Abstract: It has been difficult to conduct high-sensitivity, high-precision measurement due to externally generated contamination or cross-contamination. Thus, the invention includes (1) a filter unit having a filter at a bottom of a container for holding a liquid, the filter being adapted to filter a liquid, and (2) an attachment cover having a first opening and a second opening, the filter unit being attachable to and detachable from the attachment cover via the first opening, and the attachment cover being adapted to, when the filter unit is attached to the attachment cover, allow filtration by the filter in a state in which an inner face of the attachment cover is tightly in contact with an outer face of the filter unit, and discharge a resulting filtrate through the second opening.

Abstract: A method and a means are provided, by which multiple types of cells can be simultaneously measured with high sensitivity by an ATP luminescence method. A method for measuring cells in a sample is provided, which comprises the steps of adding methanol to a sample suspected of containing viable cells to increase ATP within viable cells, extracting intracellular ATP, and causing extracted ATP to emit luminescence.

Abstract: There is provided a comprehensive accuracy management method attained by including the steps of: displaying operation event information in time series in an accuracy management result chart or a calibration result chart on the same screen; accumulating a characteristic daily measurement value fluctuation pattern on the basis of a kind of an operation event; displaying the latest fluctuation pattern of measurement results and the daily measurement value fluctuation pattern in superposition with each other to warn of fluctuations which differ from the daily measurement value fluctuation pattern; and estimating and reporting the cause of the fluctuations.

Abstract: It has been difficult to conduct high-sensitivity, high-precision measurement due to externally generated contamination or cross-contamination. Thus, the invention includes (1) a filter unit having a filter at a bottom of a container for holding a liquid, the filter being adapted to filter a liquid, and (2) an attachment cover having a first opening and a second opening, the filter unit being attachable to and detachable from the attachment cover via the first opening, and the attachment cover being adapted to, when the filter unit is attached to the attachment cover, allow filtration by the filter in a state in which an inner face of the attachment cover is tightly in contact with an outer face of the filter unit, and discharge a resulting filtrate through the second opening.

Abstract: A method and a means are provided, by which multiple types of cells can be simultaneously measured with high sensitivity by an ATP luminescence method. A method for measuring cells in a sample is provided, which comprises the steps of adding methanol to a sample suspected of containing viable cells to increase ATP within viable cells, extracting intracellular ATP, and causing extracted ATP to emit luminescence.

Abstract: Electrolyte analyzers are used in a variety of ways, and problems vary from reagent deterioration due to reagent replenishment, mixing of foreign substances during reagent replenishment, electrode deterioration due to the passage of the validity date, to the operator's inputting errors. It is thus necessary to judge abnormalities of measured values resulting from such inappropriate usage, based on the fluctuation patterns of the results of daily electrolyte calibration. The fluctuation patterns of each measured item are extracted from the results of daily electrolyte calibration. The electromotive force balance ratio between the internal standard solution and high/low-concentration standard solutions is calculated as well as its fluctuation pattern. The obtained fluctuation patterns are compared against atypical fluctuation patterns stored in the electrolyte analyzer. When any of the extracted patterns matches any of the atypical patterns, the analyzer activates an alarm.

Abstract: In a pretreatment apparatus for transferring and mixing a specimen liquid and a reagent in a reagent reservoir, comprising containers for holding the specimen liquid and the reagent, flow paths connecting the containers in series, and a dialysis flow path including a dialysis membrane facing to the flow path, the mixing is brought about by transferring the liquid from the containers to the flow paths and a return by stoppage of transferring the liquid, and subsequently the liquid is made flow into the dialysis flow path.

Abstract: Electrolyte analyzers are used in a variety of ways, and problems vary from reagent deterioration due to reagent replenishment, mixing of foreign substances during reagent replenishment, electrode deterioration due to the passage of the validity date, to the operator's inputting errors. It is thus necessary to judge abnormalities of measured values resulting from such inappropriate usage, based on the fluctuation patterns of the results of daily electrolyte calibration. The fluctuation patterns of each measured item are extracted from the results of daily electrolyte calibration. The electromotive force balance ratio between the internal standard solution and high/low-concentration standard solutions is calculated as well as its fluctuation pattern. The obtained fluctuation patterns are compared against atypical fluctuation patterns stored in the electrolyte analyzer. When any of the extracted patterns matches any of the atypical patterns, the analyzer activates an alarm.

Abstract: Measurement of the uncertainty used for quality control typically involves a plurality of factors. When the uncertainty exceeds a clinical permissible value, time is required for a medical technologist to investigate and to determine the factor causing the uncertainty. It is thus beneficial to automatically investigate factors in complicated uncertainty, particularly from the view point of reagents and samples which are subject to quality change and that are prone to affect the measurement quality. Quality control samples having a plurality of concentration levels are measured to calculate the average, coefficient of variation, standard deviation, and other numerical values. When quality control samples having n (n?2) different concentration levels are measured, variation patterns determine the factor causing the uncertainty, the factor being specific to each of 3n different combinations of variation patterns.

Abstract: It is convenient and useful in inspection work to assess a fluctuation pattern of accuracy management results based on operation events occurring in a clinical laboratory and detect an abnormal fluctuation pattern before a control range is exceeded. However, an accuracy management system having such a function is not provided. When the cause of fluctuations in accuracy management results or calibration results is to be estimated, one depends on a variety of related information and one's specialized knowledge and experience. Much time and efforts are required to sort out useful pieces of information from useless ones and obtain organized information.

Abstract: The present invention provides a means of determining the presence or absence of chromosomal abnormalities with high reliability and high specificity in a gene examination in which a test sample is compared with a standard sample in terms of changes in quantitative ratios of alleles (particularly when test results are close to the threshold). In the present invention, alleles each of which exhibits quantitative changes when compared with those in a standard sample are identified based on quantitative changes in alleles in two or more and preferably three or more linked polymorphism sites. Then, the presence or absence of chromosomal abnormalities is determined based on the occurrence frequency of a combination of the alleles when the allele combination is considered as a haplotype.

Abstract: A method is provided for analyzing nucleic acid comprising the steps of extracting, amplifying and detecting the nucleic acid of interest, wherein one or more internal control nucleic acids which can be detected and discriminated from the nucleic acid of interest are added for each step to a sample prior to the performance of each step, and the success or failure of each step is judged from the detection results obtained for the respective internal control nucleic acids in the detection step. The internal control nucleic acids added prior to each step can be discriminated from each other.

Abstract: When the nucleic-acid base sequence of A, C, G, and T (or U) is determined by interpreting fluorescent-light intensity waveform data acquired by measuring nucleic-acid fragments, it is desirable to determine, with a high-accuracy, the base sequence at a location at which the data interpretation is difficult. In order to accomplish this object, the data interpretation is performed by making reference to information acquired by performing the statistical processing to plural pieces of fluorescent-light intensity waveform data corresponding to already-known base sequences. This method allows the determination of the nucleic-acid base sequence at the above-described location.

Abstract: A deletion in the end region of the long arm of a Chromosome 9 is efficiently detected. A genetic testing kit of bladder cancer according to the present invention includes a primer allowing for efficient amplification of a region containing a site of genetic polymorphism present in the ABO blood group gene of Chromosome 9. In the site of genetic polymorphism present in the ABO blood group gene, the frequency of heterozygote (heterozygosity) in the population is extremely high. Therefore, by detecting LOH using a polymorphic site present in the ABO blood group gene, it is possible to reliably detect a deletion near the polymorphic site, in other words, a deletion near the end of the long arm of Chromosome 9.

Abstract: There is provided a method of detecting or analyzing nucleic acid with a high reliability and reproducibility, capable of sampling target nucleic acid from initial target nucleic acid having not less than two types of sequences different from each other in a ratio which is proportional to that of initial target nucleic acid. A method of detecting or analyzing nucleic acid by sampling target nucleic acid from not less than two types of target nucleic acid samples having base sequences different in at least one base, and subjecting the sampled nucleic acid sample to detection or analysis; comprising steps of: obtaining the number of copies of initial target nucleic acid from the concentration of a nucleic acid in an initial target nucleic acid sample; and sampling the target nucleic acid of a predetermined number or more of copies from the initial target nucleic acid sample.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to automatically investigate factors in complicated uncertainty, particularly from the view point of reagents and samples which are subject to quality change and prone to affect the measurement quality. To accomplish the above object, quality control samples having a plurality of concentration levels are measured to calculate the average, coefficient of variation, standard deviation, and other numerical values. When quality control samples having n (n>=2) different concentration levels are measured, the present invention provides the method to presume the factors in uncertainty, the factors being specific to each of 3n different combinations of variation patterns.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an automatic analyzer that includes one or more pipetting probes for pipetting reagents or samples to be examined, one or more pipetting-probe-transferring means for transferring the probes and one or more washing tubs installed on the transfer paths of the probes and having structure permitting the probes to pass therethrough. The washing tub has washing-water-discharging orifices for discharging washing water and air-jetting orifices for jetting out air.

Abstract: In fluorescence detection, complicated concentration adjustment and retry of detection operation can be eliminated. In a fluorescence detection method for irradiating an exciting light ray on a fluorescent material or a sample having the fluorescent material to detect fluorescent luminescent rays emanated under the irradiation, the fluorescent luminescence rays parameterized by a plurality of wavelengths in a wavelength band of a fluorescent area are detected simultaneously, wavelengths which parameterize fluorescence intensities detected within a detection range are adopted from the plurality of wavelengths and the fluorescence intensities parameterized by the adopted wavelengths are delivered as detection results. The present invention also discloses a fluorescence detection apparatus and a program for a computer.

Abstract: In a pretreatment apparatus for transferring and mixing a specimen liquid and a reagent in a reagent reservoir, comprising containers for holding the specimen liquid and the reagent, flow paths connecting the containers in series, and a dialysis flow path including a dialysis membrane facing to the flow path, the mixing is brought about by transferring the liquid from the containers to the flow paths and a return by stoppage of transferring the liquid, and subsequently the liquid is made flow into the dialysis flow path.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a method of efficient, high-precision quantitative analysis of a gene region with plural possible sequences by simultaneously separating and detecting standard and measurement nucleic acids overlapping in their detection times. The present invention provides a method of quantitative analysis of a gene region with plural possible sequences, comprising separately labeling a standard nucleic acid sample and a measurement nucleic acid sample with substances of different molecular weights and simultaneously separating and detecting nucleic acid fragments in the gene regions derived from the standard nucleic acid sample and from the measurement nucleic acid sample, thereby quantitatively analyzing the nucleic acid fragments.