The perioperative mortality and the positive exploration rate for high-velocity penetrating neck trauma by deployed surgeons in OIF are very comparable to those rates seen in civilian centers managing low-velocity penetrating neck trauma.

To determine the impact of interventions on the degree of warping of costal cartilage. Methods: The project was conducted at a large university animal research laboratory. The costal cartilage of eight 30-kg domestic pigs was harvested. The cartilage was cut into central and peripheral segments with a standard cutting die. Two sizes of rectangular cubes were compared. The central portions of costal cartilage were segmented and glued with octyl-2-cyanoacrylate. The shape of the cartilage was documented with both digital and film photography. The cartilage was placed into subdermal pockets on the dorsum of the pigs. The animals were killed at 4 weeks, and the cartilage was photographed. Adobe Photoshop software was used to measure the degree of warping. Statistical analysis was calculated by t test analysis. Results: A total of 115 rectangular costal cartilage blocks were treated. Large blocks warped less than small blocks (PϽ.02). Centrally cut blocks warped less than peripherally cut blocks (PϽ.03). The octyl-2-cyanoacrylate incited a significant sterile inflammatory response such that the blocks could not be accurately assessed for warpage. Conclusion: Costal cartilage can be effectively used for grafting in rhinoplasty with minimal warping if large grafts from the central portion of cartilage are used.

National seismic risk maps are an important risk mitigation tool as they can be used for the prioritization of regions within a country where retrofitting of the building stock or other risk mitigation measures should take place. The production of a seismic risk map involves the convolution of seismic hazard data, vulnerability predictions for the building stock and exposure data. The seismic risk maps produced in Italy over the past 10 years are compared in this paper with recent proposals for seismic risk maps based on state-of-the-art seismic hazard data and mechanics-based vulnerability assessment procedures. The aim of the paper is to open the discussion for the way in which future seismic risk maps could be produced, making use of the most up-to-date information in the fields of seismic hazard evaluation and vulnerability assessment.