Evidence of Haldol (haloperidol) long-term intoxication

A case of intoxication by haloperidol is reported. Haloperidol is a butyrophenone derivative commonly used in many hospital units as an antipsychotic agent. Adverse reactions due to haloperidol intoxication include drowsiness, blurred vision, extrapyramidal effects, tardive dyskinesia, tachycardia, hypotension and muscular rigidity. In August 2008, a 49 year-old female nurse started feeling various symptoms such as muscular rigidity, drowsiness and buccal dyskinesia. After 3 months, she was hospitalized for the worsening of these symptoms. Four months later, she showed once more the same symptoms. Two open water bottles from which the nurse used to drink in the hospital were confiscated and analyzed. Moreover, the nurse was asked to give a sample of her hair for executing the inherent toxicological analyses. Haloperidol was found in both bottles 1 and 2 at a concentration of 31.5 μg/mL and 43.6 μg/mL, respectively. Based on segmental hair analysis, it was deduced that the nurse consumed haloperidol in the approximate period from August 2008 to March 2009. The higher levels of haloperidol in hair were found in accordance with the periods of most severe appearance of symptoms, requiring the hospitalization of the nurse. The analysis of preservatives and excipients led us to conclude that the pharmaceutical drug was probably added to the water bottles as "Haldol 2mg/mL oral solution".     

Delegated decree authority in a parliamentary system: the exercise of legislative delegation in Italy (1987–2013)

The substantial increase in the delegation of legislative powers from the parliament to the executive has been singled out as one of the most prominent changes in the Italian political system of the last three decades. It has given traditionally weak executives the opportunity to adopt significant reforms while bypassing the notorious fetters of the ordinary legislative process. While the literature has to date focused on the motivations to delegate, there is still a research gap on what the executive does with the delegated authority. Based on a newly collected data set covering all delegation provisions adopted from 1987 to 2013, this article analyses why, in a remarkable number of cases, the cabinet did not use the delegations. Results show that the existence of an agreement on the policy in question (as captured by the precision of delegating criteria), as well as the complexity and timing of the delegation have a significant impact on the likelihood a delegation is used.