title: Post-natal stem cells as participants in complex systems and the emergence of tissue integrity and function.
abstract: This issue of Pediatric Diabetes contains articles with scientific data, their interpretation, and a discussion of the respective field of stem cells and diabetes - its achievements and controversies. Through our daily laboratory activities, we employ a reductionist approach and often a deterministic interpretation of data. We would like to make this contribution a means of adding a somewhat different perspective to this collection of essays. This conceptual piece is merely intended to be an invitation to further thoughts and discussions.
authors.affiliation: Section of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue M267, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. mhussain@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
authors.forename: Mehboob A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Neil D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Theise
authors.forename: Neil D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Thiese
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*