Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi High-Tech Corporation

Hitachi-High-Technologies Corporation

Yuichi Uchiho

Hideyuki Noda

Chihiro Uematsu

Shunsuke Kawabe

Takashi Anazawa

Masao Kamahori

Takahide Yokoi

Akira Masuya

Hideki Niimi

Toshimichi Aota

Tetsushi Koide

Atsushi Matsui

A bacteria test apparatus that identifies bacteria and conducts an antibacterial susceptibility test includes a microscope optical system which captures for each of a plurality of wells holding a culture solution containing an antibacterial drug and the bacteria undergoing the antibacterial susceptibility test, a plurality of images of the well including the bacteria at a plurality of time points, a display device which displays a determination result output based on a calculation of, for each of the plurality of wells, a feature of luminance value for each of the images, and for the each of the plurality of wells, a determination of whether growth of the bacteria has occurred in the plurality of wells based on a temporal change in the feature of luminance value.

Device for testing bacterium, and method for testing bacterium

Provided is a bacterium number measuring system comprising a database storing known bacterial growth patterns in advance and an analyzing part. The analyzing part has first cultures containing a bacterial liquid that contains a measurement target bacteria and second cultures being different from the first cultures and containing the bacterial liquid and an antimicrobial drug. The analyzing part performs bacterium number measurement which measures the number of bacteria in the first cultures on a culturing part where culturing has started in the first and second cultures. The analyzing part compares the bacterium number measurement result with the growth curves stored in the database and thereby determines a timing to perform MIC measurement which measures the number of bacteria in the second cultures to determine a minimum inhibitory concentration of the measurement target bacterium. The analyzing part performs the MIC measurement at the thus-determined timing.

Bacterium number measuring method and bacterium number measuring system

Efficient simultaneous laser-irradiation-fluorescence detection is performed for a plurality of channels of a microchip and simple and highly sensitive parallel analysis of a plurality of samples is enabled. In a microchipmade of an optically transparent solid material mwith a refractive index n, a plurality of channelsfilled with a material mwith a refractive index nand a plurality of channelsfilled with a material mwith a refractive index nare alternately arranged in parallel on the same plane. Here, m, mand mare selected such that a relation of n<n<nis satisfied. The material mis an optically transparent liquid suitable for targeted analysis. When a laser beamis focused and irradiated perpendicularly to the individual channelsandalong the same plane, refraction of the laser beamby the channelsand refraction of the laser beamby the channelsare counterbalanced. For this reason, the laser beampropagates linearly on the same plane and the individual channelsandcan be simultaneously and efficiently irradiated with the laser beam. Fluorescence emitted from the individual channelsandis detected independently and simultaneously using a collimating lens, a filter and a diffraction grating, an imaging lens, a two-dimensional sensor, and a data analysis system, from a direction perpendicular to the same plane.

Microchip and manufacturing method therefor, and multi-channel fluorescence detection device

Provided is an antibacterial agent-containing dried plate having no cracks on an observation surface (a part of the plate corresponding to an observation visual field of a microscope). According to the present embodiment, an antibacterial agent-introduced plate obtained by introducing an antibacterial agent and performing vacuum drying has a recess at an edge of a well, and a microscopic observation portion, which has a surface substantially parallel to a well bottom surface, near the center of the well. The recess is provided between the microscopic observation portion and a side wall of the well, and is lower in height than the microscopic observation portion. Further, at least the bottom surface of the well and the microscopic observation portion are made of a material having a light-transmitting property in order for optical measurement (FIG.).

Bacterial test plate having antibacterial agent introduced thereinto, and transparent plate

An apparatus, system, and method for performing an efficient luminescence measurement are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a nozzle for dispensing a luminescent reagent into a well W in a microplate M, a luminescence measurement unit for measuring luminescence occurring in the well W caused by mixing of the luminescent reagent and a specimen, and a stage (moving unit) for moving the nozzle and the luminescence measurement unit together vertically and horizontally, wherein the nozzle is secured to the stage and the luminescence measurement unit is mounted to be movable vertically with respect to the stage through a holder and springs interposed between the luminescence measurement unit and the holder.

Apparatus, system, and method for luminescence measurement

In order to achieve high sensitivity without an increase in device complexity or cost, a far-ultraviolet absorbance detection device for liquid chromatography is provided with: an optical system including a light source that emits light including far-ultraviolet light, a diffraction grating for dispersing the light emitted from the light source, a flow cell through which a liquid is passed, a slit for selecting a predetermined wavelength of +1 order light diffracted by the diffraction grating and causing the light to enter the flow cell, a first photodetector for detecting the light transmitted by the flow cell, and a second photodetector for detecting light other than the +1 order light diffracted by the diffraction grating; a mechanism for evacuating or substituting the optical system with nitrogen gas; and a computation unit that calculates absorbance from an output signal from the first photodetector and an output signal from the second photodetector. The second photodetector is fixedly disposed.

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Tokyo, Japan

Yuichi Uchiho