Today's Globe: research fraud allegations, Caritas deal, Harvard stem-cell major, ovarian cancer screening, folic acid and prostate cancer, Wal-Mart electronic health records, Children's expansion, search suit, healthcare push

A widely known Massachusetts anesthesiologist whose research has influenced how doctors treat surgery patients for pain has been accused of fabricating results in at least 21 published studies and, in some cases, even inventing patients.

Critics of a proposed joint venture between Caritas Christi Health Care and a secular insurance company say they are concerned about the arrangement because of one major issue: abortion.

A day after President Obama gave the promising field of stem cell science a big boost by freeing up more federal funding, Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences yesterday approved a new undergraduate major with a focus on stem cell science and related areas of biology.

Blood tests and ultrasound scans can catch deadly ovarian cancer at the most early and treatable stages, British doctors reported yesterday, saying it may finally be possible to screen women for the disease.

Men who take a folic acid supplement may be increasing their risk of getting prostate cancer, US researchers said yesterday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is striding into the market for electronic health records, seeking to bring the technology into the mainstream for physicians in small offices.

Children's Hospital Boston wants to move forward with the expansion of its main patient building by the end of the year.

A woman who sued Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center after she said she was undressed by male security guards has settled a 2006 lawsuit (third item).

"Last week, President Obama took a bold step on healthcare: He brought together a wide array of people who have a stake in the healthcare system with the people who have the ability to change it," Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office for Health Reform, writes on the opinion page. "As a participant in the 1993-'94 health reform effort, I can say that this time, it feels different already."