Background: Self-harm among prisoners is a common phenomenon. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of self-injurious behavior (SIB) among Greek male prisoners, record their motives and determine independent risk factors.Methods: A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was administered to 173 male prisoners in the Chalkida prison, Greece. The questionnaire included items on self-harm/SIB, demographic parameters, childhood history, family history, physical and mental disease, lifestyle and smoking habits, alcohol dependence (CAGE questionnaire), illicit substance use, aggression (Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire [BPAQ] and Lifetime History of Aggression [LTHA]), impulsivity (Barrat Impulsivity Scale-11) and suicidal ideation (Spectrum of Suicidal Behavior Scale). Univariate nonparametric statistics and multivariate ordinal logistic regression were performed.Results: Of all the participants, 49.4% (95% CI: 41.5–57.3%) disclosed self-harm (direct or indirect). The prevalence of SIB was equal to 34.8% (95% CI: 27.5–42.6%). Most frequently, SIB coexisted with indirect self-harm (80.7%). The most common underlying motives were to obtain emotional release (31.6%) and to release anger (21.1%). At the univariate analysis, SIB was positively associated with a host of closely related factors: low education, physical/sexual abuse in childhood, parental neglect, parental divorce, alcoholism in family, psychiatric condition in family, recidivism, age, sentence already served, impulsivity, aggression, alcohol dependence, self-reported diagnosed psychiatric condition and illicit substance use. Childhood variables were particularly associated with the presence of diagnosed psychiatric condition. At the multivariate analysis, however, only three parameters were proven independent risk factors: self-reported diagnosed psychiatric condition, illicit substance use and aggression (BPAQ scale).Conclusion: The prevalence of SIB is particularly high. Psychiatric condition, illicit substance use and aggression seem to be the most meaningful risk factors; childhood events seem only to act indirectly.

Background: Smoking has long been considered part of prison culture and studies have shown a high prevalence of smoking within correctional facilities. Methods: A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was administered to 173 male prisoners in the Chalkida prison, Greece. To assess current smoking habits, a hierarchical approach was adopted. The underlying conceptual framework included: (i) demographic parameters, (ii) adverse childhood history (physical abuse, parental neglect, parental divorce, alcoholism in the family, sexual abuse and psychiatric condition in the family), (iii) education, personality traits, such as impulsivity (Barrat Impulsivity Scale-11), aggression (Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire and Lifetime History of Aggression), and personal history of mental disease, (iv) prison-related features (duration of sentence, sentence already served and change in smoking habits during imprisonment). Results: Eighty percentage of the study sample reported current smoking; 43.4% disclosed deterioration in their smoking habits during imprisonment. The hierarchical approach pointed to: (i) adverse childhood events, i.e. alcoholism in the family [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 6.29, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.44–16.25], psychiatric condition in the family (adjusted OR = 4.10, 95% CI: 1.31–12.84), physical abuse (adjusted OR = 2.90, 95% CI: 1.30–6.46), parental neglect (adjusted OR = 2.66, 95% CI: 1.19–5.95), parental divorce (adjusted OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.00–4.56), and (ii) impulsivity (adjusted OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.12–4.58) as independent risk factors. In addition, deterioration of smoking habits during imprisonment exerted an effect of borderline significance (adjusted OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 0.97–4.24). Conclusions: Heavy smoking in prison principally integrates two components: unfavourable childhood and current personality traits (impulsivity).

Symptoms from the genitourinary system are unusual in Kawasaki disease (KD). Renal involvement is even rarer and it is confirmed by biopsy when the person is alive. We describe the case of an 11-year-old boy admitted to the hospital complaining about prolonged fever (5 days) and hematuria. His urinalysis showed also pyuria, proteinuria and urinary renal tubular epithelial cells concentrations. During the next days, the patient presented limb edema. After almost 2 weeks of hospitalization the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit because of melena and intense abdominal pain. Upon admission, the patient collapsed and died. The diagnosis of KD was established during autopsy. The macroscopical and histopathological examination of the heart showed increased dimensions and weight and multiple thrombi in the coronary arteries with intramural dense polymorphonuclear inflammatory infiltration and necrosis. Histological examination of the kidneys revealed normal glomerulus, mild expansion of mesangial matrix, interstitial infiltration with lymphocytes, plasmatocytes and eosinophiles, normal vessels and normal immunofluorescence.