Sheets of highly organized epithelial cells line all the cavities and free surfaces of the body, forming barriers that control the movement of liquids and cells in the body organs. The organized structure of normal breast epithelial cells may also serve as a barrier against cancer, according to a study by University of Helsinki scientists. The work appears this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). [click link for full article]

Several newspapers recently published editorials and opinion pieces discussing new rules that would limit SCHIP coverage to the lowest-income children, as well as the pending reauthorization of the program. Summaries appear below. Editorials [click link for full article]

A growing number of children and teenagers are taking on the responsibility of caring for family members with debilitating illness, the Washington Post reports. As many as 1.4 million young people ages eight to 18 in the U.S. care for a chronically ill or disabled relative, according to a 2005 survey by the [click link for full article]

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled that HHS must release Medicare physician claims data for Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, Washington state and Washington, D.C., a decision that could help the public evaluate the performance of the program and the physicians, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the case, [click link for full article]

Until now, the reasons why some children are born with holes in their hearts, or faulty heart valves, have eluded doctors and scientists. Findings published online in the prestigious PNAS journal may hold at least some of the answers. “It’s a great tragedy when children need open heart surgery almost as soon as they are born,” said Professor Fabienne Mackay, Director of the Autoimmunity Research Unit at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. [click link for full article]

The San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday examined the new field of direct-to-consumer genetic testing, including home-based paternity tests and tests that can determine the gender of a fetus. A paternity test released last week by Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Consumer Genetics can be done without the man’s knowledge. [click link for full article]

Democratic presidential candidate and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) on Sunday in Iowa said that he plans to outline a proposal to address cancer in the U.S., the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. [click link for full article]

University of Minnesota researchers have discovered that treating people who have early cardiovascular abnormalities, but show no symptoms of cardiovascular disease, can slow progression and even reverse damage to the heart and blood vessels.In a recent double-blind study, researchers enrolled 76 asymptomatic subjects with early markers for cardiovascular disease, based on a 10-factor scale called the Rasmussen Disease Score. [click link for full article]

A new US study showed that using hypnosis before breast cancer surgery led to patients reporting less pain and fewer unpleasant after effects and it saved hospital costs. Procedures took less time and the amount of anesthetic required was also reduced, said the authors of the study. [click link for full article]