Nation briefs 07/07/03

Third congenital heart defect gene identified

Scientists have identified a third gene that can cause congenital heart defects, a leading cause of death in newborns.

A malfunctioning version of the gene, called GATA4, can lead to defects in the formation of the walls that separate the four chambers of the heart.

Individuals from families with a history of the common heart defect already are being screened for the mutated gene. Such screenings can prepare them for the possibility their offspring are at risk.

The discovery also could lead to drug or genetic therapies that could fix the problem in fetuses, although such treatments are years away, said study co-author Dr. Deepak Srivastava, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Details of the discovery appeared Sunday on the Web site of the journal Nature.

About 25,000 babies born in the United States each year, or as many as one in 125 births, have a heart defect, according to the March of Dimes. Many defects require open heart surgery to repair.

Search continues for missing swimmers

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- The number of people confirmed dead in drownings along a three-mile stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline rose to five Sunday as officials recovered the body of a man who died while trying to save a 12-year-old boy.

Two others who disappeared in the lake's choppy waters at the same time were still missing and presumed dead.

The swimmers got into trouble during a three-hour period after thunderstorms ripped across the lake and hit western Michigan's Berrien County, kicking up waves and creating what the Coast Guard described as strong rip tides and an undercurrent.

"Weather is a key factor," Coast Guard Petty Officer Melissa Pese said in St. Joseph, about 15 miles north of the stretch of beach where the swimmers disappeared.

Woman tells FBIagents she helped Rudolph hide

ATLANTA -- A woman charged with firing a shotgun into an abortion clinic says she expects to be indicted on charges of helping serial bombing suspect Eric Robert Rudolph elude capture, according to a published report.

Brenda Kay Phillips, 44, told FBI agents after her arrest in February she had helped Rudolph hide when she moved in 2001 to the town of Murphy, N.C., where Rudolph was arrested May 31. She would not discuss how she knew Rudolph or what she did to help him, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday.

"I can't talk about Eric right now because the federal government is talking about going for an indictment for helping him," Phillips told the newspaper in an interview Saturday at the county jail in Marion, N.C.

FBI agents initially discounted Phillips' claims that she helped Rudolph, but that has changed, said her attorney, Jack Stewart.

"Government authorities have shown a renewed interest in what Brenda has to say during the past couple of weeks," Stewart said Sunday.

Firefighters continue to battle Arizona wildfires

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Officials urged residents and guests of a desert resort to evacuate an exclusive enclave on the city's northern fringe after a wildfire sped downhill, surprising firefighters and threatening up to 300 homes.

The area, called Ventana Canyon, is a high desert enclave that includes upscale homes and the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. There are 200-300 homes there, said George Heaney, a bureau chief with the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

The voluntary evacuation notice came after strong winds pushed the fire downhill faster than expected, said Donna Nemeth, a fire information officer.

Ventana Canyon is in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, where the fire has raged since June 17. It has burned at least 70,000 acres.

-- From wire reports