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Air quality in and around ships is governed by a variety of pollution sources that are unique for the shipping context. This makes the living and working conditions on ships substantially different from situations in cities or inside buildings. To gain insight into these differences, information about trends and absolute pollutant amounts on board ships is needed. However, the installation of reference instruments to monitor NO2, NO, O3, particulate matter and other environmental parameters is often not possible because of their size, weight or because of safety reasons. For that reason, more compact devices incorporating a variety of sensors are a good alternative. However, the use of such sensors is only possible when their behaviour and performance in a shipping context are well understood. To study this context, we were allowed to compare sensor-based measurements performed on a 36-year old ship dedicated to near shore operations with measurements of reference-grade instruments. Additional behavioural information of sensors is obtained by measuring campaigns organized on several inland ships. This contribution demonstrates that trends registered by gas and particulate matter sensors are reliable but that insufficient detection limits, higher noise, imperfect calibration and sensor errors result in some reliability constraints.

This contribution shows the possibilities of applying a low-cost, multi-purpose data logger built around an Arduino Mega 2560 single-board computer. Most projects use this kind of hardware to develop single-purpose data loggers. In this work, a data logger with a more general hardware and software architecture was built to perform measurement campaigns in very different domains. The wide applicability of this data logger was demonstrated with short-term monitoring campaigns in relation to outdoor air quality, human activity in an office, motion of a journey on a bike, and exhaust gas monitoring of a diesel generator. In addition, an assessment process and corresponding evaluation framework are proposed to assess the credibility of low-cost scientific devices built in-house. The experiences acquired during the development of the system and the short measurement campaigns were used as inputs in the assessment process. The assessment showed that the system scores positively on most product-related targets. However, unexpected events affect the assessment over the longer term. This makes the development of low-cost scientific devices harder than expected. To assure stability and long-term performance of this type of design, continuous evaluation and regular engineering corrections are needed throughout longer testing periods.

Aims Cardiovascular complications, including myocarditis, are observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Major cardiac involvement is a potentially lethal feature in severe cases. We sought to describe the underlying pathophysiological mechanism in COVID‐19 lethal cardiogenic shock. Methods and results We report on a 48‐year‐old male COVID‐19 patient with cardiogenic shock; despite extracorporeal life support, dialysis, and massive pharmacological support, this rescue therapy was not successful. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA was detected at autopsy in the lungs and myocardium. Histopathological examination revealed diffuse alveolar damage, proliferation of type II pneumocytes, lymphocytes in the lung interstitium, and pulmonary microemboli. Moreover, patchy muscular, sometimes perivascular, interstitial mononuclear inflammatory infiltrates, dominated by lymphocytes, were seen in the cardiac tissue. The lymphocytes ‘interlocked’ the myocytes, resulting in myocyte degeneration and necrosis. Predominantly, T‐cell lymphocytes with a CD4:CD8 ratio of 1.7 infiltrated the interstitial myocardium, reflecting true myocarditis. The myocardial tissue was examined for markers of ferroptosis, an iron‐catalysed form of regulated cell death that occurs through excessive peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Immunohistochemical staining with E06, a monoclonal antibody binding to oxidized phosphatidylcholine (reflecting lipid peroxidation during ferroptosis), was positive in morphologically degenerating and necrotic cardiomyocytes adjacent to the infiltrate of lymphocytes, near arteries, in the epicardium and myocardium. A similar ferroptosis signature was present in the myocardium of a COVID‐19 subject without myocarditis. In a case of sudden death due to viral myocarditis of unknown aetiology, however, immunohistochemical staining with E06 was negative. The renal proximal tubuli stained positively for E06 and also hydroxynonenal (4‐HNE), a reactive breakdown product of the lipid peroxides that execute ferroptosis. In the case of myocarditis of other aetiology, the renal tissue displayed no positivity for E06 or 4‐HNE. Conclusions The findings in this case are unique as this is the first report on accumulated oxidized phospholipids (or their breakdown products) in myocardial and renal tissue in COVID‐19. This highlights ferroptosis, proposed to detrimentally contribute to some forms of ischaemia–reperfusion injury, as a detrimental factor in COVID‐19 cardiac damage and multiple organ failure.

Low-cost sensors provide an affordable alternative to monitor environmental parameters with acceptable performance. There is a substantial amount of literature where low-cost sensors are compared with high-end reference measurements. However, not all organizations have access to such reference infrastructure. We propose low-cost calibration methods for temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 to allow them to collect their own reliable data. These methods are based on simple techniques and procedures that allow temperature calibration to be achieved in the range of 0 to 50 °C, relative humidity from 0 to 90%, and CO2 between 0 and 1100 ppm. The materials used to create the calibration setups can be purchased online, at hardware stores, and in pharmacies. The reliability of the calibration methods was evaluated using several indicators, such as the airtightness of the calibration box, similarity with the factory calibration, similarity with the reference, similarity between different sensors, replicability of the calibration method, and the similarity with a golden standard. In addition, the results of the low-cost calibration methods were compared with the more advanced calibration methods. A short measurement campaign in the city of Santa Clara, Cuba, demonstrated that such calibrations transform in-house developed monitoring systems into valid low-cost scientific instruments for decision-making. This work creates opportunities for institutions and researchers hosted in low- and mid-income countries to build and validate their own equipment to reliably solve local problems.

Bladder toxicity associated with high-dose recreational ketamine use, is well-documented. However, the upper tract merits more attention because hydronephrosis may not solely stem from impaired bladder compliance and vesicoureteral reflux. We report an autopsy case of a 28-year-old man with extensive upper tract pathology, indicating that the direct effects of ketamine and its metabolites extend beyond the bladder. Urothelial denudation, chronic transmural inflammation, ureteric fibrosis, interstitial nephritis, and papillary necrosis in the kidney were observed. Our findings underscore the importance of assessing ureteral integrity before bladder surgery given that unrecognized strictures may complicate reconstructive procedures and lead to kidney failure.

In the Western world, the SO2 concentration in ambient air dropped to low levels, but some emission sources (e.g., merchant ships) and some regions (e.g., low-income countries) still emit substantial amounts of SO2. At those locations, SO2 monitoring is critical. However, low-income countries do not have much access to expensive reference instruments. Low-cost gas sensors might be an alternative, but it is unclear how reliable such measurements are. To evaluate the performance of the low-cost alternative, the same SO2 gas sensor has been subjected to three different calibration methods: (1) low-cost calibration performed in the tropical climate of Cuba; (2) high-end calibration performed in Belgium; (3) a field calibration at an air quality measuring station in Belgium. The first two methods showed similar trends, suggesting that the gas sensor can be calibrated with a low-cost method. The field calibration was hampered by the low SO2 concentrations. For the monitoring campaign in Cienfuegos, Cuba, the low-cost SO2 sensor calibrated by the low-cost method appeared to be sufficiently reliable. The reliability of the sensor increases with the increase in SO2 concentration, so it can be used in Cuba instead of Belgium.

Purpose The aim of this study is to evaluate whether previously reported post-mortem CT findings in drowning can reliably distinguish drowning from asphyxiation by any other manner. Materials and methods Cases ( n  = 14) were corpses with cause of death determined as drowning by concordant autopsy findings and physical and circumstantial evidence. Controls ( n  = 11) were corpses in which the cause of death was defined as asphyxiation by any other manner than submersion in a liquid. Images were evaluated for the presence of fluid in paranasal sinuses, mastoid air cells and lower airways, frothy foam in the upper airways, ground-glass opacity of the lung parenchyma, the height of the right hemi-diaphragm, the interpulmonary distance at the level of the aortic valve, the mean density of intracardiac blood, and gastric and esophageal contents. Descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact test, and Student’s t test were used when appropriate. Results Only the height of the right hemi-diaphragm differed significantly ( p  = 0.045) between cases (mean 5.4) and controls (mean 4.3). Other findings were not significantly different between both groups. Conclusion Our results indicate that it is not possible to reliably distinguish drowning from non-drowning asphyxiation on CT, because many findings in drowning were also present in non-drowning asphyxiation. CT indicators for drowning as the cause of death should therefore be defined with great caution, keeping in mind that they are not specific to only a single cause of death.

Indoor air quality on board a 36-year-old ship has been characterized at several locations. The ship is dedicated to nearshore operations at the Belgian coast. This paper presents time-averaged and continuous-time measurements of several indoor pollutant concentrations such as NO2, O3, NO, CO, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10, black carbon, and individual organic compounds. Time-averaged measurements suggest that the ship’s indoor air quality is sufficiently safe according to the prescribed occupational and nonoccupational health limits. However, the concentration of some indoor pollutants is comparable to that of the outdoor air of a large city such as Brussels, Belgium. Continuous-time analyses show that the temporal trends of indoor pollutant concentrations are inherently unstable. A large number of peaks or valleys are observed on a slowly fluctuating background. At some occasions, pollutant concentrations exceed the nonoccupational thresholds. Several pollutant peaks occur simultaneously, resulting in a pattern of peaks that is typical for a pollution source (e.g., exhaust gases entering the ship’s castle through the ventilation inlet, human presence, and bunkering). This study illustrates that multiparameter monitoring campaigns give valuable information about the behaviour of pollution sources, facilitating the definition of mitigation actions.

Forensic pathology increasingly uses postmortem magnetic resonance imaging (PMMRI), particularly in pediatric cases. It should be noted that each (sudden and unexpected) death of an infant or child should have a forensic approach as well. Current postmortem imaging protocols do not focus adequately on forensic queries. First, it is important to demonstrate or rule out bleeding, especially in the brain. Thus, when incorporating PMMRI, a blood sensitive sequence (T2* and/or susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI)) should always be included. Secondly, as intracranial air might mimic small focal intracerebral hemorrhages, PMMRI should be preceded by postmortem CT (PMCT) since air is easily recognizable on CT. This will be illustrated by a case of a deceased 3-week-old baby. Finally, note that postmortem scans will often be interpreted by clinical radiologists, sometimes with no specific training, which makes this case report relevant for a broader audience.

A foundational principle of Military Forensic Medicine is the systematic study of bodily harm—both physical and psychological—sustained in military contexts, with the aim of improving preparedness and protection of personnel operating in hostile environments. [...]of the adopted model, Military Forensic Medicine remains a niche discipline at the intersection of forensic and military medicine, with expertise concentrated in a small number of specialists. [...]we strongly advocate for the establishment of an international ‘society’ for Military Forensic Medicine serving as a scientific body while seeking the endorsement and support of NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) Surgeons General. Ballistic trauma analysis of 212 victims recovered from 6 mass graves in the former Yugoslavia.