The government will again try to push through powers to detain mentally ill people in England and Wales who have not committed crimes. The plans, to be debated in the Commons over the next two days, have faced opposition from mental health charities and opposition politicians.
Lib Dem Health Spokesperson Sandra Gidley supports motion for greater support for carers at start of carers' week. Speaking during an opposition day debate on carers, Sandra Gidley MP voiced Lib Dem support for a motion which proposes new legislation and measures to help out carers in the UK. Ms Gidley suggested at the start of the debate that society has not done enough to recognize carers' efforts.
A substance found in oven cleaner could be used to treat the eye disease glaucoma, US research suggests. Cerium oxide nanoparticles, also commonly used in window cleaner, may help in more effectively delivering an active ingredient into the eye.
A draft decision not to make drugs for a leading cause of blindness widely available on the NHS will cost many people their sight, campaigners say. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) assessed treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The progression of Parkinson's disease could be slowed or even stopped by a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure, a study in Nature suggests. Tests on mice at Northwestern University in Chicago showed isradipine can rejuvenate the brain neurons which are dying in Parkinson's patients. The disease, which mainly affects those aged over 40, leads to tremors and ultimately the inability to walk.
US researchers have for the first time injected human stem cells into monkeys with Parkinson's symptoms, seen as a key step in the fight to find a cure. The stem cells, which have been injected into rodents in the past, initially stopped the monkeys' damaged brain cells from deteriorating. The primates' condition did however start to slide after four months, the study in the PNAS journal said. Stem cells offer great hope for cures, but a breakthrough remains elusive.
