Baby-Tooth Stem Cells

UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL , April 21 — One day, doctors may harvest stem cells from baby teeth to help combat diseases, researchers have reported.

Just like the nonspecific tissue from which all organs arise, the stem cells in baby teeth can transform themselves into nerve cells and fat cells in laboratory dishes, investigators told United Press International.

“These cells are a very surprising resource,” said stem-cell researcher Songtao Shi, a pediatric dentist at the National Institutes of Health. “They are very capable of providing huge numbers of cells.”

Adoption Barrier Falls in Florida ASSOCIATED PRESS , April 24 — Mothers who want to place a child up for adoption in Florida will not be required to publicize their sexual histories in newspaper ads.

The ruling came after a state appeals court said the law violates privacy rights and substantially interferes with a woman's ability to choose adoption, the AP reported.

The Fourth District Court of Appeals struck down the law, which the state's lawyers had refused to defend. It was heavily criticized because it required mothers, including rape victims and underage girls, to widely publish potentially embarrassing information.

MS Meets Its Match ASSOCIATED PRESS , April 16 — Raising hopes of a treatment for multiple sclerosis, researchers have found that stem cells injected into mice can repair damage and sharply reduce symptoms.

Seven of 26 mice recovered completely from hind-leg paralysis and others showed substantial improvement after the stem cells were injected into their spinal cords or blood, reported AP news service.

In the experiment, researchers from the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy, used stem cells that had been removed from the brains of adult mice and grown into larger quantities in a laboratory. Once injected, the cells traveled to damaged nerve areas and changed into cells needed to make repairs. Results of the study were published in the April 17 issue of the journal Nature.

Pro-Life Professor Prevails PACIFIC JUSTICE INSTITUTE , April 23 — After a year of battling, the Cuesta College Federation of Teachers has finally agreed to allow one of its professors to have his union dues diverted to a charity of his choice.

The federation had denied Professor Paul Bauer's request to divert his mandatory “fair share” union fees to a charity that did not conflict with his religious convictions. The choice of charities to which the union had restricted the instructor were the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood.

Cuesta College operates several campuses in southern California.