All The Claims

1. An oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery which comprises an adhesion site-controlling layer for attaching the formulation to a selected site in the intestines, a drug-carrying layer containing a drug and an adhesive to attach the drug containing layer to the selected site in the intestines when the adhesion site-controlling layer dissolves at the selected site in the intestines, and a protecting layer structured and arranged for preventing digestive juice from permeating into the drug-carrying layer and the drug-carrying layer from releasing the drug through the protecting layer, the drug-carrying layer existing between the protecting layer and the adhesion site-controlling layer, the adhesion site-controlling layer is attached to the protecting layer and the adhesion site-controlling layer is a film made of an enteric polymer, and the adhesion site-controlling layer contains a plasticizer.
2. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 1 wherein each of the adhesion site-controlling layer, the drug-carrying layer and the protecting layer is in the form of film, and said three layers are laminated.
3. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 2 wherein each of the adhesion site-controlling layer, the drug-carrying layer and the protecting layer has a thickness of from 20 to 100 \u03bcm.
4. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 1 wherein the protecting layer is in hemispherical form forming an inner space and an opening part, and the drug-carrying layer exists in the inner space of the protecting layer in said hemispherical form, and wherein the adhesion site-controlling layer covers the opening part of the protecting layer in said hemispherical form.
5. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 4 wherein the hemisphere has an inside depth from 50 to 500 \u03bcm, the opening part of the hemisphere has an inside diameter of from 20 to 800 \u03bcm, and each of the protecting layer and the adhesion site-controlling layer has a thickness of from 20 to 100 \u03bcm.
6. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 1 wherein the drug-carrying layer is a porous sheet substrate soaked with a drug, or a sheet or a film of a gel or a wax which contains a drug.
7. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 1 wherein the drug-carrying layer further contains one or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of absorption promoters, protease inhibitors and transporter inhibitors.
8. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 1 wherein the protecting layer is a film or a capsule, each of said film or capsule being composed of at least one of a water-insoluble polymer and a wax.
9. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 1 wherein the drug is a physiologically active protein or peptide.
10. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 1 wherein the drug is G-CSF, interferon or indinavir.
11. An oral capsule formulation which is prepared by filling the formulation according to claim 1 in a capsule.
12. The oral capsule formulation according to claim 11 which is an enteric capsule.
13. An oral capsule formulation which is prepared by filling the formulation according to claim 2 in a capsule.
14. An oral capsule formulation which is prepared by filling the formulation according to claim 4 in a capsule.
15. An oral capsule formulation which is prepared by filling the formulation according to claim 6 in a capsule.
16. An oral capsule formulation which is prepared by filling the formulation according to claim 7 in a capsule.
17. An oral capsule formulation which is prepared by filling the formulation according to claim 8 in a capsule.
18. An oral capsule formulation which is prepared by filling the formulation according to claim 9 in a capsule.
19. An oral capsule formulation which is prepared by filling the formulation according to claim 10 in a capsule.
20. The oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery according to claim 1 wherein the drug-carrying layer is sealed between the adhesion site-controlling layer and the protecting layer to prevent leaking of the drug.
21. The oral capsule formulation according to claim 13 which is an enteric capsule.
22. The oral capsule formulation according to claim 14 which is an enteric capsule.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An actuator latch apparatus for a data storage device comprising:
a latch lever having a first latch portion at one end portion of the latch lever and having the other end portion fixed to a base plate of the data storage device, and made of a shape memory alloy capable of being deformed according to application of electric power; and
a second latch portion provided at an end portion of an actuator moving a readwrite head to a predetermined position of a disk,
wherein, when the rotation of the disk is stopped and the actuator is parked at a parking position, the first latch portion of the latch lever interferes with the second latch portion, thus locking the actuator not to rotate, and when the disk rotates, the latch lever is deformed so that the first latch portion is separated from the second latch portion, thus allowing the actuator to rotate.
2. The actuator latch apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shape memory alloy latch lever is made of a Ni\u2014Ti alloy.
3. The actuator latch apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shape memory alloy latch lever remembers a first shape in a room temperature and a second shape substantially at a temperature over 80\xb0 C.
4. The actuator latch apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein wires to apply the electric power are connected to both end portions of the shape memory alloy latch lever.
5. The actuator latch apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the wires are flexible printed circuits.
6. The actuator latch apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the electric power is not applied to the shape memory alloy latch lever, the shape memory alloy latch lever is straightened, and when the electric power is applied to the shape memory alloy latch lever, the temperature of the shape memory alloy latch lever rises so as to be bent.
7. The actuator latch apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first latch portion is a hook and the second latch portion is a protrusion.
8. The actuator latch apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one of contact surfaces of the hook and the protrusion is formed inclined.

1. An optical disc drive apparatus, comprising:
a box-shaped cabinet having an opening in a front face;
a frame provided in said cabinet and having a sidewall; and
a disc tray supported by said frame; wherein
said optical disc drive apparatus is structured such that said disc tray can freely slide between a disc-loaded position at which a disc recording medium is held and allowed to rotate in said cabinet and a disc-removable position at which the disc tray partially comes out in a forward direction from said opening so as to allow loading and removing of the disc recording medium, by engagement of a supporting portion provided in said sidewall of said frame to a supported portion provided at a side edge of said disc tray,
said supporting portion includes a guide rib formed protruding from an inner wall surface of said sidewall toward a center portion of the disc drive apparatus, and a plurality of guide protrusions formed protruding upward from said guide rib in a front-to-rear direction of said guide rib,
said supported portion has a guide groove slidably engaging to said plurality of guide protrusions on a lower face side of said disc tray,
a guide protrusion positioned at forefront among said plurality of guide protrusions is structured so as to come in surface-contact with a wall surface implementing said guide groove, and
a root portion of said guide protrusion has a width increasing solely toward the center portion of the disc drive apparatus with respect to its tip end portion.
2. An optical disc drive apparatus, comprising:
a box-shaped cabinet having an opening in a front face;
a frame provided in said cabinet and having a sidewall; and
a disc tray supported by said frame; wherein
said optical disc drive apparatus is structured such that said disc tray can freely slide between a disc-loaded position at which a disc recording medium is held and allowed to rotate in said cabinet and a disc-removable position at which the disc tray partially comes out in a forward direction from said opening so as to allow loading and removing of the disc recording medium, by engagement of a supporting portion provided in said sidewall of said frame to a supported portion provided at a side edge of said disc tray,
said supporting portion includes a guide rib formed protruding from an inner wall surface of said sidewall toward a center portion of the disc drive apparatus, and a plurality of guide protrusions formed protruding upward from said guide rib in a front-to-rear direction of said guide rib,
said supported portion has a guide groove slidably engaging to said plurality of guide protrusions on a lower face side of said disc tray, and
a guide protrusion positioned at forefront among said plurality of guide protrusions is structured so as to come in surface-contact with a wall surface implementing said guide groove.
3. The optical disc drive apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
said guide protrusion positioned at the forefront has a width larger in its root portion than in its tip end portion.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method of treating a subject having a NO-related condition, the method comprising:
recognizing that the subject has the NO-related condition; and
administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a nanocrystalline metal-containing material.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material comprises a nanocrystalline silver-containing material.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the nanocrystalline silver-containing material is an atomically disordered, crystalline material.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material forms a NO-containing complex.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to being administered to the subject, the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is in contact with a solution.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the solution comprises a body fluid.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is injected into the subject, topically applied to the subject, ingested by the subject or inhaled by the subject.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is administered in the form of a tape, a pill, a capsule, a tablet, a lozenge or a suppository.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is administered as a powder.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is administered in the form of a pharmaceutical composition that comprises the nanocrystalline metal-containing material and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is reacted with a nitrogen-containing species to form a NO-containing complex.
12. A method of treating a subject having a NO-related condition, the method comprising:
recognizing that the subject has a NO-related condition; and
administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a source of solution phase neutral silver.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising reacting the solution phase neutral silver with a nitrogen-containing species to form NO.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the NO forms a NO-containing complex.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the neutral silver is present in an aqueous solution.
16. A method of treating a subject having a NO-related condition, the method comprising:
recognizing that the subject has a NO-related condition; and
administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a NO-containing complex.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the NO-containing complex is in contact with a solution.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the solution comprises a body fluid.
19. A method of treating a subject susceptible to having a NO-related condition, the method comprising:
recognizing that the subject is susceptible to having a NO-related condition; and
administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a nanocrystalline metal-containing material.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material comprises a nanocrystalline silver-containing material.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the nanocrystalline silver-containing material is an atomically disordered, crystalline material.
22. The method of claim 19, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material forms a NO-containing complex.
23. The method of claim 19, wherein, prior to being administered to the subject, the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is in contact with a solution.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the solution comprises a body fluid.
25. The method of claim 23, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is injected into the subject, topically applied to the subject, ingested by the subject or inhaled by the subject.
26. The method of claim 19, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is administered as a powder.
27. The method of claim 19, wherein the nanocrystalline metal-containing material is reacted with a nitrogen-containing species to form a NO-containing complex.
28. A method of treating a subject susceptible to having a NO-related condition, the method comprising:
recognizing that the subject is susceptible to having the NO-related condition; and
administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a source of solution phase neutral silver.
29. The method of claim 28, further comprising reacting the solution phase neutral silver with a nitrogen-containing species to form NO.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein the NO forms a NO-containing complex.
31. The method of claim 28, wherein the neutral silver is present in an aqueous solution.
32. A method of treating a subject susceptible to having a NO-related condition, the method comprising:
recognizing that the subject is susceptible to having the NO-related condition; and
administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a NO-containing complex.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein the NO-containing complex is in contact with a solution.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein the solution comprises a body fluid.
35-53. (canceled)