Chili peppers contain an alcaloid which is named capsaicin. This compound belongs to the capsaicinoids and is also the primary ingredient in pepper spray. When it comes in contact with mucous membranes, it gives you a burning sensation. Interestingly, it does not bind to taste receptors but to pain receptors in the mouth and throat.

And why is water not effective to clear this burning sensation? Capsaicin is not soluble in water.

A new HPV vaccine is currently under study at the AKH Vienna.

Well, what is the difference between this new vaccine and the “old” one?

The human papillomavirus vaccine GARDASIL® which is currently on the market is quadrivalent. This means that it prevents the infection of 4 different types of human papillomaviruses. The protection is directed against two types (HPV-16 and HPV-18) which can cause cervical cancer, and two other types (HPV-6 and HPV-11) which are responsible for the formation of genital warts.

The new HPV vaccine under study is a nine-valent vaccine. It consists, as the previous one, of hollow virus-like particles assembled from recombinant HPV coat proteins. The nine-valent vaccine is meant to protect against 5 additional HPV types. In this study, the new vaccine is compared to the quadrivalent one.