Infrared light stimulates the cochlea through a mechanical displacement detected and amplified by hair cells.

Although cochlear implants (CI) are the standard of care for profound sensorineural hearing loss they are technically constrained by the tendency of electrical current to spread within the fluid-filled chambers of the cochlea. This limits the resolution of individual electrodes and patients' perceptions of complex sounds. Infrared irradiation has been proposed as an alternative to electrical stimulation because it can elicit auditory responses while being spatially constrained, theoretically promising higher-fidelity hearing for the deaf.

Use of temporary tracheostomy occlusion to reduce the risk of sternal wound infection after sternotomy in congenital cardiac surgery.

Objective: To describe a method of reducing the risk of sternal wound infection after sternotomy in children with a pre-existing tracheostomy. To report our outcomes using this method from 1 January, 2013 to 31 August, 2023.

Methods: We describe a method for temporarily occluding the tracheal stoma with a removable implant with the primary goal of reducing the risk of sternotomy wound infection by preventing soilage due to tracheostomal secretions.

Thermal Excitation of the Mechanotransduction Apparatus of Hair Cells.

Although a hair bundle is normally deflected by mechanical stimuli, we found that irradiation of a hair cell from the bullfrog's sacculus with ultraviolet light causes rapid motion of the hair bundle toward its tall edge. This movement is associated with opening of mechanotransduction channels and disappears when tip links are disrupted. We localized the absorptive element responsible for the motion to the region directly below the hair bundle and measured an action spectrum similar to the absorption spectra of mitochondrial constituents.

Physiological Preparation of Hair Cells from the Sacculus of the American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana).

The study of hearing and balance rests upon insights drawn from biophysical studies of model systems. One such model, the sacculus of the American bullfrog, has become a mainstay of auditory and vestibular research. Studies of this organ have revealed how sensory cells hair can actively detect signals from the environment.