A faster, more streamlined system of assessing treatments for the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland should be introduced, MPs say. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence should adopt a "rough and ready" approach, similar to Scotland, a Commons committee said.
US scientists are developing a test that dentists could use to check if patients have breast cancer.
Supermarket Asda is to roll out a scheme piloted in Merseyside which penalises shoppers found abusing priority parking spaces. People who park in disabled bays without displaying a blue badge will be fined £60, as will those using mother and baby spaces without young children.
A new study has confirmed that people with arthritis who follow a set exercise programme could enjoy a better quality of life. Researchers from the University of North Carolina in the US published their study in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. The trial involved 346 patients with an average age of 70 who had self-reported arthritis.
New research has suggested that having uncommonly long ring fingers could indicate a person is at greater risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. A study of more than 2,000 people, published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, suggests that people whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger are up to twice as likely to suffer from OA.
Having too little vitamin D has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, a US study has found. The Harvard Medical School team said the risk was particularly high for those who also had high blood pressure.
