Women who smoke during pregnancy could be more likely to have a child with high-functioning autism, a study in the US has found.

The study looked at data from the birth certificates of more than half a million children from 11 states in the US.

The information was then compared to a database of autism sufferers, called the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.

The researchers on the study found that for 13% of children aged eight who had some form of autism; their mothers had smoked during pregnancy.

Professor Amy Kalkbrenner, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, was the lead researcher in the study – the findings of which were published in medical journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

“The study doesn't say for certain that smoking is a risk factor for autism. But it does say that if there is an association, it's between smoking and certain types of autism,” she said.

A connection was found only between smoking while pregnant and higher functioning autism spectrum disorders, such as Asperger’s Disorder.

“It has long been known that autism is an umbrella term for a wide range of disorders that impair social and communication skills,” said Prof Kalkbrenner.

“What we are seeing is that some disorders on the autism spectrum, more than others, may be influenced by a factor such as whether a mother smokes during pregnancy,” she added.

The study concluded that more research was needed to further investigate the connection between smoking while pregnant and the likelihood of higher-function autism in children.

The other dangers associated with smoking while pregnant have been well documented, with women putting themselves and their baby at risk.

Smoking has been found to restrict the amount of oxygen delivered through the placenta, which can limit a baby’s growth and development.

This increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth, while increasing the danger of the baby suffering from asthma and ear infections. 

Eating the recommended five pieces of fruit or vegetables each day can cause extra problems for those with hay fever, as sufferers can have an allergic reaction to some foods.

Research by the charity Allergy UK has revealed that as many as 40% of hay fever sufferers also react to certain fruits, vegetables, nuts or spices.

Hay fever is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen released by plants and trees, especially birch trees. Hay fever affects around 16 million people in the UK alone.

The protein found in some foods is similar to the protein found in certain pollen, putting hay fever sufferers at risk from a condition known as oral allergy syndrome.

“Fifteen years ago oral allergy syndrome was considered unusual but now it is increasingly commonplace,” said Lindsey McManus, of Allergy UK.

“The condition is caused by the proteins in some fruit, nuts, vegetables and spices triggering a cross-reaction in someone with hay fever. When they eat a food that shares similar proteins as the pollen, it can cause an allergic reaction, such as an itchy mouth, swelling or tingling of lips and tongue.”

While 72% of hay fever sufferers experience symptoms for more than two months, oral allergy syndrome could mean that people suffer all year round.

The research by Allergy UK was conducted as part of National Allergy Week – a campaign to raise awareness of allergies, which is taking place in Britain this week.

As part of the campaign, Allergy UK has released the top five allergens affecting the nation. Topping the list was pollen, followed by food and house dust mite.

Medication was found to be the fifth biggest allergen in the UK, and there is concern over the number of extreme allergic reactions to drugs.

“Not all reactions experienced when taking medication are truly allergic; however there is growing concern at the increasing numbers of people who are suffering severe allergic reactions to prescribed and over the counter drugs,” added Ms McManus.

Women who are slightly above average for weight and blood sugar levels could be at a greater risk of negative pregnancy outcomes than previously thought, new research has uncovered.

Pregnant women who are overweight with moderately elevated blood sugar levels are not currently a cause for concern for doctors. The main concern is for pregnant women who are obese or have gestational diabetes, as these are known to provide significant health risks to both mother and baby.

But those who are overweight, but not obese, with above average blood sugar could be at greater risk of pregnancy complications than those who are obese with normal blood sugar, or those with gestational diabetes that are of normal weight.

Boyd Metzger, M.D., a professor of medicine-endocrinology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, was the Chief Investigator in the study.

“These are women who have not been on our radar because they don't have gestational diabetes and aren't obese, but our study shows if you are one step away from each of those, you carry some significant risks,” he said.

“We need to address the combination of overweight and blood sugar of these women as urgently as we do for women who are obese or have gestational diabetes.”

One of the main concerns for obese women or those with gestational diabetes during pregnancy is the large size and weight of the baby, which can increase the risk of injury to the baby during vaginal delivery. The larger the baby, the more risk of injury and greater likelihood that a Caesarean section will be required.

It was found that overweight mothers with above-average blood sugar are likely to have a baby that is 214 grams heavier than mothers of normal weight and blood sugar.

This is compared to mothers of normal weight with gestational diabetes, who are likely to have babies weighing 164 grams or more and obese mothers with normal blood sugar – who are likely to have babies weighing 174 grams more.

An international study has revealed that what we think of as breast cancer should actually be thought of as ten completely different diseases.

The study was conducted in the UK and Canada, and studied breast cancer samples from 2,000 women from hospitals in both countries.

By separating breast cancer into categories, diagnosis and treatment could eventually become more accurate and patient-specific. Treatment could be improved by tailoring drugs for a patient’s specific cancer type, while survival predictions could become more accurate.

“Breast cancer is not one disease, but ten different diseases,” said Prof Carlos Caldas, the lead researcher on the study, which was published in the science journal Nature.

Our results will pave the way for doctors in the future to diagnose the type of breast cancer a woman has, the types of drugs that will work and those that won't, in a much more precise way than is currently possible.”

The research has been hailed as a “landmark study”, but more work is needed. Researchers have said that it could be another three to five years before the findings can be used in hospitals.

“This is the largest ever study looking in detail at the genetics of breast tumours,” said Dr Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, which funded the study.

“This will change the way we look at breast cancer, it will have an enormous impact in the years to come in diagnosing and treating breast cancer. We think this is a landmark study.”

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK, with more than 50,000 new cases every year. It is also one of the country’s biggest killers, claiming the lives of nearly 1,000 women every month.

Within the last 25 years, the rate of breast cancer has gone up by more than 50%, rising 6% in the last decade alone. A British woman has a one in eight chance of developing the disease.

Researchers in Japan may have come up with a cure for baldness after successfully growing hair on hairless mice.

In a second piece of good news, the researchers also found a way of pigmenting the hair – leading to hopes of an end to grey hairs.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo discovered a way to use stem cells to create hair follicles, which were subsequently transplanted on to hairless mice.

So far, the research has only been conducted on mice, but the scientists behind the study are hoping to continue the research into the future.

“We would like to start clinical research within three to five years, so that an actual treatment to general patients can start within a decade,” said Koh-ei Toyoshima, a researcher on the project.

More than seven million men suffer from baldness in the UK alone, with very few effective treatments available to combat the problem.

The University of Tokyo scientists used two types of skin stem cell, which together contain the genetic instructions for a hair follicle.

They then grew the stem cells in a lab until they formed hair follicles. The follicles were implanted in the back of hairless mice and within two weeks had sprouted hairs.

The study, which was published in the online science magazine Nature Communications, also discovered that hair follicles could be grown from adult stem cells.

“Our current study thus demonstrates the potential for not only hair regeneration therapy but also the realisation of bioengineered organ replacement using adult somatic stem cells,” the study said.

If stem cells are grown into organs or tissues, they have to be extracted from embryos. But in this case adult cells were found to work, meaning people who are bald could potentially use their own cells to grow follicle implants to grow their hair back.

It is an exciting prospect, but the research is still in the very early stages. As yet it is unclear how natural the hair will look, or how long it will last.

Women could be paying a high price for beauty as the use of make-up and other cosmetics is linked to obesity and ailments associated with the condition, new research has shown.

According to scientists, a number of cosmetics including fake tan and make-up have been found to contain potentially harmful ingredients which are associated with increased weight gain and other associated conditions.

The ingredients, phthalates, are used as a gelling agent within a range of everyday goods including cosmetics and cleaning products, but have only recently been connected with a susceptibility to weight gain.

Unfortunately, the risk of obesity is not the only concern for those who regularly use these products, individuals could also be at risk of developing conditions such as type two diabetes.

According to the research, which was undertaken by the Swedish Uppsala University, individuals with higher levels of phthalates in their blood stream were more at risk of developing insulin resistance due to increased weight gain caused by a hormonal imbalance.

The findings were generated after 1,000 elderly individuals were surveyed, 119 of which had diabetes. Key indicators were compared between those with and without the condition, leading to the aforementioned hypothesis.

Considering that epidemics of both obesity and diabetes are currently being experienced in the UK, the implications of these findings are clear.

The number of people classed as overweight or obese has tripled since 1980, with this condition putting sufferers at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Of the 2.8 million Brits who had diabetes in 2010, around nine tenths or (2.5 million) suffered from Type 2 diabetes. This means weight issues are a serious health risk for individuals.

In a statement from Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, it was revealed that “phthalates are found in about 70 per cent of fragrance containing personal care products” – covering everything from perfumes to fake tans, face creams and make-up.

As companies are not currently required to disclose whether phthalates are found within their products, this means cosmetics and other beauty products could be posing a silent threat to women.

The lead researcher for the investigation, Monica Lind, called for the products to be thoroughly tested after the results were announced, hoping to address the current prevalence of diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

According to recent figures from Cancer Research UK, British women are at a greater risk of developing lung cancer as the rates of those diagnosed with the condition continues to rise.

The figures, which are based on those diagnosed with the condition over recent years, suggested that more than 18,000 new cases arose during 2009 alone.

Cancer remains one of the biggest health risks affecting both men and women, with the number of cancer-related deaths remaining high.

Of the multiple forms of cancer which are present, lung cancer is one of the most prolific due largely to its connection with smoking. The vast majority (80%) of lung cancer cases are caused by tobacco.

In terms of women suffering from lung cancer, the current incidence is 39.3 for every 100,000 women – increasing from 22.2 per 100,000 in 1975. Almost 35,000 people die from lung cancer each year, with more than 15,000 women dying from the condition in 2010.

This means the prevalence of female smokers during the 1960s – when almost half (45%) of women smoked – is being cited as one of the main causes for the above figures.

Speaking on behalf of Cancer Research UK, their director for tobacco control, Jean King, stated: “the continuing rise of lung cancer in women reflects the high number of female smokers several decades ago when attitudes were different.”

The change in these attitudes has seen direct action taken to address the problems caused by diseases such as lung cancer and emphysema. For example, adverts to sell tobacco have not been broadcast on UK television since the mid 1960s and numerous campaigns now aim to reduce the number of smokers rather than encouraging the habit.

This action is intended to reduce the number of individuals who contract potentially fatal diseases, such as emphysema and lung cancer, due to smoking and there are plenty of support groups and products aimed at helping smokers make this change.

Considering the Cancer Research UK figures on the prevalence of lung cancer, these actions seem more important than ever.

New software has been developed that could make it easier to treat prostate and pancreatic cancer, leading to fewer side effects in patients.

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have found a way to use laser light in combination with certain drugs to tackle internal cancer tumours.

The method of using laser light, known as photodynamic therapy, is currently used to treat skin cancer. The technique has not been used on internal tumours because, until now, the technology to ensure the precise amount of light is administered did not exist.

But the new software being developed by researchers in atomic physics in Sweden could solve the problem.  Johannes Swartling is a doctor of Atomic Physics at Lund University and Chief Technical Officer at SpectraCure, the company that is developing the software.

“I think we are about to see a real breakthrough, both for us and for other research groups around the world who conduct research on cancer treatment using laser light,” he said.

“The advantage of laser light is that it appears that side effects can be minimised. With current treatment methods, prostate cancer patients who are cured risk both impotence and incontinence.”

The software works by using the optical fibres for more than emitting light. They can also gather information about the tumour and transmit it back to the laser instrument.

“In this way, the software can continually calculate the optimal light dose and adjust it if necessary. The entire tumour must be removed, while damage to adjacent organs must be avoided,” said Dr Swartling.

As well as reducing the side effects, the new method could also reduce the risk of the cancer recurring. The new software has been tested on prostate cancer patients in Sweden, and has proven to be quite effective.

Further clinical testing is due to get underway later this year, with tests involving recurrent prostate cancer patients in the US and Canada, as well as pancreatic cancer patients in the UK.

Whilst Viagra has previously been considered the most effective medication for enhancing sexual arousal, research has revealed that the ‘cuddle drug’ Oxytocin may have similar effects, making it a viable alternative to the little blue pills.

The discovery was made after a married father was prescribed the drug to try and improve his social relationships and combat his attention deficit disorder. Whilst these areas were unaffected by the drug, the gentleman noticed a distinct change in his libido and sexual arousal, giving greater satisfaction in the bedroom.

Researchers at California used the case to publish their results on the drug, suggesting it could become a viable alternative to Viagra which cannot be prescribed in all cases and is not effective on all users.

According to Dr Mike Wyllie, one of those involved in the discovery and development of Viagra, men who have had surgery can experience success with this drug in just 10% of cases and that makes the need for an alternative abundantly clear.

However, despite the promising potential of Oxytocin, there are concerns about the other effects which the drug can have.

Oxytocin is a naturally produced drug which is found in both men and women and is closely connected to emotional concepts, such as trust and confidence, as well as to physical functions.

In women, Oxytocin is released during labour and breastfeeding to strengthen the bond between mother and child and the potential emotional side-effects associated with prescribing the drug could pose a problem to those looking to harvest it for commercial use.

According to the research by the University of California, the daily dose of Oxytocin had few negative impacts on the aforementioned gentleman other than physically embracing a work colleague in what he described as being ‘very out of character’.

Whilst no other negative side effects were recorded by the gentleman during his several months of use, more extensive testing would be needed to fully evaluate the drug.

The hormones used in the oral contraceptive pill can alter the way a woman feels about her partner, research has revealed.

A study at Stirling University found that women on the pill are attracted to different things in a partner than those who are not using it.

The discovery has led the researchers to urge women to come off the pill for a trial run, to see if they are still attracted to their partners.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, questioned more than 2,500 women from around the world about their relationships.

“Our results show some positive and negative consequences of using the pill when a woman meets her partner,” said Dr Craig Roberts, a researcher on the study.

“Such women may, on average, be less satisfied with the sexual aspects of their relationship, but more so with non-sexual aspects.”

It was found that women using the pill found their boyfriend or husband generally less attractive and less exciting in the bedroom.

But those on the pill rated with their partner’s non-sexual traits more highly, saying they were good at providing financially, being supportive and being faithful.

This has been put down to the hormones in the pill, which are thought to make women more attracted to men with lower levels of testosterone who are more likely to be faithful , as well as better parents and providers for a family.

“The implications of our study seem to be that by changing your hormone profile through using the pill, you might shift your preference away from ‘cads’ in favour of ‘dads’,” added Dr Roberts.

“Choosing a non-hormonal barrier method of contraception for a few months before getting married might be one way for a woman to check or reassure herself that she’s still attracted to her partner.”

Researchers have identified an abnormal amount of a certain protein in men with male pattern baldness, a finding which could lead to improved hair loss treatments in the future.

A recent study into male pattern baldness, conducted in Pennsylvania, found high levels of a protein called Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) in the scalps of men suffering from male pattern baldness.

Male pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men, striking an estimated eight out of ten men under the age of 70.

The condition causes hair follicles to shrink and produce microscopic hairs, which grow for a shorter time than normal hair follicles.

The research said that findings of the study, which were published in Science Translational Medicine, could lead directly to new treatments for the affliction.

Looking at both human and animal models, the study found that PGD2 inhibited hair growth – giving future hair loss treatments a specific target.

During the study, researchers looked at the scalp tissue from non-bald and balding spots on men with male pattern baldness.

The findings were then corroborated with mouse models. It was found that Prostaglandin D2 levels were three times higher in balding spots than in non-bald spots.

Interestingly, while PGD2 restricts hair growth, other prostaglandins were found to have the opposite effect. Prostaglandins such as F2alpha actually help to enhance and regulate hair growth.

George Cotsarelis, MD, is the chair and professor of Dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and senior author of the study.

“Although a different prostaglandin was known to increase hair growth, our findings were unexpected,” he said.

“Prostaglandins haven't been thought about in relation to hair loss, yet it made sense that there was an inhibitor of hair growth, based on our earlier work looking at hair follicle stem cells.”

Using certain antidepressants during pregnancy could be linked to pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, a new study has found.

The study appears to show a link between the two, although no causal link has been established and the authors of the report stress that pregnant women should not stop taking prescribed medication – instead they should consult with their doctor.

The research found that pregnant women taking selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants appeared to have a 60% increased risk of hypertension.

Pregnancy hypertension, or high blood pressure, is sometimes linked with pre-eclampsia – a condition that can harm pregnant women and their unborn babies.

The research is particularly important as antidepressants are one of the most commonly used medications amongst pregnant women. Up to 20% of pregnant women experience depression during pregnancy, while between four and 14% will frequently use antidepressants.

The research has been published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, and used data from the Quebec Pregnancy Registry.

Dr Anick Bérard, Director of the research unit of medications and pregnancy at CHU Ste-Justine's Research Centre in Canada, was the senior researcher in the study.

“Pregnancy induced hypertension is a serious condition that can directly affect the mother and her unborn baby,” she said.

“These results are an early indicator of risk attributable to antidepressant drug treatment above that which may be attributed to depression or anxiety disorders in the absence of drug treatment.”

Of the 1,216 women studied, the incidence of hypertension increased from 2% to 3.2% amongst women who had been taking SSRI antidepressants. One specific SSRI, paroxetine, was associated with an increase in incidence of hypertension to about 3.6%.

“This research adds another piece of evidence and shows the importance of fully assessing the risks and the benefits of antidepressant use during pregnancy for the mother and child,” added Dr Bérard.

Diabetes could lead to a higher risk of major cardiovascular problems in men, such as a heart attack or stroke, research has discovered.

A study, presented at the American College of Cardiology in Chicago, has looked into the effects of type 2 diabetes on the risk of cardiovascular problems.

It was found that men with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin, who don’t have a history of heart problems, were at a higher risk of heart attack or stroke than even those with a history of cardiovascular disease.

The research looked at more than 60,000 patients, both men and women, and assessed the impact that diabetes has on the risk factor of major cardiovascular events over a four year period.

It was found that men with diabetes taking insulin had a 16% rate of major cardiovascular events over the course of four years. This is compared to men with a history of heart problems without diabetes, who had a 13% rate of major cardiovascular events.

The study concluded that diabetic men who were taking insulin were 40% more likely to suffer heart problems than women.

As well as this, diabetic men taking insulin had a 70% higher risk of their first cardiovascular event than those with a history suffering a recurrent event.

Jacob Udell is an MD at the Cardiovascular Division at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and was the lead study investigator during the research.

“These findings suggest that both men and women with diabetes with severe insulin resistance (those patients requiring insulin) are at high risk for cardiovascular events, as high risk as patients who already have established cardiovascular disease,” he said.

“Given that the number of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes requiring insulin continues to increase, these patients require diligent cardiovascular risk factor management to potentially avoid a first cardiovascular event.”

Potentially dangerous forms of fungus may be able to bypass the body’s immune defences by sensing the immune status of host cells.

That is the finding of an international study, published in Nature Publications, which looked into the interaction between fungi and the cells they invade.

It was found that opportunistic fungi such as Candida albicans can sense the immune status of host cells and adapt accordingly, allowing it to evade defences.

“It's a bit like the fungus is listening in to the conversations our immune system is having so it can best determine how to react and survive in our tissues,” said Glen Palmer, PhD, of the LSU Health Sciences Centre in New Orleans.

“This may also be a crucial step in determining when this opportunist decides to invade host tissue and cause life-threatening disease in an immunosuppressed patient.”

Candida yeasts live in the body naturally, usually on the skin and on mucous membranes. They are usually harmless, but an overgrowth can cause problematic symptoms.

Symptoms vary depending on where the infection takes place in the body. If the infection, known as Candiasis or thrush, develops in the mouth or throat then subsequent symptoms can include sore white patches, a painful tongue or an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Another common type of thrush is vaginal Candida, also known as a yeast infection. Women with vaginal Candida often experience burning and itching, and a white clumpy discharge in some cases.

These types of infections can be treated, but if candiasis enters the bloodstream it can spread throughout the body and become potentially very dangerous.

But this research into the problem has given doctors valuable information, and opened up the potential to better treat the infection.

“Disrupting or manipulating the fungal sensing of these host molecules could trick the fungus, essentially suppressing an infection, or enabling us to eliminate this potentially dangerous fungus before it causes problems,” added Dr Palmer.

A major screening trial for lung cancer is to get underway in Scotland later this year, testing thousands of heavy smokers for the disease.

The screening trial, announced by Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Sir Harry Burns, will use a simple blood test that detects cancer early on.

The trial will screen up to 10,000 ‘high-risk’ smokers – those who have smoked the equivalent of 20 cigarettes a day for more than 20 years.

The blood test, called EarlyCDT, can detect the first signs of lung cancer up to five years before symptoms emerge.

The blood test detects signs of cancer early by detecting antibodies released by the immune system to combat early cancer cells.

It has been available in the US for more than two years, with health economists stating that it should be highly cost effective and reduce lung cancer mortality.

“The earlier a cancer is diagnosed the greater the chance it can be treated successfully, and currently 85% of patients with lung cancer remain undiagnosed until the disease has reached an advanced stage,” said Sir Harry Burns.

“This pilot project is part of our Detect Cancer Early programme, which aims to increase the early detection of cancer by 25%.”

Around 40,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year in the UK, while the disease kills 35,000 people per year.

Scotland has one of the highest lung cancer rates in the world, with fewer than 9% of sufferers surviving for more than five years after diagnosis.

“By testing those at greatest risk of developing lung cancer, and diagnosing it at its earliest possible stage, we stand a better chance of being able to treat the cancer successfully,” added Sir Harry Burns.

“This means patients can be treated when their general health is better and when less aggressive treatment may be required than if the cancer had spread.”

Breast cancer sufferers who are in remission have been told it is safe for them to become pregnant, after a study looking into the dangers was conducted.

It was previously thought that becoming pregnant could increase the danger of the cancer returning, as it increases oestrogen levels which can lead to breast cancer.

But a new study, conducted by doctors at the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels, has suggested that it is safe for women to fall pregnant after having breast cancer.

Previous studies have suggested that it is safe for former breast cancer sufferers to conceive, but it was unclear if this was the case for oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer, known as ER+ disease.

The new study, presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Vienna, looked into the effect of pregnancy on those with ER+ disease.

It looked at 333 women who had fallen pregnant after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and used a further 874 cancer sufferers who had not become pregnant as a control group.

The study, which followed the pregnant women for five years after the pregnancy, was led by Dr Hatem Azim, a medical oncologist at the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels.

He said: “Out of all the women, 57% had ER+ disease, but the study showed there was no difference in the length of time women with either ER+ or ER negative disease survived without their disease recurring compared with those who did not become pregnant.”

In a second finding, the study appeared to show that women who become pregnant within two years of being diagnosed with breast cancer were 25% less likely to die within five years than those who did not conceive. But Dr Azim said more research was need in this area.

“A clear trend over time was not demonstrated; hence this finding should be interpreted with caution as it could be confounded by potential selection bias, and hence pregnancy within two years of diagnosis should be regarded as safe, and not as protective,” he said.

Women who experience certain complications during their pregnancy could have an increased risk of developing heart problems later in life, a new study has found.

Research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association has suggested that women who develop pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders or diabetes could experience some form of cardiovascular disease later in life.

The research looked at 3,416 pregnant women enrolled on a study of parents and children in the early 1990s, then measured the cardiovascular risk factor of those same women 18 years later.

“We wanted to learn about possible explanations as to why women with pregnancy complications tend to have more heart disease later in life,” said Abigail Fraser, M.P.H., Ph.D., of the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol.

Of the 3,416 women involved in the study, 29.8% had one complication during their pregnancy, 5.2% had two complications and 0.8% had three.

It was found that women who experienced pre-eclampsia/gestational diabetes, or gave birth to children who were small for gestational age, were at a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.

Gestational diabetes was associated with a 26% greater risk of heart disease in middle age, while pre-eclampsia was associated with a 31% greater risk.

It was also found that women who had preterm babies had a higher blood pressure, while those who gave birth to babies who were large for their gestational age had higher concentrations of blood glucose.

“Pregnancy may provide an opportunity to identify women at increased risk of heart disease while they are relatively young; thus, it would be useful for medical professionals to have information on pregnancy complications so they can recommend lifestyle changes and any necessary medical intervention sooner,” added Dr Fraser.

“A woman who experiences complications during pregnancy should be proactive and ask her doctor about future CVD risk and steps she should take to modify her risk.”

Chlamydia could be evolving more actively than previously thought, with different strains of the infection sharing DNA to form new strains.

This means that, in theory, different strains of Chlamydia could swap DNA to become resistant to current antibiotic treatment.

That is the finding of study published in Nature Genetics, which says that the current clinical testing methods for Chlamydia do not detect variation between different strains of the infection.

“Scientists recently discovered that if two Chlamydia strains co-infect the same person at the same time, they can swap DNA by a process called recombination,” said Dr Simon Harris, lead author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

“This was originally thought only to affect a few 'hotspots' within the genome. We were very surprised to find recombination is far more widespread than previously thought.”

Chlamydia is the most widespread sexually transmitted infection in both Britain and worldwide. There are around 100 million new cases of Chlamydia worldwide every year.

Chlamydia is particularly harmful in the developing world, where it is the most common cause of infectious blindness, or trachoma.

“Despite this being the most important sexually transmitted infection in the world, until now it's clear that there are major gaps in our knowledge of the strains that are currently circulating, their evolution and natural history,” said Professor Ian Clarke, senior author from the University of Southampton’s Faculty of Medicine.

Current diagnoses of Chlamydia infections only return a positive or negative result, without any additional information about the infecting strain. This means that there’s no way of knowing if a person who tests positive after treatment has picked up a second infection, or the treatment has failed.

While an antibiotic-resistant strain of Chlamydia has never been seen in patients, it has occurred in a laboratory. If one was to develop there would be no way of detecting it with current diagnosis methods.

Today is national No Smoking Day in the UK, and smokers are being urged to take advantage of the campaign and make an effort to kick the habit for good.

More than nine million adults still smoke in the UK, the equivalent of one in five. No Smoking Day is trying to change this, and is responsible for 250,000 people attempting to quit smoking each year.

But even though more than 60% of smokers want to give up, only around 6,000 will quit for good each year, meaning that the No Smoking Day charity has its work cut out.

No Smoking Day is now part of the British Heart Foundation, after a merger last year. The two charities have launched a joint effort to get people to give up smoking.

“For both organisations, the opportunities posed by this merger were too good to miss,” said Betty McBride, Director of Policy and Communications at the British Heart Foundation.

“By joining forces we can enhance the No Smoking Day campaign and extend its reach – helping more people to quit – as well as strengthening our policy and lobbying work.”

Events are taking place up and down the country as part of National No Smoking Day, with more than one million people expected to try and give up.

In Norwich, the British Heart Foundation’s mascot ‘Hearty’ went head-to-head with ‘Big Cig’ – the No Smoking Day villain – to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking to the heart.

“I hope Big Cig and Hearty prove a hit at getting across the message about the dangers of smoking,” said Alex Mayer, British Heart Foundation community fundraising manager for Norfolk
“We can’t pull any punches, smoking is one of the major causes of cardiovascular disease and quitting is one of the best things you can do to improve your heart health.”

A new device has been launched in the UK that will enable sufferers of diabetes to manage their condition using a smartphone.

The device, called iBGStar, attaches to the bottom of an iPhone or iPod Touch and allows diabetics to accurately monitor their blood sugar levels at any time.

At £48, the iBGStar does not come cheap, but a Diabetes Manager app is included with the device. This allows user to store, track and analyse medical data.

The device is good news for the 2.9 million diabetes sufferers in the UK, as accurate monitoring of blood glucose is essential to the management of the condition. Diabetes can lead to a number of other health problems, including erectile dysfunction in some men.

But high blood sugar levels can be especially dangerous for diabetics, leading to serious complications such as damage to the kidneys, heart, eyes and nerves.

The iBGStar will be especially useful for people with type-1 diabetes, which is an auto-immune disease that can lead to dangerous rises in blood sugar levels.

Other blood glucose monitors are already available on the market, but are larger, palm-sized, devices. The iBGStar works in the same way, but is just one inch long – making it easy to transport.

The device’s software is also an improvement on traditional blood glucose monitors, as it allows users to follow changing trends and variations.

It also factors in other information such as carbohydrate intake, insulin injections and exercise. The device has been welcomed by diabetics and campaigners.

“Good blood glucose control is vital to reducing the long-term effects of diabetes, but it can be difficult and demanding to achieve,” said Sarah Johnson, from the type-1 diabetes research charity JDRF.

“As such, we welcome all developments in technology that can help people with type-1 and type-2 diabetes take control of their condition.”

Vaccinating pregnant women against the influenza virus could potentially have a positive effect on the birth weight of babies, a new study has found.

A study of more than 300 pregnant women, published in the Canadian Medical Journal, looked into the effect of the influenza vaccine during pregnancy.

It was found that women who received the influenza vaccine had a reduced chance of having a baby that is small for its gestational age – subsequently leading to a reduced risk of health issues in later life.

The study, carried out by a team of US and Bangladeshi researchers, involved a controlled trial of 340 healthy, pregnant women from Bangladesh who were in their third trimester.

The study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of pneumococcal and influenza vaccines in pregnant women. The participants in the study were placed into two groups – half received the influenza vaccine, while the other half received the pneumococcal vaccine as a control.

Two study periods were conducted in the research, one when the influenza virus was circulating and one when it was not.

It was found that, when the influenza virus was circulating, 25.9% of women gave birth to small babies – compared to 44.8% in the control group.

The average birth weight of babies in the influenza group was 3178g – 7% higher than the 2978g in the control group.

As well as a healthier birth weight, it was also found that the rate of premature births was lower in women who had taken the influenza vaccine.

“We found that immunisation against influenza during pregnancy had a substantial effect on mean birth weight and the proportion of infants who were small for gestational age,” said Dr Mark Steinhoff, from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre in Ohio.

“Our data suggests that the prevention of infection with seasonal influenza in pregnant women by vaccination can influence foetal growth.”

Older people are being urged to think about their sexual health, as it was found that the number of sexually transmitted infections amongst the older generation has soared in the last ten years.

A report published in the Student British Medical Journal has revealed that the STI rate in those aged 50 to 90 has doubled in the last decade.

More than 80% of 50-90 year olds are sexually active, leading medical experts to remind the older generation of the importance of safe sex.

Cases of Syphilis, Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea in 45-64 year olds have increased in the UK, Canada and the US in the last ten years. In England alone, registered cases of STIs in the over-45s doubled between 2000 and 2009 to almost 13,000.

Physical changes to the body mean that older, post-menopausal women are more vulnerable to infection than younger women.

It was also found that older men, who use erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra or Cialis, are more likely to be diagnosed with an STI within the first year of usage. But the report explains that more research is needed to understand the increase.

“Without a great deal of evidence about the reason for the increase in sexually transmitted infections, it is difficult to know what strategies will work to raise awareness and control the spread of infection,” said the report.

More worryingly than the rise in STIs, the report highlighted the rise in HIV cases amongst the older generation. It was found that 20% of UK adults accessing HIV care were over 50 – up from 11% in 2001.

This has been put down partly to the fact that HIV sufferers are living for longer, but the report also points out that new cases in over-50s doubled between 2000 and 2009.

Bans on smoking in public places and in the workplace urge smokers to light up less at home, an international study has found.

It was found that when smoking bans were introduced, the number of smokers who introduced self-imposed bans on smoking at home went up significantly.

The research puts paid to the misconception that smoke free legislation causes people to smoke more in the privacy of their own homes.

The research, published online in Tobacco Control, looked at four European countries that have smoke free legislation.

Two separate surveys were carried out in Ireland, France, Germany and the Netherlands, both before and after smoking bans were introduced.

Conducted between 2003 and 2008, depending on when the bans came into effect, the study involved more than 4,000 smokers in the four countries.

The research also looked at more than 1,000 people in the UK before any smoke free legislation had been introduced, to serve as a comparison country.

After bans were introduced in the study countries, the percentage of smokers who stopped smoking at home increased in all countries.

The biggest increase was in Germany, where home bans rose by 38% after legislation. This was followed by the Netherlands, with a 28% rise, and Ireland, with a 25% rise. In France the number of smokers introducing home bans went up by 17%.

“Opponents of workplace or public smoking bans have argued that smoke-free policies—albeit intended to protect non-smokers from tobacco smoke—could lead to displacement of smoking into the home and hence even increase the second hand smoke exposure of non-smoking family members and, most importantly, children,” said the authors of the study.

But the opposite was found to be the case, with the authors saying that public smoking bans “may stimulate smokers to establish total smoking bans in their homes.”

The study also revealed other reasons why people ban smoking at home. These include the presence of a young child, the upcoming birth of a child, and when the smoker is trying to give up.

The damage caused by a heart attack could be reduced by as much as 50% by enhancing a protective protein in the body, research has found.

Although in the early stages, the research could prove vital to those with a weak heart or smokers in increased danger of a potential heart attack.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina have found that an enhanced version of the protein focal adhesion kinase, or FAK, curbed the damage of heart attacks in mice.

When someone has a heart attack, oxygen-deprived heart cells emit signals to the protein FAK, which is usually inert. If the protein reaches the heart in time it can save heart cells, as well as potentially reducing permanent damage to the heart.

The study, which was published in the medical journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, bred mice to make a supercharged version of FAK.

“We thought if we could activate FAK to a greater extent, then we could better protect those heart cells,” said Joan Taylor, PhD, associate professor in UNC's department of pathology and laboratory medicine.

A new protein was created in the study, dubbed SuperFAK. Researchers designed SuperFAK to enhance its protective abilities, without harmful side effects.

In the study, mice with SuperFAK demonstrated a much stronger FAK response during a heart attack than the mice with the natural protein. Three days later, the mice with SuperFAK had around 50% less heart damage.

It is also worth noting that SuperFAK was found to have deactivated at the appropriate time – so no detrimental effects were found.

“This study shows that we can enhance existing cell survival pathways to protect heart cells during a heart attack,” added Ms Taylor.

“I think folks could use this idea to exploit mutations in other molecules—by thinking about how to modify the protein so that it can be under natural controls.”

Extending the smoking ban to include areas outside bars and pubs could help curb the rise of social smoking, a study has found.

Social smoking has been found to go hand-in-hand with drinking, so a ban on smoking outside bars and pubs could help those who occasionally light up stop smoking altogether.

That is the finding of a study published in Tobacco Control. It found that while smoking has decreased overall, social smoking has gone up amongst young adults.

The study found that social smoking – smoking intermittently or only in certain situations – is closely linked to alcohol consumption.

The study looked at 13 social smokers to find out what motivates them to smoke in certain circumstances.

The majority said that they only ever smoked when they had been drinking, saying that drinking and smoking go “hand-in-hand”.

As well as this, others said that alcohol prompted cravings for a cigarette, which they would not otherwise experience.

“Introducing smoke-free outdoors bars could reduce social smoking by removing cues that stimulate this behaviour and changing the environment that facilitates it,” said the authors of the study.

All but one of the social smokers in the study backed plans for smoke-free areas outside pubs, saying it would help decouple drinking and smoking and help them cut down or stop.

The suggestion of smoke-free outside zones is the latest in a range of plans to help people stop smoking, and prevent people from starting altogether.

Other measures include proposed plans to introduce plain packaging for all cigarette and tobacco packs. It is argued that this will reduce the number of children and adults who take up smoking.

But smoking campaign group Forest has claimed that there is no evidence to suggest this is the case.

“Plain packaging is illiberal and there is a danger that it will create far more problems than it solves,” said Forest campaigner Angela Harbutt.

Jill Hawking after suffering serious complication when expecting her eighth child, vowed to stop being a surrogate mother. But her addiction to pregnancy proved too strong to resist.

Due to give birth to surrogate twins nine and ten three weeks before her 48^th birthday, Miss Hawkins is not planning on stopping there. The legal secretary says she is determined to squeeze in two more pregnancies before she is 50.

During her previous pregnancy in 2010 - Miss Hawkins, who is single and has no children of her own, spent most of the year on sick leave, confined to bed for days at a time with nausea and headaches. After the birth, she promised her worried family that she would call time on her career as a surrogate mother.

At her two bedroom flat in Brighton which she shares with two cats, she said “my parents were concerned during the last pregnancy because it could have been life threatening”.

Miss Hawking said she just decided to become a surrogate again because she found being pregnant very fulfilling.

Miss Hawkins, who is paid around £12.000 in expenses for each pregnancy, says she has never been in love. She also added that she does not decide to get pregnant on a whim and that she thinks long and hard about it.

A surrogate mother is a woman who carries a foetus for someone else, usually a couple struggling with fertility issues. After the child is born, the surrogate mother surrenders the baby to the people who have hired her.

There are some legal and ethical issues bound up in surrogate motherhood, since it is a sensitive issue. Until the 1960s surrogacy was usually carried out by a friend or relative as a favour to someone in need.

In the 1960s European couples began contracting with third parties, setting up surrogacy agreements and sometimes compensating the surrogate mother for her trouble. In 1976 the first formal surrogacy agreement was set up in the United States and within a few decades, surrogacy had become socially accepted.

Several legal cases have challenged the surrogacy system, primarily when surrogate mothers refuse to surrender infants after they are born. In most instances, the surrogate mother loses the court battle, even if she is the child’s natural mother. Most contracts for surrogate mothers spell out the terms of the arrangement, in the hope of avoiding such a situation.

The relationship between a surrogate mother and the couple who commission her can vary widely. Some couples grow friendly with their surrogates and in other cases couples prefer to retain more distance with their surrogates.

For couples considering surrogacy and woman thinking about entering a surrogate agreement, meeting to discuss ever ones expectation before proceeding are an excellent idea.

The NHS have released figures that show less than 10% of patients in some areas of England are being given the full set of routine tests for diabetes care. Approximately 1.3 million people are not being offered what is seen as a life-saving analysis of their condition.

Paul Burstow Health Minister and Lib Dem MP for Sutton and Cheam said "It's outrageous, it's unacceptable, and that's why we published the information that exposed this in the first place."

He went on to say "The guidance is there, the best practice is understood and we need to make sure that best practice is adopted."

In the health areas worst affected by the lack of testing, the primary care trusts say they are trying to improve the system to benefit diabetes sufferers.

Guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) say that PCTs are supposed to guarantee that all diabetic patients receive the nine different health checks every year. This consists of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose levels, eye and feet examination. These fairly quick and simple tests are used to detect chronic complications such as gangrene, blindness, heart and kidney problems.

Quite a few men that suffer from diabetes can also have erectile dysfunction. Viagra is a good solution to this problem and many diabetic patients are prescribed it.

Even though doctors in a few areas are testing over 60% of diabetics, the National Diabetes Audit has found that many trusts are failing to apply all nine tests.

Baroness Barbara Young who is the Chief Executive of Diabetes UK stated that early intervention was the best policy and that systematic changes are needed.

In a statement she said "The government often says the right things but the stark fact is that people are dying and suffering a dramatically reduced quality of life as a result of lack of political will.

"This is one of the few problems facing the government that does not require more investment

"Health professionals are constantly telling us how frustrated they are about the constraints the system places on them and we want the government and the NHS to give them the tools they need."

The BBC received information from the NDA that over 967,000 people with diabetes did not get all nine tests. Dr Bob Young the leader of the audit said that it could be higher if the whole of the UK was taken into account.

The representative for lowest ranked area, Mid-Essex PCT, said that the information was only gathered from seven of the tests and two had not been “captured”. They also included that they are making improvements to their diabetic care programme.

Swindon appears at the bottom of the list too and they say that "In eight out of nine areas the figures show we are testing more than 70% of our patients.

"We have written to all GPs to make sure a standardised approach is put in place to ensure patients have all the health checks."

The Primary Care Diabetes Society spokesperson Dr Stephen Lawrence related that the comprehensive low test rate could possibly be more patients being diagnosed as being diabetic.

"It is a concern if patients are developing complications and suffering when all it needs from our point of view is a reorganisation of the services."

The Department of Health are intending to give patients more control over their own health through the introduction of smartphone applications.

Apps could help diabetics keep a check on their blood sugar and patients could monitor their own blood pressure.

The government’s Information Strategy - expected this spring, will give details of how this will work.

At an event showcasing the best ideas for new and existing health smartphone apps, the health secretary Andrew Lansley said so many people use apps every day. I would like to use apps to track blood pressure, to find the nearest source of support when it is needed and to get practice help in staying healthy.

Innovation and technology can revolutionise the health service and the Government are looking at how the NHS can use these apps for the benefit of patients, including how GPs could offer them free.

One app that has already been trialled by GPs and community nurses as well as hospitals including Great Ormond Street, is called Patients Know Best.

Using the app, patients can have online consultation with any members of their clinical team, receive automated explanations of their results and work with clinicians for a personalised care plan

A new app for Smartphones and tablets designed by the Scottish NHS has become one of the most popular free medical apps available to download.

Mobile phones no longer interfere with medical equipment, meaning doctors and other medical staff can use smartphones and hand-held tablet computers while working on the ward.

The app, which was initially available for iPhones but is now also available to Android phones, has proved a surprise hit. It offers guidelines on a wide range of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, diabetes and the management of asthma and psoriasis.

As well as being a useful gadget if you live in the UK the app is also being downloaded by smartphone users all over the world.

A smartphone app designed and launched in South Africa is quite literally a pocket doctor for those who can afford the mobile phones required.

Afridoctor is a virtual health clinic, created by Technology Company Blueworld Communities based in Cape Town.

The “find a doctor” system users Google Maps to geo-locate local health services including doctors, hospitals and emergency clinics.

The distress feature enables users to contact a family member or friend at the touch of a button.

The rise of smartphone healthcare comes amid added concern about patient privacy. Some critics remain sceptical about data security.

The problems are common to all mobile devices, encryption at rest on the device and in transit and whether data on lost or stolen devices can be accessed. Smartphones can also carry germs in a clinical setting as most cannot be easily disinfected. The smaller screen can also limit the data that can be viewed.

Devices with larger screen are still needed for reviewing detailed diagnostic images and analysing data.

For now in the UK it seems the NHS is more concerned about seeing future smartphones use, in community care, rather than in hospitals.

Failing to achieve an erection whilst engaging in intercourse - a condition that can be common in men, may not have a hidden physical reason for this to occur. Not everyone who encounters this problem is suffering from an ailment that is known to cause erectile dysfunction, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, to name a couple. Trying Viagra or Cialis could be an answer to this personal problem, but maybe there is some other way of overcoming this dilemma.

Worrying about sexual performance can actually hinder a successful conclusion and will only form a distraction from your intimate relationship with your partner. Instead of erotic anticipation and reactions, persistent thoughts about it going wrong will cause erectile dysfunction and only instil negative visions about performance. This will carry on out of the bedroom, it might reflect on your manliness and agonising over letting your partner down.

Anxiety is an emotion that causes you to become worked up over an anticipated event in the future and its eventual outcome. Sexual performance anxiety can alter your outlook on life and the way that you think people perceive you, mainly that it might affect your relationship with your partner. All sorts of things can go through your mind, that as a male you should always get an erection and sustain it to a climax, not being able to will make you less of a man. 

There is still an inbuilt schedule of how a sexual performance should go and this encourages more irrational thoughts. Everybody’s actual sexual likes, wants and needs, are as with everyday life different. We are not manufactured on a conveyer belt and programmed to do everything perfectly every time. Being pessimistic and thinking too much about what might happen, has its own negative consequences.

In the long run it is a good thing to talk to your partner about, maybe trying a different approach. Foreplay can be a good start to help with arousal in both of you and not reaching a climax is not a failure. Stop comparing past sexual experiences, learn to turn your thoughts into positive ones and enjoy sex.

A recent article published on MSN about five embarrassing male health problems, included a reference for the Co-operative Doctor site. It reported that two out of five men do suffer in silence rather than asking for advice and possibly treatment for everyday medical complaints. Also it suggested that about 50% of males compared to females do not go to the doctor when they suspect something is ailing them.

As we all know it is better to seek medical help as soon as possible, instead of waiting for it to go away or trying to self-treat something that you’re not sure what it is. The Co-operative Doctor can be a useful reference and offers a completely confidential service, saving in most cases the expense of taking the wrong medication for an ailment.

Research has been conducted into which are the most embarrassing male problems that men would put off seeking medical attention for.

Erectile Dysfunction

Referring to our site, erectile dysfunction is the greatest issue that men dislike talking about to anyone, let alone a stranger and encountering a female doctor for such personal advice must be dreadful. It really is important to ensure that when looking for information and a subsequent cure in the form of Viagra, Cialis or Levitra, which are the main drug treatments for ED, that the website is genuine and secure.

Erectile Dysfunction can happen to most men on some occasions which may be linked to over indulgence with alcohol or stress. If it occurs on a regular basis for no foreseen reason, then it could be some underlying medical problem related to heart, high blood pressure, diabetes or some other medical issue, there could also be a psychological complaint. It is worth trying a consultation with the Co-operative Doctor as they will advise seeing your GP if they think you need a more extensive medical examination.

Urinary Conditions

Having to go to the toilet numerous times during the night is very disruptive to sleep patterns and a worry that something might be wrong with your prostate. It is normal to get up once in the night on a regular basis, but several times may be a warning sign. If after you have tried cutting down your fluid intake such as alcohol, tea and coffee, they are all diuretics. Possibly make a note of what you are drinking and the time, this is useful when you eventually go and see a doctor. If it doesn’t appear to make much difference, then you will need to see a doctor to rule out diabetes or prostate problems which can affect the bladder control too.

Piles

It doesn’t matter what age you are, 50% of the population has had an episode of piles before the age of 50. This ailment can be eliminated easily with a change in diet to include fibre, in the form of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains. Increasing water intake, fruit/vegetable juice or herbal drinks are also a help. If when going to the toilet there is blood present and it does not clear up in a few weeks, then you should consult your GP just to make sure that there isn’t another reason for this occurrence.

Flatulence

Everybody has wind, even women, but they are more discreet about it. But younger men to find it a worry, that they do it too often and it is embarrassing. It can be linked to digestive problems and having 6 small meals throughout the day and avoiding certain foods that produce more gas can be a help. If the change in dietary habits is not helping, then visiting a doctor to see if it is a problem with your digestive system should reveal the reason.

STIs

Nowadays there should be no reason to get embarrassed about having a sexually transmitted infection (STIs), with all the information we have today and media coverage, it really is no longer taboo. Practising safe sex and avoiding casual sex is the best way not to catch anything. If you have any of the symptoms, discharge, inflammation, irritation or discomfort then you need to get it seen to. It is easily treated when diagnosed and you don’t have to see your GP, there are walk-in centres and the NHS have a sexual health helpline 0800 567 123.

New data from the NHS is showing that expectant mothers in the north-east, compared to those in London are three times more likely to keep smoking throughout their pregnancy.

The survey information was obtained from a study of 167,300 pregnant women. It revealed that 20% of women in the north-east in contrast to 6% in London were still smoking when the baby was born. Country wide 13.4% continued to smoke in England, which has actually dropped from 15.1% in the 2006/07 study. Regionally it varies considerably, Brent in London recording 2.8% compared to 30.3% in Blackpool, Lancashire. In every northern health authority the levels of smoking were "considerably higher" in comparison to areas in the south.

Chief information centre executive Tim Straughan said: "Smoking can cause a range of serious health problems, including lower birth weight, pre-term birth, placental complications and perinatal mortality.

“The statistics we have published today highlight stark regional variation in the proportion of women smoking at the time of giving birth.

“They will be of considerable interest to those responsible for promoting good health during and after pregnancy."

Royal College of Midwives representative Louise Silverton said the results from the data were “alarming”.

She commented that: "The north-south divide revealed in these statistics highlights the gaping health inequalities in access to appropriate public health services.

"The RCM believes midwives play a vital role in promoting public health. Therefore, we urge all strategic health authorities and local authorities to invest in midwives to support smoking cessation programmes.

"We need more midwives to deliver the public health agenda and signpost parents to the most appropriate services. Nationally, we are campaigning for 5,000 more midwives."

Anne Milton, the minister of state for health said: "The regional variation we are seeing here is unacceptable and we want to reduce rates of smoking throughout pregnancy across all areas of the country.” She also added that local communities were collaborating with NHS doctors and midwives to deal with the problem on a local basis. Councils have been given the power and an increased budget by the government to enforce a change to stop smoking in pregnancy.

New information gathered from research in Argentina has revealed that Wi-Fi radio waves could be detrimental to sperm mobility and damage DNA factors. It was recently publicised in the Fertility and Sterility Journal that several renowned causes and quite a few new age forces, are responsible for low sperm count.

Approximately it effects upwards of 80 million people globally, which is as much as one in five men having poor-quality sperm and many men are unaware of some everyday activities and products that could be a major cause of the problem.

It has in the past been a belief that men maintained a steady rate of fertility during their lifespan. As men get older the amount and condition of their sperm drops, making after the age of 50 a lower chance of becoming a Father, so as with women the younger you are when starting a family, the better. Also a possible link to learning difficulties in children, but this has not been researched sufficiently yet for it to be proven.

As technology is advancing in leaps and bounds, so is the increase in everyday items such as mobile phones, TV’s, washing machines and Wi-Fi gadgets, which emit some albeit low levels of non-ionising radiation. This type of radiation exists in small amounts naturally in the atmosphere. Recent studies in Argentina obtained their results from irradiating sperm samples, which found there were changes in cell structure. Irradiation has long been used in worldwide fight against endemic diseases. Controlling Tsetse flies by introducing millions of infertile ones, to prevent trypanosomiasis, known as sleeping sickness. The higher levels of natural radiation come from metallic elements like uranium and plutonium, also outer space. Medical X-rays including radiotherapy could harm genetic parts of cells. As the initial Argentinian tests are rather extreme, they are still pondering if mobile phones are linked to low sperm levels.

There are a few other influences in everyday life, which could affect fertility in men, that maybe some simple changes in lifestyle might be the answer.

Everyone knows or should know that overindulgence in alcohol does have a bad effect on sperm count. A generally healthy diet produces potent sperm and research is inconclusive as to whether being a vegan, vegetarian or following any other specific diet regime has any better effect on them. Phytoestrogens that are found in foodstuffs such as soy, beer & coffee, have a possible connection with low sperm levels, but again unproven and there seems to be no decline in fertility in south-east Asia, where soy is a staple of their dietary habits. Obesity can be a factor in with fertility, fat cells release more oestrogen. While males do have low levels of this hormone, there is an increase in overweight men that can cause fertility problems. Also being underweight from illness or a poor diet can have its reproductive downside.

Being anxious or stressed could alter hormones, that could affect fertility and stress can lead to impotency. Help with erectile dysfunction can be sought from medications such as Viagra and Cialis. There is also something known as “oxidative stress”, where highly reactive molecules present in the body cause cell damage. A tendency to weight problems, alcohol and smoking, also pollutants are all contributing elements of oxidative stress. Men that have fertility issues due to this problem, have found that taking vitamin E, Vitamin C, folic acid, zinc and fish oil supplements improves their chances of conceiving.

Having too active a sex life if you are trying to conceive a baby, is not recommended, the longer the period left between intercourse, makes for a better quantity of sperm. Keeping fit is an advantage, but too much exercise combined with use of steroids, lowers testosterone which inhibits sperm production.

On the subject of drug taking, some adverse symptoms of prescribed medication are unavoidable, when taken for specific medical problems, but it’s always worth a chat with your consultant. When it comes to recreational drugs like cannabis and cocaine, both can harm fertility. The effect on sperm from cannabis it to speed their activity up and die before they can fertilise the egg. Cocaine lowers sperm production and those that are produced can be abnormal shapes, hindering their movement. Smoking up to two packs of ‘normal’ cigarettes a day, can affect sperm, and there is evidence that children born to heavy smokers are more at risk of suffering from leukaemia.

A principal consequence of male infertility is untreated STD’s. The hard to self-detect infection in men chlamydia, causes infection in the area where sperm are stored, the testicular vesicles. Mumps generally a childhood disease can sometimes be harmful, by damaging the testicles.

Pollutants, pesticides & ‘Gender Benders’ all have possible effects on sperm. Pollution has well known links with fertility and farm workers dealing with pesticides as part of their job, are reported to have more cases of infertility. Solvents, glues & paints can double the risk. Plastic packaging, shampoo and cleaning agents, also construction industry materials are referred to as ‘Gender Benders’, because they have properties that can imitate the female hormones like oestrogen. It is believed by environmentalists that these materials could filter their way into our water supply and be digested to cause fertility problems to occur.

So to conclude there are so many things that can affect men’s ability to procreate and a lot of the causes can be avoided like drink, drugs and sexual encounters…. A few that it’s impossible to do anything about, to which avoiding DIY is not the answer….

Just remember it doesn’t do to wear tight underwear, use you laptop as a heater and cycling….well there’s padded seats & comfy shorts to solve that problem.

A report by the British Medical Association says a fresh debate is needed on organ donation.

The number of organ donations has increased sharply in recent years, but not enough for the people waiting for a transplant.

The BMA says new types of donors may need to be considered, like brain dead patients kept alive on ventilators.

The report also calls for an opt-out donation system; this is a system where people are presumed to have agreed to donate their organs.

The BMA report was examining the changes to the organ donation system that have taken place since the publication of the last major investigation by the government-appointed Organ Donation Taskforce in January 2008.

Dr.Vivienne Nathanson, one of the authors of the report, says as a society we need to decide whether we should look at new methods of encouraging donation.

The BMA itself backs what Dr. Nathanson as a “soft” opt-in which presumes donation had been agreed, but would allow bereaved families to say no.

There are three different ways of donating an organ these are known as – donation after brain stem death – donation after cardiac death – live organ donation.

Permission for donations for deceased persons is given by their family at the time of death. Even where someone has placed their name on the Organ Donor Register, doctors must get their relatives permission before removing their organs.

An organ transplant may save a person’s life or it may significantly improve their health and quality of life.

One donor can help several people. This is because a single donor is able to donate a number or organs.

Organs for transplant are currently only taken from people who have made a positive decision during their lifetime to become a donor by placing their name on the NHS Organ Donor Register, however only a small proportion ever become donors. This is partly because of inefficiencies in the organ matching system but mainly because they die in circumstances that mean their organs cannot be donated to others.

The main changes being proposed to the current system are a switch from voluntary registration via the Organ Donor Register to a system of “presumed consent”. This would mean everyone would be regarded as a potential donor unless they had specifically registered an objection.

In Wales the situation with regards to adopting an opt-out system for organ donation is a lot more advanced than in England.

Wales will become the first place in the UK to adopt the opt-out system.

All donors have a choice of which organs and tissue they wish to donate.

Donors are carefully screened to make sure there is a suitable match and to prevent any transmissible diseases or other complications.

Most young people under the age of 16 are not having sex.

With the combination of high quality sex and relationship education, provided by parents and at school, it has helped to delay the age young people have sex for the first time. The likelihood they will use contraception has also increased when they do.

Easier access to contraception also helps to reduce teenage pregnancy. Pregnancy rates in the UK are the lowest they have been for 30 years.

All young people, including those who are under 16, have a right to confidential consultation.

This right is incorporated in legislation and is supported by the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing.

Consultations between a doctor and a patient are confidential. If you do not want your parents or anyone else to be involved, they do not have to be. Whatever is discussed during a consultation should go no further, unless you give permission for your doctor to inform someone else.

Contraceptive advice and treatment must always be provided by suitably qualified professionals working to strict professional standards to determine whether a young person has the ability to consent to contraceptive treatment.

All contraception in the UK is free on the NHS in the UK. You can pick-up free contraception and get advice on which method is right for you.

There are many forms of contraception – here are a few

Condoms - a male condom is made of very thin latex or polyurethane. It fits over the males erected penis.  It catches sperm and stops it entering the vigina.

The Pill - There are lots of different types and you might have to try one or two before you find the one that is right for you.

The Pill stops ovulation, which means a woman, will not release an egg to be fertilised.

Contraceptive Injection – one injection can protect you from pregnancy for 8 to 12 weeks

The injection contains progestogen which stops ovulation and thickens the mucus around the cervix

Contraceptive Patch – the patch releases the same hormones as the pill which prevents you becoming pregnant. You replace the patch once a week and you can wear it when you are swimming, exercising or having a bath.

Contraceptive Implant – is a small fixable rod which is put under the skin in your upper arm. Once it is put in, it protects against pregnancy for three years, until you have it taken out.

Contraceptive methods allow you to choose what is right for you. There are a lot of methods to choose from, so don’t be put off if the first thing you use is not quite right for you, you can try another.

Everyone wants young people to be safe and not to have sex too early. It is important young people are provided with a whole range of support, information and advice that enable them to have healthy relationships.

An outbreak of legionnaires disease at a Spanish Hotel, which lead to the death of 3 British holidaymakers and left 13 in hospital, was first detected a month before health authorities took action.

The outbreak became public last Wednesday when a 76 year old British man died in the intensive care unit of the Clinica Benidorm private hospital after contracting the illness.

The Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe was closed on Friday 3/2/12 by the authorities, after traces of lethal bacteria were found in the plumbing system.

The Health Authorities were first made aware of a case of Legionnaires Disease in the middle of December, when it was contracted by a Spanish guest at the hotel. Two weeks later, on December 27, a waitress at the hotel was also struck down by the bug.

Authorities in the Valencia region were accused of playing down the threat to public health to avoid damaging the reputation of the resort, whose economy is reliant on tourism.

Local reports claimed hotel staff were also made aware of the danger in December and told to take extra precautions but not to mention it to guests.

Saga Holidays, which cater for the over – 50s and whose clients were amongst those affected, was furious to learn that the company had not been made aware of the possible danger.

It was not until Saga Holidays requested a full inspection the hotels plumbing system that any action was taken.

Legionnaire’s disease is a bacterial disease that causes a lung infection or pneumonia. It is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person.

Symptoms first appear between 2 and 10 days after exposure to the bacteria. Legionnaires’ initially produce a flu-like illness with tiredness, high fever, headache, muscle aches and a dry cough. As the pneumonia develops there may be chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and hallucinations.

The bacteria is found widely throughout natural water systems such as rivers and ponds, but temperature is critical to its growth and it is in the warm or hot water of artificial water systems such as heating plants or whirlpools that it can really thrive.

Other sources include the water systems of large buildings, cooling towers of air-conditioning systems, fountains and ponds and communal showers.

Prompt treatment with antibiotics is effective but specific types of antibiotic must be used as the bacteria can hide inside the cells of the respiratory tract and the antibiotics must be able to penetrate the cells.

The risk of catching Legionnaires’ can be reduced with appropriate maintenance and adequate cleaning of possible scoures, such as air-conditioning systems and whirl-pool swimming pools.

The Welsh Government has put into motion a plan to prevent smoking in cars are carrying child passengers.

It is part of their Fresh Start Wales campaign, which has a three year contingency strategy, hopefully ending with an across the board ban.

Welsh chief medical officer Dr Tony Jewell explained that we need to protect children from the effects of second-hand smoke, especially in confined areas such as cars. "Exposure to these chemicals puts children at risk from a range of conditions, including sudden infant death syndrome and asthma," he said.

"There is robust evidence that the level of toxic chemicals is very high in cars, even with a window open. The Fresh Start Wales campaign aims to make people aware that smoking in cars is dangerous for their passengers, particularly children."

Mr Carwyn Jones a First Minister has said that tobacco smoking in cars “poisons” children and Wales would want to confirm its legislation.

"A ban on smoking in cars carrying children will be considered later in this five-year term of government if smoking levels do not reduce as a result of the campaign," he said.

"We have commissioned research to measure levels of smoking in cars and public attitudes towards it, which will be revisited throughout the campaign to evaluate its success."

Simon Clark a lobbyist with Forest, a media and political activist group opposing smoking bans, said the ban would be expensive and totally unnecessary.

But he also added, "I disagree that they're poisoning children but I support the campaign. I think it's important to encourage parents not to smoke in a car where small children are present out of consideration for the child if nothing else." He did ask for assurance from the Welsh government that it would not bring the ban into force.

"We think that would be a step too far and totally unnecessary," he said.

"And I think it's outrageous at the way they're treating smokers considering there are 10m smokers throughout the United Kingdom who contribute a massive amount to tobacco taxation - over £10bn a year.

It's a perfectly legal product and I think it's quite wrong the way smokers have been treated."

As the head of the British Heart Foundation in Wales, Chris Mulholland said it was vital that an option for the ban stayed.

"Poll after poll shows a huge majority of the public would support a ban," she said. "Evidence from other countries shows that legislation has made a big difference in protecting children."

Maybe with more areas that are prohibiting smoking, it will encourage people to give up smoking. Champix is a popular and proven way to help kick the habit.

Major parts of Canada and Australia are already enforcing a smoking ban in cars carrying children and car smoking is banned in Mauritius, regardless of child passengers.

A census of opinion in a survey for Ash Wales found that four in five Welsh adults agree with abolishing smoking when under 18’s are passengers and this coming from a country where 23% of the adult population smoke.

The motoring organisation the AA is querying how the suppose ban would be invoked.  It would be low on the priorities list for traffic police with many other duties to uphold. Really it should be a common sense guideline that is enforced via the family units.

Drinking just a little bit more than we should, puts people at risk of serious illness including, heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Regularly drinking two large glasses of wine or two strong pints of beer a day triples mouth cancer risk and doubles high blood pressure risks.

Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Dame Sally Davis said “Drinking too much is a major public health issue”.

Dr. Mike Knapton associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation said “An estimated 10 million Britons drink more than the recommended limits for alcohol, which puts 1 in 5 at increased risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and weight gain”.

We can all enjoy our favourite tipple in moderation, but we all have to be aware of the health risks when one glass becomes two or three on a daily basis.

Doctors say the government guide lines could be improved to ensure they do not sanction daily drinking.

The government recommend no more than 2-3 units for woman and 3-4 for men with 48 hours alcohol-free after heavy drinking.

The Department of Health said it has no plans to change the guidelines.

We all know too much alcohol is bad for us. It gives us hangovers, makes us feel tied and does little for our appearance – and that is just the morning afterwards.

From the second you take your first sip, alcohol starts affecting your body and mind. After one or two drinks you may start feeling more sociable but drink too much and basic human functions, such as walking and talking become much harder.

If you have drunk heavily the night before, you will almost certainly wake-up with a hangover. Alcohol irritates the stomach, so heavy drinking can cause sickness, nausea and sometimes diarrhoea. Alcohol has a dehydrating effect which is one reason why excessive drinking can lead to a thumping headache the morning after.

If you are trying to watch your waistline, drinking too much alcohol can be disastrous and overindulging in alcohol is not good news for your skin either. As well as causing bloating and dark circles under your eyes, alcohol dries out your skin and can lead to wrinkles and premature aging.

A glass of wine or one or two beers is not likely to play havoc with your health. If you do choose to have a drink, the best way to ensure alcohol won’t adversely affect your health in the future is to stick within the governments daily unit guidelines.

Spreading alcohol consumption over the week is better than saving it for the weekend binge.

When you listen to your body’s needs and take care of yourself you will find it much easier to enjoy that glass or wine or beer with a clear conscience.

Sugar should be regulated the same way as alcohol and tobacco, because it poses a significant danger to public health.

Sugar is a toxin to the liver as alcohol and over consumption is at the root of growing public health problems including obesity and certain types of liver disease.

A growing body of scientific evidence is showing that fructose can trigger processes that lead to liver toxicity and a host of other chronic diseases.

For the first time in human history, long-term diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes now poses a greater problem than infectious diseases.

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) said international bodies concerned with public health must consider limiting people’s intake of sugar, rather than focusing on limiting fat and salt. Food regulators should turn their attention to “added sugar,” which the UCSF team defined as any sweetener containing fructose that is added to food during processing.

In an opinion article for the journal Nature, Robert Lustig, Laura Schmidt and Claire Brinds of UCSF concluded their preliminary studies have linked sugar consumption to cancer and cognitive decline. We propose adding taxes to processed foods that contain any form of added sugars.

Dr. Tim Lobstein, directors of policy and programmes at the International Obesity Task Force, said sugar consumption was a major battleground for public health. “The large food manufacturers are very reluctant to see any restrictions on the use of cheap, bulk ingredients like sugar and starch.

Carbohydrates are the body’s most important and readily available source of energy and are a necessary part of a healthy diet for both children and adults.

Sugar is a naturally occurring carbohydrate and contrary to popular belief, there are some positive to having sugar in our diet. But foods whose primary ingredient is sugar, like cakes and cookies are the ones you want to avoid.

Sugar is stored in our bodies and is used for energy. Children use lots of energy playing, swimming, running around and will use their energy by being so active.

Problems arise when too much energy is stored and not used up – this will turn to fat.

Good sugars can be found in fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables are packed with fibre, water and minerals’, meaning their sugar content is low.

Kids who eat lots of cookies and sugary cereals can overdo it very easily and start putting on weight.

Sugar has a bad reputation for a reason. It is well known that sugar may contribute to obesity in children. This is partly because consuming large amounts of sugar causes insulin to spike and then to drop, which can trigger overeating. Sugar is also a major contributor to cavities and tooth decay.

Unless there is a medical need to avoid sugar there is no harm in having the occasional teat – but don’t let these become your preferred snack.

Limiting sugar intake is just one thing we can do to to maintain a healthy weight along with maintaining a balanced diet high in fibre, fruit and vegetables and low in red and processed meat, saturated fat and salt.

Politicians, health experts and drug companies have agreed to combat 10 neglected tropical diseases.

Amongst those who are signed up are global health organisations, the UK and US Governments, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and pharmaceutical companies.

Their goal is to eliminate the following diseases by 2020. Guinea worm, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, blinding trachoma and sleeping sickness. And to reduce diseases such as schistosomiasis, river blindness, soil-transmitted helminthes, charges disease and visceral leishamiasis.

These diseases affect more than a billion people a year in the poorest countries of the world.

Neglected Tropical Diseases is a term for a range of bacterial parasitic and worm infections which flourish in areas with poor water quality and inadequate sanitation.

Sanitation and hygiene are critical to health, survival and development. A significant amount of disease could be prevented through better access to adequate sanitation facilities.

Water plays a critical role in the spread of insect-borne diseases because many insects, such as mosquitos, breed around water. Infected insects can transmit deadly disease to humans through their bite.

Drug makers have been criticised in the past for not doing enough to fight diseases of the poor as they concentrate on conditions in rich nations, such as cholesterol.   But the largest coordinated effort yet to fight diseases, the group promised to give away 14 million doses of medicines by the end of this decade.

There are effective drugs to either prevent or treat all of these infections and the decision by pharmaceutical companies to supply them free of charge in affected countries means it is possible to reach many millions of people.

Speaking for chief executives of the drug firms involved in partnership Andrew Witty GlaxoSmithKlines’s CEO described the impact of the diseases as “horrific” and said he hoped the scale of this new cooperation would beat them.

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations said new R&D collaborations and deals with drug makers and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative would also give “unprecedented” access to libraries of chemical compounds that may lead to new treatments.

Extra funding for the project came from Britain, the United States, United Arab Emirates, the Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

One key obstacle is the acute shortage of healthcare workers in manly poor countries, who are crucial to ensure treatments reach those who need them.

People who are travelling outside the UK may need to be vaccinated against some of serious diseases that are found in other parts of the world.

Vaccination can protect you against becoming infected with a range of serious diseases.

Four year old Logan Knowles, loves riding his bike, plays football every day and always eats his vegetables.

So when his mum Stefanie Mrozowski 29, received a letter from the NHS saying he was ‘clinically obese’ she was stunned.

The letter stated that 4 year old Logan was so overweight he was at risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Logan’s mum said "it’s ridiculous there is nothing of him”.

Hundreds of children have been sent letters informing them they are overweight or obese since the controversial child-measurement programme stated.

Eating disorder charities have described the letters as ‘scare tactics’ that could have damaging effects on youngsters.

More than 2,000 children have received treatment for eating disorders in the past three years. Statistics show that nearly 600 children under the age of 13 were treated in hospital. The figures from 35 NHS hospitals showed 98 were aged between five and seven at the time of treatment and 130 aged eight or nine.

The findings come after experts called earlier this year for urgent action to improve the detection of eating disorders in children.

A number of factors combine to trigger eating disorders and body image seems to be influencing younger children much more over the past decade.

Many children, in particular adolescents, are concerned about how they look. This can be especially true when they are going through puberty and undergo dramatic physical changes and face new social pressures.

Unfortunately in extreme cases their concerns can turn into obsession developing into eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. These illnesses because dramatic weight fluctuation, interfere with normal daily life and can permanently affect their health.

It is important to remember that eating disorders can easily get out of hand and are difficult habits to break. Eating disorders are serious clinical problems that require professional treatment by doctors, therapists and nutritionists.

Your own body image can influence your children. Constantly complaining that “I’m fat” and “yo-yo” dieting might give your children the image of normal and acceptable.

It can be hard for parents to talk to their children about eating habits. It is best to emphasise health, rather than weight, and we all need to tell our children we love them for who they are and not how they look.

Try to avoid a power struggle regarding food – if your teenager wants to - go vegetarian - be supportive. Set good limits, encourage healthy eating. Children can catch on pretty quickly.

Gain perspective and talk to your children about what is going on, if they do not want to eat with the family.

Take an active role in the preparation of healthy, nutritious meals. Let them know that it is ok to eat when hungry and no to eat when they are not hungry.

Make exercise fun, rewarding and a regular family activity. Developing your own healthy attitudes about food and exercise will set an excellent example for you and your kids.

Jean-Claude Mas age 72 the founder of the French firm that produced the faulty breast implants, has been arrested in the South of France.

Mas, was taken into custody just before 7 a.m. this morning.

PIP was closed down in March 2010 after regulators discovered it was using a non-medical grade silicone in its implants.

In December the French Government advised 30,000 women to have substandard PIP implants removed, warning that they were more likely to rupture than other implants.

Mas admitted on French radio he had used homemade silicone gel in order to cut costs. The gel was not approved for medical use. It included a mix of agricultural and industrial grade silicone.

PIP was once one of the world’s largest producers of silicone implants. More than 40,000 women in the UK have had the implants fitted, but unlike the French Government the British Department of Health stressed there was no urgent clinical need for all women with the implants to have them removed.

No one yet, has been charged in this case, but six PIP managers are expected to face a Marseilles court within the year for fraud and deception.

Over 2,000 French women have filed legal complaints against PIP and their complaints will be investigated case by case.

If you are considering breast implants the first step is to discuss it with your G.P. They will be able to answer any specific questions about breast implant surgery, and your G.P. will be able to refer you to a surgeon with experience in this area.

Before deciding to have breast implant surgery, you should discuss your expectations with your surgeon.

It is a good idea to find out about the treatment centre where you will be having your implants fitted. You can do this by contacting The Care Quality Commission which is responsible for regulating independent healthcare providers.

There a various different types of breast implants, the two most popular (silicone and saline).

Silicone gel implants, are filled with a silicone substance that can vary in its firmness and consistency. They are pre-filled before they are inserted.

Cohesive gel implants have a silicone shell made of several layers that make the implant strong and durable.

Like other types of silicone gel implants, cohesive gel implants have a soft, natural feel. They are also unlikely to wrinkle or fold due to their ability to retain their shape and integrity.

Saline implants have a strong, silicone shell and are filled with a sterile salt water solution. They are either pre-filled or can be filled through a valve once they have been inserted into your breast.

Most breast implants have a life expectancy of between 10 to 15 years, after which time they many need to be replaced. However breast implants can last for longer periods without any problems and some manufacturers guarantee against certain types of implant rupturing for the lifetime of the patient.

Marc Littlehjohn age 30 used to weigh in at 26st 2lb but lost a staggering 10st 2lb to scoop the super fit male slimmer of the year (2012) title.

Marc said “All my life I have been the jolly fat friend and I often got in the fat jokes before anyone else could. I had the biggest belly you have ever seen. If I had gone on as I was I would have most certainly had a heart attack.

There are many reasons for wanting to lose weight, but the most common reason is to look and feel good - being able to slide into that little black dress you have not been able to get into for years - is a wonderful feeling, a true sense of achievement.

In reality the most important reasons for losing weight should be our health. Being overweight can pave the way for a variety of diseases. The most common problem people can experience are heart problems.

The more weight the body carries the harder the heart will have to work, pumping more blood to oxygenate your vital tissues and organs. This will cause the heart to become fatigued.

When people are overweight there are more fat and toxins circulation the body this will cause circulatory problems that can lead to a variety of diseases.

Lowering your body mass index or BMI can directly reduce your risk of coronary heart disease.

While losing weight may be a challenge for many people the benefits are worth the trouble. Weight loss can help to reduce the risk of serious medical problems and increase the likelihood of a longer and healthier life.

Despite what you see in some diet books and TV programs healthy eating can be really straight forward.

When it comes to a healthy diet, balance is the key to getting it right. This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions, and consuming the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

All the food we eat can be divided into five groups – fruit and veg - starchy foods such as rice, pasta, bread and potatoes (choose wholegrain whenever possible) – meat, fish, eggs and beans – milk and dairy – foods containing fat and sugar.

Most of us are eating too much and not being active enough. That is why nearly two thirds of the adult population in England are overweight or obese.

The amount that we need to eat to maintain a healthy body weight depends on a range of factors, including your size and how physically active you are.

If you are overweight you should combine eating fewer calories with more physical activity in order to gradually lose weight and help you to keep the weight off.

As a guide, the average man needs around 2,500 calories a day to maintain a healthy body weight, and the average woman needs around 2,000 calories a day.

Living a long and healthy like is in your hands and you can start by shedding those extra pounds with dieting and exercise.

Influenza experts have agreed to a two month ban into research on a highly dangerous strain of bird-flu virus, because of fears that it may escape from their laboratories, causing a global human epidemic.

Researchers from around the world emphasise that their laboratories are safe and secure. But they do acknowledge that there is a grave public concern about an accidental or deliberate release of an “airborne” strain of H5N1 avian influenza which could be easily transmitted between people.

Organisations and governments need time to find the best solution for opportunities and challenges that stem from the Tamiflu and Influenza research work.

Agreement has been made for a voluntary pause of 60 days of any research involving highly pathogenic influenza H5N1 viruses.

American officials were concerned that the open publication in Science and Nature journals, of the genetic mutations leading to an airborne strain of bird flu – could be used by terrorists or a rogue state to unleash a devastating bio-weapon.

Concerns were also expressed about the laboratories might not be secure enough to withstand a concerted terrorist attack or an accidental release if the new mutations strain were made widely available amongst the approved influenza laboratories of the World Health Organisation.

Ron Fouchier and Ab Osterhaus of Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam accepted recommendations by the US Government.

Fouchier and Osterhaus write in the Nature journal “But we do question whether it is appropriate to have one country dominate a discussion that has an impact of scientists and public health officials word-wide.

The effects of antiviral drug Tamiflu – are still uncertain.

A study in the British Medical Journal, found the drug may cut the length of time people have symptoms but found no clear evidence that it prevented complications like pneumonia.

The study criticised the evidence available from Roche and said the firm had not been able “unconditionally” to provide the information needed for the study.

Tamiflu is still available for use when flu circulation is at high levels. The drug is a household name, with millions of stock piled against the threat of a potential flu pandemic and talked about alongside asprin and penicillin as a wonder drug.

Unlike over-the-counter medications that only master the symptoms of influenza, Tamiflu is an antiviral agent that targets the actual influenza virus and stops it from replicating and spreading from cell to cell.

By blocking neuraminidase activity, Tamiflu is able to prevent other healthy cells from being infected. With fewer infected calls the patient will not become as severely ill and is more rapidly able to recover from the infection.

Tamiflu is the first oral neuraminidase inhibitor and is available as a capsule for oral use.

Scientists are set to raise serious questions about the effectiveness of Tamiflu. But Roche the manufacturers of Tamiflu say they stand behind the robustness and integrity of their data supporting the efficacy and safety of Tamiflu and their priority has always been to minimise the risk of serious illness and death from seasonal flu.

As an internationally renowned specialist in male fertility, Dr Paul Turek has been given the go ahead and funding to create a sperm producing an artificial testicle.

Dr Turek is a pioneer in testicular prosthesis for testicle replacement due to a removal for medical conditions or injuries. They are designing a working artificial testicle, a “sperm-making biological machine.” That will produce human sperm so infertile men will be able to father children.

Recent breakthroughs with infertility research in male animals, namely mice using stem cells to produce viable sperm, have been successful, but not as yet attempted in humans.

Scientists have tried to recreate a device for this purpose in the past, but as yet they are not able complete all 12 of the stages of spermatogenesis. They can only manage to get the cell grown to the 9^th or 10^th stages, under artificial circumstances at present.

One of the factors that hinders the procedure is the fact that the conditions for the cultivation of sperm from start to finish have to be extremely exact and it is not an easy task to get all of the constituents working together.

The process starts with the researchers growing sertoli cells to which they add embryonic stem cells, to enable them to develop into precursor sperm cells. Dr Turek says that as an alternative to using controversial embryo stem cells, is to use adult stem cells, harvested from the patient’s skin. As yet it is not ascertained as to whether this was viable course to take.

According to Dr Turek, the ‘machine’ that he is working on, will not as yet resemble a prosthesis, as the recipient is not necessarily missing a testicle. The sperm making device will be about 5cm in length and look "like a transparent, over-sized Tootsie Roll." It will not be attached to the body and would also need to be changed every 70 days, which is the biological cycle of sperm production. They have been given up to seven years to perfect the prototype that they are currently working on.

At the University of Pittsburgh, their associate professor of reproductive sciences, Kyle Orwig said: 'It's an ambitious project. But it would be fantastic if it happened. It would be a major impact on the fertility field.'

He added that no one had yet tried to create sperm by re-creating the 'home' of sperm cell production.

St David’s Day will see the ban of selling cigarettes from vending machines in Northern Ireland, coming into force 5 months after the ban hit England, on the 1^st March 2012.

It was acknowledged during a Members of the Legislative Assembly meeting on Tuesday. Edwin Poots, Health Minister since May 2011, of the Northern Ireland Executive, said it would bring them into line with rest of the UK. The new regulations are to start in Wales on the 1^st February and Scotland are then due to follow shortly.

Mr Poots said "A survey in Northern Ireland in 2010 highlighted that for 14% of smokers aged between 11 and 16 years, cigarette vending machines are a usual source of tobacco."

He also added "The main aim in introducing the legislation is to prevent children and young people from being able to access tobacco from a largely unsupervised source. Children and young people are particularly vulnerable consumers in that they are generally unaware of the long-term health implications of tobacco use’’.

The Health Minister said the ban on vending machines, will not solve the problem of children smoking, but it would remove a main outlet where they illegally obtain them.

The removal of cigarette vending machines will make the ability to obtain tobacco products harder and therefore helping reduce underage smoking and drastically help those trying to stop smoking.

Northern Irelands Assembly health department has a new tobacco control strategy and the eradicating the availability of cigarettes via the machines is one of their main objectives. The paper about the strategy will be published later this month.

Introduction of these new regulations will bring them nearer with a continuing aim in Northern Ireland of a tobacco free society.

Environmental health officers for the district councils, will have the power to enforce the ban of tobacco vending machines, as they hold the legislative control.

At present in Northern Ireland there is believed to be at least 1,800 cigarette vending machines.

Scientists have now caught up with what a lot of woman already knew - taking the pill significantly relieves symptoms of period pains.

A large number of woman suffer from menstrual cramps know as dysmenorrhoea and for some the pain is so severe it can cause vomiting and fainting.

Symptoms usually last for a few days and tend to be worse during teenage years.

Studies involving 1,300 woman aged 19-24 found that the Pill reduced pain. Period pain is caused by hormones called prostaglandins, produced by the lining of the womb to make it contract. The study, conducted by researchers at Gothenburg University, Sweden, have found that the contraceptive pill prevents the production of these hormones and therefore reduce these cramps.

Published in the journal Human Reproduction, three separate groups of woman, were surveyed at the age of 19 and then again when they were 24 - all of which provided basic details such as age, height and weight.

Dr. Lindh and her colleagues from Gothenburg University said “it is really good for woman to know that there are some benefits of the Pill”. She also added information about effects of its use on painful periods should be included in contraceptive counselling as it has been shown that woman who experience a beneficial effect of the Pill other than contraception, such as a reduction in dysmenorrhoea are more likely to continue with the Pill.

The pill is considered safe, very effective (when used properly) and reversible method of birth control.

When taken properly the pregnancy rate on the pill is very low and in terms of the reversible effects, most women who discontinue the pill can get pregnant within a few months.

The pill decreases irregular menstrual bleeding and menstrual cramps and can be used in conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis where bleeding control is important.

There are different side effects of birth control for everyone. Find the pill that is right for you.

Choosing the best birth control pill can be difficult – what are the pros and cons of different types of birth control pills?

There are two different types of birth control pills – combination birth control, which contains estrogenic, and progestin and mini pills, which contain only progestin.

There are a large number of different combined oral contraceptive pills from which to choose, that may at first seem confusing but at least is offers the opportunity to tailor the individual choice to your individual needs.

Binovum, Brevinor, Cerazette, Femodene, Femodette, Femlulen, Logynon, Marvelon , Katya, Loestrin are just a few of the many contraceptive pills available. You just need to find the right one for you.

Emergency contraception is a safe and effective means to prevent pregnancy, when you have had unprotected sex or something has gone wrong with your usual method of contraception.

You may be able to reduce your risk of getting pregnant by using emergency contraception – but you need to act without delay.

The emergency contraceptive pill (“the morning after pill”) levonelle. The earlier you take levonelle the more likely it is to work so it is important to act quickly, in hours rather than days.

Emergency contraceptive pills are not meant to be used as a regular method of contraception. If you are sexually active, whether you have sex occasionally or frequently, you need to choose a regular long-term method of contraception that suits you.

Yet again Africa’s hopes of controlling the widespread problem of malaria have been hindered by an influx of counterfeit and low grade lifesaving medications. This is potentially a death sentence for millions of unsuspecting people.

The source of the inadequate drugs has been traced back to its area of manufacture by using pollen markers found in some of the fake drugs and appear to originate from Asia.

Artemisinin has been introduced into areas where chloroquine and mefloquine has become resistant. It is a newer and effective medication for controlling malaria, which is having its integrity compromised. The concocted drug has just enough artemisinin added to pass pharmaceutical checks, but is ineffective on the sufferer. The World Health Organisation are advising that the authentic treatment is used in combination with other medication, to try and stem the problem of immunity occurring.

The specialist research section of Wellcome Trust Mahosot Hospital, Oxford University Tropical Medicine Research Collaboration in Laos, headed by Dr Paul Newton, is asking for public health authorities to do something quickly in order to protect the effectiveness of the anti-malarials being administered in the most vulnerable and impoverished regions.

"It is very difficult to regulate the drug supply in poor countries," Dr Newton said. "WHO has said that 30% of drug regulatory authorities don't function. They don't list which they are but logically they are likely to be in economically poor, malarious countries. It is very difficult for them to control the import or introduction of artemisinin therapies."

"Failure to take action will put at risk the lives of millions of people, particularly children and pregnant women," he said.

Eight of the sub-Sarharan African countries, where the study was carried out, are a cause of great concern due to large amounts of fraudulently made medications, but the study carried out in the last decade it is providing an early warning portent to try and prevent further deaths.

An interview with Ms Vivian Aubyn, the National Co-ordinator of the Affordable Medicine Facility for malaria, stated that Ghana has measures in place to make sure that counterfeit ACTs (artemisinin-combination therapies) are prevented from entering the country. She related that AMFm are being sponsored by the Global Fund, which has considerably reduced the cost of ACTs, therefore making them more available for sufferers.

Through the work of the National Malaria Control Programme, the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drugs Board, help has been structured to oversee the scrutiny of ACTs imports into Ghana. To safeguard that the medication is authentic, does not ruin the malaria eradication plan and more importantly a stop to the extra suffering of those with malaria.

It has been widely hailed as a wonder drug, and experts have previously called for everyone over the age of forty five to consider taking it daily to reduce their risk of heart attack, stroke and some cancers.

However, an article published in the Archives of International Medicine yesterday, has led to calls to “review existing recommendations” about how much and how often aspirin should be taken.

The research carried out by St Georges, University of London involved 102,621 patients and found that while the drug reduced the risk of heart attacks by around ten percent, the risk of “non-trivial” bleeding rose by about a third.

Using these figures, the study suggests that for every one heart attack or stroke averted in 120 people treated with aspirin over six years, one in 73 will have suffered from significant internal bleeding during the same period.

Experts warn that only the ‘just-in-case’, self-medicating nature of taking aspirin is being called into question and people prescribed or told to take it routinely by their doctors for medical reasons should continue to do so.

Lead author of the study, Professor Kausik Ray said: “The beneficial effect of aspirin on preventing future cardiovascular disease events in people with established heart attacks or strokes is indisputable. We urge people with these conditions not to discontinue their medication unless advised to do so by their physicians for valid reasons.”

“However, the benefits of aspirin in individuals not known to have these conditions are far more modest than previously believed and, in fact, aspirin treatment may potentially result in considerable harm due to major bleeding.”

“Hence, it would be worthwhile to review existing recommendations, such as US Preventative Services Task Force guidelines and the Joint British Societies’ guidelines, for the use of this agent in low-risk populations, and consider aspirin treatment more selectively on a case-by-case basis.”

The Joint British Societies, which include the British Cardiac Society, British Hypertension Society and the Stroke Association, previously recommended 75mg of aspirin a day for high risk patients over fifty.

Prof. Ray continued to say “If you treat 73 people for about six years you will get one of these non-trivial bleeds. If you treat about 160 people for the same period of time, you’re preventing one heart attack that probably wouldn’t have been fatal anyway”

“It suggests that the net benefit for aspirin is not there, it certainly doesn’t prolong life. If you think about it, the net benefit - actually there is net harm.”

An Aspirin Foundation spokesman said in response “We have had no opportunity to review this new publication in scientific detail.”

“Our first response is that it is at odds with so much existing medical opinion and recommendation that the Foundation will study it fully before any balanced opinion can be expressed.”

A new study suggests that nicotine patches may be able to improve cognitive function in elderly people suffering from the earliest symptoms of dementia.

In the small pilot study of 67 individuals conducted by the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, appears to show nicotine having a positive effect on memory function of the elderly – the volunteer group having an average age of 76.

The results however are not conclusive experts stress, but may point the way to further research into treatments that delay the onset of different types of dementia including Alzheimer’s disease.

Over a period of six months, half of the trial’s participants were given a 15mg daily dose of nicotine - administered through a patch on the skin like regular NRT for people who are trying to stop smoking. The other half of the group were given a ‘dummy’ placebo patch with no active medication for use as a control.

It was found that the group given nicotine patches regained 46% of normal long term memory performance for their age over the six month treatment period, whereas the placebo group worsened by 26% over the same time.

The study, published in the journal of Neurology this week, is based on prior research into Alzheimer’s disease that shows the decline in nicotinic receptor cells in the brain as the illness takes hold.

Lead author of the research, Dr Paul Newhouse said “This study provides strong justification for further research into the use of nicotine for people with early signs of memory loss.”

“We do not know whether benefits persist over long periods of time and provide meaningful improvement.”

Due to the small size of the study group, the findings are not thought to be statistically significant as there is still a need to rule out chance findings by running larger experiments.

Dr. Newhouse warned “People with mild memory loss should not start smoking or using nicotine patches by themselves, because of the harmful effects of smoking and a medication such as nicotine should only be used with a doctor’s supervision”

Derek Hill, professor of medical imaging science at University College London, commented “Nicotine is just one of the existing or experimental drugs that could prove beneficial for this patient group. It should encourage more investment into research into possible treatments.”

“It is quite likely that no treatment will help everyone – and so new diagnostic tests to match patients to treatments may be also needed to tackle dementia.”

A new advert from the British Heart Foundation is urging people who are untrained or unsure when performing CPR to stop mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and to concentrate solely on chest compressions.

The campaign, fronted by hardman footballer-come-actor Vinnie Jones, encourages people to perform the lifesaving treatment to the beat of Bee Gees’ hit Stayin’ Alive after findings from a recent survey suggested a large proportion of people would be worried performing the potentially life-saving act.

The poll on 2,000 people in the UK showed that nearly half would be put off performing CPR because of lack of knowledge or appropriate training. A fifth worried about giving the kiss of life specifically, or about contracting an infectious disease.

“The kiss of life can often be daunting for untrained bystanders who want to help when someone has collapsed with a cardiac arrest” said senior cardiac nurse, Ellen Mason of the British Heart Foundation.

She added that although the kiss of life was the “gold standard” of cardiopulmonary resuscitation – the best option for an untrained or unsure person would be just to concentrate on chest compressions.

The BHF suggests that in order to achieve the correct 110 – 120 compressions per minute, people should hum to the tune of Stayin’ Alive whilst performing resuscitation. This has been questioned in as to whether it is appropriate – as some have suggested it could lead to compressions that are too shallow.

“Hands-only CPR” has been approved and supported by the UK Resuscitation Council – as it has been seen to be more effective than attempting regular CPR with a poor kiss of life technique.

Star of the advert, Vinnie Jones commented “There really shouldn’t be any messing about when it comes to CPR. If you’re worried about the kiss of life, just forget it and push hard and fast in the centre of the chest.”

“Hands-only CPR should give have-a-go heroes the confidence to step in and help when somebody is in cardiac arrest.”

Ms Mason said “Thirty thousand people have a cardiac arrest in the UK every single year and half of those are witnessed, but in most cases no-one acts, no-one knows what to do, people panic.”

It is estimated that for every one minute delay in starting resuscitation, there is a ten percent increase in the chance of the heart attack victim not surviving.

In the survey, four out of ten polled said they were also worried about being sued in the event they did something wrong while performing CPR. The British Heart Foundation, putting people’s minds at rest, argues that no case has ever succeeded in Britain.

The World Cancer Research Fund has reported a ‘troubling’ lack of knowledge by the UK public when it comes to knowing the calorie content of foods.

Instead of the obviously calorific chocolates and crisps, dieters may be tempted to go with the ‘healthier’ option of dips, spreads and hummus – all of which are often packed with calories.

In the poll of 2,000 people by YouGov, it was highlighted that only 29 percent knew that fat-reduced mayonnaise was still high in calories – with it having an average content of 259 calories per 100g.

The survey also found that 2 out of 3 Britons underestimated the number of calories in hummus. The blended chickpea dip contains on average 332 calories per 100g – over 10 percent of a woman’s recommended daily intake of around 2000 calories.

Despite these types of food being classed as having a ‘high’ level of energy density by the WCRF - in that they contain more than 255 calories per 100g, the British public still considers them ‘healthy’.

A spokesman for the WCRF said “It seems a lot of people are still confused about the calorie content of everyday foods.”

While underestimating the content of calorie laden dips, a fifth of those polled overestimated the amount of calories in a banana – describing them as having a ‘high’ calorific content when they only contain around 95 calories per 100g.

“The troubling lack of understanding is perhaps not helped by labels such as ‘light’ or ‘reduced fat’ when these are applied to foods which still have a high calorie content”.

 “At this time of year many people make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight but to do this it is important that they understand how to determine whether a food is high in calories.”

The World Cancer Research Fund expressed its concern at the findings due to the many diseases that are associated with obesity – including cancer.

One of the WCRF’s ten recommendations for cancer prevention is to avoid energy dense foods and sugary drinks because of the strong evidence linking excess body fat to six types of cancer – including breast cancer, bowel cancer and pancreatic cancers.

To help inform people about the energy density of food, they have launched an energy density calculator on their website as well as a leaflet entitled “Energy Density: Finding the Right Balance for Cancer Prevention”.

The main influences of a food’s energy density are its water and fat content. Those containing more water are usually bulkier and give “more bites for fewer calories.” Foods that have a lower energy density usually contain more fibre – which can help you feel fuller longer.

Ensuring that men receiving their winter flu jab in the morning and women receive theirs in the afternoon could boost its overall effectiveness scientists believe.

A team at the Medical Research Council say that by synchronising the jab with the patient’s daily cyclical rhythm it is likely to offer a better immunity to influenza.

Flu vaccination programs for the elderly are available every year on the NHS to protect against the flu virus. It is thought due to slower immune systems only a third of elderly people vaccinated will get full protection from the jab.

Using a group of 300 GP patients in Birmingham as test subjects, the research team are now scheduling morning and afternoon appointments dependent on gender, for people due their annual flu jab.

The study comes after one researcher noticed a trend in positive responses to the jab, occurring in 150 vaccination patients.

“A colleague discovered that vaccine response varies with time of day. Men tend to have a better response in the morning, and women in the afternoon.” said Professor Janet Lord leader of the research.

“We’re not sure why but we think it’s due to hormones.”

The hormone levels of men and women rise and fall in predictable cycles throughout the day. It is thought that by synchronising the jab with these cycles – which are different in men and women, the efficiency of the vaccine could be increased.

“It’s a major health issue trying to find ways to improve the vaccination response”

“We know that immunity goes down with ageing, but we may have found a way to counter that.”

The flu vaccination changes annually in order to cope with ever mutating strains of the virus. Those ages 65 and over, have a serious medical condition or are pregnant are invited to get the flu jab as they can be more vulnerable to the effects.

As it is a preventative, the flu vaccine is not effective against existing cases of the flu virus - instead Tamiflu is regularly prescribed by doctors to those who have contracted flu and are already of ill health or have a weakened immune system.

With the study continuing through the winter, Prof Lord commented "We've already made a start and hope to get enough patients on board to be able to see if such a simple, cheap measure of changing appointment times can make all the difference."

An experimental new malaria vaccine developed by British scientists may have the potential to wipe out all strains of the most deadly malaria parasite – P.falciparum.

The results from early tests on mice and rabbits have proved the vaccine successful in inducing an antibody response in the test subjects that then are able to neutralise the infection.

Published in the journal Nature Communications earlier this week, researchers say it could be more than a decade before a finished product is available, but they plan to start early stage human clinical trials upcoming years.

Adrian Hill, leader of the research team at Oxford University commented that “Vaccines against malaria are notoriously difficult to develop.”

The work builds on research published in November by the same research team that discovered that the malaria parasite gains entry to red blood cells via just a single receptor of the RH5 protein. Once in the blood cell, the parasite is then able to multiply and spread throughout the body.

Previous vaccines have been developed to respond to the parasite’s antigens, although due to the genetically diverse nature of them among different strains of malaria – pinpointing a general antigen has been extremely hard.

“What is exciting about RH5 is that we’ve shown that antibodies against this protein have so far knocked down every parasite we’ve been able to test in the laboratory, we haven’t found one yet that the vaccine isn’t able to stop.” said Simon Draper of the Jenner Institute at Oxford who also worked on the vaccine.

Malaria is spread by female mosquitos as they go from person to person feeding on blood. It is thought that malaria was responsible for around 655,000 deaths in 2010 according to the World Health Organisation – a large proportion of these children and babies in sub-Saharan Africa.

Currently malaria is treated with a variety of different medicines, including formulations of the antimalarial quinine as well as antibiotics such as doxycycline and clindamycin. The main defence is prevention by stopping the mosquitos biting in the first place - accomplished through the use of mosquito nets. Preventative medications such as Malarone can be taken for travellers who are travelling abroad, but the cost and complications of the medication make it unsuitable for long-term use.

GlaxoSmithKline have also published promising results recently from their experimental vaccine RTS,S which is currently being trialled in Africa. They show that the vaccine was able to half the risk of vulnerable children getting malaria – making it a likely contender to become the world’s first licensed malaria vaccine.

It is hoped that the new malaria treatment could be used in conjunction with RTS,S, helping it to be more effective. As Draper explains:

“Unlike RTS,S, which aims to stop the parasite getting into the liver, this RH5 vaccine is trying to kill the parasite in the blood, so it may be possible that the RH5 vaccine could complement RTS,S. Ultimately we don’t know until we test our vaccine in humans whether it will be more efficacious that RTS,S. But these data on RH5 are some of the most exciting the field at the moment.”

Health professionals are calling for a change to the 50-year-old dosing guidelines currently in place for prescribing antibiotics to children, worried that as children get ever heavier they may not be receiving a large enough dose.

British Medical Journal have stressed that there is no evidence that harm has been caused by the current guidelines, set out in 1963 by the British National Formulary for Children – but they say there should be better guidance available.

Dr Paul Long, senior lecturer in pharmacognosy at King’s College London as well as one of the authors for the British Medical Journal said “We were surprised at the lack of evidence to support current oral penicillins dosing recommendations for children, as it is a commonly used drug.”

“These days new medicines go through very rigorous testing processes, but we seem to forget about the old ones. For adults, penicillin dosages have been reviewed twice in the same period.”

Around 4.5 million out of 6 million annual antibiotic prescriptions for children are for oral penicillins such as amoxicillin, used to treat several different types of bacterial infections.

When a less than sufficient dose is given, the infection can linger and can take much longer to clear up. There is also a possible risk of antibiotic resistance forming – where the surviving bacteria mutates into a resistant strain that is harder to treat.

“In the long term we are concerned that under-dosing could lead to penicillin-resistance both in individuals and wider communities.”

Currently guidelines in the BNFC are based mainly on age, assuming the weight of children at a certain age will be roughly the same and therefore an appropriate dose of antibiotics should work. These estimates include an average baby of one year weighing 10kg (22lbs), a two year old weighing 13kg (28.6lbs), a five year old weighing 18kg (39.6lbs) and a ten year old weighing 30kg (66.1lbs).

In the 2009 Health Survey for England study, they found that the average weight among children was up around 20% of those in 1963, with the weight of a five year old now around 21kg (46.2lbs) and a ten year old now 37kg (81.5kg).

“Children’s average size and weight are slowly but significantly changing, so what may have been adequate doses of penicillin fifty years ago are potentially not enough today.”

“It is important to point out that this study does not provide any clinical evidence that children are receiving sub-optimal penicillin doses that lead to harm, and we want to reassure parents of that. But what we are saying is that we should ensure that children with severe infections who need these antibiotics the most are still receiving an effective dose.”

The spokesman on children’s medicines from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society - Steve Tomlin, was concerned that switching to a weight based dosing system could still be problematic.

“It could be much riskier. Who would be measuring the children and where? You’d have to make sure they were measured in kilograms and not pounds – and you could end up with a calculation of say 4.73ml, when they’d now be given five.”

He added that although a “good proportion” of children were receiving the correct dosages with current guidelines “there’s a reasonable proportion that don’t.”

A study into the emotional wellbeing of smokers has revealed that quitters cope with stress just as well after giving up, as well as feeling happier and more satisfied with their health.

After noticing the often strongly held belief of smokers, that quitting would reduce their quality of life, researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health held a study into the psychological effects of quitting.

The report, published in the Annals of Behavioural Medicine reports of smokers worrying about the “decreased ability to cope with stressors and negative effects, social ostracism, loss of pleasure and intense cravings” when trying to give up smoking.

In the placebo controlled trial, over 1500 men and women smokers were asked to try and quit. They each completed an assessment that charted their overall quality of life, health-related quality of life, positive vs. negative emotions, relationship satisfaction and occurrence of stressors a year after quitting and again at three years. A biochemical test was carried out during the trials to confirm the non-smoking status of participants.

The research found that successful smokers showed no deterioration in quality of life and if anything the ex-smokers showed noticeable improvements in the various areas, scoring more positively at the one and three year surveys.

Dr Megan Piper, lead researcher of the experiment said “Our findings suggest that, over the long-term, individuals will be happier and more satisfied with their lives if they stop smoking than if they do not.”

“This research provides important additional information for smokers who are considering quitting. Quitting smoking is hard, but if you can get through it not only will your health improve, but you will feel better overall.”

There are several products on the market designed to help people stop smoking, ranging from nicotine patches to prescription medications designed to diminish the craving for cigarettes.

Nicotine replacement therapy is intended as a substitute for smoking, allowing the quitter to receive nicotine in a healthier and controlled manner. The strength of the patches is steadily decreased over a period of months until they are no longer needed and the addiction is gone.

Champix, a prescription medication also known as varenicline, disrupts the way nicotine interacts with receptors in the brain. It binds to nicotine receptors in the brain, decreasing the satisfaction received from smoking as well as easing withdrawal symptoms.

“This research provides substantial evidence that quitting smoking benefits well-being compared to continuing smoking” the report said.

“Smokers might believe that quitting will decrease life satisfaction or quality of life – because they believe it disrupts routines, interferes with relationships, leads to loss of smoking related pleasure, or because cessation deprives them of a coping strategy”.

The availability of the NHS Health Check campaign, designed as an early warning system for possible heart disease has been described as ‘slow and patchy’ by a leading healthcare charity.

The over-40s health MOT is designed to prevent circulatory diseases and coronary heart disease by running checks on blood pressure, cholesterol levels and BMI. The programme was introduced in 2008 with targets aimed at of covering a fifth of the total eligible 40 – 70 year old age range. It should be fully rolled out across the country by 2012 to 2013.

In September 2011, Heart UK collected information about the provisions and implementation of the scheme through Freedom of Information requests to 152 primary care trusts across England.

Out of the 112 PCTs that replied – it was found that nine had failed to provide even a single check this year with many other trusts carrying out far below the necessary amount of checks needed to hit targets.

The best performing trusts were found in the East of England, with an average of 8,946 MOTs carried out by PCTs in 2010. The South East coast was the worst performing area, with only 732 NHS Health Checks carried out in the same year.

Julia Payne, Chief Executive of Heart UK said  "Tackling heart disease must be a priority for primary care trusts and undertaking health checks is a cost-effective and straightforward way of picking up risk factors for heart conditions before it is too late.”

"The health check programme is under threat and not being implemented uniformly across the country and action must be taken to ensure it continues to save lives and public money."

On a positive note, the report did uncover that four out of five regions with the highest amounts of heart disease mortality rates were in the top five of tests carried out.

A total of 43,322 checks were carried out in 2010 and it is predicted that around 16 million people in England are eligible for the tests.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health, who have provided investment and support to the programme said “There is no excuse for not doing the basics well and we will continue to monitor how the NHS is performing.”

Vascular diseases affect more than four million people in the UK – and are responsible for around a fifth of all hospital admissions. Heart disease is thought to kill around 200,000 people a year – making it the UK’s number one killer.

Researchers from the University of Southern California say they are on the verge of creating a new type of baldness cure after studying the seasonal growth and shedding of animal’s coats.

It is thought that the new hair loss treatments could prove effective for around half of all men who suffer from male pattern baldness – as well as thousands of women who suffer from post-menopausal thinning and hair loss.

The study follows a new approach by scientists who have studied the biological factors around the hair follicle – rather than just the hair follicle itself.

Hair growth in animals is triggered by a combination of hormonal changes both in the skin layer and from signals elsewhere in the body. These hormones and signals change with the environmental factors of the seasons – resulting in animals growing thick fur for the winter and shedding it during the warmer months.

“The hair-follicle stem cell is not only listening to the voice in the stem cell, but also the voice from outside.” said leader of the research Dr Cheng-Ming Chuong, who is sure that the new research could be harnessed into working treatments for hair loss.

Instead of using previous methods of stimulating the follicle directly with stem cells, the new research has focused on changing the environment around the follicles in a bid to mimic the extra external signals that are present in animals but not in humans.

“The extra follicle affecting factor has disappeared during human evolution” said Dr Chuong. “To deal with the hair growth, you not only try to help the stem cell, but you can improve the ‘soil’. You put a tulip bulb in a nicer soil, you will grow nicer hair.”

There are currently only two hair loss treatments on the market that are proven to stop worsening bald patches and decelerate hair loss, finasteride - better known as Propecia and a topical lotion called Minoxidil (Regaine).

Minoxidil is a vasodilator, originally developed to help people with high blood pressure. It was noted during use in some people, that it had the interesting side effect of increasing hair growth and darkening finer body hair. It has been available in the UK as an over the counter medicine since 2002.

Propecia is a prescription medication that works by blocking the conversion of testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a supercharged form of the molecule that can cause oversensitive hair follicles to shrink, become finer and eventually fall out. It takes around four months of taking Propecia before any visible effect is seen on the hair and can be another one to two years before re-growth occurs.

There are also hair replacement therapies available – but these can be both expensive and painful. Hair follicles are usually transplanted from an area of the body with good coverage to the head, in a procedure that usually starts from around £30,000.

GPs are being advised to cut the amount of Viagra they prescribe from four pills a month to just two it has been revealed.

In a cost cutting strategy by the South Central Priorities Committee - a panel of NHS managers that covers Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Berkshire East, Berkshire West and Buckinghamshire, doctors were told that they should be limiting the supply of the erectile dysfunction treatment to twice-monthly doses.

The committee - who’s suggestions appear in a document published May this year, said that it had “considered the evidence of clinical and cost-effectiveness, and the financial impact on the health economy of treatment for erectile dysfunction" and had come to the conclusion that patients should be treated "with a frequency of dosing of two times per month using the drug with the lowest acquisition cost".

There “appears to be no clinical reason to restrict the number of tablets” according to NHS guidance, who added that research indicated “the average frequency of sexual intercourse in the 40 to 60 age range is once a week.”

The guidance is intended economise non-essential treatments and includes all of the currently available erectile dysfunction treatments the NHS has in use – sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra). The report, uncovered by GP magazine Pulse also advised against providing counselling for sexual problems.

"Psychosexual interventions such as counselling and psychotherapy comprise a group of techniques with limited evidence for effectiveness and no evidence of cost-effectiveness,"

Editor of Pulse, Richard Hoey remarked "Limiting patients to drugs like Viagra just twice a month is to treat sex like an unnecessary luxury, and completely fails to recognise the degree of anguish it can cause some men with erectile dysfunction."

Chief executive of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Local Medical Committees, Dr Paul Roblin said the recommendations were “getting in the way of GPs having a sensible dialogue with patients about their requirements”

He added “Local priorities committees don't understand the only restrictions on GP prescribing come from the national black list and grey list. They sometimes portray recommendations as a rule that has to be obeyed, and that's not true."

Viagra is currently available on the NHS only to people with certain erectile dysfunction causes such as diabetes, prostate cancer, Parkinson’s disease, paralysis, polio and MS. Last year, some 2.2 million prescriptions were written for erectile dysfunction drugs, with a total cost to NHS amounting to £78 million.

A spokesperson for NHS Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire said that the report "cannot prohibit prescribing but will form a recommendation to GPs."

The NHS Trust for East Berkshire said it would continue to prescribe four tablets to existing patients but would limit all new patients to two.

Researchers at Edinburgh University have recently warned about cases of ‘staggered overdoses’ - caused by taking slightly too much paracetamol over a course of weeks or months.

The publication in the British Journal of Pharmacology advised that the constant taking of ‘just too much’ paracetamol can cause prolonged and extensive strain on the liver, so much so that in the majority of cases the people involved tend to fare worse than those taking a single large overdose.

The condition is hard to diagnose through regular blood tests as the amounts present are not usually large enough to raise suspicion, and certainly aren’t as easy to spot as a conventional overdose – where several packets of tablets usually taken at once would show up in toxicity tests.

"They haven't taken the sort of single-moment, one-off massive overdoses taken by people who try to commit suicide, but over time the damage builds up, and the effect can be fatal." said Dr Kenneth Simpson, lead researcher of the project.

The study looked at the medical records of 663 patients who had been admitted to the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit at the university hospital with paracetamol-induced liver damage. They found 161 of which had been caused by an unintentional staggered overdose.

They warned that people may not know that they are taking a large enough dose to trigger overdose, or that they may not be aware of the signs of liver failure - which include various nonspecific symptoms such as stomach ache, nausea and low blood sugar.

The long term risks of liver failure caused by staggered paracetamol overdose can range from needing liver dialysis, help with breathing as well as problems with liver and brain function.

Paracetamol, whose mechanism in the body has only just been fully understood by medical researchers at King’s College London and Lund University in Sweden, is the most common pain relieving drug used in the UK. It is the only painkiller that is suitable for use during pregnancy and can be given to children in lower dose versions from the age of two months.

Cases of staggered overdose could soon be on the increase due to the onset of winter and the rise in seasonal colds and flu, Professor Roger Knaggs of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society warned:

"At this time of year people should also take care with combination cold and flu products which may have paracetamol as one of the ingredients. It's easy to take more than intended, so if in doubt consult your pharmacist."

"If people experience pain and paracetamol doesn't help, rather than thinking a 'top up' dose may work, they should consult their pharmacist for alternative pain control or referral to someone who can help with the cause of the pain.”

"The message is clear: if you take more paracetamol than is recommended, you won't improve your pain control but you may seriously damage your health.”

Recommended paracetamol dosages are usually 1-2 500mg tablets every four to six hours and up to four times a day for adults. That’s no more than 8 tablets (4g) in any 24-hour period.

A study recently published in the British Journal of Urology has found a link between men who take several different types of medication and an increased risk of erectile dysfunction.

"Doctors should consider use of multiple medications as a possible contributing factor to ED when other causes have been ruled out”.

New research into the amount of caffeine in coffees bought from high street coffee shops has found that the amounts can widely differ – with one in particular found to be six times stronger than the rest.

This could potentially pose a risk for pregnant women – who are advised to limit their caffeine intake.

The research shows that drinking just one of these stronger cups of coffee can take a mum to be beyond their safe daily limit of caffeine.

Glasgow University researchers tested various espresso coffees bought from twenty high street shops with the assumption that an average espresso should contain around 50mg of caffeine.

"The analysis that we did showed the amount of caffeine ranged from 50mg per cup from Starbucks, up to over 300mg per cup from another coffee house, Patisserie Francoise. I was very surprised by this." said the faculty of health’s senior research fellow Alan Crozier, leader of the research team.

"Our data shows that you can have the recommended amount - and more - from just one shot of espresso." Currently, pregnant women are advised by the Food Standards Agency to limit their intake of caffeine to 200mg per day based on research that too much caffeine can result in low birth weight or even miscarriage. People with liver disease and those with high blood pressure are also advised to limit their daily caffeine intake.

"You metabolise caffeine much more slowly when you're pregnant and people with liver disease do not have the enzymes to metabolise caffeine.”

In the study, published in the Food and Function Journal of the Royal Society for Chemistry, it is remarked that there is no available information about the caffeine content of coffees in any of the high street shops. The main factor for determining the amount of caffeine in coffee is the amount of, and type of beans it is made with.

"If you go to different coffee houses you can tell that some are much stronger than others” said Dr Crozier. Executive Director of the British Coffee Association, Euan Paul commented "Caffeine content does vary between different blends that are available.

The overall advice for coffee drinkers is that 400 - 500mg of caffeine per day is safe and may confer some health benefits but it's important that pregnant women do limit their intake to 200mg per day, from all sources.

For pregnant women that are concerned, switching to decaf coffee will ensure that they are drinking less caffeine whilst still enjoying their cup of coffee".

Experts at the University of Cambridge say they have developed a way of detecting what is thought to be the cause of around one in twenty cases of high blood pressure – Conn’s syndrome.

Sitting just above the kidneys – the adrenal glands are chiefly responsible for supplying the body with stress-related hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine. They also secrete aldosterone – the hormone that controls kidney function, regulating the amounts of salts and water in the blood.

Conn’s syndrome is a caused by the formation of small benign tumours around the size of five pence pieces called adenomas. These cause the adrenal glands to secrete too much aldosterone, which affects the overall volume of blood and in turn raises blood pressure.

Researchers working with state of the art PET-CT scanners have found a way to identify suspect adenomas using the specially developed radioactive tracer – [11C]Metomidate. This travels though the patient’s body and is taken up in the adrenal gland tumours appearing as highlighted sections in the scan.

Currently the only cure for Conn’s Syndrome is invasive surgery in order to remove the affected gland. It can be treated with drugs such as aldactone which block the action of aldosterone - although this requires a life-long monitoring process to assess the effectiveness and side effects of the treatment.

High blood pressure can be extremely dangerous for the heart, playing a significant factor in the development of strokes and kidney damage. It can also be a contributing factor in other medical conditions such as migraines and erectile dysfunction.

Before now, the test for Conn’s syndrome required taking blood from a hard to reach vein supplying the adrenal glands and then performing complex tests on it.

"We were excited to see our technique work so well and shortcut the delays and discomforts associated with the alternative test.” said Professor Morris Brown, lead researcher of the trials.

With forty four test patients successfully diagnosed using the procedure, the research team at Cambridge is now scanning any patients that they suspect as having Conn’s syndrome.

"We're using PET-CT on our patients already, but we also plan a larger study to work out who will benefit the most."

Research advisor Dr Shannon Amoils at the nation’s leading heart charity - British Heart Foundation, praised the work saying that fast and accurate diagnosis could lead to thousands of people being cured of hypertension.

She added, “There are drugs that can control the high blood pressure caused by Conn’s syndrome, but the only cure is surgery, so making the diagnosis is very important.”

Older patients are particularly in need of accurate testing when it comes to adrenal tumours. Prof Brown said "We often see growths in the adrenal glands during a routine CT scan. Often these growths are not Conn's adenomas, but it's difficult to be sure and they create a lot of anxiety in patients and doctors.”

A change in the currently used cervical cancer vaccine is planned for next year by the Department for Health, it has been revealed.

Since 2008, girls between the ages of 12 and 13 have been given the Cervarix vaccine that protects against cervical cancer, this is set to change in September next year with the introduction of Gardasil as the vaccine of choice.

More than 70% of cervical cancers are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16 and 18 – both of which are protected against by Cervarix and Gardasil. Gardasil however also protects against HPV types 6 and 1 1 – the strains responsible for 90% of genital warts.

With 80 million doses being distributed worldwide, Gardasil – developed by Merck is the most widely used of the two cervical cancer vaccines, compared to GlaxoSmithKilne’s Cervarix, which has seen 25 million doses used. GSK had decided against bidding for the latest government contract as the Department for Health’s priorities had been seen to shift in favour of the multi-purpose vaccine.

The Director of Immunisation, Prof. David Salisbury said “It's not unusual for the NHS to change vaccines or other medicines - it can happen following competitive tendering exercises or when new research findings come to light.”

The Department of Health was criticised three years ago by sexual health experts when it was announced that they had opted for Cervarix – the cheaper of the two vaccines.

"We felt last time round the decision was based on the vaccine cost, and yet the reduction in the burden on sexual health clinics was not taken into account." said Dr Steve Taylor, consultant in sexual health medicine at Birmingham Heartlands hospital.

In a recent statement, Prof. Salisbury denied that the wrong choice of vaccine had been made at first, and said that both decisions in the choice of vaccine were “scientifically and economically justifiable” for the time they were made.

The Health Protection Agency reported that last year 75,000 people were diagnosed with genital warts in the UK - a figure that is expected to be greatly reduced with the introduction of Gardasil – with traditional protection such as condoms only able to reduce transmission by 50%.

“In Australia the burden of genital warts has fallen dramatically since the introduction of the quadrivalent vaccine (Gardasil)” said Dr Taylor, calling the news of the Health Department’s vaccine change “fantastic”.

The British Association of Sexual Health and HIV, said that it expected genital warts to be eliminated within 20 years in heterosexual boys and girls if at least 70% of targeted teens continue to have the vaccinations.

Cervical cancer is thought to be responsible for around a thousand deaths each year in the UK – with the government reporting that around four hundred of these will be prevented by the vaccination programme.

Parents have been re-advised on the amount of paracetamol containing medications that they can give to their children following a review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Scientists working on a cure for skin cancer may have found an unlikely treatment in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.

Known by its generic name Sildenafil, it has been shown in a recent animal study to demonstrate effectiveness against malignant melanomas - the cause of 75% of skin cancer deaths, by stopping the inflammatory immune response that allows the cancer to grow and proliferate in the body.

Melanoma and other types of cancerous cell cause a chronic inflammatory response in the body as part of their development, this suppresses the immune system – creating a hostile micro-environment for defensive T-Cells that are sent out to attack the tumour. The T-Cells eventually lose potency and stop multiplying – becoming ineffective against the tumour and allowing the cancer to grow.

By developing a drug that can remove the chronic inflammatory immune response, the T-Cells would be able to attack the tumour without losing potency – and the recent clinical studies in mice seem to suggest that Viagra might be capable of this.

Dr. Viktor Umansky, heading research at the University Medical Centre Mannhiem in Germany studied the effect of Sildenafil on mice with melanoma, who were administered the drug via their drinking water. A control group of mice was also present that were not given the drug.

After the seven weeks of the trial it was found that the mice treated with the impotence drug had twice the survival rate of the untreated mice. The T-Cell counts in this group had also returned to normal, indicating that the chronic inflammatory response was successfully suppressed, and the T-cells were not adversely affected by the tumour.

Viagra is a PDE5 inhibitor, a drug that blocks the degredatory effect of the chemical phosphodiesterase type 5 on certain smooth muscle cells – the type that usually line blood vessels like those that supply the penis. This is what makes it an effective erectile dysfunction treatment – and it is thought that this function also causes an anti-inflammatory response within the tumour’s micro-environment.

Mice are used in medical trials due to their similar immune response to humans. In mice, ailments (especially melanoma) take very much the same form as they do in us – and it is thought that being able to treat them will lead the way to finding a treatment for us.

Although this study in the very first stages of research, it is hoped that further trials will be able to confirm the findings and further research can then go ahead into the effects of the ‘little blue pill’ on cancer.