Abstract: Provided is a specimen staining apparatus that includes a gap-forming member arranged to form a gap having a thickness that induces capillary action, the gap being formed above a mounting surface of a slide glass having a specimen mounted thereon; and a chemical solution supply unit that supplies a chemical solution for staining the specimen to the gap between the gap-forming member and the mounting surface so that the chemical solution spreads within the gap due to capillary action and is evenly supplied to the specimen placed on the mounting surface.

Abstract: In an information recording system, an information generation unit is configured to generate processing information for identifying processing to be performed on an object for inspection. An ID acquisition unit is configured to acquire ID information attached to at least one of the object and a physical object for storing or supporting the object. A recording unit is configured to associate first ID information and second ID information with the processing information and record the processing information, the first ID information, and the second ID information on a recording medium. The first ID information is the ID information acquired by the ID acquisition unit before the processing is performed. The second ID information is the ID information acquired by the ID acquisition unit after the processing is performed.

Abstract: It is possible to readily observe pathology specimens without spending much time and suspected pathology specimens in detail. A specimen observation device comprises an image capturing unit acquiring a partial image representing at least a part of one of multiple pathology specimens mounted on an accommodating section and a whole image of the multiple pathology specimens mounted on the accommodating section; an input unit inputting identification information of the accommodating section; a display unitdisplaying an enlarged version of the partial image acquired by the image capturing unit); an image designating unit designating the partial image displayed on the display unit; and a storage unit storing the identification information input via the input unit and a position of the partial image designated via the image designating unit in relation to the whole image such that the position and the identification information are associated with the whole image.

Abstract: A microscope apparatus according to the present invention includes a bright-field illumination optical system and a fluorescence illumination optical system that respectively radiate illumination light and excitation light onto a sample, an observation optical system that observes observation light from the sample, and a controller that controls the fluorescence illumination optical system so that the excitation light is radiated onto the sample when the irradiation of the illumination light on the sample is prevented by an irradiation preventing portion of the bright-field illumination optical system and so that the irradiation of the excitation light on the sample is prevented when the irradiation of the illumination light on the sample is not prevented by the irradiation preventing portion.

Abstract: Provided is a specimen staining system including: a staining device that can selectively perform multiple types of staining on a specimen on a glass slide; an observation device that can obtain an image of the stained specimen stained by the staining device; a transfer device that transfers the glass slide loaded with the specimen between the observation device and the staining device; and a controller that controls the transfer device and the staining device so as to select the type of staining based on the image of the specimen obtained by the observation device and perform the staining.

Abstract: A dye measurement device includes: an illumination unit that radiates illumination light onto a specimen stained with three or more dyes; an image acquisition unit that captures transmitted light, transmitted through the specimen, of the illumination light radiated by the illumination unit, to obtain image signals; a narrow-band light generating unit that is disposed in the illumination unit or the image acquisition unit and that generates, with a switching manner, a plurality of narrow band light beams having different narrow bands in each of two or more different wavelength bands; and an image processing unit that determines an abundance ratio of the dyes through unmixing processing by using four or more of the image signals obtained when the image acquisition unit captures the narrow-band light beams generated by the narrow-band light generating unit.

Abstract: Provided is a specimen staining apparatus that includes a gap-forming member arranged to form a gap having a thickness that induces capillary action, the gap being formed above a mounting surface of a slide glass having a specimen mounted thereon; and a chemical solution supply unit that supplies a chemical solution for staining the specimen to the gap between the gap-forming member and the mounting surface so that the chemical solution spreads within the gap due to capillary action and is evenly supplied to the specimen placed on the mounting surface.

Abstract: A cell culture apparatus is provided with: a cell culture bag that is formed of a tubular membrane material that can accommodate cells and a culture medium therein and that has openings at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and that forms a flow passage for the culture medium from one opening toward the other opening in the longitudinal direction of the tubular membrane material; a solution supply portion that is connected to the one opening and that supplies a solution to the inside of the cell culture bag; and a solution discharge portion that is connected to the other opening and that discharges the solution from the inside of the cell culture bag.

Abstract: Provided is a culturing observation apparatus including: a light source portion that radiates illumination light into a culturing container, in which cells are being cultured, from a side surface of the culturing container, which is optically transparent, within a predetermined angular range; an image-acquisition portion that, when the illumination light radiated from the light source portion is scattered at the cells in the culturing container and when a portion of this scattered light passes through a bottom surface of the culturing container, acquires an image by capturing the scattered light that has passed through the bottom surface; and a transmitting portion that transmits the image acquired by the image-acquisition portion to an exterior.

Abstract: A microscope apparatus according to the present invention includes a bright-field illumination optical system and a fluorescence illumination optical system that respectively radiate illumination light and excitation light onto a sample, an observation optical system that observes observation light from the sample, and a controller that controls the fluorescence illumination optical system so that the excitation light is radiated onto the sample when the irradiation of the illumination light on the sample is prevented by an irradiation preventing portion of the bright-field illumination optical system and so that the irradiation of the excitation light on the sample is prevented when the irradiation of the illumination light on the sample is not prevented by the irradiation preventing portion.

Abstract: It is possible to readily observe pathology specimens without spending much time and suspected pathology specimens in detail. A specimen observation device comprises an image capturing unit acquiring a partial image representing at least a part of one of multiple pathology specimens mounted on an accommodating section and a whole image of the multiple pathology specimens mounted on the accommodating section; an input unit inputting identification information of the accommodating section; a display unit displaying an enlarged version of the partial image acquired by the image capturing unit); an image designating unit designating the partial image displayed on the display unit; and a storage unit storing the identification information input via the input unit and a position of the partial image designated via the image designating unit in relation to the whole image such that the position and the identification information are associated with the whole image.

Abstract: A wide field microscopic image acquisition apparatus and method are disclosed. The apparatus is configured to acquire images of a specimen on a microscope slide and includes first and second illuminators each having unique illumination characteristics. The apparatus includes a microscope imaging system with an imaging device, an objective lens and a stage configured to digitally acquire a plurality of images of the specimen using the first and second illuminators. A controller is configured to automatically control the microscope imaging system and acquire the plurality of images of the specimen using the first and second illuminators. The first and second illuminators can be bright field, dark field or fluorescent illuminators.

Abstract: A microscope for virtual-slide creating system has a stage for holding the specimen, a transmitted-light illumination optical system for illuminating the specimen with transmitted light, an objective, a tube lens and an image capture unit. The objective is configured as a dry system of infinity-corrected type with an object-side numerical aperture of 0.8 or greater and a focal length for d-line rays in a range from 8 to 20 mm. The tube lens has a focal length in a range from 160 to 280 mm. The image capture surface of the image capture unit has a long side of 12 mm or longer and a pixel size (?m) satisfying the following condition: a (?m)?(0.61×0.59 (?/m))/NA? where a is the pixel size, and NA? is an image-side numerical aperture.

Abstract: The present invention prevents the leakage of anesthetic gas, and enables in vivo observation of a specimen such as small laboratory animals over a long period of time. An in-vivo examination apparatus (1) comprises: a stage (2) for mounting a specimen (A) such as a laboratory animal; an anesthetizing chamber (3) which is disposed on the stage (2) for housing the specimen (A); and an anesthetic gas supply device (4) for supplying anesthetic gas (G) into the anesthetizing chamber (3); wherein a transparent window (3c) is provided on at least a part of the anesthetizing chamber (3).

Abstract: A wide field microscopic image acquisition apparatus and method are disclosed. The apparatus is configured to acquire images of a specimen on a microscope slide and includes first and second illuminators each having unique illumination characteristics. The apparatus includes a microscope imaging system with an imaging device, an objective lens and a stage configured to digitally acquire a plurality of images of the specimen using the first and second illuminators. A controller is configured to automatically control the microscope imaging system and acquire the plurality of images of the specimen using the first and second illuminators. The first and second illuminators can be bright field, dark field or fluorescent illuminators.

Abstract: Tumor tissue or the like that exists at a deep portion of a living organism far from an internal wall of a body cavity is observed. A biological observation apparatus (1) is provided, which includes an inserted portion (2) that has a small-diameter distal end portion (2a) to be inserted into a body of a specimen (A), such as a mammal or the like, and that emits straight-line laser light (L) in a radial direction from the distal end portion (2a); and an image capturing portion (17) that is disposed outside of the body of the specimen (A) and that captures fluorescence generated from the specimen (A) due to the laser light (L) emitted from the inserted portion (2), wherein the inserted portion (2) is provided with a scanner (8) that scans the laser light (L) in a circumferential direction.

Abstract: An object is to reduce the burden on pathologists and to improve the efficiency of pathologist's diagnoses.

Abstract: The present invention is a virtual-slide specimen image acquisition apparatus that captures images by dividing a specimen into a plurality of sections, having a conveying device in which a plurality of specimens can be arranged and that conveys the plurality of the arranged specimens in a first direction by a distance corresponding to the length of a side along the first direction in one of the divided sections and at first time intervals and an image capturing device that has an image capturing portion for capturing images of the specimens magnified at a predetermined magnification and that scans the specimens conveyed to a predetermined position in a second direction, by a predetermined length at second time intervals, such that the image capturing portion captures images of all of the sections that are positioned identically in the first direction and that are positioned differently in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

Abstract: The object is to enable a pathologist to appropriately conduct a diagnosis as well as enabling the pathologist to quickly proceed with the pathologic diagnosis.

Abstract: An object is to easily and reliably reach an examination site. The present invention provides an examination method of carrying out in-vivo examination using an in-vivo examination apparatus capable of fluorescence examination and reflected-light examination and includes the steps of setting a reference position so as to set an examination site by carrying out reflected-light examination, switching from reflected-light examination to fluorescence examination, and moving from the reference position to the examination site.