features
Battalion/Page 7B
April 1, 1982
Researchers make
baboons the latest
human substitute
United Press International
SAN ANTONIO, — Re-
iearchers at the University of
exas Health Science Center
turned to female ba
tons in an attempt to find a
way to get nutrients to human
fetuses whose mothers suffer
from hypertension.
Pediatrics professor Dr.
Yves Brans said: “interuterine
growth retardation affects ab
out one out of 10 newborns in
the United States.”
Brans said a fetus’ growth
could be retarded by hyper
tension, which often develops
during pregnancy and dis
appears after the baby is deli
vered.
Hypertension usually de
velops in the first two-thirds
of the pregnancy. It decreases
blood flow to the placenta and
breaks the baby’s nutritional
supply.
Basic research is aimed at
determining if baboons can
substitute for humans as lab
subjects, particularly in ex
periments to feed fetuses by
direct injection.
“Before such invasive tech
niques are tried on humans,
we want to try them on an
animal model,” Brans said.
“We also will need to know
what to inject and how much.”
Researchers will induce
hypertension in the baboons,
and when they become pre
gnant, will test various
methods of feeding nutrients
to the fetuses.
“Our long-range goal is to
find alternative ways of get
ting nutrients to the baby,”
Brans said. “It might be possi
ble, for example, to inject
them directly into the amnio-
tic cavity.”
Brans said fetuses receive
nutrients through the umbi
lical chord and by swallowing
amniotic fluid and digesting it
to absorb proteins.
During the study, resear
chers will monitor both
mother and fetus, collecting a
variety of data to be compared
with available information on
human mothers.
Go for broke with new toy
Sales up despite economy
United Press International
DALLAS — The marketing
strategy is simple — no matter
what the shape of the economy,
a family always will buy food and
toys.
Toys?
Yes, toys, point out represen
tatives of the U.S. toy industry
that grossed between $4 billion
and $8 billion last year and
hopes to do much better in 1982.
“You tell me which parent
would like to see his child go
without a present during Christ
mas?” asked Henry del Castillo,
Dallas district manager of Mattel
Toys, unquestionably the Exxon
of the industry.
“We increased our business
last year by 30 percent over the
previous year and we expect the
trend to continue,” said del Cas
tillo.
Ample evidence of the bullish
nature of the industry was avail
able at the recently concluded
Toy Show at Dallas’ prestigious
World Trade Center. The show
occupied several floors of the
Center and nearby buildings
... Paragon-Reiss of
New York suggests their
miniature version of the
“Beetle” convertible. At
$7,000 each, the toy can
be a bargain for those
with money to burn.
and about every company taking
a slice of the $>8 billion cake was
represented.
Thousands of buyers from
across the Southwest and else
where flocked to the show to see
what Mattel and other industry
giants like Fisher- Price, Kenner
and Parker Brothers had to
offer.
If he or she had the money,
the buyer was not disappointed.
The offerings were bigger,
better, more complicated and,
above all, more expensive, all in
keeping with inflation, higher
prices and the sophistication
and discerning taste of today’s
American child.
Most buyers were not asking
if they could sell the product,
but how much and if the manu
facturer could meet the de
mand. They were filling orders
for as late as 1982 Christmas.
Strawberry Shortcake, a
license item featuring a cute girl
with big wide eyes, is this year’s
craze competing neck and neck
with hand-held electronic games
whose sales went through the
roof the last two years.
A masterpiece in plastic.
Strawberry Shortcake comes in
everything from doll houses to
tea sets that carry her pictures
and every item smells of straw
berry. Accompanying her in the
product line are her friends
Blueberry Muffin and Lemon
Meringue, all with their own
fragrances.
The companies manufactur
ing these items expect to do $1
billion worth of business in the
Strawberry line alone and that is
only a conservative estimate.
Mattel’s most popular offer
ing this year is a child computer
retailing for about $60. The
more sophisticated variety
aimed at the 6-to-ll group re
tails for $89.
“Parents these days are con
cerned about the quality of edu
cation in schools and we feel this
(computer) is the answer,” said
del Castillo. “The systems will
teach everything from sounds to
music to math. Our sophisti
cated variety includes other
school subjects.
This year alone Mattel will
introduce about 200 new pro
ducts.
Fisher-Price, another indus
try giant, is also concentrating
on educational toys. Their offer
ings include taperecorders, pho
nographs and other electronic
items. The company has
budgeted $12 million strictly to
promote them on television.
Then there are the old stand
bys like Monopoly which has
been minting millions for Par
ker Brothers the last four de
cades. This year Parker also is
going electronic with the board
game that teaches the American
child all about the free enter
prise system.
If none of these interest the
child, Paragon-Reiss of New
York suggests their miniature
version of the “Beetle” converti
ble. At $7,000 each, the toy can
be a bargain for those with
money to burn.
udge says groups
[can sue over spill
United Press International
HOUSTON — A federal
idge has issued a ruling allow-
Texas and several other
||aintiffs to pursue $400 million
i lawsuits against a Texas firm
and a private Mexican company
JivoJved in the world’s worst oil
■spill.
However, U.S. District Judge
tobertO’Conor said U.S. feder-
il courts do not have jurisdiction
Over complaints against the
|lexican national oil company,
Pemex, in the Ixtoc 1 ©dwell
llowout. He cited the Foreign
Sovereign Immunity act.
That ruling was seen as a
foreign policy decision.
O’Conor ruled Tuesday the
parties involved in the spill that
blackened beaches along the
tourist-rich south Texas coast
were Secko Inc. in Dallas —
founded by Gov. Bill Clements
■nd now run by his son — and
Pemargo, a private Mexican
company.
Permargo was drilling the
i well for Pemex on Sedco plat-
| form with Sedco equipment and
advisors when the June 3, 1979,
| blowout occurred off the Mex-
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