16 research outputs found
The "Bestie of Satana" murders
In recent years, satanic groups have been responsible for various types and degrees of crimes. We report the case of a number
of murders committed in Italy by a group of young people calling themselves the “Bestie di Satana”. Forensic psychiatric assessment of the
members of a satanic sect charged with the crime revealed that all the young people had a fragile, immature personality, a very low level of
education and were socially disadvantaged. The trial of the members of the “Bestie di Satana” sect was concluded with the verdict of deliberate
murder, and all the members were given long jail sentences. This report should lead us to explore social and cultural responses to juvenile
satanism, statistically shown to be a relatively rare phenomenon but with a high criminal potential
Il satanismo acido. Alcune riflessioni su due recenti casi
Gli Autori si soffermano sul fenomeno del satanismo \u201cgiovanile\u201d o \u201cacido\u201d, termine con il quale si intendono di solito gruppi \u201corganizzati\u201d di giovani che celebrano riti satanisti, condividono luoghi, abbigliamento, simboli, gesti, musica e, soprattutto, sostanze stupefacenti. Spesso sotto l\u2019effetto di alcool e droghe i satanisti \u201cacidi\u201d commettono gesti dissacratori, e, talvolta, reati violenti fino ad arrivare a delitti efferati, come nei casi che qui si presentano. Si tratta di delitti commessi da gruppi che si davano una definizione di satanisti, ma che non coincidevano affatto con il fenomeno storico-culturale del satanismo, trattandosi piuttosto di giovani marginali e violenti.The authors dwell in particular on the phenomenon of "juvenile" or "acid Satanism". This term generally means "organized" groups of young people celebrating Satanic rites, having in common and sharing places, clothing, symbols, gestures, music, and most of all drugs. Often under the influence of alcohol and drugs the Acid Satanists often commit irreverent gestures, and sometimes, violent crimes or heinous crimes, as in the cases presented here. The murders were committed by groups of young people defining themself Satanists, having however no coincidence with the historical and cultural phenomenon of Satanism, being rather marginalized and violent young people
Effect of a quality improvement program on compliance to the sepsis bundle in non-ICU patients: a multicenter prospective before and after cohort study
ObjectiveSepsis and septic shock are major challenges and economic burdens to healthcare, impacting millions of people globally and representing significant causes of mortality. Recently, a large number of quality improvement programs focused on sepsis resuscitation bundles have been instituted worldwide. These educational initiatives have been shown to be associated with improvements in clinical outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a multi-faceted quality implementing program (QIP) on the compliance of a “simplified 1-h bundle” (Sepsis 6) and hospital mortality of severe sepsis and septic shock patients out of the intensive care unit (ICU).MethodsEmergency departments (EDs) and medical wards (MWs) of 12 academic and non-academic hospitals in the Lombardy region (Northern Italy) were involved in a multi-faceted QIP, which included educational and organizational interventions. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock according to the Sepsis-2 criteria were enrolled in two different periods: from May 2011 to November 2011 (before-QIP cohort) and from August 2012 to June 2013 (after-QIP cohort).Measurements and main resultsThe effect of QIP on bundle compliance and hospital mortality was evaluated in a before–after analysis. We enrolled 467 patients in the before-QIP group and 656 in the after-QIP group. At the time of enrollment, septic shock was diagnosed in 50% of patients, similarly between the two periods. In the after-QIP group, we observed increased compliance to the “simplified rapid (1 h) intervention bundle” (the Sepsis 6 bundle – S6) at three time-points evaluated (1 h, 13.7 to 18.7%, p = 0.018, 3 h, 37.1 to 48.0%, p = 0.013, overall study period, 46.2 to 57.9%, p < 0.001). We then analyzed compliance with S6 and hospital mortality in the before- and after-QIP periods, stratifying the two patients’ cohorts by admission characteristics. Adherence to the S6 bundle was increased in patients with severe sepsis in the absence of shock, in patients with serum lactate <4.0 mmol/L, and in patients with hypotension at the time of enrollment, regardless of the type of admission (from EDs or MWs). Subsequently, in an observational analysis, we also investigated the relation between bundle compliance and hospital mortality by logistic regression. In the after-QIP cohort, we observed a lower in-hospital mortality than that observed in the before-QIP cohort. This finding was reported in subgroups where a higher adherence to the S6 bundle in the after-QIP period was found. After adjustment for confounders, the QIP appeared to be independently associated with a significant improvement in hospital mortality. Among the single S6 procedures applied within the first hour of sepsis diagnosis, compliance with blood culture and antibiotic therapy appeared significantly associated with reduced in-hospital mortality.ConclusionA multi-faceted QIP aimed at promoting an early simplified bundle of care for the management of septic patients out of the ICU was associated with improved compliance with sepsis bundles and lower in-hospital mortality