Patients with refractory musculoskeletal pain syndromes undergoing a multimodal assessment and therapy programme: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes, including fibromyalgia, are heterogeneous entities with a major socioeconomic burden. Multimodal treatment programmes have shown greater efficacy than conventional approaches for these patients, at least in the short term. A profound understanding of chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome patients treated in multimodal treatment programmes is important for their development and to provide insight into these conditions.

Classification of salivary gland biopsies in Sjögren's syndrome by a convolutional neural network using an auto-machine learning platform.

Background: The histopathological analysis of minor salivary gland biopsies, particularly through the quantification of the Focus Score (FS), is pivotal in the diagnostic workflow for Sjögren's Syndrome (SS). AI-based image recognition using deep learning models has demonstrated potential in enhancing diagnostic accuracy and efficiency in preclinical research.

Objectives: The primary aim of this investigation was to utilize an auto-machine learning (autoML) platform for the automated segmentation and quantification of FS on histopathological slides, aiming to augment diagnostic precision and speed in SS.

Sex and gender in health research: intersectionality matters.

Research policies aiming to integrate sex and gender in scientific studies are receiving increased attention in academia. Incorporating these policies into health research is essential for improving targeted and equitable healthcare outcomes, by considering both disparities and similarities between individuals relating to sex and gender. Although these efforts are both urgent and critical, only an intersectional approach, which considers broad and multidimensional aspects of an individual's identity, can provide a complete understanding of the factors that impact health.

Customization of neonatal functional magnetic resonance imaging: A preclinical phantom-based study.

Over the past few decades, the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on neonates and very young children has increased dramatically in research and clinical settings. However, the specific characteristics of this population and the MRI standards largely derived from adult studies, pose serious practical challenges. The current study aims to provide general methodological guidelines for customized neonatal fMRI by assessing the performance of various fMRI hardware and software applications.

Diabetes and the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality among older adults: an individual participant data analysis of five prospective studies.

Background: Guidelines and studies provide conflicting information on whether type 2 diabetes (T2D) should be considered a coronary heart disease risk (CHD) equivalent in older adults.

Methods: We synthesized participant-level data on 82,723 individuals aged ≥65 years from five prospective studies in two-stage meta-analyses. We estimated multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of T2D (presence versus absence) on a primary composite outcome defined as cardiovascular events or all-cause mortality.

The effect of polygenic risk score and childhood adversity on transdiagnostic symptom dimensions at first-episode psychosis: evidence for an affective pathway to psychosis.

Childhood adversity is associated with various clinical dimensions in psychosis; however, how genetic vulnerability shapes the adversity-associated psychopathological signature is yet to be studied. We studied data of 583 First Episode Psychosis (FEP) cases from the EU-GEI FEP case-control study, including Polygenic risk scores for major depressive disorder (MDD-PRS), bipolar disorder (BD-PRS) and schizophrenia (SZ-PRS); childhood adversity measured with the total score of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ); and positive, negative, depressive and manic psychopathological domains from a factor model of transdiagnostic dimensions. Genes and environment interactions were explored as a departure from a multiplicative effect of PRSs and total CTQ on each dimension.

Concomitant Cervical and Anal Screening for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV): Worth the Effort or a Waste of Time?

Background: This study represents a follow-up analysis of the (ANGY) study.

Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional, single-center study recruited women for concomitant cervical and anal screening of HPV genotypes and cytology during a single appointment. All women with findings of either HPV or any type of dysplastic lesions on anal smears were offered follow-up in a specialized high-resolution anoscopy (HRA) outpatient clinic, representing the study cohort for this follow-up study.

Guidelines for the Prophylaxis and Treatment of Peritoneal Metastases From Colorectal Cancer: A GRADE-Approach for Evidence Evaluation and Recommendations.

Colorectal peritoneal metastases (CPM) are common in colorectal cancer patients. This article aims to provide GRADE guidelines for the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in two clinical situations: (1) To determine the value of adjuvant HIPEC for the prevention of CPM in high-risk colorectal cancer patients; (2) to determine the impact on survival of cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC followed by adjuvant systemic chemotherapy as compared to systemic chemotherapy alone in patients with CPM.

Allocation of Treatment Slots in Elective Mental Health Care-Are Waiting Lists the Ethically Most Appropriate Option?

Waiting lists are a standard approach to managing excess demand in elective health care. While waiting times are an important policy issue, the ethical validity of the first come, first served (FCFS) principle as such is rarely questioned. Presenting a psychiatric day hospital where all eligible patients have roughly equal claims as a case study, we criticize the reflex use of FCFS for allocation of elective psychiatric care, consider conditions under which this may not be the optimal strategy, and discuss alternatives.

Evaluation of bone-conducted oVEMPs using frontal medial and mastoid stimulations.

Aims: To determine the optimal stimulation intensity for frontal stimulation with a modified slit lamp holder and to compare the reliability and symmetry of bone-conducted ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) using two stimulation sites: frontal medial and mastoid.

Methods: This observational study included 33 healthy volunteers (15 women, 18 men; mean age 24.5years) at the University Hospital of Lausanne.

Visit-to-visit changes in heart rate in heart failure: A pooled participant-level analysis of the PARADIGM-HF and PARAGON-HF trials.

Aims: Resting heart rate (HR) is a strong risk marker in patients with heart failure (HF), but the clinical implications of visit-to-visit changes in HR (ΔHR) are less well established. We aimed to explore the association between ΔHR and subsequent outcomes in a pooled dataset of two well-characterized cohorts of patients with HF across the full range of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods And Results: PARADIGM-HF and PARAGON-HF were randomized trials testing sacubitril/valsartan versus enalapril or valsartan, respectively, in patients with HF and LVEF ≤40% (PARADIGM-HF) or LVEF ≥45% (PARAGON-HF).

Association between physical activity and diabetes control: multiple cross-sectional studies and a prospective study in a population-based, Swiss cohort.

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) is recommended in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to improve their glycaemic control. We aimed to assess PA levels among participants with controlled and uncontrolled T2DM.

Research Design And Methods: Three cross-sectional analyses of a prospective cohort conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Conscious experiences during non-rapid eye movement sleep parasomnias.

Disorders of Arousal (DOA) are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) parasomnias traditionally regarded as unconscious states. However, recent research challenges this assumption. This narrative review aims to explore the presence and qualitative features of conscious experiences in patients with DOA during their episodes.

Targeted management of coexistent severe thrombophilias-A case report of a successful pregnancy despite paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and hereditary protein C deficiency.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare hematological disorder characterized by the absence of complement regulatory proteins on the surface of erythrocytes, leading to intravascular hemolysis and thrombosis. Managing PNH during pregnancy poses significant challenges due to increased risks of morbidity and mortality. This case report describes the detailed obstetric course of a 44-year-old woman with PNH and additional hereditary protein C deficiency who had previously experienced multiple thrombotic events and adverse pregnancy outcomes (two early miscarriages and one stillbirth at 25 weeks gestation [WG]), treated with eculizumab (terminal C5 inhibitor) and optimal anticoagulation management.

Noise in the operating room coincides with surgical difficulty.

Background: Noise in the operating room has been shown to distract the surgical team and to be associated with postoperative complications. It is, however, unclear whether complications after noisy operations are the result of objective or subjective surgical difficulty or the consequence of distraction of the operating room team by noise.

Methods: Noise level measurements were prospectively performed during operations in four Swiss hospitals.

Serum Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Neurofilament Light Chain Levels Reflect Different Mechanisms of Disease Progression under B-Cell Depleting Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis.

Objective: To investigate the longitudinal dynamics of serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) and serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) under B-cell depleting therapy (BCDT) and their capacity to prognosticate future progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) events.

Methods: A total of 362 pwMS (1,480 samples) starting BCDT in the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Cohort were included. sGFAP levels in 2,861 control persons (4,943 samples) provided normative data to calculate adjusted Z scores.

Avoiding Misdiagnosis in Global Rostral Midbrain Syndrome (GRMS): Clinical Insights and Neurorehabilitation Approaches.

This study reports two cases of Global Rostral Midbrain Syndrome (GRMS) and corpus callosum infarction in the context of shunt overdrainage caused by obstructive hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis. We detail how thorough clinical evaluation and appropriate investigation helped avoid a coma misdiagnosis and describe the excellent response to pharmacological treatment and successful neurorehabilitation in both cases. We analyze the cognitive profile of patients with GRMS, a rare condition that mimics disorders such as coma and progressive supranuclear palsy at various stages.

Associations between Cooking Methods and Socio-Demographic, Dietary, and Anthropometric Factors: Results from the Cross-Sectional Swiss National Nutrition Survey.

Introduction: Appropriate cooking methods can improve food safety, decrease contaminants, and increase nutrient bioavailability. Few studies assessed the sociodemographic characterization of their use in European populations. We aimed to characterize the socio-demographic, lifestyle, and anthropometric predictors of cooking methods in the Swiss population.