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Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common adult bacterial infections and exhibits high recurrence rates, especially in postmenopausal women. Studies in mouse models suggest that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)–mediated inflammation sensitizes the bladder to recurrent UTI (rUTI). However, COX-2–mediated inflammation has not been robustly studied in human rUTI. We used human cohorts to assess urothelial COX-2 production and evaluate its product, PGE2, as a biomarker for rUTI in postmenopausal women. We found that the percentage of COX-2–positive cells was elevated in inflamed versus uninflamed bladder regions. We analyzed the performance of urinary PGE2 as a biomarker for rUTI in a controlled cohort of 92 postmenopausal women and PGE2 consistently outperformed all other tested clinical variables as a predictor of rUTI status. Furthermore, time-to-relapse analysis indicated that the risk of rUTI relapse was 3.6 times higher in women with above median urinary PGE2 levels than with below median levels. Taken together, these data suggest that urinary PGE2 may be a clinically useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for rUTI in postmenopausal women.

Next generation surveys will be capable of determining cosmological parameters beyond percent level. To match this precision, theoretical descriptions should look beyond the linear perturbations to approximate the observables in large scale structure. A quantity of interest is the Number density of galaxies detected by our instruments. This has been focus of interest recently, and several efforts have been made to explain relativistic effects theoretically, thereby testing the full theory. However, the results at nonlinear level from previous works are in disagreement. We present a new and independent approach to computing the relativistic galaxy number counts to second order in cosmological perturbation theory. We derive analytical expressions for the full second order relativistic observed redshift, for the angular diameter distance and for the volume spanned by a survey. Finally, we compare our results with previous works which compute the general distance-redshift relation, finding that our result is in agreement at linear order.

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Objectives Acidic urine pH may be protective against recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs). After reviewing the literature, we primarily analyzed urine pH fluctuations and secondarily compared them with diet in older women with RUTIs. Methods After IRB approval, postmenopausal women with documented RUTIs were enrolled. Participants were given preformatted charts to record urinalysis reagent strips (Medimpex) findings 4 times per day and concomitant food/beverage intake (food diary). Urine cultures at baseline ensured no infection during measurement period. Nutrient content reported in food diaries was analyzed by an experienced registered dietitian and compared with parallel fluctuations in urine pH. Results Of 26 women with median age of 72 years (55–86 years), the first 3 days of diet and urine pH recordings found that 17 (65%) of 26 exhibited urine pH variation greater than 1 unit, with an overall median of 6 (5–9). Comparing dietary analysis and urine pH changes, beta-carotene (P = 0.017) and total dietary sugar intake (P = 0.036) were associated with a decrease in urine pH, whereas monounsaturated fatty acids (MFA, 22:1, P = 0.023) and protein (P = 0.028) were associated with an increase in urine pH. Conclusions In this real-life, observational study, 65% of older women with RUTIs exhibited notable changes in urine pH, with decreased urine pH associated with nutrients found in orange and yellow vegetables and several major food groups. A longitudinal study is needed to determine if changing an individual’s diet and/or adding supplements could decrease the urine pH, thus affecting the rate of RUTIs.