Carbon monoxide poisoning from indoor barbecues--incidents reported to the German-speaking Poison Information Centers and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin

From 2008 to the end of 2009 the Joint Poison Information Center (PIC) in Erfurt observed 7 incidents involving 17 persons (1 fatality) with signs of carbon monoxide poisoning from indoor barbecues (COFIB). To find out whether COFIB is a regional or a general phenomenon in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, all information about COFIBs recorded by the 11 German-speaking Poison Information Centers and the BfR Berlin were retrospectively analyzed for the period 2000 to 2009. In all, 60 COFIBs (accidental: 90.0 %, suicidal: 8.3%, reason unknown: 1.7%) involving 146 individuals were reported. The number of incidents increased from one case with 2 persons in 2000 to 18 cases involving 34 persons in 2009. The 146 victims (female 26.7%, male 27.4%, gender unknown 45.9%; adults 58.2%, children 24.7%, age unknown 17.1%) lived in 15 of the 16 federal states of Germany and in Switzerland. The highest number of victims was found in Bavaria (23), Brandenburg (18), and Baden-Wuerttemberg (18). The symptoms according to the Poisoning Severity Score were none to mild in 60.3%, moderate in 13.7%, severe in 11.6%, fatal in 6.9% and unratable in 7.5%. No clear correlation was found between the carboxyhemoglobin concentration and the severity of the symptoms. As a rising number of COFIBs often involving several individuals was observed from 2000 to 2009, the general public was informed about the risks of indoor barbecues.     

Postmortem noninvasive virtual autopsy: extrapleural hemorrhage after blunt thoracic trauma

A 19-year-old man speeding recklessly along a highway caused a left-frontal crash with another car. After his vehicle came to a standstill, he climbed out of the wreck and crawled across the tarmac to the other side of the road, where he died several minutes after the accident and before the arrival of an ambulance. Postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) demonstrated fractures of the first, second, and third ribs and scapula on the left, an extrapleural hemorrhage in the apical region of the left thorax, as well as a large amount of blood in the left thoracic cavity. These radiologic findings were indicative of a delayed rupture of a traumatic extrapleural hematoma into the pleural space. A traditional autopsy confirmed the very rare diagnosis of a traumatic extrapleural hemorrhage with a delayed rupture.     

Unterscheidung zwischen Geschäftsraummiete und Unternehmenspacht im Wiener Prater

Der Wiener Prater kann – jedenfalls im ma?geblichen Zeitpunkt des Abschlusses des gegenst?ndlichen Bestandvertrages – mit einem Einkaufszentrum keineswegs verglichen werden. Eher l?sst sich die historische Entwicklung des Praters als Vergnügungsgel?nde mit der einer prosperierenden Gesch?ftsstra?e gleichsetzen, w?hrend dem Betrieb eines Einkaufszentrums allenfalls vergleichbare, die Besucherfrequenz steigernde unternehmerische Initiativen der Kl offenbar erst in jüngerer Zeit ergriffen wurden. Der Umstand, dass ein Vergnügungspark typischerweise eine nicht unerhebliche Besucherfrequenz aufweist, kann zur Qualifizierung als Pachtverh?ltnis nichts beitragen, zumal dies auch auf jeden Mietvertrag über Gesch?ftsr?umlichkeiten in einer Gesch?ftsstra?e zutrifft, ohne dass sich ein einzelner Vermieter darauf berufen k?nne, einen "Kundenstock" dadurch bereitzustellen, dass er bestimmte allgemeine Aktivit?ten in der Umgebung des Bestandobjektes setzt. Für die Unterscheidung zwischen Gesch?ftsraummiete und Unternehmenspacht lassen sich keine allgemein gültigen Regeln aufstellen, sondern dies kann stets nur unter Bedachtnahme auf die Gesamtheit der Umst?nde des Einzelfalles entschieden werden.     

Zur Rechtsnatur der Gebrauchsüberlassung in Einkaufszentren

Inhaltliche Regelungen in einem Bestandvertrag, die einen Zusammenhang mit dem MRG (früher MG) herstellen, k?nnen einen wesentlichen Gesichtspunkt für die rechtliche Qualifikation eines Bestandvertrags als Miet- oder Pachtvertrag nach der Gesamtheit der Umst?nde des Einzelfalls bilden, weil in solchen nicht allein eine Rechtsvorstellung zum Ausdruck gebracht wird, sondern die Rechte und Pflichten der Vertragspartner bestimmt werden, etwa wenn bestimmte Kündigungsgründe nach dem MRG angesprochen werden. Die Vereinbarung einer Betriebspflicht darf nicht überbewertet werden und jedenfalls nicht automatisch zur Beurteilung des Vertrags als Pachtvertrag führen. Schlie?lich kann eine solche Vereinbarung auch wegen § 30 Abs 2 Z 7 und Z 13 MRG beim Mietvertrag von Bedeutung sein. Dass der Bezeichnung des Vertrags als Miete oder Pacht zumindest in Grenzf?llen Indizwirkung beizumessen ist, ist wohl überwiegende Ansicht geworden. Bei Bestandvertr?gen über Gesch?ftsr?ume, wenn das darin zu betreibende Unternehmen noch gar nicht besteht, sind die Anforderungen an die Annahme einer Unternehmenspacht strenger; verlangt wird, dass der Bestandgeber alle wesentlichen Grundlagen des künftigen Unternehmens zur Verfügung stellt. Einem "Partnervertrag" und den im Untermietvertrag statuierten Gemeinschaftsverpflichtungen kommt dagegen keine für die Typenentscheidung wesentliche Bedeutung zu, weil solche Vereinbarungen ohne weiteres auch mit Mietern geschlossen werden k?nnen.     

Rechtsfragen bei Auflösung eines Parlamentsklubs

Welche Rechtsfolgen in vermögensrechtlicher Hinsicht Platz greifen, wenn sich ein Parlamentsklub auflöst (bzw auflösen muss), erscheint bis dato kaum geklärt. Da nun aber diesen Rechtsfragen, va aufgrund von rezenten Umbrüchen in der österreichischen Parteienlandschaft, in Hinkunft durchaus auch erhebliche praktische Bedeutung zukommen kann, wird im folgenden Beitrag der Versuch unternommen, sie einer etwas eingehenderen Analyse zu unterziehen.     

New Strategies of Civil Society in China: a case study of the network governance approach

Since the turn of the millennium, a second generation of Chinese civil society organisations (CSOs) have started taking on issues such as rural migrant integration, social service provision, as well as community building. Organisations such as Beijing-based Shining Stone Community Action (SSCA) can be seen as the avant-garde of a second wave of humanistic, community-based CSOs which are willing to help improve the strained state–society relationship in the People's Republic of China (PR China). In order to advance their values and interests, civil society practitioners are willing to engage with Chinese government officials. By gaining the trust of First-in-Command (FIC) cadres they manage to introduce ideas such as the principle of subsidiarity, solidarity and reciprocity. Civil society practitioners thereby initiate open-ended processes of communication, consultation and cooperation. Such processes help promote cross-sector collaboration between Chinese civil society organisations and local government agencies. These developments signify an incremental change from government control (guanzhi) to public management (guanli) and to network governance (zhili). As a framework for the case study the authors look at strategies for the establishment of cooperative relations, focusing on steering mechanisms and process factors. In order to further understand the dynamics of cross-sector collaboration they further explore the social capital dimensions of the principle of reciprocity and trust. To evaluate outcomes and impacts of cross-sector collaboration, the authors discuss the ability of collaboration partners to produce tangible results and to innovate. The findings show that successful experiments with cross-sector collaboration not only depend on structural factors but also on the skills and strategies of the individuals and organisations involved.     

The prognostic value of the PCL-R in relation to the SUD treatment ending

Scientific research about patients with substance use disorders (SUD) treated within the context of forensic compulsory addiction treatment is seldom available. Scientifically supported surveys regarding the treatability of SUD patients are rare. Some authors claim that the Psychopathy-Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) has value for predicting therapeutic success. PCL-R scores rely on extensive interview data and a detailed review of criminal records and social history. The scores reflect 1) the affective and interpersonal psychological traits; and 2) socially deviant conduct. This study was conducted by the forensic professional clinic at the hospital for Psychiatry and Neurology Hildburghausen. We assessed 102 male patients using the PCL-R. This investigation evaluated the Total score of the PCL-R and the score of Factor 1 and Factor 2 in relation to the end of treatment by court order. The results showed significant differences between patients who completed treatment and those who did not. Patients that dropped out of treatment had a higher score in PCL-R. With the use of the PCL-R it is possible to make a quantitative statement about which patients will complete treatment.     

Application of a modified stage classification in evaluating wisdom tooth eruption in a German population

The evaluation of the eruption status of the wisdom teeth constitutes a significant component of the spectrum of dental methods available for purposes of forensic age diagnostics. In the present study, the status of wisdom tooth eruption was identified in 606 conventionally created orthopantomograms of 515 female and 91 male Germans, divided by sex and tooth, using a modified classification comprising four stages. Instead of the original stage C (gingival eruption) which cannot always be reliably identified on X-ray images of suboptimal quality, stage C of the modified classification was considered reached when the erupting wisdom tooth had reached at least half the length of the crown of the adjacent second molar, without however having yet reached the occlusal plane. The new stage classification is especially recommended for age estimation based on X-ray images in which a conclusive delimitation of the gingiva is not possible.     

Single-item predictive validity of the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START) for violent behaviour in outpatient forensic psychiatry

The single-item predictive validity of the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START) has not been thoroughly investigated, although this has great clinical relevance for the selection of treatment targets. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether the characteristic START additions of scoring strengths next to vulnerabilities and selecting key items, add incremental predictive validity. Finally, predictive validity has primarily been studied in inpatient settings and included mainly patients with a psychotic disorder. We analysed data from a mixed diagnostic sample of 195 forensic psychiatric outpatients with a 3-month and 170 patients with a 6-month follow-up period, using logistic regression analysis. The occurrence of violent or criminal behaviour was established based on the case manager’s recordings in the patient’s file. Only 5 of the 20 START items were found to have predictive validity: Impulse Control, Attitudes, Material Resources, Rule Adherence and Conduct. The last three were the only items for which incremental predictive validity was found with respect to scoring it as a strength and a vulnerability. Selection of key items did not add to the predictive validity. While possibly having therapeutic significance, the scoring of strength next to vulnerability and the selection of key items, may not be beneficial for risk assessment.