Mental Health in Prison: Integrating the Perspectives of Prison Staff.

(1) Background: The Italian Constitutional Court's decision n. 99/2019 abolished the distinction between physical and psychological health care in the Italian prison system. However, this and other changes to the penitentiary system present challenges to prison staff, which may vary based on their roles and backgrounds; (2) Purpose: To create a process of dialogue and collaboration that include different points of view, needs, and proposals regarding mental health in prisons, this study collects and integrates the perspectives of 91 prison staff who work in various capacities in eight prisons in northeast Italy. (3) Methods: Each participant was involved in either a focus group or a semi-structured interview, and thematic analysis was used to process the resulting transcripts; (3) Results: Through this process, 10 themes were derived that highlight the difficulties of working with prisoners with psychiatric disorders or psychological distress, including lack of human and economic resources, lack of positive communication between prisoners and society and a sense of professional incompetency; (4) Conclusions: Based on these themes, the need for increased points of view, dialogue, and collaboration between prison professionals and between prison and society is discussed, and the current feasibility of treating psychiatric disorders in prison is considered.

Valoración de la eficacia de teofilina anhidra en microesferas de acción prolongada en 20 pacientes asmáticos / Evaluation of the efficiency of anhydrous theophyline in extended action microspheres, in 20 asthmatic patients

Con el objeto de valorar la eficacia clínica de la teofilina anhidra en microesferas, se realizó un estudio abierto con 20 pacientes asmáticos (siete adultos y trece niños) durante 60 días. Catorce de ellos recibían teofilina anhidra en microesferas de acción prolongada, mientras que en los seis restantes era administrada de manera concomitante a otros medicamentos. En los adultos la dosis administrada fue de 15 mg/kg/día, dividida en dos tomas, la cual fue suficiente para alcanzar concentraciones séricas eficaces de entre 10 y 20 micrograma/ml. Mientras en los niños se requirió de una dosificación mayor, 17 a 18 mg/kg/día, en dos tomas. La teofilina anhidra en microesferas de acción prolongada, ya sea administrada como monoterapia o concomitante con agonistas beta-2-adrenérgicos, fue eficaz en 90% de los casos