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Stem cells are cells that have the ability to continuously divide and produce progeny that differentiate into various other types of cells or types of tissues. In the battle to fight against diseases, stem cells present potencies to repair tissues by cell therapy and tissue regeneration. The study of stem cells turns to be a major frontier in 21th century biology and medicine. Recently, dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) have been isolated from dental pulp tissue of adult permanent teeth and deciduous teeth, respectively. The present article highlights the origin and class-ification of stem cells with their applications in the field of medicine and dentistry. Despite promising scientific results with genetically modified stem cells, some major problems remain to be overcome. Strategies that combine gene targeting with embryonic stem cellbased therapy are thus potential novel therapeutic options. Further research is essential to determine the full potential of both adult and embryonic stem cells in this exciting new field.

Cleidocranial dysplasia (CD) is a rare autosomal dominant skeletal disorder, characterised by typical oral and skeletal disorders, the most striking feature of which is malformation or absence of clavicles, open anterior frontanelle, presence of wormian bones and multiple dental abnormalities such as delayed exfoliation / eruption or supernumerary teeth. Mostly such patients are first noticed by the dentist due to aesthetic reasons or delayed eruption eruption of teeth. In this paper, a case of CD in a 16 year old female is reported and the literature is reviewed.

Hands-on, inquiry-based laboratory activities are excellent opportunities to introduce first-year undergraduate students to the lab environment and to catalyze new interest in topics they may not yet know or be as enthusiastic about studying. We describe a multisession introductory laboratory activity that couples the research areas of medicinal drug discovery and plant biology. Selecting from a diversity of native California plants and broadly recognized medicinal plants, students learn and apply an assortment of basic phytochemical assays, analyze preliminary data, and then formulate hypothesis-driven follow-up experiments. Working in small groups, students develop shared project management and collaboration skills, and present activity results to peers in multiple modalities. Furthermore, we summarize findings from 163 student experiments using 29 plant species into an Instructor’s Resource Table to facilitate guiding students through their preliminary and follow-up experiments. Lastly, we include student responses from pre- and post-activity surveys on their changing attitudes toward plant biology.

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