Embryo Stem Cells Unstable after Long Cultivation
Discovery may end hopes of using embryo stem
cells directly in therapeutic applications
LifeSite.net
BALTIMORE -- Human embryonic stem cells have long been known to be unstable and difficult to control. In some cases, where they have been used directly in therapeutic trials, the use of embryo stem cells has been disastrous for patients. Now a researcher from Johns Hopkins University, an institution that has backed the use of embryos for research, has found that embryonic stem cells that are cultured in the lab accumulate genetic changes that may be linked to cancer. Like a genetic game of “telephone” the longer the cells are cultivated, the more the genetic errors grow. Says Dr. Aravinda Chakravarti a geneticist at the Institute of Genetic Medicine of Johns Hopkins University in a report in the journal Nature Genetics, “These mutations we are finding are a much bigger problem.”

Nursing Enrollment Increased by 30
Percent at San Jose State University
AScribe Newswire
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose State University's School of Nursing will increase nursing enrollment by 30 percent and renovate the Nursing Learning Resource Centers (skills lab, library and computer lab), thanks to funding from The Valley Foundation, announced the university. The nursing student enrollment project will fund an additional 22 students per semester in the university's bachelor of science degree program over a five-year period, beginning in spring 2006. By fall 2010, 100 additional graduates will be prepared to enter the Santa Clara County's highly complex healthcare workforce. According to Jayne Cohen, director of the School of Nursing, San Jose State educates the vast majority of baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses in Santa Clara County.

Clone-Generated Milk, Meat May Be Approved
The Washington Post
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to rule soon that milk from cloned animals and meat from their offspring are safe to eat, raising the question of whether Americans are ready to welcome one of modern biology's most controversial achievements to the dinner table. Hundreds of cloned pigs, cows and other animals are already living on farms around the country, as companies and livestock producers experiment and await a decision from the FDA. The agricultural industry has observed a voluntary FDA moratorium on using the products of clones, but it has recently become clear that a few offspring of cloned pigs and cows are already trickling into the food supply. Many in agriculture believe such genetic copies are the next logical step in improving the nation's livestock.

Lab Tests Confirm E. Coli in Bags of Salad
Newsday, NY
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Laboratory tests confirmed E. coli bacteria was found in two bags of Dole prepackaged lettuce, the Department of Agriculture announced Thursday. The bags had the same "best if used by" date as those identified as the possible source of an E. coli outbreak in the state. So far, there have been 17 confirmed cases of E. coli and eight hospitalizations. One victim developed a severe complication that can cause kidney failure, said Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health.

Senators point to New Orleans health risks
Seattle Post Intelligencer
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration was accused Thursday by senators in both parties of minimizing health hazards from the toxic soup left by Hurricane Katrina, just as they said it did with air pollution in New York from the Sept. 11 attacks. More than a month after the storm, compounded by Hurricane Rita, Environmental Protection Agency officials said 1 million people lack clean drinking water around New Orleans. Some 70 million tons of hazardous waste remain on the Gulf Coast.

Merck Opens Its Defense in Vioxx Trial
CBS News
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Lawyers for drug maker Merck & Co. hit a speed bump Thursday in the three-week product liability trial over Vioxx, as a judge considered throwing out key testimony about a Merck study to determine if the pain reliever was safe for the heart. Jurors were sent home _ after hearing from a Merck researcher for less than three hours _ because lawyers for the plaintiff, a man who says Vioxx caused his heart attack.

Bush Presses Vaccine Makers to Prepare for Bird Flu
USA Today
WASHINGTON -- President Bush summoned vaccine manufacturers to a White House meeting Friday, hoping to personally boost the rickety industry amid increasing fears of a worldwide outbreak of bird flu. It's the latest in a flurry of preparations for a possible pandemic after criticism of the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.

Ill. Gov. Proposes Health Insurance Plan
ABC News
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced a medical plan Thursday that would make Illinois the first state to offer health benefits to all uninsured children. The plan, which has the endorsement of Democratic legislative leaders, would target children in families that earn too little for private coverage but too much to qualify for existing state-funded programs.