Objective：An actual-condition survey was conducted to verify the validity of reference values of higher brain function necessary for patients with brain injury to resume automobile driving.　Subjects：Of the 74 patients admitted to the Tokyo Metropolitan Rehabilitation Hospital between November 1, 2008 and November 30, 2012, who underwent evaluation using the hospital's automobile driving resumption system at the time of discharge, 71 patients with brain injury who were judged capable of resuming driving were included in this study. Methods：Questionnaires were sent at least 1 year after discharge, to determine whether the subjects had actually resumed automobile driving. Subjects were classified by admission date into two groups：1）A provisional reference group that included patients admitted between November 2008 and November 2011 who had resumed driving；and 2) verification group that included patients who had been admitted between December 2011 and November 2012 and had resumed driving. The relationship between results on the higher brain function test for the verification group and provisional reference values was investigated. Results：The provisional reference value group included 29 patients, and the verification group included 13 patients. In the verification group, the results of 9 patients with brain injury on the higher brain function test were within provisional reference values. Conclusion：The results of the paper-based test are a reliable predictor of whether a patient is capable of resuming driving, but do not represent an absolute standard. Therefore, the safety of resuming driving should be investigated on a case-by-case basis.

We analyzed inadvertent human errors during 3-day trial examinations for the National Examination for Physicians. Sixth-year medical students sat for 2 different examinations consisting of 500 multiple-choice questions and chose either 1 or 2 correct answers. After the first examination, the students verified their errors and were provided with educational guidance to prevent inadvertent errors.1) More than half of the students made inadvertent errors during the examination.2)The errors occurred when the students solved questions or marked the answer sheets.3) Most of errors were either the selection of the wrong number of answer options (i.e., a 2-choice selection was required, but only 1 choice was selected) or the selection of choices that differed from the intended choices when the answer sheets were marked.4) After the students were taught how to avoid errors, the mean number of errors per examination per student decreased significantly from 2.1 to 1.0.5) To our knowledge, this is the first report to show the educational effectiveness of a method to decrease the rate of inadvertent errors during examinations.

Objective : We conducted a fact-finding survey for the consecutive past 3 years to establish whether inpatients with brain injury who had wished to resume driving after discharge from our hospital had in fact resumed driving after discharge. The survey included both driving status and information about collisions. Methods : Patients who had been evaluated for resumption of driving and were discharged more than 1 year ago were sent a fact-finding survey questionnaire aimed at establishing whether they were currently driving. The patients who had resumed driving (resumers) were compared with those who had not resumed driving (non-resumers). From the questionnaire results we investigated driving status and whether collisions had occurred. Results : We obtained effective responses from 40 of the 54 people (48 males, 6 females) who were sent the questionnaire ; the collection rate was 74.1%. Of these, twenty-nine people had resumed driving, all were male. There were no significant differences between the resumers and non-resumers in higher brain function tests. In regard to driving ability, hemiparesis impairments were significantly milder in the resumers than in the non-resumers. Two respondents had hit posts or walls within the year. All these collisions occurred when parking. One respondent had a collision while driving along a road. Conclusion : We hope to provide patients with useful and appropriate information on resuming driving so that we can support them in a safe return to the driving environment.

BACKGROUND: A Japanese woman in her early twenties had committed suicide, jumped from a 25-meter high bridge into a lake. She had been suffering from severe dysmenorrhea and general fatigue monthly. RESULTS: A forensic autopsy revealed indications of a bicorporeal uterus, obstructed hemi-vagina, and ipsilateral renal agenesis, which lead to a diagnosis of obstructed hemi-vagina and ipsilateral renal anomaly (OHVIRA) syndrome. On the right side of the uterus, an enclosed cavity composed of black clots was observed. Histological findings suggested that her endometrium was in the early proliferative phase, implying that she was in the menstrual phase just before her death. She may have been suffering from severe lower abdominal pain from the increased pressure of the closed uterus cavity. CONCLUSIONS This case indicates that dysmenorrhea from undiagnosed OHVIRA syndrome can possibly lead to a suicide attempt. In Japan, because suicide was the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 39 in 2019, preventive measures for suicide should be promoted. The present case also suggests that intervention for dysmenorrhea may prevent this in adolescent woman.
Adult ; Causality ; Dysmenorrhea/etiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney ; Syndrome ; Vagina ; Young Adult

In Japan, because the most common site of drowning among patients with epilepsy is the bathtub, showering is generally recommended as an alternative to bathing. We herein report a case involving a female patient with epilepsy who drowned while showering. She had been diagnosed with epilepsy approximately 25 years previously, and her condition had progressed to refractory epilepsy. Carbamazepine, levetiracetam, lamotrigine, clobazam, and perampanel were prescribed daily. One day while showering, the patient was found lying with her face immersed in water that had accumulated on the floor of the bathtub. A forensic autopsy revealed water in the stomach, trachea, and proximal regions of both lung bronchi as well as white and red foam on the pharynx and larynx. A total of 1.9 μg/mL of lamotrigine, 0.14 μg/mL of carbamazepine, and 0.069 μg/mL of perampanel were detected in the patient's blood. The patient's cause of death was determined to be drowning due to an epileptic seizure. Although the patient was prescribed five types of antiepileptic medication, only three were detected in her blood. The current case demonstrates that drowning can occur while showering, suggesting that it is unsafe for patients with medication nonadherence. To prevent unintentional deaths in the bathroom, we recommend that patients with epilepsy maintain high adherence to all prescriptions and are supervised by a family member, even when showering. The current case is the first autopsy report of a patient with epilepsy who drowned while showering.
Adult ; Anticonvulsants ; blood ; therapeutic use ; Autopsy ; Drowning ; etiology ; pathology ; Drug Resistant Epilepsy ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Japan ; Medication Adherence

PURPOSESeatbelt use during pregnancy is important to improve maternal and fetal survival after motor vehicle collisions. However, because the rear seatbelt of a motor vehicle tends to make contact with the neck, even if it is adequately used, some pregnant women sitting in the rear seat opt not to fasten the belt. The purpose of this study is to explore seatbelt-neck contact for pregnant women sitting in the rear seat of a motor vehicle.

METHODSWe carried out an anthropometric study. Japanese women who were ≥30 weeks pregnant (n = 12) sat in the left side of the rear seat of a typical mid-size passenger sedan and fastened the seatbelt. Seating posture was investigated by measuring the coordinates of the anthropometric data points of the pregnant women (head, shoulder, hip joint, and knee joint). The belt path was analyzed by measuring the clearance between the belt and the sternum or navel.

RESULTSAmong the 12 pregnant women at 33.9 week ± 3.3 week gestation, the shoulder belt deviated to the right side and subsequently contacted to the neck in four pregnant women (Contact group). The height of the Contact group was significantly shorter than that of Non-contact group (152.3 cm ± 3.0 cm vs. 159.0 cm ± 3.3 cm, p = 0.008). Regarding the relative position of the seatbelt to the subject's body, the distances from the top of the sternum to the center of the shoulder belt were significantly shorter in Contact group (3.9 cm ± 3.5 cm) than that in the Non-contact group (8.0 cm ± 1.6 cm, p = 0.03). However, no significant difference was found for the distance from the umbilicus to the center of the lap belt.

CONCLUSIONOur findings show that because of short height and late term of pregnancy with protrusion of the abdomen, the shoulder belt deviates to the right or left, avoiding the protruded uterus, and subsequently makes contact with the neck. Seatbelt systems for rear seats need to be developed to improve passenger safety, especially for pregnant women.

PURPOSE: To determine the trends with fatally or otherwise injured pedestrians lying on the road and the relationship to hit-and-run incidents in Japan. METHODS: We extracted data for 2012-2016 from the records of the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis, Japan, a nationwide traffic accident database. All the injured and fatally injured pedestrians were selected. We examined the levels of pedestrian injury, vehicle speed immediately before the collision, whether or not the pedestrian was lying on the road, and hit-and-run incidents. Chi-square test was employed to make a statistical comparison between the two groups. RESULTS: The database contained data on 286,383 pedestrian casualties and 7256 fatalities; 8.3% of fatalities (602 persons) and 0.6% of casualties (1827 persons) involved pedestrians lying on the road. The rates of fatalities and severe injuries were significantly higher for pedestrians who were lying on the road than for those who were not. Hit-and-run incidents were evident in 4.0% of casualties and 7.3% of fatalities. The rate of hit-and-run cases was also significantly higher among pedestrians who were lying on the road. Among fatally injured pedestrians not lying on the road, the rates with speeds of ≥30 km/h did not differ significantly between hit-and-run and other cases. However, when the pedestrians were lying on the road, the rate was significantly increased in hit-and-run cases. CONCLUSION This is the first report to focus on pedestrians lying on the road and being involved in hit-and-run incidents. In addition to preventing hit-and-run incidents, prevention of pedestrians lying on the road could also decrease fatalities.

PURPOSE: Lengthy hospitalization places a burden on patients and healthcare resources. However, the factors affecting the length of hospital stay (LHoS) and length of emergency room stay (LERS) in non-fatal bicycle accidents are currently unclear. We investigated these factors to inform efforts to minimize hospitalization. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of data from non-fatal injured bicyclists admitted to the Emergency and Critical Care Center at Kyoto Medical Center between January 2012 and December 2016. We measured LHoS, LERS, mechanism of injury, head injury prevalence, polytrauma, operations performed, injury severity score (ISS), abbreviated injury scale (AIS) score, maximum AIS score, and trauma and injury severity score probability of survival. We conducted multiple regression analysis to determine predictors of LHoS and LERS. RESULTS: Within the study period, 82 victims met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included. Mean age was (46.0 ± 24.7) years. Overall mean LHoS was (16.8 ± 25.2) days, mean LERS was (10.6 ± 14.7) days, median ISS was 9 (interquartile range (IQR): 3-16), median maximum AIS was 3 (IQR: 1-4), and median trauma and injury severity score probability of survival was 98.0% (IQR: 95.5%-99.6%). Age, maximum AIS, ISS, and prevalence of surgery were significantly greater in long LHoS and LERS group compared with short LHoS and LERS group (p < 0.05). Performance of surgery independently explained LHoS (p = 0.0003) and ISS independently explained LERS (p = 0.0009). CONCLUSION Surgery was associated with long hospital stays and ISS was associated with long emergency room stays. To improve the quality life of the bicyclists, preventive measures for reducing injury severity or avoiding injuries needing operation are required.