A large study has found that the risk of ischemic stroke the most common type rises over time with diabetes, and may triple ten years after the diagnosis is made. Researchers from Columbia University s Neurological Institute followed nearly 3,300 multiethnic patients over a median of nine years, assessing for diabetes at baseline and annually.

The clean nicotine delivery device known as the electronic cigarette has fared well in its first clinical trial. According to a new study that Italian researchers published in the journal BMC Public Health, the device may be more effective than traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) as a means to help people quit smoking.

In its 2011 Global Tuberculosis Control Report, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that last year, for the first time, the global incidence of tuberculosis (TB) declined, while deaths associated with the disease dropped to a record low for the past decade. Currently, approximately one-third of people worldwide are infected with TB, a bacteria that enters the lungs and destroys tissue there.

Men who have had sex with another man on any occasion since 1977 are currently prohibited from donating blood in the U.S. The ban was instated in 1983 as a response to the higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men (MSM) in order to prevent contaminating blood supplies with HIV. However, scientific advances have made the ban seem antiquated and in need of revision. In yesterday s Los Angeles Times, Dr. James P.

At this year s annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, Dr. Rahul Tendulkar of the Cleveland Clinic presented important data on the efficacy of radiation therapy following a mastectomy in breast cancer patients with only a few (one to three) positive lymph nodes. Previous studies on using radiation post-mastectomy on women who had four or more positive nodes yielded positive results, yet research on whether the treatment would be effective in women with fewer positive nodes was absent until now.

Classified as the silent killer, hypertension is the underlying cause of many adverse health outcomes, including heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease. Though many people are aware of the dangers associated with high blood pressure, few may know that even a slightly raised blood pressure, known as prehypertension (systolic pressure of 120 to 139 mm Hg, or a diastolic pressure of 80 to 89 mm Hg), also puts people at an increased risk of stroke.

Yesterday we wrote about the potential ill effects of taking supplements, and today we continue in the same vein, as a new study has linked the use of vitamin E pills to prostate cancer. According to the results of this study led by a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic, for every 1,000 men who took the vitamin, there were 11 additional cases of prostate cancer, compared to men taking a placebo.

Despite ACSH's efforts to promote sound scientific practices in public health research and journalism, there are always some researchers who seem to manipulate data and stretch them to limits unjustified by any rational interpretation. And, what's more, ostensible science journalists continue to publicize these non-studies as more important than they are.

Two existing drugs have recently been given FDA approval for new uses: One targets prostate enlargement, and the other is a combination diabetes and statin drug that is projected to prevent a wide range of complications commonly associated with diabetes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD).

New research is questioning the benefits of taking supplemental vitamins and minerals, suggesting that, for the general population, such supplements may actually pose more risks than benefits. It's a disconcerting finding since, according to a study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 85 percent of women surveyed reported use of supplements. And the news, no doubt, has implications for consumers, who currently spend $20 billion a year on something that may be doing more harm than good.