28 MAY 2010 | GENEVA -- In observance of World No Tobacco Day 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging global action to protect women and girls against the sickness and suffering caused by tobacco use.

Fourteen-month-old Danika van Nieuwenhuizen was born with spinal compression that left her unable to sit, crawl, turn herself or even eat. Only complex and dangerous surgery requiring insertion of a plate and rods into her neck can correct her condition. And orthopaedic surgeon Dr Robert Dunn - one of the world's best spinal surgeons - and his team at Groote Schuur Hospital are just the team to take on this risky surgery. Carte Blanche Medical visits Dr Dunn at the only remaining dedicated acute spinal injury unit in South Africa.

Wonder why you're gaining weight or unable to lose it? Maybe it's not what you're putting into your mouth, but what's secreted by certain glands in your body in response to stress that's adding the pounds. Carte Blanche Medical investigates.

Is it the vibrant sound of an African World Cup or a bleating din? Whatever your view on the noise produced by vuvuzelas, being in a stadium where hundreds are blown in unison could cause serious damage to your hearing say researchers at Pretoria University. Carte Blanche Medical finds out whether soccer match-goers need to take precautions.

For Haemophiliacs, a minor accident or bump can set off potentially fatal internal bleeding. This disorder, well-known for its past prevalence among European Royals, impairs the body's ability to control blood clotting. Not surprisingly, two of Queen Victoria's great-grandsons died after minor car accidents and, even these days, a small injury can result in blood loss lasting days. For South African sufferers, being able to treat themselves immediately, at home, brings critical relief. So why was the availability of the home treatment regimen recently cut off? Carte Blanche Medical investigates.

Did your mother ever tell you that eating late at night piles on the pounds? Or does weight gain have nothing to do with timing and everything to do with calories? Carte Blanche Medical gets the munchies.

Whether light or dark skinned, many people are increasingly keeping out of the sun fearing wrinkles and, worse, skin cancer. But little do they know that a little sun is critical to ensure adequate levels of a vitamin that, when deficient, has been linked to chronic disease from flu to rheumatoid arthritis and colo-rectal cancer. Carte Blanche Medical finds out more about vitamin D, currently one of the hottest topics in scientific research.