Trends in community violence in England and Wales 2005–2009

Purpose

Injury records from Emergency Departments (EDs) have been studied over the last decade as part of the work of the National Violence Surveillance Network (NVSN) and provide information about local, regional and national violence levels and trends in England and Wales. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate overall, gender, age-specific and regional trends in community violence in England and Wales from an ED perspective from January 2005 to December 2009.

Methods

Violence-related injury data were collected prospectively in a stratified sample of 77 EDs (Types 1, 3 and 4) in the nine Government Office Regions in England and in Wales. All 77 EDs were recruited on the basis that they had implemented and continued to comply with the provisions of the 1998 Data Protection Act and Caldicott guidance. Attendance date, age and gender of patients who reported injury in violence were identified using assault-related attendance codes, specified at the local level. Time series statistical methods were used to detect both regional and national trends.

Results

In total 221,673 (163,384 males: 74%) violence-related attendances were identified. Overall estimated annual injury rate was 6.5 per 1000 resident population (males 9.8 and females 3.4 per 1000). Violence affecting males and females decreased significantly in England and Wales over the 5-year period, with an overall estimated annual decrease of 3% (95% CI: 1.8–4.1%, p < 0.05). Attendances decreased significantly for both genders across four out of the five age groups studied. Attendances were found to be highest during the months of May and July and lowest in February. Substantial differences in violence-related ED attendances were identified at the regional level.

Conclusions

From this ED perspective overall violence in England and Wales decreased over the period 2005–2009 but increased in East Midlands, London and South West regions. Since 2006, overall trends according to Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), police and ED measures were similar, though CSEW and ED measures reflect far greater numbers of violent incidents than police data. Causes of decreases in violence in regions need to be identified and shared with regions where violence increased.     

Risk of injury to the axillary nerve during antegrade proximal humeral blade nail fixation – An anatomical study

Introduction

The antegrade intramedullary Locking Blade Nail (Marquardt, Germany) is a device aimed at improving purchase in the humeral head and reducing varus displacement by providing medial buttress support and triangular stability within the humeral head. The aim of this study is to measure the relationship of the proximal fixation screws to the axillary nerve.

Methods

13 whole cadavers underwent insertion of an antegrade proximal humeral blade nail via a deltoid split approach to both shoulders. The anatomic proximity of the anterior branch of the axillary nerve to the screws was measured following soft tissue dissection and inspection of the nerve.

Results

The mean distance of the nerve from the anterolateral acromion was 62 mm (range 45–81 mm). The nerve lay closest to the distal blade fixation screw 4.9 mm (range 0–19 mm). In three cases the nerve lay directly underneath the washer and in all three cases there was macroscopic evidence of damage to the nerve. In 5 cases the nerve travelled obliquely in a cranial direction to lie 1.8 mm (range 0–3 mm) from the distal blade fixation screw, in 2 of these cases the nerve lay beneath the washer.

Conclusion

The anterior branch of the axillary nerve is placed at risk during insertion of the locking screws despite use of protection sleeves and trocars. We advocate that when using antegrade intramedullary nails that incorporate an inferomedial calcar screw an extended anterolateral acromial approach is undertaken.     

Public Health Perspectives on Hearing Loss and Aging Outcomes: The Association of Vision,Hearing, and Dual-Sensory Loss with Walking Speed and Incident Slow Walking: Longitudinal and Time to Event Analyses in the Health and Retirement Study

With the aging of the population, vision (VL), hearing (HL), and dual-sensory (DSL, concurrent VL and HL) loss will likely constitute important public health challenges. Walking speed is an indicator of functional status and is associated with mortality. Using the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative U.S. cohort, we analyzed the longitudinal relationship between sensory loss and walking speed. In multivariable mixed effects linear models, baseline walking speed was slower by 0.05 m/s (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.04–0.07) for VL, 0.02 (95% CI = 0.003–0.03) for HL, and 0.07 (95% CI = 0.05–0.08) for DSL compared with those without sensory loss. Similar annual declines in walking speeds occurred in all groups. In time-to-event analyses, the risk of incident slow walking speed (walking speed < 0.6 m/s) was 43% (95% CI = 25–65%), 29% (95% CI = 13–48%), and 35% (95% CI = 13–61%) higher among those with VL, HL, and DSL respectively, relative to those without sensory loss. The risk of incident very slow walking speed (walking speed < 0.4 m/s) was significantly higher among those with HL and DSL relative to those without sensory loss, and significantly higher among those with DSL relative to those with VL or HL alone. Addressing sensory loss and teaching compensatory strategies may help mitigate the effect of sensory loss on walking speed.     

Public Health Perspectives on Hearing Loss and Aging Outcomes: Preventive Care Utilization among Adults with Hearing Loss in the United States

Hearing loss (HL) can negatively impact patient–provider communication and limit access to health promotion information, which may lead to decreased preventive care utilization. Using data from the 2015 and 2018 National Health Interview Survey, we examined the association between perceived HL with and without hearing aid use with self-reported age-appropriate uptake of breast and colon cancer screening, and influenza and pneumococcal vaccination. In models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, access to care, and health status, people with HL had lower odds of receiving breast cancer screening (odds ratio [OR] = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.72–0.96) and higher odds of receiving pneumococcal vaccination (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.00–1.24) relative to those without HL. There were no differences in their colon cancer or influenza vaccination uptake. Compared with those without HL, people with HL who used hearing aids had increased odds of colon cancer screening and influenza and pneumococcal vaccination, while people with HL who did not use hearing aids were less likely to report cancer screening. Overall, Americans with untreated HL were less likely to report completing cancer screening. Hearing aid use may modify the association between HL and preventive care uptake. Screening for HL in primary care settings and communication trainings for providers may help reduce cancer screening disparities.     

Perigeniculate arachnoid cysts and CSF fistulae of the fallopian canal: Histopathologic correlates of a rare clinical entity

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistulae originating from the fallopian canal of the facial nerve is hypothesized to arise due to atypical patterns of subarachnoid space extension into the geniculate ganglion or more distal regions along the intratemporal course of the facial nerve, but its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Although a rare etiology of CSF fistulae of the temporal bone, there are significant clinical ramifications due to the risk of recurrent meningitis, difficulty in identifying the anatomic location of the CSF leak, and technical challenges associated with surgical repair. We present three clinical cases of arachnoid cysts within the geniculate fossa with or without CSF fistulization and provide histopathologic correlates of this rare clinical phenomenon from a human temporal bone collection. The pediatric and adult patients presented suggest differential pathophysiologic mechanisms associated with CSF fistulae. Temporal bone histology reveals atypical patterns of subarachnoid space extension in the fallopian canal that may underlie arachnoid cyst formation and overt CSF leak from the geniculate region.