health - "report"

The accuracy of predicting one's chances of developing breast cancer do not seem to improve even with the recent findings of some genetic markers for the disease, a new report says.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former White House press secretary Tony Snow, who battled colon cancer, has died, according to media reports on Saturday.

Alaskan Eskimos' significantly higher rates of fatty artery plaque than the general U.S. population may be due to unhealthy lifestyle habits, researchers report in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

the Food and Drug Administration monitors much of what Americans consume. But cigarettes, which shorten a smoker's life by 10 years on average, have escaped FDA oversight, largely because of political pressure from Big Tobacco. . . .The House must vote on the bill soon so it has a chance to pass in the Senate. It's been 44 years since the U.S. surgeon general reported that cigarettes are harmful, and the country shouldn't have to wait another year for independent oversight of Big Tobacco.

The British Dental Association has welcomed the publication of the Welsh Assembly Government Task and Finish Group's review of the Dental Contract in Wales. The report notes issues around the new dental contract including concerns about the system of units of dental activity and problems encountered by local health boards in commissioning dental care.

A new report by AARP's Public Policy Institute finds promising signs and mixed results among state government efforts to balance long-term care (LTC) options under Medicaid. Unfortunately, according to the report, only four states spent more than 50 percent of their Medicaid LTC dollars for older people providing home and community based services (HCBS).

Greater, appropriate utilization of aspirin and other preventive measures, such as quitting smoking, losing weight and lowering cholesterol, would reduce heart attacks by 36 percent over the next three decades, according to a report issued by three major U.S. health organizations.

Two pediatric eye surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis expressed alarm over what they label a '21st century snake oil' scam. Recent newspaper stories including several from Missouri -- have reported parents flying their children to main land China for umbilical cord stem cell (CSC) infusions. The cost of these treatments, paid for entirely out-of-pocket by the parents, can be $50,000 or more.

The Healthcare Commission will urge the NHS to redouble efforts to improve maternity services by enhancing the quality of clinical care and the experiences of women. It will publish a national report on maternity services, containing conclusions and recommendations from a major review involving 150 NHS trusts in England.

The British Dental Association has welcomed the publication of the Welsh Assembly Government Task and Finish Group's review of the Dental Contract in Wales. The report notes issues around the new dental contract including concerns about the system of units of dental activity and problems encountered by local health boards in commissioning dental care.