University Of California At Irvine

In yet another controversy springing from the UC Irvine fertility scandal, a former patient of Dr. Richardo H. Asch is seeking to establish a relationship with 6-year-old twins who she believes were conceived with her eggs but born to another couple, the woman's attorney said Sunday. Jane A.

UC Irvine's legal troubles stemming from the human egg-swapping scandal at its once prestigious clinic continued Wednesday as a Sacramento woman filed a lawsuit contending a 7-year-old boy is the offspring of eggs and embryos stolen from her.

With UC Irvine's Raimonds Miglinieks, what you don't see is what gets you. Ask the defenders who only hear the basketball as it whizzes past their ears on the way to Kevin Simmons' waiting hands before proceeding to its ultimate destination, the basket. Or ask an unsuspecting teammate who was looking elsewhere when the ball bounced off his nose. "Until you get used to it, playing with him must mean playing with stubbed fingers and black eyes," marveled Chris Wallace, a scout for the Miami Heat.

Forty-three turnovers in 45 minutes, courtesy the fickle fingers of the Anteaters from UC Irvine and the 49ers of Long Beach State? Just another Saturday night in the Big West. Sixty-eight missed shots and 39% shooting from the field, set to the rhythmic slapping and pounding of leather against plexiglass and metal? Just another Saturday night in the Big West.

What renowned University of California fertility specialist Ricardo H. Asch allegedly handed to a Wisconsin zoologist was, by any measure, a precious gift. In a country where relatively few couples donate their reproductive tissues for experiments, Asch bestowed 21 freshly inseminated eggs and three frozen embryos on Gerald Schatten from 1993 to 1994, UC San Diego officials say. The well-known scientist then used them to probe the mysteries of why some fertility treatments fail.

In his first wide-ranging interview, the former director of UC Irvine's scandal-plagued fertility clinic lashed out Monday at what he called a "sloppy," vengeful university and a press corps willing to believe UCI's self-serving lies. "I blame all of you," Dr. Ricardo Asch said of the mess his life has become. Appearing thin but well-rested, Asch portrayed himself in back-to-back media interviews throughout the day as a man bewildered and betrayed.

In his first wide-ranging interviews about the UC Irvine fertility clinic scandal, former clinic director Dr. Ricardo H. Asch lashed out Monday at what he called a vengeful university and a willingness among the media to believe the accusations against him. "I blame all of you," the doctor told reporters. Appearing well-rested, Asch portrayed himself in back-to-back media interviews throughout the day as bewildered and betrayed.

A team of UC Irvine and British researchers have discovered the gene for a hereditary disorder that can cause severe facial anomalies and hearing loss, UCI officials announced Friday. Chromosome research led by UCI biochemist John Wasmuth, who died in December, contributed to isolating the Treacher Collins gene, officials said. In his final complete work to be published, Wasmuth's findings appear in the February issue of the science journal Nature Genetics.

A state assemblywoman introduced two bills Wednesday intended to prevent improprieties such as those alleged against UC Irvine fertility doctors by tightening regulations on clinical and financial practices. Also in response to the fertility scandal, UC Irvine has begun implementing a revised whistle-blower policy spelling out in more detail how the university should respond to staff members' complaints of improprieties by university staffers.

Rui de Fiqueiredo, a UC Irvine professor of mathematics and electrical and computer engineering, has been elected vice president for publications by the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society. The worldwide 17,000-member organization focuses on all aspects of the theory, design and applications of electronic circuits, networks and systems.