Moose-motor vehicle collisions. An increasing hazard in northern New England

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the epidemiology and epizootiology of moose-motor vehicle collisions (MMVC) and outcomes in severely injured patients to identify variables that might be modified to reduce the impact of this mutually deleterious interspecies interaction.

DESIGN

Wildlife and Traffic Safety databases permitted retrospective, population-based assessment of MMVC epidemiology. A case series compiled from hospital trauma registries characterized morbidity and mortality from MMVC.

SETTING

New Hampshire and Maine area.

PATIENTS

All victims of MMVC (1980 through 1991) were included in population-based analyses. Twenty-three patients hospitalized at three rural trauma centers (January 1990 through June 1994) were included in the case series.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Location, time of day and seasonal occurrence of MMVC were determined. Injury patterns and Injury Severity Scores were analyzed in 23 representative patients. Maine's 1991 traffic and medical data were linked, and factors predictive of injury from MMVC were identified using multivariate logistics.

RESULTS

Most MMVC occur from April through October after dark. Of 23 subjects, 70% sustained head and/or face injuries and 26%, cervical spine injuries. Mortality was 9%. Mean Injury Severity Score was 15.7 (SD=9.0). Safety belt use, rear seat location, and light truck occupancy were associated with reduced injury (p<.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Moose-motor vehicle collisions are increasing in rural regions. Prevention programs should emphasize defensive driving and seat belt use, especially during high-risk periods. Injury patterns in MMVC suggest a need for automobile design modifications that better protect the passenger compartment form direct impact.

Follow-up study of early-life protective and risk factors in Parkinson's disease

Previous studies suggest that Parkinson's disease (PD) is negatively associated with early-life intake of vitamin E-rich foods and positively associated with rural experience. Using a new survey design, we attempted to confirm and extend these results. We gave a telephone questionnaire to 106 patients with PD and to their spouses as controls. It assessed premarital consumption of 31 foods of various vitamin E content, vitamin supplements, and exposure to rural living. Respondents rated food consumption with respect to what they perceived as the average for their sex and age at that time. We found female patients with PD less likely than spouses to have eaten "peanuts and peanut butter" (p less than .05), which are high in vitamin E. "Salad with dressing," also high in vitamin E, gave a similar result (p less than .05) for a male-predominant patient group. Separate comparison of male controls with female controls ruled out sex-related preferences as the explanation of our findings. Patients had more extensive rural experience and were more likely to have frequently sprayed pesticides (p less than .05) than had controls. Our results justify further investigations into early-life vitamin E intake, pesticides, and neurotoxins associated with rural life.

Case-control study of early life dietary factors in Parkinson's disease

Studies of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis parkinsonism dementia complex of Guam direct suspicion to a heat-labile component of vegetables found in greatest concentration in seeds. We therefore surveyed patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) regarding early adult consumption of fruits and vegetables usually eaten raw, with seeds that are swallowed or scraped with the teeth. We administered a pretested questionnaire by telephone to 81 nondemented patients with PD and to a same-sex married sibling without PD. The patients and their siblings were asked whether they or their spouse (as an internal standard) had been more likely to eat each of 17 food items between marrying and age 40 years. No item was associated with the presence of PD. Unexpectedly associated with the absence of PD were preference for nuts (odds ratio, 0.39), salad oil or dressing (pressed from seeds) (odds ratio, 0.30), and plums (odds ratio, 0.24). These three items have higher vitamin E content than the other 14 items in our questionnaire. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that vitamin E, as an antioxidant, may have prophylactic value against PD.