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Background Self-immolation, as a method of suicide, is one of the most violent and extreme ways which is usually attempted by the ignition of inflammable materials, with more than 70% fatality rate. In the literature, Iran has been reported to have a high rate of self-immolation; therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and epidemiological features of self-immolated patients. Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional multicenter study, data from burn patients from 2007 till 2017 due to self-immolation and suicide were enrolled in our study. Results Based on our data, 657 out of 3530 burn patients (18.6%) with a mean age of 31.15 (SD = 0.452) were documented as suicidal attempts; the majority were female (63.2%) and married (66.3%). Most of the patients were from rural areas (58.3%) with an education level of under diploma (63.2%). Of the patients in our study, 22 (8.7%) had comorbid systemic diseases and 115 (50.5%) had psychiatric disorders. Conclusion Due to the high prevalence of suicide by self-immolation among the Iranian population, further studies to evaluate the risk factors and clarify the high-risk group for more targeted approaches are recommended.

•Complex suicides involve more than one suicide method.•They must be carefully differentiated from murders.•Burned corpses represent a challenge for the forensic pathologist.•The literature concerning self-immolation in complex suicides has been reviewed.•46 cases in 22 papers were found, but very few had been studied analytically. Suicides involving more than one suicide method are termed “complex suicides” and need to be differentiated from murders. Self-immolation is the action of setting fire to oneself and is an infrequent method of suicide method in Western countries. However, burned corpses must be carefully examined because setting fire to a body after death can be a way of covering up a crime. Complex suicides involving self-immolation are rare, but careful analysis is necessary if we are to identify the manner of death. A systematic search of the literature concerning self-incineration in cases of complex suicides was carried out. This covered the age, gender and psychiatric condition of the victims, any history of previous suicide attempts, the existence of suicide notes, evidence of fire accelerants, signs of vital exposure to the fire, toxicology, the other suicide methods used in combination with burning and the characteristics of the burns. 46 cases were found in 22 papers published since 1985, but few of these studies provide any detailed analysis and in several cases many important data were missing. There is, therefore, a need to study this topic and to use an approach based on careful examination of the corpse, detailed investigation of the scene, toxicological examination and an evaluation of the victim’s physical and psychiatric state.

In the former Wolof kingdom of Waalo, Senegal, in 1820, women of the town of Ndeer burned themselves to death in defiant resistance against a coalition of Futa Muslim clerics and marauding Moors. This article looks beyond the historicity of that event and examines the process by which its commemorations, through the lens of heritage, empower modern Waalo and Senegalese women in a prelude to International Women’s Day. Observation, distance ethnography, and a textual analysis of Nder en Flammes, a play by Alioune Badara Beye, show how heritage as performance can unbury women’s heroism and represent it anew to promote gender equality and women’s social and economic empowerment. Artfully reperforming such a shocking event awakens strong emotions in participants and in particular helps mobilize resources for the town where the fatal encounter occurred. In evocative commemorations, Senegalese women draw from historical realities to assert their agency through cultural performance and heritage making in the present.

IntroductionSelf-immolation is the centuries-old act of setting fire to oneself. Recent spikes in self-immolation events have been noticed in the Arab world, specifically in the aftermath of the Arab Spring in 2011.ObjectivesTo examine the literature assessing the characteristics and patterns of suicide by self-immolation in the Arab world.MethodsWe registered our systematic review in Prospero [CRD42020207164]. We searched PubMed, Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, and Scopus databases from inception until 6 September 2021. We collected relevant articles via title and abstract screening followed by full-text screening. We then conducted a narrative synthesis of the results.ResultsWe found 31 out of 314 articles that fit our inclusion criteria: 4 qualitative and 27 quantitative cross-sectional studies. The quantitative studies had a sample size ranging from 22 to 600 self-inflicted burn victims. The studies emanated from Iraq (n=16), Tunisia (n=6), Saudi Arabia (n=2), Libya (n=2), Jordan (n=2), and Egypt, Palestine and Bahrain collectively (n=3). Studies showed that self-immolators are commonly married females, age ranging between 13 and 66 years old, having no education or solely primary education, and of low socioeconomic status. Self-immolation was more likely to happen at home, usually following marital conflicts, with the primary motive being suicide. Studies highlighted an increase of self-immolation as a form of protest. Kerosene was the most commonly used accelerant. Depression was the most comorbid mental health diagnosis.ConclusionsSelf-immolation is not uncommon in the Arab world. Specific interventions directed at the population at risk are warranted.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Antibody–drug Conjugates (ADCs) are a powerful therapeutic modality for cancer treatment. ADCs are multi-functional biologics in which a disease-targeting antibody is conjugated to an effector payload molecule via a linker. The success of currently used ADCs has been largely attributed to the development of linker systems, which allow for the targeted release of cytocidal payload drugs inside cancer cells. Many lysosomal proteases are over expressed in human cancers. They can effectively cleave a variety of peptide sequences, which can be exploited for the design of ADC linker systems. As a well-established linker, valine-citrulline-p-aminobenzyl carbamate (ValCitPABC) is used in many ADCs that are already approved or under preclinical and clinical development. Although ValCitPABC and related linkers are readily cleaved by cathepsins in the lysosome while remaining reasonably stable in human plasma, many studies have shown that they are susceptible to carboxylesterase 1C (Ces1C) in mouse and rat plasma, which hinders the preclinical evaluation of ADCs. Furthermore, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, two of the most commonly observed dose-limiting adverse effects of ADCs, are believed to result from the premature hydrolysis of ValCitPABC by human neutrophil elastase. In addition to ValCitPABC, the GGFG tetrapeptidyl-aminomethoxy linker is also cathepsin-cleavable and is used in the highly successful ADC drug, DS8201a. In addition to cathepsin-cleavable linkers, there is also growing interest in legumain-sensitive linkers for ADC development. Increasing plasma stability while maintaining lysosomal cleavability of ADC linkers is an objective of intensive current research. This review reports recent advances in the design and structure–activity relationship studies of various peptide/peptidomimetic linkers in this field.

Suicide attempts and suicides present a significant issue in modern societies. Self-immolation is a particularly stark and distressing method of taking one’s life. The aim of this article is to present the cases of three patients who committed the act of self-immolation and to analyse their mental state. The research utilised the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), along a purpose-built questionnaire. The findings showed that all three patients scored high on the GHQ-28. In terms of the PSS-10, it was noticed that two out of the three examined patients also achieved high scores. The obtained results indicate the high intensity of stress experienced by these patients. Additionally, results from the HADS showed that all patients scored above 10 on the HADS-A subscale.

In Southern and Central Asia protest suicide by self-burning is most common among women. What women in this region protest via suicidal self-burning are violations of their human rights, including their right to education, paid work, self-determination in marriage and divorce, and their right to be safe from violence. These violations are often perpetrated within the family with informal and formal enabling by the community and the state. Because the family is a primary context of women’s human rights violations, women’s protest suicide by self-burning is frequently dismissed as a private problem to be addressed via psychocentric solutions. This systematic review provides evidence that in Southern and Central Asia women’s suicide by self-burning is a political act; a culturally scripted way for women to protest systemic discrimination, abuse and violence. Southern and Central Asian women’s protest suicide by self-burning challenges the psychocentric focus of theory, research, and the prevention of women’s suicide. As a political act in response to public problems, women’s protest suicide by self-burning requires systemic analysis and solutions.

Since its introduction in 1981, the chemistry of self-immolative systems has received increasing attention in different application areas, such as analytical chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and materials science. This strategy is based on a stimulation that triggers a cascade of disassembling reactions leading to the release of smaller molecules. The particular reactivity of the nitro group, due to its powerful electron-withdrawing nature, has been exploited in the field of self-immolative chemistry. In this context, the present review describes the major role of the nitro group in self-immolative processes depending on its position.

Background Self-immolation is a traumatic method of self-harm, involving the intentional act of ending one’s life. Due to advancements in medical care, there has been an increase in the number of survivors of severe burn injuries, including self-immolation. These survivors encounter various needs throughout their hospitalization and following discharge. This study aimed to investigate the psychosocial needs of female survivors of self-immolation in Middle Eastern countries. Methods Articles were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (ISI), Cochrane Library, and the Persian SID database without time limits until March 2025. Inclusion criteria consisted of qualitative studies focusing on the psychosocial needs of women and girls’ survivors of self-immolation during hospitalization and post-discharge in Middle Eastern countries with access to the full-text article. Out of 528 articles from various databases and five from manual search, 15 articles were included in this Meta synthesis after removing duplicates. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) tool was utilized to evaluate the quality of the articles. A thematic synthesis approach guided the integration of findings from 15 qualitative studies. MAXQDA software was used for data management. Results Out of the 15 included articles, 11 were conducted in Iran and four in Iraq. Four themes and 13 subthemes were identified from the combined findings: need for psychological and spiritual support, need for financial and legal assistance, the need for a comprehensive and high-quality treatment and rehabilitation program and the need for cultural and social transformations. Female survivors, upon returning to life, grapple with lingering mental disorders such as sadness, anxiety, and depression stemming from the incident. These women need high-quality and comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation programs to heal burn-related wounds, which also requires receiving financial and legal support, as well as support from the society. Conclusion Female survivors of self-immolation face challenges in psychological, physical, care, and socio-cultural aspects. Recognizing these needs by legal authorities and health systems can help reduce the burden on survivors and their families, enhance their quality of life, and facilitate their reintegration into society.

This paper reports a novel optical chemical sensing system for selective detection of diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), a simulant of fluorine-containing nerve agents (Sarin and Soman). Contrary to the reported methods involving only single sensing probe, this sensing system is comprised of two molecular sensing probes (1 and 2) having intrinsic affinities for reactive subunits of DFP (electrophilic phosphorus and fluoride ion). On exposure to DFP, two molecular probes react in tandem with electrophilic phosphorus and fluoride ion (by-product of the initial phosphorylation reaction) to induce a unique modulation in the optical properties of the sensing system which leads to selective detection of DFP in solution as interferents like phosphorus-containing compounds, acids, and anions were unable to induce similar optical modulation due to lack of both electrophilic phosphorus and fluorine in the same molecule. Calibration curve between the amount of DFP added and the absorption intensity revealed the colorimetric detection limit of the system to be 4.50 μM which was further lowered to 2.22 μM by making use of a self-immolative fluoride sensing probe 5.