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Girl, 9, who was youngest to have double lung transplant dies

Mariam had a short life but I could have lost her four-and-a-half years ago, says mother. A schoolgirl who became the youngest person in the world to undergo a double lung transplant four years ago has died.

Mariam Imran was just five when she underwent the life-saving operation – but a year ago her body began to reject the organs.

Shortly before her death, the nine-year-old told mother Faaiza Dar: ‘I’m not scared of dying, mummy, but I’m scared of leaving you’.

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Beaming with delight little Deepak Paswaan shows off his normal body for the first time since undergoing surgery to remove the legs and arms of his underdeveloped twin growing out of his chest.

For years, Deepak, 7, from Bihar, India, had to suffer taunts and bullying from other children over the appalling disfigurement.

Some taunted him as a ‘devil’ and a ‘freak’ while others even viewed him as a god. Hindu pilgrims used to visit his home to worship him as an incarnation of the god Vishnu, who is often depicted with more than four limbs.

Last year his family for help to get the unwanted limbs removed and give Deepak the chance of a normal life

And Deepak’s world was turned upside down when leading surgeons from Bangalore’s Fortis Hospital agreed to operate for free.

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Children who are heavier than their peers when they start school are more likely to struggle in their relationships a few years later, a study says.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide, followed more than 3,300 children over four years.

They found that by the time the children were eight or nine, their parents were 15 per cent more likely to describe them as being isolated or teased. Their teachers were also 20 per cent more likely to report that they had emotional problems.

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Under-11s in Wales should be given free suncream to try to curb increasing rates of skin cancer, the cancer charity Tenovus says.

It is presenting a petition to the Welsh government signed by over 9,000 people backing its call.

The charity’s Dr Ian Lewis said being sunburnt as a child can double the risk of getting skin cancer later in life.

The Welsh government said it encourages peopled to take precautions against the sun.

Five hundred people in Wales are diagnosed with malignant melanoma – the most dangerous form of skin cancer – every year. Of those, around 100 do not survive.

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A restaurant chain has come under fire after a dish on its children’s menu was dubbed ‘the most unhealthy meal in America’.

The Cheesecake Factory’s Alfredo pasta, which has a rich cream sauce, contains a staggering 1,810 calories and 89g saturated fat.

It is a nutritional value that would be considered unhealthy for an adult male, let alone a child. The dish topped a list of America’s worst kids’ meals in a revised edition of New York Times food guide Eat This, Not That!

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A group of schoolgirls claims to have discovered exactly what makes the perfect egg-and-soldiers breakfast.

The young eggheads from Sherborne Girls School in Dorset say Delia Smith was right all along…the perfect boiled egg does take six minutes.
The team of twelve science students took part in an experiment commissioned by the Royal Society of Chemistry and led by Professor Hal Sosabowski, principal lecturer in Chemistry at Brighton University.
Setting out to test one of the nation’s all-time favourite breakfasts, the boffins confirmed not only the optimum time for boiling an egg but also the key variables that make up the perfect dipping soldier.

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Genetically a mixed race and European couple, who are expecting twins, have about a one in 500 chance that the babies will have different skin colours. Fifty years ago these twin births were almost unheard of, but with the number of interracial relationships increasing, so too are the number of cases.

Around 12,000 sets of twins are born each year in Britain, but only a few are born with a very different skin colour to each other.

“When I think of the reality, I’m like ‘that’s my daughter there and she’s got a totally different skin tone,’ and it’s just really bizarre that I created her,” says Shirley Wales, who gave birth to non-identical twins.

Her son Leo has black skin and her daughter Hope, has white skin.

Shirley, who lives in West Yorkshire, is mixed race and the father of her twins is white. She describes her daughter as the “double” of her father, but is adamant that she should not forget her mixed race heritage.

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Hildegard Mikalansky was in hospital for four days before she was fed

Hospital staff have been accused of starving a grandmother to death after failing to feed her for four days.

Hildegard Mikalansky, 67, was admitted after a fall and designated as ‘nil by mouth’ by medics due to a risk of choking.

However, it took four days before she was given a feeding tube to supply her with much-needed nutrients.

By then, the mother of two’s condition had worsened and she died the following day.

Her son Mike Stringer, a company director, said: ‘I saw a vulnerable but vivacious and warm lady deteriorate rapidly and die in that hospital.’

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Researchers call for new guidelines for women using family planning services in Aids-hit areas

Campaigns to increase the number of women opting for long-lasting contraceptive injections in Aids-hit parts of the developing world could be helping to spread the epidemic, scientists are warning.

New research shows that women who use hormonal contraceptives may double their risk of contracting HIV and of passing it to their male partner, throwing up a new dilemma for global development.

The authors of the large-scale study, published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, call for urgent guidance to be drawn up andgiven to women using family planning services in HIV-endemic areas. The study showed particularly that the risk of HIV transmission was raised by the long-lasting injections that are most widely used and most popular in the sub-Saharan regions worst hit by the Aids epidemic.

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There is no doubt that for most women in this country, childbirth remains a safe and happy experience. But it is also true that for too many, it is a highly risky and frankly horrific experience.

Stories abound of mothers-to-be left alone in labour, sometimes refused pain relief or surgical intervention, putting their babies’ health or even lives in danger.

The statistics make grisly reading: an average of 11 babies are stillborn every day in NHS hospitals, according to research published recently in The Lancet.

Unlike other high-income countries, it’s a figure that has remained largely unchanged over the past ten years — putting Britain on a par with Belarus and Estonia.

More than £27 million in compensation was paid in 2008 by London hospitals alone for childbirth cases.

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I know it sounds like a cliche but my mum Sandra really is young at heart – she had me at 20, and is only 58 now. My friends like her, and we do loads together.

Listeners of my BBC Radio 1 show will know her from the ‘My Gullible Mum’ segments – we ring her and tell her ridiculous things, such as that I’ve been arrested for keeping livestock (one cow and six pigs) in my flat, and she generally believes me. I think of her as a friend – my best friend.
So when she mentioned she’d been feeling tired and out of sorts, I instantly went on alert, especially when she confessed she couldn’t run around as normal because her right leg and arm were a bit stiff and difficult to move.

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Stand up straight if you want to stay young

Stand up straight! It’s the cry of generations of mothers — and they were right to nag. Not only is poor posture ageing, but it can contribute to pain and immobility.

Here, PETA BEE guides you through the most common postural problems and asks leading experts for the best ways to avoid and tackle them… ROUND SHOULDERS

The most common change in posture as we get older is that our bodies gradually revert to the foetal position: the head and shoulders shift forwards, the chest curls inwards and the spine crunches from a healthy S-curve to a less healthy C-position as the pelvis tilts forward.

The main cause is weak abdominal muscles from years of sitting in a hunched position.

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Children whose parents are thin are likely to be very slim themselves due to “skinny genes”, new research suggests.

Youngsters whose parents are at the lower end of the healthy weight range are three times more likely to be regarded as thin (weighing less than a healthy weight range) than those whose parents are overweight. The study recorded the height and weight of parents and up to two children from 7,000 families over a five-year period.

Analysis of body mass index (BMI) found that when both parents were at the lower half of the ideal BMI range, the chance of the child being thin was 16.2%, compared with 7.8% when both parents were in the upper half.

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Parents are failing to put enough fruit and veg into their children’s packed lunches, health experts have warned.

The School Food Trust, which examined 3,500 packed lunches in England in 2009, says about 40% of lunchboxes do not contain any fruit or vegetables, compared with 10% of school dinners.

It said parents should consider switching to school meals.

Meanwhile, the World Cancer Research Fund has set up a website to give parents advice on healthier lunchboxes.

It says the same sort of changes as those made when TV chef Jamie Oliver championed school dinners are now needed.

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Tens of thousands of new mothers are suffering in silence from postnatal depression with many not speaking up for fear of having their children taken away, a study reveals.

As many as 35,000 mothers every year in England and Wales struggle with the condition but do not seek professional help, the report by the charity 4Children found.
Thousands more fail to receive prompt treatment due to ”serious shortcomings” in the system for referral together with an ”over-reliance” on antidepressants and the stigma attached to talking about the condition.
The charity’s poll of more than 2,000 mothers found that 49 per cent who had suffered postnatal depression did not seek professional help, with first-time mothers less likely than those with several children to do so.

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Jodie Kidd, the thrill-seeking model, showed off her newborn baby son for the first time and says motherhood is a bigger rush than all her daredevil activities.

The 33 year-old has parachuted from helicopters, bungee-jumped in New Zealand and took part in the high-speed Gumball 3000 car rally, but says giving birth to Indio is the best thing yet. Kidd told Hello! Magazine: ”It’s the most awesome, scary, brilliant, exhilarating experience I’ve ever had in my entire life.
”It beats anything I have ever done by a mile. I feel very blessed.”
Showing off her son for the first time, alongside partner Andrea Vianini, she revealed the baby was nearly born in her car on the way to London’s private Portland Hospital.

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Two out of five children taking a packed lunch to school get no fresh fruit or vegetables, a study shows.

The unhealthy content of lunchboxes means parents are failing to boost youngsters’ health and protect them against diseases in later life, warns a cancer charity.

The World Cancer Research Fund says the lack of fruit and vegetables for one of the main meals of the day is a ‘missed opportunity’. It found that 42 per cent of pupils with packed lunches had no items which contribute to their recommended five-a-day portions – compared with just 10 per cent of pupils eating a school meal.

Figures from the School Food Trust’s primary school food survey showed that 58 per cent of those with lunchboxes had at least one piece of fresh fruit or veg, along with 90 per cent of pupils eating food in the canteen.

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The contrast between the health of babies born in poor and more affluent areas of north Wales has been branded as “unacceptable” by a public health chief.

A report from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) shows people born in deprived parts of Rhyl can expect to die seven years earlier than those in areas like nearby Conwy.

It also shows a “stark” variation in the number of babies born with low birth weights, linked to poverty.

The report author is calling for action to end the “health inequalities” to create a “fairer society”.

Rates of stillbirth, admissions to neonatal units, infant and child mortality, injuries and teenage pregnancy are higher in areas with high levels of deprivation, according to Andrew Jones.

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Spanish hospitals are full of patients’ relatives, but in Britain we see family care as ending at the door

What happens when angels of mercy go walkabout, leaving patients bereft? Why, the boss of the Royal College of Nursing weighs straight in. If his angels are too busy, Dr Peter Carter wants patients’ families on the ward and on the job as well, looking after lonely grannies in distress. “Somehow we have sleepwalked, in some parts of society, into assuming this is someone else’s responsibility.” Cue predictable outrage over this NHS betrayal, plus even more predictable warnings about lowered standards. It’s a hospital’s job to care and tend, we’re told. It’s what nurses are for. And the last thing we want is upmarket union leaders passing the buck. But pause: let’s take a short trip.

Three times in the last 12 years I’ve seen what happens in Spanish hospitals when my grandchildren are born. What’s that at the side near my daughter’s bed? It’s a bunk.

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Newsagents and convenience stores are being warned to expect an influx of under 16s trying to buy cigarettes, as a ban on selling tobacco products in vending machines comes into force today (SAT).

The ban, which only covers England, is a victory for health campaigners who say vending machines make it far too easy for underage smokers to purchase cigarettes illegally.
A Department of Health survey found that one in 10 underage smokers got their cigarettes from vending machines, even though most are situated on licensed premises like pubs. Many are in unsupervised areas, such as corridors.
Betty McBride, policy director at the British Heart Foundation, which fought for the ban, said it was crucial that shopkeepers were extra-vigilant in the coming months when young people asked them for cigarettes.

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A petite schoolgirl has made a ‘miracle’ recovery after surgeons removed a tumour from her chest – the size of a rugby ball.

Lucy Betts, 12, could barely breath as the huge tumour crushed her left lung ‘like a crisp packet’ against her heart.

Doctors initially treated Lucy for asthma until an X-ray and CT scan revealed a cancerous mass in her chest the shape and size of a rugby ball.

She was diagnosed with Ganglioneuroblastoma – an incredibly rare cancer in children which attacks the nerve tissue.

The cancer effects around just one in 10,000 children in Britain every year.

The tumour was so large surgeons had to remove two ribs on her left side and peel back her entire chest cavity to get at the 3lb growth.

A team of surgeons at East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, spent six stehours removing the tumour on March 23.

Lucy’s mother Carmen, 38, said: ‘The tumour was absolutely enormous. It was literally the size of a human head and looked like a rugby ball.

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A chemical found in red wine can stop breast cancer in its tracks, according to new research.

Laboratory tests have shown resveratrol, which is found in the skin of grapes, could halt the development of the disease by blocking the growth effects of the hormone oestrogen.

Scientists said the finding published in The FASEB Journal has important implications for the treatment of patients.

Dr Sebastiano Ando, of the University of Calabria in Italy, said: ‘Resveratrol is a potential pharmacological tool to be exploited when breast cancer become resistant to the hormonal therapy.’

The key chemical is also found in blueberries, peanuts and cranberries.

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A baby girl who became the youngest person to survive a liver transplant has been allowed to go home just weeks after surgery.

Lottie Bryon-Edmond, who is just under three-months-old, was at the centre of a national appeal for a liver donor and had been top of the UK’s super urgent transplant list for 14 days before the operation in August.

Her parents said it was ‘magical’ that she was now home and they hoped her story would increase organ donations. Lottie, from Totnes, Devon, needed the transplant after developing the rare condition neonatal haemochromatosis, which meant toxic levels of iron built up in her liver.

Her desperate parents Chris and Julie Bryon-Edmond had launched a campaign to get an extra one million people signed up as donors.

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Girl who will die in two years without new lungs fronts daring organ-donor campaign

With her blonde hair, flawless skin and penetrating blue eyes, Kerry Thorpe wouldn’t look out of place on a catwalk.

But the 20-year-old has more modest dreams – to marry her fiancé and go about her day without struggling for breath.

Kerry has end-stage cystic fibrosis which has damaged her lungs beyond repair.

It means she won’t see her 22nd birthday unless she has a double lung transplant in time.

To encourage people to sign the donor register, the student, who lives in Kesgrave, Ipswich, is fronting a daring campaign.

Posters for the charity Live Life Then Give Life show Kerry in two sultry poses with the tongue-in-cheek question: ‘Would you give her one?’ and the statement: ‘I’d give you one.’

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Doctors are warning that the current generation of students has a greater risk of anxiety and depression than previous ones.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists says there are now many more students from less privileged backgrounds who are less prepared for university life.

Students also face rising debt and uncertain job prospects, it warns.

It is concerned universities may see counselling and support services as an easy target for cuts.

In a report seen exclusively by the BBC, the college says the massive expansion in the numbers of young people going into higher education has had a significant impact.

Universities are now educating a different type of student from the privileged minority of 20 years ago. Changes in wider society are also being seen on campus, with an increase in students from fractured families. At the same time, the financial cost of going to university has increased.

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Only 60 babies were adopted in England last year. So is the system fit for purpose? Charlie Cooper asks those who have been through it

Jono Lancaster, 26, learning disability support worker from Normanton, West Yorkshire

Given up for adoption as a baby. Featured in BBC3 Documentary called “Love me, love my face”, about search for birth parents, now looking for his biological siblings

“I was given up for adoption because of the way I look. I have a condition called Treacher Collins, which affects the way the bones in my face developed. I was taken in by a lady called Jean Lancaster when I was only two weeks old. I consider myself dead lucky to have been adopted – my family have been brilliant. I don’t remember ever being told I was adopted – it’s something I’ve always just known. When I was younger it was something I boasted to my friends about – that though their parents had been stuck with them, my mum actually chose me out of all the other babies. Through my life, my feelings for my birth parents have changed. The fact they’ve given me up for adoption because of how I look made me wonder how could anyone else love me if they, my own parents, couldn’t.

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Sending children to bed early may help to keep them slim, research suggests.

Scientists recorded the bed times and waking times of 2,200 Australian youngsters aged nine to 16.

They found that children who went to bed late and got up late were 1.5 times more likely to become obese than those who went to bed early and got up early.

Late-nighters were also almost twice as likely to be physically inactive and 2.9 times more inclined to spend hours in front of a TV or computer.

“The children who went to bed late and woke up late, and the children who went to bed early and woke up early got virtually the same amount of sleep in total,” said study author Dr Carol Maher, from the University of South Australia.

Source: London Evening Standard>> Read full article and comment

Children who stay up late also more likely to be inactive during day

Sending children to bed early may help them to beat obesity, research suggests.

Scientists found that children who went to bed late and got up late were 1.5 times more likely to become obese than those who went to bed early and got up early.

Those who stayed up late were also almost twice as likely to be physically inactive and almost three times more likely to spend time in front of a TV or computer.

Scientists recorded the bed times and waking times of 2,200 Australian youngsters aged between nine and 16.
Study author Dr Carol Maher, from the University of South Australia, said: ‘The children who went to bed late and woke up late, and the children who went to bed early and woke up early, got virtually the same amount of sleep in total.

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Dyslexia could be just a label, according to scientists, after a study of brain scans found there is little difference between the way children with the condition think while trying to read and those who simply have a low IQ.

Dyslexia is defined as reading achievement “substantially below that expected” for a person’s age, intelligence and education level, according to a widely used guide, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Consequently ‘dyslexics’ – poor readers with an average or high IQ – have tended to be treated differently from those who are consistently bottom of the class.
The basis for this approach has been the assumption that something particular impedes the brains of dyslexics, specifically their reading and writing ability.

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Senior midwives are expecting to cut staff numbers next year, despite not having the resources at the moment to deal with England’s rising birth rate.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) warns the safety of women giving birth cannot be guaranteed if anticipated cuts at already short-staffed maternity units take place.

It released a survey of heads of midwifery which revealed that a third were anticipating having to cut staffing in the next 12 months, while 60 per cent said current levels were not enough to cope with demand.

Two-thirds said the rising birthrate was adding to the pressure on midwives, while 79 per cent said they were dealing with increasingly complex cases that required more time and attention.

In July, the Office for National Statistics reported that the number of births had risen by 2.4 per cent.

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Investigation raises questions over safety at Queen’s hospital in Romford, Essex after deaths of Violet Stephens and Sareena Ali

The deaths of two women shortly after giving birth have raised questions about the safety of care at an NHS hospital with the largest maternity unit in the country.

Violet Stephens died at Queen’s hospital in Romford, Essex, in April, just one month after a review by the care watchdog said Queen’s was failing to meet essential maternity standards.

An independent investigation into Stephens’s death, seen by the Guardian, reveals that she saw at least 30 healthcare staff in the last three days of her life, including five consultant obstetricians, 11 junior doctors and 12 midwives.

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The health watchdog NICE has issued new guidelines on how autism is recognised and diagnosed.

They say it will help parents who can sometimes wait for a diagnosis for years.

Jolanta Lasota is the Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, which runs the Treehouse school in north London.

It provides support for over 80 autistic children. She gave her reaction to Radio 5 live Breakfast.

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The health minister has said that women in Northern Ireland who choose to have a Caesarean for non-medical reasons may have to pay for the operation.

Edwin Poots is launching a consultation on a review of maternity services.

Women at low risk will be encouraged to consider having their baby in a midwife-led unit or at home, if appropriate.

Around 30% of deliveries are by Caesarean section – the highest level in the UK and Ireland.

Mr Poots said giving birth was a natural process and superb assistance was available to help women through the delivery.

“It costs several thousand pounds more for a Caesarean section so there are savings to be made,” he said.

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The father of a six-year-old boy who died as a result of a burst appendix was asked to examine him in a Cornish hospital car park, an inquest was told.

Ethan Kerrigan’s father Lee had taken him to Penrice Hospital’s out-of-hours clinic in June last year after his son had been vomiting for several days.

Mr Kerrigan was then told to phone the out-of-hours medical service and Ethan was not treated. He died the next day.

The coroner recorded a verdict of death by natural causes at the Truro hearing.

The inquest heard that Ethan had been unwell with stomach pains and vomiting for a few days before he died.

In the early hours of 15 June, his father took him to Penrice Hospital in St Austell.

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Log on to our web TV show for advice from Dr Allan Pacey and celebrity dad Jeff Brazier

Show date: Wednesday 28th September 2011

Show time: 7.30pm

When trying for a baby, the majority of women will cut back on alcohol, quit smoking, make sure they are eating a healthy diet and take supplements to increase their chances of conceiving – but what about men?

While some make healthy lifestyle changes, many will continue to do what they were doing before they started trying for a baby, perhaps not realising that what they do or don’t do, does have a big impact on the likelihood of their partner getting pregnant.

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The UK government may have chosen the least cost-effective vaccine to immunise teenage girls against viruses that cause cervical cancer, a data study suggests.

In 2008, the Department of Health picked the cheaper of two options – a vaccine called Cervarix.

But the Health Protection Agency (HPA) concludes that a different vaccine, Gardasil, could provide better value.

Cervarix would need to be £19 to £35 cheaper to match Gardasil’s payback.

Although it is not known what deal the government was able to strike with GSK, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Cervarix, the NHS list price for the drug is £80.50 per dose.

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Women expecting twins or triplets should be offered closer monitoring, including extra scans, according to new NHS guidelines.

Health watchdog NICE has drawn up recommendations for antenatal care in multiple pregnancies, amid evidence standards vary in England and Wales.

Mothers-to-be should be referred to specialist teams and receive a minimum of six scans, says NICE.

Charities say the guidelines will give mothers reassurance about their care.

Multiple births are on the rise, due mainly to an increase in the number of couples having IVF. They now account for 3% of births.

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Women pregnant with twins or triplets should be warned about the possible dangers of aborting one of their babies, according to an NHS watchdog.

The first guidance on multiple pregnancy from Nice says that mothers-to-be should be given information on the “physical risks and psychological implications” of what is known as “selective fetal reduction” before their foetuses are screened for Down’s syndrome.
It comes as increasing numbers of women choose to abort one of their twins or triplets, usually because of the risk that they will be born disabled.
The rise has been linked to the fact that more older women are becoming pregnant after having IVF treatment. This makes having twins or triplets more likely, which can mean complications in birth.

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It may come as a surprise to father’s continually woken by their offspring in the early hours of the morning, but having children could mean they have healthier hearts.

A decade-long study of 135,000 men found that those who remained child-free had a higher risk of dying from heart disease than those who ‘sowed their oats.’

U.S researchers said it raised the possibility that infertility may be a potential early warning sign of future heart trouble. ‘There is emerging evidence to suggest that infertility may be a window into a man’s later health,’ said study leader Dr Michael Eisenberg of Stanford University in California.

He said men who are infertile have a higher risk of certain cancers, and his team wanted to look for other signs that infertility might be playing a role later in a man’s life.

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A pregnant woman’s job can give asthma to her unborn baby, researchers say.

Women exposed to certain chemicals and natural substances are known to be at risk of developing the breathing condition.

Now a study has found out for the first time that the workplace can also raise the risk of asthma in unborn children.

Scientists from the School of Public Health in Denmark studied results from nearly 43,000 seven-year-olds.

They found an association between mothers who worked with vehicle parts, furniture, shoes, paints and glue and an increased risk of asthma in their children.

The assessment showed that 15.8 per cent of all the children had asthma.

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A six-year-old suffers from a rare condition which makes his skin break out in sores and blisters at the slightest touch.

Rhys Williams, was born with the incurable Epidermolysis Bullosa – a genetic disorder which can prove fatal.

Despite living with the painful condition, Rhys has refused to let it get him down and has been described by his parents as their ‘little hero’. The youngster from Bolton, is one of 5,000 sufferers in Britain. His parents Tanya Moores, 28, and Mark Williams, 44, were devastated when he was diagnosed shortly after he was born.

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What’s the best way to talk to an overweight child about his or her weight problem without triggering low self-esteem?

New research advises steering clear of words such as “chubby,” “heavy” and “obese” while opting for a neutral phase: “unhealthy weight.”

A new study published online September 26 in the journal Pediatrics surveyed 445 parents about their feelings on ten words or phrases doctors might use to talk to them about their child’s weight. “Obese” and “fat” rated low on the scale while “unhealthy weight” seemed to assign less blame.

Other better choices include phrases such as “high BMI,” “weight problem” and “overweight.”

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Clara Nunes’s heart sinks when she sees her three young children scratching their heads. She knows that head lice are, yet again, spreading through school like wildfire.

Over the past ten years the problem has become so widespread that head lice are a fact of life for many parents of primary school-aged children.

It’s now estimated more than a third (37 per cent) of all four to 11 year-olds will get them at least once a year, compared to just 1.5 per cent in 1977. Clara, 39, a trainee teacher from Middlesex, has tried every product on the market without success on her three girls, Maia, eight, Leonor, seven, and Tiago, three.

‘I find live lice in my girls’ hair about every six weeks,’ she says.

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Our experts answer your questions on whether a young girl can do too much gymnastics and what the best exercise is to recover from a slipped disk.

Sexual maturation is a gradual process and the early signs in girls such as breast bud swelling and the first signs of pubic hair are usually seen around the age of 11 in Britain. The range is however 8-14 and it is not necessarily a problem to be outside those limits.
Overweight girls tend to show signs at a younger age than thin girls. Regular high-intensity exercise is also a known cause of delayed puberty.
As a rule of thumb, if a girl shows no sign at all of developing after the age of 14, then one starts to look for other possible causes, such as an underactive thyroid gland. You probably do not yet need to go that far, but you could be right that she is overtraining.

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Drug provides a lifeline for up to 1,600 youngsters in the UK with the tumours

A drug that can shrink brain tumours by up to 50 per cent in children with a rare disease has been launched in the UK.

NHS doctors will be able to apply for funding from health trusts for Votubia (everolimus) for children with growing non-malignant brain tumours associated with a condition called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

The once-a-day pill offers an alternative to surgery and could provide a lifeline for up to 1,600 youngsters in the UK with the tumours.

The drug, which has been granted orphan drug status for rare diseases, has been shown to shrink subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) tumours associated with TSC.

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A young girl is so addicted to eating harmful objects that she ate an entire lightbulb.

Natalie Hayhurst, 3, is at constant risk of poisoning herself because of a rare condition which gives her cravings for inedible objects.

In February she nearly died after eating a lightbulb that she tore from a bedroom night-light. While her favourite delicacies are rocks and sticks, Natalie has been known to wolf down almost a whole brick, ‘like it was a chocolate chip cookie’.

Her mother Colleen, 31, says every day is a constant battle of wills as she tries to stop her daughter eating something that could kill her.

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Like any young man about town, you’d expect former Hollyoaks actor Neil Toon to have a cabinet full of creams and potions to maintain his blond good looks and enhance his bad-boy TV reputation.

But when it comes to his daily grooming routine, the 26-year-old actor has just one product, which he believes puts the serums, colognes and anti-ageing formulas in the shade: factor 50 suncream.

Neil, currently starring in hit musical Legally Blonde, has been wearing sunscreen daily since the age of five – even in autumn – because he’s covered in moles and fears if he doesn’t take care of his fair skin, his chances of getting skin cancer will increase dramatically.

‘Ever since I was a baby, Mum has kept an eye on my skin,’ says Neil, who lives in London. ‘She took me to the doctor, concerned about a couple of large raised moles I had on my back, and I was monitored every year.’

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Childhood obesity appears to begin in a mother’s womb, a new study has concluded using state of the art technology to monitor fat levels in unborn babies.

Researchers found some babies have similar build up of fat around their abdomen that adults aged in their 50s have.
The study of babies at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, west London, used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to investigate links between obesity in children and their mothers.
It reportedly found evidence that being overweight or obese in pregnancy could result in potentially harmful changes to a baby’s fat levels while still in the womb.

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Vicki and Octavia, our mother and daughter agony aunts, answer your questions

I’m 72 and have been diagnosed with lung cancer. I don’t want to tell my two children because I believe a problem shared is a problem doubled (or in this case tripled). But my husband disagrees. He says it will be much harder for them to deal with later when they eventually find out, and that my selflessness is in fact selfish. What should I do?

VICKI Whatever you wish, at this point. The human heart rejects the very fact of death – that’s what ‘living in hope’ means. The diagnosis is a savage shock to anyone: I know people who refused a biopsy because they did not want to hear words they dreaded framed by a doctor. You should do what you must to bulwark your own strength and if that means focusing only on yourself, do that. Your husband will also do what he must, you know. The problem shared might be easier to bear for him. But if you don’t want to know that, don’t ask him.

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The author of an exciting new cookbook is eager to get more kids into the kitchen.

During the war Marguerite Patten worked for the Ministry of Food, where she gave the nation lessons in how to make the most of thrifty ingredients, such as root veg, without feeling deprived.

These skills are now more vital than ever, yet the signs are that countless British households lack the basic ABCs of cookery. With September comes the new school year, and all the old worries about literacy resurface. Are our children reading well enough for their age? What we don’t ask is: are they cooking well enough?

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