Mortality and cancer incidence in a population exposed to TCDD after the Seveso, Italy, accident (1976-2013).

OBJECTIVES: The Seveso accident (1976) caused the contamination with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD) in an area north of Milan, Italy. We report the results of the update of mortality and cancer incidence in the exposed population through 2013. METHODS: The study cohort includes subjects living in three contaminated zones with decreasing TCDD soil concentrations (zone A, B and R) and in a surrounding uncontaminated territory (reference). Poisson models stratified/adjusted for gender, age and period were fitted to calculate rate ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs. RESULTS: In zone A in males, we found elevated mortality from circulatory diseases in the first decade after the accident (17 deaths, RR 2.00, 95% CI 1.24 to 3.23). In females, mortality from diabetes mellitus was increased, with a positive trend across zones. Incidence of soft tissue sarcoma was increased in males in zone R in the first decade (6 cases, RR 2.62, 95% CI 1.01 to 6.83). In females in zone B, there was an excess of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after 30 years (6 cases, RR 2.87, 95% CI 1.14 to 7.23). Multiple myeloma was increased in the second decade in females in zone B (4 cases, RR 5.09, 95% CI 1.82 to 14.2) and in males in zone R (11 cases, RR 2.15, 95% CI 1.08 to 4.26). In males in zone R, there was a leukaemia excess after 30 years (23 cases, RR 2.02, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.93). CONCLUSIONS: Although with different patterns across gender, zone and time, we confirmed previous results of increased cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, soft tissue sarcoma, and lymphatic and haematopoietic cancers.

Retained foreign body in nose following eye injury.

A man in his 60s presented with diminution of vision of the left eye with nasal bleeding after accidental fall. On examination his left upper eyelid was lacerated and left temporal sclera was punctured which was repaired under local anaesthesia after which he was discharged by ophthalmologists but continued to complain of pain and left nasal obstruction. A non-contrast CT of paranasal sinuses revealed fracture of medial wall of left orbit, left ethmoid haemosinus and a metallic foreign body (FB) in the septum and anterior face of sphenoid. Diagnostic nasal endoscopy performed to remove the metallic FB showed plastic splinters embedded in the mucosa of nasal cavity which was unexpected. Hence, the FB was removed in two sittings because of diagnostic dilemma.

Occupational accidents and the use of PPE: a global meta-analysis.

Occupational accidents, despite continuous safety updates, are still a scourge in the occupational and forensic spheres, constituting, among other things, the subject of a large share of litigation. Demographic data can help to understand the areas where the application of health surveillance is lacking. This meta-analysis sets out to analyse data from studies on accidents at work, focusing on the correlation between the areas in which accidents occur and whether or not personal safety equipment is used, in relation to the different regulations in force. For the selection of the data, a systematic review was carried out according to the PRISMA guidelines, with the primary objective of identifying the trend of occupational accidents in specific geographical areas, which differ in terms of the attention paid to preventive aspects. The data we highlighted showed, regarding the type of accident, substantial differences between low-income countries and industrialised countries (stratified according to the Human Development Index) and, an overall indifference as to whether or not individual safety devices were used, revealing that, despite the continuous normative evolution in the field of safety at work, even today, the investigative data on the actual application of the regulations, during accidents at work, is underestimated and little researched.

A novel sequential risk assessment model for analyzing commercial aviation accidents: Soft computing perspective.

Due to the importance of the commercial aviation system and, also, the existence of countless accidents and unfortunate occurrences in this industry, there has been a need for a structured approach to deal with them in recent years. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive and sequential model for analyzing commercial aviation accidents based on historical data and reports. The model first uses the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) technique to determine and score existing risks; then, the risks are prioritized using two multi-attribute decision making (MADM) methods and two novel and innovative techniques, including ranking based on intuitionistic fuzzy risk priority number and ranking based on the vague sets. These techniques are based in an intuitionistic fuzzy environment to handle uncertainties and the FMEA features. A fuzzy cognitive map is utilized to evaluate existing interactions among the risk factors, and additionally, various scenarios are implemented to analyze the role of each risk, group of risks, and behavior of the system in different conditions. Finally, the model is performed for a real case study to clarify its applicability and the two novel risk prioritization techniques. Although this model can be used for other similar complex transportation systems with adequate data, it is mainly employed to illustrate the most critical risks and for analyzing existing relationships among the concepts of the system.

The role of trust in occupational safety: research results.

This article presents the concept and results of a study on the effects of organizational trust on the safety level in an enterprise. The research results presented provide valid and reliable statistical evidence that employees' trust in management is an important factor that significantly affects safety in a company. In particular, the research findings prove that employees' trust in management affects safety outcomes indirectly (full mediation), due to the improvement in their engagement in safety citizenship behaviour (SCB); but also that better engagement in SCB should directly or indirectly contribute to the reduction of accident event occurrence through improvement in employees' health and safety (H&S) regulation compliance (partial mediation). Moreover, the research findings prove that improvement in perceived management commitment in H&S will additionally strengthen positive relationships between trust in management and SCB engagement (interaction effect).

Effect of Aspirin Use on the Adverse Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) triggers multiple components of the immune system and causes inflammation of endothelial walls across vascular beds, resulting in respiratory failure, arterial and venous thrombosis, myocardial injury, and multi-organ failure leading to death. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, aspirin was suggested for the treatment of symptomatic individuals, given its analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, and antiviral effects. This study aimed to evaluate the association of aspirin use with various clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Methods: This was a retrospective study involving patients aged ≥ 18 years and hospitalized for COVID-19 from March 2020 to October 2020. Primary outcomes were acute cardiovascular events (ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), type 1 non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), acute congestive heart failure (CHF), and acute stroke) and death. Secondary outcomes were respiratory failure, need for mechanical ventilation, and acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT)/pulmonary embolism (PE). Results: Of 376 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 128 were taking aspirin. Significant proportions of native Americans were hospitalized for COVID-19 in both aspirin (22.7%) and non-aspirin (24.6%) groups. Between aspirin and non-aspirin groups, no significant differences were found with regard to mechanical ventilator support (21.1% vs. 15.3%, P = 0.16), acute cardiovascular events (7.8% vs. 5.2%, P = 0.32), acute DVT/PE (3.9% vs. 5.2%, P = 0.9), readmission rate (13.3% vs. 12.9%, P = 0.91) and mortality (23.4% vs. 20.2%, P = 0.5); however, the median duration of mechanical ventilation was significantly shorter (7 vs. 9 days, P = 0.04) and median length of hospitalization was significantly longer (5.5 vs. 4 days, P = 0.01) in aspirin group compared to non-aspirin group. Conclusion: No significant differences were found in acute cardiovascular events, acute DVT/PE, mechanical ventilator support, and mortality rate between hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were taking aspirin compared to those not taking aspirin. However, larger studies are required to confirm our findings.

Identifying interactions among factors related to death occurred at the scene of traffic accidents: Application of "logic regression" method.

Aim: Traffic accidents are caused by several interacting risk factors. This study aimed to investigate the interactions among risk factors associated with death at the accident scene (DATAS) as an indicator of the crash severity, for pedestrians, passengers, and drivers by adopting "Logic Regression" as a novel approach in the traffic field. Method: A case-control study was designed based on the police data from the Road Traffic Injury Registry in northwest of Iran during 2014-2016. For each of the pedestrians, passengers, and drivers' datasets, logic regression with "logit" link function was fitted and interactions were identified using Annealing algorithm. Model selection was performed using the cross-validation and the null model randomization procedure. Results: regarding pedestrians, "The occurrence of the accident outside a city in a situation where there was insufficient light" (OR = 6.87, P-value<0.001) and "the age over 65 years" (OR = 2.97, P-value<0.001) increased the chance of DATAS. "Accidents happening in residential inner-city areas with a light vehicle, and presence of the pedestrians in the safe zone or on the non-separate two-way road" combination lowered the chance of DATAS (OR = 0.14, P-value<0.001). For passengers, "Accidents happening in outside the city or overturn of the vehicle" combination (OR = 8.55, P-value<0.001), and "accidents happening on defective roads" (OR = 2.18, P-value<0.001) increased the odds of DATAS; When "driver was not injured or the vehicle was two-wheeled", chance of DATAS decreased for passengers (OR = 0.25, p-value<0.001). The odds of DATAS were higher for "drivers who had a head-on accident, or drove a two-wheeler vehicle, or overturned the vehicle" (OR = 4.03, P-value<0.001). "Accident on the roads other than runway or the absence of a multi-car accident or an accident in a non-residential area" (OR = 6.04, P-value<0.001), as well "the accident which occurred outside the city or on defective roads, and the drivers were male" had a higher risk of DATAS for drivers (OR = 5.40, P-value<0.001). Conclusion: By focusing on identifying interaction effects among risk factors associated with DATAS through logic regression, this study contributes to the understanding of the complex nature of traffic accidents and the potential for reducing their occurrence rate or severity. According to the results, the simultaneous presence of some risk factors such as the quality of roads, skill of drivers, physical ability of pedestrians, and compliance with traffic rules play an important role in the severity of the accident. The revealed interactions have practical significance and can play a significant role in the problem-solving process and facilitate breaking the chain of combinations among the risk factors. Therefore, practical suggestions of this study are to control at least one of the risk factors present in each of the identified combinations in order to break the combination to reduce the severity of accidents. This may have, in turn, help the policy-makers, road users, and healthcare professionals to promote road safety through prioritizing interventions focusing on effect size of simultaneous coexistence of crash severity determinants and not just the main effects of single risk factors or their simple two-way interactions.

Zinc fever in a painter and varnisher: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Zinc fever is well described in medical literature, particularly in workers after handling zinc-containing materials at high temperatures e.g., in the welding of hot-dip galvanized steel sheets. It is not known whether zinc fever also occurs at low temperatures. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 33-year-old Caucasian atopic painter and varnisher with work-related dyspnea, sweating, as well as multiple occurrences of fever. He was sent to Institute for Prevention and Occupational medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (IPA) for the evaluation of isocyanate asthma, but an inhalative challenge with hexamethylene diisocyanate was negative. Since symptoms were closely related to the use of zinc coatings at room temperature without adequate protective measures, the diagnosis of zinc fever was made. After exposure cessation the worker immediately became symptom-free. The work as painter and varnisher may be associated with various exposures to hazardous substances. Besides solvents, epoxy compounds and isocyanates, which can cause obstructive respiratory diseases; additionally, zinc-containing agents should be considered as health hazards. CONCLUSIONS: This case demonstrates that zinc fever may occur also after application of zinc coatings by spray painting at low temperatures.

Screening for Risk of Fall-Related Inpatient Trauma in a US Acute Care Setting.

Introduction Falls during hospitalization are a leading cause of preventable trauma-related injuries. Factors associated with fall risk include an unfamiliar environment, changes in health status, and efficacy based on the home environment. Assessing fall efficacy with an individualized prevention plan can decrease falls. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the effect of implementing a fall efficacy screening and intervention on reducing patient falls. Methods The study utilized a quasi-experimental, cross-sectional design with a convenience sample of patients admitted to an in-patient adult medical unit within a community hospital over a twelve-month period. Sampling times included pre-implementation, immediately post-implementation, and a second post-implementation phase. The intervention consisted of an admission fall efficacy screening tool and an individualized educational initiative. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics of central tendency and dispersion, along with inferential statistics using independent sample t-tests, chi-square tests, correlations, and binary logistic regression. Results Among the study participants (n=2,074), the total sample had an average age of 67.7 (+/- 17.4) years and had mean scores of 13.3 (6.9) on the Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International and 51.8 (20.3) on the Morse Fall Scale. Fifty-two percent of the study population were female; 16.2% of the patients were diagnosed with cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or CVA-like symptoms. Fall rates decreased with a rate of change of -4.15% after efficacy screening and intervention. Males demonstrated higher efficacy in avoiding falls compared to females (t(828) = 3.369, p <0.001). Patients with a CVA diagnosis demonstrated higher efficacy scores compared to non-CVA patients (t(2071) = -3.348, p <0.001). FES risk groups (OR of 5.632, 95% CI (2.171-7.892)) and age over 65 (OR 1.21, 95% CI (1.006-1.442)) were significant predictors of a fall when patients with a primary CVA diagnosis were omitted from the sample (p= 0.022 and 0.046 respectively). Conclusion The findings suggest that efficacy screening may be associated with decreased falls for acute care non-CVA inpatient populations over 65 years of age. Further research into the predictive utility of fall efficacy screening in acute care CVA and non-CVA hospitalized patient populations aged 65 years and above is recommended.

Comparison of Traumatic Spinal Fracture Patterns Between Motorcyclists and Occupants of Other Nonheavy Motor Vehicles: A Report from the National Spinal Cord and Column Injury Registry of Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To compare traumatic spinal injury patterns between motorcyclists and occupants of other nonheavy motor vehicles using data from the National Spinal Cord and Column Injury Registry of Iran. METHODS: All drivers/riders and passengers of motorcycles, cars, pick-up trucks, and vans registered between January 2017 to July 2023, met the inclusion criteria for the present study. The logistic regression models were used to compare the patterns of vertebral fracture between the 2 groups. RESULTS: One thousand seven hundred twenty-six spinal fracture patients were identified, 385 (22.3%) motorcyclists and 1341 (77.7%) car occupants with mean ages 33.2 ± 14.3 and 36.1 ± 13.6 years, respectively (P < 0.001). Only 45 (11.7%) motorcyclists used helmets, whereas 856 (63.8%) car occupants used seat belts (P < 0.001). The average numbers of fractured vertebrae were 3.9 ± 1.4 and 3.7 ± 1.1 among car occupants and motorcyclists, respectively (P = 0.004). The proportions of motorcyclists and car occupants with injuries in each spinal region are as follows: lumbar (50.5% of motorcyclists vs. 40.4% of car occupants; P = 0.003), thoracic (39.2% vs. 30.9%; P = 0.01), cervical (24.3% vs. 37.0%; P < 0.001), and sacral (1.3% vs. 7.5%; P < 0.001). The AO Spine type C injuries were present in 6.1% of motorcyclists and 10.1% of car occupants (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Motorcyclists were younger, less educated, had a higher proportion of males, and less commonly used safety devices than car occupants. The most commonly fractured spine region among both groups was the lumbar region. The cervical and sacral vertebrae fractures were significantly more common in car occupants, whereas the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae fractures were significantly more common in motorcyclists.

Analysis of labour accidents caused by slope failure during slope cutting and application of a rapid checklist for risk management in Japan.

Slope failure during or immediately after slope-cutting can cause fatal accidents. This study analyses the characteristics of labour accidents caused by slope failure during slope-cutting in Japan and presents a countermeasure to prevent accidents caused by slope failure, such as the implementation of a slope guideline by MHLW. A case history conducted during slope-cutting and nailing was presented as an example of the application of the slope guideline to ensure safety. Furthermore, monitoring methods were implemented to gain a quantitative understanding of slope deformation. Geological conditions other than those assumed prior to excavation and small collapses attributed to groundwater are indications of landslide risk. The guideline's quick checklist reflects the slope condition or deformation, allowing the client, designer and contractor to discuss and agree on a quick solution to a problem. The case study confirmed the effectiveness of the slope guideline as a tool for sharing information during construction.

Selfie accidents and crimes in Egypt: A comprehensive discussion of the medico-legal implications.

Selfies are self-surveillance images or videos captured by individuals using digital cameras that, in the attempt to obtain content, may lead to selfie-related injuries or deaths. Criminal selfies refer to offenders who take selfies with their victim(s) during crimes. Globally, both phenomena are underestimated due to deficient official data and the social nature of these incidents. This pioneering media-based retrospective study on selfie-related trauma aims to offset the literature deficit on this topic in Egypt, as an Arabic-speaking country, and extend the global understanding beyond the Western context. We utilised the Egyptian newspaper articles published between January 2014 and May 2023. We identified 25 reports of selfie-related accidents that resulted in 29 casualties with an 82.8% fatality rate. Male victims outnumbered female victims and the mean age was 21.8 years, with most victims aged in their twenties. Regarding the causes of selfie-related deaths, drowning in the Nile ranked first (43.4%) followed by falling from a height (26%). Unless suicide was suspected (n = 1), the remaining cases were considered accidental. We also found four reported criminal selfies that were associated with intimate partner violence. Three of these offenders were male, of which two had a history of drug addiction. In contrast to selfie cases, only one offender belonged to the second decade age group. Overall, selfie-related deaths were infrequent, with an average of three incidents per year. In conclusion, audio-visual communication has altered the modus operandi of crimes, so the digital media analysis should supplement the criminological and medicolegal processes.

A prospective cohort study of perceived organizational support and occupational accidents and near-miss events among Japanese workers.

INTRODUCTION: Preventing occupational accidents is a major global challenge, and employee safety practices play a crucial role in accident prevention. Although perceived organizational support (POS) is related to safety practices, there is currently insufficient evidence supporting a relationship between POS and occupational accidents. We investigated the relationships between POS and both occupational accidents and near-miss events that can lead to accidents in the following year among workers in various industries in Japan. METHOD: This prospective cohort study was conducted from March 2022 to March 2023 using a questionnaire survey. In total, 9916 participants who completed the follow-up survey and met our inclusion criteria were analyzed. The follow-up survey asked participants about both occupational accidents and near-miss events experienced in the year following the baseline assessment. POS was evaluated at baseline using the eight-item version of the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support. Odds ratios (ORs) for the relationships between POS and occupational accidents and near-miss events were estimated using multilevel logistic regression analyses nested by industries. RESULTS: The ORs for self-reported occupational accidents were significantly higher for the moderate (OR = 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-1.82), low (OR = 1.49, 95%CI: 1.18-1.89), and very low (OR = 2.03, 95%CI: 1.61-2.56) POS groups compared with the very high group. The ORs for self-reported near-miss events were also significantly higher for the moderate (OR = 1.21, 95%CI: 1.03-1.43), low (OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 1.03-1.40), and very low (OR = 1.56, 95%CI: 1.34-1.82) groups than the very high group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest lower POS is related to a higher occurrence of occupational accidents and near-miss events in the following year. Organizations should consider enhancing employees' POS to reduce occupational accidents and near-miss events. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: To enhance employees' POS, organizations should address identified antecedents of POS (e.g., fairness, supervisor support, rewards, favorable job conditions, and human resource practices).

Analyzing the trend of mortality due to traffic and nontraffic accidents: a study in the north of Iran.

Background: Examining the raw and standardized mortality rates is the primary strategy for improving life expectancy and human health in society through identifying risk factors and dealing with the factors that cause them. Objectives: This study examined the trend of mortalities due to traffic and nontraffic accidents. Methods: This cross-sectional study examines the registered mortalities during the years 2016-2022 in the form of a census in the health department's death registration and classification system. Mortality was analyzed as raw and standardized mortality in each 100 000 population. Results: Out of 18 265 deaths during 2016-2022, 1305 (7.15%) were related to accidents and incidents. The age-standardized total mortality rate in the first year was 32.9, and in the final year of the study, it was 33.3 per 100 000 people; although there are fluctuations, this trend is upward (P.trend=0.021). Also, the age-standardized traffic death rate in the first year is 19, and in the final year is 12 per 100 000 people; this decreasing trend was not statistically significant (P.trend=0.061). The incidence of age-standardized intentional nontraffic deaths was 1.7 in the first year of the study interval and 9.8 in the last year in 100 000 people, which showed an upward trend (P.trend<0.001). Conclusion: In light of the generally increasing trend of accidents, especially nontraffic accidents, universal and well-rounded measures are necessary for safety matters and reducing mortality.

Resilience, job satisfaction, occupational stress, and occupational accidents among healthcare professionals: A Bayesian network analysis.

BACKGROUND: Occupational accidents remain a critical challenge for healthcare professionals. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, using the Bayesian network (BN) approach association among resilience, job satisfaction, stress, and occupational accidents among healthcare professionals is examined. METHODS: Data was gathered using several valid questionnaires. The BN approach was utilized to analyze the r5/31/2024ionships between the variables of the current study. The performance of BN analysis was evaluated using related indexes. RESULTS: In total, 300 healthcare professionals participated in this study. Results showed that almost 23% of healthcare professionals had experienced occupational accidents. Results of the sensitivity analysis demonstrated that job satisfaction had the most significant influence on occupational accidents in healthcare settings. The belief updating analysis results showed that by increasing job satisfaction and decreasing stress of healthcare professionals the occurrence of occupational accidents decreased 9.8% and 6.4%, respectively. Moreover, decreasing the stress of healthcare professionals can lead to an increase in the level of job satisfaction. Evaluation indexes showed that the performance of the developed BN was acceptable (error rate: 16.09). CONCLUSION: The Findings reveal that both job satisfaction and stress had a significant influence on occupational accidents in healthcare professionals. Moreover, by influencing job satisfaction and stress, resilience can indirectly affect occupational accidents.

Exploring misclassification of injury intent: A burn register study.

INTRODUCTION: Burn registers are an important source of surveillance data on injury intent. These data are considered essential to inform prevention activities. In South Asia, intentional burn injuries are thought to disproportionately affect women. Assessment of injury intent is difficult because it is influenced by personal, family, social, and legal sensitivities. This can introduce misclassification into data, and bias analyses. We conducted a descriptive, hypothesis generating study to explore misclassification of injury intent using data from a newly digitised single centre burn register in south India. METHODS: Data from 1st February 2016 to 28th February 2022 were analysed. All patients in the data set were included in the study (n = 1930). Demographic and clinical characteristics for patients are described for each classification of injury intent. All data cleaning and analyses were completed using RStudio. RESULTS: Injury intent data were missing for 12.6% of cases. It was the most commonly missing variable in the data set. "Accidental" injuries had a similar distribution over time, age, and total body surface area (TBSA) for males and females. "Homicidal" injuries were more common in females. Injuries reported as "Suicidal" affected men and women equally. A decrease in reporting of "Suicidal" injuries in females corresponded to an increase in high TBSA injuries classified as 'Other' or with missing data. Overwriting of injury intent was present in 1.5% of cases. The overwritten group had a greater proportion of females (62.1% vs. 48.5%) and higher median TBSA (77.5% vs. 27.5%) compared to the group where intent was not overwritten. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that some subgroups, such as females with high TBSA burns, appear to be more likely to be misclassified and should be the focus of future research. They also highlight that quality of surveillance data could be improved by recording of clinical impression, change in patient reported intent, and use of a common data element for intent to standardise data collection. We also recommend that injury intent is recorded as a unique variable and should not be mixed with other elements of injury causation (e.g. mechanism). Although this is a single centre study, the methods will be of interest to those who utilise routinely collected data and wish to reduce misclassification of this important variable.

Unsafe Practices of Motorcycle Riders in El Petén, Guatemala: A Community Observational Study and a Retrospective Institutional Review.

INTRODUCTION: Outcomes from trauma at the major referral hospital [Hospital Nacional de San Benito (HNSB)] in El Petén, Guatemala, have not been analyzed. Empirical evidence demonstrated a high number of motorcycle accidents (MAs). We hypothesized a large incidence of head trauma with poor outcomes in MAs compared to all other forms of blunt trauma. METHODS: Our hypothesis was tested by performing a community observational study and a retrospective chart review in El Petén, Guatemala. An independent observer catalogued 100 motorcycle riders on the streets of El Petén for riding practices as well as helmet utilization. HNSB does not have electronic medical records. For this study, we performed a retrospective chart review of randomly selected nonconsecutive trauma admission at HNSB between March 2018 and June 2023. Blunt trauma was compared between MAs versus all others. Variables were examined by parametric and nonparametric tests as well as contingency table analyses. RESULTS: Most motorcycles riders involved multiple individuals (2.61 ± 0.79/motorcycle). Seventy riders included children (median = 1.0 [Q1-Q3 range = 1.0-3.0]/motorcycle). Overall, only three riders were wearing helmets. Forty-one were women. Of patients presenting to HNSB with trauma, 91 charts were reviewed (33.0 [20.0-37.0] y old; male 89%), 76.7% were blunt, and 23.3% were penetrating trauma. Within blunt trauma, 57.1% were MAs versus 42.9% all others; P = 0.13. MAs were younger (29.5 [20.0-37.0] versus 34.0 [21.8-45.8] y old; P < 0.05) and of similar gender (male 82.5% versus 96.6%; P = 0.1). More MAs had a computed tomography (70.0% versus 30.0%; P < 0.01) and they were more likely to present with head trauma (72.5% versus 46.7%; P = 0.04) but similar Glasgow Coma Scale (15.0 [13.5-15.0] versus 15.0 [12.5-15.0]; P = 0.7). MAs were less likely to require surgical intervention (37.5% versus 56.7%; P = 0.05) but had similar hospital length of stay (4.0 [2-6] versus 4.0 [2-10.5] d; P = 0.5). CONCLUSIONS: Unsafe motorcycle practices in El Petén are staggering. Most trauma at HNSB is blunt, and likely from MAs. More patients with MAs presented with head trauma. However, severe trauma might be transferred to higher level hospitals or mortality might occur on scene, which will need further investigations. Assessment of mortality from trauma admissions is ongoing. These findings should lead to enforcement of safe motorcycle practices in El Petén, Guatemala.

Navigating Road Traffic Accidents in Jordan: A Retrospective Exploration of the Health and Economic Impacts.

Background Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are considered a major public health threat. The causes of RTAs are multifactorial, comprising both human and non-human factors. RTAs may result not only in detrimental health consequences but also in serious economic burdens. This study aimed to provide a retrospective overview of the health and economic impacts of RTAs in Jordan during the period 2013-2021, including the implemented multisectoral mitigation strategies. Methodology This study presents a retrospective chart review of the traffic reports published by the Public Security Directorate (PSD) in Jordan during the period 2013-2021. The examined variables were the total number of road accidents involving human injuries per year, average road accidents per day, annual deaths, average deaths per day, deaths per 100,000 population, annual number of injuries, average number of injuries per day, severity of human injury, number of registered vehicles, and the annual financial costs. Data were extracted from PSD reports and presented descriptively. Results The number of registered vehicles has risen from 1,263,754 in 2013 to 1,795,215 in 2021 with a 42.1% increase. This was also associated with an increase in the average RTAs per day from 28.0 in 2013 to 30.8 in 2021. The total number of RTAs that involved human injuries during the period 2013-2021 fluctuated with 8,451 in 2020 (lowest) and 11,241 in 2021 (highest). In the same period, annual deaths caused by RTAs peaked in 2013 with 768 deaths (highest) compared to 461 in 2020 (lowest). In the five years from 2017 to 2021, the total financial cost of RTAs in Jordan was nearly 1.561 billion Jordanian Dinars (~2.2 billion U.S. dollars) compared to 1.363 billion Jordanian Dinars (~1.92 billion U.S. dollars) in the five years from 2012 to 2016. Conclusions Targeting human and road infrastructure factors through effective government-society partnerships is crucial in mitigating the health and economic burden of RTAs in Jordan. More strict enforcement of traffic laws, along with incremental increases in the penalties for dangerous traffic violations, and regular road safety campaigns are expected to provide more control over the human factors of RTAs. Further research is needed to evaluate the impact of the recently amended traffic law on the trends of RTAs in the country.

Drink and drive? Understanding the dynamics of youth risk-taking.

We exploit a reduction in the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) in New Zealand from 20 to 18 to study the dynamics of youth risk-taking. Using the universe of road accidents over 15 years and an event history approach, we find no evidence that lowering the drinking age increased alcohol-related accidents among teens. Complementary results of a cohort analysis suggest that reducing the drinking age even led to a short-term decline in risky driving among youths directly affected by the MLDA change but had no longer-run impacts on youth risky driving and drinking behaviors.

Road traffic accidents and the contributing factors among drivers of public transportation in Mizan Aman town, Ethiopia: a Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Traffic accidents on the road is an accident is a terrible accident that causes death, injury, and property damage. However, limited studies were addressed to investigate the prevalence of traffic accidents on the road and the contributing factors among drivers that help in developing strategies to cop-up the incidence within the research domain in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area. Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of road traffic accidents and the contributing factors among drivers of public transportation in Mizan Aman town, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey was employed among 376 drivers of public transportation. Every research subject was selected by using a simple random sampling technique. Semi-structured and open-ended questionnaires which comprised demographic characteristics, risky personal behaviors and lifestyles, driver's factors, vehicle condition, and environmental conditions were used to gather data. And then after, data was collected through interviewer-administered using KoBo Collect tools. Completed data were edited and cleaned in the Kobo collect toolbox and then exported for additional analysis to a statistical tool for social science statistics version 26. The descriptive statistics were displayed as figures, tables, and texts. Binary logistic regression was analyzed to identify the contributing factors. Statistically significant was decided with a p-value of ≤ 0.05. Results: The results showed that the prevalence of road traffic accidents among drivers of public transportation in Mizan Aman town was 17%. The study identified factors influencing traffic accidents on the roads including marital status (being single), employee condition (permanent), monthly income (1001-2500 Ethiopia Birr), alcohol use, vehicle maintenance (not), road type (non-asphalt), and weather conditions (being windy). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of road traffic accidents among drivers of public transportation in Mizan Aman town was relatively low. Despite this, sociodemographic characteristics, driver factors, vehicle conditions, and environmental conditions [road type and weather conditions] were the predicting factors of traffic accidents in town. Therefore, reduction strategies should be the highest priority duty for concerned bodies like Mizan Aman town road and transport office, Bench Sheko zone transport and logistics office, and Southwest Ethiopia People Regional State (SWEPRS) transport bureau in the study area.