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Aspirin can cut by more than half the risk that colon cancer will come back following initial treatment, a new clinical trial has found. Daily aspirin reduced by 55% the risk of cancer recurrence in patients whose colorectal cancer is driven by a genetic mutation, researchers reported Sept. 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine. “Aspirin is a drug that is readily available globally and extremely inexpensive compared to many modern cancer drugs, which is very positive,” lead researcher Anna Martling, a professor of molecular medicine and surgery at Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said in a news release. The study focused on people whose colon cancer was driven by a mutation of the PIK3 gene, which helps regulate cell growth and division in the human body. Every year, about 107,320 new cases of colon cancer and 46,950 cases of rectal cancer are diagnosed in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Between 30% to 40% of colon cancer patients have their cancer come back and spread to other parts of the body following treatment, researchers said in background notes. For the new study, researchers randomly assigned 626 colon cancer patients to take either a daily 160 mg dose of aspirin daily or a placebo pill for three years. The patients came from 33 hospitals in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. All the… read on > read on >

Many folks are needlessly suffering from dry eyes, a new study says. More than half of people in the U.S. and Europe struggle with dry eyes, in which their eyes fail to produce enough tears to keep them lubricated, researchers reported today at a meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Copenhagen. However, only 17% of U.S. and 20% of European patients have sought a diagnosis and treatment for the condition, potentially waiting years for professional help, researchers said. “Many see dry eye as a normal part of aging and something to endure,” researcher Dr. Piotr Woźniak, a refractive surgeon and dry eye specialist at Optegra Eye Clinics in Warsaw, said in a news release. “As a medical doctor, I find this particularly concerning because a simple eye drop could offer significant relief – but many people aren’t even asking for help,” Wozniak said. For the study, Wozniak analyzed results from a survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults in conducted in April 2024. Dry eyes frequently affected about 50% of Americans, with 80% dealing with symptoms like fatigued, itchy or watery eyes, the U.S. survey found. However, fewer than 1 in 5 people had gotten a diagnosis from an eye doctor, results show. Between 35% and 75% of people were very or extremely bothered by dry eyes, but 67%… read on > read on >

Instead of searching for reading glasses, could middle-aged folks and seniors soon find themselves rummaging around for a misplaced eye dropper? Special eye drops used two to three times daily might one day replace reading glasses as a means of coping with age-related vision loss, researchers reported in Copenhagen Sunday at a meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS). Researchers said most people using the drops could read an extra two, three or more lines on an eye chart. What’s more, their vision improvement lasted up to two years, results show. “Nearly all patients experienced positive improvements in near visual acuity, although the magnitude of the improvement depended on the status of their vision before treatment,” lead researcher Dr. Giovanna Benozzi, director of the Center for Advanced Research in Presbyopia in Buenos Aires, said in a news release. People naturally become nearsighted as they grow older, a condition called age-related presbyopia, researchers said in background notes. The eye drops contain a combination of two active ingredients: pilocarpine, a drug that constricts the pupils and contracts the muscle responsible for controlling near-vision focus, and diclofenac, an NSAID that reduces inflammation and discomfort associated with pilocarpine. Researchers tested the drops on 766 patients divided into three groups, with each group receiving a different strength of eye drop – 1%, 2% or 3% concentrations… read on > read on >

Instead of searching for reading glasses, could middle-aged folks and seniors soon find themselves rummaging around for a misplaced eye dropper? Special eye drops used two to three times daily might one day replace reading glasses as a means of coping with age-related vision loss, researchers reported in Copenhagen Sunday at a meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS). Researchers said most people using the drops could read an extra two, three or more lines on an eye chart. What’s more, their vision improvement lasted up to two years, results show. “Nearly all patients experienced positive improvements in near visual acuity, although the magnitude of the improvement depended on the status of their vision before treatment,” lead researcher Dr. Giovanna Benozzi, director of the Center for Advanced Research in Presbyopia in Buenos Aires, said in a news release. People naturally become farsighted as they grow older, a condition called age-related presbyopia, researchers said in background notes. The eye drops contain a combination of two active ingredients: pilocarpine, a drug that constricts the pupils and contracts the muscle responsible for controlling near-vision focus, and diclofenac, an NSAID that reduces inflammation and discomfort associated with pilocarpine. Researchers tested the drops on 766 patients divided into three groups, with each group receiving a different strength of eye drop – 1%, 2% or 3% concentrations… read on > read on >

Most children involved in fatal car crashes are not safely and properly restrained, needlessly placing them in harm’s way, a new study says. About 7 of 10 kids younger than 13 weren’t safely strapped in when a fatal auto accident took place, researchers reported in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention. “We found more than half of children younger than 13 years old involved in crashes with fatalities to have suboptimal child passenger safety practices,” reported the research team led by senior researcher Dr. Michelle Macy, director of the Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research and Evaluation Center at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Most often, children had been prematurely transitioned to a booster seat or seat belt rather than left in a car seat in the rear, researchers said. Others either were riding completely unrestrained or riding in the front seat, the study says. An average of three children die in a motor vehicle wreck every day in the United States, and 429 are injured, researchers said in background notes. To figure out whether a lack of safe restraint contributes to these deaths and injuries, researchers analyzed data on more than 52,300 children involved in fatal car crashes between 2011 and 2021 as reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nearly 70% of children in a… read on > read on >