INTRODUCTION Lightning is the second most common storm-related cause of death. The mortality following lightning strike is 10% to 30% and a large proportion of these people suffer cardiopulmonary arrest at the time of the strike. Much less commonly, solid organ injuries occur from either primary or secondary blunt force trauma. CASE PRESENTATION To the best of our knowledge, this is the first...

The vast majority of newspaper reports of lightning injury portray direct strike as the predominant mechanism. However, direct strike actually causes only a small number of the injuries. This paper will review the mechanisms of injury as well as a likely distribution between the mechanisms of injury in an attempt to dispel the myth that the majority of injuries and deaths are caused by 'direct'...

[1] Several large strike slip earthquakes have occurred in various tectonic settings in the past 5 years, adding well documented data to the global collection of moment and length estimates for such earthquakes. Based on this augmented dataset, we reexamine the controversial issue of scaling of seismic moment with length of rupture. We find that the global dataset of large strike-slip earthquak...

Mantis shrimp strike with extreme impact forces that are deadly to prey. They also strike conspecifics during territorial contests, yet theoretical and empirical findings in aggressive behaviour research suggest competitors should resolve conflicts using signals before escalating to dangerous combat. We tested how Neogonodactylus bredini uses two ritualized behaviours to resolve size-matched co...

Hunger strike is a regularly reported problem in prison. Although clinical situations are rarely severe, hospitalisation is often considered. In consequence, it is not only physicians working in prisons, but also hospital medical teams who face challenges related to hunger strike, involving somatic, psychological, legal and human rights aspects. Furthermore, deontological rules must be strictly...

Environmental philosophers spend considerable time drawing the divide between humans and the rest of nature. Some argue that humans and our actions are unnatural. Others allow that humans are natural, but maintain that humans are nevertheless distinct. The motivation for distinguishing humans from the rest of nature is the desire to determine what aspects of the environment should be preserved....

although lightning is an uncommon phenomenon in nature; it can cause many destructive incidents. in the event of a lightning strike, multiple organs particularly the cardiovascular systems are at risk of injury. short-term mortality depends on its cardiac effects. in this paper, the authors report the development of myocardial infarction and pericardial effusion after lightning injury, a typica...