Shaky Ground

High-frequency oscillatory ventilation on shaky ground.

We thought it was impossible. Physiological principles maintained that ventilation at tidal volumes less than the anatomical deadspace should be ineffective (i.e., inspired air not reaching the alveolae). Data from a 1980 study dispelled that myth, showing unequivocally that ventilation with tidal volumes as small as 20 to 30 ml in dogs, a mere fraction of the anatomical deadspace, could mainta...

Commentary: Live telecast surgery on shaky ground.

Shaken Baby Syndrome Diagnosis On Shaky Ground

An epidemic of accusations against parents and baby sitters of Shaken Baby Syndrome is sweeping the developed world. The United States and the United Kingdom are in the forefront of such questionable practice. Brain (mainly subdural, less often subarachnoid) and retinal haemorrhages, retinal detachments, and rib and other bone ‘fractures’ are considered pathognomic. However, the reality of thes...

Shaky hearing

Functional sensory hair cells in the inner ear have specialised microvilli — stereocilia — which are essential for hearing. The scanning electron micrograph at top shows the normal arrangement of stereocilia bundles on three outer hair cells in the inner ear of a three-day-old mouse. The stereocilia grow to form rows of graded height in a distinctive V-shaped bundle. Recent studies in mice have...

Shaky legs? Think POT!

Primary orthostatic tremor (POT) may be a cause of postural instability in older people. Though unusual, this condition is relatively easily diagnosed, based in part on typical clinical features, impacts on quality of life, and is amenable to symptomatic treatment (Heilman KM. Orthostatic tremor. Arch Neurol 1984; 41: 880-1). We present three cases seen in a general neurology clinic over a 15-m...