UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday.September 15.1994
7A
Breast cancer genes found
Discovery will help find women at risk
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Researchers have isolated one gene that causes the inherited form of breast cancer and discovered the existence of a second.
Scientists said the breakthrough would allow them to develop a test — probably within two years — to help determine women's risk for inherited breast cancer. The discovery will be published in the journal Science next month.
"This is a very,very exciting time in
genetics cancer research, and women should take home the fact that there is real progress," Harmon Eyre, a physician with the American Cancer Society, said yesterday.
Only about 5 percent of all breast cancer is inherited, but identifying the estimated 600,000 women at risk early could save their lives.
Women who inherit a mutated form of BRCA1 have an 85 percent chance of contracting breast cancer by age 65, as well as a highly elevated risk of ovarian cancer.
Scientists first discovered BRCA1's existence four years ago, launching an international race to isolate the gene.
Mark Skollnick of the University of Utah and Myriad Genetics is, the
In another Science study released yesterday, other researchers discovered a second gene, BRCA2, that also causes inherited breast cancer.
physician who discovered the gene.
The researchers, led by Douglas Easton, a physician with London's Institute of Cancer Research, studied 15 cancer-striken families who did not have mutations in BRCA1, which is located on the 17th chromosome.
They discovered this second cancer gene at work on the 13th chromosome, and mapped it to a very specific region. Now, they must go through the hundreds of genes in that tiny region to isolate BRCA2, said Easton, who is on loan to the University of Utah.
BERLIN — Amid reports of deadlock, U.S. and North Korean diplomats held a third day of talks on American initiatives to steer the Koreans' nuclear program away from weapons production.
Reactor compromise is deadlocked
The United States has offered to replace North Korea's reactors with light-water reactors that are safer and produce less weapons-grade plutonium than the Russian-designed graphite reactors they are developing.
A South Korean newspaper yesterday reported a deadlock in the talks caused in part by North Korea's demand that the United States pay $1.2 billion to compensate for stopping construction of its graphite nuclear reactors.
North Korea is suspected of trying to conceal a nuclear weapons development program. Washington's chief negotiator with the North Koreans, Robert Gallucci, said yesterday in Tokyo that the question of how to replace the two reactors was a sticking point.
Gallucci said the reactors could be completed in the next three years and produce "hundreds and hundreds" of pounds of plutonium, a key ingredient in nuclear weapons.
They also are discussing the fate of 8,000 corroding fuel rods removed from North Korea's experimental 5-megawatt reactor.
Barry smokes Kelly in election
The Associated Press
ZAGREB, Croatia — Croatian and Bosnian Muslim leaders, seeking to shore up a faltering federation, agreed yesterday to open a key road linking Croatia and Bosnia and to create joint municipal authorities in Bosnia.
The measures were part of efforts to ease growing tensions six months after Bosnian Croats and Muslims stopped fighting over territory in central Bosnia.
The federation agreement, signed in March, is between Bosnian Croats and Bosnia's Muslim-led government. But neighboring Croatia figures prominently because of its influence on Bosnian Croats.
The accord has opened up Bosnian government territory to shipments of illicit arms through Croatia, vastly
improved food supplies, and halted the fighting between the two sides.
Following two days of talks with Bosnian President Alja Izetbegovic, Croatia's president, Franjo Tudjman, said the meeting was a big step forward in implementing the federation agreement.
"We remain firm in our standpoint that the embargo should be lifted." Izetbegovic said, adding, "Croatia has the right to their own opinion."
Tudjman said last week he was against lifting the embargo because that would escalate fighting in Bosnia with Serb fighters.
Before returning to Sarajevo, izetbegovic told reporters the two sides had agreed to establish joint local authorities for some municipalities within 30 days and to set up district authorities a month later.
Illegal aliens cost states millions
The United States was home to an estimated 3.4 million undocumented aliens in 1992.A federally commissioned study examines the financial impact on seven states home to 86 percent of the immigrants.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The seven states with the largest numbers of undocumented aliens will spend nearly half a billion dollars this year to imprison aliens convicted of crimes, according to a government-commissioned study.
Those states also spent $3.1 billion to educate undocumented aliens in fiscal 1993 and $422 million on their Medicaid costs, according to the analysis released yesterday by the Urban Institute.
The analysis was undertaken in response to complaints by the states that claim the federal government should pay some of the costs for undocumented aliens.
It was based on U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that 3.4 million undocumented aliens lived in the United States in October 1992. A total of 86
percent of those lived in the seven states that were the focus of the study.
The report found that 21,395 illegal aliens were incarcerated in the seven states in March 1994. California had a disproportionate share, and its cost of incarcerating them was $368 million.
Florida sued the government in April for $1.5 billion — what it says it will cost over two years to provide education, health care, prison beds and other services to an estimated 345,000 illegal immigrants.
The report estimated that 641,000 undocumented alien children were enrolled in public schools in the seven states in 1993-94 costing $3.1 billion.
California filed a lawsuit, seeking nearly $2 billion for the cost of imprisoning illegal immigrants. That suit seeks $377 million to cover the cost of incarcerating about 16,700 illegal aliens this year
Croatia, Bosnia bridge differences
ZAGREB, Croatia — Croatian and Bosnian Muslim leaders, seeking to shore up a faltering federation, agreed Wednesday to open a key road linking Croatia and Bosnia and to create joint municipal authorities in Bosnia.
The measures were part of efforts to ease growing tensions six months after Bosnian Croats and Muslims stopped fighting over territory in central Bosnia.
The Associated Press
The federation agreement, signed in March following U.S. prodding, is between Bosnian Croats and Bosnia's Muslim-led government. But neighboring Croatia figures prominently because of its influence on Bosnian Croats.
Little of the agreement has been enacted, due to lingering mutual mistrust. But the accord has opened up Bosnian government territory to shipments of illicit arms through Croatia, vastly improved food supplies and halted the fighting.
Serbs, who control about 70percent of Bosnia, have rejected U.N. peace plans and want nothing to do with the federation. They have sought to merge land they hold with Serb-dominated Yugoslavia, creating a "Greater Serbia."
Fighting in Bosnia broke out in April 1992, after the Serb minority revolted against a vote by Bosnian Croats and Muslims to secede from Yugoslavia. The fighting has left an estimated 200,000 people dead or missing.
Following two days of talks with Bosnian President Alij Izbejovicg, Croatia's president, Franjo Tudjman, said the meeting was "a big step forward" in implementing the federation agreement.
Conduct allegations postpone admiral's retirement
The Associated Press
What was supposed to have been a routine confirmation vote for the four-star retirement of Adm. Henry H. Mauz Jr.
was postponed until next week.
WASHINGTON — A retiring admiral who is helping coordinate Navy actions off Haiti ran into opposition yesterday from Senate women concerned about his personal conduct.
A Navy leutenant who was the victim of sexual harassment said Mauz took no action against those responsible. Two years ago the admiral also was shown on
"If the senator from Washington
television relaxing in Bermuda at taxpayers' expense. The Navy enlistee who blew the whistle on the trip now says Mauz sought to ruin his career.
As outgoing commander in chief of the U.S. Atlantic fleet, Mauz is coordinating Navy operations off Haiti in preparation for a possible invasion.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a navy veteran and the son and grandson of Navy admirals, ridiculed Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., for suggesting the Senate was part of the military chain of command.
"Tart things have been said to (Murray), behind her back and on the Senate floor," Mikulski said. "We do not see ourselves as the gender cops of the United States Senate but we do believe we need to stand sentry to see that questions raised are questions answered."
doesn't even know what the word 'chain of command' means, it does some damage to the credibility of her argument," McCain said.
That brought Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the dean of the Senate's five Democratic women, to her feet.
The Associated Press
Coffee burns McDonald's
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A judge ruled yesterday that McDonald's Corp. should be punished for its "willful, wanton, reckless and what the court finds was callous" behavior toward an elderly woman burned by its coffee, but nowhere near the almost $2.9 million awarded by a jury.
State District Judge Robert Scott reduced the punitive damages awarded to 81-year-old Stella Liebeck to $480,000. He let stand the $160,000.
compensatory damages award.
The jury ruled last month in favor of Liebeck, who suffered burns on her legs, groin and buttocks in 1992 when she skinned coffee on her lan
She had put the cup between her legs and tried to pry the lid off at a McDonald's drive-up window.
Liebeck argued that the coffee was a defective product.
She said the coffee was 165 to 170 degrees, while coffee brewed at home is 135 to 140 degrees.
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