Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for gene therapy to transfer or introduce, in vivo, a gene for treatment into a cell located at a target portion of a patient, so that the gene can be transferred with a high probability within a short period of time. The apparatus is applicable to all cell species. In addition to simple supply of a gene to the cell of the patient, the gene is forcibly transferred to the cell without depending on natural cellular physiology. For example, catheters are mounted on a probe inserted into a body cavity, and the gene is supplied from a reservoir which stores the gene to the surface of a human living cell of the target portion in the body cavity through needle cannulas attached to the distal ends of the catheters. A pulse voltage is applied to the needle cannulas to form a pore in the surface of the human living cell upon application of the pulse voltage. The gene is transferred into the human living cell through the pore.

Abstract: An endoscope comprises a control section at an operator side, a plurality of operation knobs projected at the control section, an insertion section insertable into a human body cavity for medical treatment and having a proximal end connected to the control section and distal end section insertable into the body cavity, and a water drain guide member provided at the respective operation knob of the control section and being of such a type that, after an endoscope body has been washed, the guide member can guide deposited water on the recess of the respective knob in a direction to run and drain therealong, when the control section is horizontally located with the operation knob set in a normally upward state.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for detecting an endoscopic inserting condition. The apparatus includes an irradiation arrangement for applying electromagnetic waves to the inside of an organism from outside the organism, an electromagnetic wave reception arrangement which is disposed in an insert section of an endoscope for producing an electromagnetic signal, and a detection arrangement receiving the electromagnetic signal produced by the electromagnetic wave reception arrangement, for detecting the insertion orientation of the endoscope on the basis of the received electromagnetic signal.

Abstract: In the method and dissolving therapeutic apparatus for dissolving a coagulation within a living body, a medicinal liquid for dissolving the coagulation within the living body is injected into the living body, the injected medicinal liquid is left within the living body for a predetermined time and the fluid within the living body containing the coagulation dissolved by the medicinal liquid and the medicinal liquid is substantially all discharged out of the living body. A series of steps including at least respective injecting, leaving and discharging steps is repeated. Preferably, vibrating waves are radiated toward the coagulation during the leaving step.

Abstract: A cavity insert device comprising an insert section capable of being inserted into tracts and cavities, a detection circuit for detecting conditions of components making up the device, such as an observation device formed at the distal end side of the insert section, and a fuzzy inference section for synthetically determining a plurality of information signals outputted from the detection circuit and producing control signals to control the components. The fuzzy inference section employs inference rules which are empirically considered to be desirable, and control is made by the control signals obtained with the fuzzy inference. The device is thus operated in a nearly optimum state.

Abstract: A position and orientation state pickup is designed to detect the position and orientation state of an endoscope inserted into a living body without any adverse effect on the living body, which is often observed in X-ray analysis. The position and orientation state pickup, generating an electro-magnetic field with frequency at least lower than the visible ray range toward the body from outside; detects influence of the endoscope inserted into the body on two-dimensional energy distribution of the electro-magnetic field generated toward the body; and show the position and orientation state of the endoscope from the detection results.

Abstract: A device for cleaning pipe passages of medical devices comprises a brush having an elongated rod portion and a brush portion, a mechanism for holding and rotating the brush, a mechanism for reciprocating the brush in the pipe passage along the longitudinal axis of the brush, and a unit for controlling the rotation of the brush as well as the reciprocation of the brush in the longitudinal direction thereof.