Sitting in afternoon gridlock doesn't do any favors for your heart. New research suggests that traffic-related air pollution increases the risk of an ischemic stroke.

Practice makes perfect, they say, but keep on practicing even after perfection. Continued practice makes the body more efficient - so that the same tasks use less energy.

Taking both clopidogrel ( Plavix ) and aspirin together does not appear to cut the risk of recurrent deep brain strokes. Research suggests it also increases the risk of bleeding events or dying.

Technology and procedures to treat unruptured brain aneurysms, which can lead to hemorrhagic stroke caused by cranial bleeding, have improved significantly in the last decade.

Some patients may better respond to clot busting drugs immediately after the onset of stroke symptoms. The challenge is figuring out which patients are most likely to benefit.

In the late 1990s there was a striking disparity among the number of black children who died of stroke as compared to white children. Black children were 74 percent more likely to die of a stroke, because of the higher prevalence of sickle cell anemia in that population.

Certain factors have been traditionally used for predicting the risk for stroke, such as high cholesterol. But these factors may not be very accurate in predicting stroke risk for postmenopausal women.

An experimental device designed to remove blood clots from blocked vessels after a stroke has successfully outperformed a mechanical U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved device during a trial.

When it comes to helping heart failure patients avoid a stroke, common over-the-counter aspirin may be just as effective as a prescription blood thinner.

If you live in a sunny locale such as Florida, your risk of stroke may be lower than in areas with frequent dreary days such as Washington state.