Penitenciary

AIM: Predict the elimination of chronic hepatitis C in Catalan prisons. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We analyzed the trend of the prevalence of HCV-RNA and anti-hepatitis C treatments prescribed in Catalonia in the period 2002-2016. Using linear exponential smoothing from the historical values in the time series, we estimate the time required to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health problem in prisons (prevalence of hepatitis C virus RNA<1%). RESULTS: A total of 1264 treatments were administered by 12/31/2016...

Carbon monoxide is a well-known toxic component in fire atmospheres. However, the importance of hydrogen cyanide as a toxic agent in fire causalities is under discussion. A tragic polyurethane mattress fire provoked death of 35 convicts in a prison (Unit I, Olmos, Penitenciary Service of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina), in 1990. There is no report of any investigation carried out with such a large amount of victims in Argentina. Carboxihemoglobin (COHb) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) were quantified in victims blood to elucidate the cause of the death...