Human papillomavirus vaccine uptake in adolescence and adherence to cervical cancer screening in Switzerland: a national cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: The objectives were to measure uptake of and factors associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiation and to determine whether HPV vaccination reduced the uptake of cervical cancer screening.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a random sample of Swiss women aged 18-49 years in 2014 (N = 3588).

Results: Vaccination initiation was 69.

The public health value of vaccines beyond efficacy: methods, measures and outcomes.

Background: Assessments of vaccine efficacy and safety capture only the minimum information needed for regulatory approval, rather than the full public health value of vaccines. Vaccine efficacy provides a measure of proportionate disease reduction, is usually limited to etiologically confirmed disease, and focuses on the direct protection of the vaccinated individual. Herein, we propose a broader scope of methods, measures and outcomes to evaluate the effectiveness and public health impact to be considered for evidence-informed policymaking in both pre- and post-licensure stages.

The Federal Vaccination Commission in Switzerland: an officially appointed independent commission ensuring evidence-based recommendations and transparent procedures.

The Commission Fédérale pour les Vaccinations (CFV; Federal Vaccination Commission), the Swiss National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG), was established in 2004 and is comprised of 15 core members and a few ex officio members. Its role is to serve as a scientific advisor to the authorities in making vaccination recommendations, and to act as a mediator between the authorities, experts, and the public on questions concerning vaccinations. The CFV requires all members to describe in detail any potential conflicts of interest.

Little evidence that hepatitis C virus leads to a higher risk of mortality in the absence of cirrhosis and excess alcohol intake: the Swiss Hepatitis C Cohort Study.

The objective of this study was to describe the all-cause mortality of participants in the Swiss Hepatitis C Cohort compared to the Swiss general population. Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection attending secondary and tertiary care centres in Switzerland. One thousand six hundred and forty-five patients with HCV infection were followed up for a mean of over 2 years.

Hepatitis A virus infections in travelers, 1988-2004.

Background: Uncertainty exists about the current risk of hepatitis A virus infection in nonimmune travelers to destinations with high or intermediate risk of transmission. We analyzed recent epidemiological data on imported hepatitis A to determine region-specific attack rates and incidences.

Methods: Surveillance data on hepatitis A virus infections diagnosed during 1988-2004 were evaluated on the basis of notification by laboratories, additional reports of physicians, and traveler's statistics.

Peritoneal schistosomiasis: an unusual laparoscopic finding.

Laparoscopic surgery is now a common procedure for the cure of appendicitis. Unexpected other laparoscopic findings can be a diagnostic challenge. The authors present a case in which, in addition to typical appendicitis, multiple whitish nodules were found diffusely on the peritoneal surfaces suggesting a differential diagnosis including miliary tuberculosis and carcinoma metastases.

Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus in children by detection of specific antibodies in saliva.

Objectives: To facilitate the study of the prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection and its determinants in children, we developed a noninvasive saliva test.

Methods: A capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of IgG to HSV in saliva was developed, validated against a commercial serum ELISA in 110 children and 187 adults and used in a cross-sectional population-based study including 2,048 children ages 1 to 17 years, recruited in day-care centers and schools of Geneva, Switzerland. Demographic and socioeconomic determinants of HSV prevalence were studied.

Detection of enteroviruses in the cerebrospinal fluid by polymerase chain reaction: prospective study of impact on the management of hospitalized children.

A polymerase chain reaction kit (AMPLICOR EV) for the detection of enteroviruses (EV-PCR) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was evaluated in clinical conditions in a prospective blinded-intention study. Forty-three children (mean age 2.7 years) hospitalized for suspected meningitis or fever of unclear etiology were enrolled.

Antiretroviral therapies in pregnancy: maternal, fetal and neonatal effects. Swiss HIV Cohort Study, the Swiss Collaborative HIV and Pregnancy Study, and the Swiss Neonatal HIV Study.

Background: Therapies containing two reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTI) with or without protease inhibitors are used with increasing frequency in pregnant HIV-infected women.

Objective: To assess the safety of antiretroviral therapy in pregnant women and their newborns.

Methods: All clinical events and laboratory abnormalities in pregnant women on RTI with or without protease inhibitors and in their newborns were collected through an observational study.

Bio-electrical impedance analysis for estimation of fat-free mass and muscle mass in cystic fibrosis patients.

The nutritional status of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has to be regularly evaluated and alimentary support instituted when indicated. Bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a recent method for determining body composition. The present study evaluates its use in CF patients without any clinical sign of malnutrition.

Assessment of total energy expenditure in free-living patients with cystic fibrosis.

The increase in resting energy expenditure (REE) reported in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) does not necessarily imply an increase in total energy expenditure (TEE). In this study REE was assessed with open-circuit indirect calorimetry, and free-living 24-hour TEE with the heart rate method. Thirteen patients with CF, aged 8 to 24 years, with adequate nutritional status and moderately decreased pulmonary function, were studied.

[Right ventricular endomyocardial fibrosis].

The clinical course, non-invasive and invasive diagnostic findings from a 50-year-old patient with endomyocardial fibrosis are reported. The patient died in cardiogenic shock. In Europe, endomyocardial fibrosis is a rare event.