Long-Term Survival in Traumatic Brain Injury and Near-Death Experience Increases Suicide Risks: A Personal Experience and Related Literature

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a cause of lifelong disability, death, and suicide worldwide. TBI-induced near-death experience (NDE) could increase suicide risks. Objective: We investigated TBI coupled with NDE and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a possible indicator of suicide. Methods: A 17-year-old male who sustained an acute severe TBI in a traffic collision, was comatose 14 days, had an NDE awakening from the coma, and, years after rehabilitation, suffered PTSD, clinical depression, and survived a suicide attempt. This personal experience of a TBI-induced NDE and lingering PTSD was acquired directly from the patient by interview. We discuss his case while considering relevant literature. Results: Longitudinal data from 1961 to 2021 generated from the PubMed interface revealed 4056 TBI patients committed suicide. NDE was only reported in one of those cases and, although not a suicide, in the personal experience. Neuropsychological assessment at long-term follow-ups revealed few TBI patients exhibited normal mental/physical functions compared to the general population. Unfavorable GOS scores were risk predictors for neuropsychological/physical impairments later in life, with outcomes of depression, PTSD, poor QOL, and/or suicide. Conclusions: For TBI-NDE survivors, including those with PTSD, long-term periodic neuropsychological follow-ups and psychosocial support may help decrease suicide risks.

Generation of electromotive force in igneous rocks subjected to non-uniform loading

When one end of an air-dry igneous rock block was uniaxially loaded in laboratory, there appeared an electromotive force that made electric currents flow from the stressed volume to the unstressed volume. Quartz-free rocks such as gabbro also generated this force, stronger than quartz-bearing rocks such as granite. This indicates that the piezoelectric effect of quartz and the electrokinetic effect of pore water do not make a large contribution toward generating the electromotive force. We focus on peroxy bond that is one of the abundant lattice defects in igneous rock-forming minerals. When mechanical loading deforms the lattice structure around this defect and breaks its bond, its energy levels change and act like an accepter. As an electron is trapped at this defect from a neighbor 02- site, a positive hole is activated there. They attempt to diffuse toward the unstressed volume through the valence band and are simultaneously affected by the attractive electric force with the electrons trapped in peroxy bonds. This leads to a polarization in the stressed volume and the generation of electromotive force between the stressed and unstressed volumes. Similar electromotive force may be generated in the Earth＇s crust where inhomogeneous stress/strain is changing.

Arterial pulsation on a human patient simulator improved students’ pulse assessment

Even with basic cardiovascular lectures, undergraduates do not usually experience the reality of palpation and, therefore, cannot integrate their physiological knowledge. We created a pulse training scenario of human patient simulators (HPS) to recognize and assess the normal and arrhythmic pulse of the radial artery. All 25 participants were recruited as volunteers to the study from the School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University. Participants received training in radial palpation of arrhythmias on HPS. The test scenario included 10 arrhythmic pulses combined with normal pulses and weak pulses. The average examination scores significantly improved, from 23.8 ± 2.8 of the pretest to 72.9 ± 3.4 of the posttest (mean and SE, N = 25, p < 0.00001). A questionnaire and general written comments for the palpation training were positive. The palpation training improved the participants’ assessment of radial pulses.