Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and intramuscular vitamin D3 supplementation among Eritrean migrants recently arrived in Switzerland.

In a cross-sectional screening programme, we assessed serum vitamin D levels in adult Eritrean refugees recently arrived in Switzerland. Median vitamin D level among 107 participants (95 males and 12 females) was 27 nmol/l (interquartile range 23-42 nmol/l), 86% had insufficient vitamin D levels (≤50 nmol/l) and 36% severe deficiency (<25 nmol/l). In 29 participants who received single-dose intramuscular vitamin D substitution (300 000 IU), median vitamin D levels increased from 25 to 35 nmol/l after 3 months (p = 0.

Time trends of positivity rates from foodborne pathogen testing in Switzerland, 2003 to 2012.

Background: Campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis are important foodborne diseases in Europe, including in Switzerland. In 2014, notification rates for Switzerland were 92.9 per 100 000 population for campylobacteriosis and 15.

Plasmodium Helical Interspersed Subtelomeric (PHIST) Proteins, at the Center of Host Cell Remodeling.

During the asexual cycle, Plasmodium falciparum extensively remodels the human erythrocyte to make it a suitable host cell. A large number of exported proteins facilitate this remodeling process, which causes erythrocytes to become more rigid, cytoadherent, and permeable for nutrients and metabolic products. Among the exported proteins, a family of 89 proteins, called the Plasmodium helical interspersed subtelomeric (PHIST) protein family, has been identified.

Evaluation of Malaria Diagnoses Using a Handheld Light Microscope in a Community-Based Setting in Rural Côte d'Ivoire.

Portable microscopy may facilitate quality diagnostic care in resource-constrained settings. We compared a handheld light microscope (Newton Nm1) with a mobile phone attachment to conventional light microscopy for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum in a cross-sectional study in rural Côte d'Ivoire. Single Giemsa-stained thick blood film from 223 individuals were prepared and read by local laboratory technicians on both microscopes under 1,000× magnification with oil.

Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth infections in schoolchildren in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: There is a paucity of epidemiological data pertaining to schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in the north-eastern part of DRC enrolling 400 schoolchildren aged 9-14 years. Stool and urine samples were subjected to standard diagnostic methods and examined under a microscope for helminth eggs.

In Vitro and In Vivo Drug Interaction Study of Two Lead Combinations, Oxantel Pamoate plus Albendazole and Albendazole plus Mebendazole, for the Treatment of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis.

The current treatments against Trichuris trichiura, albendazole and mebendazole, are only poorly efficacious. Therefore, combination chemotherapy was recommended for treating soil-transmitted helminthiasis. Albendazole-mebendazole and albendazole-oxantel pamoate have shown promising results in clinical trials.

Single-Ascending-Dose Pharmacokinetic Study of Tribendimidine in Opisthorchis viverrini-Infected Patients.

Praziquantel is the only drug available for the treatment of Opisthorchis viverrini infections. Tribendimidine has emerged as a potential treatment alternative; however, its pharmacokinetic (PK) properties have not been sufficiently studied to date. Via two phase IIa dose-finding studies, 68 O.

Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Tribendimidine Metabolites in Opisthorchis viverrini-Infected Adults.

There is a pressing need for alternative treatments against the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini Oral tribendimidine is a promising candidate, but its population pharmacokinetic properties are unknown. Two phase IIa trials were conducted in Laos in O. viverrini-infected adults receiving single oral doses of 25 to 600 mg tribendimidine administered as different formulations in each study (study 1 used 200-mg tablets, and study 2 used 50-mg tablets).

Specificity, cross-reactivity, and function of antibodies elicited by Zika virus infection.

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus with homology to Dengue virus (DENV), has become a public health emergency. By characterizing memory lymphocytes from ZIKV-infected patients, we dissected ZIKV-specific and DENV-cross-reactive immune responses. Antibodies to nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) were largely ZIKV-specific and were used to develop a serological diagnostic tool.

Cross-Reactivity Pattern of Asian and American Human Gnathostomiasis in Western Blot Assays Using Crude Antigens Prepared from Gnathostoma spinigerum and Gnathostoma binucleatum Third-Stage Larvae.

Gnathostomiasis is a zoonotic parasitosis endemic in many Asian and some Latin American countries. Most human infections are caused by Gnathostoma spinigerum in Asia and Gnathostoma binucleatum in the Americas, and recently, imported cases have been increasing among travelers returning from endemic regions. Confirmation of the clinical diagnosis relies largely on serologic tests, with a G.

Discovery of Antischistosomal Drug Leads Based on Tetraazamacrocyclic Derivatives and Their Metal Complexes.

Praziquantel (PZQ) is the only drug available for the treatment of schistosomiasis, and since its large-scale use might be associated with the onset of resistance, new antischistosomal drugs should be developed. A series of 26 synthetic tetraazamacrocyclic derivatives and their metal complexes were synthesized, characterized, and screened for antischistosomal activity by application of a phased screening program. The compounds were first screened against newly transformed schistosomula (NTS) of harvested Schistosoma mansoni cercariae, then against adult worms, and finally, in vivo using the mouse model of S.

Maternal adversities during pregnancy and cord blood oxytocin receptor (OXTR) DNA methylation.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether maternal adversities and cortisol levels during pregnancy predict cord blood DNA methylation of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR). We collected cord blood of 39 babies born to mothers participating in a cross-sectional study (N = 100) conducted in Basel, Switzerland (2007-10). Mothers completed the Inventory of Life Events (second trimester: T2), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS, third trimester: T3), the Trier Inventory of Chronic Stress (TICS-K, 1-3 weeks postpartum) and provided saliva samples (T2, T3) for maternal cortisol profiles, as computed by the area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg) or increase (AUCi) for the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and for diurnal cortisol profiles (DAY).

Managing research and surveillance projects in real-time with a novel open-source eManagement tool designed for under-resourced countries.

Objective: A software tool is developed to facilitate data entry and to monitor research projects in under-resourced countries in real-time.

Methods: The eManagement tool "odk_planner" is written in the scripting languages PHP and Python. The odk_planner is lightweight and uses minimal internet resources.

Comparative Study of Activities of a Diverse Set of Antimycobacterial Agents against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium ulcerans.

A library of compounds covering a broad chemical space was selected from a tuberculosis drug development program and was screened in a whole-cell assay against Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of the necrotizing skin disease Buruli ulcer. While a number of potent antitubercular agents were only weakly active or inactive against M. ulcerans, five compounds showed high activity (90% inhibitory concentration [IC90], ≤1 μM), making screening of focused antitubercular libraries a good starting point for lead generation against M.

Historic air pollution exposure and long-term mortality risks in England and Wales: prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Introduction: Long-term air pollution exposure contributes to mortality but there are few studies examining effects of very long-term (>25 years) exposures.

Methods: This study investigated modelled air pollution concentrations at residence for 1971, 1981, 1991 (black smoke (BS) and SO2) and 2001 (PM10) in relation to mortality up to 2009 in 367,658 members of the longitudinal survey, a 1% sample of the English Census. Outcomes were all-cause (excluding accidents), cardiovascular (CV) and respiratory mortality.

Independent at heart: persistent association of altitude with ischaemic heart disease mortality after consideration of climate, topography and built environment.

Background: Living at higher altitude was dose-dependently associated with lower risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Higher altitudes have different climatic, topographic and built environment properties than lowland regions. It is unclear whether these environmental factors mediate/confound the association between altitude and IHD.

Long-term physical activity is associated with reduced arterial stiffness in older adults: longitudinal results of the SAPALDIA cohort study.

Background: longitudinal analyses of physical activity (PA) and arterial stiffness in populations of older adults are scarce. We examined associations between long-term change of PA and arterial stiffness in the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA).

Methods: we assessed PA in SAPALDIA 2 (2001-03) and SAPALDIA 3 (2010-11) using a short questionnaire with a cut-off of at least 150 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA per week for sufficient activity.

Changing from a pro re nata treatment regimen to a treat and extend regimen with ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Background: Treat and extend (TE) treatment regimens have the potential to reduce the treatment burden placed upon patients receiving ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). This study aimed to analyse changes in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and anatomical parameters in patients switching from a pro re nata (PRN) to a TE regimen during routine clinical practice.

Methods: Retrospective, consecutive, comparative case series of treatment-naïve patients who were initially treated with 0.

Healthy lifestyle and heart rate variability in young adults.

Background: We aimed to determine the association of a comprehensive healthy lifestyle with heart rate variability (HRV), a validated measure of autonomic function.

Design: This was a prospective cohort study.

Methods: A population-based sample of 2079 individuals aged 25-41 years without prevalent cardiovascular disease was investigated.

Identification and Characterization of FTY720 for the Treatment of Human African Trypanosomiasis.

The screening of a focused library identified FTY720 (Fingolimod; Gilenya) as a potent selective antitrypanosomal compound active against Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and T. brucei rhodesiense, the causative agents of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). This is the first report of trypanocidal activity for FTY720, an oral drug registered for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis, and the characterization of sphingolipids as a potential new class of compounds for HAT.