Unintentional injury and its associated factors among left-behind children: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Unintentional injuries among children and adolescents are a major public health problem worldwide. These injuries not only have negative effects on children's physiology and psychology, but also bring huge economic losses and social burdens to families and society. Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Chinese adolescents, and left-behind children (LBC) are more prone to experience unintentional injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the type and incidence of unintentional injury among Chinese children and adolescents and explore the influences of personal and environmental factors by comparing the differences between LBC and not left-behind children (NLBC). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in January and February 2019. Additionally, 2786 children and adolescents from 10 to 19 years old in Liaoning Province in China were collected in the form of self-filled questionnaires, including Unintentional Injury Investigation, Unintentional Injury Perception Questionnaire, Multidimensional Subhealth Questionnaire of Adolescent (MSQA), Negative life events, "My Class" questionnaire and Bullying/victim Questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors associated with unintentional injury among children and adolescents. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors affecting unintentional injuries between LBC and NLBC. RESULTS: The top three unintentional injuries were falling injuries (29.7%), sprains (27.2%) and burns and scalds (20.3%) in our study population. The incidence of unintentional injuries in LBC was higher than that in NLBC. Burn and scalds, cutting injury and animal bites in LBC were higher than those in NLBC. The results show that junior high school students (odds ratio (OR) = 1.296, CI = 1.066-1.574) were more likely to report multiple unintentional injuries than primary school students. Girls (OR = 1.252, CI = 1.042-1.504) had higher odds of reporting multiple unintentional injuries. The odds of multiple injuries in children and adolescents with low levels of unintentional injury perception were higher than those in children and adolescents with high levels of unintentional injury perception (OR = 1.321, C = 1.013-1.568). Children and adolescents with a higher levels of mental health symptoms (OR = 1.442, CI = 1.193-1.744) had higher odds of reporting multiple unintentional injuries. Compared with teenagers who had never experienced negative life events, teenagers who had experienced negative life events many times (OR = 2.724, CI = 2.121-3.499) were more likely to suffer unintentional injuries many times. Low-level discipline and order (OR = 1.277, CI = 1.036-1.574) had higher odds of reporting multiple unintentional injuries. In-school adolescents who were bullied were more likely to report being injured multiple times than their counterparts who were not bullied (OR = 2.340, CI = 1.925-2.845). Low levels of unintentional injury perception, experienced negative life events and bullying had greater impacts on LBC than on NLBC. CONCLUSION: The survey found that the incidence of at least one unintentional injury was 64.8%. School level, sex, unintentional injury perception, subhealth, negative life events, discipline and order and bullying were associated with incidents of unintentional injury. Compared with NLBC, LBC had a higher incidence of unintentional injury, and special attention should be given to this group.

Tratamento funcional das fraturas de tornozelo Weber B com carga e mobilização imediatas / Functional treatment of Weber B ankle fractures with weight-bearing and immediate mobilization

Introdução: As fraturas do tornozelo são lesões comuns, apesar de ocorrer em todas as idades, são mais comuns entre homens jovens e mulheres idosas, constituem cerca de 9% de todas as fraturas, com uma incidência de 107 a 187 por 100.000 pessoas por ano. A abordagem de tratamento selecionada ocorrerá de acordo com as condições do paciente e a opção do médico de acordo com cada situação em específico. Objetivo: Avaliar o desfecho do tratamento não cirúrgico e funcional de pacientes com fraturas estáveis e sem desvio do maléolo lateral tipo Weber B, com carga e mobilização articular imediatas. Método: estudo retrospectivo de uma série de pacientes com fratura estável e sem desvio do maléolo lateral tipo Weber B, que foram tratados de forma não cirúrgica com carga e mobilização articular imediatas, de janeiro 2016 a julho 2022. Os pacientes dessa pesquisa foram provenientes do Hospital do Servidor Público Municipal de São Paulo e da Clínica de Ortopedia e Traumatologia Ortocity. Resultados: Os pacientes tinham idade média de 54,7 anos, diagnosticados após eventos traumáticos (quedas, acidentes, etc.) por meio de exames radiográficos, 50% da amostra com comorbidades, especialmente HAS, 73,3% com desvio de 1mm, mais de 50% com consolidação em até 8 semanas, mais de 60% retornaram às atividades normais em até 16 semanas, as complicações ocorreram em aproximadamente 70% da amostra, porém todas leves e sem necessidade de nova abordagem de tratamento posterior. Conclusão: Nesse sentido, pode-se afirmar que a abordagem conservadora associado à mobilização e carga imediatas formam uma alternativa viável de tratamento, com bons resultados de recuperação funcional, semelhantes aos pacientes tratados por abordagens cirúrgicas, conforme a literatura levantada para este estudo. Palavras-chave: Fratura de tornozelo. Abordagem conservadora. Weber B. Resultados funcionais.

Determinantes sociales de la salud en los accidentes de tránsito en Honduras 2019 / Social determinants of health of traffic accidents in Honduras 2019

Antecedentes: En Honduras, los accidentes de tránsito (AT) se han incrementado en los últimos años, representando un problema para la salud pública nacional y mundial. Las muertes por AT según la Dirección Nacional de Vialidad y Transporte (DNVT) incrementaron en 23% entre 2020 y 2021. Objetivo: Caracterizar los determinantes sociales de la salud de muertes y lesiones por accidentes de tránsito en Honduras. Métodos: Estudio cuantitativo descriptivo, retrospectivo, basado en fuentes secundarias de AT a nivel nacional de la DNVT Honduras, 2019. Resultados: De 4,778 personas accidentadas, el sexo masculino representó 85.9% fallecidos y 75.2% lesiones. De cada diez personas que sufrieron lesiones, siete correspondieron al sexo masculino. El grupo etario con mayor número de fallecidos fue de 25 a 34 años. El mayor número de AT correspondió a los departamentos: Cortés y Francisco Morazán. La principal causa fue atropellamiento y colisión. La mayor ocurrencia fue los fines de semana en 35.9% y en el mes de diciembre por la tarde- noche. Tipo de vehículo más involucrado: transporte mediano, uso particular y motorizado, usuarios más vulnerables: peatones y conductores. Las principales causas de mortalidad fueron: exceso de velocidad, imprudencia del conductor y del peatón y obstrucción de vía pública. Discusión. Los determinantes sociales de la salud pueden influir sobre la ocurrencia y aumentar el riesgo de algunos individuos para morir o lesionarse a causa de AT, en Honduras al igual que otros países, se carece de información que relacione determinantes inherentes al accidente con una mirada completa a través de determinantes sociales de la salud...8AU)

Aspects of trauma related to violence, accidents and falls before and during the COVID-19 pandemic / Aspectos del trauma relacionados con la violencia, accidentes y caídas antes y durante la pandemia COVID-19

Abstract Introduction: Trauma is the second leading cause of mortality and the sixth leading cause of hospitalization in the country, with violence, accidents, and falls being the most prevalent. However, the country is experiencing reflexes of the COVID-19 pandemic, together with a lack of studies on trauma, as well as on clinical care. Objective: To analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of trauma related to violence, accidents, and falls among the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, considered as before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: Retrospective cohort study, with adults aged 25-55 years, who suffered trauma related to violence, falls, and other accidents, in the period between March and June of 2019, 2020, and 2021, in the city of São Paulo. Data surveys were carried out using the TABNET system, of the Municipal Health Department. Within this system, the search was carried out through the Information System for the Surveillance of Accidents, of the Coordination of Health Surveillance, in which situations of violence were notified and recorded by the National Information System for Notifiable Diseases. Subsequently, the Information System for Surveillance of Violence and Accidents was accessed, focusing on notifications and records of falls and other accidents. Results: Trauma remained more prevalent for males, with complete primary education, and ethnicity predominantly between white or brown. When analyzing the different types of violence: physical, torture, and sexual, there was a prevalence of higher percentages during the year 2019, the pre-pandemic period of COVID-19, except for psychological/moral violence, which was higher in 2021. It should also be noted that the different mechanisms of violence were significantly more prevalent in 2019, as well as the different causes of violence, falls, and car trauma involving pedestrians, occupants, drivers, and passengers. Outpatient care confirmed the higher trend in the pre-pandemic period; however, emergency hospital care showed a greater number of requests in 2020 and 2021. Conclusión: Trauma from violence, accidents, and falls was higher pre-pandemic compared to the period during the COVID-19 pandemic; as well as the search for health care in hospitals and outpatient clinics. These findings show a possible reduction in trauma reports and lower demand for assistance during the pandemic.

Resumen Introducción: El trauma es la segunda causa de mortalidad y la sexta de hospitalización en el país, siendo la violencia, los accidentes y las caídas las más prevalentes. Sin embargo, el país está experimentando reflejos de una pandemia de COVID-19, junto a una falta de estudios sobre el trauma, así como sobre la atención clínica. Objetivo: Analizar las características clínicas y epidemiológicas del trauma junto a la violencia, accidentes y caídas entre los años 2019, 2020 y 2021, considerados antes y durante la pandemia COVID-19. Materiales y métodos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo, con adultos de 25 a 55 años, que sufrieron trauma relacionado con violencia, caídas y otros accidentes, en el período comprendido entre marzo y junio de 2019, 2020 y 2021, en la ciudad de São Paulo. Las encuestas de datos fueron realizadas por el sistema TABNET, por el Departamento Municipal de Salud. Dentro de este sistema, la búsqueda se realizó a través del Sistema de Información para la Vigilancia de Accidentes, de la Coordinación de Vigilancia en Salud, en el cual las situaciones de violencia fueron notificadas y registradas por el Sistema Nacional de Información de Enfermedades Notificables. Posteriormente, se accedió al Sistema de Información de Vigilancia de Violencia y Accidentes, con enfoque en notificaciones y registro de caídas y otros accidentes. Resultados: El trauma siguió siendo más prevalente para los hombres, con educación primaria completa y raza predominantemente entre blancos y morenos. Al analizar los diferentes tipos de violencia: física, tortura y sexual, hubo mayores porcentajes de prevalencia durante el año 2019, período prepandémico de COVID-19, a excepción de la violencia psicológica / moral, que fue mayor en 2021. Nótese que los diferentes mecanismos de violencia fueron significativamente más prevalentes en 2019, así como las diferentes causas de violencia, caídas y traumatismos automovilísticos que involucran a peatones, ocupantes, conductores y pasajeros. La atención ambulatoria confirmó la tendencia de superioridad en el período prepandémico, sin embargo, la atención hospitalaria de emergencia mostró un mayor número de solicitudes en 2020 y 2021. Conclusión: Los traumas de violencia, accidentes y caídas son más prepandémico en comparación con el período durante la pandemia COVID-19; así como la búsqueda de asistencia sanitaria en hospitales y clínicas. Estos hallazgos muestran una posible reducción en los informes de trauma y una menor demanda de asistencia durante la pandemia.

Dynamics of severe accidents in the oil & gas energy sector derived from the authoritative ENergy-related severe accident database.

Organized into a global network of critical infrastructures, the oil & gas industry remains to this day the main energy contributor to the world's economy. Severe accidents occasionally occur resulting in fatalities and disruption. We build an oil & gas accident graph based on more than a thousand severe accidents for the period 1970-2016 recorded for refineries, tankers, and gas networks in the authoritative ENergy-related Severe Accident Database (ENSAD). We explore the distribution of potential chains-of-events leading to severe accidents by combining graph theory, Markov analysis and catastrophe dynamics. Using centrality measures, we first verify that human error is consistently the main source of accidents and that explosion, fire, toxic release, and element rupture are the principal sinks, but also the main catalysts for accident amplification. Second, we quantify the space of possible chains-of-events using the concept of fundamental matrix and rank them by defining a likelihood-based importance measure γ. We find that chains of up to five events can play a significant role in severe accidents, consisting of feedback loops of the aforementioned events but also of secondary events not directly identifiable from graph topology and yet participating in the most likely chains-of-events.

Subway-related trauma at a level 1 trauma centre in Toronto, Ontario.

BACKGROUND: Given the rising prevalence of subways in combination with an increasing incidence of subway-related injuries, understanding subway-related trauma is becoming ever more relevant. The aim of this study was to characterize the potential causes, injury characteristics and outcomes of subway-related trauma at a level 1 adult trauma centre in Toronto, Ontario. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to identify patients who presented to the emergency department a level 1 adult trauma centre with a subway-related injury between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2018. Patients were identified via International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision E-codes (X81, Y02, V050, V051 and W17). We then further screened for descriptions of subway-related injuries. Patients whose injuries did not involve a moving subway train were excluded. RESULTS: We identified 51 patients who presented to the emergency department after being hit by a moving subway train. The majority of incidents (39 [76%]) were due to self-harm, 10 (20%) were unintentional injuries, and 2 (4%) were due to assault. The presence of alcohol was detected in 8 patients (80%) with unintentional injuries and 3 (8%) of those with self-inflicted injuries. Thirteen patients (25%) had a systolic blood pressure less than 90 mm Hg. The median Injury Severity Score was 17 (interquartile range 9-29). Seventeen patients (33%) presented with severe injuries (Abbreviated Injury Scale score ≥ 3) in 1 body region, and 19 (37%) had severe injuries in 2 or more body regions. The most common isolated severe injury was in the lower extremity, and the most common combinations of severe injuries were in the head and lower extremity, and head and thorax. Ten patients (20%) were declared dead in the emergency department. Of the 41 patients who survived their initial presentation, 12 (29%) went directly to the operating room, and 17 (41%) were transferred to the intensive care unit. The overall mortality rate was 29%. CONCLUSION: Patients with subway-related injuries experienced high mortality rates and severe injuries. Most incidents were due to self-harm or alcohol-related. Further research into early identification of those at risk and optimal prevention strategies is necessary to curb further incidents.

Gun violence in Australia, 2002-2016: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the burden, geographic distribution, and outcomes of firearm-related violence in New South Wales during 2002-2016. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Population-based record linkag study of people injured by firearms in NSW, 1 January 2002 - 31 December 2016. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency, proportion, and rate of firearm-related injuries and deaths by intent category (assault, intentional self-harm, accidental, undetermined/other) and socio-demographic characteristics; medical service use (hospitalisations, ambulatory mental health care) before and after firearm-related injuries; associations between rates of firearm-related injury and those of licensed gun owners, by statistical area level 4. RESULTS: Firearm-related injuries were recorded for 2390 people; for 849 people, the injuries were caused by assault (36%), for 797 by intentional self-harm (33%), and for 506 by accidents (21%). Overall rates of firearm injuries were 4.1 per 100 000 males and 0.3 per 100 000 females; the overall rate was higher in outer regional/rural/remote areas (3.8 per 100 000) than in major cities (1.6 per 100 000) or inner regional areas (1.8 per 100 000). During 2002-2016, the overall firearm-related injury rate declined from 3.4 to 1.8 per 100 000 population, primarily because of declines in injuries caused by assault or accidental events. The rate of self-harm injuries with firearms were highest for people aged 60 years or more (41.5 per 100 000 population). Local rates of intentional self-harm injuries caused by firearms were strongly correlated with those of licensed gun owners (r = 0.94). CONCLUSIONS: Rates of self-harm with firearms are higher for older people, men, and residents in outer regional and rural/remote areas, while those for assault-related injuries are higher for younger people, men, and residents of major cities. Strategies for reducing injuries caused by self-harm and assault with firearms should focus on people at particular risk.

Impacto del desconfinamiento por la pandemia por COVID-19 sobre el patrón de traumatismos observados en un servicio de urgencias / Impact of deconfinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the trauma pattern observed in an emergency department

Introducción: después de 42 días de confinamiento decretado por la situación de pandemia mundial por la COVID-19, se permitió la salida de los domicilios a los menores de 14 años. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar el impacto de este periodo de desconfinamiento en el perfil de accidentes traumatológicos en niños. Material y métodos: se llevó a cabo un estudio observacional retrospectivo de los menores de 16 años atendidos en Urgencias de un hospital terciario por traumatismo entre el 26 de abril de 2020 y el inicio de la desescalada en la Comunidad de Madrid el día 24 de mayo del mismo año. Se comparó el número de traumatismos, las fracturas, el mecanismo de acción y la localización, entre otros, con respecto al mismo periodo del año anterior. Resultados: se observó un aumento significativo en el porcentaje de fracturas respecto al año 2019 (41,9 frente al 11,3%; p <0,001). El porcentaje de accidentes secundarios a vehículos con ruedas (43,9 frente al 6,2%; p <0,001) fue significativamente superior durante 2020, siendo los asociados a bicicleta (35,4%) y patinete (32,2%) los más frecuentes. Conclusiones: durante el periodo de desconfinamiento, se ha producido un notable incremento de los accidentes provocados por vehículos con ruedas en la población infantil, aunque esta observación probablemente esté influida por las medidas organizativas específicas puestas en marcha en Madrid en el periodo de tiempo estudiado (AU)

Introduction: after 42 days of lockdojavascript:void(Set_Locked(0,'GRAVA REGISTRO/COMPLEMENTO.x'))wn imposed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, children under 14 years were allowed to leave their homes. The aim of the study was to analyse the impact of the period following the lifting of confinement measures on traumatic injury trends in children.Material and methods: we carried out a retrospective and observational study in children aged less than 16 years that presented with traumatic injuries to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital between April 26 and the start of the scaling down in the Community of Madrid on May 24. We compared the frequency of traumatic injuries and fractures, the mechanism and site of injury and other variables to those recorded in the same period the year before.Results: there was a significant increase in the proportion of fractures compared to 2019 (41.9 vs. 11.3%; p <0.001). The percentage of accidents related to wheeled vehicles was significantly higher in 2020 (43.9 vs. 6.2%; p <0.001), with these accidents most frequently involving bicycles (35.4%) and scooters (32.2%).Conclusions: in the period following the lockdown, there was a remarkable increase in accidents related to wheeled vehicles in the paediatric population, although this outcome was probably influenced by specific organizational measures implemented in Madrid in the period under study. (AU)

Manner of death associated with multiple tattoos.

A prospective study was undertaken of 150 medicolegal cases where five or more tattoos were identified in anatomically separate areas. All cases were the subject of full police and coronial investigations with examination by forensic pathologists. There were 120 males and 30 females (M:F = 4:1) with an age range of 22-86 years (mean = 48.1 years). 78 cases were found where deaths were due to natural diseases (52%) (age range 27-82 years; mean 55.3 years; M:F = 4.2:1). 72 cases (48%) were found where deaths were classified as unnatural - 23 drug/alcohol related, 37 suicides, 12 accidents and 0 homicides (age range 20-66 years; mean 39.8 years; M:F = 3.8:1). This distribution was not shown to be statistically different to a control group of 100 non-tattooed individuals where there were 56 natural and 44 unnatural deaths (p = 0.3). Thus, although certain types of tattoos may be associated with an increased number of unnatural deaths in a medicolegal environment, the actual number of tattoos appears to have minimal effect.

Toxico-epidemiology of acute poisoning; an exploratory study from a tertiary care hospital in South India along with global comparisons and solutions.

BACKGROUND: Poisoning has been and still is a major problem faced throughout the globe. But its patterns are different and changing in different parts of the world due to local influences. This calls for a study to explore the issue in this unique South Indian state. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted to analyse the patterns of poisoning and the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients. Subgroups were compared using Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test and further analysed by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: 48% of cases were of pharmaceutical drug poisoning. 27.5% of these cases involved polymedication and Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) turned out to be the single most drug used. Suicide was the most common circumstance. 10% of patients had co-diagnoses of psychiatric disorders. Univariate analysis separately showed that females (p < 0.001), higher educated (p = 0.149), higher socioeconomic strata (p = 0.136) and non-addicts (p = 0.002) were more exposed to drugs whereas males, lower educated, lower socioeconomic strata and addicts are skewed to pesticides for poisoning. Most repeat suicide attempts were with the same poisonous agent. 70% of patients with a diagnosed psychiatric disorder have attempted suicide before using some drugs (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the importance of a region-wise, targeted approach in policymaking to curb poisoning.

Eight-year analysis of bullfighting injuries in Spain, Portugal and southern France.

Improving knowledge on the epidemiology and analysing the prognostic factors of severity for injuries caused by fighting bulls in Spain, Portugal and southern France. Observational retrospective study including 1239 patients with a reported history of bull horn injuries between January 2012 and November 2019 in Spain, Portugal or southern France. A multiple logistic regression test was used to analyse the prognostic factors of severity and mortality rate of these lesions. The mean accident rate was 9.13% and the mortality rate was 0.48%. The most frequent mechanism of trauma was goring, and the commonest locations of the lesions were thigh and groin. Vascular lesion was found in 20% of thigh/groin gorings. Prognostic factors of severity were vascular lesion, head trauma, fracture, goring injuries and age of the animal. The most reliable prognostic factors of mortality were vascular lesion and goring in the back. Lesions caused by fighting bulls are common in the bullfighting events held in Spain, Portugal and southern France. Although the mortality rate is low, there is a higher morbidity rate, which is conditioned by vascular lesion. All medical teams should include a surgeon experienced in vascular surgery and an anaesthesiologist.

Infections and demanding endocrine care contribute to increased mortality in patients with APECED.

OBJECTIVE: Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) has variable clinical course. Overall mortality is increased but reasons for this remain largely unknown. Our objective was to assess the causes of death and factors contributing to increased mortality. DESIGN: A follow-up study of the Finnish APECED cohort in 1970-2019. METHODS: In 33 deceased patients with APECED, causes of death and clinical course preceding the death were analyzed using national registry data, death certificates, autopsy reports, and patient records. RESULTS: Most common causes leading to death were infections (24%), oral and esophageal malignancies (15%; median age at death 36.7 years; median survival 1.5 years), and diseases of the circulatory system (18%). Adrenal crisis was an independent cause of death in two patients. In addition, in four patients, the adrenal crisis was a complicating factor during a fatal infection. Other APECED manifestations leading to death were hypoparathyroidism, diabetes, and hepatitis. Other causes of death included accidents (12%), alcohol-related causes, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Challenges in overall, and especially in the endocrine, care contributed to deaths related to carcinomas and adrenal crisis. Age at death and year of death correlated (r = 0.345, P = 0.045), suggesting improved longevity. CONCLUSIONS: Infections, malignancies, and diseases of the circulatory system are the most common primary causes of death in patients with APECED. Adrenal crisis is an independent cause of death but more often a contributing factor in fatal infections. Despite the high overall mortality and the demanding care, our results suggest improved patient survival in recent years.

Multiple imputation of maritime search and rescue data at multiple missing patterns.

Based on the missing situation and actual needs of maritime search and rescue data, multiple imputation methods were used to construct complete data sets under different missing patterns. Probability density curves and overimputation diagnostics were used to explore the effects of multiple imputation. The results showed that the Data Augmentation (DA) algorithm had the characteristics of high operation efficiency and good imputation effect, but the algorithm was not suitable for data imputation when there was a high data missing rate. The EMB algorithm effectively restored the distribution of datasets with different data missing rates, and was less affected by the missing position; the EMB algorithm could obtain a good imputation effect even when there was a high data missing rate. Overimputation diagnostics could not only reflect the data imputation effect, but also show the correlation between different datasets, which was of great importance for deep data mining and imputation effect improvement. The Expectation-Maximization with Bootstrap (EMB) algorithm had a poor estimation effect on extreme data and failed to reflect the dataset's variability characteristics.

Penetrating injuries in Germany - epidemiology, management and outcome an analysis based on the TraumaRegister DGU®.

BACKGROUND: The management of penetrating wounds is a rare challenge for trauma surgeons in Germany and Central Europe as a result of the low incidence of this type of trauma. In Germany, penetrating injuries are reported to occur in 4-5 % of the severely injured patients who are enrolled in the TraumaRegister DGU® (trauma registry of the German Trauma Society). They include gunshot injuries, knife stab injuries, which are far more common, and penetrating injuries of other origin, for example trauma caused by accidents. The objective of this study was to assess the epidemiology and outcome of penetrating injuries in Germany, with a particular focus on the level of care provided by the treating trauma centre to gain more understanding of this trauma mechanism and to anticipate the necessary steps in the initial treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Since 2009, the TraumaRegister DGU® has been used to assess not only whether a trauma was penetrating but also whether it was caused by gunshot or stabbing. Data were taken from the standard documentation forms that participating German hospitals completed between 2009 and 2018. Excluded were patients with a maximum abbreviated injury scale (MAIS) score of 1 with a view to obtaining a realistic idea of this injury entity, which is rare in Germany. RESULTS: From 2009 to 2018, there were 1123 patients with gunshot wounds, corresponding to a prevalence rate of 0.5 %, and 4333 patients with stab wounds (1.8 %), which were frequently caused by violent crime. The high proportion of intentionally self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head resulted in a cumulative mortality rate of 41 % for gunshot injuries. Stab wounds were associated with a lower mortality rate (6.8 %). Every fourth to fifth patient with a gunshot or stab wound presented with haemorrhagic shock, which is a problem that is seen during both the prehospital and the inhospital phase of patient management. Of the patients with penetrating injuries, 18.3 % required transfusions. This percentage was more than two times higher than that of the basic group of patients of the TraumaRegister DGU®, which consists of patients with a MAIS ≥ 3 and patients with a MAIS of 2 who died or were treated on the intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: In Germany, gunshot and stab wounds have a low incidence and are mostly caused by violent crime or attempted suicides. Depending on the site of injury, they have a high mortality and are often associated with major haemorrhage. As a result of the low incidence of these types of trauma, further data and analyses are required in order to provide the basis for evaluating the long-term quality of the management of patients with stab or gunshot wounds.

Unintentional cannabis poisoning in toddlers: A one year study in Marseille.

France is the country with the highest prevalence of cannabis use in Europe, despite the fact that cannabis has not been legalized. This prevalence is still increasing along with THC content in cannabis products. In the meantime, unintentional cannabis poisoning by ingestion in toddlers is constantly rising. The aim of this study was to document children's cannabis poisoning biologically and clinically. Plasma and urine samples were extracted by solid phase extraction and analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Children under 4 years old admitted in pediatric emergency departments for cannabis intoxication between February 1st 2019 and January 31st 2020 were included in this study. Twenty-six children were included (14 female and 12 male), the mean age was 17 months (10-41 months). THC, 11-OH-THC and THC-COOH plasma concentrations ranged from 2.9 to 93 ng/mL, 2.6-65 ng/mL and 29-914 ng/mL, respectively. The most frequent symptoms were drowsiness and hypotonia. Six critical cases were observed: 5 coma and 1 respiratory depression. All children having THC plasma concentrations over 60 ng/mL were in coma. Cannabis poisoning in toddlers become more frequent, 9 cases/year were reported in Marseille in 2007 and 26 cases/year in this study. There is a rising in severe clinical cases, particularly coma. These observations could be explained by an increase in THC content in cannabis products, and a trivialization of cannabis consumption. The unintentional ingestion of cannabis by children is a serious public health concern, and cannabis legalization could worsen this problem.

Homeless Tent Fires: A Descriptive Analysis of Tent Fires in the Homeless Population.

Tent fires are a growing issue in regions with large homeless populations given the rise in homelessness within the United States and existing data that suggest worse outcomes in this population. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of tent fire burn injuries in the homeless population. A retrospective review was conducted involving two verified regional burn centers with patients admitted for tent fire burns between January 2015 and December 2020. Variables recorded include demographics, injury characteristics, hospital course, and patient outcomes. Sixty-nine patients met the study inclusion criteria. The most common mechanisms of injury were by portable stove accident, assault, and tobacco or methamphetamine related. Median percent total body surface area (%TBSA) burned was 6% (interquartile range [IQR] 9%). Maximum depth of injury was partial thickness in 65% (n = 45) and full thickness in 35% (n = 24) of patients. Burns to the upper and lower extremities were present in 87% and 54% of patients, respectively. Median hospital length of stay (LOS) was 10 days (IQR = 10.5) and median ICU LOS was 1 day (IQR = 5). Inhalation injury was present in 14% (n = 10) of patients. Surgical intervention was required in 43% (n = 30) of patients, which included excision, debridement, skin grafting, and escharotomy. In-hospital mortality occurred in 4% (n = 3) of patients. Tent fire burns are severe enough to require inpatient and ICU level of care. A high proportion of injuries involved the extremities and pose significant barriers to functional recovery in this vulnerable population. Strategies to prevent these injuries are paramount.

A study on ship collision conflict prediction in the Taiwan Strait using the EMD-based LSSVM method.

Ship collision accidents are the primary threat to traffic safety in the sea. Collision accidents can cause casualties and environmental pollution. The collision risk is a major indicator for navigators and surveillance operators to judge the collision danger between meeting ships. The number of collision accidents per unit time in a certain water area can be considered to describe the regional collision risk However, historical ship collision accidents have contingencies, small sample sizes and weak regularities; hence, ship collision conflicts can be used as a substitute for ship collision accidents in characterizing the maritime traffic safety situation and have become an important part of methods that quantitatively study the traffic safety problem and its countermeasures. In this work, an EMD-QPSO-LSSVM approach, which is a hybrid of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) optimized least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) model, is proposed to forecast ship collision conflicts. First, original ship collision conflict time series are decomposed into a collection of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) and a residue with EMD. Second, both the IMF components and residue are applied to establish the corresponding LSSVM models, where the key parameters of the LSSVM are optimized by QPSO algorithm. Then, each subseries is predicted with the corresponding LSSVM. Finally, the prediction values of the original ship collision conflict datasets are calculated by the sum of the forecasting values of each subseries. The prediction results of the proposed method is compared with GM, Lasso regression method, EMD-ENN, and the predicted results indicate that the proposed method is efficient and can be used for the ship collision conflict prediction.

Sociodemographic Factors and Outcomes by Intent of Firearm Injury.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Firearm injuries are a leading and preventable cause of morbidity and mortality among youth. We sought to explore differences in sociodemographic factors and youth firearm injury outcomes by injury intent (unintentional, assault, and self-harm). METHODS: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional analysis of emergency department (ED) visits among youth aged 21 and younger presenting to an ED with a firearm injury between 2009 and 2016 using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. We performed multivariable logistic regression to measure the strength of association between (1) patient-level factors, (2) visit-level characteristics, and (3) clinical outcomes and intent of firearm injury. RESULTS: We identified 178 299 weighted visits for firearm injuries. The mean age was 17.9 (95% confidence interval 17.8-18.0) years; 89.0% of patients were male, 43.0% were publicly insured, 28.8% were admitted, and 6.0% died. Approximately one-third of the injuries were categorized as unintentional (39.4%), another third as assault (37.7%), and a small proportion as self-harm (1.7%). Unintentional firearm injuries were associated with younger age, rural hospital location, Southern region, ED discharge, and extremity injury. Self-harm firearm injuries were associated with older age, higher socioeconomic status, rural hospital location, transfer or death, and brain, back, or spinal cord injury. Firearm injuries by assault were associated with lower socioeconomic status, urban hospital location, and requiring admission. CONCLUSIONS: We identified distinct risk profiles for youth with unintentional, self-harm-, and assault-related firearm injuries. Sociodemographic factors related to intent may be useful in guiding policy and informing tailored interventions for the prevention of firearm injuries in at-risk youth.