Gut microbiome can reveal risk of Parkinson’s, scientists say

Changes to microbes that live in the gut can identify people at greater risk of Parkinson’s disease long before symptoms develop, according to work that also raises hopes for new therapies.Researchers discovered signature changes in the gut microbiome that are more pronounced in people with a genetic risk for Parkinson’s and even more stark in those diagnosed with the disease.The signature could help doctors spot patients at risk of Parkinson’s years before they display clear symptoms and suggests that healthier diets and treatments that reshape the microbiome might prevent or delay the disease.Prof Anthony Schapira, the head of clinical and movement neurosciences at University College London and lead investigator on the study, said it was the first time a microbial signature in Parkinson’s patients had been seen in people with a genetic susceptibility but had yet to develop symptoms. The signature appears to become stronger as the disease progresses

Trustpilot hosts reviews of illegal casinos, raising concern among MPs

Trustpilot, the reviews website that offers to “find a company you can trust”, is hosting ratings of illegal casinos, raising concerns in Westminster about the potential risks posed to consumers.Unlicensed casino operators linked to financial harm, addiction and even suicide have flooded the UK market in recent years, often targeting people who are trying to limit their gambling by “self-excluding” from licensed operators.Despite this, Trustpilot hosts reviews of some of the largest unlicensed sites, exposed in a recent investigation into the illegal Santeda casino network by the Guardian and Investigate Europe, as if they were legitimate businesses.Analysis by the Guardian found reviews for brands including Santeda’s MyStake, Velobet and Goldenbet, which do not have a licence from the Gambling Commission.Offering gambling services without a licence from the regulator is a criminal offence

Nearly fivefold increase in children in unregulated social care settings in England

Ministers must get to grips with the “national scandal” of England’s shadow child social care system, the children’s commissioner has warned, as a report reveals the number of children in unregulated settings has increased by more than 370% in five years.Some of the most vulnerable children in England are being temporarily placed in unregulated caravans, Airbnbs and holiday camps, which risk the “accumulation of increasing levels of harm for children who have already faced enough distress for several lifetimes”, according to the report.Analysis of Ofsted data has shown that cases of unregistered homes in England increased from 144 in 2020-21 to 680 in 2024-25, which experts say is likely to be an underestimation of the true figure, according to the policy analysts at Public First, who conducted the research for the charity Commonweal Housing. The Care Standards Act 2000 legally requires all children’s homes to be registered with Ofsted.Private companies have been accused of charging local governments “exorbitant” fees to look after children in unsuitable settings when a bed in an Ofsted-inspected children’s home or fostering placement cannot be found

England left with ‘toilet deserts’ as public facilities decline by 14% in a decade

The number of public toilets in England has fallen by 14% in a decade, harming public health and creating vast swathes of lavatory “deserts” and unpleasant environments, a report says.The analysis by the Royal Society for Public Health found a “significant shortfall” in provision, with 15,481 people for each public toilet in England. That contrasts sharply with Scotland, where there are 8,500 people for each toilet, and Wales, with 6,748.The analysis was based on 221 freedom of information responses from 309 English councils. The number of toilets was down 14% on 2016

‘It’s soul-destroying’: struggle to house vulnerable children can leave breaking law as only option

The sinking feeling is familiar now, says Anna*. It’s Friday, the clock is ticking, and there is a vulnerable child in her care for whom – despite hitting the phones for days – she cannot find a place. Once the foster carers have been exhausted, and the registered private children’s homes begged, there is nothing for it but to look elsewhere.“It always seems to be on a Friday that you are struggling to place a child,” says the social worker. “They need somewhere safe tonight

The fight against medical misogyny has a long way to go | Letters

I welcome the relaunched women’s health strategy (Streeting relaunches women’s health strategy to tackle ‘medical misogyny’, 14 April) but with caution. The system appears responsive, but the root causes in health inequality outcomes remain untouched.It names urgent issues many women have long experienced: navigating the gynaecology referral queue that would stretch over 191 miles (if waiting in person), medical gaslighting, delayed diagnoses and systemic bias.However, Wes Streeting’s tenacity on centering all women’s “voices”, and ensuring that no woman is left fighting to be heard isn’t convincing, particularly when women of colour have been crying out loud for years, with little to no change in our reproductive health outcomes.Many of us know what that feels like: seeing a GP about severe period pain and trying to explain how it disrupts our life