The impact of juveniles' ages and levels of psychosocial maturity on judges' opinions about adjudicative competence

This study investigated whether defendants' ages and levels of psychosocial maturity would affect judges' ratings of juveniles' adjudicative competence in juvenile and criminal court. Three hundred forty two judges reviewed a forensic psychological report about a hypothetical defendant; only the defendant's age (12-17) and maturity level (mature, immature) varied across reports. Results revealed a main effect of age, with older juveniles generally deemed more competent, and a main effect of maturity, with mature juveniles generally deemed more competent. No interaction was found. Results suggest that age and maturity play major roles in judicial determinations of juvenile competency.     

Embutramide,a Component of Tanax®(T‐61) as a New Drug of Abuse?

Tanax^®(T‐61) is a euthanasia solution commonly used in veterinary medicine in Europe. It consists of three active components: embutramide, mebezonium iodide, and tetracaine hydrochloride. Human consumption of Tanax^®(T‐61) is usually associated with suicide attempts. In our 15‐year‐long practice, embutramide was detected only three times but within a short period. First, it was found in the urine of a 42‐year‐old veterinarian, and the other two observations were made in a 16‐year‐old young man. Urine samples were analyzed using Shimadzu Prominence TOX.I.S.II. HPLC–DAD system with online SPE extraction system. Both of the two patients denied any intention to die. These cases show that this veterinary drug may also be considered as potential drugs of abuse.     

From chronic rhinitis to death: Fatal outcome of nasal polyposis treatment

Introduction

Nasal polyposis (NP) is considered to be the state of chronic inflammation of nasal mucosa and sinuses presenting with various nasal symptomatology. In most cases, it is treated conservatively. Recently, functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) was developed as the valuable and advantageous surgical procedure to treat NP. Despite the inherited risks of this procedure, its complication rate is considered to be acceptable compared to potential benefits for the patient.

Case

Fifty-five-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for surgical removal of the nasal polypus. After the usual pre-surgery procedures, the patient underwent FESS. Under general anesthesia, left sphenoid sinus was opened and cleaned from the imflammatory discharge, polypus was excised, and following the trepanation the left maxillary sinus was left to drain out. Polypus and pieces of sinonasal mucosa were sent to pathohistological analysis, which yielded in diagnosis of inverted sinonasal papilloma.The early postoperative recovery was regular, but 2 h upon the surgery, the patient started to lose consciousness gradually falling into the state of coma. CT scan and angiography of the head revealed pneumocranium, defect of the left ethmoidal sinus, hematoma in the left frontal cerebral lobe, as well as the hemorrhage in all four cerebral ventricles. A series of neurosurgical procedures followed in the next 8 days. Despite the attempts to resolve above complications, the patient remained comatous and died 16 days after the polypectomy.Autopsy revealed the extensive oval-shaped defect on the skull base in the left posterior part of cribrous plate of the left ethmoid bone. The brain appeared swollen and heavily congested, showing the zone of subarachnoidal hemorrhage in basal face of left frontal lobe. Frontal serial sections revealed large intracerebral haematoma in basal periventricular structures of left frontal lobe extending to the whole ventricular system. Apart from the above, most prominent finding was bilateral bronchopneumonia. The cause of death was attributed to bronchopneumonia following the brain trauma, manner of death ruled as violent.

Conclusion

Although majority of the patients suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis or NP recover well after the endoscopic surgery, the possibility of undesirable outcome must not be ignored. This case calls for assessment of potential medical liability caused by malpractice. Having in mind rather high prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis and NP, legal aspects of postoperative death should be carefully analyzed.     

Common Foreign and Security Policy Alignment in the Southern Caucasus: Convergence, ‘Pick and Choose’ or Indifference?

This article examines the issue of Common Foreign and Security Policy alignment—a procedure by which governments from the European Union's neighbourhood may support previously adopted Common Foreign and Security Policy documents. It provides a comparative theory test of Common Foreign and Security Policy alignment in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. In doing so it seeks to elucidate why they engage in alignment as well as how cross-country and cross-issue variance can be theorised. After reviewing the explanatory potential of power-based and sociological institutionalist theory, domestic variables are assessed. The essay shows that, contrary to frequently expressed assumptions, convergence is even possible in less institutionalised high politics fields. But it emphasises that it is largely conditioned by domestic institutional configurations, the preferences of individual or collective actors and overall state gains.     

Adolescent Parents and Their Children: A Multifaceted Approach to Prevention of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)

Childhood experiences can have long-term effects. Research shows that children who undergo adverse childhood experiences (ACE) often have negative health and mental health outcomes later in life. Children of adolescent parents with high ACE Scores are at greater risk of ACE. As such, an intergenerational approach to preventing ACE is proposed in this article, addressing the needs of both the adolescent parent and their children. A review of the literature indicates that a public health perspective can guide the development of a prevention model aimed at reducing the effects of ACE. The current article proposes a universal, multifaceted, and interdisciplinary prevention science model that has two targets: adolescent parents and their children. Schools and early childhood programs can be mobilized to offer community prevention strategies across realms to include the individual, community, provider, coalitions/networks, organizational practices, and policy/legislation.