Exploring Emerging Challenges: Survey on Phlebotomine Sand Flies and at the Northern Endemic Border in Europe.

Although Switzerland is currently not endemic for canine leishmaniosis (CanL), imported cases of this emerging zoonosis are regularly detected. Also, phlebotomine sand flies, vectors of the causative agent , are present in the southern part of the country, in Canton Ticino, and endemic foci of CanL have been recently described in neighboring Italian municipalities. In 2022 and 2023, we evaluated the distribution of phlebotomine sand flies and the presence of antibodies against in domestic dogs and cats in Ticino and Mesolcina (Canton of Grisons).

[Diet guidelines in adult and pediatric patient after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SFGM-TC)].

The nutritional status after bone marrow transplant plays an important role in the outcome of patients. Post-allograft dietary instructions are therefore essential to ensure quality nutrition while minimizing the risk of infection. For patients, this is one of their main concerns on discharge from hospital.

Novel Chemoresistive Sensors for Indoor CO Monitoring: Validation in an Operational Environment.

Health and safety considerations of indoor occupants in enclosed spaces are crucial for building management which involves the strict control and monitoring of carbon dioxide levels to maintain acceptable air quality standards. For this study, we developed a wireless, noninvasive, and portable platform for the continuous monitoring of carbon dioxide concentration in enclosed environments, i.e.

Tularemia on the rise in Switzerland? A one health approach is needed!

In the last 10 years, an increase in tularemia cases has been observed in both humans and animals in Switzerland. In these, infection with Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of the zoonotic disease tularemia, can occur through arthropod vectors or contact to infected animals or exposure to contaminated environmental sources. Currently, we are only able to postulate potential aetiologies: (i) behavioral changes of humans with more exposure to endemic habitats of infected arthropod vectors; (ii) an increased rate of tularemia infected ticks; (iii) increasing number and geographical regions of tick biotopes; (iv) increasing and/or more diverse reservoir populations; (v) increasing presence of bacteria in the environment; (vi) raised awareness and increased testing among physicians; (vii) improved laboratory techniques including molecular testing.

First Detection of West Nile Virus Lineage 2 in Mosquitoes in Switzerland, 2022.

West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most widespread flaviviruses in the world, and in recent years, it has been frequently present in many Mediterranean and Eastern European countries. A combination of different conditions, such as a favourable climate and higher seasonal average temperatures, probably allowed its introduction and spread to new territories. In Switzerland, autochthonous cases of WNV have never been reported, and the virus was not detected in mosquito vectors until 2022, despite an entomological surveillance in place in Canton Ticino, southern Switzerland, since 2010.

Nano Hotplate Fabrication for Metal Oxide-Based Gas Sensors by Combining Electron Beam and Focused Ion Beam Lithography.

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gas sensors are widely used for gas detection. Typically, the hotplate element is the key component in MOS gas sensors which provide a proper and tunable operation temperature. However, the low power efficiency of the standard hotplates greatly limits the portable application of MOS gas sensors.

Fabrication of a Highly NO-Sensitive Gas Sensor Based on a Defective ZnO Nanofilm and Using Electron Beam Lithography.

Hazardous substances produced by anthropic activities threaten human health and the green environment. Gas sensors, especially those based on metal oxides, are widely used to monitor toxic gases with low cost and efficient performance. In this study, electron beam lithography with two-step exposure was used to minimize the geometries of the gas sensor hotplate to a submicron size in order to reduce the power consumption, reaching 100 °C with 0.

Insights into the Sensing Mechanism of a Metal-Oxide Solid Solution via Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy.

Recently, the influence of Nb addition in the oxide solid solution of Sn and Ti was investigated with regard to the morphological, structural and electrical properties for the production of chemoresistive gas sensors. (Sn,Ti,Nb)O-based sensors showed promising features for ethanol monitoring in commercial or industrial settings characterized by frequent variation in relative humidity. Indeed, the three-metal solid solution highlighted a higher response level vs.

New Approach for the Detection of Sub-ppm Limonene: An Investigation through Chemoresistive Metal-Oxide Semiconductors.

R-(+)-limonene, one of the major constituents of citrus oils, is a monoterpene that is widely used as a fragrance additive in cosmetics, foods, and industrial solvents. Nowadays, its detection mainly relies on bulky and expensive analytical methods and only a few research works proved its revelation through affordable and portable sensors, such as electrochemical and quartz crystal microbalance sensors. In response to the demand for effective miniaturized sensing devices to be integrated into Internet of Things systems, this study represents a pioneering investigation of chemoresistive gas sensor capabilities addressed to R-(+)-limonene detection.

Functionalization of Indium Oxide for Empowered Detection of CO over an Extra-Wide Range of Concentrations.

Carbon capture, storage, and utilization have become familiar terms when discussing climate change mitigation actions. Such endeavors demand the availability of smart and inexpensive devices for CO monitoring. To date, CO detection relies on optical properties and there is a lack of devices based on solid-state gas sensors, which can be miniaturized and easily made compatible with Internet of Things platforms.

Estimating the Impact of Consecutive Blood Meals on Vector Competence of for Chikungunya Virus.

The continuous expansion of in Europe and the increases in autochthonous arboviruses transmissions in the region urge a better understanding of the virus transmission dynamic. Recent work described enhanced chikungunya virus (CHIKV) dissemination in mosquitoes exposed to a virus-free blood meal three days after their infection with CHIKV. Our study investigated the impact of a second blood meal on the vector competence of from southern Switzerland infected with CHIKV.

Elucidating the Ambient Stability and Gas Sensing Mechanism of Nickel-Decorated Phosphorene for NO Detection: A First-Principles Study.

In the field of layered two-dimensional functional materials, black phosphorus has attracted considerable attention in many applications due to its outstanding electrical properties. It has experimentally shown superior chemical sensing performance for the room temperature detection of NO, highlighting high sensitivity at a ppb level. Unfortunately, pristine black phosphorus demonstrated an unstable functionality due to the fast degradation of the material when exposed to the ambient atmosphere.

Risk-Based Mapping Tools for Surveillance and Control of the Invasive Mosquito in Switzerland.

Background: In Switzerland, is well established in Ticino, south of the Alps, where surveillance and control are implemented. The mosquito has also been observed in Swiss cities north of the Alps. Decision-making tools are urgently needed by the local authorities in order to optimize surveillance and control.

Design of a Metal-Oxide Solid Solution for Sub-ppm H Detection.

Hydrogen is largely adopted in industrial processes and is one of the leading options for storing renewable energy. Due to its high explosivity, detection of H has become essential for safety in industries, storage, and transportation. This work aims to design a sensing film for high-sensitivity H detection.

Air Stable Nickel-Decorated Black Phosphorus and Its Room-Temperature Chemiresistive Gas Sensor Capabilities.

In the rapidly emerging field of layered two-dimensional functional materials, black phosphorus, the P-counterpart of graphene, is a potential candidate for various applications, e.g., nanoscale optoelectronics, rechargeable ion batteries, electrocatalysts, thermoelectrics, solar cells, and sensors.

Development of a dedicated instrumentation for electrical and thermal characterization of chemiresistive gas sensors.

This work presents the design and validation of a measuring instrumentation for an easy, complete, and tunable characterization of chemiresistive gas sensors based on metal-oxide semiconductors. The equipment, described in depth both as hardware and as software, was designed to monitor the electrical behavior of gas sensors in controlled thermodynamic conditions. The main goal of this setup is to synchronize the electrical characterization with different measuring conditions, i.

First-Principles Study of Electronic Conductivity, Structural and Electronic Properties of Oxygen-Vacancy-Defected SnO₂.

The use of computer simulations has become almost essential for prediction and interpretation of device's performance. In gas sensing field, the simulation of specific conditions, which determine the physical-chemical properties of widely used metal oxide semiconductors, can be used to investigate the performance of gas sensors based on these kinds of materials. The aim of this work was to evaluate the physical-chemical properties of tin dioxide employed for environmental and health gas sensing application and to investigate the influence of oxygen vacancies on its properties by means of density functional theory.

Nanostructured SmFeO Gas Sensors: Investigation of the Gas Sensing Performance Reproducibility for Colorectal Cancer Screening.

Among the various chemoresistive gas sensing properties studied so far, the sensing response reproducibility, i.e., the capability to reproduce a device with the same sensing performance, has been poorly investigated.

Surveillance of invasive Aedes mosquitoes along Swiss traffic axes reveals different dispersal modes for Aedes albopictus and Ae. japonicus.

Over the past three decades, Europe has witnessed an increased spread of invasive aedine mosquito species, most notably Aedes albopictus, a key vector of chikungunya, dengue and Zika virus. While its distribution in southern Europe is well documented, its dispersal modes across the Alps remain poorly investigated, preventing a projection of future scenarios beyond its current range in order to target mosquito control. To monitor the presence and frequency of invasive Aedes mosquitoes across and beyond the Alps we set oviposition and BG-Sentinel traps at potential points of entry with a focus on motorway service areas across Switzerland.

Viral Metagenomic Analysis of Mosquitos from Southern Switzerland.

A metagenomic study was performed on 498 female and 40 male mosquitos collected in August and September 2019 in Ticino, a region in southern Switzerland, to address the question regarding the risk of the local transmission of zoonotic viruses. A total of 13 viruses from seven different virus families and several unclassified viral taxa were identified. Reads of insect-specific flaviviruses were present in all pools, and a complete genome of aedes flavivirus was assembled and phylogenetically analysed.

Uncommon cytogenetic abnormalities identifying high-risk acute myeloid leukemia in children.

Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) represents an aggressive disease and is the leading cause of childhood leukemic mortality. The genomic landscape of pediatric AML has been recently mapped and redefined thanks to large-scale sequencing efforts. Today, understanding how to incorporate the growing list of genetic lesions into a risk stratification algorithm for pediatric AML is increasingly challenging given the uncertainty regarding the prognostic impact of rare lesions.

Emerging Aedes-borne infections in southern Switzerland: Preparedness planning for surveillance and intervention.

Background: The Preparedness Plan for Surveillance and Interventions on Emerging Vector-Borne Diseases (VBDs) in Southern Switzerland outlines the strategy for preventing and managing potential outbreaks, as well as the surveillance and control activities with a specific focus on Aedes-borne diseases transmitted by Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The objective of the plan is to provide Public Health Authorities with a framework of preventive and control measures according to the situation and level of epidemic risks.

Material And Methods: The plan is divided into various phases representing the different steps for all potential situations, ranging from no vectors and no transmission risk to epidemic levels with multiple autochthonous/local cases of hospitalization (and deaths) until the end of the epidemic.