Nation IN BRIEF : CONNECTICUT : Mother Allowed to Use Chinese Remedy

A 7-year-old girl in the middle of a dispute between her mother and the state over how to treat severe swelling in her joints was home in New Britain, Conn., after the state relinquished custody. Juliet Cheng won the right to use traditional Chinese remedies on her daughter, Shirley, who has rheumatoid arthritis. A judge awarded the state Department of Children and Youth Services temporary custody of Shirley in July after Cheng refused to allow doctors to operate on the girl’s swollen, constricted joints. She cannot walk and usually uses a wheelchair. Shirley returned home after five months at Children’s Hospital in nearby Newington.