Urinary Tract Infection

X Accurately Corrects Vaccine Misinformation by 97%

Donald Hackett — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 20:47:49 +0000

Reviewer:

Recently, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf M.D. argued vaccination is approaching a dangerous tipping point because of social media misinformation.

As the proliferation of misinformation continues to pose a significant challenge on social media platforms in 2024, research published by the University of California, San Diego, offers hope when searching for fact-based vaccine information.

A Resarch Letter published in JAMA led by John W. Ayers, Ph.D., from the Qualcomm Institute within UC San Diego, finds that X's Community Notes, a crowdsourced approach to information management, helped counter false information about COVID-19 vaccines with accurate, credible responses.

“Since the World Health Organization declared an ‘infodemic’ of vaccine' misinformation, there have been surprisingly few achievements to celebrate,” said Ayers, vice chief of innovation in the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Deputy Director of Informatics at the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute in addition to Qualcomm Institute scientist, in a press release on April 24, 2024.

“X Community Notes have emerged as an innovative solution, pushing back with accurate and credible health information.”

In late 2022, X introduced Community Notes—a paradigm shift in the fight against misinformation.

This novel approach empowers volunteer, independent, anonymous, and ideologically diverse contributors to identify misinformation-laden posts and rectify it by appending informative "Notes" to suspect posts.

The fact-checking process is controlled by the public instead of decision-makers at the company.

“Because Community Notes is a uniquely open-sourced misinformation countermeasure, it can be studied and improved using the scientific method,” added Allen."

The research team obtained all notes that mentioned terms related to vaccines or COVID along with their corresponding posts made during the first year of the Community Notes program, from December 12, 2022, through December 12, 2023.

The sample of notes studied was attached to posts that averaged 1,064,981 views, extrapolating to between 500 million and 1 billion views for all COVID-19 vaccination-related posts noted. Of 45,783 notes, 657 address COVID-19 vaccination, with the monthly rate of notes increasing from 22 to 186 during the study.

Of the Notes examined, 51% addressed adverse events attributed to COVID-19 vaccination, 37% conspiracy theories, 7% vaccine recommendations, and 5% vaccine effectiveness.

In terms of accuracy, 97.5% of notes were entirely accurate.

In terms of sources, 49% of notes cited highly credible sources (such as primary data sources, like peer-reviewed studies); 44%, moderately credible sources (such as major news outlets or fact checkers); and 7%, low credibility sources (such as blogs or tabloids).

"Our study shifts the focus from talking about misinformation to taking action, offering practical insights into social media strategies that protect public health," explained Mark Dredze, Ph.D., the John C Malone Professor of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University and study co-author.

"Although we couldn’t examine how these Notes directly influenced people's beliefs or actions, the characteristics we analyzed have consistently been shown to predict a message's effectiveness."

A recent study presented at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Global Congress analyzed tweets with the hashtag "vaccine" published on Twitter from 2018 through December 2022. A total of 567,915 tweets were extracted and analyzed, with 458,045 classified as negative and 109,870 as positive by a machine-learning algorithm.

The analysis announced on April 27, 2024, also found that spikes in the number of negative tweets coincided with announcements from governments and healthcare authorities about vaccination.

As of April 30, 2024, vaccine misinformation continued to confuse X readers. For example, access to travel vaccines is a crucial area of confusion for vaccines such as the following:

Valneva SE's IXCHIQ® Chikungunya Vaccine
Takeda's QDENGA Tetravalent Vaccine
Immunotek S.L. Uromune™ MV140 Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) inactivated, oral spray vaccine

While X's CommunityX'stes can address online misinformation, Precision Vaccinations publisher Don Hackett adds that doctors, nurses, and pharmacists have proven to be the most trusted sources of vaccine information in local communities for decades.

Sub Title:

X Community Notes corrects COVID-19 vaccine misinformation

References:

Characteristics of X (Formerly Twitter) Community Notes Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

X’s (formerly Twitter’s) community notes provide accurate, credible answers to vaccine misinformation

Image:

Google News Keywords:

vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Tuesday, April 30, 2024 - 05:45

Image Caption:

by Gerd Altmann

Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection Tablets Approved in the U.S.

Karen McClorey Hackett — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 21:04:01 +0000

Reviewer:

Holly Lutmer PharmD

Robert Carlson, MD

For decades, antibiotics have been a mainstay of treatments for urinary tract infections (UTIs). Still, the growing threat of antibiotic resistance has limited clinicians' options to control infections effectively.

A 2022 World Health Organization surveillance report found that the most common cause of UTIs is resistance to first—and second-line antibiotics.

Research indicates that 40% of women in the United States will develop a UTI at some point in their lifetime.

If not managed effectively, UTIs can lead to more significant illness—additional rounds of treatment and prevalent hospitalization.

To address this substantive women's health issue, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved UTILITY therapeutics Ltd.'s Pivya™ (pivmecillinam) tablets for the treatment of female adults with uncomplicated UTIs caused by susceptible isolates of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis. and Staphylococcus saprophyticus.

According to the Company, Pivya is the first FDA antibiotic approved for UTIs in decades and should be available in the U.S. in 2025.

This UTI tablet has been in use throughout Europe for years.

"Uncomplicated UTIs are a prevalent condition impacting women and one of the most frequent reasons for antibiotic use," said Peter Kim, M.D., M.S., director of the Division of Anti-Infectives in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a press release on April 25, 2024.

Pivya's efficacy in treating adult females with uncomplicated UTIs was assessed in three controlled clinical trials comparing dosing regimens to placebo, another oral antibacterial drug, and ibuprofen.

The composite response rate was assessed approximately 8 to 14 days after patients were enrolled in the studies.

In the clinical trial comparing Pivya to placebo, 62% of the 137 subjects who received Pivya achieved the composite response compared to 10% of the 134 who received placebo.

In the clinical trial comparing Pivya to another oral antibacterial drug, 72% of the 127 subjects who received Pivya achieved composite response compared to 76% of the 132 who received the comparator drug.

In the clinical trial comparing Pivya to ibuprofen, 66% of the 105 subjects who received Pivya achieved composite response compared to 22% of the 119 who received ibuprofen.

Pivya comes with specific warnings and precautions. The most common side effects of Pivya included nausea and diarrhea.

For men and women with recurrent UTIs, Immunotek S.L. Uromune™ (MV140) inactivated oral spray vaccine is approved for adults in various countries, but not the U.S.

Uromune vaccine appointment requests can be scheduled using this PVax link.

Sub Title:

UTI tablet PIVYA is US FDA approved

References:

US FDA Approves New Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections Treatment

WHO Global antimicrobial resistance and use surveillance system report: 2022

Image:

Google News Keywords:

UTI, vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Friday, April 26, 2024 - 05:30

Image Caption:

by Mircea Iancu

UTI Vaccine Only Available to Travelers

Karen McClorey Hackett — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 12:48:42 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Many women have learned Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (rUTIs) can be challenging to treat with antibiotics. However, an innovative oral spray-based vaccine called Uromune™ (MV140) has been found to be a viable alternative treatment.

Improved non-antibiotic management of rUTI in women represents a genuine, unmet, global medical need, stated researchers in a new study.

Of the 11% of women who will develop simple, uncomplicated UTIs each year, 25% may experience another UTI within the next six months.

Immunotek S.L., a Madrid-based company, reports that its inactivated, oral spray rUTI vaccine Uromune™ (MV140) has been approved for adult use in four countries and is available through special access and off-license programs in an additional 20 countries.

MV140 contains four whole-cell inactivated bacteria, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, and Enterococcus faecalis, in a suspension with water.

Unfortunately, the MV140 vaccine is no longer available in the United States.

An Immunoteck spokesperson informed Precision Vaccination News on April 19, 2024, 'Depending on the patient's situation, we suggest travel options. We usually recommend that US-based patients get Uromune in Mexico because it's licensed there.'

'The vaccine's actual price varies, depending on the country.'

From a vaccine efficacy perspective, a February 2024 prospective study was the first study to evaluate MV140 for the clinical prevention of rUTI in women in North America.

Before vaccination, study subjects reported a mean of 6.8 UTIs/year.

Compared to the infection rate in the year before vaccination, the reduction was 75.3% for the nine-month efficacy period post-vaccination.

Following vaccination, the UTI-free rate for the nine-month efficacy period was 40.6%.

At the 12-month follow-up, 80.3% reported moderately/markedly improved; 58.1% were primarily satisfied, pleased, or delighted, while the mean quality of life score improved by 1.5 points.

Fourteen adverse events in nine subjects were potentially related to the vaccine — all mild and resolved by three months. None of the 13 serious adverse events were related to the vaccine.

In a press release issued on April 6, 2024, Dr. Bob Yang, Consultant Urologist at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, who co-led another rUTI research study, stated, "Before having the vaccine, all our participants suffered with recurrent UTIs, and for many women, these can be difficult to treat."

"Nine years after first receiving this new UTI vaccine, around half of the participants remained infection-free."

"Overall, this vaccine is safe in the long term, and our participants reported having fewer, less severe UTIs."

"This is a very easy vaccine to administer and ..... could be a game changer for UTI prevention if offered widely, reducing the need for antibiotic treatment."

Over the past week, Precision Vaccinations has facilitated several MV140 appointment referrals to countries such as France, Canada, and Mexico. These prospective vaccine recipients were delighted with the process.

Additional no-cost MV140 appointment information is available at this PVax link.

Sub Title:

Uromune MV140 Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections vaccine is an antibiotic alternative

References:

Oral vaccine for UTI is potential alternative to antibiotics

MV140 sublingual vaccine reduces recurrent urinary tract infection in women

Image:

Google News Keywords:

UTI, vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Saturday, April 20, 2024 - 05:45

Image Caption:

by Jan Vašek

After Nine Years, Oral Spray UTI Vaccine Remains Highly Effective

Karen McClorey Hackett — Sun, 07 Apr 2024 18:44:03 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Holly Lutmer PharmD

A recent study presented at the European Association of Urology Congress shared the initial findings of the first long-term follow-up study on the safety and effectiveness of the Uromune™ (MV140) inactivate vaccine for recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs).

The results, announced on April 6, 2024, indicate that 54% of study participants, including men and women with recurrent UTIs, remained UTI-free for nine years after receiving the vaccine.

Furthermore, no notable side effects were reported.

MV140 is administered with two sprays of a pineapple-flavored suspension under the tongue every day for three months. It contains four bacterial species: whole-cell inactivated bacteria, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, and Enterococcus faecalis.

While researchers have previously studied MV140's short-term safety and effectiveness, this is the first long-term follow-up study to report globally.

The study was carried out by clinicians at the UK's Royal Berkshire Hospital and included 89 patients initially treated at The Urology Partnership Reading.

Dr Bob Yang, Consultant Urologist at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, who co-led the research, commented in a press release, "Before having the vaccine, all our participants suffered from recurrent UTIs, and for many women, these can be difficult to treat. Around half of the participants remained infection-free nine years after first receiving this new UTI vaccine."

"Overall, this vaccine is safe in the long term, and our participants reported having fewer, less severe UTIs. Many of those who got a UTI told us that drinking plenty of water was enough to treat it."

"This is a very easy vaccine to administer and could be given by GPs as a 3-month course. Many of our participants told us that having the vaccine restored their quality of life. While we're yet to look at the effect of this vaccine in different patient groups, this follow-up data suggests it could be a game changer for UTI prevention if it's offered widely, reducing the need for antibiotic treatments."

According to the U.S. CDC, UTIs are the most common bacterial infection, experienced by half of all women and various older men.

Recurrent infections, needing short-term antibiotic treatment, develop up to 30% of cases.

These researchers wrote that as antibiotic-resistant UTIs increase and drugs become less effective, new ways of preventing and treating these infections are needed.

For their nine-year follow-up study, the researchers analyzed data from the electronic health records of their original 2017 cohort.

Forty-eight participants remained entirely infection-free during the nine-year follow-up.

The average infection-free period across the cohort was 54.7 months, 56.7 months for women, and 44.3 months, one year less, for men.

And 40% of participants reported having repeat vaccine doses after one or two years.

Developed by the Madrid-based Immunotek S.L., MV140 was tested in 2012 and is now available off-license in about 26 countries, but not the United States.

Sub Title:

Uromune MV-140 Urinary Tract Infection Vaccine is available in 26 countries

References:

Oral vaccine for UTI is potential alternative to antibiotics, finds 9-year study

US CDC Urinary Tract Infection

Image:

Google News Keywords:

oral, vaccines, vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Monday, April 8, 2024 - 12:45

Image Caption:

by Fernando Zhiminaicela