It
is the
tension 
between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning
and unexpected
findings of science. —Carl Sagan
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Further enhancements to this investigation are envisioned. Had we had more time, we would have done more repeats of the tests mentioned above to confirm if there was indeed a trend, or lack thereof. We would also have sonicated the bacteria samples for a longer period of time, to increase the validity of the trend observed. First, the frequency of ultrasound applied to the bacteria to strengthen the effectiveness of the antibiotic can be extended to a larger testing range. The frequency of the ultrasound may not have been high enough to cause a noticeable difference in the growth or inhibition of E. coli. Another promising field of continuation research is to test the application of ultrasound on the effectiveness of different kinds of antibiotics. The mechanisms of different antibiotics involved in permeating the cell membranes vary from each other, and therefore the enhancement of sonication will differ depending on the kinds of antibiotics being used. This investigation can also be enhanced by varying the power of ultrasound applied. Previous research has shown that other than passive diffusion, the ultrasound energy may also serve to be an active energy source, to exert a force on the antibiotic molecules and push them through pores on the cell membrane. Therefore an ultrasound with a greater power will result in better permeation of antibiotics, for there is more ultrasound energy provided. A permeability test of biological membrane should be done to confirm that the ultrasound did in fact enhance the permeation of antibiotics into the cell, preferably to chart the permeability of molecules and the size of the corresponding molecules.
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Enhancement of Antibiotic Action with an Application of
Ultrasound 01/05/2007 |
