Dilation of the superior sagittal sinus detected in rat model of mild traumatic brain injury using 1 T magnetic resonance imaging.

Introduction: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common injury that can lead to temporary and, in some cases, life-long disability. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to diagnose and study brain injuries and diseases, yet mTBI remains notoriously difficult to detect in structural MRI. mTBI is thought to be caused by microstructural or physiological changes in the function of the brain that cannot be adequately captured in structural imaging of the gray and white matter.

Survival of anesthetized Sus scrofa after cycling (7-second on/3-second off) exposures to an electronic control device for 3 minutes.

Electronic control devices (ECDs) may eventually be deployed by the military in a manner resulting in longer exposures than those encountered during law-enforcement operations. In a previous study, 18 repeated cycling (5-second on/5-second off) exposures (within a 3-minute period) of anesthetized swine to an ECD (TASER International's Advanced TASER X26 device) resulted in leg muscle contraction, acidosis, and increases in blood electrolytes. In the current study, experiments were performed to examine effects of exposures to a different cycling rate (7-second on/3-second off), from a modified X26 ECD, on 10 swine (Sus scrofa), maintained on propofol anesthesia.

Pulse variations of a conducted energy weapon (similar to the TASER X26 device): effects on muscle contraction and threshold for ventricular fibrillation*.

Conducted energy weapons (such as the Advanced TASER X26 model produced by TASER International), incapacitate individuals by causing muscle contractions. To provide information relevant to development of future potential devices, a "Modifiable Electronic Stimulator" was used to evaluate the effects of changing various parameters of the stimulating pulse. Muscle contraction was affected by pulse power, net/gross charge, pulse duration, and pulse repetition frequency.

Acidosis, lactate, electrolytes, muscle enzymes, and other factors in the blood of Sus scrofa following repeated TASER exposures.

Repeated exposure to electro-muscular incapacitating devices could result in repetitive, sustained muscle contraction, with little or no muscle recovery period. Therefore, rhabdomyolysis and other physiological responses, including acidosis, hyperkalaemia, and altered levels of muscle enzymes in the blood, would be likely to occur. Experiments were performed to investigate effects of repeated exposures of TASER International's Advanced TASER X26 on muscle contraction and resultant changes in blood factors in an anaesthetized swine model.