Toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae Infections in Low-Risk Patients, Switzerland, 2023.

We report a cluster of infections with genetically related toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae linked to an outbreak among asylum seekers in Switzerland that subsequently affected patients without known exposure. This discovery highlights the importance of rapid, interdisciplinary outbreak investigations and regular vaccination status assessment, especially in elderly populations with waning immunity.

Pharmacokinetics-Based Pediatric Dose Evaluation and Optimization Using Saliva - A Case Study.

Understanding pharmacokinetics (PK) in children is a prerequisite to determine optimal pediatric dosing. As plasma sampling in children is challenging, alternative PK sampling strategies are needed. In this case study we evaluated the suitability of saliva as alternative PK matrix to simplify studies in infants, investigating metamizole, an analgesic used off-label in infants.

Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation in Children: Short- and Long-Term Outcome.

Objective: Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation (ETBD) represents an innovative therapeutic approach for chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction (CETD), a common disease in children. Some evidence of a benefit of ETBD in the adults exist in contrast to sparse reports in children. The objective was to analyze short- and long-term outcome of ETBD in children with CETD.

Prospective Validation of Tubomanometry in Children With Normal Eustachian Tube Function.

Objectives: Tubomanometry (TMM), described initially by Estève, is a relatively new manometric method for testing the eustachian tube function (ETF). This study presents the analysis of the measurement of ETF of healthy children by TMM, which has, to date, not been properly evaluated. The objectives of the study were to establish normative data for TMM and to demonstrate TMM as a reliable and valid method for measuring ETF in children.

Silastic sheeting in staged ear surgery: Is there still a role for this procedure?

Objective: To review long-term outcomes for chronic otitis media with and without cholesteatoma in staged canal-wall-up tympanoplasty with temporary silastic sheeting and to compare hearing and recurrence results with the literature.

Methods: Retrospective data analysis of all patients suffering from chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma (COMC/COM) and treated by staged canal-wall-up (CWU) technique with silastic insertion between 1992 and 2012. Literature analysis in PubMed 1990-2017.

Co-therapy with S-adenosylmethionine and nicotinamide riboside improves t-cell survival and function in Arts Syndrome (PRPS1 deficiency).

Arts syndrome or phosphoribosyl-pyrophosphate-synthetase-1 (PRPS1) deficiency is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the gene (Xq22.3). PRPS1 is an initial and essential step for the synthesis of the nucleotides of purines, pyrimidines, and nicotinamide.

Monitoring the recovery time of children after tonsillectomy using commercial activity trackers.

An observational prospective feasibility study in which children received a tracker 2 weeks before a tonsillectomy and were required to wear it until four weeks postoperatively. The parents used a diary to log the estimated steps of their child. As primary endpoint, the compliance of complete datasets was compared between the tracker and the diary.

Three Copies of Four Interferon Receptor Genes Underlie a Mild Type I Interferonopathy in Down Syndrome.

Down syndrome (DS) is characterized by the occurrence of three copies of human chromosome 21 (HSA21). HSA21 contains a cluster of four interferon receptor (IFN-R) genes: IFNAR1, IFNAR2, IFNGR2, and IL10RB. DS patients often develop mucocutaneous infections and autoimmune diseases, mimicking patients with heterozygous gain-of-function (GOF) STAT1 mutations, which enhance cellular responses to three types of interferon (IFN).

[Hematochezia and right-sided upper abdominal pain after puncture of a liver abscess in a 75-year-old male].

This article presents the case of a 75-year-old male patient, who underwent a percutaneous abscess puncture of a liver abscess. A few days after the puncture and drainage there was a sudden onset of right upper quadrant abdominal pain accompanied by hematochezia. The patient presented with markedly elevated liver enzyme levels and a significant drop in hemoglobin concentration.

Appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing in a Swiss tertiary care hospital: a repeated point prevalence survey.

Aims Of The Study: Inappropriate use of antimicrobials is associated with the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and adverse events. Antimicrobial stewardship programmes may both optimise treatment of infections and reduce antimicrobial resistance but are implemented in only a minority of Swiss hospitals. In addition, data on prescribing patterns and quality are scarce.

Dose evaluation of intravenous metamizole (dipyrone) in infants and children: a prospective population pharmacokinetic study.

Purpose: The prodrug metamizole is prescribed intravenously for postoperative pain in children, including off-label use in infants < 1 year. We aimed to assess the pharmacokinetics of the main metabolites of metamizole in children aged 3-72 months.

Methods: A single dose of 10 mg/kg metamizole was administered intravenously for postoperative analgesia.

Sialoblastoma of the submandibular gland: a distinct entity?

Sialoblastoma is a rare congenital malignant tumor of the salivary glands. A case of a submandibular sialoblastoma in a 1.5-year-old child is presented.

Prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa with variable antibacterial resistance profiles: a diagnostic challenge.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) caused by gram-negative bacilli is rare. However, the incidence of this severe infection is rising because of the increasing number of persons at risk, such as patients with immunosuppression or with cardiac implantable devices and prosthetic valves. The diagnosis of IE is often difficult, particularly when microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which rarely cause this infection, are involved.

Influence of a resin-based blood culture medium on the time to clearance of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection - A retrospective cohort study.

We evaluated the improved sensitivity and time to detection of new resin-based blood culture (BC) media in Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection. We observed a significantly longer duration of bacteremia and shorter time to detection compared to traditional charcoal-based BC media, which may influence diagnostic work-up and treatment duration.

Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate and Cytomegalovirus-Associated Hemorrhagic Duodenitis: More than Meets the Eye.

BACKGROUND Hemorrhagic duodenitis is an exceptionally rare adverse event of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) treatment and is a common manifestation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation. SPS is known to cause marked inflammation in the lower gastrointestinal tract, including colonic necrosis, whereas involvement of the small bowel is uncommon. Although its effectiveness and safety has been disputed since its introduction, SPS remains widely used due to lack of alternatives.

The Application of Next-Generation Sequencing for Mutation Detection in Autosomal-Dominant Hereditary Hearing Impairment.

Objective: Identification of the causative mutation using next-generation sequencing in autosomal-dominant hereditary hearing impairment, as mutation analysis in hereditary hearing impairment by classic genetic methods, is hindered by the high heterogeneity of the disease.

Patients: Two Swiss families with autosomal-dominant hereditary hearing impairment.

Intervention: Amplified DNA libraries for next-generation sequencing were constructed from extracted genomic DNA, derived from peripheral blood, and enriched by a custom-made sequence capture library.

Bilateral congenital deafness: What investigations should be performed?

Background: The introduction of newborn hearing screening has led to earlier identification of children with congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Aetiological clarification offers several benefits. There is currently a lack of agreement on which examinations should be recommended.

Diagnostic value of core needle biopsy and fine-needle aspiration in salivary gland lesions.

Background: Core needle biopsy (CNB) has gained acceptance as a minimally invasive procedure in the head and neck. Nevertheless, many concerns arise regarding the value and safety of this method in the assessment of salivary gland lesions.

Methods: This prospective study comprises 111 patients with a salivary gland lesion.

Balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube: early outcome analysis.

Objective: To assess Eustachian tube balloon dilation in the treatment of Eustachian tube dysfunction by objective analysis, especially tubomanometry.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary referral hospital.

Value of narrow band imaging in the early diagnosis of laryngeal cancer.

Background: Narrow band imaging (NBI) is a new imaging technique for the depiction of tumor-specific neoangiogenesis. The purpose of the present study was to assess the value of NBI in the early diagnosis of laryngeal cancer.

Methods: This prospective study includes 205 consecutive patients with a laryngeal lesion scheduled for microlaryngoscopy.

Paediatric otogenic lateral sinus thrombosis: therapeutic management, outcome and thrombophilic evaluation.

Objective: Otogenic lateral sinus thrombosis (LST) in children represents a serious condition with potential long-lasting morbidity. The role of adjunct anticoagulation therapy and the benefit of an analysis of prothrombotic factors are unclear. The aim of the study was to report therapeutic management and outcome, analyze prothrombotic factors in children with otogenic LST treated with mastoidectomy/antibiotics/anticoagulation and to evaluate the results with a review of the literature.

Mutation analysis of Netrin 1 and HMX3 genes in patients with superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome.

Conclusion: In spite of its absence in the control population, there is questionable evidence for the alteration c.114C->T in the HMX3 gene being implicated in the development of superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD). However, the concept of a complex disease is valid for SSCD and a possible molecular origin can neither be confirmed nor excluded by the results of this study.