Suicides by jumping from Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul

Suicide methods may differ widely. One of these methods is jumping from a height. The people who choose a high bridge for jumping may be considered as a special group. In this study, we evaluated the demographic data, mortality rates and postmortem findings of individuals who jumped from the 64m high Bosphorus Bridge of Istanbul. For this purpose, we reviewed registration forms of two police centers on both sides of the bridge, court archives, and postmortem examination reports of the deceased for a period of 10 years between 1986 and 1995.During this period, 65 people had jumped from the Bosphorus Bridge of Istanbul. The mortality rate was 96.9%, as two individuals survived their suicide attempt. The male/female ratio for attempts was 15:1 (61 males, four females) in this study in contrast to the male/female ratio of 1.6:1 for all suicidal cases in Turkey. The average age of subjects was 29.2 (median: 26, range: 16-54). The frequency was highest in the 15-24 age group with a rate of 38.4%. People who jumped from the bridge were younger than other reported cases of suicide. For all methods of suicide in Turkey 53.5% of subjects are under the age of 35. However, in our study, 75.8% of individuals who committed suicide from the Bosphorus Bridge were under the age of 35. Unmarried people accounted for 56% of the individuals whose marital status was known. 20.8% of the individuals whose employment status was known were unemployed. 59% of the cases whose education was known were high school graduates. The highest rate of suicide by jumping was in 1990, and occurred during the fall and winter months, primarily between the hours of 24.00 and 06.00. The Bosphorus Bridge is forbidden to pedestrians. Arrival method to the bridge was by a taxicab in 53.3% of the cases. 91% of the recovered bodies had been discovered during the first 2 days of jumping. Positions on impact with the water were estimated according to external and internal injuries. Among the cases in which the position of impact could be assessed by external and internal injury patterns, combined lateral and horizontal positions were most common.     

The impact of South Africa's new constitution on the organization of health services in the post-apartheid era

This essay evaluates the transformation of the health care system in South Africa in the five years following the end of apartheid. This period has witnessed dramatic and wide-ranging changes in the roles of the central and provincial governments as well as many of the same problems related to decentralization as have been seen elsewhere in the world. The importance of effective intergovernmental relations to the creation of a national health system is highlighted. Negotiation. contracting, and coordination skills and mechanisms need to be strengthened to ensure a more effective national health system within a decentralized political system.     

Two cases of right ventricular ischemic injury due to massive pulmonary embolism

In general, massive pulmonary embolism induces severe right ventricular overload, but pathological changes in the right ventricle due to pulmonary embolism is rarely seen. In this report, we describe two autopsy cases of massive pulmonary embolism without pre-existing cardiopulmonary disease. Both cases were accompanied by myocarditis-like changes in the right ventricle and infiltration of a number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils and mononuclear cells into the dilated right ventricular wall. Transmural or subendocardial coagulation necrosis was not apparent. Almost all of the mononuclear cells were immunohistochemically revealed to be CD68-positive macrophages. We speculated that these findings resulted from ischemia due to massive pulmonary embolism.     

Body Dissatisfaction and Physical Development Among Ethnic Minority Adolescents

The present study examined the association between body dissatisfaction and adjustment, and the role physical development plays in this association, in an ethnically diverse sample of over 1100 urban, ninth grade boys and girls (M age = 14). More similarities than differences were found across ethnic groups: Caucasian, African American, Latino, Asian, and multiethnic boys reported similar areas of body dissatisfaction, levels of body dissatisfaction, and associations between body dissatisfaction and psychosocial maladjustment. For girls, only mean level differences were found with African American girls reporting lower levels of body dissatisfaction than girls from other ethnic backgrounds. Higher levels of body dissatisfaction predicted more psychological and social maladjustment for both boys and girls. For boys, faster development predicted stronger associations between feeling overweight and peer victimization. Feeling too small only predicted victimization if boys were actually low in physical development. For girls, physical development directly predicted less peer victimization, while perceived faster development predicted more victimization. Thus, it appears that physical development can protect both girls (directly) and boys (buffering against the negative effects of body dissatisfaction) from peer victimization, whereas perceived faster timing of development can exacerbate peer victimization.Adrienne Nishina conducted this research as an NIH postdoctoral fellow in the UCLA Department of Education. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human and Community Development at UC Davis. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from UCLA. Her major research interests include mental health in schools, adolescent peer relations, and ethnic diversity.Natalie Y. Ammon is a graduate student in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas, Austin. Her major research interests are at-risk youth and academic achievement.Amy D. Bellmore is an American Psychological Association/Institute of Educational Sciences Postdoctoral Education Research Training fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Connecticut. Her research interests include peer-directed aggression, ethnicity and ethnic contexts, and the development of interpersonal perception.Sandra Graham is a Professor in the Department of Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her PhD degree in educational psychology from UCLA. Her major research interests are the academic motivation and social behavior of ethnically diverse adolescents in urban schools.     

Mapping the Genome of American Political Subcultures: A Proposed Methodology and Pilot Study

The landmark work of Daniel Elazar spawned a generation of researchsuggesting that regional subcultures produce consequences forpolitical behavior, governance, and representation across theUnited States. However, little attention has been paid to directlymeasuring the degree to which citizens living in particularcommunities actually share particular value orientations thatdiffer markedly from those of citizens living in other communitiesand whether such differences are consistent with Elazar's theory.This article proposes a research program devoted to these questions,offers a methodology designed to address them, and describesa pilot study to that effect. Although Elazar's framework standsup to empirical scrutiny in some important respects, a thoroughreexamination is in order.     

大鼠闭合性脑损伤酯化银和白蛋白组织化学研究

目的 研究闭合性脑损伤立即死亡和伤后 15min至 5天的大鼠脑组织病理变化。方法 应用 HE染色法观察闭合性脑损伤的组织形态学变化。结果 伤后立即死亡组大鼠脑干、大脑和小脑大量神经元表现为皱缩 (Ⅰ型变 )和肿胀 (Ⅱ型变 ),脑干大片神经纤维波浪样变形;伤后 2～ 8h,出现神经元水肿和轴索肿胀明显;伤后 8～ 24h,出现轴索收缩球。之后,Ⅰ型变、Ⅱ型变和收缩球随存活时间延长而增多加重。伤后 4～ 5天,组织水肿减轻或消失,收缩球仍存在。酯化银染色观察,各种损伤性改变均较 H.E.染色更清晰。 ABC法,血浆 Al随伤后时间延长,从血管周围逐渐向周围扩散,并进入损伤的神经元和胶质细胞。结论 脑震荡性损伤改变呈冲击性、对冲性和向心性分布。     

心肌炎猝死者心、脾中柯萨奇 B3病毒基因的检测

目的检测病毒性心肌炎（ viral myocarditis,VMC）猝死者心、脾组织柯萨奇 B3病毒 (CVB3)基因,探索 VMC的病原学诊断方法。方法运用原位逆转录 PCR技术检测实验组（ VMC猝死, 8例）及对照组（非心性死亡, 4例）心、脾组织中的 CVB3基因。结果实验组中, 3例（第 1, 4, 7例）心肌 CVB3基因阳性, 4例（第 2, 4 , 6, 7例）脾组织 CVB3基因阳性;对照组心、脾 CVB3基因均为阴性。结论心、脾组织中 CVB3基因联合阳性可能是 VMC的重要特征;联合检测心、脾中 CVB3基因可提高 VMC的病原学诊断率。