Eight-limbed girl has four limbs removed
A two-year-old Indian girl regained consciousness, smiled and wiggled her toes today following massive surgery Wednesday to remove an extra set of limbs budding from her lower spine. A team of more than 30 surgeons worked a full 24 hours to remove the vestiges of a so-called parasitic twin from young Lakshmi, named after the four-armed Hindu goddess. Her doctors, who also had to reconstruct her pelvis and transplant a kidney taken from her fused twin, told the Associated Press that Lakshmi would eventually be able to walk, possibly after additional surgery for clubfeet. (AP)

New Jersey voters nix stem cell funding; Oregon rejects cigarette tax hike
Voters in New Jersey this week rejected a plan to borrow $450 million over 10 years to finance what would have been one of the nation's most ambitious public efforts to fund stem cell research. Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine had campaigned aggressively for the measure, pumping $200,000 of his own money into TV spots pushing it. He and other supporters argued unsuccessfully that the move would pave the way to cures for conditions such as spinal cord injuries and sickle-cell anemia as well as degenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. He also said the bill would attract leading scientists and research firms to the state. But the measure faced potent opposition from antiabortion activists, the Catholic church and fiscal conservatives, because it would pay for research on discarded human embryos and increase the state's debt. Several other states have stepped up to the plate in the wake of federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. Among them: California allocated $3 billion; Connecticut, $100 million; Illinois, $10 million; and Maryland has awarded $15 million in grants for stem cell research. In another health ballot initiative this week, Oregon voters said "no" to a cigarette tax hike to fund health insurance for some 100,000 kids in the state who currently are not covered. The measure would have added 84.5 cents per pack of smokes, bringing the cost to $2.02 a pop. The defeat was blamed on heavy lobbying by tobacco giants against the measure; the companies reportedly dropped a hefty $12 million on the effort, outspending supporters by a four-to-one-margin. (New York Times, United Press International)

Not a Toy: Toy that turns into drug is recalled
Child's play? Hardly. Yet another popular toy made in China was recalled this week, this one after scientists discovered that it contained a chemical that the human body turns into the potentially deadly date rape drug "fantasy" when ingested. The award-winning craft toy, Bindeez (known as Aqua Dots in the U.S.)—manufactured by Australian company Moose Enterprises—was recalled after three Australian children over a period of 10 days were hospitalized after chomping on the toy's beads. The toy, a staple in many playrooms, consists of brightly colored beads that are linked to create different shapes like miniature ponies, ducks and daisies. They are sprayed with water to fix them. In issuing the voluntary recall, the company said that without its knowledge, harmless, nontoxic glue had been replaced with a chemical that the body metabolizes into gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB)—aka "grievous bodily harm"—which can cause seizures and other serious, life-threatening symptoms. The Australian government said it was probing whether the switch was deliberate. Moose spokesperson Christie Nicholas told Melbourne's The Age that none of the incidents produced any long-term damage. "When used as intended and clearly instructed, the product is safe," she said. "However, if misused and swallowed it may have adverse results and cause [a] child to become ill." She said that a foul-tasting ingredient would be added to the beads when they return to store shelves to stave off would-be munchers. (The Age)

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