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Antibiotics have a clinically and statistically significant impact on the resolution of otitis media with effusion. The association between outcome and natural cure rate has important implications for the design and interpretation of future trials.

The PCR-based assay systems can detect the presence of bacterial DNA in a significant percentage of culturally sterile middle ear effusions. While this finding is not proof of an active bacterial infectious process, the large number of bacterial genomic equivalents present in the ears is suggestive of an active process.

Introduction-The mechanisms underlying craniosynostosis remains unknown. However, mutations in FGFR2 are associated with craniosynostotic syndromes. We previously compared gene expression patterns of patent and synostosing coronal sutures in the nude rat and demonstrated down regulation of Noggin in synostosing sutures. Noggin expression is also suppressed by FGF2 and constitutive FGFR2 signaling.(1-2) Thus, we therefore hypothesized that the addition of rhNoggin to prematurely fusing sutures should prevent synostosis.