Coffee Consumption Correlates With Better Cognitive Performance in Patients With a High Incidence for Stroke.

Background: Atrial fibrillation is an independent risk factor for the development of cognitive impairments. Regular coffee consumption has shown cognitive benefits in healthy individuals. Whether regular consumption reduces cognitive decline in vulnerable patients is controversial.

Risk Factors, Treatments, and Outcomes of Adults Aged <55 Years With Acute Ischemic Stroke With Undetermined Versus Determined Pathogenesis: A Nationwide Swiss Cohort Study.

Background: The rising prevalence of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in young adults, particularly with undetermined pathogenesis, is a growing concern. This study assessed risk factors, treatments, and outcomes between young AIS patients with undetermined and determined pathogeneses.

Methods And Results: This was a retrospective cohort study including AIS patients aged 18 to 55 years in Switzerland, treated between 2014 and 2022.

A single-chain variable fragment-based bispecific T-cell activating antibody against CD117 enables T-cell mediated lysis of acute myeloid leukemia and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) derives from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). To date, no AML-exclusive, non-HSPC-expressed cell-surface target molecules for AML selective immunotherapy have been identified. Therefore, to still apply surface-directed immunotherapy in this disease setting, time-limited combined immune-targeting of AML cells and healthy HSPCs, followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), might be a viable therapeutic approach.

3-year quality of life, functional performance, and long-term survival after acute pulmonary embolism; A prospective study.

Our prospective study investigates the 3-year trajectory of disease-specific quality of life (QoL) using the PEmb-QoL questionnaire, functional performance via 6-min walk tests, and the 5-year survival following acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and explores their association with patient demographics and clinical characteristics. We highlight that PE-specific QoL improves over time despite no significant changes in cardiopulmonary performance.

Air travel in patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension-A prospective, multicentre study.

The PEGASUS study is the first multicentric and prospective assessment of the safety of air travel flying in pulmonary hypertension (PH) (NCT03051763). Data of air travel from 60 patients with PH was available. No severe adverse events occurred.

Characteristics and risk profiles of patients with pulmonary arterial or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension living permanently at >2500 m of high altitude in Ecuador.

Over 80 Mio people worldwide live >2500 m, including at least as many patients with pulmonary vascular disease (PVD), defined as pulmonary arterial or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (PAH/CTEPH), as elsewhere (estimated 0.1‰). Whether PVD patients living at high altitude have altered disease characteristics due to hypobaric hypoxia is unknown.

Pulmonary vascular disease, environmental pollution, and climate change.

Pollution and climate change constitute a combined, grave and pervasive threat to humans and to the life-support systems on which they depend. Evidence shows a strong association between pollution and climate change on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and pulmonary vascular disease (PVD) is no exception. An increasing number of studies has documented the impact of environmental pollution and extreme temperatures on pulmonary circulation and the right heart, on the severity and outcomes of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (PH), on the incidence of pulmonary embolism, and the prevalence and severity of diseases associated with PH.

Evaluation of Proclarix in the diagnostic work-up of prostate cancer.

Objectives: The use of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) has been widely adopted in the diagnostic work-up for suspicious prostate cancer (PCa) and is recommended in most current guidelines. However, mpMRI lesions are often indeterminate and/or turn out to be false-positive on prostate biopsy. The aim of this work was to evaluate Proclarix, a biomarker test for the detection of relevant PCa, regarding its diagnostic value in all men before biopsy and in men with indeterminate lesions on mpMRI (PI-RADS 3) during work-up for PCa.

Influenza vaccination uptake among at-risk patients in Switzerland-The potential of national claims data for surveillance.

Background: Swiss national surveillance of influenza vaccination uptake rates (VURs) relies on self-reported vaccination status. The aim of this study was to determine VURs among at-risk patients, namely, patients ≥65 of age and adult patients with chronic diseases, using claims data, instead of self-reported measures, to investigate factors of vaccine uptake, and to assess different methodological approaches to conduct vaccination surveillance.

Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional analysis, we determined VURs in three influenza seasons (2015/2016-2017/2018).

No impact of disease duration on response to tildrakizumab treatment among patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: Post hoc analyses from two phase 3 (reSURFACE 1 and reSURFACE 2) and one phase 4 (TRIBUTE) studies.

In the literature there is no consensus on the correlation between early systemic intervention and better treatment response in psoriasis. Here we present data on the impact of disease duration (<5 years, 5-<10 years, and ≥10 years) on response to tildrakizumab treatment among patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis from the reSURFACE 1 and reSURFACE 2 phase 3 trials and the TRIBUTE phase 4 study. Overall, there was no significant effect of disease duration on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index ≤1, ≤3, and ≤5, or the Dermatology Life Quality Index 0-1 response rates.

Use of the Wearable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Among Patients With Myocarditis and Reduced Ejection Fraction or Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia: Data From a Multicenter Registry.

Background Data on the use of the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) among patients with myocarditis remain sparse. Consequently, evidence for guideline recommendations in this patient population is lacking. Methods and Results In total, 1596 consecutive patients were included in a multicenter registry from 8 European centers, with 124 patients (8%) having received the WCD due to myocarditis and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction or prior ventricular tachyarrhythmia.

Pooled Analysis of Rivaroxaban therapy for acute venous thromboembolism in FIRST registry, SWIVTER and DRESDEN NOAC registry.

Background: The direct factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban is approved for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE), based on the results of large phase III trials.

Objectives: To confirm rivaroxaban's effectiveness and safety in routine clinical care of patients with VTE.

Methods: Data were obtained from prospective, noninterventional registries: the FIRST registry (United Kingdom), DRESDEN NOAC registry (Germany), and SWIVTER (Switzerland).

Endocrine hormone imbalance in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Aims: Sustained neurohormonal activation plays a central role in the progression of heart failure (HF). Other endocrine axes may also be affected. It was the aim of this study to examine the endocrine profile (thyroid, parathyroid, glucocorticoid, and sex hormones) in a contemporary sample of patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (EF) on established disease-modifying therapy.

Cost-of-Illness Analysis of Long-Term Health Care Resource Use and Disease Burden in Patients With Pulmonary Embolism: Insights From the PREFER in VTE Registry.

Background As mortality from pulmonary embolism (PE) decreases, the personal and societal costs among survivors are receiving increasing attention. Detailing this burden would support an efficient public health resource allocation. We aimed to provide estimates for the economic and disease burden of PE also accounting for long-term health care use and both direct and indirect costs beyond the acute phase.

Venous thromboembolism in critically ill patients with pneumonia in the pre-COVID-19 era: Data from a large public database.

Background: The magnitude of venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk in severe COVID-19 is a matter of debate because of study heterogeneity, changes in VTE management, and scarce evidence of VTE risk in critically ill patients with pneumonia in the pre-COVID-19 era.

Objectives: To evaluate VTE risk in the pre-COVID-19 era in a large intensive care unit (ICU) database.

Patients/methods: Data from consecutive pneumonia patients admitted to the ICU were retrieved from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III VTE risk was described in the entire cohort and in subgroups.

Bilateral Focused Ultrasound Pallidotomy for Parkinson-Related Facial Dyskinesia-A Case Report.

Background: For safety reasons, both magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHiFUS) thalamotomy and pallidotomy are currently approved exclusively for unilateral treatment, but axial symptoms like levodopa-induced orofacial dyskinesia require a bilateral approach.

Objectives: We report the first case of successful bilateral MRgHiFUS pallidotomy for peak-dose dyskinesia in a patient with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: The treatment decision was based on the patient's reluctance toward brain implants and pump therapies and the fact that he had limited access to a deep brain stimulation center in his home country.

Disease characteristics and clinical outcome over two decades from the Swiss pulmonary hypertension registry.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH), especially pulmonary arterial and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (PAH/CTEPH), are rare and progressive conditions. Despite recent advances in treatment and prognosis, PH is still associated with impaired quality of life and survival. Long-term PH-registry data provide information on the changing PH-epidemiology and may help to direct resources to patient's needs.