China vaccinates 4.5m people in fight against polio

China has vaccinated 4.5 million children and young adults over the past five weeks in the western region of Xinjiang in a fight against polio after the disease paralysed 17 people and killed one, the World Health Organisation said.

Polio has broken out in China for the first time since 1999 and scientists say the strain originated from Pakistan. The outbreak marked the latest setback to a global campaign to eradicate polio, now endemic in only four countries - Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Personal budgets alone do not democratise care

Following the collapse of Southern Cross and the abuse scandal at Winterbourne View, many are calling into question the future use of residential homes for those who need care and support. In the modern care system, where independence and empowerment are the order of the day, the traditional nursing home doesn't seem an easy fit.

But residential care – by that I mean care settings which include some accommodation component – will always be necessary and, more importantly, in demand. Residential care of the future may not look like the traditional "care home", and they may not support the same numbers of people as they do now, but residential care settings – be that extra care, small units, shared lives or hybrid care/extra care homes – will always be a vital source of support, particularly for those with complex needs.

Young people want more protection from alcohol advertising, survey says

Most young people would like more protection from alcohol advertising, but under-18s do not recognise that drink logos on football shirts are a form of marketing, according to a survey.

Alcohol Concern, which surveyed 2,300 children and young adults, says it sought their views because they are usually excluded from the discussion.

The survey found that most wanted more regulation than at present to safeguard those who are under the drinking age from alcohol marketing. Most – 60% – wanted alcohol adverts in the cinema restricted to 18-certificate films while 58% said alcohol adverts should only be allowed on television after the 9pm watershed. Alcohol promotion, said 59%, should be limited only to the areas of supermarkets and off-licences selling alcohol.

Is reading on the loo bad for you?

From the moment Ron Shaoul took it upon himself to investigate the practice of reading on the toilet, scouring medical literature and turning up nothing of note as to its public health consequences, the situation became clear that here, on his hands, was a big job.

Shaoul's curiosity was driven by his work as a doctor specialising in paediatric gastroenterology. He mustered some colleagues, drew up a questionnaire and had hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes complete it. What resulted was perhaps the most scientific attempt yet to shine light on a habit that rustles unseen behind closed doors.

Shaoul, who published his study in 2009, lamented that toilet reading was woefully neglected by scientists, considering the habit probably dated back to the emergence of printed books. Writers, on the other hand, have shown no such aversion. For some, their authority on the matter has bordered on the connoisseur.

Doctors and nurses will lose jobs in changing NHS, says leading Tory

Doctors and nurses will have to be made redundant in order to reshape the NHS and social care system to meet the changing needs of the ageing population, a leading Tory has said.

Stephen Dorrell, chair of the influential Commons health select committee, told social care leaders that the NHS needed a rethink to free resources to care for the fast-growing numbers of people living with long-term conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and depression.

Alessandra Luchini: nanoparticle traps detect diseases before our bodies do

Alessandra Luchini is an engineer at George Mason University, Washington DC. Enabled by a grant from the Italian health service, she travelled to the US to study the molecular signs that some cancers release into the bloodstream. She was recently named in Popular Science's 'Brilliant 10' – an award for the achievements of scientists under 30.

Why did you choose this line of research?

We know that cancers have biomarkers that exist in the blood and body fluid in very low concentration, but they are volatile and degrade very quickly. So we were looking for something that current technology did not allow us to seek. We needed to figure out some kind of answer to that.

5 Proven Ways to Reduce Your Medical Bills

In the world of medical billing, there is often room for negotiation. Hospitals and doctors will consider giving discounts, even on overdue bills. Try these five bargaining strategies.