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Background: and, Aims: Immigrants in Europe appear at higher risk of psychiatric coercive interventions. No studies have investigated this issue in Italy. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the use of physical restraint, compulsory admission and other treatment characteristics differ in immigrated and Italian-born patients admitted to a psychiatric intensive care unit., Methods: One hundred first-generation immigrant patients were compared to 100 age-, gender- and diagnosis-matched Italian-born patients. Subjects were diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR and rated on the Clinical Global Impression - Severity Scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning. Clinical data and treatment characteristics were collected., Results: Immigrant patients were more likely to be physically restrained as compared to Italian-born patients (11% vs 3%; χ (2) = 4.92; p = 0.027; RR = 3.67; 95% CI = 1.05-12.7). No differences in the proportion of involuntary treatment were found. Immigrant patients did not receive higher doses of antipsychotics or benzodiazepines, but they had a longer stay in the hospital., Conclusions: The higher rate of physical restraint among migrants may reflect cultural, ethnic and language differences leading to communication problems between immigrant patients and mental health professionals. Since coercive interventions can be harmful, specific strategies to prevent this phenomenon in immigrants are needed.

The first bone marrow transplantation in Latin America was performed more than 30 years ago and since then several countries have started transplant programs. The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research captured information on 13,473 transplants performed in Latin America from 1981 to 2009. The current report summarizes this activity. Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil have the largest activity in the region. Despite increase in the annual number of transplants, the activity is limited to sibling donor and autologous transplants. Indications are similar to other regions with a proportionally higher number of pediatric transplants for treatment of non-malignant diseases. Unrelated donor transplant activity is also increasing through collaborations with international donor registries and the development of the first national donor registry in Brazil. Umbilical cord transplants were also reported in Latin American centers, mainly in Brazil and most commonly used for treatment of children with malignant diseases. In conclusion, hematopoietic cell transplantation is routinely performed in several centers in Latin America. However, the activity is low compared to the population in need. Challenges with costs of transplantation, donor availability, number of centers of excellence, and trained personnel need to be addressed for further development of this field in the region. Additionally, more integration between countries and transplant centers is an important next step and can assist in improving awareness for the field and maximizing the transplant activity in Latin America.