(HealthDay News) -- Too many holiday party buffet tables loaded with decadent treats can lead to overstuffed plates -- and overstuffed pants.

(HealthDay News) -- Smoking can cause serious complications during pregnancy, and can cause life-threatening problems for a baby.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Teenagers with autism who also have epilepsy often suffer from photosensitivity, or light sensitivity, researchers say.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Children seen in epilepsy clinics should be screened for development delay and autism because the conditions often occur together, new research suggests.

SATURDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Seizures among women of childbearing age with epilepsy may worsen during menstruation or ovulation, researchers have found.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalized patients who are infected with Clostridium difficile -- the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitals -- will lengthen their stay by about six days on average, a new study indicates.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- People with higher levels of nerve activity may have an easier time losing weight, a small study suggests.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- About one in three children with asthma is currently using a preventive medication, according to new research. That number is up from about 18 percent of kids during the late 1980s.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Concerns over teenage "sexting" -- sending suggestive or explicit images by cellphone or online -- might be overblown, new research finds.

SUNDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Children with epilepsy do not appear to face an increased risk for seizures while watching 3-D TV, a new German-Austrian study suggests.

SUNDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Variations in genes involved in brain signaling pathways appear to be linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new study.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Policies that dictate minimum requirements for physical education and recess time in schools lead to increased levels of physical activity among children, a new study finds.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- There's been a large increase in the number of young registered nurses (RNs) in the United States since 2002, a trend that may help ease concerns about a predicted nursing shortage, according to a new study.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds abuse in childhood may be associated with changes in the teenage brain.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Children who suffer head trauma can experience headaches months after the injury, with girls more apt to have them than boys, a new study finds.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Children exposed to the epilepsy drug valproate have a nearly three times higher risk of having an autism spectrum disorder, new research finds.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- A man's fitness level may be more important for his overall health than his body weight, a novel finding that runs counter to conventional wisdom.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Newer antidepressants seem to be about as effective as one another, a new analysis indicates.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as cod and salmon, may significantly lower a young woman's risk of developing heart disease, Danish researchers report.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- New research finds that pregnant women in New Hampshire, which has high levels of arsenic in drinking water in some wells, may also be ingesting arsenic through rice.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. health officials used Monday, the start of National Influenza Vaccination Week, to urge Americans to get their flu shot before the season begins in earnest.

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- When people with type 2 diabetes also struggle with depression, their odds for a third worrisome condition -- dementia -- goes up markedly, a new study suggests.