Further investigations into the speed of cerebral swelling following blunt cranial trauma

An anesthetized sheep model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been developed to assess early changes in intracranial pressure (ICP) following closed head injury. Immediately after TBI, a transient (<10 min) hypertensive response occurred, followed by significant and prolonged systemic hypotension. ICP demonstrated a biphasic response, being seven times baseline values of 8 ± 2 mm Hg 10 min after injury, decreasing to 25 ± 2 mm Hg by 30 min, and then increasing to values exceeding 30 mm Hg by 4 h postinjury. ICP was always significantly higher than baseline values, which combined with hypotension, reduced cerebral perfusion pressure to less than 60% of normal. This early and sustained increase in ICP after craniocerebral trauma acutely alters cerebral perfusion pressure and brain oxygenation and provides a potential pathophysiological explanation for immediate clinical manifestations in humans following significant TBI.     

无电流斑电击伤的研究进展

无电流斑电击伤的鉴定是法医学中的难点之一,由于缺少明显的体表痕迹,此类案件的鉴定难度较大。国内外学者采用光镜、电镜、原子吸收光谱等仪器,利用组织化学等方法,对无电流斑电击伤进行了大量的研究,笔者在此将相关研究成果进行综述,希望能够为此类案件的鉴定提供一定的依据。     

死刑案件被害人权利保护问题

在刑事司法领域,人权保障是一个内涵丰富且不断发展的制度体系。既要保障犯罪嫌疑人、被告人的合法权利,也要保障被害人的合法权利,同时注意二者平衡。1996年《刑事诉讼法》确认了被害人的诉讼主体地位,但由于缺少配套机制,导致实践中出现诸多问题。新《刑事诉讼法》在很大程度上完善了犯罪嫌疑人、被告人的诉讼权利及其保护,但较少涉及被害人的权利保护问题。与普通刑事案件相比,死刑案件给被害人造成的伤害尤为严重,应当给予特别保护。     

被害人独立诉讼主体地位的回归

原始的刑事自诉模式下,被害人为刑事诉讼的主体之一。但在漫长的中世纪,被害人陷入证人的境地,国家成为唯一的诉讼主体。当代,虽然被害人普遍地被当作刑事诉讼的当事人,但是并不具有独立的诉讼主体地位,所以传统的刑事诉讼结构一直没有被害人的一席之地。现代刑事诉讼制度应当恢复刑事被害人的诉讼主体地位,并设计相应的制度充分保障刑事被害人诉讼主体地位的实现。     

A proposed dissection procedure for vertebral arteries in forensic pathology

Vertebral artery removing constitutes a significant forensic pathology challenge. Dissection techniques during head-neck autopsy are based on anterior approach, a difficult method, which is unable to assess the transverse part of the artery. This work presents an original and simple method for dissecting vertebral arteries by a posterior approach, opening the vertebroarterial canal through the spinal canal without any special equipment. Once the spinal cord is removed, the transversarium foramens are opened by an internal cut at the pedicle and an external cut at the transverse process. This enables us to visualize vertebral arteries in its entirety. The method improves both the examination of the upper extracranial segment of the vertebral artery and the neuropathological study when arterial injury is suspected. Applying this method routinely is both feasible and useful in suspected cases of vertebral artery trauma and could contribute to assess more precisely the actual incidence of this injury.     

Gender and Injury Risk in Incidents of Assaultive Violence

This study investigates the situational characteristics that determine the presence and severity of injury in incidents of assaultive violence. The analysis uses merged data from the National Crime Victimization Survey and the Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years 1992-2008, in order to model the determinants of victim injury. The analysis includes all incidents of attempted or completed, non-sexual assault against victims 12?years of age or older. Injury severity is classified into one of four possible levels: no injury, minor injury, serious injury (requiring doctor, hospital, or emergency room care), and lethal injury. Special attention is given to the way in which gender modifies the influence of situational elements on the presence and degree of victim injury. While the results suggest that the situational determinants of injury are by and large uniform for male and female victims, important gender differences are observed in the salience of relational distance.     

Assessing the Behavior and Needs of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury in Washington State Prisons: Establishing a Foundation for Policy,Practice, and Education

Abstract

A growing awareness of justice-involved veterans is revealing how little is known about this population, to what extent they have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and how this may relate to institutional behavior, participation in programs, and use of institutional resources. The current study identifies the prevalence of incarcerated veterans in Washington State who have experienced a TBI and how a TBI history may affect their prison experience and use of prison resources. The results of our study show that incarcerated veterans in Washington State with a moderate-to-severe TBI are more likely to use medical services, commit violent infractions, be placed in maximum custody (solitary confinement), and less likely to complete vocational and job skills programs. The importance of these findings to policy and practice is discussed.     

自救还是他救：受害人的权利救济问题研究

受害人是指所有认为自己的权利受到侵害的人,受害人的权利源于自然状态中人的生存需要和人作为人的道德资格,应当首先承认每个人都有认定自己权利受到侵害的主观权利,赋予每个人确认受害人的资格和自由。在这个前提下,区分"命不好的人"、"受苦的人"和"特殊的不幸的人"才具有现实基础,也为甄别不同形式的救济理论确立了立论的基础和方向。现代权利救济理论承认受害人作为权利主体和救济主体的双重身份,它的使命在于贯彻自我救济的权利这一核心观念,从而与道德范式下的怜悯论和神学意义上的救赎学拉开了距离,以此张扬人的价值和自我救赎的世俗意义,为与一种合乎正义的社会结构相契合的善政或权利的道德提供驱动力。     

Traumatic Brain Injury among Indiana State Prisoners

Research on traumatic brain injury among inmates has focused on comparing the rate of traumatic brain injury among offenders to the general population, but also how best to screen for traumatic brain injury among this population. This study administered the short version of the Ohio State University Traumatic Brain Injury Identification Method to all male inmates admitted into Indiana state prisons were screened for a month (N = 831). Results indicate that 35.7% of the inmates reported experiencing a traumatic brain injury during their lifetime and that these inmates were more likely to have a psychiatric disorder and a prior period of incarceration than those without. Logistic regression analysis finds that a traumatic brain injury predicts the likelihood of prior incarceration net of age, race, education, and psychiatric disorder. This study suggests that brief instruments can be successfully implemented into prison screenings to help divert inmates into needed treatment.     

Observational Case Series: An Algorithm Incorporating Multidetector Computed Tomography in the Medicolegal Investigation of Human Remains after a Natural Disaster

An algorithm incorporating multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), digital radiographs, and external examination was used to triage cases for noninvasive or complete autopsy after a natural disaster. The algorithm was applied to 27 individuals who died during or soon after the earthquake that struck the Republic of Haiti on January 12, 2010. Of the 27 cases reviewed, 7 (26%) required a complete autopsy to determine cause and manner of death. In the remaining 20 (74%), cause and manner of death were determined with a reasonable degree of medical certainty after review of circumstances, an external examination, and postmortem imaging by MDCT and digital radiography (noninvasive autopsy). MDCT was particularly useful in detecting skeletal fractures caused by blunt force injury which were not evident on digital radiographs. The algorithm incorporating postmortem MDCT can be useful in the triage of human remains for autopsy after a natural disaster.