HEALTH

NEW PROCESS MAY LEAD TO BLOOD TEST TO DETECT MAD COW

One of the biggest hurdles in fighting ailments such as mad cow disease and its human version has been the lack of a way to diagnose the illness. A new process may point the way to a useful blood test.

Transfusions can spread the disease among people, but there is no practical test to detect it. That is why blood donors are carefully screened to weed out people who have lived in or visited certain areas where they might have become infected.

Until now, dissecting the brains of victims has offered the only way to detect such brain-wasting diseases in humans.

These diseases are caused by agents called prions. Researchers led by neurology professor Claudio Soto at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston report they have developed a method of multiplying the number of prions in a blood sample so a blood test then can detect them. Such a test could help prevent the spread of the disease through transfusions and could detect the illness in people or animals before it can be spread to others.

The findings, to appear in the September issue of the journal Nature Medicine, were released online yesterday.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

SHOOTING DAMPENS FESTIVITIES AT MTV AWARDS

MIAMI BEACH – The MTV Video Music Awards escaped the drama and damage of Hurricane Katrina. On Sunday night, they faced being overshadowed by another dangerous name: Suge Knight.

The Death Row Records founder, who has been at the center of some of hip-hop’s most violent moments, was shot in the leg early yesterday morning at a party thrown by Kanye West and attended by stars including Jessica Alba, Eddie Murphy, Paris Hilton, the Game, and the Black Eyed Peas.

Although Mr. Knight’s injuries were not life-threatening, the violence dampened the celebratory vibe of the event. MTV said the shooting would not affect the show.

“As with all of our events, MTV has a zero tolerance policy in regards to weapons and we take appropriate security precautions to ensure the safety of our guests,” the network said in a statement. Media members were subjected to rigorous security measures, including bomb-sniffing dogs.

– Associated Press

WEST

WILDFIRES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PROMPT EVACUATION OF 100 HOMES

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – A wildfire believed to have been started by hikers spread to 4,980 acres yesterday, forcing a temporary evacuation of 100 homes west of Palm Springs.

No homes had been destroyed and there were no injuries reported, but the blaze was far from contained, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino National Forest, Kathy Ungemach, said.

The fire was started late Friday in Blaisdell Canyon by hikers trying to light a campfire, officials said. It forced the shutdown of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway on Saturday for the first time in at least 15 years. The tram transports passengers up a steep canyon of the San Jacinto Mountains to a vantage point above the Coachella Valley at about 8,500 feet.

– Associated Press

WASHINGTON

LOBBYIST CITED AID OF INTERIOR OFFICIAL IN MOVE TO BLOCK INDIAN CASINO

Indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff claimed in e-mails sent in 2002 that the deputy secretary of the interior had pledged to block an Indian casino that would compete with one of the lobbyist’s tribal clients. Abramoff later told two associates that he was trying to hire the official.

A federal task force investigating Abramoff’s activities has conducted interviews and obtained documents from Interior Department officials and Abramoff associates to determine whether conflict-of-interest laws were violated. It can be a federal crime for government officials to negotiate for a job while being involved in decisions affecting the potential employer.

The two former Abramoff associates, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are under scrutiny in the investigation, said Abramoff told them in late 2003 that he was trying to arrange for his firm, Greenberg Traurig LLP, to hire J. Steven Griles, then deputy interior secretary. Abramoff told associates that he believed Mr. Griles was “committed” to blocking an effort by the Gun Lake Indian tribe to build a casino near Grand Rapids, Mich., according to the content of e-mail messages reviewed by the Washington Post. Abramoff said the blocking would involve an environmental challenge to the project. Abramoff fought the project because it would draw business from a casino operated by his clients, the Saginaw Chippewas.

– The Washington Post