In Passo, Fundo Brazil geneticist Adil Pacheco took blood samples last Friday from three puppies in a poor neighborhood in in southern Brazil to settle a dispute over a claim they were born from a cat.

“It’s rather simple really. If the puppies prove to have 78 chromosomes, they are dogs. If they have 38, they are cats,� said Pacheco, director of the Institute of Biological Sciences of the University of Passo Fundo.

“But I seriously doubt they are feline. Every characteristic about them is canine.�  This is probably a hoax because there is no documented cases of dog and cats being able to mate successfully.

Stem cells may be responsible for tumors, according to two separate studies published on Sunday.

Canadian and Italian researchers both found that specialized colon cancer stem cells appeared to be the sources of colon cancer tumors in mice.

Their findings, published in the journal Nature, support the idea that future cancer treatments will have to target cancer stem cells, instead of the type of wide array treatments used today.

Similar findings have been seen for leukemia, breast and brain cancers, but the two studies are the first to show cancer stem cells are also responsible for colon tumors.

“Colon cancer is one of the best-understood neoplasms (tumors) from a genetic perspective, yet it remains the second most common cause of cancer-related death (in Canada), indicating that some of its cancer cells are not eradicated by current therapies,�

“These new studies demonstrate that a small number of colon cancer cells, distinct from those that make up the bulk of a tumor, initiate tumor growth,� Nature said in a statement.

It may be possible to design drugs that attack only those cells, and thus treat colon cancer in a way that better affects the tumors without hurting healthy cells, the researchers said.

Many studies including recent government ones on back surgery for painful herniated disks show no clear-cut reason to choose an operation over other treatment.

The pain and physical function of the patients, who were suffering from a condition called sciatica, improved significantly after two years whether or not they had surgery. John Ross, a Doctor at LSU sports clinic states “neither of the strategies offered complete relief.”

The condition involves disk cartilage bulging between vertebrae in the lower spine and pressing against a nerve. It can cause excruciating burning pain called sciatica, radiating from the lower back into the legs; patients often have difficulty walking.

About 250,000 Americans have disk surgery for sciatica each year, while another quarter-million instead choose physical therapy, painkillers or rest until they feel better. The surgery costs about $6,000, Weinstein said.

In support of this, one study involved 472 patients aged 42 on average who were followed for two years after being randomly assigned to surgery or noninvasive treatment, which included education, physical therapy or painkillers.  Surgery involved removing part of the bulging disc in a standard operation often done on an outpatient basis.

Patients in both groups had much improved scores on measures of pain, physical function and disability during periodic evaluations; differences between the groups weren’t statistically significant.