MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A sublingual vaccine is showing promise in women with recurrent urinary tract infections.
A study done in Canada, which was preceded by a trial in Europe, found that two oral sprays daily for three months reduced the risk of recurrent UTIs.
Dr. Ricardo Palmerola, a urologist and an Assistant Professor at Columbia University’s Division of Urology at Mount Sinai Medical Center said it also appeared to keep a number of women completely free of infection.
“Without the vaccine it’s estimated about 40 percent of UTIs can be warded off by your own immune system so with the vaccine it helps optimize the immune function to ward off infections without antibiotics and that’s really the hope of this new paradigm shift of treating recurrent urinary tract infections,” he said.
Palmerola said the study focused on women with uncomplicated UTIs so there is no data on the vaccine’s potential use in men, children or people with complicated infections.
CHOLESTEROL AND ALZHEIMER’S RISK
And while the link connection between cholesterol and heart disease is well-known, new research shows a possible connection to Alzheimer’s disease.
A study published this week in the journal ‘Neurology’ showed a strong link between fluctuating cholesterol levels and dementia.
Researchers say patients whose lipid levels fluctuate a lot, up and down over a five year period, have a 19% higher risk of Alzheimer’s.
Using this information, doctors may be able to use routine screenings for cholesterol and triglyceride levels to help prevent dementia going forward.
Researchers hope that diet and exercise, along with prescribed medications and supplements could offer new hope in preventing the onset of dementia.