Productivity losses due to influenza and influenza-like illness in Switzerland: results of the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network in a non-pandemic era

The incidence of influenza and influenza-like illnesses in Switzerland is generally high. Although related direct medical costs can be substantial, especially if hospitalisations occur, several studies suggested that indirect costs due to the loss of productivity may represent an even higher economic burden. The aim of this study was to assess the costs arising from lost productivity due to influenza and influenza-like illnesses in Switzerland.; Analyses were based on data collected in 2016 and 2017 by the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (SFOPH). The available information covered details on the physicians collecting the data, patients' characteristics, symptoms, treatments, and inability to work (in terms of physician-recorded workdays lost for own sickness or caregiving). The cost of lost productivity, estimated using the human capital approach, was calculated as the number of workdays lost due to influenza-like illnesses multiplied by the mean salary for one working day. Salary differences across sex, age and region were considered. Extrapolation to the national level was performed by adjusting for the size of the Swiss population, the age and sex distribution, the regional distribution, the number of Sentinel general physician contacts and the specialisation of the physician.; At the Swiss national level, the estimated total yearly number of cases of inability to work due to influenza and influenza-like illnesses was 101,287 in 2016 and 86,373 in 2017. In subgroups defined by year, gender, region and age class, numbers of cases per 100,000 inhabitants ranged from 12 to 2396. The total number of workdays lost in Switzerland, considering degree of employment and visit day, were estimated to be 324,118 in 2016 and 278,121 in 2017. The number of workdays lost was generally higher in men (53.7% of the total in 2016 and 55.6% of the total in 2017) than women. The estimated total costs due to inability to work, calculated using a human capital approach and including the caregiving costs, were CHF 115 million in 2016 and CHF 103 million in 2017, equivalent to CHF 1.4 million per 100,000 inhabitants.; The costs of lost productivity due to influenza and influenza-like illnesses in Switzerland are substantial and may vary considerably between different years, regions and age classes. As the present analyses could not consider all causes of lost productivity (e.g., short-term inability to work not requiring a physician consultation, hospitalisations, early retirement, premature death), the total indirect costs due to influenza or influenza-like illnesses can be expected to be higher than the presented estimates

Influenza surveillance in Europe: comparing intensity levels calculated using the moving epidemic method.

Although influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) surveillance are well established in Europe, the comparability of intensity among countries and seasons remains an unresolved challenge. The objective is to compare the intensity of ILI and ARI in some European countries. Weekly ILI and ARI incidence rates and proportion of primary care consultations were modeled in 28 countries for the 1996/1997-2013/2014 seasons using the moving epidemic method (MEM). We calculated the epidemic threshold and three intensity thresholds, which delimit five intensity levels: baseline, low, medium, high, and very high. The intensity of 2013/2014 season is described and compared by country. The lowest ILI epidemic thresholds appeared in Sweden and Estonia (below 10 cases per 100 000) and the highest in Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, and Slovakia (above 100 per 100 000). The 2009/2010 season was the most intense, with 35% of the countries showing high or very high intensity levels. The European epidemic period in season 2013/2014 started in January 2014 in Spain, Poland, and Greece. The intensity was between low and medium and only Greece reached the high intensity level, in weeks 7 to 9/2014. Some countries remained at the baseline level throughout the entire surveillance period. Epidemic and intensity thresholds varied by country. Influenza-like illnesses and ARI levels normalized by MEM in 2013/2014 showed that the intensity of the season in Europe was between low and medium in most of the countries. Comparing intensity among seasons or countries is essential for understanding patterns in seasonal epidemics. An automated standardized model for comparison should be implemented at national and international levels.This work has been funded by the National and International Public Institutions and the Regional Health Department of Castilla y León (Spain).S

Increase of invasive meningococcal serogroup W disease in Europe, 2013 to 2017

Background: The total incidence of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Europe has been declining in recent years; however, a rising incidence due to serogroup W (MenW), predominantly sequence type 11 (ST-11), clonal complex 11 (cc11), was reported in some European countries. Aim: The aim of this study was to compile the most recent laboratory surveillance data on MenW IMD from several European countries to assess recent trends in Europe. Methods: In this observational, retrospective study, IMD surveillance data collected from 2013–17 by national reference laboratories and surveillance units from 13 European countries were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The overall incidence of IMD has been stable during the study period. Incidence of MenW IMD per 100,000 population (2013: 0.03; 2014: 0.05; 2015: 0.08; 2016: 0.11; 2017: 0.11) and the proportion of this serogroup among all invasive cases (2013: 5% (116/2,216); 2014: 9% (161/1,761); 2015: 13% (271/2,074); 2016: 17% (388/2,222); 2017: 19% (393/2,112)) continuously increased. The most affected countries were England, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden. MenW was more frequent in older age groups (≥ 45 years), while the proportion in children (< 15 years) was lower than in other age groups. Of the culture-confirmed MenW IMD cases, 80% (615/767) were caused by hypervirulent cc11. Conclusion: During the years 2013–17, an increase in MenW IMD, mainly caused by MenW cc11, was observed in the majority of European countries. Given the unpredictable nature of meningococcal spread and the epidemiological potential of cc11, European countries may consider preventive strategies adapted to their contexts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Medicinal plants as a therapeutic resource: contributions to the Unique Health System

Objetivo: investigar las plantas medicinales utilizadas por los moradores en un municipio de la región Sul del RS. Métodos: abordaje cualitativa, c0on entrevista semi-estructurada y observación simples. Los individuos fueron 9 habitantes del municipio de Capão do Leão del estado del Rio Grande do Sul/RS. Los datos fueron colectados entre Julio y Agosto de 2010 y analizados comparando las informaciones citadas con estudios científicos. Resultados: fueron listadas las 10 plantas mas citadas por los participantes (Cynarascolymus, Ocimumselloi, Ruta graveolens, Aloe arborescens, Plectranthusneochilus, Equisetumhyemale, Foeniculumvulgare, Mikaniasp., Malva sp., Tanacetumvulgare), mostrando que 80% de las indicaciones populares están condiciendo con la busca hecha en la literatura científica. Consideraciones finales: frente a esto, se evidencia la importancia de asociar el conocimiento popular al científico para mejorar la calidad del cuidado prestado a la población asistida en el Sistema Único de Salud (SUS)

Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

Following the selection of The Gravitational Universe by ESA, and the successful flight of LISA Pathfinder, the LISA Consortium now proposes a 4 year mission in response to ESA's call for missions for L3. The observatory will be based on three arms with six active laser links, between three identical spacecraft in a triangular formation separated by 2.5 million km. LISA is an all-sky monitor and will offer a wide view of a dynamic cosmos using Gravitational Waves as new and unique messengers to unveil The Gravitational Universe. It provides the closest ever view of the infant Universe at TeV energy scales, has known sources in the form of verification binaries in the Milky Way, and can probe the entire Universe, from its smallest scales near the horizons of black holes, all the way to cosmological scales. The LISA mission will scan the entire sky as it follows behind the Earth in its orbit, obtaining both polarisations of the Gravitational Waves simultaneously, and will measure source parameters with astrophysically relevant sensitivity in a band from below $10^{-4}\,$Hz to above $10^{-1}\,$Hz.Comment: Submitted to ESA on January 13th in response to the call for missions for the L3 slot in the Cosmic Vision Programm

Benefit and application of antibodies against the H1 carbohydrate recognition domain of the human hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor

The asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR), composed of the subunits H1 and H2, is predominantly expressed on the sinusoidal surface of mammalian hepatocytes and involved in the endocytosis of desialylated multiantennary glycans with terminal Gal or GalNAc residues via the clathrin-coated pit pathway. Although investigated for many years, the physiological function and ligands are still unknown. Until nowadays, only polyclonal antibodies and two monoclonal against the ASGPR are reported. However, no monoclonal antibodies, which are specifically directed against the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD), responsible for Gal binding and internalization, are available. Such antibodies would be precious tools for ASGPR examination. In addition, since the human ASGPR is a promising liver-specific therapeutic target, an antibody-based high affine and specific drug or gene delivery system would be valuable. The H1-CRD was recombinantly expressed in E.coli and purified active H1-CRD was used for immunization to produce antibodies. Because the published expression and purification method of Meier et al.26 yielded only an H1-CRD amount of 130 g/L culture, various E.coli strains, vectors, expression conditions and renaturation procedures were tested. With the optimized expression in E.coli AD494(DE3), which was transformed with the H1-CRD cDNA-encoding pET3b vector, and with the following modified purification procedure, 55mg (20mg/L) active H1-CRD were successfully produced. For analytical purpose, polyclonal antibodies directed against the H1-CRD (anti-H1) were obtained by chicken immunization and IgY purified from egg yolk by PEG precipitation. The 12g (45mg/egg) purified total IgY contained approximately 7% anti-H1 specific IgY. Total IgY and isolated anti-H1 specific IgY antibodies showed to be suitable in various immunochemical in vitro methods but not in immunocytochemistry. Although the amino acid sequences of the mouse and human ASGPR H1-CRD are 79% identical, monoclonal antibodies were successfully produced by the hybridoma technology. Eight of twenty hybridomas were selected and cloned for further characterization of their monoclonal antibodies: in vitro in immunoblotting, immunoassays, Biacore assays and in epitope mapping, on cell in flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy and in tissue in immunohepatohistochemical tests. Two of them, C14.6 and particularly C11.1 showed a very interesting profile, not only for application in immunochemical techniques but probably also for diagnostic and therapeutic use

Disparities in bone density measurement history and osteoporosis medication utilisation in Swiss women: results from the Swiss Health Survey 2007

BACKGROUND Although factors associated with the utilisation of bone density measurement (BDM) and osteoporosis treatment have been regularly assessed in the US and Canada, they have not been effectively analysed in European countries. This study assessed factors associated with the utilisation of BDM and osteoporosis medication (OM) in Switzerland. METHODS The Swiss Health Survey 2007 data included self-reported information on BDM and OM for women aged 40 years and older who were living in private households. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify sociodemographic, socioeconomic, healthcare-related and osteoporosis risk factors associated with BDM and OM utilisation. RESULTS The lifetime prevalence of BDM was 25.6% (95% CI: 24.3-26.9%) for women aged 40 years and older. BDM utilisation was associated with most sociodemographic factors, all the socioeconomic and healthcare-related factors, and with major osteoporosis risk factors analysed. The prevalence of current OM was 7.8% (95% CI: 7.0-8.6%) and it was associated with some sociodemographic and most healthcare-related factors but only with one socioeconomic factor. CONCLUSIONS In Swiss women, ever having had a BDM and current OM were low and utilisation disparities exist according to sociodemographic, socioeconomic and healthcare-related factors. This might foster further health inequalities. The reasons for these findings should be addressed in further studies of the elderly women, including those living in institutions