Crushed Heads Research Articles

Clinico-Epidemiological Study of Fatal Head Injuries in an Autopsy

Introduction: Head injury is a significant public health problem worldwide. Traumatic head injury is a leading cause of death and disability in children and adults in their most productive years. The morbidity and mortality due to head injury is on the rise and is one of the prime importance in today’s medical practice. Objective: To assess the clinico-epidemiological study of fatal head injuries in an autopsy. Methods: The present study was conducted of the Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from January to June 2022. Total 250 patients included in this present study. We selected only fatal head injury cases due to mechanical violence. However, we included severe facial injury cases too as these cases were associated with head injury. But, the present study doesn’t involve crushed head injury or survived cases, referred or LAMA cases brought in the hospital. Results: Maximum cases were seen in the age range of 21-30yrs, 57 cases (22.8%). Maximum cases were seen amongst males, 196 cases, 78.4%. The commonest causes of fatal head injuries are Road Traffic Accident (RTA) cases. Other important causes of fatal head injuries are fall from height, assault & railway accidents. External head injuries were mainly seen on frontal and parietal regions. Amongst the scalp injuries lacerations were very common seen in 114 cases, 36.19%. Skull bone fractures were frequently seen in fatal head injury cases. Presence of skull bone fractures are associated more frequently with fatal complications. Though linear fractures are common in general we observed the comminuted fractures as the commonest type of skull fractures in fatal head injury cases, seen in 73 cases, (58.4%). Depressed fractures were less common in fatal cases. Involvement of cranial fssa was seen in 108 cases. Linear type of fractures both transverse and horizontal type was more common seen in 66 coases amongst the 108 cases of cranial fossa involvement i.e. 61.11%. Involvement of middle cranial fossa was high seen in 45 cases of the 108 cases i.e. (41.66%). Presence of comminuted skull bone fractures is associated with higher rate of mortality. Conclusion: Most of the cases were due to road traffic c accidents and males are more prone to get Head injury. Other important causes of fatal head injuries are fall from height, railway accidents and assaults in descending order. To reduce the morbidity and mortality it’s high time for the concerned authority to take appropriate actions.

Bilateral abducens palsy in closed head injury: A comprehensive review of literature based on a case report

Isolated bilateral sixth nerve palsies are rare, particularly in the setting of trauma. Most post-head injury cases with bilateral abducens palsy involve either basal skull fractures, particularly clival fractures. We present a case of bilateral abducens palsy after closed head injury in a young male who presented to the emergency department and a comprehensive literature review based on our clinical case. A Medline search for bilateral abducens palsy in closed head injury showed 89 results. Articles were excluded if crush head injury, non-traumatic bilateral abducens nerve palsy, associated vascular malformations were reported. After thorough search and filtering of those articles, fifty-one publications were found which reported and discussed about traumatic bilateral abducens palsy with closed head injury. In these 51 articles, a total of 139 cases were recorded. Several theories have been postulated to explain mechanisms of abducens nerve injury in trauma both in immediate and delayed settings. In our case, patient presented with immediate onset of bilateral abducens palsy. On imaging, clival fracture was seen in CT brain, which can be attributed for the nerve injury. Cases with retroclival extradural haematoma had higher chances of multiple cranial nerve injuries. Cases with multiple basal skull fracture involving petrous temporal bone fracture had higher chances of facial nerve injury. Along with bilateral involvement, the poorer outcome for recovery can be related with the severity of the adduction deficit. Our case showed no improvement in bilateral abduction during follow-up at 6 months. Clinical presentation of traumatic bilateral abducens nerve palsy is rare following closed head trauma and is usually associated with other injuries which are incompatible with life. It can be associated with other nerve injuries depending on basal skull fractures.

Liable, but Not in Control? Ensuring Meaningful Human Agency in Automated Decision‐Making Systems

Automated decision making is becoming the norm across large parts of society, which raises interesting liability challenges when human control over technical systems becomes increasingly limited. This article defines “quasi‐automation” as inclusion of humans as a basic rubber‐stamping mechanism in an otherwise completely automated decision‐making system. Three cases of quasi‐automation are examined, where human agency in decision making is currently debatable: self‐driving cars, border searches based on passenger name records, and content moderation on social media. While there are specific regulatory mechanisms for purely automated decision making, these regulatory mechanisms do not apply if human beings are (rubber‐stamping) automated decisions. More broadly, most regulatory mechanisms follow a pattern of binary liability in attempting to regulate human or machine agency, rather than looking to regulate both. This results in regulatory gray areas where the regulatory mechanisms do not apply, harming human rights by preventing meaningful liability for socio‐technical decision making. The article concludes by proposing criteria to ensure meaningful agency when humans are included in automated decision‐making systems, and relates this to the ongoing debate on enabling human rights in Internet infrastructure.

Temporal Response of Foragers and Guards of Two Stingless Bee Species to Cephalic Compounds of the Robber Bee Lestrimelitta niitkib (Ayala) (Hymenoptera, Apidae).

Lestrimelitta spp. are stingless bees that steal food and nesting materials from other highly social bees to survive. Though most of their victim species respond, either aggressively or submissively, to cephalic components of Lestrimelitta, little is known about if such response changes at some point during extended periods of exposure. Moreover, potential synergistic effects due to a mixture of victim's alarm/defense pheromones and Lestrimelitta mandibular pheromones, like in an actual attack, have not been examined so far. In this paper, we investigated the response of two species of non-robber stingless bees, Scaptotrigona mexicana (Guérin) and Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille), to (a) cephalic compounds from crushed heads of nestmates, (b) cephalic compounds of Lestrimelitta niitkib (Ayala), and (c) a mixture of (a) and (b). We found that even though T. angustula did not react to nestmates' crushed head, its response towards L. niitkib cephalic compounds was stronger and lasted longer than that of S. mexicana. Interestingly, the addition of crushed heads of the non-robber species to L. niitkib crushed heads caused no significant increase in the alarm response of both species. It may be that the absence of an alarm pheromone in T. angustula made this species more receptive to extraneous odors, which is not the case for S. mexicana; however, more species must be studied to elucidate any pattern regarding the absence/presence of alarm pheromones and the corresponding response to intruders' pheromones.

Anatomical reconstruction to establish identity in cases with cranio-facial crush injuries-A familiar yet unexplored area

Crushing craniofacial injuries are not uncommon in cases of run over vehicular accident. Road accidents constitute a major proportion of accidental deaths and head injuries are the most common causes of death and disability in the injured. Recent trends in increased demand for speed driving among youth along with other factors have lead to further increased incidence of crushed head injuries due to static forces. This pattern causes significant problem in establishment of identity of individual by direct visualization. In this article, we present a case of anatomical reconstruction with manual repositioning of catastrophic head injury.

Pigmentation Restored in Mutant Laboratory Strain of the Lady Beetle <i>Coleomegilla maculata</i> through Dietary Supplementation

A laboratory colony of Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer), ye, selected for a pigmentation deficiency, was restored to near wild type cuticle coloration by adding crushed heads and wings of the red colored parental strain to the diet. While the wings and other colored portions of the cuticle re-gained the red color, the eyes of the pigmentation deficient insects were not changed from the pale mutant form. Plant derived carotenes lycopene and beta-carotene did not restore the mutant beetles to a visibly distinguishable red color. An additional pigmentation deficient mutant strain, gold, partially recovered red cuticle color when provided with diet containing pigmented insect particles. This work represents the first rescue of a color phenotype in a lady beetle.

Chemical Identification and Ethological Function of Soldier-Specific Secretion in Japanese Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes speratus(Rhinotermitidae)

We identified the soldier-specific compounds in the Japanese subterranean termite, Reticulitermes speratus, to clarify their ethological roles. Silica gel column chromatography separated one major soldier-specific compound in the hexane fraction accounting for 70-80% of the total amount of the fraction, while cuticular hydrocarbons constituted the rest. We identified the compound as β-selinene by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Comparative GC analyses of the major exocrine glands detected the compound in the soldier's frontal gland. Both soldiers and workers made aggregation to the hexane fraction, as well as to the crushed heads and head extract of the soldiers. They did not aggregate to cuticular hydrocarbons, making it likely that β-selinene was the aggregation pheromone in this species. The opportunistic predator of this termite, Lasius japonicus, was also attracted to the compounds. The ant workers, therefore, would use the termite aggregation pheromone as a kairomone for hunting them.

Alarm behaviour inEcitonarmy ants

The effective communication of alarm can be critical for social animals so that they are able to deal with threats posed by predators and competitors. In the case of many of the most ecologically dominant, large‐colony ant species, these alarm responses are aggressive and coordinated by alarm pheromones, produced generally from the mandibular glands. In the present study, the alarm behaviour of two Neotropical army ant species is examined, the swarm raidingEciton burchellii(Westwood) and the column raidingEciton hamatum(Fabricius). Both species exhibit aggressive alarm responses in response to crushed heads, suggesting that the alarm pheromone is indeed produced by the mandibular glands in these ants. The most abundant component of the mandibular gland secretion, 4‐methyl‐3‐heptanone (10 µL on a rubber septum), stimulates a substantial alarm response, although this is less than the response to a single crushed head. This suggests that 4‐methyl‐3‐heptanone may be an alarm‐stimulating compound inEciton. The alarm response ofE. burchelliiinvolves more workers than that ofE. hamatum, although major workers play a much greater role in the response of the latter species. The differences in the alarm response of the two closely‐related species may relate to their foraging strategies, withE. burchelliirelying more on quantity rather than the caste of ants responding and possibly using alarm pheromones for offensive as well as defensive functions.

Comment on ocular manifestations of crush head injury in children

Comment on ocular manifestations of crush head injury in children

Update on shaken baby syndrome: ophthalmology

Shaken baby syndrome is a common problem with a high morbidity and mortality. Ophthalmologists help manage this condition and therefore must keep abreast of current advances. Clinical updates include the discovery that retinal folds and traumatic retinoschisis can very rarely occur after crush head injury, but remain specific for shaken baby syndrome in other scenarios. Pathology updates include new studies on orbital histology and woodpecker anatomy that suggest the retinal and optic nerve hemorrhages in shaken baby syndrome are caused by shaking itself rather than secondary to intracranial pathology. Regarding this shaking injury, some primary prevention strategies have proven surprisingly effective. In the near future, serum biomarkers may be used as a screening tool for inflicted neurotrauma. Animal models such as the neonatal pig and computer models using finite element analysis are promising experimental techniques for studying shaken baby syndrome. Finally, child abuse recently became an accredited subspecialty of pediatrics, which will lead to further advances in patient care, education, research and prevention. Ophthalmologists play a key role in the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. In addition, they are in a unique position to study ophthalmic aspects of the syndrome, which in turn furthers the overall understanding of this devastating condition.

Retinal Hemorrhages of Crush Head Injury

Retinal Hemorrhages of Crush Head Injury

Ocular manifestations of crush head injury in children

To review the ocular manifestations of crush head injuries in children. Retrospective clinical and pathological reviews. Group 1: A total of 16 children admitted with crush head injuries from television tip over. Group 2: Nine autopsy findings in crush head injury. Group 1: A total of 11 children had fundus examination: three by neurosurgeons, eight by ophthalmologists. Scattered posterior pole preretinal and blot haemorrhages extending to mid equator region observed in one child. No evidence of traumatic retinoschisis or retinal folds in any patient. Group 2: All with multiple skull fractures and six with subdural haemorrhage. Posterior pole retinal haemorrhages in four children, extending to the ora serrata in one after motor vehicle accident. No child had retinal folds. Subinternal limiting membrane haemorrhages in three children. Optic nerve sheath haemorrhage in three children. Intraretinal and preretinal haemorrhages, predominantly in the posterior pole, can occur in crush injury to the paediatric head. Haemorrhage under the internal limiting membrane or extending to the ora serrata were only seen in situations where crush injury was part of a fatal trauma scenario related to motor vehicles. Retinal folds and the typical macular retinoschisis associated with abusive head injury were not observed.

Crush head injuries in infants and young children neurologic and neuropsychologic sequelae.

Neurologic and neuropsychologic sequelae of crush head injury, which is produced by static forces occurring when the head is stationary and pinned against a rigid structure, were studied prospectively in a series of eight children ranging in age from 13 to 32 months. Hospital course, computed tomographic findings, and neurologic and developmental outcomes were examined. All children sustained pronounced cerebral trauma characterized by multiple fractures throughout the calvaria, extra-axial hemorrhages, and parenchymal contusions. Cranial nerve injuries were noted in three and hemiparesis in two of the cases. Two months after the injury, 63% of the children displayed deficits in either IQ or motor functioning. One year after the injury, five of the six children reevaluated had a good recovery. Motor scores were significantly lower than cognitive scores at baseline and showed the greatest degree of improvement over time. Neuropsychologic outcome after brain injury produced by static loading of the head is more favorable than from traumatic brain injury associated with dynamic loading.

Ethological studies of the mandibular gland secretion of the ant Manica rubida (Formicidae: Myrmicinae)

The movement reactions of Manica rubida workers to their own mandibular glands, and the compounds present in the gland, were analysed. Compared to control stimuli, more ants reach and surround crushed heads of conspecific workers when presented on foraging areas. Also, the workers spend more time near crushed heads; they are attracted by the mandibular gland volatiles, and are then induced to walk more quickly and a little more sinuously. Manicone, the main constituent in the gland, releases similar but stronger aggregating, loco-stimulating and attractive effects. Homonanicone, the second major component, elicits some arresting effects, and acts together with manicone to produce the entire ethological activity investigated in this study. On the other hand, workers react to 4-methyl-3-hexanone and to 4-methyl-3-heptanone as to alien products. They are rather confused when perceiving normanicone. Thus, the last three substances do not appear to play a significant role in realising the ethological effects observed in this study.

Effect of Argentine Ant Contamination on ABO Blood Typing of Human Saliva Samples

Ants are among the many small invertebrates that readily come into contact with materials later collected as evidence at the scene of a crime. Ants perhaps might contaminate these materials and produce spurious results resembling human ABO blood types in subsequent laboratory analyses. In one such case, we collected Argentine ants, Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr), from the site of a rape and murder. Dried saliva found on the victim's body and subjected to laboratory analysis was reported to have produced antigenic reactions characteristic of blood type B. This blood type did not agree with that of the victim, known associates, or the individuals accused of the crime. However, ants had been noted on the body at the time of its discovery. Our absorption/inhibition and absorption/ elution assays of Argentine ant body parts and of materials fed upon or walked upon by ants demonstrate that crushed heads anti/or thoraxes of I. humilis produce a false positive type A response. This does not appear to be associated directly with digestive tract contents although clover honey which they were fed in the laboratory produced a similar false response. None of the materials walked upon by Argentine ants, including slides and filter papers coated with the saliva of an AB nonsecretor, gave any antigenic response, although our test for trail-following behavior demonstrated that I. humilis deposited trail-marking compounds.

The volatile components of the mandibular gland secretion of workers of the ants Myrmica lobicornis and Myrmica sulcinodis

The mandibular glands of workers of M. lobicornis produce a mixture of 3-alkanones and 3-alkanols in the C 6–C 10 carbon chain length range, in addition to nanogram amounts of acetone, ethanal and 2-methylpropanal. Ethological studies have shown that the three major constituents, 3-octanol, 3-octanone and 3-decanol, are also the major pheromonally active components. When presented together they stimulate an alarm response in the workers similar to that induced by a worker's crushed head. In M. sulcinodis the mandibular gland secretion is composed of a mixture of the same ketones and alcohols, but in different proportions.

Food recruitment inTetramorium impurum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

During food recruitment, three phases were recognized in the behaviour of the recruiter. a) While returning to the nest, the recruiter lays a trail with the secretion of the poison gland. This individual odour trail is rather ineffective but quickly gains effectiveness when reinforced. The recruiter appears to be able to modulate the deposit of its trail pheromone according to the quality of the food source. The probability of an ant following a trail of a given length is a linear function of the log of the concentration of the trail pheromone. Relative differences in the strength of competitive trails are thus most perceptible when the absolute concentrations of the trails in pheromone are low, i.e. at the beginning of the recruitment. b) Within the nest, the recruiter alerts its nestmates by a specific behaviour which consists of an accelerated antennal beating. Possibly, an alerting pheromone is emitted during this invitational behaviour, issued either from the mandibular or the poison gland. c) The recruiter leaves the nest followed by a small group (2 to 12 ants) of recruited nestmates. The recruited ants follow a “leading pheromone” which is secreted by the leader. Both the crushed head and the poison gland secretion proved to be attractive at close range during olfactometry experiments. However, experiments performed with dummies suggested that the latter is the source of this leading pheromone. Some recruited ants follow the trail independently of the recruiter. Group leading, however, is a more efficient way than trail laying alone to guide recruits, as judged by the proportions of ants which succesfully reached the food source by one or the other method.

Evidence of two inapparent nonoccluded viral infections of Culex tarsalis

Culex tarsalis from a mosquito colony maintained at Bakersfield, California, were infected with two noninclusion cytoplasmic viruses. Both viruses were polyhedral with average diameters of ca. 56 nm and 33 nm for C. tarsalis virus 1 and 2 (CTV1 and CTV2), respectively. CTV1 particles had an average prevalence in the colony of 24% over a 2-year period and CTV2 had a prevalence of 5%. The viruses were first observed in negatively stained preparations of crushed heads using sodium phosphotungstate. Both viruses were seen in thin sectioned material from the salivary glands, fat body, and nervous tissue of infected mosquitoes. CTV1 was retained through six serial passages by needle inoculations of infected mosquito suspensions into virus-free C. tarsalis adults. An estimated total dilution of >;10 18 indicated CTV1 had multiplied in C. tarsalis. The coincident appearance of CTV2 in some of the inoculated mosquitoes through the 5th passage suggested that this virus also multiplied on serial passage. CTV1 had a median incubation period of ca. 6.6 days in adult C. tarsalis kept at 25°C. Preliminary data indicated that the median survival period of male and female C. tarsalis injected with CTV1 was reduced 2 or 3 days over that of inoculated control insects when incubated at 25°C. Infection may cause a degeneration of salivary glands in adult females. CTV1 did not infect Culex pipiens and did not produce plaques in Vero or duck embryo cell cultures.

2-Heptanone in the Mandibular Gland Secretion of the Honey-bee

WORKER honey-bees produce alarm pheromones in their sting apparatus and in their mandibular glands1. One of the components of the sting pheromone2 has been identified as isoamyl acetate which releases strong alarm behaviour in bees. When filter paper treated with isoamyl acetate is placed at the hive entrance the bees nearby become alerted and greatly agitated. They assume a characteristic aggressive posture and run jerkily in circles or short zigzags preferentially toward the paper. The same behaviour can be observed when mandibular glands or crushed heads of worker bees are presented at the hive entrance.