PBRM1 loss is associated with increased sensitivity to MCL1 and CDK9 inhibition in clear cell renal cancer.

MCL1 is a member of the BCL2 family of apoptosis regulators, which play a critical role in promoting cancer survival and drug resistance. We previously described PRT1419, a potent, MCL1 inhibitor with anti-tumor efficacy in various solid and hematologic malignancies. To identify novel biomarkers that predict sensitivity to MCL1 inhibition, we conducted a gene essentiality analysis using gene dependency data generated from CRISPR/Cas9 cell viability screens.

Engagement in volunteering activities by persons with multiple sclerosis in Switzerland.

Background: Informal and formal volunteering engagement is a proxy for social integration and may have beneficial effects for physical and mental well-being in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). As literature on the topic among the pwMS is lacking, this study aimed to determine frequency and type of volunteering performed by pwMS and to identify factors associated with volunteering.

Methods: Cross-sectional, self-reported data of 615 pwMS participating in the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine frequency and type of volunteering engagement.

Feelings of loneliness, COVID-19-specific-health anxiety and depressive symptoms during the first COVID-19 wave in Swiss persons with multiple sclerosis.

The aim of our study was to investigate whether self-reported feeling of loneliness (FoL) and COVID-19-specific health anxiety were associated with the presence of depressive symptoms during the first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wave. Questionnaires of 603 persons of the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry (SMSR) were cross-sectionally analyzed using descriptive and multivariable regression methods. The survey response rate was 63.

The Real-World Experiences of Persons With Multiple Sclerosis During the First COVID-19 Lockdown: Application of Natural Language Processing.

Background: The increasing availability of "real-world" data in the form of written text holds promise for deepening our understanding of societal and health-related challenges. Textual data constitute a rich source of information, allowing the capture of lived experiences through a broad range of different sources of information (eg, content and emotional tone). Interviews are the "gold standard" for gaining qualitative insights into individual experiences and perspectives.

Association of age and disease duration with comorbidities and disability: A study of the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry.

Background: While comorbidities increase with age, duration of multiple sclerosis (MS) leads to disability accumulation in persons with MS. The influence of ageing vis-a-vis MS duration remains largely unexplored. We studied the independent associations of ageing and MS duration with disability and comorbidities in the Swiss MS Registry participants.

Onset Symptom Clusters in Multiple Sclerosis: Characteristics, Comorbidities, and Risk Factors.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms are expected to aggregate in specific patterns across different stages of the disease. Here, we studied the clustering of onset symptoms and examined their characteristics, comorbidity patterns and associations with potential risk factors. Data stem from the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry, a prospective study including 2,063 participants by November 2019.

The Effect of Depression on Health-Related Quality of Life Is Mediated by Fatigue in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis.

The interrelations between fatigue, depression and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are complex, and the directionality of the effects is unclear. To address this gap, the current study used a longitudinal design to assess direct and indirect effects of fatigue and depression on HRQoL in a one-year follow-up survey. A sample of 210 PwMS from the nationwide Swiss MS Registry was used.

Relationship between Job Demands-Resources and turnover intention in chronic disease - The example of multiple sclerosis.

Considering the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study investigated the relation between job demands, job resources and turnover intention among persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) as an example of chronic disease. We hypothesized that job demands and job resources are related to turnover intention, as mediated by work engagement, burnout, and MS-related work difficulties. Moreover, we assumed that MS-related work difficulties mediate the relationship between job demands/job resources and burnout and between job resources and work engagement.

Major depressive disorder subtypes and depression symptoms in multiple sclerosis: What is different compared to the general population?

Objective: To compare and characterize major depressive disorder (MDD) subtypes (i.e., pure atypical, pure melancholic and mixed atypical-melancholic) and depression symptoms in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) with persons without MS (Pw/oMS) fulfilling the DSM-5 criteria for a past 12-month MDD.

Factors associated with employment and expected work retention among persons with multiple sclerosis: findings of a cross-sectional citizen science study.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) notably affects adults of working age. For persons with MS (PwMS), being employed enhances their quality of life and it may be regarded as an indicator of overall functioning. Thus, ensuring work participation in PwMS is of general public health interest.

Subtypes of alcohol use disorder in the general population: A latent class analysis.

Alcohol use disorders (AUD) are often comorbid with other disorders with high levels of impairment, which is of relevance for the development and the progression of the disease. Evidence shows that AUD varies greatly with regard to its aetiology, which might lead to distinct clinical representations with important implications for treatment. The current study aimed to apply latent class analysis (LCA) techniques to investigate how comorbidity patterns in AUD vary with regard to specific explanatory factors.

How do patients enter the healthcare system after the first onset of multiple sclerosis symptoms? The influence of setting and physician specialty on speed of diagnosis.

Background: Diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) early is crucial to avoid future disability. However, potentially preventable delays in the diagnostic cascade from contact with a physician to definite diagnosis still occur and their causes are still unclear.

Objective: To identify the possible causes of delays in the diagnostic process.

Sex differences in neurodevelopmental and common mental disorders examined from three epidemiological perspectives.

Sex differences in neurodevelopmental and common mental disorders are a ubiquitous, well-known, though poorly understood phenomenon. This study examined the issue from three epidemiological perspectives: congruence in age of onset, distribution of sex-ratios with respect to age of onset and similarity of comorbidity and risk factor patterns. The analysis was based on data from the population-based PsyCoLaus study (N = 4874, age 35-82 y).

A step beyond the hygiene hypothesis-immune-mediated classes determined in a population-based study.

Background: Comorbidity patterns of childhood infections, atopic diseases, and adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are related to immune system programming conditions. The aim of this study was to make a step beyond the hygiene hypothesis and to comprehensively classify these patterns with latent class analysis (LCA). A second aim was to characterize the classes by associations with immunological, clinical, and sociodemographic variables.

Factors associated with time from first-symptoms to diagnosis and treatment initiation of Multiple Sclerosis in Switzerland.

Background: Recent studies emphasise the importance of timely diagnosis and early initiation of disease-modifying treatment in the long-term prognosis of multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with extended time to diagnosis and time to disease-modifying treatment initiation in the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry.

Methods: We used retrospective data (diagnoses 1996-2017) of the survey-based Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry and fitted logistic regression models (extended time to diagnosis ≥2 years from first symptoms, extended time to disease-modifying treatment initiation ≥1 year from diagnosis) with demographic and a priori defined variables.

Patterns of care for Multiple Sclerosis in a setting of universal care access: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Current guidelines recommend regular neurological MS care in persons diagnosed with MS, but little is known about implementation of this recommendation or potential access barriers. This study examined disease-specific and sociodemographic differences between MS patients in Neurological Care (NeC), General Practitioner Care (GPC), or no Physician Care (NoPC) to identify group differences and characteristics that may suggest care access barriers.

Methods: Patient-reported data were analyzed from 1038 Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry participants by means of multivariable regression to identify systematic differences across the three care groups.

The Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry (SMSR): study protocol of a participatory, nationwide registry to promote epidemiological and patient-centered MS research.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most frequently observed neurological conditions in Switzerland, but data sources for country-wide epidemiological trend monitoring are lacking. Moreover, while clinical and laboratory MS research are generally well established, there is a gap in patient-centered MS research to inform care management, or treatment decisions and policy making not only in Switzerland but worldwide.

Methods: In light of these research gaps, the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Society initiated and funded the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry (SMSR) an open-ended, longitudinal and prospective, nationwide, patient-centered study.

Subtypes of stuttering determined by latent class analysis in two Swiss epidemiological surveys.

Aims: Associations between stuttering in childhood and a broad spectrum of risk factors, associated factors and comorbidities were examined in two large epidemiological studies. Subtypes of stuttering were then identified based on latent class analysis (LCA).

Methods: Data were from two representative Swiss population samples: PsyCoLaus (N = 4,874, age 35-82 years) and the ZInEP Epidemiology Survey (N = 1,500, age 20-41 years).

Predictors of remission from PTSD symptoms after sexual and non-sexual trauma in the community: A mediated survival-analytic approach.

Epidemiological data on the chronicity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in relation to trauma type and underlying pathways are rare. The current study explored how PTSD symptoms change over time across different trauma types and examined mediators of their persistence. A trauma-exposed community sample, whereof approximately one quarter met diagnostic criteria for PTSD, provided retrospective data on the duration of PTSD symptoms.

Sleep disturbances in young and middle-aged adults - Empirical patterns and related factors from an epidemiological survey.

Background: Previous research suggests that sleep disorders are highly associated with other mental health problems. However, sleep problems even below the diagnostic threshold of sleep disorders are very common in the general population, which highly affects wellbeing and functioning. In order to broaden the focus beyond those severe cases we explored empirical patterns across the whole spectrum of sleep problems as well as associated clinical and other factors.

Social Phobia Is Associated with Delayed Onset of Chickenpox, Measles, and Mumps Infections.

Objective: Evidence showing that infectious diseases in childhood play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of neurodevelopmental and other mental disorders is growing. The aim of this study was to explore the timing of common childhood diseases in early-onset anxiety disorders.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed data from PsyCoLaus, a large Swiss Population Cohort Study ( = 3720).

Infectious, atopic and inflammatory diseases, childhood adversities and familial aggregation are independently associated with the risk for mental disorders: Results from a large Swiss epidemiological study.

Aim: To examine the associations between mental disorders and infectious, atopic, inflammatory diseases while adjusting for other risk factors.

Methods: We used data from PsyCoLaus, a large Swiss Population Cohort Study ( = 3720; age range 35-66). Lifetime diagnoses of mental disorders were grouped into the following categories: Neurodevelopmental, anxiety (early and late onset), mood and substance disorders.

Cancer co-occurrence patterns in Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis-Do they mirror immune system imbalances?

Background: To examine the site-specific cancer mortality among deaths registered with Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). We focused on the patterns related to the most frequent cancers.

Methods: We analyzed Swiss mortality data over a 39-year period (1969-2007), using a statistical approach applicable to unique daabases, i.

Mental Health Literacy, Attitudes to Help Seeking, and Perceived Need as Predictors of Mental Health Service Use: A Longitudinal Study.

Many people with mental health problems do not use mental health care, resulting in poorer clinical and social outcomes. Reasons for low service use rates are still incompletely understood. In this longitudinal, population-based study, we investigated the influence of mental health literacy, attitudes toward mental health services, and perceived need for treatment at baseline on actual service use during a 6-month follow-up period, controlling for sociodemographic variables, symptom level, and a history of lifetime mental health service use.

Pure animal phobia is more specific than other specific phobias: epidemiological evidence from the Zurich Study, the ZInEP and the PsyCoLaus.

Interest in subtypes of mental disorders is growing in parallel with continuing research progress in psychiatry. The aim of this study was to examine pure animal phobia in contrast to other specific phobias and a mixed subtype. Data from three representative Swiss community samples were analysed: PsyCoLaus (n = 3720), the ZInEP Epidemiology Survey (n = 1500) and the Zurich Study (n = 591).