Underutilization of occupant restraint systems in motor vehicle injury crashes: A quantitative analysis from Qatar

Introduction: Restraint systems (seat belts and airbags) are important tools that improve vehicle occupant safety during motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). We aimed to identify the pattern and impact of the utilization of passenger restraint systems on the outcomes of MVC victims in Qatar.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for all admitted patients who sustained MVC-related injuries between March 2011 and March 2014 inclusive.

Results: Out of 2,730 road traffic injury cases, 1,830 (67%) sustained MVC-related injuries, of whom 88% were young males, 70% were expatriates, and 53% were drivers. The use of seat belts and airbags was documented in 26 and 2.5% of cases, respectively. Unrestrained passengers had greater injury severity scores, longer hospital stays, and higher rates of pneumonia and mortality compared to restrained passengers (P = .001 for all). There were 311 (17%) ejected cases. Seat belt use was significantly lower and the mortality rate was 3-fold higher in the ejected group compared to the nonejected group (P = .001). The overall mortality was 8.3%. On multivariate regression analysis, predictors of not using a seat belt were being a front seat passenger, driver, or Qatari national and young age. Unrestrained males had a 3-fold increase in mortality in comparison to unrestrained females. The risk of severe injury (relative risk [RR] = 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.49–2.26, P = .001) and death (RR = 4.13, 95% CI, 2.31–7.38, P = .001) was significantly greater among unrestrained passengers.

Conclusion: The nonuse of seat belts is associated with worse outcomes during MVCs in Qatar. Our study highlights the lower rate of seat belt compliance in young car occupants that results in more severe injuries, longer hospital stays, and higher mortality rates. Therefore, we recommend more effective seat belt awareness and education campaigns, the enforcement of current seat belt laws, their extension to all vehicle occupants, and the adoption of proven interventions that will assure sustained behavioral changes toward improvements in seat belt use in Qatar.     

Door-to-door measurement of household waste arisings in selected towns in Malaysia

To establish the per capita household waste arisings, door-to-door measurement of discharged waste was carried out. Survey was done in four 2-week phases over a period of 13 months. A questionnaire survey was also carried out to obtain data on household size and other household characteristics as well as the extent of reduce and recycle activities. The results showed that there is a big variance among households on waste arisings, and that household size is an important socio-economic factor in determining per capita waste generation.     

Juvenile sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) DNA strand breaks and lipid peroxidation response following 17beta-estradiol two mode of exposures

Juvenile Dicentrarchus labrax L. (sea bass) were exposed to water diluted 17beta-estradiol (E2) (200 ng/L and 2000 ng/L) and treated with intraperitoneal (i.p) injection E2 (0.5 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) during 10 days in order to study its genotoxicity and peroxidative damage, measured as gill, blood, liver and kidney DNA integrity decrease using DNA strand breaks assay as well as liver, gill and kidney lipid peroxidation (LPO) respectively. Juvenile sea bass gill DNA integrity was significantly decreased for all E2 exposure conditions. However, no differences were detected either between different exposure routes or tested concentrations. Blood DNA integrity was significantly decreased by E2 5 mg/kg as well as by both water diluted E2 exposure conditions. The highest E2 dose (5 mg/kg) also promoted liver DNA integrity decrease. Liver and gill LPO significantly increased at the highest E2 i.p treatment. An increasing trend of gill and liver LPO, though statistically insignificant, was observed in D. labrax exposed to water diluted E2 in both tested concentrations. The current results demonstrated that DNA damage in juvenile sea bass is affected by the E2 exposure conditions, such as water diluted E2 versus i.p E2 injection since i.p E2 injection promoted higher genotoxicity effect, in terms of affected organs than water diluted E2. Moreover, the organ sensitivity to E2 was different, since gill showed more susceptibility than blood, liver and kidney. Concerning kidney LPO and DNA integrity no differences were found between treated and controls juvenile sea bass groups.     

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