Antibiotic gel squirted into the ear could provide a one dose cure for ear infections
A single-application bioengineered gel, squirted in the ear canal, could deliver a full course of antibiotic therapy for middle ear infections, making treatment of this common childhood illness much easier and potentially safer, finds a preclinical study led by Boston Children’s Hospital in collaboration with investigators at Boston Medical Center and Massachusetts Eye and Ear. The findings were published September 14 by the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Squirted into the ear canal, the gel quickly hardens and stays in place, gradually dispensing antibiotics across the eardrum into the middle ear. Previously, the eardrum (also called the tympanic membrane) was an impenetrable barrier. The bioengineered gel gets drugs past it with the help of chemical permeation enhancers (CPEs), compounds FDA-approved for other uses that are structurally similar to the lipids in the stratum corneum, the eardrum’s outermost layer. The CPEs insert themselves into the membrane, opening up molecular pores that allow the antibiotics to seep through.
Paper:
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/8/356/356ra120
PR:
http://www.childrenshospital.org/news-and-events/2016/september-2016/antibiotic-gel-squirted-into-the-ear-could-provide-a-one-dose-cure-for-ear-infections
#research #tympanicmembrane #earinfection #science
Welcome relief!
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with onion?
ReplyDeleteGreat news Corina Marinescu!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter had to undergo surgery, under anesthesia – due to the large accumulation of secretions in the middle ear. If this drug was available earlier, we could avoid it…
Gjermund ॐ Gusland Thorsen This is about serious infections – that do not heal even antibiotics administered systemically. And certainly garlic or onion can't help.
ReplyDeleteMariusz Rozpędek Onion and garlic can help in cases where antibiotics does not work at all... https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2015/march/ancientbiotics---a-medieval-remedy-for-modern-day-superbugs.aspx
ReplyDeleteBald's eye salve contains more than garlic and onion and worked for MRSA on mice. But adding a few drops of warm onion juice into the ear canal will only alleviate the pain will not heal the infection, and that has been tested by me, but I had a very nasty ear infection few ears ago (all ear infections are not created equal so, you never know).
ReplyDeleteThe onion contains allicin and a large dose of a natural anti-inflammatory, I'd recommend this only as an emergency solution at home. If you or your child has ear pain, you should see a healthcare provider to determine the type of ear infection and the best course of treatment.
Thanks for sharing Miss Corina....
ReplyDelete