horsé, Abu Farwa. She has

‘The Fragile x Syndrome’

BAR” HARBOR, Maine
(UPD - Males have a higher
risk of becoming mentally
retarded than females,
apparently because males
inherit an “‘insane’’
chromosome from their
mothers which females do
not. —

Scientists have recently
stumbled on a new form of
mental retardation called the
“Fragile X Syndrome”
because it shows up under
the microscope as a defect in
the X chromosome — one of
the two sex chromosomes in
every cell that determine

whether a child will be male

or female. _
The Fragile x

chromosome is_ charac-

terized by retardation

ranging from moderate to
severe. _

Dr. Park S. Gerald of the
Harvard Medical School
outlined “The Fragile X

- Story,” as he called it, during

a genetics conference at the
Jackson Laboratories in Bar
Harbor recently.

Gerald said it appears that
2 to 3 per cent of all males i in

institutions for the mentally

newly’ recognized genetic ©
defect, making the disorder
‘second only to . Down's
Syndrome, or mongolism, as

a known cause of mental |

retardation.

About 3,000 babies are>

born in the United. States
every year with Down’s
Syndrome, which afflicts
males and females equally.
Scientists estimate that there

are about 300 “Fragile x”

babies,-about one in 10,000
births a year, virtually all of
them male, he said.

From available evidence :

_. fetarded-—suffer—from—the- -Gerald said, it appears that
the “Fragile X” syndrome is-

usually passed from mother
to son — unlike Down's

syndrome, which is almost.

always derived ftom a
chance, one-time reshuffling
of either parent’s
chromosomes rather than an
inherited genetic defect.

The “Fragile X” syndrome a

is also unlike Down’s and
many other genetically
caused forms of retardation
in that it is associated with
no gross physical ab-
normalities, although there

«

‘An Arabian horse kind of glows’

FROM PAGE C1

English type, domestic and
‘animated’.

Most of Nadine’s horses

artist. “I’ve been drawing
ever since I can remember,”
she says, laughing.
“Everything was animals: As
far as I was concerned, the
whole world ran off animals.

“ the

She also designed some of

_ the trophies for the show and

made awards presentations,
though she didn’t show any
horses there this year,
because of the importance of
exhibition of her

one stallion, ‘ Aaran Aba
who has eight generations of
American breeding: “He's
almost a Pilgrim”. Another
horse, Queen of Sheba,
traces directly to the desert.

“Anything that any horse
bas done, an Arab can do,”
‘says Nadine. As a show
horse, the same horse might
enter eight different classes
in a single day. The Arab
also excels in competitive
trail rides, and is starting to
become known in racing.

THE ARTIST

Ms. Johnston has also
distinguished herself as an

“Especially horses, always’
horses.”

HORSE SHOW

At the 22nd Canadian
National Championship
Arabian and Half-Arabian
Horse Show held at the
P.N.E. last week, Nadine
had an exhibition of some of
her paintings of horses,
including the ome _ she
designed for the cover of the
show’s program. Portraying
the 1978 Canadian National
Halter Champions, the
original painting was sold

‘through public auction on

Saturday night to a buyer
from Vantage Point,
Washington, for $1700.

Anyone who’s anyone

It takes money and
position to make “Who's
Who ” and it can take a lot
of sweat to make the
“Guinness Book of World
Records.” But all it takes to
make’ “How to Reach
Anyone Who's Anyone” is a
postcard, with name and
address, to 256 South
Robertson Boulevard in
Beverly Hills, Calif., telling
author Michael Levine if you

65 Lonsdale

His book already has 3,000
listings, ranging from John
Travolta to Charles Manson
- and he’s looking for more.

“Any possible category
will = fit...from cancer
researcher to sign painter,
from pickpocket to typist -
anything at all, as long as

you're notable at it. This
definggely will be the
Guinness Book of Ad-
yearns Dall
Soret alanine emia

Management and staff of
Trendsetters Hair

wish to thank their clients
for their patronage over the
past year.

| Trendosttors ‘(Hair Studio)
985 “1512

paintings.

Her preferred medium is
watercolour because she
finds it more demanding

than oils. She graduated with —

the Canadian Government
Art Scholarship.

GOALS

At an age when most

people are in a state of
confusion about career
goals, Nadine’s plans are
definite and sure. She wants

_ to make a name for herself

with her paintings, become
well-known in the Arabian
horse circle, and wants some
day to own and have trained
and bred a national
champion.

SELL
IT!

Studio

The name of her and her
fiance’s horse farm, for
people unfamiliar with
Arabian horse jargon, takes
some explaining. An
Arabian horse that is “really

_ animated and howing

fantastic action and spirit”
might be described as ‘high
as a kite’. Thus the name,
Hy-Aza-Kyte Arabians.

__ Nadine and her fiance,
Gary Oliver, particularly
enjoy teaching young people
all about horses, not only

how. to ride, but the
responsibilities of stable
management -- how to brush

a horse, how to feed and
protect him.

“An Arabian is a very
sensitive horse,”
Nadine. “You have to have
patience and you have to
think a lot to handle one.

““Ye’s a horse that demands
that you use your mind.”
When it

comes to

Arabians, Nadine has been
using her mind with out-
standing success.

saysi

is a tendency toward ab-
normally large testicles.

Scientists have been
puzzled for decades over the
disproportion of males. over
females in institutions for the

mentally - retarded, Gerald:

said. Typically, 55 per cent
to 70 per cent of in-

stitutionalized retardates are

male.

The reason for this was a

. mystery until two
Australians, Grant R,
Sutherland and P.L.C.

Ashforth, discovered in 1977

that the blood cells of many ~

‘More mals ae retarded then females

male retardates, but not in
females, carried the “Fragile
XK” defect. The § faulty
chromosome showed up
when the cells where grown
in a special laboratory broth

deficient in certain *
nutrients. .
Since then,. other

scientists have. verified the .
“Fragile X” trait; Gerald
said. ‘

The meeting was spon-

sored by the laboratory, ~
Johns Hopkins -Medical
School and the National

Foundation of the March of
Dimes.

NADINE’S PLANS include making a name for herself
with her paintings, becoming well-known in Arabian
horse circles, and to own and have bred and trained a
national champion. She is shown here with one of last
year's champions. (Terry Peters photo)

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