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Antibiotics: Studies
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To treat rosacea, a typical course of antibiotics would begin with an oral antibiotic, such as tetracycline. Oral antibiotics are usually tapered off after symptoms improve because long-term use of oral antibiotics is associated with side effects. Bacteria build immunity to topical and oral antibiotics within 3 to 5 months, therefore they lose their effectiveness. A topical antibiotic is then used, such as metronidazole. Studies have found that if red, raised bumps have developed, topical metronidazole (1%) is safe and effective. Metronidazole gel (.75%) is effective in preventing or minimizing recurrences of rosacea.
TUCSON, AZ / PRNewswire / -- Bi-monthly OpticsReport, in its continuing coverage of investment opportunities in optics, explains how laser tweezers are being used by researchers in experiments that will lead to more sophisticated antibiotics. Laser tweezers, focused laser light that can grab and hold tiny particles, allow the never-before-possible study of individual sub-cellular components. "Laser tweezers can measure piconewton forces that are one thousand times less than the weight of a water droplet the width of a human hair," says leading University of Arizona researcher Dr. Koen Visscher. At a time when existing antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective against bacteria, it appears that laser tweezers will help researchers learn the mechanical details needed to fight resistant strains of bacteria.
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In spite of all of the benefits of having a healthy microbial population, antibiotics and antibacterial agents are added to the environment at a rate of over a million pounds per week. There are several routes of entry of antimicrobial agents into the environment. Studies have shown that introduction by these routes has changed the antibiotic susceptibility of the microbes in those environments and/or changed the predominant microbes.
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The availability of synthetic precursors will make it easier to study how the gram-positive bacterial membrane is formed and aid in the design of new antibiotics to block its formation, says Walker. Her lab will soon begin screening for compounds that can block this important chemical pathway, she says.
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Both metronidazole and ciprofloxacin are broad-spectrum antibiotics that by definition fight a wide range of bacteria. Metronidazole is the most extensively studied antibiotic in IBD. As a primary therapy for active Crohn's, this drug has been shown to be superior to placebo (sugar pill) and equal to sulfasalazine—especially when the illness affects the colon.
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