Also writing in Cell, a team of researchers led by Dr. Stuart Orkin of Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Children's Hospital Boston said they found a type of stem cell that is the precursor to at least two of those main cell types that form the heart.

"This changes the notion of how the heart develops. Instead of multiple different cell types migrating and coming together to form the heart, the heart comes from stem cells that give rise to multiple cell types in the same local environment -- a simpler way of building the organ," Orkin said.

Stem cells are a kind of master cell for the body, producing various tissue and cell types.

These findings, the researchers said, could move scientists nearer to being able to use stem-cell therapies to regenerate tissues to repair congenital heart defects in children and damage caused by heart attacks in adults. They stressed, however, that they were not yet anywhere close to that goal.

'A COMPELLING CASE'

Chien noted that both studies involved the use of mouse embryonic stem cells, and said greater emphasis was needed on exploring the potential of human embryonic stem cells for repairing damaged hearts. He said it is probable the qualities seen in the mouse cells would be present in human cells, too.

"These studies together make a compelling case for unlocking the potential of embryonic stem cells," Chien said in an interview.

President George W. Bush vetoed an expansion of federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research in July. Some people consider the use of cells from human embryos in research to be unethical.

But many scientists view embryonic stem cells as the potential raw material for a new era of regenerative medicine, hoping to harness their unique qualities to repair tissue damaged by disease or injury.

Stem cells taken from days-old embryos are especially malleable, and can produce any cell or tissue found in the body, but adult stem cells found in babies and adults alike also have shown promise. Scientists are trying to develop treatments using both.

Orkin said scientists had thought each cell type in the heart might have a different origin.

"Now, it's pretty clear that some have common origins," Orkin said in a statement.

Chien said the heart may be more similar to blood than scientists imagined, noting that single so-called hematopoietic stem cells can give rise to all of the cell types found in blood.

SOURCE: Cell 2006.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

One in 5 consumers open to cosmetic surgery -survey

Last Updated: 2006-11-23 11:22:53 -0400 (Reuters Health)

HONG KONG (Reuters Life!) - One in five global consumers said they would consider having cosmetic surgery and Russians are most receptive to the idea, a survey by market researcher ACNielsen shows.

Nearly half of Russians surveyed said they would be prepared to have cosmetic surgery when they are older, followed by Greeks and people in Baltic countries.

However, 94 percent of those in Hong Konge were against having surgery to enhance their looks as were 92 percent of Indonesians and 91 percent of Japanese and Malaysians.

Teenagers and 20-somethings were more receptive to the idea of cosmetic surgery later in life than older consumers, according to the survey, which polled 22,780 Internet users in 41 markets worldwide.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.