OBJECTIVES The use of latex gloves has increased by several folds in the recent past due to concerns about blood-borne infections. Data from Asian countries with regard to latex allergy is scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of latex allergy among healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Sri Lanka. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional sur...

A tremendous diversity of plants exude sticky and toxic latex upon tissue damage, and its production has been widely studied as a defensive adaptation against insect herbivores. Here, we address variation in latex production and its constituent chemical properties (cardenolides and cysteine proteases) in 53 milkweeds [ Asclepias spp. (Apocynaceae)], employing a phylogenetic approach to test mac...

BACKGROUND Differences in latex allergen sensitization profiles have been described between children undergoing repeated surgical interventions and health care workers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether such sensitization profiles are associated with differences in the expression of latex allergen between the internal and external surfaces of surgical gloves. METHODS Extracts...

BACKGROUND Latex allergy and its clinical presentation are rising in prevalence across the globe, especially amongst patients with spina bifida (SB). While studies have been well-established in Europe and America, data from Asia are limited. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to investigate the scenario in Singapore. METHODS 35 subjects with SB, aged 5 to 32 years answered a questionnaire a...

BACKGROUND Since ancient time, increased interest has been witnessed in the use of an alternative herbal medicine for managing, and the treatment of fungal diseases worldwide. This may be connected to the cost and relative toxicities of the available antifungal drugs. It has been a known tradition practiced in the northern part of Nigeria that parents and teachers use the white latex of Calotro...

AIMS To compare blood transmission through nitrile, single and double layer latex glove materials in simulated needlestick injuries. METHODS Experiments involved nitrile, single and double layer latex gloves. A cutting suture needle was dipped into a specimen of blood and then immediately jabbed through the glove material into a cell containing saline. This process was repeated using the same...

BACKGROUND Nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) culture by World Health Organisation (WHO) methodology underestimates multiple pneumococcal serotype colonisation compared to a simple culture and latex sweep method. The impacts of this on descriptions of pneumococcal serotype distributions and colonisation dynamics in infancy are not clear. METHODS 8,736 NPS collected from infants enrolled into a longitu...

We compared the Card Agglutination Test for Trypanosomiasis (CATT), which consists of lyophilized bloodstream form trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (T.b.g.) variable antigen type LiTat 1.3, with LATEX/T.b.g., which consists of a lyophilized suspension of latex particles coated with variable surface glycoproteins of T.b.g. variable antigen types LiTat 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6. This study ...

CONTEXT To reduce unintended pregnancy and HIV infection, it is critical to develop reliable male condoms that will attract consumers who reject conventional latex condoms. METHODS In a prospective clinical trial conducted in 1998-2000, 830 monogamous couples were randomized in equal numbers to use either a nonlatex condom or a commercial natural latex condom for six months as their only meth...