Stem cell technology has previously been able to change the skin cells into stem cells first, and then into brain cells, but the method has problems. The process can activate some cancer causing genes in the newly made skin cells.

Another of the issues around using other types of stem cells in medicine is that the cells may be incompatible with the patient. By using the patients own skin to create the new types of cells, scientists hope to avoid these problems.

This is the first time scientists have been able to avoid the stem cell stage. They believe that it could lead to new medical treatments, but indicate further research is needed first.

Scientists introduced a virus to a sample of skin cells. The virus was able to change how the cells interpret the genetic code held in the skin cell. These cells were then transformed into three types of brain cell: neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.

The process took about three weeks and about one tenth of the cells were successfully transformed.

Professor Marius Wernig, who led the research, said: “We are thrilled about the prospects for potential medical use of these cells. We’ve shown the cells can integrate into a mouse brain and produce a missing protein important for the conduction of electrical signal by the neurons. More work needs to be done to generate similar cells from human skin cells and assess their safety and efficacy.”

The guidelines will first be introduced in five local authorities and then rolled out in 2012.

Two years ago, an independent panel of experts called for clearer guidance on food and nutrition for preschool services. The experts argued that some services had not taken on board the nutritional needs of young children. Some children had too much salt and sugar in their diets, others had not enough carbohydrate or fat and others had a lack of fruit, vegetables, dietary fibre and some essential minerals.

A recent report has also highlighted that over 20% of children are now obese before they start school and the School Food Trust hope that the new guidelines will help to address this issue.

The guidelines include advice on the types of food children should eat and provides some recipes. The guide also features advice on how to cope with fussy eaters and provides information on how to provide a varied and healthy diet, establishing good eating habits from an early age.

Sarah Tether, the Children’s Minister, said: “Healthy eating is at the heart of helping every child get the best start in life.

Nurseries play a vital role in getting children from all backgrounds to develop good eating habits, but many lack the expert knowledge of what is the best food to serve.”

The new guidelines have been welcomed by childcare providers, including the Pre-school Learning Alliance and the National Day Nurseries Association.

The French government have confirmed that they will cover the cost of the removal for the estimated 30,000 women in France who have received the implant. They will also pay for sixmonthly ultrasound scans for those who choose not to have them removed.

However, there is an estimated 40,000 women in the UK who have received the French made implant, and the UK government have stated that there is no evidence of a safety concern. As such, they have ruled out the need for routine removal.

The implants were made with non-medical grade silicone which means that they have a higher chance of splitting. In France the rupture rate for these implants is close to 5%, whilst in the UK it is around 1%. No other country has reported an increase in rupture rates.

Testing on the implants have not revealed an increased of risk of toxicity and there is no known link to an increase in the risk of breast cancer. However, the gel inside an implant can cause irritation and inflammation and is more difficult to remove if the implant ruptures.

Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for the UK, pointed out that no other countries have taken similar steps to France and that women should not be ‘unduly worried.’ She added: “We have no evidence of a link to cancer or an increased risk of rupture. If women are concerned they should speak to their surgeon.”

SSE are one of the six main energy suppliers in the UK. They were doorstep cold calling after Guildford Crown Court found that their using misleading sales scripts.

The energy company have confirmed that they will write to 400,000 them between October 2009 and July 2011 and offer compensation they suffered as a result. There is also a helpline for customers they think that they have been affected by the practice (0845 070 SSE have earmarked £5 million to cover the costs of the compensation paying, although they have indicated that they will still be appealing starting with a hearing in February 2012.

The court ruled that SSE were guilty on two counts of unfair trading Doorstep sales staff had been telling people that they had been their energy with their existing supplier and this was not always indicated that they still believe that most people who agreed to However, SSE did agree to put an end to its doorstep sales practice, with the court decision. The move was subsequently followed by other main energy suppliers. Only E.On out of the major energy sales strategy.

Alistair Phillips-Davies from SSE argued that most of their energy fairly and in a professional manner. However, he did indicate that loss to customers who had received unfair treatment.

The offer of compensation by SSE has been welcomed by Consumer the director of energy at the governments official consumer watchdog, that they would be working with SSE to help work out the details.

Diabetes prevents the body from using glucose properly and can cause kidney failure or heart failure if it is not managed properly. It affects over 2 million people in the UK and it is estimated that a third of people who have the disease do not know that they have it.

The report indicated that there are approximately 75,000 deaths from diabetes every year, and out of these, approximately 24,000 are considered avoidable. The majority of the avoidable deaths occur in people over the age of 65.

Type 1 diabetes carries a greater risk of death than type 2 diabetes and although more deaths occur in people over the age of 65, the actual risk of dying from diabetes is much higher in younger people.

The report suggested that a third of the deaths could have been avoided if with better management of the patients conditions, including basic health checks from the patients doctors and patients maintaining a healthy diet and taking their medication.

Diabetes UK suggested that the figures were alarming and indicated that it was vital that diabetes sufferers had top quality care.

Barbara Young from Diabetes UK said: “It is imperative we take action now to stop even more lives being needlessly cut short. We will be holding the NHS to account wherever it fails to deliver high-quality care.”

The OFT highlighted three key issues in its review.

There was a lack of information that patients, healthcare providers and GPs could use to compare for both quality and cost. There was a limited number of significant healthcare providers and larger insurers at a national level. The features of the current private healthcare market make it difficult for new competitors to come in and as such it is seen to restrict choice.

John Fingleton from the OFT said: “It is important that patient demand and choice are able to drive competition and innovation in this market with a view to better value for all patients.”

Suppliers in the private healthcare market have welcomed the review and have until 30th January next year to respond to the OFT.

A spokesperson from Nuffield Health suggested that the report calls into question some agreements between providers and insurers and called for a more transparent and upfront system of pricing insurance policies.

A spokesperson from Bupa pointed out that many patients are not aware of the full costs of their treatments and any additional costs they may have to pay over their insurance premiums.

Often a consultant charges more than the limit set in an insurance policy, causing problems for customers.

Next year, the OFT will undergo further consultation before deciding whether to refer the sector to the Competition Commission.

The figures from research company Dr Foster indicate that across 147 hospital trusts, there was a 10% increase in the number of deaths at a weekend than during the week.

On average, the number of people who died on weekdays fluctuated between 7.1% and 7.4% of hospital admissions throughout the week. However, this value increased to 8.1% on Saturdays and Sundays.

Roger Taylor from Dr Foster suggested that the problem is down to a shortage of senior doctors outside of normal working hours. He is urging hospitals to ensure that there is sufficient cover amongst more experienced medical staff so that people can be seen by the right doctor at all times.

Prof Sir Bruce Keogh from the NHS pointed out that mortality rates in the NHS are falling.

However, he also conceded that those hospitals with a higher death rates at evenings and weekends should investigate the problem.

Prof Sir Keogh added: “I will be asking the NHS medical directors to look closely at weekend services to ensure patients admitted at weekends receive the same standards of care as those during the week. This problem is not unique to the NHS, it confronts all health systems in the world, but I am confident the NHS is well placed to address these issues.”

The worldwide funding body issues grants to a variety of projects intended to fight some of the most deadly diseases around the world. They had asked for funding of £20 billion from international donors to continue to fund the existing projects and to enable them to issue grants for new ones.

The minimum funding that they needed to maintain the existing programmes until 2014 was £13 billion. However, they have only received £11.5 billion.

They have indicated that the shortfall in funding will mean that they cannot make any new grants and that some of the existing projects are now under threat. They also indicate that now only essential programmes in low or middle-income countries will receive the funds that they need to continue their projects until 2014.

Charities and member organisations of the HIV/Aids Alliance have raised concerns over the lack of funding. They have suggested that a number of projects to help fight the HIV problems in South Sudan and parts of China could be affected by the lack of funds.

Other countries such as Kenya, Lesotho and South Africa have already been refused funding for HIV projects and are now unlikely to gain the funding that they need.

Charities are calling for governments to help to make up the shortfall in funds.

They say people may be able to practice to improve their sense of smell, or their sense of taste which is closely linked.

The research was carried out on rats by a team at the Langone Medical Center, part of New York University, and was published in Nature Neuroscience. The rodents were exposed to different odours and rewarded when they responded to them. They then connected electrodes to the rats’ brains under anaesthetic to identify the response to smell.

The test found that different smells created different patterns of activity in the brain. Any smells that the rats thought were the same created the same pattern of activity, even if it was actually a different odour.
Another group of rats were not encouraged to react to different odours. These rats appeared to lose their sense of smell over time.

The study lead, Professor Donald Wilson, said that the research proved that a dulling of the sense of smell occurs in the piriform cortex in the brain.

The team hope that techniques can be developed to help those who lose their sense of smell through old age or illnesses such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. However, British medical experts have responded with scepticism.

Honorary secretary of the British Association of Otorhinolaryngologists, Andrew McCombe, said that loss of smell was “usually permanent and complete”, but agreed that older people should challenge themselves mentally to ensure they retained good brain function.

Paracetamol is very commonly used to relieve the symptoms of childhood illnesses such as teething pains, colds and common viruses. More than 8 in 10 children will be given the drug before they are six months old.

Previously, adults were advised to administer 10ml of medicines such as Calpol up to four times a day for all children aged between one and six years old.

The new guidelines apply for children aged between one and four years. Babies under 2 months old should not be given paracetamol, and babies aged between two and three months should be given 2.5ml (half a teaspoon). The recommended dose is one initially, then another 4-6 hours later.

Between three and six months, the child can receive 2.5ml four times a day. This dose rises to 5ml from six months to two years of age, and 7.5ml from two to four years old.

The previous guideline limit of 10ml four times a day still applies for children between four and six years old.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that applying the same restrictions to children in such a wide age group was not appropriate. A spokesman said that the recommended limits were revised to “ensure children get the optimal dose of paracetamol suitable for their age. [The revision] is not because of safety concerns.”

The new guidelines will now be printed on the labels of children’s medicines.