Grapes may protect against sun radiation

Substances in grapes can reduce the amount of cell damage caused in skin exposed to the sun's ultraviolet radiation, researchers in Spain say.

Marta Cascante, a biochemist at the University of Barcelona, and colleagues at the Spanish National Research Council say UV rays act on the skin by activating "reactive oxygen species," and these compounds in turn oxidize macromolecules such as lipids and DNA, stimulating certain reactions and enzymes -- JNK and p38MAPK -- that cause cell death.

The researchers showed some polyphenolic substances extracted from grapes, flavonoids, can reduce the formation of reactive oxygen species in human epidermis cells that have been exposed to long-wave ultraviolet A and medium-wave ultraviolet B radiation.

"These polyphenolic fractions inhibit the generation of the reactive oxygen species and, as a result, the subsequent activation of the JNK and p38 enzymes, meaning they have a protective effect against ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun," Cascante says in a statement.

The study is published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Many cholesterol patients don't take drugs

There are significant differences between those diagnosed with high cholesterol and those with high cholesterol and hypertension, U.S. researchers say.

Jessica Brueggeman, director of behavioral services at MicroMass Communications in Cary, N.C., says despite these differences, one striking similarity is evident -- neither group is very good at taking cholesterol-lowering medications as prescribed.

Patients with high cholesterol alone perceive high cholesterol as influenced more by heredity than by poor eating and exercise habits, and are less likely to see the benefits of taking cholesterol-lowering medications, Brueggeman says.

"This group is self-motivated and likes to feel in control, so it's vital to convince them that high cholesterol is a serious health threat that can precipitate even more serious health conditions if not treated effectively, then demonstrate how compliance with prescribed therapy, along with changes in diet and exercise, is the proven route to effective treatment," she says.

In the group of patients with co-existing metabolic conditions such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol is perceived as a threat, but treatment is given relatively low priority.

"This group has symptomatic conditions that demand constant attention, making their high cholesterol seem less urgent by comparison," Brueggeman explains.

"They view high cholesterol as something that comes and goes and are less diligent about taking their cholesterol-lowering medication as prescribed."

China bans books for dubious health claims

China has banned 104 health books officials say contain pseudoscientific information of little or no value to readers.

The General Administration of Press and Publication created a system last year to certify books in the health and medical field, Xinhua, the official government news agency, reported Saturday. Officials said checks on a sample of 50 books found almost half making claims that appeared to be dubious.

"Through a variety of means, some phony doctors and experts have been writing books and misleading the public by spreading their unscientific healthcare methods for quite some time," Liu Binjie, the agency's head, said.

One example cited by officials was "Eat Out the Disease You Have Eaten." The author, Zhang Wuben, said most diseases could be cured with a diet of mung beans, a theory that attracted so many people the price of the beans went up in Beijing.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/07/30/China-bans-books-for-dubious-health-claims/UPI-28241312075211/#ixzz1Thvc8oQX

Help for husbands whose wives have cancer

A men's support group at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas wrote a book, which shares stories of members whose wives had cancer.

Jack Hamilton, the group's facilitator, says the support group meets twice a month at Southwestern's Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and is open to any man whose wife or partner has cancer.

"There's a wealth of knowledge of men in the group who have been traveling this journey for a while," Hamilton says in a statement. "It really is the model of what a support group looks like."

In the foreword of the book, "Stages," Dr. James K.V. Willson, director of the Simmons Cancer Center, notes that for every one of the 6 million U.S. women who have cancer there are just as many or more family members affected.

"They are helping ill loved ones get through the practical challenges of day-to-day life as well as cope with the emotional hurdles of living, and sometimes dying, with cancer," Willson says. "In this book, you'll find the stories of five men who know firsthand what it's like to love and care for a cancer patient."

World's first 'printed' aircraft flies

Engineers at a British university say they've designed and flown the first "printed" aircraft, an unmanned air vehicle whose entire structure has been printed.

The Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft was printed on a nylon laser sintering machine that can fabricate plastic or metal objects by "printing" them in a 3D fashion, building up the item layer by layer, a university release said Thursday.

The SULSA aircraft uses no fasteners, relying on "snap fit" techniques so the entire aircraft can be assembled without tools in minutes, engineers said. The 6-foot-wingspan propeller-driven aircraft is powered by batteries and can reach a top speed of almost 100 mph.

The engineers said laser sintering allows shapes and structures that would normally involve costly traditional manufacturing techniques to be created quickly and inexpensively.

Construction that would normally take months -- using conventional materials and manufacturing techniques, such as composites -- is replaced by technology that allows a highly-tailored aircraft to be developed from concept to first flight in days, they said.

System could warn of bridge dangers

U.S. researchers say a new, affordable early warning system for the nation's aging bridges might avert bridge collapses that could result in loss of life.

A University of Maryland engineer says his inexpensive, wireless system could prevent the kind of bridge collapse that killed 13 people and injured 145 on a Minneapolis interstate bridge on Aug. 1, 2007, and do so at 1 percent of the cost of current wired systems.

"Potentially hundreds of lives could be saved," Mehdi Kalantari says. "One of every four U.S. highway bridges has known structural problems or exceeded its intended life-span. Most only get inspected once every one or two years. That's a bad mix."

Kalantari has developed tiny wireless sensors that monitor and transmit minute-by-minute data on a bridge's structural integrity that can be analyzed by a central computer to warn officials instantly of possible trouble, a UM release said Friday.

The sensors measure a number of indicators of a bridge's structural health -- including strain, vibration, flexibility and development of metal cracks.

"This new approach makes preventive maintenance affordable -- even at a time when budgets are tight," Kalantari says. "Officials will be able to catch problems early and will have weeks or month to fix a problem."

Alonzo Mourning in accident lawsuit

A lawsuit filed against former Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning claims he left the scene of a car crash too soon, leaving a crash victim disabled and disfigured.

Mourning and the Florida Highway Patrol both say after Mourning crashed his Porsche into the side of a disabled car in Miami Beach early Sunday. He stopped to check on an accident victim before going home, calling police and then returning to the scene.

A suit filed Wednesday by Miami college student William Candelario, 21, claims Mourning acted negligently by failing to assist him, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

"This is not a witch hunt," Candelario's lawyer said in announcing the suit.

"We know that Alonzo Mourning is a respected and well-loved member of the community," attorney Spencer Aronfeld said.

"But we have questions. One is why did Mr. Mourning leave the scene of this accident? How and why did he leave the scene of the accident without calling fire-rescue or calling the police?"

Mourning has not been charged in the collision, and the highway patrol said an investigation was ongoing.

"I am now waiting for the police to finish their investigation, and happy they are conducting a thorough one," Mourning said.

"There's so much speculation going on out there," he said. "It's very unfair to me. The truth will come out as we continue to gather all the facts and I speak to authorities."