Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 — The Bush administration says it improperly altered a report documenting large racial and ethnic disparities in health care, but it will soon publish the full, unexpurgated document. "There was a mistake made," Tommy G. Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, told Congress last week. "It's going to be rectified." Mr. Thompson said that "some individuals took it upon themselves" to make the report sound more positive than was justified by the data. The reversal comes in response to concerns of Democrats and the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, Republican of Tennessee. They are pushing...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While studying Japanese families with a rare movement disorder, researchers have discovered a region of DNA that may contain the gene for ear wax. A discovery of the ear wax gene could help shed light on the function of apocrine glands, fluid-secreting cells found throughout the body, and may even have implications for breast cancer. Some studies have found the women with a certain type of ear wax are at greater risk of developing breast cancer than those with another type. Ear wax, or cerumen as it is know scientifically, is produced by hair follicles...