The X for Y files: Shingrix

The Shingrix shingles vaccine might protect against dementia. Weird, right? That conclusion came from British researchers who used American health data, specifically for about 200,000 people, half of whom got the old shingles vaccine (Zostavax) and half who got Shingrix.

The bottom line: “Over the next six years, the risk of dementia was 17% lower in those who received Shingrix compared with Zostavax.”

And just to be sure, they looked at other vaccinations, and they found that only Shingrix had any effect on dementia risk. (“[T]hose given Shingrix had a 23 to 27% lower risk of dementia than people who were vaccinated against flu, tetanus, diphtheria, or pertussis.”)

How does it work? Dunno. Is it correlation without causation? Maybe, although it’s hard to see what else could explain the effect. Still, you know the mantra: More research is needed.

NCPA (and others) sue Change

NCPA, along with a long list of providers — from Agius Psychological Services to Wiemer Family Podiatry — “have filed a class action lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group for losses from the Change Healthcare cyberattack that happened earlier this year.”

“UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiaries need to be held accountable for their lax security measures and for their failure to provide our members with adequate support and assurances to alleviate the financial losses our members suffered.”

They’re also pointing to the fact that independent practices “have received little, if any, reimbursement from insurers for patient visits,” which literally can threaten their existence. They’re demanding not only monetary relief, but that UnitedHealth Group be required to change its security and reporting practices so this doesn’t happen again.

Short Takes: The kids are all right

They’re not getting pregnant

Teen births dropped for 2000 to 2022. In fact, they dropped 69 percent. And it was an even bigger reduction — 79 percent! — among girls aged 15 to 17.

Researchers attributed the decline to teenagers being older when they first start having sex, less sexual activity among teen girls, and greater use of effective contraception among sexually active teenagers.

They’re abusing fewer drugs

Fewer teens are abusing prescription drugs, according to University of Michigan researchers.

The percentage of seniors who say they’ve misused prescription drugs in the past year has dropped to 2% in 2022, down from 11% back in 2009.

Moderate alcohol? Nah

The latest answer to the question “Is moderate drinking good or bad?” is … not good. A glass of wine a day (or beer — these were Canadians) doesn’t extend your life or improve your health.

Why so? Based on an analysis of 107 studies, those Canadian researchers found that 1) the studies that indicated moderate drinking was good turned out to be poor-quality research, and B) the good studies focused on older adults who may have changed their habits after a lifetime of drinking.

In other words, they compared moderate drinkers to abstainers and occasional drinkers — but those latter groups “included some older adults who had quit or cut down on drinking because they’d developed any number of health conditions.” Obviously, they say, a young moderate drinker looked good compared to an older tea-totaller who used to drink heavily.

Elsewhere: Carolina in My Mind edition

North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services has said that the state’s Medicaid program will cover GLP-1 drugs. The logic is sound: Reducing obesity will reduce spending to treat the various issues it causes, saving the program money in the long term.

Double-trouble antibiotic

A new antibiotic that kills bacteria two different ways can keep the bugs from evolving resistance. At least that’s the idea from University of Illinois molecular biologists. The drugs are macrolones — a combination of macrolides and fluoroquinolones — that attack bacteria by both blocking the ribosome and by targeting an enzyme (DNA gyrase).

The macrolones actually did better at both jobs than single-target drugs did, the Illini found, but the important part is that …

“If the antibiotic hits both targets at the same concentration, then the bacteria lose their ability to become resistant via acquisition of random mutations in any of the two targets.”

Lyme vax gets closer

Pfizer’s Lyme disease vaccine is in its phase-3 trial, with the participants having gotten all three of the vaccine series. Now we wait; they’ll be monitored until the end of the 2025 tick season (i.e., end of summer). If all goes well, it could be available in 2026.