A federal health official’s ruling has cleared the way for 50 different types of cancer to be added to the list of sicknesses covered by a $4.3 billion fund set up to compensate and treat people exposed to the toxic smoke, dust and fumes in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.The

For the first time, researchers have determined virtually the entire genome of a fetus using only a blood sample from the pregnant woman and a saliva specimen from the father.The accomplishment heralds an era in which parents might find it easier to know the complete DNA blueprint of a child months

Doctors were told last month that we should stop doing so many screenings for prostate cancer with the prostate-specific antigen test. We learned that sigmoidoscopy is a cheaper, easier and effective alternative to colonoscopy for colon cancer screening. And a study I led turned up strong evidence t

HUMAN genome sequencing is already helping researchers find new treatments for illness. Now an unusual case study suggests that the benefits of sequencing may be enhanced in combination with detailed blood tests.The case involves Michael Snyder, a geneticist who was both the lead author and the subj

Doctors often order tests and recommend drugs or procedures when they shouldn’t — sometimes even when they know they shouldn’t. The problem has become so serious that such groups as the American College of Physicians, the ABIM Foundation, the National Physicians Alliance and a coalition of medical s

The debate over the price of the vaccine against HPV has become intense When it comes to making the shot against cervical cancer the national vaccine programme, which means girls between the ages of 12-18 will receive it free, price is the matter.The debate over the price of the vaccine against Huma

http://wapo.st/K7vTBPWhat’s in a name? That’s a question that experts are wrestling with as they prepare to revise the diagnostic manual that spells out the criteria for addiction and other substance-use problems.The catalyst for this discussion is a set of proposed changes to the Diagnostic and Sta

About one in six children and teenagers are also obese, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association report which showed that obesity remains a significant problem in US society despite efforts to combat it.“Obesity prevalence shows little change over the past 12 years, although the

US President Barack Obama on Thursday added $50 million to fight AIDS in the United States and launched efforts to treat two million more people abroad.“We can beat this disease,” Obama said at an event to mark World AIDS Day which included speeches by satellite from former presidents Bill Clinton a

Nearly 7,000 out of just over 30,000 were thought to have been affected, while tens of thousands of appointments and tests were also hit across the UK. But emergency services were kept running as unions and managers agreed contingency plans ahead of the walkout. In London, a major incident was decla