“Let’s make it clear – it’s identical,” said Bob Greifeld, CEO of the NASDAQ OMX Group, in reference to the auditing standards of Chinese reverse mergers in comparison to other public companies listed on the NASADAQ.  Mr. Greifeld recently appeared on CNBC’s Fast Money, where he received several questions about Chinese IPO and reverse merger accounting practices.  Chinese IPOs and Chinese reverse mergers have been receiving negative attention as of late from multiple media outlets, most notably CNBC. Mr. Greifeld adamantly declared that all companies listed on the NASDAQ go through the same rigorous due diligence process and all accounting standards are indistinguishable.

We’ve seen numerous pieces from the likes of David Faber and Herb Greenberg over the past few months sensationalizing Chinese IPOs and reverse mergers as virtually mystery investments, where nothing reported in an SEC filing could be considered authentic. However, it appears Mr. Greifeld has put those ghost stories to bed, exclaiming that Chinese companies receive no special treatment for listing agreements. One has to wonder if Greifeld demanded an appearance on CNBC putting these rumors to rest, considering there are roughly 150 Chinese companies listed on the NASDAQ and he owns the building where many of CNBC’s shows are filmed.

The kosher food market is a growing and globally expanding market as the number of kosher food consumers worldwide is now eclipsing 10 million. A staggering statistic which bodes well for G. Willi- Food International LTD. (NasdaqCM: WILC), an Israeli-based company specializing in high-quality, great-tasting kosher food products. The Company is a dominating force in the still growing kosher food industry in Israel and has now set its sights on the U.S. market.

As one of Israel’s leading food importers, WILC markets and sells its food products to over 1,500 customers in Israel and around the world including large retail and private supermarket chains, wholesalers and institutional consumers. In 2008 the Company sold 80% of their products in Israel, with the remaining 20% being split equally between the U.S. and Europe. However, looking forward CEO Joseph Williger sees WILC’s global presence altering dramatically with a goal for 2011 of 50% of products being sold in Israel and the remaining 50% being split between Europe and the United States.

Many Americans might think kosher foods are sold mainly to Jews or vegetarians, but surprisingly the largest consumers of kosher products are the one in five people who are of Muslim faith. Furthermore, as Americans become environmentally sensitive in a time of “label reading,” an increasing number of people of non-muslin decent are now turning to kosher food products. Only about 15% of people who buy kosher do it for religious reasons, according to Mintel, a research group that last year produced a report on the kosher food explosion. The top reasons cited for buying kosher? Quality, followed by general healthfulness.

Even with market data revealing a $200 billion kosher food industry growing at 15% year-over-year (Market Trend, 2008) the majority of the food industry has yet to realize the profits to be made by converting their food to kosher, giving WILC the opportunity to dominate the market both in the U.S. and Europe.

With continued growth and expansion into the U.S. market, WILC should generate revenue and earnings growth of a minimum of 25% in 2010. Since RedChip began coverage in mid-December 2009 WILC has had an impressive 35% rally to the upside from $5.09 to a January 19 close at $6.87.

With a game-changing geographic expansion underway and deals with major U.S. retail chains in the works, WILC is well positioned to benefit from a growing Kosher market where it has the advantages of experience and financial strength.

Disclosure: G. Willi-Food International, Ltd. is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

For years high net worth investors and institutions have been pouring their money into hedge funds whose option-laden clandestine trading strategies have produced seemingly endless returns, but not so anymore. Many hedge funds are down 25% to 50% year to date and are now revealing solvency issues due to soaring redemption rates (investors pulling out of these funds in record numbers) and tightened credit. Bloomberg is reporting that Myron Scholes’ (author of the famous Black-Scholes equation for pricing options) Platinum Grove Asset Management fund may see withdrawals as high as 25% after the fund lost 29% in the first half of October alone.

Some blame fund managers, SEC regulators, and mortgage-backed securities, but what the Madoff case has revealed to me is how some investors never stop to question how these funds operate or how leveraged they are and only focus on the promise of extraordinary returns.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

The medical and health care industries can be difficult marketplaces due to the high level of competition, however when a company is head and shoulders above the rest, the payoff can be incredible for all of the investors who bought in at the right time.  And it looks like right now could be that time for Bioheart.

Bioheart, Inc. (Nasdaq: BHRT, click here for a company profile) is a company that is committed to delivering intelligent devices and biologics that help monitor, diagnose and treat heart failure and cardiovascular diseases. Its goals are to improve a patient’s quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations. Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage.

And this past week was very exciting for Bioheart who announced that a preclinical study involving the injection of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) into the myocardium (heart muscle tissue) of infarcted rats, was recently completed at the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan by medical and veterinary doctors from that institution and the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan.

The study, led by Mahmoud Abu-Abeeleh, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiac Surgery, University of Jordan School of Medicine, Amman-Jordan, showed evidence of regeneration of cardiomyocytes (heart cells) subsequent to injection of ADSCs following heart attack, or acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The study consisted of 99 nude rats* randomized into one of six treatment arms (including a control group receiving injection-vehicle containing cell media only). ADSCs for the treatment groups were obtained from humans using the TGI 100 Cell Isolation System for collection of endothelial progenitor cells (bone-marrow derived cells) and stem cells from adipose (fat) tissue. Bioheart has secured an exclusive, worldwide license to, upon commercial approval, sell or lease the more advanced TGI 1200 System, manufactured by Tissue Genesis, Inc. for the treatment of AMI.

“We are very proud of our pre-clinical work with adipose-derived stem cells,” said Howard J. Leonhardt, Bioheart CEO and Chief Technology Officer. “We hope that this and other pre-clinical studies will allow us to obtain IND approval for the start of a human clinical trial involving these cells for use in patients soon after they have a heart attack.”

Upon histological analysis, the control group animals showed a tendency toward granular tissue formation (scar formation), active phagocytosis (removal of pathogens or dead cells), variable angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation) when evaluated at 10 days, early fibrosis (fibrous connective tissue formation) when evaluated at 30 days and, in some cases, established fibrosis when evaluated at 60 days. The treatment arms, however, showed a tendency toward cardiomyocyte regeneration, prominent angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels) when evaluated at 10 days, and reduction in the infarction size when evaluated at 60 days. In some of the treated animals, minimal scarring area was observed when compared to the control group, with as much as a 90 percent reduction in myocardial scar size versus the average scar size of the control group.

*Nude rats lack an immune system, which allows for the use of human cells in preclinical studies.

These results are indicative of cardiomyocyte regeneration and suggest that the injection of ADSCs after AMI may have the potential to help the infarcted heart return to normal function.

Stem Cells

“The study data suggest that injection of adipose-derived stem cells decreased the amount of damage from myocardial infarction by assisting in the formation of functional myocardial cells,” said Dr. Abu-Abeeleh. “This is a significant and encouraging finding, which adds to the growing body of investigational evidence of using adipose-derived stem cells in the treatment of heart attacks and warrants further study of Bioheart’s Acute Cell Therapy.”

Fat tissue is an abundant and readily available source of endothelial progenitor and adult stem cells and is easily extractable from a patient using mildly invasive techniques.

The advanced TGI 1200 System is a compact, fully automated cell isolation system for the rapid processing of patient-derived fat tissue to separate, isolate and produce large yields of endothelial progenitor cells and stem cells. Tissue Genesis, Inc., is currently seeking certification to apply the CE Mark for commercial sale and distribution of the TGI 1200 as a tissue processing system within the European Union. The study, sponsored by Bioheart, Inc., was organized by the Philadelphia BioMed Product Development Centre, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary affiliated with a member of Bioheart’s Board of Directors. Study objectives included assessment of the distribution and phenotype of the transplanted ADSCs and complete macroscopic exam and histopathology of selected tissues in a total of six differentiated study groups of approximately 15 subjects each.

A proposed pathway for seeking regulatory approval of Bioheart Acute Cell Therapy using the TGI 1200 System has been developed and additional preclinical studies involving pigs, testing for the safety and efficacy of the therapy, commenced in the first quarter of 2007 at Indiana University.

“The results of these Bioheart preclinical studies affirm our belief that the adipose-derived cells isolated from adipose tissue by the TGI System have the potential to assist in the treatment of a variety of medical conditions, including heart attacks,” said Anton C. Krucky, President and CEO, Tissue Genesis, Inc. “We are excited to be associated with the foundational work of Bioheart in this area of potential heart treatment.”