Babies who cry excessively and have problems feeding and sleeping have a greater risk of serious behavioural problems later in life, say scientists. One in five babies has symptoms that could lead to conditions such as ADHD, according to research published in Archives of Disease in Childhood. The review of previous studies looked at nearly 17,000 children. A child-health expert said it would be wrong for parents to be “overly alarmed” by the results. Crying in babies is normal, but some cry “excessively” after the age of three months for reasons other than colic. An international...

By Michelle Roberts – Health reporter, BBC News A part of the eye that is essential for vision has been created in the laboratory from animal stem cells, offering hope to the blind and partially sighted. One day it might be possible to make an eye in a dish, Nature journal reports. The Japanese team used mouse stem cells – immature cells that have the ability to turn into many types of body tissue. With the right mix of nutrients, the cells changed and began to grow to make a synthetic retina. Ultimately, scientists hope they can use this approach to make endless supplies of retinal...

In a randomized trial of 160 post-menopausal women, it was found that regular consumption of apples lowered unhealthy LDL cholesterol, raised beneficial HDL cholesterol and diminished the presence of inflammatory and damaging compounds, according to Florida State University researchers. Every day for a year, half of the women ate 75 grams of dried apples and the remainder consumed the same amount of prunes. Their blood was tested at three intervals over the trial period. The women who ate apples experienced an average 23 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol after six months, and raised beneficial...

HIV/AIDS Rates Are Among Nation’s Highest and Schools Report Rampant Sexual Behavior With the largest rate of teens having sex in the country and the fifth-highest HIV/AIDS rate in that age group, Philadelphia has launched a campaign to reverse those trends with a website that offers mail-order condoms to children as young as 11. A similar effort in Provincetown, Mass., last year stirred up vigorous protest from parents when the school board made condoms available to children of all ages, as long as they went to a school counselor and asked. After the uproar, officials limited access to...

Qnexa, a combo of phentermine and topiramate, did come with side effects, however SUNDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) — Obese patients taking a high dose of an investigational weight-loss pill called Qnexa lost an average of 22 pounds over a year, while also lowering their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers, a new study has found. Qnexa is a combination of two medications: phentermine, the most widely used weight-loss drug in the United States, currently available under a variety of brand names as well as a generic; and topiramate (Topamax), best known as a drug used to ease epilepsy and...

A medical researcher was left with severe brain damage after she was forced to wait nearly two hours for paramedics – who were parked just 100 yards away. Caren Paterson, 33, had collapsed in the bedroom of her London flat and was beginning to breathe abnormally when her boyfriend dialled 999. He told the emergency operator that his girlfriend had fallen unconscious, that her lips had turned blue and that she was in need of urgent medical help to save her life. But because the address had been red-flagged as ‘high risk’ by the ambulance service, a crew just seconds away was ordered to wait...

Is this the holy grail of weight loss? How a new 17-day diet promises a healthy quick fix for dropping drop pounds fast Dr Mike Moreno says that followers can expect to lose 10-12lb in the short time period – and that the impressive results are sustainable too… Losing a dress size in little over two weeks may sound too good to be true – but that’s exactly what Dr Mike Moreno is promising in his new book. The 17 Day Diet, which has been taking the U.S. by storm, promises weight-loss of 10 to 12lbs in just two to three weeks. Dr Moreno, who runs a family practice in San Diego,...

For those who believe their twitchy legs are an illness — there’s another pill for that. Restless legs syndrome — in which creeping and tugging sensations make moving your legs an irresistible urge — can now officially be treated with a seizure drug. The FDA approved gabapentin, or Horizant, on Thursday after two 12-week clinical trials showed it relieves the symptoms of restless legs syndrome, compared to a placebo. People with restless legs syndrome get the overwhelming urge to move their legs, especially after lying down. The condition is worst at night, and sufferers...

By Sophie Borland Scottish patients can collect free prescriptions from today – leaving England as the only country in the UK still charging for them. English patients will be charged £7.40 for every item prescribed by a doctor – an increase of 20p – but Scotland today joins Wales and Northern Ireland in abolishing the charges. The move means that English patients are effectively subsiding free drugs for those living elsewhere in the UK. Read more…