Screening and treatment for latent tuberculosis infection among asylum seekers entering Switzerland.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the compliance of doctors and patients with the current recommendations for screening and preventive treatment of immigrants with a positive tuberculin skin test (TST) suggestive of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of all asylum seekers entering Switzerland between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 1993 and assigned to the cantons of Aargau, Fribourg, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Valais and Vaud, who underwent a TST at the border. The medical documents of all individuals with a TST size suggestive of LTBI (> or = 10 mm in children <15 years, > or = 18 mm in young adults aged 15-25 years) were reviewed for final diagnosis, therapeutic decision, compliance with treatment if prescribed, and notification for tuberculosis within the next 3 years. RESULTS: Among 2515 asylum seekers, 172 had a positive TST suggestive of LTBI. The documents of 93 persons were available. The final diagnosis was LTBI in 71 cases, possible tuberculosis in 10 cases, an effect of BCG immunisation in 10 cases, and other diagnoses in 2 cases. Among 82 individuals with normal chest X-ray or no radiological examination, only 37 (46%) received a preventive treatment and one a full course of antituberculosis drugs. Among 11 persons with an abnormal chest X-ray, 2 received a full course of antituberculosis drugs, 7 a preventive therapy and 2 had no treatment prescribed. Among the 44 subjects in whom a preventive treatment was prescribed, 30 adhered to the treatment regimen. One case (without prescribed treatment) was notified for tuberculosis two years after entry. CONCLUSIONS: Compliance of doctors and patients with current recommendations for examination and treatment of immigrants with a TST suggestive of LTBI is unsatisfactory. New guidelines are needed to provide a clearer definition of the indications and explain the benefits of treating LTBI

Outcome of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in Switzerland in 1996.

Adequate treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis cures patients and reduces transmission. The study assesses treatment outcomes under current conditions in Switzerland. Retrospective cohort study including all TB cases with positive sputum cultures notified to the national surveillance system between July 1996 and June 1997. Ten months after notification, treating physicians reported the outcomes using WHO categories. Of 265 patients, 209 (79%) completed at least 6 months' treatment, 3 (1%) were treatment failures, 23 (9%) died, 8 (3%) defaulted from treatment and 22 (8%) left the country. The proportion of successful treatments did not significantly differ between the 103 Swiss-born (80%) and the 162 foreign-born (78%) patients. There were 19 deaths (18%) in the Swiss-born and 4 (2%) in the foreign-born groups; death was caused by TB in two patients, 10 died of other causes (cause unknown in 11). In the foreign-born group there were 31 (19%) potentially unsatisfactory outcomes (treatment failure, default from treatment, transfer abroad) and in the Swiss-born group 2 (2%). Default from treatment involved 8 patients, 6 of whom were asylum seekers. In a multivariate analysis potentially unsatisfactory outcomes were not significantly associated with foreign origin but with status as a foreigner of irregular or unknown legal status (adj. OR 8.8; 95% CI 1.4 to 53.7). Overall treatment success rates are satisfactory and similar to those of other western European countries. Potentially unsatisfactory outcomes are more common in foreign-born persons of irregular legal status. Tracking of non-adherent patients by health workers could further improve outcomes

Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation of Cementite in Steel and White Cast Iron by Ferromagnetic Parameters

The change in the microstructure state (lattice defects, especially dislocations, precipitations and thus the stress fields) with the addition of alloying elements plays an important role for the strength and the toughness of a material. In order to determine these microstructural parameters, up to now the electron microscopy and similar methods are used. X-ray methods are normally used to determine residual stresses

Update of the Swiss guidelines on post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.

Lyme borreliosis is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection, which responds well to antibiotic therapy in the overwhelming majority of cases. However, despite adequate antibiotic treatment some patients report persisting symptoms which are commonly summarised as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). In 2005, the Swiss Society of Infectious Diseases published a case definition for PTLDS. We aimed to review the scientific literature with a special emphasis on the last 10 years, questioning whether the definitions from 2005 are still valid in the light of current knowledge. Furthermore, we describe the clinical history of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the estimated prevalence of PTLDS, the possible pathogenesis of PTLDS, and treatment options with an emphasis on clinical studies. In summary, we were unable to find a scientific reason for modification of the PTLDS definitions published in 2005. Thus, the diagnostic criteria remain unchanged, namely documented clinical and laboratory evidence of previous infection with B. burgdorferi, a completed course of appropriate antibiotic therapy, symptoms including fatigue, arthralgia, myalgia, cognitive dysfunction or radicular pain persisting for >6 months, a plausible timely association between documented B. burgdorferi infection and onset of symptoms (i.e., persistent or recurrent symptoms that began within 6 months of completion of a recommended antibiotic therapy for early or late Lyme borreliosis), and exclusion of other somatic or psychiatric causes of symptoms. The main therapeutic options remain cognitive behavioural therapy and low-impact aerobic exercise programmes. Growing and unequivocal evidence confirms that prolonged or repeated antibiotic therapy for PTLDS is not beneficial, but potentially harmful and therefore contraindicated. The Guidelines of the Swiss Society of Infectious Diseases offer an evidence based, diagnostic and therapeutic framework for physicians caring for patients suffering from presumptive PTLDS in Switzerland

Advancing Crop Transformation in the Era of Genome Editing

Plant transformation has enabled fundamental insights into plant biology and revolutionized commercial agriculture. Unfortunately, for most crops, transformation and regeneration remain arduous even after more than 30 years of technological advances. Genome editing provides novel opportunities to enhance crop productivity but relies on genetic transformation and plant regeneration, which are bottlenecks in the process. Here, we review the state of plant transformation and point to innovations needed to enable genome editing in crops. Plant tissue culture methods need optimization and simplification for efficiency and minimization of time in culture. Currently, specialized facilities exist for crop transformation. Single-cell and robotic techniques should be developed for high-throughput genomic screens. Plant genes involved in developmental reprogramming, wound response, and/or homologous recombination should be used to boost the recovery of transformed plants. Engineering universal Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains and recruiting other microbes, such as Ensifer or Rhizobium, could facilitate delivery of DNA and proteins into plant cells. Synthetic biology should be employed for de novo design of transformation systems. Genome editing is a potential game-changer in crop genetics when plant transformation systems are optimized

Functional stacking of three resistance genes against Phytophthora infestans in potato

Functional stacking of broad spectrum resistance (R) genes could potentially be an effective strategy for more durable disease resistance, for example, to potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans (Pi). For this reason, three broad spectrum potato R genes (Rpi), Rpi-sto1 (Solanum stoloniferum), Rpi-vnt1.1 (S. venturii) and Rpi-blb3 (S. bulbocastanum) were selected, combined into a single binary vector pBINPLUS and transformed into the susceptible cultivar Desiree. Among the 550 kanamycin resistant regenerants, 28 were further investigated by gene specific PCRs. All regenerants were positive for the nptII gene and 23 of them contained the three Rpi genes, referred to as triple Rpi gene transformants. Detached leaf assay and agro-infiltration of avirulence (Avr) genes showed that the 23 triple Rpi gene transformants were resistant to the selected isolates and showed HR with the three Avr effectors indicating functional stacking of all the three Rpi genes. It is concluded that Avr genes, corresponding to the R genes to be stacked, must be available in order to assay for functionality of each stack component. No indications were found for silencing or any other negative effects affecting the function of the inserted Rpi genes. The resistance spectrum of these 23 triple Rpi gene transformants was, as expected, a sum of the spectra from the three individual Rpi genes. This is the first example of a one-step approach for the simultaneous domestication of three natural R genes against a single disease by genetic transformation

Tuberculosis incidence in foreign-born people residing in European countries in 2020.

BackgroundEuropean-specific policies for tuberculosis (TB) elimination require identification of key populations that benefit from TB screening.AimWe aimed to identify groups of foreign-born individuals residing in European countries that benefit most from targeted TB prevention screening.MethodsThe Tuberculosis Network European Trials group collected, by cross-sectional survey, numbers of foreign-born TB patients residing in European Union (EU) countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 from the 10 highest ranked countries of origin in terms of TB cases in each country of residence. Tuberculosis incidence rates (IRs) in countries of residence were compared with countries of origin.ResultsData on 9,116 foreign-born TB patients in 30 countries of residence were collected. Main countries of origin were Eritrea, India, Pakistan, Morocco, Romania and Somalia. Tuberculosis IRs were highest in patients of Eritrean and Somali origin in Greece and Malta (both > 1,000/100,000) and lowest among Ukrainian patients in Poland (3.6/100,000). They were mainly lower in countries of residence than countries of origin. However, IRs among Eritreans and Somalis in Greece and Malta were five times higher than in Eritrea and Somalia. Similarly, IRs among Eritreans in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK were four times higher than in Eritrea.ConclusionsCountry of origin TB IR is an insufficient indicator when targeting foreign-born populations for active case finding or TB prevention policies in the countries covered here. Elimination strategies should be informed by regularly collected country-specific data to address rapidly changing epidemiology and associated risks