. Neural stem cells are gliogenic or neurogenic. The p38 inhibitor is a nucleic acid which hybridizes to DNA or mRNA encoding p38 under physiological conditions, thereby inhibiting the transcription and/or translation thereof, an expression vector of the nucleic acid, a low molecular p38 inhibitor and the like.

Abstract: To efficiently identify and select a clone from clones of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cell) having low tumor formation rate in vivo when allowed to differentiate and transplanted in a living body, iPS cells of the clones are induced to differentiate, undifferentiated cells among the cells after the induction of differentiation are detected, and a clone having the content of the undifferentiated cell below a control is selected.

Abstract: A mist/dust collector includes a tank body, a recovery tank having a demister member, a spraying unit spraying water or coolant fluid from a nozzle, an impeller mounted on a main shaft located in the tank body, so as to be rotatable by air flow, a disc rotary brush and a shaking-off member mounted on the shaft. A suction unit is actuated to draw air containing mist and dust into the tank body interior maintained in a negative pressure state. The impeller is rotated by collision of water or coolant fluid at a predetermined pressure, and the rotary brush and the shaking-off member are rotated simultaneously with the impeller, so that mist and dust are separated from air by a centrifugal action of the rotary brush and the shaking-off member. Mist and dust remaining in the air flowing into the recovery tank are collected by the demister member.

Abstract: A mist/dust collector includes a tank body, a recovery tank having a demister member, a spraying unit spraying water or coolant fluid from a nozzle, an impeller mounted on a main shaft located in the tank body, so as to be rotatable by air flow, a disc rotary brush and a shaking-off member mounted on the shaft. A suction unit is actuated to draw air containing mist and dust into the tank body interior maintained in a negative pressure state. The impeller is rotated by collision of water or coolant fluid at a predetermined pressure, and the rotary brush and the shaking-off member are rotated simultaneously with the impeller, so that mist and dust are separated from air by a centrifugal action of the rotary brush and the shaking-off member. Mist and dust remaining in the air flowing into the recovery tank are collected by the demister member.

Abstract: A compound represented by formula (1), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is effective as a therapeutic agent or a prophylactic agent for a corneal disease or sensory nerve damage due to corneal surgery, and as a regeneration accelerator for corneal sensory nerves: wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a carboxyl group, R2 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy group, R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a carboxyl group, and R4 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy group.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for introducing a gene into an embryo for production of a human disease model primate animal using a non-human primate animal such as a marmoset. The present invention relates to a method for introducing a foreign gene into an early embryo of a non-human primate animal, which comprises placing early embryos of a non-human primate in a 0.2 M to 0.3 M sucrose solution, so as to increase the volume of the perivitelline spaces, and then injecting a viral vector containing a human foreign gene operably linked to a promoter into the perivitelline spaces of the early embryos.

Abstract: Disclosed is a therapeutic agent effective for the fundamental treatment of a spinal cord injury and a demyelinating disease. Specifically disclosed are a therapeutic agent for a spinal cord injury and a therapeutic agent for a demyelinating disease, each of which comprises an HGF protein as an active ingredient.

Abstract: A six-blade biaxial rotary positive-displacement pump includes a casing formed with a suction port and a discharge port, a pair of rotors accommodated in the casing and having rotor shafts rotatably mounted on housings fixed to opposed ends of the casing, respectively. Each rotor is formed with six blades extending radially equiangularly about the rotor shaft. Each blade is formed so as to have a constant thickness in a rotational direction of each rotor. Each blade has an apex and a valley, and a distance between the apex and the valley is set so as to range from three to five times larger than the thickness of each blade.

Abstract: The present invention is a solid sustained-release formulation comprising an agent for inhibiting semaphorin 3A as an active ingredient, which comprises an agent for inhibiting semaphorin 3A and pharmaceutically acceptable hardly water-soluble solid substance, in which the carrier is silicone.

Abstract: An object of the present invention to provide an agent for promoting the self-renewal of the neural stem cells and a method of using the same. ECF-L contained in a culture supernatant of endothelial progenitor cells derived from bone marrow has an effect of promoting the self-renewal of neural stem cells. Accordingly, ECF-L can be used as an ingredient of an agent for promoting the self-renewal of the neural stem cells, a pharmaceutical composition for growing the neural stem cells, and a pharmaceutical composition for treating a disease associated with neural dysfunction.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide detection methods of Notch signaling activation for detecting the activation of the Notch signaling in living cells simply and conveniently. The expression of a fluorescent protein Venus in a transgenic cell into which a vector having the fluorescent protein Venus gene which is controlled by the wild-type Hes-1 gene promoter has been introduced is compared with the expression of a fluorescent protein Venus in a transgenic cell into which a vector having the fluorescent protein Venus gene controlled by a mutated Hes-1 gene promoter which is not controlled by an activated Notch protein has been introduced, and a transgenic cell in which a signal by the expression of Venus introduced by the vector having the wild-type Hes-1 promoter is observed and in which a signal by the expression of Venus introduced by the vector having the mutated Hes-1 gene promoter which is not controlled by the activated Notch protein is not observed is identified.

Abstract: To efficiently identify and select a clone from clones of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cell) having low tumor formation rate in vivo when allowed to differentiate and transplanted in a living body, iPS cells of the clones are induced to differentiate, undifferentiated cells among the cells after the induction of differentiation are detected, and a clone having the content of the undifferentiated cell below a control is selected.

Abstract: A six-blade biaxial rotary positive-displacement pump includes a casing formed with a suction port and a discharge port, a pair of rotors accommodated in the casing and having rotor shafts rotatably mounted on housings fixed to opposed ends of the casing, respectively. Each rotor is formed with six blades extending radially equiangularly about the rotor shaft. Each blade is formed so as to have a constant thickness in a rotational direction of each rotor. Each blade has an apex and a valley, and a distance between the apex and the valley is set so as to range from three to five times larger than the thickness of each blade.

Abstract: Disclosed is a therapeutic agent effective for the fundamental treatment of a spinal cord injury and a demyelinating disease. Specifically disclosed are a therapeutic agent for a spinal cord injury and a therapeutic agent for a demyelinating disease, each of which comprises an HGF protein as an active ingredient.

Abstract: A method for differentiating a human differentiated cell-derived pluripotent stem cell into a neural stem cell is provided, which includes the steps of: making an embryoid body from the human differentiated cell-derived pluripotent stem cell; and culturing the embryoid body in a medium containing LIF to differentiate into a neural stem cell, so that, when the neural stem cell is allowed to differentiate in vitro after multiple subculturing of the neural stem cell, it differentiate mainly into neurons but substantially not into glial cells.

Abstract: In order to provide a method for producing neural stem cells easily and quickly by inducing differentiation of somatic cells directly into neurospheres, dedifferentiation factors are introduced into somatic cells, which are then cultured in suspension in the presence of growth factors to produce the neurospheres, thereby allowing the neural stem cells to be produced quickly without establishing iPS cells.