A modified version of the virus that causes Aids could become the basis of a prenatal gene therapy for cystic fibrosis, new research has suggested.British scientists have discovered that a form of HIV, adapted to be harmless, is a promising vector for ferrying replacement genes into the lungs of affected foetuses.

The latest teenage victim of the continuing spiral of youth murders may have been chased off a London bus by his knife-wielding attackers, police said yesterday. Adam Regis, 15, who was a nephew of the former Olympic athlete John Regis, died after being assaulted on Saturday night as he returned home from a trip to the cinema with a group of friends.

Cookery lessons and golf also found to work at projects in deprived areas  
They may not be the most traditional of crime prevention techniques, but Indian head massage, golf and cookery lessons are being used to help teenage boys in poor areas “de-stress” and stay away from the temptations of drink, drugs and offending.

Waits for the results of X-rays and other scans in England are often too long, a report finds. The Healthcare Commission found waiting times in hospital X-ray departments had dropped – by 33% for some tests.

Women will be told not to drink while pregnant or even when trying for a baby in controversial government guidelines which will mean warning labels being put on bottles of wine, spirits and beer. The plea for total abstinence follows growing fears over the rise among binge drinking among young women and concern that maternal drinking can cause possible brain damage in the womb.

{mosimage}The new warnings are being fiercely resisted by the drinks industry on the grounds it contradicts the Department of Health’s own official health advice to expectant mothers, which allows up to two units a day – the equivalent of a single glass of wine – once or twice a week. They want warnings which concentrate instead on proven dangers, arguing that overly strict advice will cause confusion and panic among mothers-to-be who have drunk occasionally and will fear that they have harmed their babies.

The question of alcohol during pregnancy is hugely sensitive. In America there is a powerful ‘total abstinence’ lobby – the actress Rachel Weisz was pilloried recently for suggesting a glass of wine after the third month of pregnancy was ‘fine’. ‘I mean, in Europe they drink it,’ she said. But despite the confusing message from the Government, campaigners insist even the occasional glass can trigger so-called Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), where babies are born brain damaged. Official advice is less strict and surveys suggest around two thirds of mothers-to-be drink at least occasionally.

Caroline Flint, the public health minister, has said that while cigarette-packet style warning labels for alcohol will be voluntary initially, if the drinks industry ignores them, the government will consider legislating. She has begun private consultations on suggested wording for a label, saying ‘Know your limits’, which gives the official recommended limits for men and women – three to four units and two to three units daily, respectively – then adds: ‘Avoid alcohol if you are pregnant or trying to conceive.’

A Conservative government would give local public health bosses their own budget to tackle issues such as obesity and alcohol abuse. The proposal is one of a raft put out for a three-month consultation by the party on Friday.

A woman has been treated for multiple stab wounds after she was attacked by a seven-year-old boy. The woman, who is in her early 20s, was at a neighbour’s home in Norris Green, Liverpool, when they began arguing.

There is controversy over moves to let university admissions tutors see the educational attainment and occupations of applicants’ parents. The admissions service, Ucas, also says its form for 2008 entry will ask applicants about their ethnicity and whether they have been in council care.

The Department of Health has published new guidance to the NHS on screening new health care workers for tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. These measures reinforce and strengthen existing guidance and will help further reduce the risk of transmission of TB and blood-borne viruses from health care worker to patient.

The Review of the Independent Living Funds, by consultants Melanie Henwood and Bob Hudson, has been published as part of the Government’s regular review of non-departmental public bodies.