Researchers unveil key protein in flu fight

MILWAUKEE -- In an intriguing finding, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have unveiled a critical protein that prevents influenza viruses from entering cells, a mechanism that could spark production of anti-viral medications to fight multiple flu strains, including the deadly strain of bird flu that's circulating globally.

The authors said the findings provide a basic understanding of how to block replication in both seasonal flu strains and the avian influenza H5N1 virus inside cells, thus halting their ability to spread infection.

"To have an entity that might be useful both in preventing infection as well as treating it is truly unique," said William Schaffner, a flu expert and head of the preventive medicine department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., who was not involved in the study.

Texas teacher, school spar after complaints about field trip

FRISCO, Texas -- Like the artwork that teacher Sydney McGee insists she was fired for letting her students study, her former school says there's more to her dismissal than is apparent at first glimpse.

McGee, who taught elementary school in this sprawling Dallas suburb, has drawn national sympathy and disbelief since claiming she was let go last month because a parent complained that their child saw a nude piece during a field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art.

Eighty-nine of McGee's fifth-graders toured the museum during the April trip, which McGee concedes likely included nudes but was arranged as a chance to see Picassos and Piet Mondrians.

"It's not a place of pornography, it's art," said McGee, 51, who has taught for 28 years and lists Oxford University among her graduate studies.

Rhode Island pumpkin weighs 1,502 pounds

WARREN, R.I. -- Despite heavy rains that stunted pumpkin growth, a Rhode Island farmer has set what could be a new record for the largest pumpkin in the world.

Ron Wallace's pumpkin weighed 1,502 pounds at Saturday's weigh-off competition, heavier than the current Guinness World Record-holding 1,469-pound pumpkin grown last year by Larry Checkon of Pennsylvania.

Wallace said at the 13th annual Rhode Island Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Championship that the key to growing a giant pumpkin is the ability to commit to the task from April to October.

2 Texas mothers who killed their children form friendship

DALLAS -- Two Texas women who killed their young children in cases that drew nationwide attention have formed a friendship at a state hospital, a newspaper reports.

Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children in the bathtub, and Dena Schlosser, whose baby died after she severed the girl's arms with a kitchen knife, became roommates at the Maple unit of the North Texas State Hospital after each was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

"We talk about our past, we talk about our memories, our fun memories, the things that our kids did," Schlosser told The Dallas Morning News. With the support of her family, Schlosser agreed to be interviewed several times by phone.

Yates did not want to come to the phone. But her ex-husband Rusty Yates, who still regularly visits her at the hospital in Vernon, 174 miles northwest of Dallas, said Schlosser has become a friend.

"Hopefully, they can help each other through the long recovery process," he said.

Looking for a better way for people to navigate

ATLANTA -- Satellite-based navigation gadgets can guide motorists from high above, saving bumbling drivers countless hours and extra trips to the gas station. But directing people on a much smaller scale -- such as inside an office -- is a much greater challenge.

Locator equipment based on Global Positioning System satellites is accurate to about 10 feet -- fine for drivers searching for the next right turn but not for pedestrians seeking a front door. And the range of GPS is limited indoors, and it can't on its own differentiate between a path and a wall.

Georgia Institute of Technology researchers are trying to pick up where GPS leaves off. Its System for Wearable Audio Navigation, or SWAN, consists of a wearable computer connected to a headband packed with sensors that help sight-impaired users know where they are and how to get where they're going.

Companies push smarter eating

CHICAGO -- In a culture riddled with conflicting messages about food, where nearly two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, employers desperate to control soaring health costs are trying to change America's eating habits.

Companies that served doughnuts at meetings are setting out bowls of apples instead. They're discounting veggie wraps at the cafeteria while charging extra for pizza, and stocking vending machines with fruits and nuts.

Armed with data linking excess weight to increased health risks, they're transforming traditional wellness programs into branded campaigns with cash incentives for good nutrition and weight control.

Healthy eating no longer is promoted by a lone advocate "who maybe had an office somewhere or a cubicle down the hall," said LuAnn Heinen, director of a Washington, D.C.-based obesity initiative backed by more than 30 corporations, from American Express to Xerox.

Battered Marine unit still adjusting

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A year after they returned home, members of a badly battered Marine Corps unit are still finding it hard to adjust to their civilian lives.

Some Marines of Lima Company, which lost 16 reservists in Iraq, say they dislike being in crowds, because crowds in Iraq meant trouble.

"I feel like a different person," said Cpl. Seth Judy, 25, who had surgery in July to remove the last bit of shrapnel embedded in his left knee. "I don't have a free spirit the way I used to."

The Columbus-based company, part of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, returned home Oct. 7, 2005. The unit was the subject of A&E Television Network's documentary film, "Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company," which used personal video shot by the Marines.

Nearly all the Lima Company Marines are back to their civilian lives. Judy and 11 others injured in Iraq are on what the military calls "medical hold," meaning the reservists are still considered active-duty Marines while they continue medical treatments.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A4.