Searching national DNA databases with complex DNA profiles: An empirical study using probabilistic genotyping.

In most National DNA databases (NDNADB), only single source DNA profiles, and sometimes two-person DNA mixtures, can be searched provided a minimum number of loci (or alleles) is available. DNA profiles that do not meet these criteria (about 14 % of the traces analyzed in Western Switzerland) can be compared locally with candidates upon request from police services, used for one-off search, or remain unused. With the advent of probabilistic genotyping (PG), such complex DNA profiles can be compared to those stored in NDNADB based on likelihood ratios (LRs).

Value of DNA mixture-to-mixture comparisons within an operational context.

Since 1995, national forensic DNA databases have used a maximum number of contributors, and a minimum number of loci to reduce the risk of providing false leads. DNA profiles of biological traces that do not meet these criteria cannot be loaded into these databases. In 2023, about 10 % of more than 15,000 trace DNA profiles analyzed in western Switzerland were not compared at the national level, even though they were considered to be interpretable, mainly because they contained the DNA from more than two persons.

Metabolic insights at the finish line: deciphering physiological changes in ultramarathon runners through breath VOC analysis.

Exhaustive exercise can induce unique physiological responses in the lungs and other parts of the human body. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath are ideal for studying the effects of exhaustive exercise on the lungs due to the proximity of the breath matrix to the respiratory tract. As breath VOCs can originate from the bloodstream, changes in abundance should also indicate broader physiological effects of exhaustive exercise on the body.

Protocol for a prospective quasi-experimental study on SARS-CoV-2 transmission during outdoor sports events in France: the COVID-ESO project.

Introduction: The spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in the community remains a major concern despite the application of control measures including the banning of mass sporting events. The circulation of SARS-CoV-2 within the general population, and potentially within the population practicing outdoor sports activities, suggests contexts conducive to the transmission of the virus. We hypothesise that outdoor sports events (OSEs) do not present a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 contamination.

A simplified protocol for the detection of blood, saliva, and semen from a single biological trace using immunochromatographic tests.

The detection of body fluids (e.g., blood, saliva or semen) provides information that is important both for the investigation and for the choice of the analytical protocols.

Use of Bayesian Networks for the investigation of the nature of biological material in casework.

Chemical and staining methods, immunochromatography, spectroscopy, RNA expression or methylation patterns, do not allow to determine the nature of the biological material with certainty. However, to our knowledge, there are few forensic scientists that assess the value of such test results using a probabilistic approach. This is surprising as it would allow account for false positives and false negatives and avoid misleading conclusions.

A Swiss collaborative exercise for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI): Covering situations with different levels of complexity.

The identification of victims of a disaster (DVI) requires the collaboration of different specialists. Within a DVI context, DNA analyses often play an important role. Consequently, forensic genetic laboratories should be prepared to cope with DVI situations, as this can involve large-scale DNA profile comparisons.

Defining Off-road Running: A Position Statement from the Ultra Sports Science Foundation.

Off-road running continues to grow in popularity, with differing event categories existing, and terminologies are often used interchangeably and without precision. Trail running, mountain running, skyrunning, fell running, orienteering, obstacle course racing and cross-country running all take place predominantly in off-road terrain. Ultramarathon running refers to any running event over marathon distance conducted in any terrain and surface.

Efficacy and safety of remifentanil in a rapid sequence induction in elderly patients: A three-arm parallel, double blind, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Rapid sequence induction (RSI) is recommended in patients at risk of aspiration, but induced haemodynamic adverse events, including tachycardia. In elderly patients, this trial aimed to assess the impact of the addition of remifentanil during RSI on the occurrence of: tachycardia (primary outcome), hypertension (due to intubation) nor hypotension (remifentanil).

Methods: In this three-arm parallel, double blind, multicentre controlled study, elderly patients (65 to 90 years old) hospitalised in three centres and requiring RSI were randomly allocated to three groups, where anaesthesia was induced with etomidate (0.

Level Versus Uphill Economy and Mechanical Responses in Elite Ultra-Trail Runners.

Aim: The purpose of this brief report was to examine the net oxygen cost, oxygen kinetics, and kinematics of level and uphill running in elite ultra-trail runners.

Methods: Twelve top-level ultra-distance trail runners performed two 5-minute stages of treadmill running (level, 0%, men 15 km·h, women 13 km·h; and uphill, 12%, men 10 km·h, women 9 km·h). Gas exchanges were measured to obtain the net oxygen cost and assess oxygen kinetics.

Positive impact of DNA contamination minimization procedures taken within the laboratory.

DNA contamination incidents are one of the most frequent sources of error in forensic genetics and can have serious consequences. It is therefore essential to take measures to prevent these events and to monitor the real impact of contamination minimization procedures. In this study, we review and compare the number of contamination events detected on trace samples analyzed by the Forensic Genetic Unit (FGU) of the University Center of Legal Medicine in Switzerland before and after the implementation of new contamination minimization procedures.

Lessons from a study of DNA contaminations from police services and forensic laboratories in Switzerland.

In Switzerland, the DNA profiles of police officers collecting crime scene traces as well as forensic genetic laboratories employees are stored in the staff index of the national DNA database to detect potential contaminations. Our study aimed at making a national inventory of contaminations to better understand their origin and to make recommendations in order to decrease their occurrence. For this purpose, a retrospective questionnaire was sent to both police services and forensic genetic laboratories for each case where there was a contamination.

Outbreak of diarrhoeal illness in participants in an obstacle adventure race, Alpes-Maritimes, France, June 2015.

An acute gastroenteritis (AG) outbreak occurred among participants in an obstacle race in France in the summer of 2015. An investigation in two phases was conducted to identify the source of infection and document the extent of the outbreak. First, a message on a social media website asked racers to report any symptoms by email to the Regional Health Agency of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

The Stealthy Superbug: the Role of Asymptomatic Enteric Carriage in Maintaining a Long-Term Hospital Outbreak of ST228 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Unlabelled: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 228 isolates was used to elucidate the origin and dynamics of a long-term outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) sequence type 228 (ST228) SCCmec I that involved 1,600 patients in a tertiary care hospital between 2008 and 2012. Combining of the sequence data with detailed metadata on patient admission and movement confirmed that the outbreak was due to the transmission of a single clonal variant of ST228, rather than repeated introductions of this clone into the hospital. We note that this clone is significantly more frequently recovered from groin and rectal swabs than other clones (P < 0.

Changing molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an Algerian hospital.

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of both hospital- and community-acquired infections worldwide. However, data about the molecular epidemiology of MRSA in North Africa are still scarce.

Methodology: All MRSA isolates recovered between January 2006 and July 2011 from one Algerian hospital were genetically and phenotypically characterized.

Combined effects of sleep deprivation and strenuous exercise on cognitive performances during The North Face® Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc® (UTMB®).

This study investigated the effects of combined sleep deprivation and strenuous exercise on cognitive and neurobehavioral performance among long-distance runners completing one of the most difficult ultramarathons in the world. Seventeen runners participated. Each had a wrist-worn actigraph throughout the race to record their sleep time.

Medical services at ultra-endurance foot races in remote environments: medical issues and consensus guidelines.

An increasing participation in ultra-endurance foot races is cause for greater need to ensure the presence of appropriate medical care at these events. Unique medical challenges result from the extreme physical demands these events place on participants, the often remote settings spanning broad geographical areas, and the potential for extremes in weather conditions and various environmental hazards. Medical issues in these events can adversely affect race performance, and there is the potential for the presentation of life-threatening issues such as exercise-associated hyponatremia, severe altitude illnesses, and major trauma from falls or animal attacks.

High genetic diversity of Staphylococcus aureus in a tertiary care hospital in Southwest Nigeria.

Phenotypic and genetic characterization of 62 Staphylococcus aureus isolates recovered in Nigeria indicated a high proportion of Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive isolates and a high genetic diversity among the 22 methicillin-resistant S. aureus. This underlines the need for infection control in Africa to prevent further dissemination of potentially highly virulent and resistant clones.

Short term evolution of a highly transmissible methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone (ST228) in a tertiary care hospital.

Staphylococcus aureus is recognized as one of the major human pathogens and is by far one of the most common nosocomial organisms. The genetic basis for the emergence of highly epidemic strains remains mysterious. Studying the microevolution of the different clones of S.

Scale-specific sex-biased dispersal in the Valais shrew unveiled by genetic variation on the Y chromosome, autosomes, and mitochondrial DNA.

We investigated sex specificities in the evolutionary processes shaping Y chromosome, autosomes, and mitochondrial DNA patterns of genetic structure in the Valais shrew (Sorex antinorii), a mountain dwelling species with a hierarchical distribution. Both hierarchical analyses of variance and isolation-by-distance analyses revealed patterns of population structure that were not consistent across maternal, paternal, and biparentally inherited markers. Differentiation on a Y microsatellite was lower than expected from the comparison with autosomal microsatellites and mtDNA, and it was mostly due to genetic variance among populations within valleys, whereas the opposite was observed on other markers.

Chromosomal rearrangements do not seem to affect the gene flow in hybrid zones between karyotypic races of the common shrew (Sorex araneus).

Chromosomal rearrangements are proposed to promote genetic differentiation between chromosomally differentiated taxa and therefore promote speciation. Due to their remarkable karyotypic polymorphism, the shrews of the Sorex araneus group were used to investigate the impact of chromosomal rearrangements on gene flow. Five intraspecific chromosomal hybrid zones characterized by different levels of karyotypic complexity were studied using 16 microsatellites markers.

High proportion of wrongly identified methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriers by use of a rapid commercial PCR assay due to presence of staphylococcal cassette chromosome element lacking the mecA gene.

During a 9-month period, 217 patients were newly diagnosed as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriers by using a commercial rapid PCR-based test (GeneXpert). However, no MRSA was recovered by culturing the second swab in 61 of these patients. Further analyses showed that 28 (12.

Diversity of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec elements in predominant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones in a small geographic area.

Recent population genetic studies suggest that staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) was acquired much more frequently than previously thought. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the diversity of SCCmec elements in a local methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) population. Each MRSA isolate (one per patient) recovered in the Vaud canton of Switzerland from January 2005 to December 2008 was analyzed by the double-locus sequence typing (DLST) method and SCCmec typing.

Impact of recombination on genetic variability within Staphylococcus aureus clonal complexes.

The population structure of Staphylococcus aureus is generally described as highly clonal and is consequently subdivided into several clonal complexes (CCs). Recent data suggested that recombination might occur more frequently within than among CCs. To test this hypothesis as well as to understand how genetic diversity is created in S.