Melanin protects Cryptococcus neoformans from spaceflight effects.

As human activity in space continues to increase, understanding how biological assets respond to spaceflight conditions is becoming more important. Spaceflight conditions include exposure to ionizing radiation, microgravity, spacecraft vibrations and hypervelocity; all of which can affect the viability of biological organisms. Previous studies have shown that melanin-producing fungi are capable of surviving the vacuum of space and Mars-simulated conditions in Low Earth Orbit.

Screening for balance in children and adults in a community science education setting: Normative data, influence of age, sex, and body mass index, and feasibility.

Background: Screening standing and walking balance is useful for people suspected of having vestibular disorders, a variety of neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders, and for screening astronauts returning after exposure to microgravity. Visitors to a community science education center children and adults, aged 4 to 85, were tested on tandem walking with eyes closed and the modified Romberg test on compliant foam. They were then asked about their experience participating in research, many people for the first time.

Interactions between iron deficiency and lead poisoning: epidemiology and pathogenesis.

Iron deficiency and lead poisoning are common among infants and children in many parts of the world, and often these two problems are associated. Both conditions are known to cause anemia and appear to produce a more severe form of anemia when in combination. Although the nature of their relationship is not completely elucidated, characterization of a common iron-lead transporter and epidemiological studies among children strongly suggest that iron deficiency may increase susceptibility to lead poisoning.

The Child Report Form of the CHIP-Child Edition: reliability and validity.

Background: There is increasing recognition of the importance of obtaining children's reports of their health, but significant challenges must be overcome to do so in a systematic, population-based manner.

Objective: The objective of this study was to present the initial tests of the Child Report Form of the Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition (CHIP-CE/CRF), a self-report health status instrument for children 6 to 11 years old.

Methods: Three studies iteratively evaluated revisions of the CHIP-CE/CRF in 4 geographic locations in the United States.

2-[18F]F-A-85380: PET imaging of brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and whole body distribution in humans.

Noninvasive imaging of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the human brain in vivo is critical for elucidating the role of these receptors in normal brain function and in the pathogenesis of brain disorders. Here we report the first in vivo visualization of human brain areas containing nAChRs by using PET and 2-[18F]fluoro-3-(2(S)azetidinylmethoxy)pyridine (2-[18F]FA). We acquired scans from six healthy non-smoking volunteers after i.