Silent virus a rare, dangerous risk for the unborn

CHICAGO — It's a common, usually harmless virus. But in a rare, unlucky set of circumstances, it can be devastating for infants whose mothers become infected during pregnancy.

Brain damage, deafness and other birth defects are among potential problems when women inadvertently transmit the virus in the womb. Because those complications are so rare, most people have never heard of CMV — shorthand for cytomegalovirus.

Infectious disease specialists, parents of affected children and, now, some legislators, are trying to spread awareness about the virus.

Erica Steadman learned about CMV when her daughter Evelyn was born with a small head and probable brain damage last year. The baby is deaf and potentially faces developmental problems.

"It's pretty devastating to us. I did everything I was supposed to do when I was pregnant to make sure she was healthy and I didn't know about this one thing," said Steadman, who lives in Crete, Illinois, outside Chicago. "We have to face the consequences of that."

CMV is related to germs that cause genital herpes, cold sores, and chickenpox. It spreads by exposure to body fluids from an infected person. Infections are usually silent but can also cause sore throats and fatigue.

However, the virus can be serious for people with weakened immune systems, including HIV-infected patients and organ transplant recipients. It can also interfere with prenatal brain growth.

The chances of getting infected while pregnant are small, and the chances of passing along the virus in utero are even smaller. Of about 4 million annual U.S. births, about 30,000 babies — less than 1 percent — are born with a CMV infection. About 5,000 of those babies will have CMV-related permanent problems.

The first law in the nation mandating a CMV awareness campaign took effect last July in Utah. It requires urine or saliva tests in newborns who fail already required hearing tests. Studies suggest early treatment with anti-viral medicine may limit hearing loss and may benefit the child's development, too.

Lawmakers in Illinois and Connecticut introduced similar measures this year. These efforts signal "a very exciting potential shift" in thinking about congenital CMV, said Dr. Gail Demmler-Harrison, a CMV specialist at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. She's involved in trying to get similar legislation drafted in Texas.

Evidence indicates doctors don't often mention CMV to pregnant patients; that gap led to Utah's law. It was sponsored by state Rep. Ronda Menlove, whose 3-year-old granddaughter has CMV-caused deafness. The law has led to a new state health department Web page and pamphlets for doctors' offices.

About 50 Utah newborns have had CMV tests so far; nine tested positive, said Stephanie McVicar, director of newborn hearing screening for Utah's health department.

Farah Armstrong of Katy, Texas, joined advocates for Connecticut's proposed law after her 2-week-old daughter Maddie died from severe CMV complications in February.

"This is something that no mother should ever have to face," Armstrong wrote in testimony supporting that measure, which didn't get approved before the legislative session ended this month.

The Illinois measure stalled earlier this year because of funding problems and opposition from the Illinois State Medical Society, which called proposed newborn CMV testing an attempt to legislate doctors' jobs. But state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, the bill's sponsor, declared partial victory because "we got the word out."

All U.S. newborns get blood tests to screen for at least 30 rare but serious diseases and undergo hearing tests before leaving the hospital. Most experts don't recommend routine CMV testing in newborns, partly because congenital CMV is uncommon and usually causes no problems. Also, CMV screening would subject newborns to a separate test, since blood tests aren't ideal for detecting the virus, Demmler-Harrison said.

Pregnant women who contract the virus often get it from young children, who tend to be more contagious than adults, Demmler-Harrison said.

The CDC recommends hygiene measures that may reduce the chances of getting infected. These include not sharing food, utensils or toothbrushes used by young children; and thorough hand-washing after changing diapers, handling children's toys or wiping their noses.

Research suggests a drug used for preventing CMV infection from organ transplants might reduce the chances of infected pregnant women passing the virus to their fetuses. A government study is underway to test that idea.

Efforts to develop a CMV vaccine for adults or children have proved challenging, but studies are ongoing and "we're hopeful," said Dr. Ken Alexander, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago.

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Online:

CDC: http://tinyurl.com/73sxx48

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Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner

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Obama to trumpet tourism at Baseball Hall of Fame

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he's heading to the Baseball Hall of Fame to stress how tourism can lead to good-paying jobs.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says he'll be in Cooperstown, New York, on Thursday.

Obama also is urging Congress to spend more to modernize U.S. bridges, roads and ports. He says first-class infrastructure attracts first-class jobs.

Obama warns that almost 700,000 jobs are at risk if Congress doesn't authorize more transportation dollars by the end of summer.

In the Republican address, Sen. John McCain of Arizona says reported delays in care for veterans are unconscionable. He says the Department of Veterans Affairs needs to be overhauled.

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Online:

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: http://www.youtube.com/user/gopweeklyaddress

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Car Smart: Jaguar sports some new spots

At first glance, there's not much that distinguishes the Jaguar XF from a Ford Fusion or a Volvo S80, but all you need to do is hop inside to see and feel the difference.

Luxury comes from the interior and the driving experience, not the exterior. Long gone is the iconic Jaguar hood ornament as this is not the Jaguar of old. The front of the XF sports an understated honeycomb grille with a Jaguar emblem that matches the center of its 19-inch wheels.

Leather stitching on the dashboard frames a 7-inch touch screen GPS and entertainment system pumping some 825 watts. Bluetooth connects with ease, part of a system that is so easy to use, you may never have to crack open the manual.

Supple leather six-way power seats are cooled for warm summer days and heated for those frigid February mornings. The test XF car is also equipped with a heated steering wheel, which comes in handy while you wait for the engine to warm up from freezing temperatures.

Paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel take the optional 3-liter supercharged V6 XF from a sports car to a race car experience. This 8-speed all-wheel-drive car craves speed and loves to corner, so care needs to be taken to avoid the occasional police escort. An ASL mode limits the speed and would be a wise choice for those who would like to ward off the blue-light special.

The XF rides low to the ground and strikes the delicate balance between feeling every pebble and being too cushy. Responsive steering and great sight lines make driving this car quite enjoyable.

An unexpected feature is the ECO mode, which takes some getting used to, but saves some gas money and the environment. It's an awkward sensation that makes the XF feel as though it has stalled. The ECO mode shuts the car off at lights and when stopped in traffic, then fires the car up when it's time to go. With the XF averaging 16 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway, the ECO mode will come in handy.

A modern cockpit feel is enhanced by a pop-up drive shifter, which at first seems over the top, but soon becomes second nature to the driver. All the drive options are right at your fingertips in James Bond-style.

With an MSRP of $58,725 as tested, there aren't many trade-offs with the exception that there's just not that much space. The trunk is small and the back seat lacks the legroom of Jaguars past, but then again this is not a Jaguar of old.

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Casino co. drops suit over tribal preference

A company that wants to build a resort casino in New Bedford has ended its legal battle with the state over a section of the gaming law that gives initial preference to a federally recognized Indian tribe in the southeastern part of the state.

In court documents filed yesterday, the 1st Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals said an appeal by KG Urban Enterprises had been voluntarily dismissed.

"We have filed our initial application with the MGC (Massachusetts Gaming Commission) and engaged in conversations with the city of New Bedford," Andrew Paven, a spokesman for KG, said in an email. "Our focus is on winning a license, not litigation."

The company sued the state after the passage of the 2011 law allowing for up to three regional resort casinos and one slots parlor. The lawsuit argued that a provision that effectively gave the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe temporary exclusivity in the southeast region was unconstitutional because it discriminated against commercial developers such as KG.

In 2013, the gaming commission voted to begin accepting casino applications from commercial developers in the region, while still keeping tabs on the tribe's efforts to win federal approval for a proposed casino in Taunton.

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Victims’ lawyer blasts GM, feds

A Texas lawyer representing the families of more than 60 people killed and 600 seriously injured in accidents allegedly caused by faulty ignition switches in General Motors vehicles criticized the automaker and the federal regulatory agency that fined it $35 million yesterday for taking more than a decade to disclose the defect in millions of cars.

"Thirty-five million dollars is pennies in a fountain, less then 1 percent of GM's total net worth and cash on hand," said Robert C. Hilliard, whose clients include a Boston College graduate assistant football coach whose sister was killed while driving a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which levied the fine, "has always been seen as a toothless tiger, a joke inside the walls of the big car companies," Hilliard said. "This is a complete victory for GM ... NHTSA needs to speak on behalf of the memories of my clients' loved ones ... It needs to order these defective cars parked now."

Although the maximum fine from safety regulators was doubled to $35 million this year, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urged Congress to raise it to $300 million.

Phil Trautwein, the coach whose 19-year-old sister, Sarah, was killed five years ago when her car veered off a South Carolina highway at 8 a.m. and hit a tree, went a step further.

"We want criminal charges against GM," Trautwein told the Herald, urging people to join the more than 109,000 others calling for that in a petition on Change.org/GM.

The nation's largest auto-maker already is the subject of a criminal probe by the U.S. Justice Department, as well as a civil investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

NHTSA also is fining the company $7,000 a day for failing to answer 107 questions about the ignition-switch recalls by April 3.

GM has acknowledged knowing since at least 2001 that the switches in its Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other compact cars could turn off without warning, disabling the power steering and brakes, as well as the air bags.

But although automakers are required by law to report safety-related problems within five days, it was not until February that the company began recalling 2.6 million of the cars.

"GM's ultimate goal is to create an exemplary process and produce the safest cars for our customers," CEO Mary Barra said in a statement yesterday. "They deserve no less."

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Hub co. raises $12M for diet pill

A Boston biotech company working on a new kind of weight-loss pill to reduce obesity has received a 
$12 million boost from investors that it will use to continue clinical trials and development.

"It will help you to lose weight ... by making you feel satisfied with smaller portions," said Yishai Zohar CEO and founder of Gelesis. "It's a capsule that contains thousands of small particles that can absorb 100 times its original weight in gastric fluid."

Regulated as a medical device rather than medication, Gelesis100 is a "smart pill" whose particles travel through the stomach and the small and large intestines, making the patient feel full from less food and for longer.

"We don't want to prevent people from eating, we just want them to eat a little bit less," Zohar said.

The infusion of cash comes from the Pritzker/Vlock Family Office, founder PureTech and undisclosed investors, the company said.

Dr. Caroline Apovian, a professor at the Boston University School of Medicine who serves on many advisory boards for obesity treatments — including Gelesis — said the current treatment options aren't sufficient.

"We need more options," she said. "There are people who need to be treated who may not be able to tolerate medication."

The other alternative is surgery, but many people don't want to undergo such an invasive procedure. And an increasing number of adults are being diagnosed as obese, Apovian said.

"This is an alarming rate of increase," Apovian said. "We're at epidemic levels."

Zohar said development is continuing, but the pill is still several years from being commercially available.

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Government fine hardly the end of GM recall saga

DETROIT — General Motors' agreement to pay a $35 million federal fine for concealing defects in small-car ignition switches and to give the government greater oversight of its safety procedures closes one chapter of the automaker's recall saga. But it's far from over.

Besides agreeing to pay the penalty — the largest ever assessed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — GM admitted that it broke the law by failing to quickly tell the government about the problems. The automaker agreed to report safety problems a lot faster — it only started recalling 2.6 million small cars this February, more than a decade after engineers first found a flaw in the switches.

The switches in older-model small cars such as the Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Ion can slip out of the "run" position and shut down the cars' engines. That disables the power-assisted steering and brakes and can cause drivers to lose control. It also disables the air bags.

The company says at least 13 people have died in crashes linked to the problem, but trial lawyers suing the company say the death toll is at least 53.

GM faces issues both in the near-term and longer term related to the recall. Here's a breakdown:

— THE INTERNAL INVESTIGATION: Late this month or early in June, former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas will finish an investigation for GM into why the company delayed recalling the cars. GM has promised an "unvarnished" report and said it will make at least some of the results public. The company must provide NHTSA with the full report.

— THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION: The U.S. Justice Department is investigating GM's conduct and may bring criminal charges. The same team that got Toyota to agree to a $1.2 billion penalty for hiding unintended acceleration problems from NHTSA is working on the GM case. In the Toyota case, the company agreed to a long statement of facts that included multiple allegations of cover-ups. That investigation lasted four years.

— CONGRESSIONAL ACTION: Two congressional subcommittees have promised to call GM CEO Mary Barra back to Washington for further hearings after the Valukas report is released. At hearings in April, Barra repeatedly said she couldn't answer questions because the internal investigation wasn't finished.

— RECALLS: Barra promoted longtime engineer Jeff Boyer as GM's safety chief, with the mandate to look into other safety issues that should have resulted in recalls. On Thursday, GM announced it would recall another 2.7 million cars and trucks. So far this year the company has had 24 recalls with a total of 11.2 million vehicles. GM is working to get new ignition switches as well as parts for the other recalls from suppliers. Its ignition switch maker plans to add two assembly lines this summer to the one already working. GM expects to have all the switches made by Oct. 4.

— BOTTOM LINE: So far, recall-related charges are up to $1.5 billion, mostly for repairing vehicles. GM also faces dozens of lawsuits from families of those killed in crashes and from people who were hurt. The company has hired compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg to negotiate settlements. Lawyers say they have at least 400 possible cases against GM. That could cost the company billions. GM also faces lawsuits from shareholders and people whose cars have lost value. In addition, GM must pay NHTSA $7,000 for every day it fails to answer a list of questions from the agency. The fines started April 4 and already are above $300,000.

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Investors play it safe as doubt over economy rises

NEW YORK — Wall Street has caught a case of the jitters.

Employers are hiring at their fastest pace in 2 ½ years, the economy is expected to expand by a robust 3.5 percent this quarter and corporate earnings have hit a record. But you wouldn't know it from the way many investors are acting.

They're pouring money into U.S. Treasury bonds, considered the world's safest asset. They're loading up on dull, but reliable utility stocks. They're dumping holdings that would get hurt most from a stalled recovery, like stocks of retailers and risky small companies.

Just a few months ago, investors thought the economy would grow rapidly this year. Now they're not so sure and shifting money around in surprising ways, a sign that confidence remains fragile five years into a recovery.

"It doesn't take much — an itsy-bitsy sell-off — and suddenly everyone is conservative," says Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Wells Capital Management. "We've climbed a wall of worry throughout this recovery and we're still doing that."

Many experts had expected a recovery that finally felt like one this year. More companies would be hiring, consumers would spend more, and businesses that had slashed expenses to generate profits would now earn them by selling more. Investors would unload safe government bonds, forcing their prices down and their yields, which move in the opposite direction, up.

But the year is unfolding somewhat off script.

Small-company stocks that are often good bets in an accelerating economy are teetering on a "correction," Wall Street parlance for a drop of 10 percent from a high. Many Internet stocks, the ultimate optimistic bet, passed that level weeks ago — and are still dropping. Meanwhile, utilities — unsexy, but stable — have soared 10 percent so far this year, more than double the gain of any of the other nine sectors in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.

Most surprising is the new ardor for U.S. government bonds. Instead of fleeing them as they had late last year, investors can't seem to buy enough. On Friday, the yield on U.S. Treasury notes maturing in 10 years stood at 2.52 percent, half a percentage point lower that it was just five months. That is a big move for bonds.

There's plenty of reason for caution — a stalled housing recovery, for instance, disappointing first-quarter economic growth in the U.S. and Europe, a possible civil war in Ukraine and a cooling Chinese economy. The flood of money into U.S. government bonds may reflect frustration as much as fear. Investors seeking income may be turning to the U.S. because they're unhappy with the paltry payouts on bonds of other rich countries, such as those of Japan and Germany, where yields are even lower.

But something not as easy to pinpoint, more ephemeral, may also be prompting investors to play it safer: Many Americans, still haunted by the financial crisis, don't trust the recovery.

"They're not willing to take risks," says Matt Lloyd, chief investment strategist of Advisors Asset Management. He points to bankers still too scared to lend, CEOs playing it safe by using cash to buy back stocks instead of expanding operations, and consumers not "buying that fifth TV."

Jeff Klingelhofer, an associate bond portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment Management, says investors are second-guessing the health of the economy.

"We've seen these fits and starts of positive economic (news) only to see a few months later disappointing data," he says. So investors are taking a wait-and-see approach.

Many economists suspect the U.S. economy shrank in the first three months of the year, but attribute that to harsh winter weather. They are confident of a big expansion in the current quarter.

A raft of recent reports suggests they might be right. Employers added 288,000 jobs in April, the most in 2 ½ years. Americans have stepped up their spending. And on Thursday, the Labor Department reported that the consumer price index rose a healthy 2 percent in April compared with a year earlier.

Higher inflation can be a sign of economic strength because it usually reflects more spending by shoppers and businesses. But it also is bad for bond investors. The money returned to them when their bond matures will buy less.

But instead of selling U.S. Treasurys, investors bought on the inflation news, pushing the 10-year yield to its lowest in 10 months.

This year's nervousness follows an exuberant 2013, when the S&P 500-stock index surged nearly 30 percent, not including dividends. By some measures, that has left stocks at dangerous highs compared to earnings, another reason for today's skittishness.

This year, the S&P 500 has hit ten new highs, two this week alone. But they have been on tiny gains, and the index itself is only 1.6 percent higher than it was at the start of the year. On Friday, after waffling between small gains and losses, the index ended slightly higher.

If this is the top of the market, it feels different from previous peaks.

In 2000, the stock market's surge was accompanied by books such as "Dow 36,000" which offered tips to profit from a continued climb. The run-up in stocks that ended in 2007 was marked by heavy borrowing by consumers, investors and businesses, with little inkling of the danger ahead.

Today, the mood is sober.

"We don't sense any excitement," says Jim Russell, a regional investment director at US Bank. Instead, he says investors are filled with worry "waiting for the next shoe to drop."

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Turkey mine search ends; last of 301 bodies found

SAVASTEPE, Turkey — Turkish rescue workers have retrieved the bodies of the last two missing miners in the nation's worst mining disaster, putting the final death toll at 301, the energy minister said Saturday.

Taner Yildiz said 485 miners escaped or were rescued after Tuesday's explosion and fire that devastated a coal mine in Soma, western Turkey.

"All corners of the mine were searched by a large team and there was no other body or living person," he said. "Until today we had focused on search and rescue efforts. Now we will be focusing on investigations, on what will happen about production."

"We won't be leaving (Soma) because the search efforts are ending," he added. "There will be psychological and social support."

Government and mining officials have insisted that the disaster was not due to negligence and that the mine was inspected regularly. Akin Celik, the mine's operations manager, has said thick smoke from the underground fire killed many miners who had no gas masks. High levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have been a problem for rescue workers as well.

But one miner, 24-year-old Erdal Bicak, told The Associated Press that he believes the disaster was due to the mining company's negligence.

"The company is guilty," Bicak said. He said managers had machines that measure methane gas levels: "The new gas levels had gotten too high and they didn't tell us in time."

Yildiz said it is too early to say why the explosion occurred.

"The true cause of the accident will be assessed ... through different dimensions," he said. "There will be lessons to draw for the mining world."

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Boston Celtics owners invest in skateboard league

BOSTON — There might not be many obvious similarities between high-tech electric car racing and some dude in a hoodie riding a skateboard.

To Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck and his fellow investors at Causeway Media Partners, it's all about re-imagining the way you look at sports.

"It's a twist on an existing sport," Grousbeck said this week after the group invested in Street League Skateboarding, a professional circuit for the growing but decidedly low-tech sport. "They're reconfigured sports for the modern era."

A Celtics owner since 2002, Grousbeck and a dozen of his partners in the NBA franchise have raised about $100 million to invest in sports media and entertainment companies through Causeway Media Partners. Their first plunge was a stake in Formula E, an all-electric, Formula One-style racing circuit that has celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Richard Branson hoping to mine it for planet-saving technological breakthroughs.

The follow-up is in another wheel sport.

The fact that it's low-tech is part of the attraction.

"Skateboarding's not a very expensive sport to pick up. It doesn't require you be a part of a team," said Causeway co-founder Mark Wan, who is also a part-owner in the Celtics and the San Francisco 49ers. "That's one of the goals of street league is to make this really accessible."

Like Formula E, Street League Skateboarding is a new take on an established sport — giving it both a track record and potential for growth. Grousbeck compared it to the way ultimate fighting re-imagined boxing, or new formats that took cricket matches from five days to 2 or 3 hours. (Causeway is not an investor in either.)

"These are well-traveled sports," Grousbeck said. "We've told our partners that we're going to look at things that are successful and try to take them to the next level. These aren't pure startups. It's not seed capital."

Founded in 2010 by skater Rob Dyrdek and business partner Brian Atlas, Street League Skateboarding has grown into the sport's most lucrative competition, with a $200,000 first-place prize for its world championship. It already has a TV deal with Fox Sports 1, a sponsorship agreement with Nike and the top 20 skateboarders under exclusive contracts.

But Atlas and Dyrdek decided it was time to bring in outside investors.

"We were maxed out on our resources," Atlas said. "We felt like we were hitting a ceiling with our own business in terms of our revenue. We needed, beyond the strategic support, the additional firepower to grow. And that's what we believe Causeway will be able to bring."

Causeway will put $4 million to $5 million into the league — with the possibility for more down the line. Atlas said the partnership will also bring along its expertise in everything from human resources and ticket sales to big-picture strategy and media contacts developed over a decade in legacy bat and ball sports.

"We met with a lot of people," Atlas said. "We feel extremely privileged and blessed to have landed with a group of guys that have that experience."

Professional skateboarding has the potential to draw fans from 10 million recreational participants— an estimated 30 million worldwide — who are 86 percent male, 59 percent from 18-24 years old — a demographic that would be attractive to companies making headphones and other electronics, action sports apparel and skateboards themselves.

"Skateboarding is a lifestyle for a lot of these young people," Wan said. "They now can identify with professionals who do this for a living and have a pretty good lifestyle."

They also have a future — if they're good enough.

Part of the Street League plan is to create a "path to pro" that would lead from public skate parks — SLS has already helped build or design about 10 of them across the country — to a world championship. This year's season begins this weekend with the first Pro Open, in Los Angeles, which lets 20 elite skateboarders compete for more than $75,000 in prize money and a chance to earn their way onto the world tour.

By next year, the league hopes to have more entry-level events feeding into an open championship. A series of arena shows — this year there are two scheduled, in Chicago and Los Angeles — would be followed in August by a Super Crown championship.

International expansion is also part of the plan. The possibility of skateboarding becoming an Olympic sport — it is under consideration for the 2020 Games in Tokyo — would give it even more exposure.

"It could be a real boon for the sport," Wan said. "It's not something we're assuming or counting on, but we're thinking it would be great for the sport, just as it has for snowboarding in the Winter Olympics."

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