A case of Ludwig angina: a case report and review of the literature

Ludwig angina is a rapidly progressing submaxillary, submandibular, and sublingual necrotizing cellulitis of the floor of the mouth that can have lethal consequences due to airway obstruction. Various aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms, and less often fungi, have been implicated to cause Ludwig angina, including oral flora such as streptococci and staphylococci. Early recognition and the use of parenteral antibiotics can prevent mortality and morbidity. We report a case of a 25-year-old white man who was admitted to the hospital by his dentist after being diagnosed with Ludwig angina secondary to periodontal abscesses involving teeth #17 and #32. Although antibiotics were administered, while in the hospital, the decedent had difficulty swallowing and was drooling. He suddenly began to have seizure-like activity thought to be anoxic myoclonus. The decedent was aggressively resuscitated and taken to the operating room for neck exploration and a tracheostomy. Neck exploration revealed severe necrotizing acute inflammation of the deep soft tissues and musculature of the neck. He remained on life support for 7 days until he was declared brain dead. Ludwig angina is a progressive cellulitis that often results in death by asphyxia. Ludwig angina can be complicated by subsequent deep neck infection. The underlying etiologies and common scenarios are examined, and significant autopsy findings and dissecting procedures are discussed. The pathophysiology of Ludwig angina is studied with a review of the current literature.     

The Illusion of Resistance: Commodification and Reification of Neoliberalism and the State

While protests and acts of resistance are central to democracy and the potential for social change, what is often ignored is the usurping of resistance through commodification and consumption. Here we argue that it is important to remember that even acts of resistance, such as we have witnessed since the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the United States, that speak out against inequality and social harm are commodified and consumed within the spectacular domination of the State and capital, making resistance part and parcel of the neoliberal system that commoditizes in totality.     

Making the Case for Evaluation Partnerships in Child Protection Mediation Programs: Insights from a Case Study

Many jurisdictions have instituted child protection mediation programs (CPM) for the purposes of reducing the length of children's stays in out‐of‐home care and decreasing court system burden, and numerous studies have shown promising results. However, important implementation and sustainability problems persist. This article presents a case study's findings and retrospectively interprets underlying reasons for challenges the program faced in implementation. Study implications call for a more structured planning process, including early partnership with experienced court‐based evaluators to develop successful marketing and recruitment strategies that may encourage stakeholder endorsement and foster sustainability.     

Evaluation of Implementation of the Kentucky Court Rules of Procedure and Practice: An Approach to Assessing the Impact of Court Reform Efforts

This article describes a Supreme Court of Kentucky court improvement initiative designed to promote uniformity and improved court practice with an ultimate goal of the improvement of outcomes for children and families through implementation of Family Court Rules of Procedure and Practice. Twelve jurisdictions were purposely selected to exhibit a range of family and non‐family court jurisdictions, rural and middle‐sized locations. This article focuses on the results of court case file review related to indicators of due process and timeliness. Implications for court evaluation and reform activities are discussed.     

Friends of the Court: Examining the Influence of Amicus Curiae Participation in U.S. Supreme Court Litigation

Amicus curiae participation is a staple of interest group activity in the U.S. Supreme Court. While a reasonably large body of scholarship has accumulated regarding the effectiveness of this method of participation, little attention has been paid to examining the reasons why amicus participation might increase litigation success. In this article, I test two separate, but not mutually exclusive, theories as to why amicus briefs may be effective. The first, the affected groups hypothesis, suggests amicus briefs are influential because they signal to the Court how many groups and individuals will be potentially affected by the decision. The second, the information hypothesis, proposes that amicus briefs are effective because they provide the Court with added information that buttresses the arguments of the direct parties. When subjected to empirical verification, the results indicate that not only does amicus participation increase litigation success, but also that this influence may be best explained by the information hypothesis.     

Discrimination, Equality and Social Inclusion

Although laws against discrimination have conventionally been justified and articulated according to various conceptions of equality, tensions between different notions of equality undermine the coherence of these explanations. The aim of social inclusion is proposed as part of an alternative justification for discrimination laws. As well as exploring the meaning and implications of the policy of social inclusion for discrimination laws, the extent to which the law already embodies this idea is assessed with particular reference to the scope of anti-discrimination laws, proof of discrimination, justification defences, and positive discrimination. It is concluded that the goal of social inclusion has the potential to provide a vital ingredient in a more coherent, though not uncritical, account of the aims of anti-discrimination legislation.     

Environmental Rights for the Future? Intergenerational Equity in the EU

Courts, commentators and legislators in Europe and around the world have now recognized that environmental degradation may constitute a violation of human rights. While the human rights model may be effective in addressing the environmental interests of existing human beings, there is a pressing need for a legal doctrine that effectively addresses the environmental rights of the future. Although the EU has actively embraced the sustainable development model and its recognition of the environmental needs of future generations, it has failed to embrace the correlative doctrine of intergenerational equity – a detailed, specific and pragmatic legal framework for global and domestic environmental governance. This article assesses EU environmental law and policy against the requirements of the doctrine of intergenerational equity and concludes that the EU's sustainable development model is inadequate from the perspective of future generations. The recommendation is made that the EU adopt intergenerational equity as a necessary corollary to sustainable development.     

Self-recognition of the body and its parts during late adolescence

Male and female student volunteers were photographed nude in three orientations: front, side, and rear. One month later, they were asked to identify their bodies or bodily parts from an array of seven photographs grouped according to height and linearity. Thirty judgments of the full body, multiple parts, and single parts were made, including the head, thorax, abdomen, arms and legs, as well as the torso and top and bottom halves of the body. Females took significantly longer to identify themselves than did males and frontal identifications were carried out quicker than rear identifications, which in turn were judged quicker than side orientations. The breasts were found to be the most important secondary sexual characteristic for females, and bodily hair for males. The genitals were judged quickly and accurately by males. The results are discussed in terms of ego involvement, narcissism, and the increased attention given to the body during adolescence.This research was supported by a grant from Rothmans of Pall Mall (Aust.) Ltd. to the Centre for the Study of Youth and Adolescence at Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia.Received M.A. (Hons. I) and Ph.D. at University of Sydney. Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society, Chairman (Sydney Branch) of the Australian Psychological Society. Current research interest is the psychology of adolescence.     

A Process Evaluation of a Kentucky Court Improvement Initiative

This article describes a court improvement initiative designed to promote uniformity and improved court practice with the ultimate goal of the improvement of outcomes for children and families. The article focuses on the results of interviews and focus groups conducted as part of the evaluation of this initiative. Twelve jurisdictions were purposively selected to exhibit a range of family court and non–family court jurisdictions in rural and middle‐sized locations. The discussion of the qualitative results focuses on changes in court practice and the impact of the initiative on case time.