The findings of a recent worldwide trial show that the new anticoagulant drug apixaban was 21 percent more effective at preventing strokes in patients with atrial fibrilliation than warfarin (Coumadin), the current standard of care. The study, presented at the European Society of Cardiology in Paris and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, spanned nearly two years and included over 18,000 participants.

ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross and Jody Manley have just returned from an FDA workshop on modified risk tobacco products (MRTP), which was convened as directed in the 2009 law granting regulatory authority over tobacco products to the FDA. The goal is to assess the form that such regulation will take over MRTPs such as smokeless and dissolvable tobacco, as well as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes).

As Hurricane Irene approaches the Eastern Seaboard, a little commonsense advice:
First, if you ve been told to evacuate, you need to get to higher ground as soon as possible. If you don t plan to evacuate, there s still the chance that you ll face flooding and wind damage, so make sure to prepare yourself with flashlights and batteries, as well as stores of food and water that will last a minimum of five days.

Those who suffer from the condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are often subject to acute episodes that include a worsening cough, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.

There is an odor wafting from the University of Washington very like the one we discussed last October and once again, the source is Dr. Anne Steinemann s claims that commercial fragrances are hazardous to our health. Dr. Steinemann s most recent research, published in this month s Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, alleges that scented laundry and dryer sheets can cause cancer.

Once again, the alleged link between autism and vaccines has been thoroughly and publicly denounced by an esteemed panel of scientists, this time from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The comprehensive IOM report is certainly not the first to provide substantial evidence that there is no link between autism and the M.M.R. (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine (or any others).

When it comes to following food safety guidelines, master chef Michael Ruhlman is a bit of a culinary maverick. In an article for The New York Times, journalist Harold McGee chronicles the steps Ruhlman takes as he prepares his chicken stock which seems ordinary enough, except when he gets to the part where Ruhlman lets his stock sit on the stovetop all week, ladling out portions to make soups and sauces daily.

We've previously questioned some of the studies that have been accepted for publication in the journal Pediatrics, and now Dr. Sara B. DeMauro of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has done the same in her study which appears in that very journal.

People on the verge of having high cholesterol were able to significantly lower their low-density lipoprotein (or, "bad cholesterol) levels after changing their diets to include such foods as nuts, oats, soy milk, tofu, and beans. Those are the results of a study led by Dr. David Jenkins of St.

Cervarix, one of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines used in innoculations against cervical cancer in girls, also appears to protect against the HPV infection responsible for most anal cancers.