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24 December 2001
We are unable to provide photocopies of any the articles and reports abstracted below. Where possible, links have been provided to the publisher of the material and contact information for the corresponding author is listed. Please consider asking your library to subscribe to the journals from which these abstracts have been gathered.
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Riot control agents: pharmacology, toxicology, biochemistry and chemistry.
Olajos EJ, Salem H. J Appl Toxicol 2001; 21(5):355-391.
Correspondence: Eugene J. Olajos, US Army, Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center, Attn: AMSSB-RRT, 5183 Blackhawk Rd, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5424, USA
The desired effect of all riot control agents is the temporary disablement of individuals by way of intense irritation of the mucous membranes and skin. Generally, riot control agents can produce acute site-specific toxicity where sensory irritation occurs. Early riot control agents, namely, chloroacetophenone (CN) and chlorodihydrophenarsazine (DM), have been replaced with 'safer' agents such as o-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) and oleoresin of capsicum (OC). Riot control agents are safe when used as intended: however, the widespread use of riot control agents raises questions and concerns regarding their health effects and safety. A large margin exists between dosages that produce harassment and dosages likely to cause adverse health effects for modern riot control agents such as CS and dibenz[b,f]1 : 4-oxazepine (CR). Yet, despite the low toxicity of modern riot control agents, these compounds are not entirely without risk. The risk of toxicity increases with higher exposure levels and prolonged exposure durations. Ocular, pulmonary and dermal injury may occur on exposure to high levels of these substances, and exposure to riot control agents in enclosed spaces may produce significant toxic effects. Reported deaths are few involving riot control agents, and then only under conditions of prolonged exposure and high concentrations. Recently, concern has focused on the deaths resulting from law enforcement use of OC, a riot control agent generally regarded as safe because it is a natural product. As with other xenobiotics, not enough is known concerning the long-term/chronic effects of riot control agents. Clearly, there is considerable need for additional research to define and delineate the biological and toxicological actions of riot control agents and to illuminate the full health consequences of these compounds as riot control agents.
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Cholesterol reduction and non-illness mortality: Meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Muldoon MF, Manuck SB, Mendelsohn AB, Kaplan JR, Belle SH. BMJ 2001; 322: 11-15.
Correspondence: Matthew F. Muldoon, 506 Old Engineering Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA (E-mail: mfm10@pitt.edu).
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between cholesterol lowering interventions and risk of death from suicide, accident, or trauma (non-illness mortality).
METHODS: : Meta-analysis of the non-illness mortality outcomes of large, randomized clinical trials of cholesterol lowering treatments. Studies reviewed: 19 out of 21 eligible trials that had data available on non-illness mortality. Interventions reviewed: Dietary modification, drug treatment, or partial ileal bypass surgery for 1-10 years. Main outcome measure: Deaths from suicides, accidents, and violence in treatment groups compared with control groups.
RESULTS: Across all trials, the odds ratio of non-illness mortality in the treated groups, relative to control groups, was 1.18 (95% confidence interval 0.91 to 1.52; P=0.20). The odds ratios were 1.28 (0.94 to 1.74; P=0.12) for primary prevention trials and 1.00 (0.65 to 1.55; P=0.98) for secondary prevention trials. Randomized clinical trials using statins did not show a treatment related rise in non-illness mortality (0.84, 0.50 to 1.41; P=0.50), whereas a trend toward increased deaths from suicide and violence was observed in trials of dietary interventions and non-statin drugs (1.32, 0.98 to 1.77; P=0.06). No relation was found between the magnitude of cholesterol reduction and non-illness mortality (P=0.23).
CONCLUSIONS: Currently available evidence does not indicate that non-illness mortality is increased significantly by cholesterol lowering treatments. A modest increase may occur with dietary interventions and non-statin drugs.
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Cost effectiveness analysis of a smoke alarm giveaway program in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Haddix AC, Mallonee S, Waxweiller R, Douglas MR. Injury Prev 2001; 7(4): 276-281.
Correspondence: Anne C. Haddix, Department of International Health, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA (E-mail: achaddi@sph.emory.edu).
BACKGROUND: The United States has one of the highest fire-related death rates of all industrialized nations and residential fires account for an estimated 70% to 80% of these deaths. The absence of a functional smoke alarm is known to be a manor risk factor for residential fire fatalities.
OBJECTIVES: To estimate the cost effectiveness of the Lifesavers Residential Fire and Injury Prevention Program (LRFIPP), a smoke alarm giveaway program.
METHODS: A cost effectiveness analysis was conducted from the societal and health care systems perspectives. The study compared program costs with the total costs of medical treatment and productivity losses averted over a five year period. Fatal and noon-fatal residential fire related injuries prevented were estimated from surveillance data. Medical costs were obtained from chart reviews of patients with fire related injuries that occurred during the pre-intervention period.
RESULTS: During the five years post intervention, it is estimated that the LRFIPP prevented 20 fatal and 24 nonfatal injuries. From the societal perspective, the total discounted cost of the program was $531,000. Total discounted new savings exceeded $15 million. From the health care system perspective, the total discounted net savings were almost $1 million and would have a net saving even if program effectiveness was reduced by 64%.
CONCLUSIONS: The program was effective in reducing fatal and non-fatal residential fire related injuries and was cost saving. Similar programs in other high risk areas would be good investments even if program effectiveness was lower than that achieved by the LRFIPP.
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Adolescent substance abuse and suicide.
Rowan AB Depress Anxiety 2001; 14(3):186-191.
Correspondence: Amy B. Rowan, Treatment Research Center, 3900 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA (E-mail: rowan_a@mail.trc.upenn.edu).
BACKGROUND: Rates of adolescent suicide have increased significantly in the last five decades as have rates of adolescent substance abuse. However, the relationship between substance abuse and adolescent suicide is unclear.
OBJECTIVES: To better understand the relationship between adolescent substance abuse and suicide.
METHODS: a literature review that focused on the role of substance abuse in adolescent suicide was performed.
RESULTS: The most important risk factors for completed and attempted suicide are mental disorders (mood disorders and disruptive behavior disorders) and substance abuse. Furthermore, family history, social factors, and the presence of firearms in the home may contribute significantly to the risk for suicide.
CONCLUSIONS: More research is needed in this area particularly with regard to cultural issues, substance abuse, and suicide.
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The Cardiff sib-pair study: suicidal ideation in depressed and healthy subjects and their siblings.
Farmer A, Redman K, Harris T, Webb R, Mahmood A, Sadler S, McGuffin P. Crisis 2001; 22(2):71-73.
Correspondence: Ann Farmer, MRC SGDP Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. a.farmer@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Depression is associated with high rates of suicidal ideation, which varies in intensity from transient thoughts of wishing to be dead to the making of plans and, Finally, to attempts to kill oneself. There is limited evidence from family, twin, and adoption studies that completed suicide is familial and has a genetic etiological component. However, it is unclear whether suicidal ideation is also familial. The familiality of suicidal ideation has been examined in the subjects who participated in the Cardiff Depression Study, namely, 108 depressed probands. their nearest-aged siblings, and 105 healthy control subjects and their siblings. The study showed that 66% of depressed subjects had experienced suicidal ideation in the week prior to the interview, and that this was significantly associated with recurrent illness. Suicidal ideation was not shown to be familial. However, somewhat surprisingly, 6% of healthy, never-depressed subjects admitted to having had transient suicidal thoughts. Suicidal ideation was significantly associated with high neuroticism and psychoticism scores and severe threatening life events.
Understanding the neurobiology of suicidal behavior.
Kamali M, Oquendo MA, Mann JJ. Depress Anxiety 2001; 14(3): 164-176.
Correspondence: Maria A. Oquendo, Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, New York 10032, USA (E-mail: mao4@columbia.edu).
BACKGROUND: Our current knowledge about the neurobiology of suicide is still limited. Technical limitations and the complexity of the CNS are major obstacles.
OBJECTIVES: To examine the literature on the neurobiology of suicidal behavior.
METHODS: Literature review.
RESULTS: There is evidence for a hereditary disposition to suicide, which appears to be independent of diagnosis. Clinical, postmortem, genetic, and animal studies suggest that serotonin has a central role. The main regions of interest in the CNS have been the dorsal and median raphe nuclei in the midbrain that host the main serotonergic cell bodies and the prefrontal cortex, particularly the ventral PFC, innervated by the serotonergic system. In vivo and postmortem studies indicate serotonergic hypofunction in suicide and serious suicide attempts. This deficiency in turn can lead to a predisposition to impulsive and aggressive behavior, probably due to a breakdown in the inhibitory function of the ventral prefrontal cortex as a result of less serotonin input. In the context of this predisposition and the development of mental illness or other life stressors, the individual is at risk of acting on suicidal thoughts. Such deficient serotonin input into the PFC may arise as a result of genetic, parenting, head injury, and other effects. Identifying psychiatric, social, and environmental predictors of suicide are studied to improve prediction and prevention of suicide.
CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of the neurobiology of suicide can help detect at risk populations and help develop better treatment interventions.
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A diary study of the risk perceptions of road users.
Joshi MS, Senior V, Smith GP. Health Risk Soc 2001 Vol 3(3): 261-279.
Correspondence: Mary Sessions Joshi, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK (E-mail: msissons-joshi@brookes.ac.uk).
OBJECTIVES: To identify the occurrence of incidents and near-misses during daily journeys and to describe the perceptions of those incidents by road users.
METHODS: Employing an in situ diary, 291 road users (males and females, mean age 41.57 yrs) in Oxford (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, car and bus drivers) recorded details of journeys made during 1 week and noted incidents and near-misses which occurred on these journeys.
RESULTS: On average, pedestrians and cyclists reported 0.18 incidents per mile travelled and motorcyclists, car and bus drivers reported 0.02 incidents per mile travelled. Analysis revealed mutual conflict between cyclists and buses, and irritation on behalf of pedestrians towards cyclists on pavements. Only 35% of incidents involving cyclists occurred at junctions and the paper discusses likely reasons for the discrepancy between this and the usual two-thirds figure quoted in official accident records.
CONCLUSIONS: While the rate of incident perception reflected the vulnerability of pedestrians and cyclists, the amount of distress experienced did not, as bus drivers rated more of their incidents as distressing than did any other group. When incident reporting was compared to accident figures, the data suggest that car drivers were paying more attention to near-misses with the less vulnerable road users (those who could harm them) than they were to near-misses with more vulnerable road users (those whom they could harm).
The effect of cellular phone use on driving performance.
Ishida T, Matsuura T. IATSS Res 2001; 25(2) 6-14.
Correspondence: Toshiro Ishida, School of Human Sciences, Waseda University, 1-104 Totsukamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8050, JAPAN.
Many experiments using driving simulators or real roads have shown that using a cellular phone while driving may cause an accident because it delays visual information processing by the driver. In this research, we examined the influence on driving performance of cellular phone use on a course that simulated streets. Driving conditions were driving only, listening to the car radio, hands-free cellular phone use and using a cellular phone with the left hand. Driving performance measurements included braking response time to the brake lights of a preceding car, eye movement, distance from the vehicle in front and lane observance. The subjects were 50 drivers, including ten driving instructors.
The mean glance duration when manipulating a cellular phone was longer than when manipulating a hands-free set or car stereo. Braking reaction delay time increased in the following order: driving only, car radio, hands-free and, longest of all, cellular phone. When the cellular phone was used, car speed was slowest, and the distance from the vehicle in front became the longest. Glance duration other than to the front, indicating divided attention, was shortest during the cellular phone use and there were also fewer instances of eye movement. In the case of cellular phone use, stable driving appeared to be more difficult, as there was substantial steering wheel deflection.
@In this experiment, it was confirmed that use of a hands-free set is effective to some extent, but driving performance was poorer than with driving only. Even though different forms of in-vehicle information apparatus were used, a delay in information processing was consistently found. -
Visual distraction while driving: Trends in research and standardization.
Ito H, Uno H, Atsumi B, Akamatsu M. IATSS Res 2001; 25(2) 20-28.
Correspondence: Hajime Ito, Yazaki Meter Company, General Transportation Systems Development Division, 17th Floor Mita Kokusai Building 4-28, Mita, 1-chome, Minato-ku Tokyo, 108-8333, JAPAN.
One of the problems brought into focus by the development of navigation and other ITS devices is that the operation of such devices draws the driver's eye from the visual field where it belongs while driving and creates a visual distraction that may impede safety.
The article provides background information and summarizes worldwide trends in research on accident rates, the special characteristics of visual behavior and the effects of visual distraction on drivers and vehicle behavior. It also reports on the state of ISO standardization efforts and related technological trends. Finally, it defines a number of topics for future research in the field of human engineering.
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National attitudes concerning gun carrying in the United States.
Hemmenway D, Azrael D, Miller M. Injury Prev 2001; 7(4): 282-285.
Correspondence: David Hemmenway, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. (E-mail hemmenway@hsph.harvard.edu).
BACKGROUND: The United States has the highest rates of gun ownership in the developed world, and also the highest rates of gun homicide. Between 1985 and 1996, 28 states significantly eased restrictions on concealed gun carrying by private citizens.
OBJECTIVES: To determine public attitudes in the United States concerning gun carrying.
METHODS: National random digit dial telephone surveys conducted in 1996 and 1999 asked questions concerning the public's feelings of safety as more people in their community carry firearms, and whether, in the language of the question, respondents believe "regular" citizens should be allowed to carry guns into public or government buildings.
RESULTS: Americans feel less safe rather than more safe as more people in their community begin to carry guns. By margins of at least nine to one, Americans do not believe that "regular" citizens should be allowed to bring their guns into restaurants, college campuses, sports stadiums, bars, hospitals, or government buildings.
CONCLUSIONS: The public believes that increased gun carrying by others reduces rather than increases their safety. Overwhelmingly, the public believes that in many venues gun carrying should be prohibited.
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