Researchers at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, used text messaging to establish which activities people routinely rated as bringing the most and least happiness to their daily lives.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: The girl from China had surgery to remove the unusual mass following X-rays and a CT scan (pictured).

Cringeworthy moments could be a thing of the past thanks to a range of underwear that claims to neutralise the smell of flatulence.

Robbie Appleby-Socket (pictured), from Askern, Doncaster, was twice sent home from Doncaster Royal Infirmary's A&E; department with a pencil stuck in his skin.

Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University say hot water bottles have become increasingly popular in the home as a cheap alternative to turning on the heating.

Adults who meditated or did moderately intense exercise for eight weeks suffered fewer colds than those who did nothing, according to a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Anxiety during pregnancy can alter the stress response of children, making them more likely to cry or feel anxious and therefore be picked on, said scientists from the University of Warwick.

The early-warning system measures a pregnancy protein, using a cervical swab in women who start contractions weeks before they are due.

Both men and women were equally likely to classify a woman as having the condition, but men were less able to spot it amongst themselves, say University of Westminster researchers.

The more soft drinks that patients with arthritic knees consumed the faster their condition progressed, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the U.S, have found exposure to bright light at night elevates levels of a stress hormone in the body that triggers the condition.

Pesticides and other poisonous chemicals used in growing fruit and veg could be putting young children at risk of developing cancer in later life, say scientists from California University.

Those who are fish between the ages of 6 and 12 months were less likely to wheeze, say Dutch researchers. But eating fish before or after this time did not have the same effect.

Twice daily mantra meditation, which involves making a sound repeatedly, lowers death rates from heart attack and strokes, say Wisconson researchers.

Research revealed around one in two British adults suffer aches, pains or injuries from handbags, bras, belts, hats or other items of clothing.

TV viewers are more likely to tuck into unhealthy, calorie-rich snacks if they are watching a cookery show than a nature programme, New York researchers found.

Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies said the rise in resistant bacteria could lead to more people dying during routine operations such as heart surgery. She urged GPs to stop over-prescribing.

Sarah Ezekiel, from North London, has motor neurone disease. She is using a computer that works by tracking her eye movements to paint, talk and email.

Canadian Scott Routley, who was left severely brain damaged after a car crash, has managed to tell his doctors he is not in any pain - just by using the power of thought.

Researchers claim that when a mother's immune system is triggered - for example, when they have influenza - it is possible that this could affect the baby's developing brain.