Watch Out

Plan to let Forces head housing and school list

Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, said that he was studying plans for local authorities to put the military first

Lawyers grow rich on NHS negligence

The rise of no-win, no-fee actions has been blamed for more payouts ending up in the pockets of claimants’ representatives

Middle-class women hit bottle hardest

Research reveals the ‘hidden harm’ to highly-educated, well-off women who drink to excess at home

Fear of anthrax outbreak among heroin users

Doctors assure public that risk is low but urge heroin users to be alert after patients test positive in Glasgow

Wellcome Trust funds £600m of human research

Largest independent charity in Britain is committed to study of biomedicine within the realm of genome sequencing

Health chief: don't give alcohol to under 15s

Allowing children to drink risks their mental and physical health, says Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer

Life expectancy gap narrows as men get healthier

Male life expectancy is rising as men adopt healthier lifestyles according to Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, Harry Burns

Genomics offers hope of targeted cancer drugs

Cancer treatment could be made more precise and less brutal with gene research, but the NHS must invest now to benefit

Smokers are mutating their genes

The genetic map of a 55-year-old man’s tumour revealed 22,910 mutations, most caused by the carcinogens in cigarette smoke

Cancer treatment takes a giant step forward

First comprehensive genetic maps of human cancers have been created, paving the way for personalised therapy

A chance for real progress

If the system can be developed for lungs, then it holds out the potential for use with the heart

MPs back doctors' right to help patients die

Poll finds significant shift in support for assisted suicide, with more than half of MPs believing law should be changed

‘Reconditioned’ lungs used in transplant

Damaged donor organs are made good as new in a breakthrough procedure that will offer hope to thousands

‘My brother took his own life at Dignitas’

John Close, a musician, was diagnosed with motor neuron disease which rapidly progressed making him unable to speak or move

Chief Medical Officer hands in his notice

EXCLUSIVE: Sir Liam Donaldson informs Cabinet Secretary that he will step down next May after 12 years in post

Student doctors face prescription-writing tests

Doctors will be tested on knowledge of medicines after study found many rely on pharmacists and nurses to correct mistakes

Aids research suffers setback

Efforts to create a drug that can protect people against HIV are set back as “infection blocking” gel fails trial

Child diabetes blamed on food sweetener

Scientists proved that a cheap form of sugar used in thousands of food products and soft drinks can damage human metabolism

‘Implant allowed me to enjoy life once more’

Kathleen Gaster was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in 2003 and was offered the procedure to reduce the risk of stroke

Keyhole surgery could cut risk of strokes

Surgeons say a new technique to cover a pocket in the heart could remove the need for patients to take blood-thinning drugs