Acoustic Transmission Characteristics of a Eustachian Tube Volitionally Opened in Two Living Subjects.

Objective: To assess the acoustic transmission characteristics of the Eustachian tube (ET) in living subjects in verified patent and closed ET states to facilitate the detection and quantification of ET function using acoustic measures such as sonotubometry.

Patients: The two subjects in this study had no history of ear disease nor previous ear surgery and were capable of volitionally opening and closing their ET.

Interventions: Tympanometry and otologic examinations were used to confirm ET patent and closed states by observing tympanic membrane movement with respiration and by acoustic immitance measurements during forced respiration.

Adaptation of tibial structure and strength to axial compression depends on loading history in both C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice.

Tibial compression can increase murine bone mass. However, loading protocols and mouse strains differ between studies, which may contribute to conflicting results. We hypothesized that bone accrual is influenced more by loading history than by mouse strain or animal handling.

Short-term low-strain vibration enhances chemo-transport yet does not stimulate osteogenic gene expression or cortical bone formation in adult mice.

Development of low-magnitude mechanical stimulation (LMMS) based treatment strategies for a variety of orthopaedic issues requires better understanding of mechano-transduction and bone adaptation. Our overall goal was to study the tissue and molecular level changes in cortical bone in response to low-strain vibration (LSV: 70 Hz, 0.5 g, 300 με) and compare these to changes in response to a known anabolic stimulus: high-strain compression (HSC: rest inserted loading, 1000 με).

Constrained tibial vibration does not produce an anabolic bone response in adult mice.

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and increased fracture risk. High frequency, low-amplitude whole-body vibration (WBV) has been proposed as a treatment for osteoporosis because it can stimulate new bone formation and prevent trabecular bone loss. We developed constrained tibial vibration (CTV) as a method for controlled vibrational loading of the lower leg of a mouse.