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Adult Stem Cells Offer Hope for Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 by Susan Brinkmann

by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer (June 9, 2008) Australian researchers say a cure for the same disease that plagued Pope John Paul II, Parkinson’s disease, may be right under our noses - literally. A team of scientists at Griffith’s University are reporting in a study published in the June 6 issue of the journal Stem Cell that adult stem cells harvested from the noses of Parkinson’s patients gave rise to dopamine-producing brain cells when transplanted into the brain of a rat. This is significant because the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's, such as loss of muscle control, are caused by the degeneration of cells that produce the essential chemical dopamine in the brain. Currently, drug therapies are used to replace dopamine in the brain, but these often become less effective after prolonged use. Project leader Professor Alan Mackay-Sim said researchers simulated Parkinson's symptoms in rats by creating lesions on one side of the brain similar to the damage Parkinson's causes in the human brain. “The lesions to one side of the brain made the rats run in circles,” he said. “When stem cells from the nose of Parkinson's patients were cultured and injected into the damaged areas, the rats re-acquired the ability to run in a straight line.” All the animals used in the experiment showed dramatic improvement within just three weeks. Perhaps even more significant is the fact that “none of the transplants led to formation of tumors or teratomas in the host rats as has occurred after embryonic stem cell transplantation in a similar model,” Mackay-Sim said. The advantage of using a patient's own cells is that, unlike stem cells from a foreign embryo, they are not rejected by the patient's immune system, so patients are free from a lifetime of potentially dangerous immuno-suppressant drug therapy. Stem cells obtained from the olfactory nerve in the nose are “naVve,” he explained, meaning they have not yet differentiated into which sort of cells they will give rise to. “They can still be influenced by the environment they are put into. In this case we transplanted them into the brain, where they were directed to give rise to dopamine producing brain cells." Professor Mackay-Sim also developed a technique in 2006 that demonstrates how olfactory adult stem cells can give rise to heart, nerve, liver and brain cells. © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace. http://www.womenofgrace.com  In “Embryonic Stem Cell Research - Why Not?” Dr. Gerry Sotomayor, Bill Schneeberger and Fr. Edward Krause discuss one of the most controversial issues of our time - the use of embryonic stem cells in research and the treatment of illness.  

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First U.S. State Offers Christian License Plate

Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 by Susan Brinkmann

by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer (June 9, 2008) The faithful in South Carolina will soon be the first in the nation to be able to buy a specialty license plate that carries the phrase “I Believe” along with a cross and a stained glass window. But believers in the separation of church and state are already gearing up for a fight. A bill authorizing the plate passed the South Carolina State House and Senate by a unanimous vote on May 22 and became law on June 5 even without the signature of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. “While I do, in fact, ‘believe,’ it is my personal view that the largest proclamation of one’s faith ought to be in how one lives one’s life,” the Governor wrote in a letter to Glenn F. McConnell, president pro tem of the Senate and a fellow Republican. The bill was sponsored by South Carolina State Senator Lawrence K. Grooms who has initiated several bills that help the state use constitutional law in order to insure the rights of people to display their faith in public places. Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Jewish Congress said they were considering suing the state over the plate. “The whole issue here is that people are trying to get the state to endorse their religion, and that’s wrong,” said Dr. T. Jeremey Gunn, director of the A.C.L.U. Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief to The New York Times. “It’s almost as if there’s insufficient support, and they have to go to the state to get it.” Senator Grooms rejected their arguments. “I didn’t see a constitutional problem with it,” he said. “We have other  plates with religious symbols on them and phrases like ‘In God We Trust.’ Just because it’s a cross, some very closed-minded people don’t believe it should be on a plate.” The bill directs the Motor Vehicles Department to create the plate and offer it for just enough money to reimburse the state for the cost of the plate, between $4 and $6, which represents a considerable discount from specialty tag prices ranging as high as $70. No organization will benefit from the sales because the plate was not sponsored by a particular group. South Carolina residents currently have about 200 choices for specialty plates ranging from NASCAR tags to one for the Boy Scouts. They already have one tag that sports the slogan, “In God We Trust.” “Choose Life SC” will be available in the fall. © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace. http://www.womenofgrace.com The only reason why anyone would want to keep the Christian faith out of the public square is if they don’t understand what it is. In this 5 CD audio series “Common Questions, Biblical Answers,” Dr. Ted Sri explains some of the most controversial and misunderstood teachings of the Catholic faith.  

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The Devil in Politics

Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 by Susan Brinkmann

by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer (June 9, 2008) The devil loves to take over people who hold political office, says the famous Italian exorcist, Father Gabriel Amorth. “Evil exists in politics, quite often in fact,” Father Amorth said during an interview published in the Spanish daily, La Razon. “The devil loves to take over business leaders and those who hold political office. Hitler and Stalin were possessed. How do I know? Because they killed millions of people. The Gospel says: ‘By their fruits you will know them.’ Unfortunately, an exorcism on them would not have been enough, since they were convinced of what they were doing. We can’t say it was a possession in the strict sense of the word, but rather a total and voluntary acceptance of the suggestions of the devil.” Nobody, not even himself, is safe from the devil, said the 82 year old exorcist. “Everyone is vulnerable . . . . The devil is very intelligent. He retains the intelligence of the angel that he was.” When someone comes to him for help, the first thing he does is ask them to see a doctor or a psychiatrist. “Most of the time there is a physical or psychological basis for explaining their suffering. The psychiatrists send me the incurable cases. There is no rivalry. The psychiatrist determines if it is an illness, the exorcist if it is a curse,” he explained. “Suppose, for example, that someone you work with is envious of you and casts a spell on you. You would get sick. Ninety percent of the cases that I deal with are precisely spells. The rest are due to membership in satanic sects or participation in séances or magic. If you live in harmony with God, it is much more difficult for the devil to possess you,” Father Amorth stated. Father Amorth has performed more than 70,000 exorcisms since the day he was assigned to assist another famous exorcist of Rome, Father Candido Amantini in 1986. From that point on, he realized just how much work was to be done, and how few exorcists there were to do it. He dedicated the rest of his life to this ministry, founded the International Association of Exorcists and has authored two books on the subject with the hopes of educating the world about the existence of Satan. He is well known for speaking his mind with no regard for political correctness. A the height of the Harry Potter craze, he glibly informed the press that “Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil.” He condemned the popular books for making false distinctions between white and black magic and for their many positive references to the satanic arts.    Unfortunately, not enough people are listening to his sage advice. Satanic sects are proliferating, he said in the recent interview, and for this reason, his calendar is full for the next two months. “I work seven days a week,” he said, “from morning until night, including Christmas Eve and Holy Week.”   © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace. http://www.womenofgrace.com   

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