College News
A new study by UF Health researchers shows quinolone eardrops might cause
a perforated eardrum, which can lead to hearing loss. The study by researchers
in the UF colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine was published in the journal
Clinical Infectious Diseases in April.
Analyzing data from 94,000 children and adults with the infection, researchers
found more than a twofold increased risk of a perforated eardrum among
patients receiving quinolone eardrops compared with those receiving another
common antibiotic eardrop containing neomycin.
“The fact that our study showed any risk is significant,” said Patrick Antonelli,
MD, a professor and chair of the College of Medicine’s department of
otolaryngology and a co-author of the study. “These drugs have been shown
to be safe for the very delicate cells in the inner ear that are responsible for
hearing and balance. So, these eardrops have been prescribed very liberally.”
Quinolones have come under increased scrutiny in recent years because of
their adverse effects on soft tissues and other issues. An advisory committee of
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded several years ago that the benefits of systemic quinolones might not outweigh their risks.
“Obviously, the more often you prescribe quinolone eardrops to a patient and the longer you give it, the more likely you’re going to have a
problem,” Antonelli said. “We’re not telling people not to use it. But you’ve got to be careful with its use. It’s not holy water.”
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Popular quinolone eardrops carry risk of
eardrum perforation, UF Health study finds
BY BILL LEVESQUE
UF researcher finds link between
common food poison toxin and
colorectal cancer
BY KACEY FINCH
UF researchers have found a link between colorectal cancer
in mice and the most commonly reported bacterial cause of
food poisoning in the U.S.
Little is known about Campylobacter jejuni, a bacteria that
causes diarrheal illness, or its effect on cancer, said Christian
Jobin, PhD, a professor of medicine in the UF College of
Medicine. However, it isn’t a rare bacterium — around 2 million
cases of human campylobacteriosis ranging from loose stools
to dysentery occur each year in the U.S.
“Some Campylobacter jejuni species have a toxin called
cytolethal distending toxin, or CDT,” said Jobin, senior author
of the study, which was published in the journal Gut. “We demonstrated that this CDT toxin from the Campylobacter jejuni is essential to
causing colorectal cancer in mice.”
It’s possible that carrying Campylobacter may also put humans at higher risk of cancer, Jobin said. Researchers now need to look at the
prevalence of CDT and if it is associated with cancer development in humans.
PHOTO BY JESSE S. JONES
PHOTO BY MATT SPLETT
“Inflammation is some sort of a fuel for cancer,” said Christian Jobin, PhD, professor
of medicine and the study’s senior author.
Patrick Antonelli, MD, examines a patient.