The Next Generation Scientist program: capacity-building for future scientific leaders in low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Scientific and professional development opportunities for early career scientists in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) are limited and not consistent. There is a disproportionately low number of biomedical and clinical researchers in LMIC's relative to their high burden of disease, a disparity that is aggravated by emigration of up to 70% of scientists from their countries of birth for education and employment elsewhere. To help address this need, a novel University-accredited, immersive fellowship program was established by a large public-academic-private network.

Two-cycle curriculum - bachelor-master structure according to the Bologna agreement: the Swiss experience in Basle.

In the autumn of 2006, the first cohort of students started with the bachelor programme in Basle. The whole curriculum had to be changed from the old system to the new two-cycle system. The implementation of the Bologna reform in Switzerland has been successful especially with regard to the very tight time schedule.

Transient raise of endothelin-1 plasma level and reduction of ocular blood flow in a patient with optic neuritis.

Purpose: To analyze how far an ischemic component might have been involved in optic neuritis.

Case Report: a 32-year-old man with symptoms characteristic for optic neuritis underwent extensive clinical, laboratory/serological and vascular examination for systemic associations and vascular involvement.

Results: The patient was found to have a temporary ocular blood flow dysregulation and increased plasma endothelin-1 levels which decreased after the acute phase of the optic nerve.

Colour vision deficiencies in Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: visual disorders are among the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. It is, however, still controversial as to whether Alzheimer's disease impairs colour vision. In this study, colour vision of Alzheimer's disease patients was tested using the Ishihara test and the PV-16 choice test.

Extraocular blood flow and endothelin-1 plasma levels in patients with multiple sclerosis.

In order to evaluate whether plasma levels of the potent vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (ET-1) are increased in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and whether these patients exhibit an ET-1-mediated vascular dysregulation, ET-1 plasma levels were measured in 30 patients with MS. Blood flow velocities in the ophthalmic artery, central retinal artery, central retinal vein, short lateral posterior ciliary artery, and short medial posterior ciliary artery were assessed in parallel. ET-1 plasma levels were significantly increased in MS patients when compared to sex- and age-matched healthy controls (2.

Pseudotumor cerebri in a patient with Goldenhar's and Duane's syndromes.

A 4-year-old boy presented with Goldenhar's syndrome, Duane's syndrome and bilateral papilledema. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was unremarkable. On lumbar puncture, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure measured 36 cm H(2)O.

Elevated plasma endothelin-1 levels and vascular dysregulation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Contradictory results on plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis have been reported in previous studies. We therefore evaluated whether plasma ET-1 levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis differ from those of normal controls. Since systemically increased levels of ET-1 are known to occur in tandem with primary or secondary vascular dysregulation, we also measured peripheral blood flow by means of nailfold capillaroscopy combined with a cold provocation test.

Increased endothelin-1 plasma levels in giant cell arteritis: a report on four patients.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that endothelin-1 is increased in giant cell arteritis.

Methods: Interventional case series. The medical history of four patients who presented to the University Eye Clinic Basel, Switzerland, with giant cell arteritis is reported.