The experiment was carried out on pigs but the researchers involved said that the animal's heart was so similar to the human heart that clinical trials on people could begin in 12 months.

Professor Eduardo Marban, the head of cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, said that the technique involves taking a small biopsy - a sample of living heart muscle - that is no bigger than a grain of rice.

Stem cells were grown in the laboratory and infused back into the animal's heart using a standard method of accessing the organ through a catheter inserted into an artery in the leg. "This is a relatively simple method of stem cell extraction that can be used in any community-based clinic, and if further studies show the same kind of organ repair that we see in pigs, it could be performed on an outpatient basis," Professor Marban said. "Starting with just a small amount of tissue, we demonstrated that it was possible, very soon after a heart attack, to use the healthy parts of the heart to regenerate some of the damaged parts."

The stem cells in the experiment were cultured for up to a month in the laboratory and were labelled with a coloured dye so that the scientists could see where they became integrated into the heart.

About a million stem cells were extracted from the biopsy and, after growing them in the laboratory, about 10 million cells were injected back into the heart, where they were still embedded in functioning tissue two months later.

Professor Marban said that the purpose of the experiment was to see whether or not the integration occurred, rather than measuring the physical benefits - a feature that will form the next stage of the experiment. "But we have proof of principle, and we are planning to use larger numbers of cells implanted in different sites of the heart to test whether we can restore function as well," Professor Marban said. "If the answer is yes, then we could see the first phase of studies in people in late 2007."

Stem cells are capable of forming specialised tissues, such as cardiac muscle. Taking adult stem cells from a patient's own heart could provide an alternative to the controversial process of using stem cells taken from a cloned human embryo.

The other advantage of using a patient's own cells is that the transplanted tissue will not be rejected by the body's immune system, which avoids the need to use potentially damaging drugs.

"The goal is to repair heart muscle weakened not only by heart attack but by heart failure, perhaps averting the need for heart transplants," said Peter Johnston, of the Hopkins Heart Institute. By using a patient's own adult stem cell rather than a donor's, there would be no risk of triggering an immune response that could cause rejection."

The results of the study were released yesterday at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Chicago.

"But who will alert parents," asks lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation (NYSCOF).

Two-thirds of U.S. public water suppliers add fluoride chemicals, based on a disproved theory that fluoride ingestion prevents cavities. Bottled water with added fluoride is now sold with specific instructions to mix into formula.

The ADA reports, " ... infants could receive a greater than optimal amount of fluoride through liquid concentrate or powdered baby formula that has been mixed with water containing fluoride during a time that their developing teeth may be susceptible to enamel fluorosis." The ADA recommends using fluoride-free water.

Enamel or dental fluorosis is white spotting, yellow, brown and/or pitted permanent teeth. Pictures

NYSCOF news releases in 2000 and 2004 cited studies linking fluorosis to infant foods mixed with fluoridated water. Scientific evidence here

It took until 2006 for the ADA's alert, following the Food and Drug Administration's October disapproval of fluoridated bottled water marketed to babies, and after the recent National Research Council's (NRC) fluoride report indicated babies are fluoride overdosed from "optimally" fluoridated water supplies.

"The ADA claims the NRC report didn't question the safety of fluoridation but it did, as the ADA now admits," says Beeber.

"The NRC also revealed fluoridation's adverse effects to the thyroid gland, diabetics, kidney patients, high water drinkers and others," says Beeber.

Now, the Centers for Disease Control reports that modern science shows that fluoride absorbs into enamel topically.(9) However, adverse effects occur upon ingestion. Further, the CDC admits enamel fluoride concentration isn't inversely related to cavities.

The Environmental Protection Agency is required to consider the most vulnerable populations when setting allowable water fluoride levels. To protect babies, allowable fluoride levels should be near zero.

"This should end water fluoridation," says Beeber. "Fluoridation is a failed concept that must be abandoned before more Americans are harmed," says Beeber.

The genetic ties are far closer than scientists expect and make the sea urchin a closer genetic cousin of humans than the worm or fruit fly, according to the study in today's issue of the journal Science.

"Nobody would've predicted that sea urchins have such a robust gene set for visual perception," says Gary Wessel, a Brown University biology professor and member of the Sea Urchin Genome Sequencing Consortium.

"I've been looking at these organisms for 31 years, and now I know they were looking back at me."

Among other surprises from the project were that researchers found sea urchins have the most sophisticated innate immune system of any animal studied to date.

They say this may be one reason they live 100 years or more.

Sea urchins also carry genes associated with human diseases such as muscular dystrophy and Huntington's.

The creatures also have genes associated with taste, smell, hearing and balance, the study found.

"Finding evidence of mixing is not all that surprising. But our study demonstrates the possibility that interbreeding contributed advantageous variants into the human gene pool that subsequently spread," says Professor Bruce Lahn, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute researcher at the University of Chicago who led the study.

Scientists have been debating whether Neanderthals, who died out about 35,000 years ago, ever bred with modern H. sapiens. Neanderthals are considered more primitive, with robust bones but a smaller intellects than modern humans.

Lahn's team found a brain gene that appears to have entered the human lineage about 1.1 million years ago.

It has a modern form, or allele, that appeared about 37,000 years ago, right before Neanderthals became extinct.

"The gene microcephalin (MCPH1) regulates brain size during development and has experienced positive selection in the lineage leading to Homo sapiens," the researchers write.

Positive selection means the gene conferred some sort of advantage, so that people who had it were more likely to have descendants than people who did not.

A common variant

Lahn's team estimate that 70% of all living humans have this type D variant of the gene.

"By no means do these findings constitute definitive proof that a Neanderthal was the source of the original copy of the D allele. However, our evidence shows that it is one of the best candidates," Lahn says.

The researchers reached their conclusions by doing a statistical analysis of the DNA sequence of microcephalin, which is known to play a role in regulating brain size in humans.

Mutations in the human gene cause development of a much smaller brain, a condition called microcephaly.

By tracking smaller, more regular mutations, the researchers looked at DNA's genetic clock and dated the original genetic variant to 37,000 years ago.

They note that this D allele is very common in Europe, where Neanderthals lived, and more rare in Africa, where they did not.

What's the advantage?

Lahn says it is not yet clear what advantage the D allele gives the human brain.

"The D alleles may not even change brain size; they may only make the brain a bit more efficient if it indeed affects brain function," he says.

Now his team is looking for evidence of Neanderthal origin for other human genes.

The Smiths Falls plant employs more than 500 people, and will remain closed until the problems can be rectified. No one from Hershey Canada Inc. or the workers' union could say when the plant will re-open. Smiths Falls mayor Dennis Staples said he is "optimistic" the plant would re-open soon, but he said he couldn't say when that would be.

The recall includes a range of Hershey products, including Reese Peanut Butter Cups, Oh Henry! chocolate bars, and Chipits chocolate chips.

There have been no reported cases of illness in relation to Hershey products.
The possible contamination does not effect any Halloween goodies or Christmas treats, said Hershey spokeswoman Stephanie Moritz.

Salmonella causes salmonellosis, which causes flu-like symptoms including stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

The potentially tainted products were produced between Oct. 15 and Nov. 10, and have dates codes ranging from 6417 to 6455.

The following is a list of all items being recalled:

Chocolate bars and confectionary:
Oh Henry! (62.5 g, 62.5 g four bar packs, and 145 g)
Oh Henry! Bites (130 g)
Oh Henry! Peanut Butter (60 g)
Reese Peanut Butter Cups (51 g, 68 g, and 51 g four bar packs)
Eat-more Dark Toffee Peanut Chew (56 g, 56 g four bar packs)
Lowney Bridge Mix (52 g and 340 g)
Lowney Cherry Blossom (45 g)
Glosette Peanuts (45 g)
Glosette Almonds (42 g)
Glosette Raisins (50 g and 145 g)
Hershey's Creamy Milk Chocolate with Almonds (43 grams)
Hershey's Creamy Milk Chocolate (45 g)
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate (45 g)
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate with Almonds (43 g)
Hershey Assorted 16-count (728 g) and 50-count (2.5 kilograms)
Unbranded nut rolls (5 kilograms/bulk)
Hershey's chocolate shell topping (177 mililitres)

Affected chocolate chips include:

Chipits semi-sweet mint chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips (300 g)
Chipits milk chocolate chips (270 g)
Chipits mini chocolate chips (175 g, 300 g, 500 g, 10 kilograms/bulk)
Chipits chocolate chips (10 kilograms/bulk)
Hershey semi-sweet chocolate chips (300 g and 10 kilograms/bulk).

© CNS 2006