Cost Estimates for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Care and Patient Characteristics for Health Resource Use From Linkage of Claims Data With the Swiss HIV Cohort Study.

Background: Comprehensive and representative data on resource use are critical for health policy decision making but often lacking for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Privacy-preserving probabilistic record linkage of claim and cohort study data may overcome these limitations.

Methods: Encrypted dates of birth, sex, study center, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) records for 2012 and 2013 were linked by privacy-preserving probabilistic record linkage with claim data from the largest health insurer covering 15% of the Swiss residential population.

Neighbourhood socio-economic position, late presentation and outcomes in people living with HIV in Switzerland.

Objectives: Inequalities and inequities in health are an important public health concern. In Switzerland, mortality in the general population varies according to the socio-economic position (SEP) of neighbourhoods. We examined the influence of neighbourhood SEP on presentation and outcomes in HIV-positive individuals in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).

Genetic diversity of EBV-encoded LMP1 in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study and implication for NF-Κb activation.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with several types of cancers including Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). EBV-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), a multifunctional oncoprotein, is a powerful activator of the transcription factor NF-κB, a property that is essential for EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell survival. Previous studies reported LMP1 sequence variations and induction of higher NF-κB activation levels compared to the prototype B95-8 LMP1 by some variants.

Regional variation in orthopedic surgery in Switzerland.

The study systematically describes the frequency and geographic variability of major surgical interventions for musculoskeletal disorders in Switzerland. Age- and sex-standardized rates for joint replacements, arthroscopies, spine surgery and hip fracture repair were calculated for hospital service regions. Various statistical analyses were used to measure the extent of variation.

Hospital use of young children in Switzerland: a nation-wide study based on a complete survey over 4 years.

Background: Young children are known to be the most frequent hospital users compared to older children and young adults. Therefore, they are an important population from economic and policy perspectives of health care delivery. In Switzerland complete hospitalization discharge records for children [<5 years] of four consecutive years [2002-2005] were evaluated in order to analyze variation in patterns of hospital use.

Satisfaction with primary health care in patients with upper respiratory tract infection: a three-level approach.

Background: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) are common conditions for which individuals seek health care. The present study analyzes the satisfaction of URTI patients with general practitioners offering conventional treatment, alternative treatment, or a combination of both.

Patients And Methods: Patients' satisfaction with care was evaluated based on concepts of structure, process and outcome.

Patient-based evaluations of primary care for cardiovascular diseases: a comparison between conventional and complementary medicine.

Background: Patients with chronic diseases, including cardiovascular conditions, increasingly rely on complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies.

Objectives: The Swiss Program for Complementary Medicine Evaluation offers a unique opportunity to analyse cardiovascular patients' satisfaction with CAM and conventional medical (COM) therapies. The treatment choices of doctors certified in conventional as well as complementary therapies also could be studied.

Risk factors for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and sensitisation to Aspergillus fumigatus in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Unlabelled: An increasing incidence of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) as a complication in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is reported. The objective of this retrospective case-control study was to assess potential risk factors for ABPA and for Aspergillus fumigatus sensitisation (AFS). In a group of 160 CF patients, 11 (7%) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for ABPA and 20 (13%) had evidence of AFS.