Factors Associated With COVID-19 Non-Vaccination in Switzerland: A Nationwide Study.

We compared socio-demographic characteristics, health-related variables, vaccination-related beliefs and attitudes, vaccination acceptance, and personality traits of individuals who vaccinated against COVID-19 and who did not vaccinate by December 2021. This cross-sectional study used data of 10,642 adult participants from the Corona Immunitas eCohort, an age-stratified random sample of the population of several cantons in Switzerland. We used multivariable logistic regression models to explore associations of vaccination status with socio-demographic, health, and behavioral factors.

Chronic hepatitis C virus infections in Switzerland in 2020: Lower than expected and suggesting achievement of WHO elimination targets.

In this multi-method study, we investigated the prevalence of chronic infections with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Switzerland in 2020, and assessed Switzerland's progress in eliminating HCV as a public health problem by 2030 with regard to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria targeting infections acquired during the preceding year ('new transmissions') and HCV-associated mortality. Based on a systematic literature review, the reappraisal of a 2015 prevalence analysis assuming 0.5% prevalence among the Swiss population and data from many additional sources, we estimated the prevalence among subpopulations at increased risk and the general population.

Understanding the Decline of Incident, Active Tuberculosis in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Switzerland.

Background: People with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) (PWH) are frequently coinfected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and at risk for progressing from asymptomatic latent TB infection (LTBI) to active tuberculosis (TB). LTBI testing and preventive treatment (TB specific prevention) are recommended, but its efficacy in low transmission settings is unclear.

Methods: We included PWH enrolled from 1988 to 2022 in the Swiss HIV Cohort study (SHCS).

Migrating a Well-Established Longitudinal Cohort Database From Oracle SQL to Research Electronic Data Entry (REDCap): Data Management Research and Design Study.

Background: Providing user-friendly electronic data collection tools for large multicenter studies is key for obtaining high-quality research data. Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) is a software solution developed for setting up research databases with integrated graphical user interfaces for electronic data entry. The Swiss Mother and Child HIV Cohort Study (MoCHiV) is a longitudinal cohort study with around 2 million data entries dating back to the early 1980s.

Effect of Single High Dose Vitamin D Substitution in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Vitamin D Deficiency on Length of Hospital Stay.

Vitamin D and its role in the coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been controversially discussed, with inconclusive evidence about vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplementation in COVID-19 patients. Vitamin D metabolites play an important role in the initiation of the immune response and can be an easily modifiable risk factor in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)-deficient patients. This is a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind trial to compare the effect of a single high dose of vitamin D followed by treatment as usual (TAU) of daily vitamin D daily until discharge versus placebo plus TAU in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and 25(OH)D-deficiency on length hospital stay.

An estimation of the consequences of reinforcing the 2016 and 2019 European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society guidelines on current lipid-lowering treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes in tertiary care-a SwissDiab study.

Aims: In 2019, the European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society updated the 2016 guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias recommending more stringent low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets in diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). Based on a real-world patient population, this study aimed to determine the feasibility and cost of attaining guideline-recommended LDL-C targets, and assess cardiovascular benefit.

Methods And Results: The Swiss Diabetes Registry is a multicentre longitudinal observational study of outpatients in tertiary diabetes care.

Early versus Later Anticoagulation for Stroke with Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: The effect of early as compared with later initiation of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in persons with atrial fibrillation who have had an acute ischemic stroke is unclear.

Methods: We performed an investigator-initiated, open-label trial at 103 sites in 15 countries. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to early anticoagulation (within 48 hours after a minor or moderate stroke or on day 6 or 7 after a major stroke) or later anticoagulation (day 3 or 4 after a minor stroke, day 6 or 7 after a moderate stroke, or day 12, 13, or 14 after a major stroke).

Pseudorabies virus hijacks DDX3X, initiating an addictive "mad itch" and immune suppression, to facilitate viral spread.

Infections with defined Herpesviruses, such as Pseudorabies virus (PRV) and Varicella zoster virus (VZV) can cause neuropathic itch, referred to as "mad itch" in multiple species. The underlying mechanisms involved in neuropathic "mad itch" are poorly understood. Here, we show that PRV infections hijack the RNA helicase DDX3X in sensory neurons to facilitate anterograde transport of the virus along axons.

Microbial peptides activate tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in glioblastoma.

Microbial organisms have key roles in numerous physiological processes in the human body and have recently been shown to modify the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Here we aim to address the role of microbial organisms and their potential role in immune reactivity against glioblastoma. We demonstrate that HLA molecules of both glioblastoma tissues and tumour cell lines present bacteria-specific peptides.

Case report: Intraosseous hibernoma (IOH) mimics osseous metastasis: another rare pitfall in FDG-PET-CT.

Intraosseous hibernoma (IOH) mimicking osseous metastasis is a rare and little-known pitfall in nuclear medicine and radiology. Referring to a clinical case, we show imaging features in FDG-PET and CT as well as pathological characteristics and discuss MRI and differential diagnoses. A 73-year-old woman was assigned for an FDG-PET/CT examination after the incidental finding of a suspicious pulmonary nodule.

in a Pediatric Patient-First Case Report from Switzerland.

We report the first case of in a 4-year-old male patient in Switzerland. The disease is a vector-borne parasitic infection that is not endemic to Switzerland. A 4-year-old male presented with a tender mass in the left groin.

European Association of Urology Guidelines on Testicular Cancer: 2023 Update.

Context: Each year the European Association of Urology (EAU) produce a document based on the most recent evidence on the diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up of testicular cancer (TC).

Objective: To represent a summarised version of the EAU guidelines on TC for 2023 with a focus on key changes in the 2023 update.

Evidence Acquisition: A multidisciplinary panel of TC experts, comprising urologists, medical and radiation oncologists, and pathologists, reviewed the results from a structured literature search to compile the guidelines document.

Postoperative Results in the Treatment of Retinal Detachment with Scleral Buckling Surgery.

Background: The course after scleral buckling surgery is investigated in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Patients And Methods: The Ethics Committee of Eastern Switzerland approved the retrospective single-center study (EKOS19/152, Project ID: 2019-02034). The primary endpoint is the anatomical reattachment of the retina 3 months after surgery.

Morphology of Serous Retinal Detachment in Morning Glory Optic Disc Anomaly in a Patient before and after Treatment with Systemic Carboanhydrase Inhibitors.

Background: Morning glory optic disc anomaly (MGODA) is a rare congenital defect of the optic nerve head. The optic nerve is enlarged, and its conical excavation is filled with glial tissue. It may be associated with cerebral malformations and ocular complications, whereas serous retinal detachment occurs in 38% of affected patients.

Evidence-Based Guideline for the diagnosis and management of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, characterized by asthma, eosinophilia and granulomatous or vasculitic involvement of several organs. The diagnosis and management of EGPA are often challenging and require an integrated, multidisciplinary approach. Current practice relies on recommendations and guidelines addressing the management of ANCA-associated vasculitis and not specifically developed for EGPA.

Systematic symptom screening in patients with advanced cancer treated in certified oncology centers: results of the prospective multicenter German KeSBa project.

Purpose: Guidelines recommend a structured symptom screening (SC) for especially advanced cancer patients (CPs). The aim of this multicenter German prospective quality assurance project KeSBa (Kennzahl Symptom- und Belastungserfassung) was to gain knowledge on SC procedures in Oncology Centers (OCs) for advanced cancer patients and a first impression on the consequences of SC.

Methods: The KeSBa project consisted of three phases: pilot, 3 months screening and feedback phase.

Smartphone-based cough monitoring as a near real-time digital pneumonia biomarker.

Background: Cough represents a cardinal symptom of acute respiratory tract infections. Generally associated with disease activity, cough holds biomarker potential and might be harnessed for prognosis and personalised treatment decisions. Here, we tested the suitability of cough as a digital biomarker for disease activity in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other lower respiratory tract infections.

Management of patients with multiple myeloma and COVID-19 in the post pandemic era: a consensus paper from the European Myeloma Network (EMN).

In the post-pandemic COVID-19 period, human activities have returned to normal and COVID-19 cases are usually mild. However, patients with multiple myeloma (MM) present an increased risk for breakthrough infections and severe COVID-19 outcomes, including hospitalization and death. The European Myeloma Network has provided an expert consensus to guide patient management in this era.

Novel Echinacea formulations for the treatment of acute respiratory tract infections in adults-A randomized blinded controlled trial.

Background: has clinical antiviral activity against respiratory viruses and modulates immune functions. In this study, we compared higher doses of new formulations with conventional formulations at lower, preventive doses for therapy of respiratory tract infections (RTIs).

Methods: In this randomized, blinded, controlled trial, healthy adults ( = 409) were randomized between November 2018 and January 2019 to one of four formulations, which were taken in case of an RTI for up to 10 days.