Most Streptococcus pneumoniae strains are killed by very low concentrations of penicillin and other beta-lactam antibiotics, yet middle ear inflammation and effusion persist for days to weeks after treatment in most cases of pneumococcal otitis media. To study the effect of beta-lactam antibiotic treatment on pneumococci and the middle ear inflammatory response during pneumococcal otitis media,...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Melanin is a pigmented polymer with a known role in dermal solar protection. In vertebrates, melanogenesis has been reported in leukocyte populations, suggesting a potential role in innate immunity. In this study, we report the novel finding of melanin associated with chronic inflammation and speculate on its potential role in the middle ear and mastoid. STUDY DESIGN Ret...

The purpose of the present study was to determine if junior high school students with and without histories of otitis media differed in their reading abilities. Reading scores from the SRA Achievement Test(1978) were analyzed for sets of pair—matched students. Paired t-tests revealed that for the majority of the subtests analyzed, there were no significant differences between the two groups. Th...

Examination.?Nose and throat showed mucosal congestion. In the right ear Shrapnell's membrane was dark red and slightly bulging. The par tensa of the tympanic membrane did not show the slightest indication of inflammation in the form of congestion or prominence of the handle of the malleus. The left ear showed the same appearance except that the congestion was not so marked in the attic region....

HYPOTHESIS Studies were designed to ascertain the impact of chronic middle ear infection on the numerous ion and water channels, transporters, and tissue remodeling genes in the inner and middle ear. BACKGROUND Permanent sensorineural hearing loss is a significant problem resulting from chronic middle ear disease, although the inner ear processes involved are poorly defined. Maintaining a bal...

The skin irritant, xylol, when applied to the ears of sensitized and reinjected rabbits often causes a severe inflammation with the formation of crusts and destruction of tissue. Dry gangrene of the entire ear tip may result (Figs. 1, 2, and 3). The same agent, applied in the same dosage and in the same way, to the ears of (1) normal rabbits, (2) normal rabbits injected once with horse serum (s...

Middle ear infection (or inflammation) is the most common pathological condition that causes fluid to accumulate in the middle ear, disrupting cochlear homeostasis. Lipopolysaccharide, a product of bacteriolysis, activates macrophages and causes release of inflammatory cytokines. Many studies have shown that lipopolysaccharides cause functional and structural changes in the inner ear similar to...

Tympanosclerosis is an abnormal connective tissue reaction with hyaline degeneration and calcification in the tympanic membrane and submucosa of the middle ear. It is an irreversible, non-spesific end-result chronic inflammation or infection of the middle ear. The process occurs in the lamina propria layer of submucosa. A homogenous mass takes place by thickening and fusion of the collagenous f...

This article reviews the importance of the round-window membrane in exposing the labyrinth to or protecting it from the toxic effects of otitis media. Characteristics of the immune system in the human middle ear and middle-ear mechanisms against bacteria are explained. The role of bacteria and bacterial products in inner-ear damage is detailed, and related pathological events are described. The...