The Food and Drug Administration said in an online posting Friday that it identified the growths in two unopened vials of a steroid injection distributed by the Main Street Family Pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy in Newbern, Tenn. The agency said it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify the exact species of fungus and bacteria.

State and federal officials began investigating the pharmacy last month after seven patients in North Carolina and Illinois reported skin abscesses after being injected with methylprednisolone acetate, a steroid used to treat inflammation, joint pain and respiratory issues.

The same steroid was involved in a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak last year that has killed 58 people and sickened more than 740 others.

The FDA said it is not aware of any cases of meningitis associated with Main Street Family Pharmacy's products.

Last month the pharmacy recalled its entire stock of sterile products manufactured after Dec. 6, 2012.

A spokesman for the Main Street Family Pharmacy said its owners are aware of the FDA's findings.

"In addition to the recall, our efforts have also included comprehensive, aggressive outreach to everyone who could be affected. We continue to fully cooperate with state boards of health and pharmacies, the FDA and CDC to protect patients and resolve any lingering concerns," said spokesman Joe Grillo, in a statement.

The company's steroid was shipped to medical facilities in 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

The Main Street Family Pharmacy's license was placed on three-year probation in March and its owners were fined $25,600 after a pair of inspections found various problems at the facility.

According to a consent order, the 2011 inspection found out-of-date medications on the pharmacy's shelves that were being used in drug manufacturing. It also found a technician who had been working without proper registration for more than four years. When inspectors returned in November 2012 they found 109 out-of-date or deteriorated medications on the shelves, as well as other problems.

"To clone aby finding intact cells and, more importantly, an intact genome is going to be exceptionally difficult, likely impossible," said Love Daln, a paleogeneticist at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. "Finding this mammoth makes it slightly less impossible."

Daln is referring to the amazinglyfound recently in the icy tundra on an island off the coast of Siberia. Some of the tissue was locked beneath the ice, and when researchers struck it with a pick, blood came flowing out, they said. []

Even tissue that looks as juicy and fresh as a steak, however, can be damaged on the cellular level. That would mean very little useful DNA (the molecules that carry the instructions for life), could be extracted, the researchers said.

Stunning find

Outside researchers haven't examined the tissue and blood that was reportedly preserved in this 10,000-year-old mammoth. but Daln's conversations with the research team suggest the fossilized beast is in incredibly good shape, he said.

"Every mammoth that has ever been found it's either its bones or dried tissue and skin or pieces of hair, so to find a piece of frozen mammoth that's so well preserved that there's blood inside is pretty amazing," Daln said. "From a DNA standpoint, it might be the most well-preserved specimen ever found."

Holy Grail

Because flash freezing could preserve the cells, and possibly their genetic information, everyone in the field is searching for the Holy Grail: a mammoth that fell into a frozen lake, which then immediately froze overnight and stayed perennially frozen for 10,000 years, said Hendrik Poinar, an evolutionary geneticist at McMaster University in Canada.

The chances of finding such a perfect specimen are incredibly slim, Poinar said.

Even if a mammoth were buried in ice at the time of discovery, it wouldnt be clear how many times the fossil had thawed and refrozen over the millennia, he added.

Pasthave looked very good on the outside even shooting out what initially looked like blood only to later be found to have heavily damaged cells that contain unusable DNA.

"When you take [samples] back to the lab, you realize that they're pretty heavily degraded," Poinar told LiveScience.

For cloning, intact DNA is needed, as the process requires replacing the DNA in an elephant egg with a mammoth's genome, then gestating the egg inside an elephant.

But time and harsh weather conditions inexorably degrade DNA, splitting it up into millions of tiny snippets that are extremely difficult to piece together. For instance, a 2012 study found that in bone, half of the chemicalwithin 521 years after death, and the genetic material degrades completely by 6.8 million years.

Elephant in disguise?

If the white blood cells or more likely, tissues from the recently discovered mammoth are in fairly good condition, then there may be longer intact DNA snippets, which should be easier to piece together, Poinar said.

Either way, the mammoth genome would probably be reconstructed by using the elephant genome as the blueprint.

By comparing genomes, researchers would try to identify the key genes that create distinctive traits such as body size, the tusks and shaggy coats of the extinct creatures and tack those in to the elephant genome, Poinar said.

Cloning based on that blueprint may result in a rather odd creature: something that looked, on the outside, like a mammoth, but was basically an elephant in disguise.

Isa worthy endeavor for science? "I hope the science moves slow enough in this case that we can actually have that discussion," Poinar said.

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BOSTON (Reuters) - Paul Theroux said his literary goodbye to Africa at a train station in Luanda, Angola, five decades after he first visited the continent as a Peace Corps volunteer.

In his new book, "The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari," Theroux describes a journey through South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola that dead-ended at the depot when he felt no need to go further. The book, he says, represents a final chapter on his travels in Africa.

Theroux's first book on Africa was a novel. He became one of his era's most influential travel writers and chronicled his global journeys in books including "The Great Railway Bazaar," "The Old Patagonian Express," and "Dark Star Safari." His novels include "Saint Jack" and "Mosquito Coast."

Theroux, who lives in Hawaii and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, spoke to Reuters about the role of the travel writer, Africa's uncertain prospects, and how it would be to die doing what he loved.

Q: I wondered as I read your book whether you were done traveling.

A: It's quite a lot of trouble to take buses and trains and trucks and taxis and so forth overland in Africa. When I got to the point in Angola where I thought there really isn't a lot of value in suffering if you're not learning something, I thought well, this is the end of the line.

I'll always be traveling in Africa, but I think I've written all that I can possibly write of a useful kind.

Q: What is it about rail travel that makes you say you've seldom heard a train go by and not wished to be on it?

A: The pleasure of it is indescribable. You can sleep, you can write, you can walk around. It's very comforting, very reassuring, and for a writer, really wonderful.

Q: You wrote about squalid cities, but you also said you are not a pessimist about Africa.

A: I don't know what's going to happen to Africa. The infrastructure is very poor. It's a house of cards. The governments are fragile. In general, they're corrupt.

The cities are big and horrible, but the hinterland, the bush, is emptier than it's ever been. It's still full of possibility.

Q: How has travel evolved over your career?

A: When I first started traveling it was full of problems to solve. (Now) it's really not a lot of trouble to get on a plane.

The other is the Americanization of the world. Everyone dresses the same. People wear a T-shirt and shorts. The whole world wears baseball hats. Fifty years ago when I was traveling you didn't see baseball hats in India. You didn't seem them in Africa.

Q: Are travel writers still relevant?

A: The role of a travel writer is to discover the world, to verify what's out there. It's more necessary than ever, because the Internet makes people think they can just sit at home and know everything. But they don't realize what the world is really like: how poor it is, how wonderful it is in other places, and how much there is to discover.

Q: Do you have a preparation routine?

A: You need to be strong, optimistic and able to meet the demands of being alone.

I read practical things. I buy a lot of detailed maps. I talk to people. I try to be as widely read as possible on the place, not necessarily before I go, but afterwards. I want to make discoveries by myself.

I don't make lists of people to look up. I would rather stay in the simplest hotel. I don't like the social obligation that staying with people imposes on me.

Q: What do you read on the road?

A: Books completely unrelated to the place that I'm in.

Lately, I've been reading a lot of D.H. Lawrence. I make a little study of a writer - reading the books, stories, and then reading a biography, so that I know the author.

Q: Travel can seem courageous, but it's also an everyday occurrence for locals on the same roads.

A: They know where they are going. I'm going to a place that I'll have to figure out.

At my age, I take fewer and fewer risks. But it takes a certain confidence. The buses are old, the food is bad, the weather is horrible. Maybe you'll get to the other end and not find anything new.

Q: Three people you profiled in the book died soon after. What impact did that have?

A: (It was) a great shock. It made me examine my motives and think "Well, what if I died, am I doing what I love? Is what I am doing worth risking my life?"

Died doing what I loved would be having a Mai Tai on the beach in Hawaii and being overwhelmed by a wave. I'd be doing what I love then, with my wife just having a drink. It wouldn't be on a bus in Angola.

(Reporting by Randall Mikkelsen; editing by Patricia Reaney and Jackie Frank)

Formula One's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), said in a statement it had decided on the action after investigating the test conducted in Spain with tyre supplier Pirelli between May 15-17.

Ferrari, who conducted a similar 1,000 km test in Spain in April but with a 2011 car and test driver, faced no further action because they were not deemed to have contravened the regulations.

No time was set for the tribunal, which could impose stiff sanctions against Mercedes if they are found to have acted illegally. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)

The national squad, who are currently in Australia for a series of friendlies with football clubs there, have been constantly climbing up the table since dropping down to 164th and this would be a good sign of improvement for the team.

The highest the team have been this year was in January where Malaysia occupied the 158th spot, but there are still doubts whether the Malayan Tigers can move further up the rankings as the friendly with Singapore has been cancelled and they will only face club squads in Australia.

In Asean, Vietnam is still leading the pack at the 133rd position, closely followed by Thailand (142), Philippines (144), Myanmar (155), and Malaysia (159). Singapore are a slightly further behind at 166 and Indonesia at 170.

Japan, who became the first team to qualify for the 2014 World Cup remains the number one team in Asia, but they dropped two spots in the overall ranking to 32. Korea Republic, meanwhile, got themselves in the top 40, moving up two spots from 38.

Spain still remains at the top followed by Germany and Argentina, but the big movers would be Netherlands, who climbed four places to put them in the top 5 while Enlgand dropped two places to ninth.

Weekley was one shot behind compatriot and overnight leader Matt Kuchar when play began at Colonial Country Club but used a string of birdies to top a crowded leaderboard that featured 22 players within five shots of the lead after the third round.

The 39-year-old Weekley offset two early birdies with bogeys at the par-four fifth and par-four seventh holes but recovered with birdies at four of his next six holes en route to a 14-under total of 266 that left him one shot ahead of Kuchar.

Kuchar (68) birdied the par-four 18th to finish alone in second place, one stroke ahead of fellow American and former Masters champion Zach Johnson (66).

Americans Scott Stallings (66), John Rollins (68) and Matt Every (69) were all a further shot back in a share of fourth place.

Weekley's last triumph had come at the former Verizon Heritage, now known as the RBC Heritage, in 2008 during a period where he rose to popularity before injuries and poor form zapped his game.

Known for his Southern sensibilities and sense of humor, Weekley is a charming figure that helped the Unites States capture the Ryder Cup in 2008.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)

North Korean Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae's visit was part of efforts to mend fences after Pyongyang angered Beijing with recent snubs and moves to develop its nuclear program.

The official China News Service said Choe delivered the handwritten letter from Kim to Xi at an afternoon meeting at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing. It gave no details about the letter's contents.

North Korea is willing to work with all sides to "appropriately resolve the relevant questions through the six-party talks and other forms," Choe was quoted as saying by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

He said Pyongyang was "willing to take active measures in this regard."

Choe offered no details on how North Korea planned to resume talks. North Korea has reneged on commitments made in previous rounds of the six-party talks, stalemated since 2009 over disagreements on how to verify steps the North was taking to end its nuclear programs.

China has been under intense pressure from Washington to push North Korea into lowering tensions and resuming dialogue.

Xi reaffirmed longstanding ties between the communist neighbors, and urged all sides to "keep cool and exercise restraint."

The six-party talks should aim to end North Korea's nuclear programs and "maintain lasting peace and stability on the peninsula and in northeast Asia," Xi was quoted as saying.

The meeting followed an unusual half-year gap in high-level contacts during which Pyongyang angered Beijing by conducting rocket launches, a nuclear test and other saber-rattling spiking tensions with South Korea and the U.S.

Beijing considered the moves an affront to its interests in regional stability and showed its displeasure by joining with the U.S. to back U.N. sanctions and cut off dealings with North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank.

North Korea also frustrated Beijing by refusing to agree to high-level meetings and incensed the Chinese public this month with the detention of a Chinese fishing crew.

"The relationship is rocky, so they will try to mend the relationship," Cui Yingjiu, a retired professor of Korean at Peking University, said of North Korea. "Second, they also want to improve relations with the U.S. and need China to be their intermediary."

North Korea has figured prominently in recent visits by Secretary of State John Kerry and other U.S. officials, and Choe's three-day visit to Beijing came ahead of a meeting in California early next month between Xi and President Barack Obama, as well as a trip to Beijing by South Korean President Park Geun-hye in late June.

China is North Korea's last significant diplomatic ally and main source of trade and economic assistance. Ties between their insular communist governments have always been wrapped in secrecy and it is not clear whether the contents of Kim's letter to Xi will ever be revealed.

China is believed to have agreed to Choe's visit only after Pyongyang committed to returning to the process of negotiation, and required him to state that publicly twice before his meeting with Xi.

Earlier Friday, a top Chinese general told Choe that Beijing wanted a peaceful, denuclearized Korean Peninsula, in a reiteration of China's established position that could also be seen as a rebuke to the North.

The official state Xinhua News Agency quoted Fan Changlong as telling Choe that tensions surrounding the nuclear issue have "intensified strategic conflicts among involved parties and jeopardized the peace and stability of the peninsula."

Xinhua quoted Choe as telling Fan that there is "no guarantee of peace" but his country was "willing to work with all sides to search for a method of solving the problems through dialogue," Choe said.

On Thursday, Choe told the ruling party's fifth-ranked official that North Korea "is willing to accept the suggestion of the Chinese side and launch dialogue with all relevant parties."

John Delury, a professor at Yonsei University in Seoul who specializes in China and North Korea, said the fact that Kim's envoy "is being quoted as saying that North Korea is open to China's suggestions already is a strong signal of kiss and make up."

"This trip is moving things back to a regular strategic dialogue," he said.

The Cavaliers were able to edge out the Orlando Magic, who had the highest probability of winning the top selection, as they continue to rebuild a franchise reeling from the loss of LeBron James following the 2009-10 campaign.

"It's huge for us," Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert told reporters. "This is our third year in a row in the lottery. Hopefully it's our last for a long, long time."

Cleveland selected Kyrie Irving with the number one selection in 2011 and the guard has blossomed from a Rookie of the Year into an All Star.

The Cavaliers were still unable to avoid finishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference this past season, however, though they are on the verge of receiving major help.

Following the Cavaliers and Magic, the Washington Wizards will pick third. Charlotte, Phoenix, New Orleans and Sacramento will get picks 4-7.

The 2013 Draft is set for June 27 in New York.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)

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"We applaud and thank the Senators who voted today in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act. And while today's Senate victory is momentous, the fight is not over and our advocacy efforts to see this bill signed in law will continue. As we turn our sights to passage in the House of Representatives, we urge the House to bring this legislation to a quick vote.

"The widespread, bipartisan support in the Senate underscores the value and consequence of this piece of legislation. This bill is about fairness and equity; Marketplace Fairness will finally level the playing field between online and brick and mortar retailers.

"Marketplace Fairness is commonsense legislation that is neither a new tax nor a tax increase. Until it becomes law, we will continue to fight against efforts to frame it as such."

The National League of Cities is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

SOURCE National League of Cities

Researchers trying to find the key to a mysterious group of digestive ailments have located a number of biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Their discovery could lead to earlier diagnoses and intervention for individuals still asymptomatic.

A team of scientists from the University of Cincinnati analyzed , a collection of biological information, according to ScienceDaily. Its more than 50 million specimens of serum come mainly from members of and applicants to the uniformed services.

The two primary types of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America reports that about , with roughly equal numbers attributed to Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.

According to WomensHealth.gov, theremains unknown. Experts suggest problems with an individual's immune system and a genetic predisposition. While ulcerative colitis affects only the first layer of the lining of the large intestine, Crohn's disease occurs in all layers of the intestines and can develop in the digestive tract anywhere between mouth and anus. Although Crohn's is incurable, surgery to remove an ulcerative colitis patient's colon cures that disorder.

The Cincinnati researchers collaborated with staff members from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to identify 50 DoDSR subjects with Crohn's and 50 with ulcerative colitis. They then looked at various biomarkers to discover what the subjects had in common.

Using statistical analysis, they looked at proteins from three samples for each subject. Two samples were collected before diagnosis of the respective diseases, with the third after diagnosis.

Based on a prior University of Cincinnati research project, scientists decided upon which proteins to check in the 100 subjects. They noted elevated levels of specific proteins in those patients who developed IBD. While the proteins in patients who developed Crohn's were different from those seen in individuals with ulcerative colitis, the team demonstrated that protein levels were elevated in all those who actually developed IBD.

Researcher Bruce Yacyshyn, M.D., a gastroenterologist who is a professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and staff members from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have requested funding to extend the biomarker study to a pediatric population. Their goal is to change the way healthcare providers screen for and treat IBD, boost prevention approaches, and enhance patients' quality of life.

Both my husband and I come from families where Crohn's disease is prevalent. While I have the disorder, he doesn't. We're encouraged by the identification of IBD biomarkers. To us, it means that future generations of our families will probably receive earlier diagnoses and might even avoid Crohn's entirely. At the very least, we expect them to suffer fewer debilitating effects from the illness that our generation has.

Vonda J. Sines has published thousands of print and online health and medical articles. She specializes in diseases and other conditions that affect the quality of life.