Prevalence and health correlates of workplace violence and discrimination against hospital employees - a cross-sectional study in German-speaking Switzerland

Background: Violence and discrimination are common events at work, especially in health care. Moreover, such workplace experiences are considered to have negative impacts and particularly adverse health consequences on health care workers. Nevertheless, the problem is still highly underreported and thus largely ignored and unexplored in Switzerland as comprehensive data and studies on their prevalence and health correlates among hospital staffs and health professionals are widely missing. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on secondary data from a company survey among several public hospitals and rehabilitation clinics in German-speaking Switzerland conducted in 2015/16. The study population was limited to a subsample of 1567 health professionals among the surveyed staffs of five participating hospitals and clinics. Relative frequencies of different forms of violence and discrimination at work and the total number of such experiences were calculated for the entire study population and for occupational subgroups. These data were compared with a nationally representative subsample of the Swiss Health Survey 2017 as a reference population. Multiple logistic regression analyses were further computed to investigate the association between the number of different experienced forms of violence and/or discrimination at work and several poor general and mental health outcomes. Results: 23% of the inverviewed hospital employees experienced at least one form of discrimination or violence at work in the past year, compared to 18% of the general working population. Nurses were by far the most affected occupational group regarding all forms of violence. More and particularly the most exposed and affected hospital employees with regard to experiences of violence and/or discrimination at work showed almost consistently increased frequencies and relative risks for the studied poor mental and general health outcomes. Prevalence rates and odds ratios for strong sleep disorders, strong stress feelings and increased burnout symptoms were between 3 and 4 times higher among the most exposed compared to the non-exposed group of hospital employees. Conclusions: Study findings underline the importance of an active combat against violent and discriminatory behaviors in health care. Prevention strategies should particularly focus on nurses and midwives, which turned out to be the most affected and exposed group of all health professions. Keywords: General health; Hospital employees; Mental health; Workplace discrimination; Workplace violence

Cyanobacteria and the Great Oxidation Event:Evidence from genes and fossils

This article is corrected by:Errata: Cyanobacteria and the Great Oxidation Event: evidence from genes and fossils Volume 58, Issue 5, 935–936, Article first published online: 14 August 2015International audienceCyanobacteria are among the most ancient of evolutionary lineages, oxygenic photosynthesizers that may have originated before 3.0 Ga, as evidenced by free oxygen levels. Throughout the Precambrian, cyanobacteria were one of the most important drivers of biological innovations, strongly impacting early Earth's environments. At the end of the Archean Eon, they were responsible for the rapid oxygena-tion of Earth's atmosphere during an episode referred to as the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, little is known about the origin and diversity of early cyanobacterial taxa, due to: (1) the scarceness of Precambrian fossil deposits; (2) limited characteristics for the identification of taxa; and (3) the poor preservation of ancient microfossils. Previous studies based on 16S rRNA have suggested that the origin of multi-cellularity within cyanobacteria might have been associated with the GOE. However, single-gene analyses have limitations, particularly for deep branches. We reconstructed the evolutionary history of cyanobacteria using genome scale data and re-evaluated the Precambrian fossil record to get more precise calibrations for a relaxed clock analysis. For the phylogenomic reconstructions, we identified 756 conserved gene sequences in 65 cyanobacterial taxa, of which eight genomes have been sequenced in this study. Character state reconstructions based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic inference confirm previous findings, of an ancient multicellular cyanobacterial lineage ancestral to the majority of modern cyanobacteria. Relaxed clock analyses provide firm support for an origin of cyanobacteria in the Archean and a transition to multicellularity before the GOE. It is likely that multicellu-larity had a greater impact on cyanobacterial fitness and thus abundance, than previously assumed. Multicellularity, as a major evolutionary innovation, forming a novel unit for selection to act upon, may have served to overcome evolutionary constraints and enabled diversification of the variety of mor-photypes seen in cyanobacteria today

Video-assisted thoracic surgery: Risks and benefits

Summary: Background: Thoracoscopy has been used throughout this century, especially in the treatment of pleural disease. The introduction of video-assistance and especially designed instruments such as stapling devices in 1992 led to a worldwide and enthusiastic application for the treatment of a variety of thoracic pathologies. Methods: This report summarizes our experience gained from 1013 consecutive VATS procedures performed since 1990 for various indications in order to clarify its role for surgery of thoracic pathologies. Results: 234 patients underwent VATS for pleural biopsy, 154 for talcage, 163 for pulmonary wedge resections in order to clarify interstitial diseasee or indetermined nodules, 126 for spontaneous pneumothorax, 91 for decortication of empyema, 63 for symphatectomy, 55 for biopsy of mediastinal lesions, 29 for pericardial effusions (fenestration), 25 for lung volume reduction surgery, 17 for excision of mediastinal cysts and 12 for excision of neurogenic tumors of the posterior mediastinum. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that VATS has gained established acceptance for several indications, however, caution in application of VATS is clearly indicated for some diseases, especially for thoracic malignancie

Bronchogenic cyst of the left lower lobe associated with severe hemoptysis

Bronchogenic cysts result from congenital disorders, are often asymptomatic at diagnosis, but complications are not uncommon. We report the case of a 19-year-old woman with severe hemoptysis. This rare presentation of an intrapulmonary bronchogenic cyst should be considered as differential diagnosis in patients with cavernous lesion of a lobe. Surgery was performed as a diagnostic and therapeutic measur

Co-expressed peptide receptors in breast cancer as a molecular basis for in vivo multireceptor tumour targeting

Breast cancers can express different types of peptide receptors such as somatostatin, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and NPY(Y1) receptors. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate which is the most appropriate peptide receptor or peptide receptor combination for in vivo diagnostic and therapeutic targeting of breast cancers. Seventy-seven primary breast cancers and 15 breast cancer lymph node metastases were investigated in vitro for their expression of somatostatin, VPAC1, GRP and NPY(Y1) receptors using in vitro receptor autoradiography on successive tissue sections with 125I-[Tyr3]-octreotide, 125I-VIP, 125I-[Tyr4]-bombesin and 125I-[Leu31,Pro34]-PYY respectively. This study identified two groups of tumours: a group of 68 tumours (88%) with at least one receptor expressed at high density (>2,000dpm/mg tissue) that may provide a strong predictive value for successful in vivo targeting, and a group of nine tumours (12%) with no receptors or only a low density of them (<2,000dpm/mg tissue). In the group with high receptor density, 50 of the 68 tumours (74%) expressed GRP receptors, 45 (66%) expressed NPY(Y1) receptors, 25 (37%) expressed VPAC1 receptors and 14 (21%) expressed somatostatin receptors. Mean density was 9,819±530dpm/mg tissue for GRP receptors, 9,135±579dpm/mg for NPY(Y1) receptors, 4,337±528dpm/mg for somatostatin receptors and 3,437±306dpm/mg for VPAC1 receptors. It is of note that tumours expressing NPY(Y1) or GRP receptors, or both, were found in 63/68 (93%) cases. Lymph node metastases showed a similar receptor profile to the corresponding primary tumour. This in vitro study strongly suggests that the combination of radiolabelled GRP and Y1 analogues should allow targeting of breast carcinomas and their lymph node metastases for in vivo peptide receptor scintigraphy and radiotherap

Correlation of perineal ultrasound and lateral chain urethrocystography in the anatomical evaluation of the bladder neck

Although perineal ultrasound has been widely used, no standard values have been published. In 52 women with urinary stress incontinence the following parameters were measured during resting and straining: a) with ultrasound: distance (Dy) between bladder neck and central line of the symphysis, distance (Dx) between bladder neck and lower border of the symphysis, and retrovesical angle β; b) with urethrocystography (UCG): distance H between the bladder neck and the SCIPP line, inclination angle α and retrovesical angle β. Dy and H correlated during resting (r=0.608; p<0.001) and straining (r=0.575; p<0.001). The distance Dy of 11mm corresponded to a bladder neck position on the SQIPP line. A rotational descent was detectable when Dx increased from 13mm (± 6.5) during resting to 16mm (±7.8) during straining (p=0.009). It was concluded that perineal ultrasound is valuable for the anatomical evaluation of the bladder neck. This is the first report to better define the position of the bladder based on ultrasonographic measurement

Lower plasticity exhibited by high- versus mid-elevation species in their phenological responses to manipulated temperature and drought

Background and Aims Recent global changes, particularly warming and drought, have had worldwide repercussions on the timing of flowering events for many plant species. Phenological shifts have also been reported in alpine environments, where short growing seasons and low temperatures make reproduction particularly challenging, requiring fine-tuning to environmental cues. However, it remains unclear if species from such habitats, with their specific adaptations, harbour the same potential for phenological plasticity as species from less demanding habitats. Methods Fourteen congeneric species pairs originating from mid and high elevation were reciprocally transplanted to common gardens at 1050 and 2000 m a.s.l. that mimic prospective climates and natural field conditions. A drought treatment was implemented to assess the combined effects of temperature and precipitation changes on the onset and duration of reproductive phenophases. A phenotypic plasticity index was calculated to evaluate if mid- and high-elevation species harbour the same potential for plasticity in reproductive phenology. Key Results Transplantations resulted in considerable shifts in reproductive phenology, with highly advanced initiation and shortened phenophases at the lower (and warmer) site for both mid- and high-elevation species. Drought stress amplified these responses and induced even further advances and shortening of phenophases, a response consistent with an ‘escape strategy'. The observed phenological shifts were generally smaller in number of days for high-elevation species and resulted in a smaller phenotypic plasticity index, relative to their mid-elevation congeners. Conclusions While mid- and high-elevation species seem to adequately shift their reproductive phenology to track ongoing climate changes, high-elevation species were less capable of doing so and appeared more genetically constrained to their specific adaptations to an extreme environment (i.e. a short, cold growing season

Emanzipatorische Kunsttherapie: ein Fallbeispiel einer alkoholabhängigen Frau

"'Emanzipatorische Kunsttherapie' hat zum Ziel, die Betroffenen zu bemächtigen, ihnen kreative Mittel an die Hand zu geben, die eigenen Ressourcen zu entdecken. Anhand einer Fallgeschichte einer alkoholabhängigen Frau wird durch biographische Daten belegt, wie soziale Anpassungsleistungen und andere Bewältigungsversuche den Weg in den Alkoholabusus bestimmten. Anhand der Bilder, die in der Kunsttherapie entstanden sind, werden die therapeutischen Fortschritte sichtbar. Eine unsichere Perspektive hinterläßt diese klinische Arbeit, solange nicht im ambulanten Bereich eine frauenspezifische, kreative Arbeit fortgesetzt werden kann. Frauen brauchen Freiräume, um ihre destruktiven Bewältigungsversuche hinter sich zu lassen und neue, emanzipative Schritte zu wagen." (Autorenreferat

Bitcoin-Monero Cross-chain Atomic Swap

In blockchains where hashed timelock contracts are possible atomic swaps are already deployed, but when one of the blockchains doesn\u27t have this capability it becomes a challenge. This protocol describes how to achieve atomic swaps between Bitcoin and Monero with two transactions per chain without trusting any central authority, servers, nor the other swap participant. We propose a swap between two participants, one holding bitcoin and the other monero, in which when both follow the protocol their funds are not at risk at any moment. The protocol does not require timelocks on the Monero side nor script capabilities but does require two proofs of knowledge of equal discrete logarithm across the edward25519 and the secp256k1 groups and ECDSA one-time VES

Langerhans cell histiocytosis as differential diagnosis of a mediastinal tumor

We describe the case of a 55-year-old man who presented with parasternal swelling. The chest CT scan showed a large tumor of the chest wall infiltrating the subcutaneous tissue. To assume histologic diagnosis an open biopsy was performed. Between the myofibrils a coarse, white tumor with infiltrative growth was noted. Histopathologic examination revealed expanded atrophic skeletal muscle that was infiltrated by histiocytic cells. Numerous eosinophilic granulocytes and lymphocytes CD20 and CD3 positive could be detected and immunohistochemical staining was also positive for S-100 proteins and CD1a. Histologic findings were characteristic of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). To the best of our knowledge a LCH originating from the mediastinum in an adult as presented has not been previously describe