Tympanic membrane retraction the nose with laser or balloon dilatation is being evaluated as a potential treatment for tympanic membrane retraction. Excision of the retracted segment of an eardrum, with or without placement of a tympanostomy tube has been advocated. Healing of the area can result in a more normal eardrum. Laser therapy has been used to shrink and stiffen retraction pockets. Tympanoplasty is the surgical technique of removal of the retracted area from the middle ear and reconstruction of the tympanic membrane. Some surgeons use cartilage (taken from the outer ear) to stiffen the eardrum with the aim of preventing further retraction.
Translocase of the outer membrane Translocase of the outer membrane The translocase of the outer membrane (TOM) is a complex of proteins found in the outer mitochondrial membrane of the mitochondria. It allows movement of proteins through this barrier and into the intermembrane space of the mitochondrion. Most of the proteins needed for mitochondrial function are encoded by the nucleus of the cell. The outer membrane of the mitochondrion is impermeable to large molecules greater than 5000 Daltons. The TOM works in conjunction with the translocase of the inner membrane (TIM) to translocate proteins into the mitochondrion. Many of the proteins in the TOM complex,