Actually, you may want to check your facts. NO is very bacteriCIDAL at concentrations of 160-200 ppm, although only on contact surfaces, obviously in the respiratory tract. Considering that most of the VRE/MRSA type bacteria are carried as a subclinical infection in the nasal cavity, the treatment modality is quite realistic.
As for the erection or vasodilation comment, inhaled NO will do neither (well, ok, it causes local vasodilation in the pulmonary capillary bed, but that is considered local relative to the treatment site). It is converted rather quickly (200 msec?) to MetHgb, which is not biologically active. This would be the primary reason it has decent success in treating primary pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, in that it does not bottom out the BP like other systemic smooth muscle dilators do. I think perhaps you are getting confused between NO gas and NO donors such as sildenafil and nitroglycerin.
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Actually, you may want to check your facts. NO is very bacteriCIDAL at concentrations of 160-200 ppm, although only on contact surfaces, obviously in the respiratory tract. Considering that most of the VRE/MRSA type bacteria are carried as a subclinical infection in the nasal cavity, the treatment modality is quite realistic.
As for the erection or vasodilation comment, inhaled NO will do neither (well, ok, it causes local vasodilation in the pulmonary capillary bed, but that is considered local relative to the treatment site). It is converted rather quickly (200 msec?) to MetHgb, which is not biologically active. This would be the primary reason it has decent success in treating primary pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, in that it does not bottom out the BP like other systemic smooth muscle dilators do. I think perhaps you are getting confused between NO gas and NO donors such as sildenafil and nitroglycerin.
Of course, a person could just inhale nitric oxide, which is bactericidal to VRE, MRSA, M. Tuberculosis, etc.