Abusive head trauma and the triad: a critique on behalf of RCPCH of 'Traumatic shaking: the role of the triad in medical investigations of suspected traumatic shaking'.

The Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services (SBU) has recently published what they purported to be a systematic review of the literature on 'isolated traumatic shaking' in infants, concluding that 'there is limited evidence that the so-called triad (encephalopathy, subdural haemorrhage, retinal haemorrhage) and therefore its components can be associated with traumatic shaking'. This flawed report, from a national body, demands a robust response. The conclusions of the original report have the potential to undermine medico-legal practice.

Do people with idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields display physiological effects when exposed to electromagnetic fields? A systematic review of provocation studies.

Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) is a controversial illness in which people report symptoms that they believe are triggered by exposure to EMF. Double-blind experiments have found no association between the presence of EMF and self-reported outcomes in people with IEI-EMF. No systematic review has assessed whether EMF exposure triggers physiological or cognitive changes in this group.

Can exposure to a terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA)-like signal cause symptoms? A randomised double-blind provocation study.

Objectives: Concerns have been raised about possible health effects from radiofrequency fields pulsing at around 16 Hz. A radio system used by UK police (TETRA) employs signals which pulse at 17.6 Hz.

Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (formerly 'electromagnetic hypersensitivity'): An updated systematic review of provocation studies.

Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF; formerly 'electromagetic hypersensitivity') is a medically unexplained illness in which subjective symptoms are reported following exposure to electrical devices. In an earlier systematic review, we reported data from 31 blind provocation studies which had exposed IEI-EMF volunteers to active or sham electromagnetic fields and assessed whether volunteers could detect these fields or whether they reported worse symptoms when exposed to them. In this article, we report an update to that review.

Can evidence change belief? Reported mobile phone sensitivity following individual feedback of an inability to discriminate active from sham signals.

Objective: In this study, we tested whether providing individuals, who described being sensitive to mobile phone signals, with accurate feedback about their ability to discriminate an active mobile phone signal from a sham signal had any impact on their subsequent symptom levels or their perceived sensitivity to mobile phones.

Methods: Sixty-nine participants who reported sensitivity to mobile phones took part in a double-blind, placebo-controlled provocation study. Perceived sensitivity to mobile phones was assessed using a version of the Sensitive Soma Assessment Scale (SSAS) and the severity of any symptoms attributed to mobile phones was recorded.