Give Me Mice or Give Me Mice Testicles!

The mouse situation has calmed down a bit at my apartment. Since my Feb. 21 blog telling of number 9 (number 9, number 9), we have only captured two more. Number 10 was a milestone, but otherwise uneventful. Number 11, however, is another story.

Mouse #10

I heard mouse chirps faintly coming from drawers where we keep our towels. I called my fiance over to listen. The rhythm of the sound reminded us both of a pornographic mouse, not that we know what that necessarily sounds like, but imagine Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally" except played by a live mouse. I emptied out the drawers carefully, expecting to find copulating mice. I found nothing. Then I remembered a glue trap we set underneath the chest of drawers. Sure enough, there was the victim in obvious pain. I had to relieve it, so I gave it a fatal dose of my insulin. It wasn't fatal enough apparently, so we gave it one more. I can hear "Taps" playing as we speak (or I type...or you read).

Mouse #11, Death by Insulin?

After a MySpace friend saw the photo that accompanied DiabetoBlog #100, he messaged me back with a page from his site which chronicles his problems with mice and the photos of the dead. The rest of his site is fun too.

Also in the world of mice, an AP report from today reports that their testicles may be the key to ending the stem cell debate. German scientists have discovered that the testicular cells in mice behave like embryonic stem cells in humans. Silly Germans. Apparently they will try getting the same type of cells from human testicles to see if they have the same effects. Any volunteers?

The article on MSNBC.com attributes the following to Dr. Hassenfuss, who is leading the research:

If such cells are found in men, "then we have resolved the ethical problem with human embryonic stem cells," he said in a telephone interview.

That would also open the door to removing testicular cells from a male patient, growing some tissue the patient needs, and transplanting that tissue into the same man without fear of biological rejection, he noted.

The mouse cells were found to give rise to a variety of specialized cells in the lab, including heart
cells that contracted and nerve cells that produced dopamine, the chemical messenger that Parkinson's patients lack, he said.

Cells typical of the liver, skin, pancreas and blood vessels were produced as well, he said.

I suppose I should be nicer to my rodents if I ever want my Diabetes cured. But then again, the War on Mice is about the bigger picture, not my selfish reasons. It is about freedom and liberty.