Dallas

Third gene identified for congenital defect

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.

Minnesota

Mother faces charges in infant’s drowning

A woman allegedly threw her twin infant sons off a bridge into the Mississippi River, then jumped in herself, screaming incoherently as she fell 75 feet to the water, police said.

Several people who were at the river’s edge for the city’s July Fourth fireworks display Friday jumped in after them. A man rescued one of the 11-month-old boys, then pulled the mother to safety with the help of others.

The body of a baby was found Sunday night about 17 miles downriver, and Dakota County Sheriff’s dispatcher Jan Kaeder said officials were “all but technically sure it’s the child.” She said a coroner would make the final determination.

Naomi Gaines, 24, and the rescued boy were expected to recover.

Gaines, who has no criminal record, could face charges as early as today. She also has a 7-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter, neighbors said.

Florida

14 bicyclists injured when group hit by car

A motorist swerved over the center lane in a no-passing zone Sunday and plowed into a group of oncoming bicyclists, injuring 14 of them, officials said.

Joseph Pastore, 60, said he was trying to pass a slow-moving car when he struck the group on a two-lane residential road, said police spokesman George Kajtsa.

The 25 to 30 bicyclists were members of two clubs who were on a weekly outing.

It was unclear how fast Pastore was traveling or whether his driver’s license was valid. Kajtsa said investigators questioned him and initiated tests to see whether he was impaired by alcohol or medication.

Charges were pending the outcome of the investigation.

None of the bicyclists had life-threatening injuries, officials said.

California

Arrest made in chef’s stabbing

A woman who critically wounded her former boyfriend and fatally stabbed the man’s 13-year-old son in his bedroom was arrested late Saturday, police said.

Jean Marc Weber, 45, head chef at the California Club, an exclusive private club in downtown Los Angeles, crawled to a neighbor’s front porch and pleaded for help after the Friday morning attack.

The woman, Tamara K. Bohler, was arrested late Saturday after a security guard spotted her, bleeding and bewildered, in front of a condominium complex about 8 miles south of the scene of the attack, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino said.

Bohler was booked for investigation of murder and attempted murder, Amormino said.

Weber was hospitalized in critical condition and was under police guard, authorities said.