Journal of Injury and Violence Research
Volume:6 Issue: 2, Jul 2014

Yubitsumeis the ritualistic self-amputation of the proximal digits at the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) among members of the Japanese mafia, or yakuza. This practice of self-mutilation is done as a sign of apology for making a mistake deemed punishable by higher-ranking members or violating the code of the yakuza. Members of the yakuza may present to emergency departments seeking medical assistance to stop hemorrhage following self-amputation or to have the severed portion of the injured finger reattached.

Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) as a result of road traffic crashes (RTCs) rank as the leading cause of death, disability and property loss worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to analyze the costs of RTCs in Iran. A standard human capital approach was used to estimate the costs. Costs included medical, administrative and funeral costs, property damage, production lost and intangible costs. Data about the number of deaths and injuries resulting from RTIs between 20 March 2009 and 20 March 2010 was obtained from two national databases designed at the Center for Disaster Management and Medical Emergencies (CDMME) and the Legal Medicine Organization (LMO), respectively. The severity and medical costs of injuries were identified by reviewing 400 medical records that were selected randomly from patients who were admitted to two large trauma centers in Shariati and Sina hospitals in Tehran province. Moreover, information about production lost, property damage, rehabilitation cost, intangible costs and administration costs were collected by review of current evidence and consulting with expert opinion. In total 806,922 RTIs and 22,974 deaths resulted from the RTCs in the study period. The total cost of RTCs was about 72,465 billion Rials (7.2 billion US Dollars), which amounts to 2.19% of Iran’s Gross Domestic Production (GDP). Direct costs were 3,516 billion Rials (around 48.6 % of the total costs), following by 24,785 billion Rials (around 34.2 % of the total costs) for production lost and 12,513 billion Rials (around 17.2 % of the total costs) for intangible costs. This study indicated that the burden of both RTCs and RTIs in Iran is substantial. Moreover, RTCs have significant economic consequences and are a large drain on healthcare resources.

Road traffic crashes are the third highest cause of mortality in Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of roadway environmental factors on traffic crash. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Iran between March 21, 2010 and December 30, 2010. The data on road traffic crashes were obtained from the Traffic Police Department records. These records were classified to control for the main confounders related to the type of crash and roadway environmental factors. Roadway environmental factors included crash scene light, weather, place of accident, the defects and geometrics of roadway and road surface. The study included 542,863 traffic crashes. The proportions of road traffic crash which led to injury were 24.44% at sunrise and 27.16% at sunset compared with 5.43% and 1.43% deaths at sunrise and sunset respectively. In regard to day time accidents, the proportions were 20.50% injuries and 0.55% deaths. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the ratio of injuries and deaths were significantly higher at sunrise and sunset than those occurring during daytime (P less than 0.001). The highest rate of death (5.07%) was due to dusty weather compared to 5.07% for other weather conditions (P less than 0.001). The highest mortality rate (3.45%) occurred on oily surfaces (P less than 0.001). The defective traffic signs were responsible for 30,046 injuries and 5.58% deaths, and road narrowing accounted for 22,775 injuries and, 4.23% deaths which indicated that the roadway defects inflict most frequent injuries and deaths. The lowest (0.74 %) and highest (3.09%) proportion of traffic crash- related deaths were due to flat straight and winding uphill/downhill roads respectively (P less than 0.001). Sunrise, sunset, dusty weather, oily road surfaces and winding uphill/downhill road were hazardous environmental factors. This study provides an insight into the potential impacts of environmental factors on road traffic accidents and underlines the implementation of appropriate preventive measures.

Opioid drugs are used in the treatment of acute post-surgical pain and chronic pain, such as those associated with cancer. Opioid used is associated with complications such as analgesic tolerance, dependence and opioid abuse. The molecular mechanisms of unwanted opioid responses are varied but recent advances have highlighted elevations in pro-inflammatory cytokines and pro-inflammatory glial following chronic administration of morphine. In this study we investigated the neurodegenerative effects of morphine through its effects on Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) in the male rat hippocampus and evaluated the level of Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β). Then we compared the difference between inhibitory effects on mu opioid receptors (by β-Funaltrexamine, β-FNA) and TLR4 (by Ibudilast). Subsequently, we assessed the amount of IL-1β and the number of granular cells in male rat hippocampus. Adult male rats (n=24) were treated with sucrose, morphine, Ibudilast (7.5 mg/kg) and β-FNA (20 mg/kg) for 30 days. Their brains were isolated and hemisected with one hippocampus for granular cell and the other used for IL-1 β immunoblotting. Data showed that Ibudilast suppresses IL-1 β expression significantly more than β-FNA. The granular cell count displayed significant differences. Our results suggested that Ibudilast can be used for controlling and treatment of morphine-induced CNS inflammations or traumatic conditions.

Patterns of domestic violence fatalities and agency responses in Hawaii have not been explicated. Retrospective reviews of events leading up to domestic violence related fatalities in Hawaii were assessed from 45 adjudicated cases that resulted in 62 fatalities for the ten year period from 2000-2009. Almost one-half of the fatalities were homicide/suicide combinations. Females were disproportionately more likely to be fatal victims of domestic violence relative to their proportion in the population. Those aged 21-40 years and those over 80 years were more likely to be fatal victims of domestic violence, relative to their proportion in the population. Filipinas and ‘Other” ethnic groups are disproportionately more likely to be fatal victims of domestic violence while Native Hawaiians and Japanese are less likely to be fatal victims, relative to their proportions in the population. In more than two-thirds of the cases, the victim had made some attempt to leave the relationship prior to the fatality. In the majority of cases there was agency involvement in some form: either the victim alone or the perpetrator alone, or both. However, less than one-third (31.1%) of the cases over the past ten years had documentation of prior violence from medical reports, so this may be an area to further document and address domestic violence.