The hidden aspect of carotid lesions in traffic accidents: A little-known phenomenon

Vascular injuries that occur during traffic accidents are a commonly neglected aspect that can add more detail to the framework of a case. In this study, we analysed a case series of 150 traffic accidents, 39 of which were marked by microscopically identifiable vascular lesions. The purpose was to identify the presence of carotid injuries in individuals who died due to traffic accidents and had nonpenetrating trauma of the neck. We focused on the discrepancies regarding the macroscopical aspect and the histology and demonstrated how histological analysis of the carotids in cases of trauma can reveal injuries that are attributable to the trauma itself. We conducted a histological analysis of the lesions to describe their distribution and type and investigate potential correlations. The study offers insight on how to examine road accidents that involve traumatic injury of the carotid arteries. Indeed the main task of the forensic pathologist in the case of death is to establish the existence of a causal relationship between the micro- or macroscopic alterations observed in the autopsy and the traumatic event that led to the death of the subject. Thus, further morphological elements were provided to the forensic practitioners that may reveal injuries attributable to the trauma itself and should be evaluated in cases of trauma in traffic accidents.     

Buscando o motivo da instabilidade hemodinâmica: relato de caso sobre o papel do ultrassom intraoperatório

Background and objectives

A prompt and effective management of trauma patient is necessary. The aim of this case report is to highlight the importance of intraoperative echocardiography as a useful tool in patients suffering from refractory hemodynamic instability no otherwise explained.

A rare case of steering wheel injury causing coronal-plane pancreatic lacerations

The incidence of pancreatic injury after blunt abdominal trauma is extremely low. A timely and accurate diagnosis is important, as a delay could be life-threatening. In this case, a 70-year-old driver crashed a car into a concrete wall at low speed. He was transported to the emergency hospital but died about 9.5 h later with the cause of death unknown. An autopsy revealed that his pancreas was lacerated in the coronal plane and there was mesenteric contusion. Cause of death was determined to be blood loss resulting from pancreatic and mesenteric contusion. The mechanism of the injury was considered to be a very rare “degloving,” caused by the impact from the steering wheel. It is therefore important to keep in mind possible pancreatic damage when examining blunt trauma to the abdomen, especially in traffic accident cases.     

2005-2009年温州市甬台温高速公路（温州段）交通伤特点分析

目的通过调查分析甬台温高速公路（温州段）交通伤的特点,为进一步提高交通伤害救治水平提供依据。方法收集发生于宁波-台州-温州（简称甬台温）高速公路（温州段）交通事故的原始数据,用描述流行病学方法分析交通伤特点;采用SPSS18．0软件对调查指标进行分析。结果2005年1月1日至2009年12月31日（5年间普通程序处理的事故）甬台温高速公路发生交通事故308起,累计伤亡603人。其中死亡157人。交通事故以尾随相撞最为多发,占总事故的39．29％,主要原因为司机疲劳驾车及超速行驶。结论高速公路交通事故有时间、年龄分布不均衡性;男性青壮年为发生概率的高危人群,但高龄受累人群的死亡率更高。通过对温州段高速公路交通伤特点分析,可针对性地进行高速公路行车安全培训,借此创建安全的高速公路交通环境。     

Spatial analysis of exposure to traffic-related air pollution at birth and childhood atopic asthma in Toronto,Ontario

Findings from the Toronto Child Health Evaluation Questionnaire (TCHEQ) study indicate that early childhood exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is related to the onset of atopic childhood asthma. To test this hypothesis further, we investigated whether spatial patterns in the birth neighbourhood of TCHEQ subjects with atopic asthma (136 of 909 schoolchildren in grades 1–2) could be explained by TRAP and other risk factors. If a causal relationship exists between early childhood residential exposure to TRAP and the development of atopic asthma, we hypothesise that (1) clusters of current asthma should exist around the place of residence at birth, and (2) accounting for residential concentrations of TRAP at birth should explain some of the autocorrelation. Several high asthma clusters were observed. Adjusting for TRAP completely explained one cluster; elsewhere, clusters were only partially explained by TRAP. Findings suggest that exposure during early childhood to TRAP in Toronto is an important contributor to the development of the atopic asthma phenotype and reveal the likely importance of other risk factors not measured in the fixed effects of the model.     

二次交通事故成伤致死的法医学鉴定3例

目的:探讨二次交通事故成伤致死亡案件的法医学鉴定思路。方法:收集3例二次交通事故成伤致死亡案例,多渠道收集案件信息,全面细致检验尸体,再现事故发生经过,明确死者的成伤过程,分析损伤的成伤方式、严重程度,判断生活反应,确定死者的死亡原因及各次损伤对死亡的参与程度。结果:二次交通事故成伤致死亡案例,存在损伤重、多发伤、复合伤、成伤方式多样、成伤机制复杂、生前伤死后伤并存,甚至多次损伤相互叠加、破坏、掩盖等特点。结论:二次交通事故成伤致死亡的法医学鉴定应以法医尸检为基础,结合痕迹学、运动力学等多学科知识综合分析和判断。     

老年人交通事故骨折伤

我院自１９９０－１９９４年间共收治６０岁以上老年人交通事故骨折伤１２８例。特点如下：以６０至６９岁男性为主；以单发性下肢骨折为主；事故多发生在非交通干道上；肇事以非机动车及青少年为主；春秋季及每天的１４－１７时发生率高。建议：加强宣传教育，增强老年人自我保护意识及青少年遵规敬老精神，加强社区服务功能，减少老年人交通暴露机会，治疗方法尽量简便，固定可靠，便于早期离床活动，以防长期卧床出现并发症。     

Neural mechanisms underlying urgent and evaluative behaviors: An fMRI study on the interaction of automatic and controlled processes

Dual‐process theories have dominated the study of risk perception and risk‐taking over the last two decades. However, there is a lack of objective brain‐level evidence supporting the two systems of processing in every‐day risky behavior. To address this issue, we propose the dissociation between evaluative and urgent behaviors as evidence of dual processing in risky driving situations. Our findings show a dissociation of evaluative and urgent behavior both at the behavioral and neural level. fMRI data showed an increase of activation in areas implicated in motor programming, emotional processing, and visuomotor integration in urgent behavior compared to evaluative behavior. These results support a more automatic processing of risk in urgent tasks, relying mainly on heuristics and experiential appraisal. The urgent task, which is characterized by strong time pressure and the possibility for negative consequences among others factors, creates a suitable context for the experiential‐affective system to guide the decision‐making process. Moreover, we observed greater frontal activation in the urgent task, suggesting the participation of cognitive control in safe behaviors. The findings of this research are relevant for the study of the neural mechanisms underlying dual process models in risky perception and decision‐making, especially because of their proximity to everyday activities. Hum Brain Mapp 36:2853–2864, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

深圳市宝安区2011~2014年772例交通伤死亡分析

目的：研究近4年深圳市宝安区772例道路交通伤死亡的流行病学特点,为本市区交通伤预防、安全宣教及科学救治提供科学依据。方法回顾性研究2011年1月至2014年12月经深圳市交警处理的交通伤数据,通过统计学分析深圳市宝安区近4年772例交通事故后24小时内致死患者发生的时间分布情况(年份、月份、日期及发生时间等);空间分布情况(发生路口路段、道路类型等);交通伤患者死亡情况(死亡患者类型、受伤类型等)。结果2011~2014年深圳市宝安区共发生道路交通伤24小时内致死患者772例,呈逐年递减趋势,其中2011年276例、2012年183例、2013年174例、2014年139例;交通伤致死患者中男594例,女178例,男女比例为3.32：1;交通伤致死患者中<18岁91例,18~40岁376例,41~65岁271例,>65岁34例;交通伤致死患者中主因颅脑损伤致死患者613例(79.4%),主因胸腹脏器损伤致死患者133例(17.2%),主因失血性休克26例(3.4%);交通伤致死患者中行人158例(20.5%),自行车骑乘人员252例(32.6%),摩托车驾驶人员133例(17.2%),机动车驾驶员或乘客229例(29.7%)。结论深圳市宝安区近4年交通伤致死率仍处于较高水平,行人、自行车及摩托车骑乘人员是主要致死人群,颅脑损伤是主要致死原因,应当加强交通安全教育,制定科学的防范措施,鼓励自行车及摩托车骑乘人员佩戴安全头盔是有效降低本区域交通伤致死的重要措施。