Allergy to milk and egg are the two most prevalent food allergies in children. They are typically diagnosed in infancy and carry a good prognosis with the majority of cases resolving before the child reaches school age. Other allergies may present later in childhood and are more likely to persist. There is evidence of a causal link between early onset severe and widespread eczema that is unresponsive to moderate topical steroids and development of IgE mediated food allergy, in particular peanut allergy. The EAT study showed that infants who were weaned early and exposed to egg and peanut had a significant reduction in allergy to both foods.

The use of a nicotine patch before quitting may have a modest effect on abstinence, a large pragmatic randomised trial has found. A total of 1,792 adults were enrolled from Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, and London.

A high resting heart rate and an increase in resting heart rate over a decade are associated with a greater risk of death from cancer and other causes as well as cardiovascular disease (CVD), a study from Australia has found.

More than 80% of women and nearly 90% of men who reported having unsafe sex in the past year did not consult sexual health services, findings from the third National Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal 3) study have shown.

Active surveillance may be a suitable option in selected, particularly younger, women with CIN2, a systematic review and meta-analysis has concluded.

Antidepressant, urological and anti-parkinsonian drugs with definite anticholinergic effects are associated with an increased risk of incident dementia up to 20 years after exposure, a UK nested case-control study has found. The study authors conclude: 'Clinicians should continue to be vigilant with respect to the use of anticholinergic drugs, and should consider the risk of long-term cognitive effects, as well as short-term effects, associated with specific drug classes when performing their risk-benefit analysis.'

All antidepressants are more efficacious than placebo in adults with major depressive disorder, a systematic review and meta-analysis has found. Double-blind, randomised controlled trials were identified from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and other large databases. Placebo-controlled and head-to-head trials of 21 antidepressants (a selection of first-generation and all approved second-generation antidepressants) were included.

Living in the middle of the patch had a number of unexpected consequences. The most bizarre experiences tended to occur during social events. I will never forget the time I was taking part in a local charity fundraising fancy dress event dressed as Superman. Someone came up to me to ask if I would visit her granny the next week. Trust me, there is nowhere to store a notebook in a Superman outfit to record a request for a home visit.