The Violence Epidemic in the African American Community: A Call by the National Medical Association for Comprehensive Reform.

While much progress has occurred since the civil rights act of 1964, minorities have continued to suffer disparate and discriminatory access to economic opportunities, education, housing, health care and criminal justice. The latest challenge faced by the physicians and public health providers who serve the African American community is the detrimental, and seemingly insurmountable, causes and effects of violence in impoverished communities of color. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the number one killer of black males ages 10-35 is homicide, indicating a higher rate of violence than any other group. Black females are four times more likely to be murdered by a boyfriend or girlfriend than their white counterparts, and although intimate partner violence has declined for both black and white females, black women are still disproportionately killed. In addition, anxiety and depression that can lead to suicide is on the rise among African American adolescents and adults. Through an examination of the role of racism in the perpetuation of the violent environment and an exploration of the effects of gang violence, intimate partner violence/child maltreatment and police use of excessive force, this work attempts to highlight the repercussions of violence in the African American community. The members of the National Medical Association have served the African American community since 1895 and have been advocates for the patients they serve for more than a century. This paper, while not intended to be a comprehensive literature review, has been written to reinforce the need to treat violence as a public health issue, to emphasize the effect of particular forms of violence in the African American community and to advocate for comprehensive policy reforms that can lead to the eradication of this epidemic. The community of African American physicians must play a vital role in the treatment and prevention of violence as well as advocating for our patients, family members and neighbors who suffer from the preventable effects of violence.

Violence and the Carceral State: A Public Health Continuum.

This Viewpoint reports the disproportionate rate of firearm-related deaths in US Black communities; emphasizes the urgency of addressing this issue; and details the causes of these deaths in the context of community, law enforcement, and in custody.

Myocarditis and brain abscess caused by disseminated Scedosporium boydii infection.

Scedosporium spp. is a fungal species documented as the cause of infections involving the lungs, brain, and other organ systems in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Many cases of this type of fungal infection occurring in immunocompetent patients are subsequent to traumatic injury or drowning events in or near waters containing the fungi. Infection commonly involves the lungs. Rarely, it has been shown to cause disease in the endocardium, but there is even less documentation of the fungi invading the myocardium and causing myocarditis. In this report, we present a case of disseminated Scedosporium boydii infection in a 52-year-old male patient without any known risk factors. He presented with acute onset chest pain and dyspnea accompanied by bilateral lower extremity edema. He was found to have new onset heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and his hospital course was complicated by pneumonia, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and brain abscess formation. Multiple blood cultures failed to reveal the source of the infection. At autopsy, septated branching hyphae were identified invading both the myocardium and the cortical brain tissue. DNA sequencing revealed the fungal organisms to be Scedosporium boydii. This case reinforces the importance of autopsies in the clinical setting. It not only established the definitive diagnosis of an unexpected fungal infection, but it also helped to recognize new clinical and pathologic features of this particular fungal organism.

Researching COVID to enhance recovery (RECOVER) tissue pathology study protocol: Rationale, objectives, and design.

IMPORTANCE: SARS-CoV-2 infection can result in ongoing, relapsing, or new symptoms or organ dysfunction after the acute phase of infection, termed Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), or long COVID. The characteristics, prevalence, trajectory and mechanisms of PASC are poorly understood. The objectives of the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) tissue pathology study (RECOVER-Pathology) are to: (1) characterize prevalence and types of organ injury/disease and pathology occurring with PASC; (2) characterize the association of pathologic findings with clinical and other characteristics; (3) define the pathophysiology and mechanisms of PASC, and possible mediation via viral persistence; and (4) establish a post-mortem tissue biobank and post-mortem brain imaging biorepository. METHODS: RECOVER-Pathology is a cross-sectional study of decedents dying at least 15 days following initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. Eligible decedents must meet WHO criteria for suspected, probable, or confirmed infection and must be aged 18 years or more at the time of death. Enrollment occurs at 7 sites in four U.S. states and Washington, DC. Comprehensive autopsies are conducted according to a standardized protocol within 24 hours of death; tissue samples are sent to the PASC Biorepository for later analyses. Data on clinical history are collected from the medical records and/or next of kin. The primary study outcomes include an array of pathologic features organized by organ system. Causal inference methods will be employed to investigate associations between risk factors and pathologic outcomes. DISCUSSION: RECOVER-Pathology is the largest autopsy study addressing PASC among US adults. Results of this study are intended to elucidate mechanisms of organ injury and disease and enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of PASC.

Postmortem findings in eight cases of influenza A/H1N1.

In March and early April 2009, cases of a new swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus were diagnosed in Mexico and the United States. Influenza virus presents as a respiratory infection with high morbidity and mortality. We describe the postmortem findings of eight confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 in a medical examiner setting. The eight cases falling under the jurisdiction of the Harris County Medical Examiner (Houston, TX, USA) with confirmed influenza A/H1N1 infection between June and September 2009 were included in this study. All cases were males between 6 months and 54 years of age. All adult patients had a body mass index from 31 to 49.8 kg/m(2). Five cases had comorbid conditions including one case with sleep apnea and mental retardation, three cases with chronic ethanolism, and one case with thymoma, sarcoidosis, and myasthenia gravis. The remaining three cases had no pre-existing medical conditions. All patients presented with severe flu-like symptoms; yet, only five were febrile. Rapid influenza diagnostic tests were performed in three cases by primary-care physicians, two of which were negative. None of the patients received antiviral medication. The average disease duration time was 8.2 days (3-14 days). A wide range of histopathological findings including tracheitis, necrotizing bronchiolitis, alveolitis, intra-alveolar hemorrhage, and hyaline membranes, both in a focal and in a diffuse distribution, were identified. Influenza A/H1N1 viral infection presents with a wide range of histological findings in a diffuse or focal distribution; most consistently with tracheitis, necrotizing bronchiolitis, and alveolitis with extensive alveolar hemorrhage. These histopathological findings at autopsy along with a clinical history of flu-like symptoms should raise suspicion for influenza A/H1N1 infection, and postmortem analysis by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is recommended for an accurate diagnosis.

Medicolegal Death Investigation of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths.

This review article describes the role of the medicolegal death investigator and medical examiner or coroner (MEC) in the investigations of a sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) beginning with an introduction into the case types that should be investigated and how infant deaths fit into that legal framework. The article also provides an overview of the history of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention SUID investigation guidelines and process. The article concludes with a description of how the MEC correlates the scene investigation with autopsy findings, as well as the role of the MEC in cause of death determinations. There is also a brief discussion on how infant mortality data are captured and subsequently used to decrease infant mortality. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(8):e297-e302.].

National Association of Medical Examiners Position Paper: Recommendations for the Definition, Investigation, Postmortem Examination, and Reporting of Deaths in Custody.

The National Association of Medical Examiners commissioned an ad hoc committee to provide recommendations for the investigation, examination, and reporting of deaths in custody. Deaths in custody, whether occuring in jail/prison or during an altercation with law enforcement, is a complex issue and requires the forensic pathologist to be knowledgable and deliberative about his/her diagnosis. This paper provides recommendations for the forensic pathologist as it relates to 1) categorization of deaths in custody, 2) critical information required during investigation, 3) enhanced autopsy procedures, 4) guidance on death certification, 5) parameters for statistical reporting, and 6) release of information to the public. A uniform approach by medical examiners and coroners to the investigation and evaluation of deaths in custody is critical. The establishment of recommendations has the potential to ensure consistency and reliability to the definition, investigation, and certification of these cases. Such uniformity and consistency will instill confidence in the independence of the medical examiner/forensic pathologist/coroner by the criminal justice system, public health system, and community at large.

Retrospective Analysis of Synthetic Cannabinoid Metabolites in Urine of Individuals Suspected of Driving Impaired.

Identification and analysis of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) in biological specimens remains an ongoing challenge for forensic toxicologists. Analytical method development is both resource and time consuming, and falls behind the illicit production of newer SCs. Distinguishing optimal metabolic targets and specific SC use is further complicated by metabolic pathway convergence between different SCs. Gaining further insight into the prevalence and psychopharmacologic role of these drugs in forensic cases, particularly in individuals suspected of driving impaired, is important. The prevalence of SC metabolites (SCMs) in suspects of impaired driving in Washington, DC between June 2012 and August 2013 was studied. A total of 526 urine samples were screened for 12 SCMs by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in separate duplicate analyses. Nineteen cases (3.6%) confirmed positive for the following SCMs: UR-144 N-pentanoic acid (n = 17;89%), JWH-073 butanoic acid (n = 3;16%), JWH-018 pentanoic acid (n = 3;16%), AM-2201 4-hydroxypentyl (n = 3;16%) and 5-fluoro PB22 3-carboxyindole (n = 1;5%). This study made use of existing analytical methodology to provide insight into the prevalence of synthetic cannabinoid use in DUID cases. Understanding the range and extent of use in these cases can provide valuable information to the forensic community.