Viral impermeability of hypoallergenic, low protein, guayule latex films.

Guayule latex proteins do not cross-react with antibodies raised against latex proteins in commercially available products manufactured from Hevea brasiliensis latex. Thus guayule latex is a promising raw material for the manufacture of hypoallergenic latex products, safe for use by people suffering from IgE-mediated Type I "latex allergy." Also, guayule latex is a low protein material and therefore unlikely to cause widespread sensitization.

Head-out immersion in the non-human primate: a model of cardiovascular deconditioning during microgravity.

Background: Orthostatic intolerance is a common complication associated with spaceflight. It has been speculated that this is due to changes in blood volume and alterations in cardiovascular reflexes. The objective of the current study was to develop a model that would allow us to study the cardiovascular system and the regulation of blood volume during short-term microgravity exposure in the primate with the intent of eventually being able to elucidate those factors responsible for the orthostatic intolerance.

A neuropsychological-genetic profile of atypical cri du chat syndrome: implications for prognosis.

Cri du chat syndrome is associated with a deletion on the short arm of chromosome 5. The main diagnostic feature is a high pitched, cat-like cry which has recently been localised to 5p15.3 and is separate from the remaining clinical features of the syndrome, which have been localised to 5p15.

Spatial cognition in males with Fragile-X syndrome: evidence for a neuropsychological phenotype.

Spatial performance in a group of young Fragile-X syndrome males with FMR-1 full mutation was compared to a learning disabled control group comprising young Down's syndrome males and two control groups of mainstream schoolchildren. Performance was assessed across a wide range of spatial tasks including visuo-construction, visuo-spatial memory, visuo-motor, and visuo-perception. The findings indicate a task-specific rather than global deficit in spatial performance in Fragile-X males with visuo-constructive and visuo-motor skills most vulnerable.

Cognitive functioning in children with typical cri du chat (5p-) syndrome.

This study is the first attempt to assess systematically the cognitive functioning in children diagnosed with typical cri du chat syndrome (CDCS) using neuropsychological test measures. Twenty-six children aged between 6 years 4 months and 15 years 5 months (mean 8 years 3 months) completed a battery of tasks measuring IQ level, receptive and expressive language skills, and articulation. Twenty-four children were in the severe learning-disability range with no specific verbal or performance profile.

Face recognition and emotion perception in boys with fragile-X syndrome.

Two independent and complementary studies were conducted to assess the ability of boys with fragile-X syndrome to recognize facial and emotional expressions. Both studies failed to find any specific deficits associated with fragile-X syndrome. The performance of the test group was comparable to the level of subjects with intellectual disability and subjects of average cognitive development matched for intellectual ability.

Suppressed impact of nitric oxide on renal arteriolar function in rats with chronic heart failure.

We performed experiments to test the hypothesis that experimental heart failure (HF) is associated with altered nitric oxide (NO)-dependent influences on the renal microvasculature, including diminished modulation of constrictor responses to ANG II. Eight to ten weeks after inducing HF in rats by coronary artery ligation, we administered enalaprilat to suppress ANG II synthesis and studied renal arteriolar function using the in vitro blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron technique. In kidneys from sham-operated rats, NO synthase inhibition [100 microM Nomega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA)] reduced afferent arteriolar diameter by 4.

The nature of the spatial deficit in young females with Fragile-X syndrome: a neuropsychological and molecular perspective.

Spatial performance in a group of young Fragile-X syndrome females with FMR-1 full mutation was compared to two control groups of mainstream schoolchildren. Performance was assessed across a wide range of spatial tasks including visuo-spatial, visuo-construction, visuo-motor, visuo-perception and spatial-memory. A spatial deficit emerged only on those tasks which comprised a visuo-constructive component, with the Fragile-X group performing worse overall.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of [11C]MK-912 as an alpha2-adrenergic receptor radioligand for PET studies.

In vitro studies showed that MK-912 ((2S, 12bS)1',3'-dimethylspiro(1,3,4,5',6,6',7,12b-octahydro -2H-benzo[b]furo[2,3-a]quinolizine)-2,4'-pyrimidin-2'-one) is a potent alpha2-adrenergic receptor antagonist with high affinity (Ki = 0.42, 0.26 and 0.

Receptive and expressive language skills in children with cri-du-chat syndrome.

Receptive and expressive language skills were assessed in 13 children with cri-du-chat syndrome. Two patterns of performance were found. One pattern was the discrepancy between the children's chronological ages and their presumed language ages.

Do anomalies of handedness exist in children with Fragile-X syndrome?

Hand preference and skill were assessed in 27 children with Fragile-X syndrome, 30 children with Down's Syndrome, and 29 normal developing children. Three separate and specific anomalies of handedness that have been reported in other learning-disordered groups were examined: increased incidence of left-handedness; ambiguous or inconsistent handedness; and preference-skill discordance. The results revealed no difference between the subject groups in the distribution of left-handedness or ambiguous handedness.

Hand preference and hand skill in children with autism.

Hand preference and hand skill was assessed in two broad age groups of children with autism, children with learning disabilities, and control schoolchildren. The first group comprised children ages 3-5 years and the second group of children ages 11-13 years. Degree of handedness remained relatively stable across age groups, particularly within the autistic and learning-disabled populations.

Developmental and behavioural characteristics of cri du chat syndrome.

Developmental and behavioural characteristics were assessed in 27 children with cri du chat syndrome using the Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes questionnaire, which gave information on prenatal and perinatal conditions, neurological problems, and developmental and behavioural difficulties. The findings suggest that the behavioural profile of children with cri du chat syndrome incorporates self injurious behaviour, repetitive movements, hypersensitivity to sound, clumsiness, and obsessive attachments to objects. In terms of a developmental profile, children with cri du chat syndrome were able to communicate their needs, socially interact with others, and have some degree of mobility.

Absence of cross-reactivity of IgE antibodies from subjects allergic to Hevea brasiliensis latex with a new source of natural rubber latex from guayule (Parthenium argentatum).

Background: Natural rubber latex sensitization is caused by proteins from the latex of Hevea brasiliensis, the Brazilian rubber tree. Alternative non-cross-reactive latex rubber sources are needed for the manufacture of nonallergenic medical devices (e.g.

The neuropsychological profile of cri du chat syndrome without significant learning disability.

The clinical picture typically associated with cri du chat syndrome is one of profound intellectual impairment, severe motor delay and increased morbidity. In contrast to this picture, the present case report describes the cognitive and behavioural profile of a young female with cri du chat syndrome who displays no evidence of severe learning disability. Cognitive performance indicated good verbal skills with specific strengths on those tasks that require the ability to store and retrieve verbal information in comparison to poor non-verbal, spatial skills and weaknesses on those tasks that require multi-step manipulation of spatial stimuli and the ability to form whole percepts from fragmentary parts.

Shared IgE-binding sites among separated components of natural rubber latex.

Background: IgE-mediated allergy to proteins present in natural rubber latex is a well-recognized problem. Latex contains a complex mixture of proteins ranging in molecular weight from 6 to > 200 kD.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether shared allergenic sites exist on separate latex components.

Factor structure of mental health measures.

This study investigated the factor structure of 18 scales that measure personal growth, subjective well-being, stress-resistant personality, self-deceptive positivity, and demographics. The sample of 338 persons was drawn from university students and community residents. A principal-components analysis with oblique rotation found a large factor for measures of subjective well-being as well as smaller factors for measures of personal growth, gender and age, and personality integration and education.

A guinea pig model of hypersensitivity to allergenic fractions of natural rubber latex.

Allergy to natural rubber latex is a growing medical problem with life-threatening aspects. The aim of this study was to learn if guinea pigs could serve as a suitable model for immediate-type hypersensitivity to latex. Guinea pigs were immunized either with whole non-ammoniated latex extract, or with one of nine SDS-PAGE-separated components.

Measurement of protein in natural rubber latex.

Latex from the Brazilian rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is the source of virtually all commercial natural rubber (cis-1,4-polyisoprene). Products made from natural rubber latex include gloves, condoms, and hundreds of different medical devices. However, recent reports of widespread life-threatening latex-associated Type I allergies have focused attention on latex proteins as serious allergens.

PET study of the distribution of [11C]fluoxetine in a monkey brain.

No-carrier-added [11C]fluoxetine (2) was synthesized by methylation of norfluoxetine (1) with [11C]H3I in 20% radiochemical yield in a synthesis time of 40 min from EOB with a specific activity of 0.48 Ci/microM (EOB). In vivo study in mouse indicated that the uptake of 2 in mouse tissues was high and the radioactivity remained constant throughout the study.

The major protein of guayule rubber particles is a cytochrome P450. Characterization based on cDNA cloning and spectroscopic analysis of the solubilized enzyme and its reaction products.

Guayule plants accumulate large quantities of rubber within parenchyma cells of their stembark tissues. This rubber is packed within discrete organelles called rubber particles composed primarily of a lipophilic, cis-polyisoprene core, small amounts of lipids, and several proteins, the most abundant of which is the M(r) 53,000 rubber particle protein (RPP). We have cloned and sequenced a full-length cDNA for RPP and show that it has 65% amino acid identity and 85% similarity to a cytochrome P450 known as allene oxide synthase (AOS), recently identified from flaxseed.