California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed S.B.1565, the Stem Cell Affordability Bill. The bill would have guaranteed accessibility for uninsured Californians to any stem cell therapies developed through the state taxpayer-funded $6 billion stem cell program, given more flexibility for approval of projects by the grants review working group, and provided for an audit of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) governing board. The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Sens. Sheila Kuehl and George Runner, had passed through the California legislature with very little opposition (64-7 in the House, 37-1 in the Senate), despite vociferous attacks (including personal attacks on Sen. Kuehl) by CIRM surrogates. Schwarzenegger, with blinders firmly in place, said in his veto statement that voters specifically wanted to fund embryonic stem cells, and that requirements to make state-funded treatments affordable would unnecessarily restrict the agency’s authority to balance patient need with essential research.

According to CIRM’s website, their mission supposedly is to “support and advance stem cell research and regenerative medicine under the highest ethical and medical standards for the discovery and development of cures, therapies, diagnostics and research technologies to relieve human suffering from chronic disease and injury.” But apparently the only part of the statement that is true is to support [embryonic] stem cell research, without any real dedication to the patients. Apparently the scientific committee can’t be trusted to choose the most promising science for patients. California taxpayers were sold a bill of goods in Prop 71, led to believe they would receive affordable therapies from their investment in this research. Yet embryonic stem cells and cloning, preferred by Proposition 71, have yielded not a single treatment for any patient nor any return on the huge investment of taxpayer funds, and CIRM has admitted that after 10 years and all of the money spent there will still be no treatments and no return on the investment. By contrast, other scientists have shown that the new iPS cells are much more promising and easier to produce, and that real treatments are already coming from adult stem cells (CIRM has also denied funds to promising adult stem cell research that is already treating patients.) Sadly, the veto means California taxpayer money will continue to be spent on the least successful, least promising research.

The audit of the stem cell institute’s governing board, which had also been requested by Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit organization in Santa Monica, will proceed despite the veto.

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New nerve cells, produced naturally by adult neural stem cells present in the brain, appear to be essential for learning and memory. The old idea that brain cells are not renewed (that “you start with as many brain cells as you’ll ever have, and it’s downhill from there”) was tossed out the window by scientists years ago. Researchers showed in the early 1990’s that the adult brain continues to make new neurons, a process termed “neurogenesis”, throughout life (Gage has a good review of the early years.) Now researchers at Kyoto University in Japan have shown in mice that new brain cells are necessary for learning and for memory. The new research, published in Nature Neuroscience, indicates that neural stem cells in the adult brain continue to produce new brain cells that are important for memory and learning. The new study supports work published earlier this year showing that new brain cells can affect learning and memory. Last year research showed that transplanting adult neural stem cells into brain-injured mice could restore some memory, and in March 2008 another study showed that injecting human umbilical cord blood stem cells into the brains of aging animals boosted neurogenesis. A recent study also suggested that stimulating specific molecules in the brain could reactivate adult neural stem cells. Exercise has also been shown to stimulate neurogenesis in the brain. So various methods seem to have the potential to help the mouse remember where he put his cheese, or where you left your keys, by stimulating your own brain adult stem cells.

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Score another success for Alex and Stephen Kendrick. The creators of Facing the Giants have offered up an unexpectedly poignant film about a firefighter trying to save his failing marriage. And moviegoers have responded with a $6.5 million opening weekend, giving Fireproof the second-highest per-screen average behind Eagle Eye. This on a budget of just $500,000, paltry by Hollywood standards. By comparison, Facing the Giants earned $1.3 million in its opening weekend on its way to a surprisingly successful take of $10 million in its 117-day run, and that on a $100,000 budget.

Like its predecessor, Fireproof employs amateur actors for most of its roles with mixed results, but the leads are solid, and Kirk Cameron is particularly effective as the frustrated fireman who’s not even certain at first that he wants to save his marriage. The film definitely has a low-budget look to it, but Alex Kendrick and his camera crew clearly know their craft. They make every dollar in that budget count. The story itself, though, is reason enough to see the film, especially for recently engaged or newlywed couples. One rarely sees such a life-affirming, marriage-affirming tale on the big screen. Fireproof doesn’t claim marriage is easy, but it should successfully convince skeptics that it’s well worth the work.

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Adult stem cells have been used in a rat model of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; “Lou Gehrig’s disease”) to strengthen muscles and their connecting nerves. Researchers injected bone marrow adult stem cells carrying a gene for GDNF (glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor), a nurturing protein for nerves. Previous work by the group had shown that transplanting neural stem cells that released GDNF into the spinal cord could protect motor neurons that degenerate in the ALS rat, but that the nerves still did not effectively connect with the muscles that waste away due to ALS. In the current study published in Molecular Therapy, the researchers were pleasantly surprised to find that when they injected the adult stem cells into muscle, however, the cells pumped out GDNF that helped the connecting nerves survive and maintain connection, and that this delayed progression of the disease and extended the lifespan of the ALS animals. The bone marrow adult stem cells had a slight effect on their own, possibly by releasing their own protective factors, but the effect was greater when they delivered the nurturing growth protein. While any human application is still in the future, the new study provides hope for treatment in a disease that currently has no effective therapy. An advantage of this approach is that muscle is easy to access and adult stem cells could be used from the patients themselves.

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Or is it political comment? The Times of London notes that the journal Nature had an interesting juxtaposition of front and back covers for this week’s issue. The front cover is a serious pair of pictures of the two U.S. Presidential candidates, with various articles in the issue discussing the positions of the candidates on science topics.

The back cover? A pair of pictures of two dogs, cannily (caninely?) posed similar to the two gentlemen on the front cover. Nature says they were completely unaware of the mirroring between the front and back covers until the issue landed on the desk…

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On Friday the USA Today carried a story of Nebraska’s “Safe Haven” law. I authored and passed Louisiana’s version of that law back in 1999. Several states now have those laws on the books which are designed to encourage frightened and confused young mothers not to throw their newborn babies in the trash but drop them at a “Safe Haven” like a hospital or fire station, no questions asked.

Since the Nebraska law went into effect in July there have been some unintended results. Over a half dozen parents have dropped off not new born babies, but kids ranging in age from 1 to 17.

A few parents with challenging teenagers might be tempted to chuckle and leave the article in their teen’s room as a veiled threat, but when you get beyond that temptation you can’t help but realize that this speaks to a profound problem in our nation – a lack of commitment and responsibility.

Men and women faced with the difficulties of parenting find a way for government to bail them out, or should we say rescue them. No matter what street we drive down, whether it is Main Street or Wall Street, the growing refusal to assume responsibility cast a dark and ominous cloud over our nation’s future.

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Researchers at Texas A&M have shown that adult stem cells injected into the brain can repair stroke damage. They injected human bone marrow stem cells into the brains of mice that had induced stroke, and found that the adult stem cells could alleviate the damage caused by the stroke. Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also indicated the mechanism of action of the adult stem cells in the brain. Previous studies have shown that mesenchymal stromal cells (a type of bone marrow stem cell) can reverse neural degeneration in the brain caused by disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and stroke, but the mechanism was unclear. Dr. Darwin Prockop, the senior investigator, noted that “Our paper provides for the first time a molecular explanation of how adult stem/progenitor cells can ameliorate ischemic (reduced blood flow) damage to the brain.” The adult stem cells act primarily by signaling other cells in the brain, stimulating the brain cells to block inflammation that can lead to cell damage and death. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. This result, and the mechanism uncovered for adult stem cells, could lead to significant treatments not only for stroke and other brain disorders, but also for diseases and injuries to other tissues throughout the body.

While not the first to suggest this mechanism of action for adult stem cells, Dr. Prockop has been a leader in investigating the actions of adult stem cells to repair tissue damage. Previous research includes the potential of adult stem cells to stimulate repair of the pancreas and kidney, to promote growth of new neural stem cells in the brain, and to form new airway cells for potential lung repair. One of his recent papers discussed at length the potential mechanisms used by adult stem cells for tissue repair.

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Researchers at the University of Milan have published results indicating that adult neural stem cells might be used as a treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. This motor neuron disease is the second most common genetic disorder leading to death in childhood. Using a mouse model for the disease, the scientists injected neural stem cells into the spinal cords of animals. They found that treated mice showed improved muscular function and increased lifespan compared to untreated controls. While some of the transplanted cells developed into motor neurons, the major effect of the injected cells seems to be improving survival and function of existing motor neurons already present in the mice, suggesting that the adult stem cells secrete factors to assist survival and regeneration.

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Doctors at Imperial College, London have published results showing improvement in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, after treatment with their own adult stem cells. Nine patients had their adult stem cells from blood collected, the numbers were boosted in the lab, and then the cells were injected into their livers. Positive results were seen within one week. Seven of the nine patients showed significant improvement up to 12 weeks (the extent monitored for this study), with three patients showing almost complete resolution. Dr. Nagy Habib, the senior author, said “We are encouraged that the majority of patients in this study experienced a significant improvement in their liver functions.” These latest results were published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The new results using adult stem cells to treat liver damage are a follow-up to previous work done by Habib’s group and reported in 2006 and in 2007. Positive results using adult stem cells to treat liver damage in patients has also been reported by another group in Greece and in Japan.

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Australia is apparently considering granting a patent for human cloning to disgraced South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk. The patent would cover the method of producing cloned human embryos and destroying the cloned embryos to harvest human embryonic stem cells. If granted, it would allow Hwang to collect royalties on proceeds from the sales of new medicines developed with his technology. Not that there are any such developments, nor likely to be. But it certainly seems wrong to reward a fraudulent scientist for a process he faked.

Hwang supposedly created cloned human embryos and destroyed them for their cells in 2004 and 2005, publishing the results in the journal Science. In late 2005 it was revealed that the research was a fraud and the results fabricated; the published papers were withdrawn. Hwang was indicted in May 2006, and prosecutors say he was the mastermind behind the fraud. South Korea has banned Hwang from research on cloning human embryos, though he continues to clone animals.

Hwang has supposedly applied for patents on his cloning technique in 11 countries but has been rejected by the European Patent Office and most countries, though a decision is still supposedly pending in four countries. One international patent expert, though, said even if Australia went ahead and granted a patent, it could be revoked if Hwang fails to present the cloned human embryonic stem cell line. If that is the case, Hwang is out of luck; the cell line that Hwang did create was determined to be from parthenogenesis, not from cloning. If you’re interested, you can review his patent claims and patent description.

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While it has been a few years since I focused strictly on fiscal issues this bailout plan is troubling me (and that is not just because Hugo Chavez has basically endorsed it).  Whenever the Federal Government demands that “this needs to be passed now” and “trust us,” my first feeling is one of great doubt.

I agree with National Review’s (NR) assessment that something needs to be done and that it needs to insure strong conservative ideas (something I am not seeing coming from the White House or the Senate).  Others, including NR, have analyzed some of the even more socialistic proposals coming from the Democrats such as government controlled CEO pay and allowing judges to set and change mortgage rates.  

I have seen nothing however addressing what I see as a huge problem – there appears to be no withdrawal plan (or “exit strategy” as Code Pink might say).  Once the market rights itself what will the federal government do to extract itself from this huge takeover and involvement?  Every indication seems to point that they plan on sticking around for quite a while.

Since last Friday I have been inundated with an unprecedented number of e-mails and daily requests to be on White House phone calls where it appears the only

people allowed to ask questions are those who support the plan (I say this knowing myself and others – all of us with questions – have not been called on to comment during the Q and A sections of the calls, despite repeated attempts to do so.)  The e-mails coming from the White House have been your typical talking points and “what others are saying” sheets.

However the one I received yesterday titled “A Lot Of That Money – And Maybe All Of It – Will Come Back: The Financial Rescue Plan Will Not Be A Handout,

But A Purchase Of Assets That Are Expected To Be Repaid Over Time” stood out.  This handout is telling us all the things that others are saying on how the Paulsen plan will make the government money and potentially even bring back a profit.  Is there no one disturbed that if this is true that once the government makes money they will be more reluctant to get out of the market? 

Additionally, say the government does make the money back and even makes a profit – what happens with that money?  The Congress has no plans to cut spending to make up for the billions of dollars going to this bailout so this is money on top of the trillions they are already spending.  “(P)erhaps the eventual profits can fund new investments in infrastructure or energy technology,” is one of the quotes from the White House handout.  And today it has been revealed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is looking to add to the proposal that any profits from the takeover be directed to groups like ACORN, which is infamous for violating election laws while receiving over 50 percent of its budget from the taxpayers.  Neither the White House or the Democratic Leadership has suggested “we will pay for this by cutting Washington’s already out of control spending – and we will return the money and any profits to the American taxpayer directly.”

Is it any wonder fiscally minded Americans are not swallowing this bitter tasting medicine coming from DC?

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If you’re answering questions with “What did you say?” because you’ve had your iPod turned up too loud or been to lots of loud rock concerts, it may be due to the most frequent cause of hearing impairment, loss of hair cells in the inner ear. Two research groups may be on the track to helping you recover some of those lost cells. Researchers at Oregon Health & Sciences Center have published results in the journal Nature showing they can stimulate growth of new auditory hair cells in the inner ear of mice, by adding a gene to other cells in the ear.

Even more exciting, Italian scientists have shown actual repair of the cochlea, the auditory portion of the inner ear. Mice with hearing loss caused by noise or toxic chemicals were treated with human umbilical cord blood stem cells (a type of adult stem cell) and showed repair of the damage. The cochlea in non-transplanted mice remained seriously damaged. According to Dr. Roberto P. Revoltella, lead author of the study, “Our findings show dramatic repair of damage with surprisingly few human-derived cells having migrated to the cochlea.” The research will be published in volume 17, issue 6 of the journal Cell Transplantation.

Eh? Adult stem cells continue to be the only stem cell providing real success.

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In case you missed it, Dutch swimmer Maarten van der Weijden won the gold medal in the men’s open-water swim marathon. His win is significant in itself, but even more so because just 7 1/2 years ago he was in a desperate struggle, battling leukemia. He won that battle because of an adult stem cell transplant. The gold medalist is only one of thousands of lives saved by adult stem cells, the only stem cell showing any success with patients.

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Today was the last day to comment on the proposed Health and Human Services Regulations protecting physicians’ conscience. My commentary on the issue of conscience can be found here.

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What do the Center for Reproductive Rights have in common with totalitarianism?  The suppression of conscience.

In the name of “choice” CRR is asking people to oppose the rights of conscience of those in health care who do not want to have anything to do with abortion or any other procedure or technology which the professional deems immoral. 

Rather than being sensitive to the differing conscientious stands that citizens and professionals will be taking on divisive issues, CRR and its allies are pushing to ride roughshod over the consciences of professionals. 

This tendency is on the increase in advocacy organizations and needs to be labeled for what it really is … the American form of totalitarianism. In this they join the ranks of those who followed Lenin, Hitler and Mao. 

It is time for all, no matter where they stand on the public issues of morality, to at minimum not violate the conscience of anyone. If we lose that we lose one of the foundations of a humane society, and we can forget democracy.

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The Presidential Volnteer Service Award was bestowed upon a well deserved group of organizations and individuals, including Heartbeat International and Care Net affiliated pregnancy centers, last week. Daily coming alongside women and men in need of emotional, educational, and informational support and services, pregnancy care centers exemplify compassionate outreach across the country. The movement represents unsung servants of care and a model for faith-based efforts.

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It seems that schools are increasingly employing costly metal detectors in efforts to deter students from bringing knives or other weapons to school, as recent reports from Chicago and Pittsburgh area high schools remind us.

According to the federal survey data described in the latest Mapping America, a much more cost-effective way to prevent suspension and expulsion offenses such as these is an intact married family that worships frequently.

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Apparently the mysteriously funded Pokers Players Alliance and their lobbyists are ready to celebrate their win yesterday in the House Finance Committee of stopping implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.  As a public service announcement I thought I should let people know of the venue change.

Subject: LOCATION CHANGE — Happy Hour Tonight!

Importance: High

Folks,

There was a miscommunications with the folks at Beck and they double

booked the space they had for us tonight!  So don’t go to Brasserie

Beck.  We are now meeting at the not so new Bobby Van’s Grille, who were

able and happy to accommodate our happy hour on short notice.  We still

have an open bar and food (just without the Belgian flair), and look

forward to seeing you this evening!  Sorry for the change.

 Again, it at the Grill not the restaurant, 1201 New York Ave NW.  We

will have the back room by the bar on the main level.

  ————————

Alex Urrea

Greenberg Traurig LLP

202.331.3176

_______________________________

 

From: Urrea, Alex C. (Assoc-DC-GovAffairs)

Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 1:15 PM

To: Urrea, Alex C. (Assoc-DC-GovAffairs)

Subject: Happy Hour Tonight

 

Friends,

 

Please join the IGC and PPA this evening at Brasserie Beck to celebrate

and thank you for our team victory in Committee yesterday. 

This will be a “widely attended event” that complies with ethics rules.

Please feel free to invite your office colleagues and co-workers.

 

So come one, come all to 1101 K St, NW and ask for the PPA Happy Hour.

 

We will be arriving around 6pm TONIGHT.

 

http://www.beckdc.com/ <http://www.beckdc.com/>

 

 

 

Thanks and see you then,

 

 ————————

Alex Urrea

Greenberg Traurig LLP

Let us hope this is as premature as their victory dance after the Republican Platform.

I am curious how exactly a quickly put together “Happy Hour” complies with ethics rules as a “widely attended event?”

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Congress can sometimes be likened to when your young children try to make you breakfast. There is a flurry of activity trying to obtain the objective but by the time they are finished all you are left with is an unpalatable mess that you (the taxpayer) are left to clean up. At least in the case of your children you can admire their good intentions, not as much with Congress.

In the Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank brought up a new bill (the eighth this Congress) to undermine the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that was passed overwhelmingly in the 109^th Congress. Chairman Franks, working closely with the foreign based Internet gambling industry, crafted his legislation to allow all forms of Internet gambling, except for sports betting, until an Administrative Law Judge with the Federal Reserve Board decides what the definition of “unlawful Internet gambling” should be. Needless to say, that could take years and this is meant to totally gut the effect of the law just passed last Congress. Chairman Frank unsuccessfully sought to divide and conquer the unique coalition of national and state family groups, religious organizations, every major sports association, many major financial organizations and the National Association of Attorneys by granting numerous exemptions. However, the bill still holds the same destructive goal of overruling state laws and opening the door for destructive Internet gambling into people’s homes. Representative Franks’ claimed he was trying to “clarify” the original UIGEA, however considering the time and effort he has put into overturning current law in relation to Internet gambling, his true motives are pretty clear. Chairman Frank’s bill was voted out by the Democratically-controlled Committee and Members of the full House of Representatives need to know to vote against this bill if it reaches the House floor.

Meanwhile in the full House the Democratic Leadership agreed to a vote on energy however avoided the bipartisan H.R. 6566, “American Energy Act,” and instead passed legislation, H.R. 6899, which does nothing to advance America’s energy concerns. The Democrat’s plan allows for offshore drilling, but only more then fifty miles offshore, where very few oil reserves are known to exist! The drill makes permanent any ban on drilling closer to shore, and also calls for higher taxes on energy producing companies. The Senate is expected to take up either this bill or a similar one, though President Bush has threatened to veto the House bill.

Talking of the Senate, the Defense Authorization bill passed cloture yesterday, meaning the vote will be forthcoming. Hate crimes wasn’t even an issue this time around – clearly the Democrats seeing it too hot a political issue to push right before an election. A number of Republicans (including Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) voted against cloture because Senator Reid refused to allow Senator DeMint’s amendment that would strike Section 1002, and restore the effect of the President’s executive order to ensure all earmarks in committee reports are subjected to a competitive, merit-based review. This would allow agencies to continue funding worthy projects, while stopping wasteful earmarks and directing the tax dollars to real priorities. With the right amount of pressure, Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) might allow for a vote on Senator DeMint’s amendment.

This brings us to the Queen of Tabloid Television, Ms. Oprah Winfrey. This is the first year Ms. Winfrey has dipped her foot into the political arena by endorsing a Presidential candidate, and she must have liked the feel of it for she is now working to pass legislation she supports. Earlier this week Oprah did a show on S. 1738, “The PROTECT Our Children Act” which she says is being held up by “partisan politics” and she is urging people to call Senators to pass the bill now.

We did some digging for Ms. Winfrey and found out that “The PROTECT Our Children Act” is one of the over 30 bills that Senator Reid combined into one large “Omnibus Bill” in an effort to get passed legislation that while not allowing for ample floor debate on the issues that are within the multitude of bills. If “The PROTECT Our Children Act” alone was brought up today, with no other bills attached to it, there would be no opposition to it and it would be allowed a straight up or down vote. However since it is attached to all these other bills, many of which good people oppose on being wasteful or unnecessary, is why it is controversial.

FRC’s position on the legislation is currently neutral, however if constituents want to support the bill they need to call Senator Reid’s office at 202-224-5556 or e-mail his office here and not the full Congress as Ms. Winfrey suggests, and tell Senator Reid to cut out the partisan games and allow “The PROTECT Our Children Act” passed as a stand alone bill.

If you are wondering what big issues Oprah is tackling today it is “Oscar® winner Gwyneth Paltrow reveals how she got her body in fabulous shape! Then, Iron Chef Mario Batali and the 15-minute meal you can make at home!”

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A recent Hartford Advocate story reported on the shockingly high number of school suspensions in the Hartford, Connecticut school district (19 percent). In the report, Marc Porter-McGee of New Haven-based Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now argues that one of the reasons for the high number of out-of-school suspensions is a breakdown in discipline: “Discipline isn’t something that comes when something goes wrong. It comes through every (contact) an adult has with that student, the expectations that are set and consistency with which they’re set.”

Certainly one of the most effective sources of loving but firm discipline in a student’s life is the family. In the latest Mapping America, federal survey data reveals that one of the most protective factors against school suspensions and expulsions is an intact married family. Another protective factor is frequent religious attendance.

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