Top stories in health and medicine this morning, April 25, 2012

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.

1. Smoking Cuts Risk of Benign Brain Tumor. The risk of developing an acoustic neuroma was greatly reduced among male smokers, but not among those who take snuff.

2. Medicare Fund Forecast Bleak, but Stable. Funding for Medicare will be exhausted in 2024, according to the annual report from the program’s trustees, but federal health officials note that the program would run dry eight years sooner if not for the Affordable Care Act.

3. New Migraine Guidelines Rank Rx, OTC Efficacy. Seven different drugs are proven to be effective for preventing episodic migraine attacks and another half-dozen are probably helpful, according to new guidelines released here by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).