What are the bottlenecks to health data sharing in Switzerland? An interview study.

Background: While health data sharing for research purposes is strongly supported in principle, it can be challenging to implement in practice. Little is known about the actual bottlenecks to health data sharing in Switzerland.

Aims Of The Study: This study aimed to assess the obstacles to Swiss health data sharing, including legal, ethical and logistical bottlenecks.

Clinical, behavioral and biomarker predictors of PCSK9 levels in HIV-infected patients naïve of statin therapy: A cross-sectional analysis from the Swiss HIV cohort.

Background And Aims: Better characterization of Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin 9 (PCSK9) profile is currently needed to tailor appropriate lipid-lowering strategies in HIV patients.

Methods: HIV-infected individuals aged ≥ 40 years and naive of statin therapy included in the Swiss HIV cohort study were screened for PCSK9 levels with a routine blood sample collection in 2014 at the Geneva University Hospitals. An exploratory linear regression model was built including clinical (age, sex, ethnicity, cardiovascular risk factors, body mass index, low CD4 defined as ≤200 cells/μl, leucocytes, lymphocytes, platelet, antiretroviral therapy), behavioral (tobacco and marijuana smoking, alcohol use and physical activity) and biomarker (CRP, TNF-α, IL-8, Il-10 and MCP-1) to investigate association with continuous PCSK9 levels.

[Repetition of blood testing : which risks for the patient?].

Numerous tests are performed in the hospital, often on a daily basis. These tests should answer a specific scientific question and be performed only if their results can have an impact on patient care. In addition to causing anemia, overutilization of tests, such as useless blood testing, can have a deleterious impact on the patients because they carry the risk of false positive results, which can trigger downstream unnecessary investigations and costs.

METHYLATION OF SEROTONIN RECEPTOR 3A IN ADHD, BORDERLINE PERSONALITY, AND BIPOLAR DISORDERS: LINK WITH SEVERITY OF THE DISORDERS AND CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT.

Background: Serotonin 3A receptor (5-HT3A R) is associated at the genetic and epigenetic levels with a variety of psychiatric disorders and interacts with early-life stress such as childhood maltreatment. We studied the impact of childhood maltreatment on the methylation status of the 5-HT3A R and its association with clinical severity outcomes in relation with a functional genetic polymorphism.

Methods: Clinical severity indexes of 346 bipolar, borderline personality, and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorders patients were tested for association with the DNA methylation status of eight 5-HT3A R gene CpGs.