Broccoli 'may help protect lungs'

Sulforapane is found in broccoli and brussel sprouts

A substance found in broccoli may limit the damage which leads to serious lung disease, research suggests.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often caused by smoking and kills about 30,000 UK residents a year.

US scientists found that sulforapane increases the activity of the NRF2 gene in human lung cells which protects cells from damage caused by toxins.

The same broccoli compound was recently found to be protective against damage to blood vessels caused by diabetes.

Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have also been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Cell pollutants

In the latest study, a team from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found significantly lower activity of the NRF2 gene in smokers with advanced COPD.

Writing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, they said the gene is responsible for turning on several mechanisms for removing toxins and pollutants which can damage cells.

We know broccoli naturally contains important compounds but studies so far have taken place in the test tube and further research is needed to find if you can produce the same effect in humans Spokeswoman, British Lung Foundation

Previous studies in mice had shown that disrupting the NRF2 gene caused early onset severe emphysema - one of the conditions suffered by COPD patients.

Increasing the activity of NRF2 may lead to useful treatments for preventing the progression of COPD, the researchers said.

In the study, they showed that sulforapane was able to restore reduced levels of NRF2 in cells exposed to cigarette smoke.

"Future studies should target NRF2 as a novel strategy to increase antioxidant protection in the lungs and test its ability to improve lung function in people with COPD," said study leader Dr Shyam Biswal.

A spokeswoman for the British Lung Foundation said: "This is an important study for the 3 million people in the UK with COPD because of its findings about the imbalance of oxidants and antioxidants in the lungs.

"We know broccoli naturally contains important compounds but studies so far have taken place in the test tube and further research is needed to find if you can produce the same effect in humans."

Taxi drivers 'have brain sat-nav'

By Elizabeth Mitchell Science reporter, BBC News

The knowledge: London cabbies are famous for knowing their way around

Scientists have uncovered evidence for an inbuilt "sat-nav" system in the brains of London taxi drivers.

They used magnetic scanners to explore the brain activity of taxi drivers as they navigated their way through a virtual simulation of London's streets.

Different brain regions were activated as they considered route options, spotted familiar landmarks or thought about their customers.

The research was presented at this week's BA Science Festival.

Earlier studies had shown that taxi drivers have a larger hippocampus - a region of the brain that plays an important role in navigation.

Their brains even "grow on the job" as they build up detailed information needed to find their way around London's labyrinth of streets - information famously referred to as "The Knowledge".

"We were keen to go beyond brain structure - and see what activity is going on inside the brains of taxi drivers while they are doing their job," said Dr Hugo Spiers from University College London.

The scientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to obtain "minute by minute" brain images from 20 taxi drivers as they delivered customers to destinations on "virtual jobs".

The scientists adapted the Playstation2 game "Getaway" to bring the streets of London into the scanner.

After the scan - and without prior warning - the drivers watched a replay of their performance and reported what they had been thinking at each stage.

"We tried to peel out the common thoughts that taxi drivers tend to have as they drive through the city, and then tie them down to a particular time and place," said Dr Spiers.

The series of scans revealed a complex choreography of brain activity as the taxi drivers responded to different scenarios.

The hippocampus was only active when the taxi drivers initially planned their route, or if they had to completely change their destination during the course of the journey.

The scientists saw activity in a different brain region when the drivers came across an unexpected situation - for example, a blocked-off junction.

Another part of the brain helped taxi drivers to track how close they were to the endpoint of their journey; like a metal detector, its activity increased when they were closer to their goal.

Changes also occurred in brain regions that are important in social behaviour.

Taxi driving is not just about navigation: "Drivers do obsess occasionally about what their customers are thinking," said Dr Spiers.

Animals use a number of different mechanisms to navigate - the Sun's polarized light rays, the Earth's magnetic fields and the position of the stars.

This research provides new information about the specific roles of areas within the brains of expert human navigators.

Animal lover dies six days after being scratched by a trapped rat she was trying to free

By Beth Hale

Tragic: Carol Colburn died six days after she was scratched by a rat

A mother-of-three paid with her life for her love of animals.

Carol Colburn, 56, rushed to help a rat trapped in her garden bird feeder.

But she scratched her hands and contracted a rare and deadly infection from the animal. She died in hospital less than a week later.

An inquest heard that Mrs Colburn had ignored her husband Peter's pleas to wear gloves. He had even tried to pull her away from the wire feeder.

It was only after she cut her hands that she left the rescue to her son Ross, 24, who used gloves.

But Mrs Colburn, of Brighton, had already contracted Weil's disease, which is caused by bacteria found in rats' urine.

The disease can be treated if caught in time, but neither Mrs Colburn nor her family realised she had been infected.

It was not until four days later, on May 6, that she developed flu-like symptoms.

Two days after that, she was taken to the A&E department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

But her condition deteriorated rapidly and she died of a heart attack within hours.

Consultant Dr Steven Barden said: 'When she was admitted she was suffering from severe jaundice and flu-like symptoms but was able to hold a conversation.

'When she told me she lived near a railway line and often came into contact with wild animals, I was reminded that my father lives near the same line and often comes into contact with rats. That's when I began to consider she was suffering from leptospirosis, also known as Weil's disease.'

Tests on post-mortem samples confirmed his suspicions.

In a second shattering blow to the family, Mr Colburn, also 56, became desperately ill with lung cancer and died two months later.

Peter Colburn died of cancer two months after his wife succumbed to Weil's disease

The deputy coroner for Brighton and Hove, Arthur Hooper, recorded a narrative verdict, saying: 'She was one of those rare cases that succumbed to the severe end of Weil's disease.'

After the hearing, Mrs Colburn's children said their mother had devoted part of her garden to wildlife, including foxes and badgers.

Her daughter Katrina, 27, said: 'My mum spent hours feeding wild animals and wouldn't have given it a second thought.'

Her sister Zoe, 30, said: 'We didn't even know dad had cancer. But when mum died the shock meant the disease really set in. It was like he was dying from a broken heart.'

Microbiologist Marc Cubbon said the leptospirosis bacteria infects small mammals and rodents. It gets onto their skin via their urine and people with open wounds can easily be infected.

‘1 Out of 3 People Believe in Fortune Telling’

‘1 Out of 3 People Believe in Fortune Telling’

The telling of fortunes has been an integral part of Chinese superstition and cultural beliefs since time immemorial. It is a highly respected practice, whose practitioners are relegated to the equivalent roles in western society of management consultants and psychotherapists.

Many major business decisions are made with the specific input of a fortune teller, and for the Chinese fortune-telling is a social event, somewhat like going shopping or dining out.

Modern China and its fortunetellers have had their ups and downs, as do all relationships, whether good or bad. The Communist Party for years saw the fading art form as a sign of “backwardness,” and yet traditional fortune-tellers thrive in today’s China although their role is something other than mystical.

One newspaper from a decade ago warned that “Chinese Scientists are Against Fortune-Telling” and the inclusive article cited a survey, which indicated that 1 out of every 3 persons in China believed in fortune-telling.

The commentary concluded with the admonition that “those who make money by telling fortunes should be punished according to the law.”

Fortune-telling is often a family affair; a trade passed down from generation to generation and family member to family member. Fortune-tellers can be found in cities like Beijing where they minister to pedestrians and office workers.

Their true significance of fortune-telling is a moot point. There can be little doubt, however, that it is the power of belief and the ability to ‘tune in” and not the fortune-teller’s divination sticks that support the mystique and “power” of the modern Chinese fortune-teller.

Chinese authorities have targeted fortune-telling as the nation’s next priority in a crackdown on illegal telephone content and phone sex. Still, fortune-telling persists, which is a statement all by itself. Interest in the telling of fortunes always increases sharply around the start of the Lunar New Year.

For a dynamic nation like China, it would seem that the intangible is the most sought after commodity of all; namely, the future.

Who knows what it will bring?

Hundreds Stranded On Runway When Airline Closes

ORLANDO, Fla. --

• Video: Hundreds Stranded On Runway When Airline Closes

More than 260 people were on a runway when the airline they were scheduled to travel to Britain with went out of business -- leaving them stranded in Orlando.British airline XL went out of business Thursday night and immediately grounded its flights, including all planes leaving Sanford-Orlando International Airport."(Airport officials) told us we should go and sleep on the street with our children because we are not their responsibility," an angry passenger said. "I've come here on a packaged holiday and I've paid to go home."
After news of the bankruptcy broke, an aircraft carrying the passengers about to take off turned around and headed back to the airport."We went backwards about 150 feet, stopped and got a message from the captain that there has been a bit of a problem," a passenger said.The passengers said they were then let out on the runway and forgotten."I thought America and Britain were supposed to be (close)," passenger Mark Russell said. "They wanted us off the airport (property)."They are kicking us out on the street," a nearby passenger said.Local 6 showed video of passengers discussing the matter with a police officer and official."I've told all of them who will talk with me that I'm doing everything I can to get answers for them," an official said."You threatened us with armed police if we don't leave," a passenger said. "The armed police will be coming to remove us."The tourists were still trying to find a way home Friday

Wannabe cop in Camden County picked wrong driver to stop

By JASON NARK
Philadelphia Daily News

narkj@phillynews.com 856-779-3231

When Gene Angelino pulled a motorist over for a parking violation Wednesday night, he broke the first rule of impersonating a police officer:

Don't pull over a real officer.

Police in Winslow Township, Camden County, say that Angelino, 40, of Wildcat Branch Drive, in Winslow, was driving a white, unmarked Ford Crown Victoria, complete with tinted windows, sirens and a light bar, when he tried to pull a driver over for a parking violation at 6:32 p.m.

Angelino's alleged traffic violator was really an undercover Winslow officer working a narcotics detail, police said.

"He told the officer he was a federal law-enforcement agent," said Lt. David Deaner, of Winslow.

The undercover officer didn't buy it and radioed for backup, at which point Angelino's charade was up.

Deaner said that police searched Angelino's car and found badges and false police identification.

Back at Angelino's house, police found more pieces of Angelino's costume, including a 9mm handgun, handcuffs, more badges and posters of the FBI's most-wanted list.

"We believe he stole them from a post office, but we're not sure which one," Deaner said.

Angelino's run-in with police made them realize they'd seen him before.

Deaner said that Winslow cops had been involved in a foot chase in Angelino's neighborhood July 22, when he emerged from his home with a police radio attached to his hip.

"He said he was an off-duty officer from Burlington County," Deaner said. "He came out of his house to see if everything was under control. The officers were too involved with the incident at the time, though."

Angelino was charged with impersonating an officer in both incidents.

Police said that they didn't want to provide the location of the arrest because an undercover cop had been involved.

Angelino was being held in the Camden County Jail on $20,000 cash bail, Deaner said.

Police aren't ruling out the possibility that Angelino has used his elaborate props to impersonate an officer at other times. The department is asking anyone who may have been a victim to call 609-561-3300.

Park attendants ordered to interrogate adults spotted without children

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:42 AM on 10th September 2008

Telford Town Park in Shropshire, where council workers have been told to confront lone adults in the park to check if they are paedophiles

Park wardens have been ordered to stop and interrogate anyone who is not accompanied by children.

The visitors who are quizzed have to explain their presence and risk being thrown out or reported to police if their answers are not satisfactory.

The policy has been introduced at Telford Town Park in Shropshire. The council which manages the 420-acre area says it is a 'commonsense approach' aimed at safeguarding children.

But park users accused it of 'authoritarian madness' and said the ruling risked panicking parents about the dangers faced from potential paedophiles.

The policy came to light after two environmental campaigners dressed as penguins were thrown out of the park last month when caught handing out leaflets on climate change.

Telford and Wrekin Council said Rachel Whittaker and Neil Donaldson were ejected because they had not undergone Criminal Records Bureau checks or risk assessments before entering the park - a requirement under the Child Protection Act.

David Ottley, recreation manager at the Tory-run council, said in a letter to a member of the public over that issue: 'Our town park staff approach adults that are not associated with any children in the park and request the reason for them being there.

'In particular, this applies to those areas where children or more vulnerable groups gather.'

Miss Whittaker, 34, from Wellington, near Telford, said the policy carried a 'dangerous implication that if you have a child with you than everything is OK and you won't be questioned'.

Former childcare social worker John Evans said: 'It is authoritarian madness which can only be based on ignorance. It is absurd, it is insulting and it is dangerous as it panics people about the dangers their children face.'

A council spokesman insisted that only those 'acting suspiciously' would be stopped and questioned