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H Rushton

Publications and source records attributed to H Rushton.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Reef-coral proteins as visual, non-destructive reporters for plant transformation.

Recently, five novel fluorescent proteins have been isolated from non-bioluminescent species of reef-coral organisms and have been made available through ClonTech. They are AmCyan, AsRed, DsRed, ZsGreen and ZsYellow. These proteins are valuable as reporters for transformation because they do not require a substrate or external co-factor to emit fluorescence and can be tested in vivo without destruction of the tissue under study. We have evaluated them in a large range of plants, both monocots and dicots, and our results indicate that they are valuable reporting tools for transformation in a wide variety of crops. We report here their successful expression in wheat, maize, barley, rice, banana, onion, soybean, cotton, tobacco, potato and tomato. Transient expression could be observed as early as 24 h after DNA delivery in some cases, allowing for very clear visualization of individually transformed cells. Stable transgenic events were generated, using mannose, kanamycin or hygromycin selection. Transgenic plants were phenotypically normal, showing a wide range of fluorescence levels, and were fertile. Expression of AmCyan, ZsGreen and AsRed was visible in maize T1 seeds, allowing visual segregation to more than 99% accuracy. The excitation and emission wavelengths of some of these proteins are significantly different; the difference is enough for the simultaneous visualization of cells transformed with more than one of the fluorescent proteins. These proteins will become useful tools for transformation optimization and other studies. The wide variety of plants successfully tested demonstrates that these proteins will potentially find broad use in plant biology.

Anthozoa↗

2-in-1 shampoo technology: state-of-the-art shampoo and conditioner in one.

Consumers have expressed a need for cleaning and conditioning in one step. Conventional shampoo technology using anionic surfactants and cationic conditioners results in charge interaction and complexing of the ingredients. Neither shampoo nor conditioners achieves the desired result. The successful solution was to incorporate charge neutral dimethicone conditioning ingredients, suspended as microfine droplets within complex crystal lattices, into anionic surfactant shampoo technology. The same solution has also been applied to amphoteric surfactant systems. This provides complete cleaning, and hair conditioning fully equal to separate conditioners without the problems of sebum interactions and conditioner build-up. This was achieved by keeping the dimethicone in suspension throughout the shampoo process. During rinsing, excess water breaks the crystalline lattice and allows deposition of the dimethicone droplets onto the hair. Full cleaning and conditioning are, therefore, achieved in one application. Dimethicone build-up is not encountered as subsequent washes first remove soil and previously deposited dimethicone. Neither do neutral dimethicones show any reactions with sebum. The development of effective 2-in-1 technology has had a major impact on shampoo technology and consumer habits and practices. This has significantly changed the way consumers care for their hair.

Hair↗

The unit area trichogram in the assessment of androgen-dependent alopecia.

The unit area trichogram was defined in the frontal and occipital areas of ten normal men and ten normal women and the results compared with the findings in ten male and fifteen female patients with androgenic alopecia. The epilation technique provided accurate data of normal hair density (higher than previously reported) and the phases of hair growth. The measurement of hair diameter showed that of 7603 hairs, 1241 were less than 40 microns in diameter, of which only 21 were more than 80 mm in length. Variation in the diameter of individual hair fibres was recorded. The number of hairs less than 40 microns diameter per cm2 of scalp was increased in both men and women with androgenic alopecia. It was concluded that the number of hairs greater than 40 microns in diameter per cm2 (meaningful density) reflected most closely the amount of hair usefully contributing to an individual's clinical appearance.

Adolescent↗