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

A novel therapeutic option in Cogan diseases? TNF-α blockers

Cogan's syndrome is characterized by non-infectious, interstitial keratitis combined with a vestibulo-auditory deficit. Despite therapy with corticosteroids in combination with immunosuppressive agents, relapses occurred in two subjects and the clinical course suggested a progression of the disease. Treatment with anti-TNF-α was started leading to a rapid and sustained clinical remission for over 2 respectively 3year

Potentially Diagnostic Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectra Elucidate the Underlying Mechanism of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in the Deoxyguanosine Kinase Deficient Rat Model of a Genetic Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome

A novel rat model for a well-characterized human mitochondrial disease, mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome with associated deoxyguanosine kinase (DGUOK) deficiency, is described. The rat model recapitulates the pathologic and biochemical signatures of the human disease. The application of electron paramagnetic (spin) resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to the identification and characterization of respiratory chain abnormalities in the mitochondria from freshly frozen tissue of the mitochondrial disease model rat is introduced. EPR is shown to be a sensitive technique for detecting mitochondrial functional abnormalities in situ and, here, is particularly useful in characterizing the redox state changes and oxidative stress that can result from depressed expression and/or diminished specific activity of the distinct respiratory chain complexes. As EPR requires no sample preparation or non-physiological reagents, it provides information on the status of the mitochondrion as it was in the functioning state. On its own, this information is of use in identifying respiratory chain dysfunction; in conjunction with other techniques, the information from EPR shows how the respiratory chain is affected at the molecular level by the dysfunction. It is proposed that EPR has a role in mechanistic pathophysiological studies of mitochondrial disease and could be used to study the impact of new treatment modalities or as an additional diagnostic tool

Contribution to Deliverable 3.4 (D3.4) – Institutional Determinants of Early Job Insecurity in Nine European Countries : Country Report Switzerland

Compared to other European countries, Switzerland has demonstrated relative economic stability since the economic crisis in 2008/2009. The employment rate of 15 to 24-year-olds in Switzerland registered a fluctuation of maximum 5% during the period from 2008 to 2015. The lowest rate was observed in the 2nd quarter of 2012 (65.2%) and the highest rate in the 3rd quarter of 2010 (70.2%). In comparison, the fluctuation of the employment rate of the general population (15-64 years of age) is even smaller; 82.2% in the 2nd quarter of 2010 was the lowest rate and 84.6% the highest in the last quarter of 2015. Overall, the employment rate among the younger population is less stable than throughout the general population (Bundesamt für Statistik BFS, 2016). As for fixed-term contracts, the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics registered a shared of 19% of fixed-term contracts among the age group 15-24, which is considerably higher than the share in the general labour force population (8% in 2015) (see section 2). In Switzerland, the youth unemployment rate differs from canton to canton. The French- and Italian-speaking parts show a higher rate than the German-speaking part of Switzerland. According to Eurostat (4Q 2015), on average, 9.8% of the young people between 15-24 years of age were unemployed in 2015, which was about double as high as the unemployment rate of the entire work force population (15-65-year-olds: 4.8%). However, compared to other OECD countries the youth unemployment rate in Switzerland is still relatively low (see section 2). According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, the share of people in the age group 18-24 in education or training has not varied much from 2008 (63.5%) to 2014 (64.5%). The lowest participation rate was measured in 2009, when 57.6% were in education or training (Eurostat 2016). The educational level in Switzerland has shown some changes regarding the tertiary education. While in 2010 35.3% of the population declared that they had obtained a tertiary degree as their highest attained education level, it was 40.2% in 2014. Furthermore, there has been a slight increase of people, who have completed at least an upper-secondary education (85.8% in 2010 and 88.0% in 2014) (FSO 2016). The OECD data show that the proportion of students enrolling in the general and in the vocational programmes has hardly changed over the years. In 2008 it was 35:65, and in 2013 it was 34:66 (OECD 2015). The number of persons aged from 18 to 24, who have only completed the lower secondary education, and who are currently not in education or training, has slightly decreased over the years: While it was 7.6% in 2010, it dropped to 6.3% by 2014 (FSO 2016). The overall positive economic situation in Switzerland provides favourable conditions for a stable labour market. Compared to other countries Switzerland has a low youth as well as general unemployment rate

Effects of UV radiation on aquatic ecosystems and interactions with climate change

The health of freshwater and marine ecosystems is critical to life on Earth. The impact of solar UV-B radiation is one potential stress factor that can have a negative impact on the health of certain species within these ecosystems. Although there is a paucity of data and information regarding the effect of UV-B radiation on total ecosystem structure and function, several recent studies have addressed the effects on various species within each trophic level. Climate change, acid deposition, and changes in other anthropogenic stressors such as pollutants alter UV exposure levels in inland and coastal marine waters. These factors potentially have important consequences for a variety of aquatic organisms including waterborne human pathogens. Recent results have demonstrated the negative impacts of exposure to UV-B radiation on primary producers, including effects on cyanobacteria, phytoplankton, macroalgae and aquatic plants. UV-B radiation is an environmental stressor for many aquatic consumers, including zooplankton, crustaceans, amphibians, fish, and corals. Many aquatic producers and consumers rely on avoidance strategies, repair mechanisms and the synthesis of UV-absorbing substances for protection. However, there has been relatively little information generated regarding the impact of solar UV-B radiation on species composition within natural ecosystems or on the interaction of organisms between trophic levels within those ecosystems. There remains the question as to whether a decrease in population size of the more sensitive primary producers would be compensated for by an increase in the population size of more tolerant species, and therefore whether there would be a net negative impact on the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide by these ecosystems. Another question is whether there would be a significant impact on the quantity and quality of nutrients cycling through the food web, including the generation of food proteins for humans. Interactive effects of UV radiation with changes in other stressors, including climate change and pollutants, are likely to be particularly important.Fil: Häder, D. P.. No especifíca;Fil: Helbling, Eduardo Walter. Fundación Playa Unión. Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Williamson, C. E.. Miami University; Estados UnidosFil: Worrest, R. C.. No especifíca

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 MRI maps of human neocortex explored using cell type-specific gene expression analysis

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) allows extraction of reproducible and robust parameter maps. However, the connection to underlying biological substrates remains murky, especially in the complex, densely packed cortex. We investigated associations in human neocortex between qMRI parameters and neocortical cell types by comparing the spatial distribution of the qMRI parameters longitudinal relaxation rate (${R_{1}}$), effective transverse relaxation rate (${R_{2}}^{\ast }$), and magnetization transfer saturation (MTsat) to gene expression from the Allen Human Brain Atlas, then combining this with lists of genes enriched in specific cell types found in the human brain. As qMRI parameters are magnetic field strength-dependent, the analysis was performed on MRI data at 3T and 7T. All qMRI parameters significantly covaried with genes enriched in GABA- and glutamatergic neurons, i.e. they were associated with cytoarchitecture. The qMRI parameters also significantly covaried with the distribution of genes enriched in astrocytes (${R_{2}}^{\ast }$ at 3T, ${R_{1}}$ at 7T), endothelial cells (${R_{1}}$ and MTsat at 3T), microglia (${R_{1}}$ and MTsat at 3T, ${R_{1}}$ at 7T), and oligodendrocytes and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (${R_{1}}$ at 7T). These results advance the potential use of qMRI parameters as biomarkers for specific cell types

Combined impact of ultraviolet radiation and increased nutrients supply: a test of the potential anthropogenic impacts on the benthic amphipod Amphitoe valida from Patagonian waters (Argentina)

Experiments were conducted during the Austral Summer of 2014 to determine the effects of increased nutrient input and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on the food consumption rate (FCR) and food preference in the amphipod Amphitoe valida. We collected specimens from the Patagonian coast (Argentina), from beaches close (Barrancas Blancas; BB) and further away (Cangrejales; C) from the Chubut River, which constitutes the potential source of eutrophication. Organisms were exposed to different radiation regimes (full radiation vs. PAR only) and fed with different macroalgae diets (i.e., from different geographical location and with different quality in terms on nutrient content). Males collected from C showed food compensation, consuming more food under low-nutrient diets, while no compensation was observed in males from BB. Regardless of their origin, UVR decreased the FCR when males where fed on ambient nutrient diets, but not when males fed on high-quality diets indicating that in the former case, individuals were in worse physiological conditions to cope with UVR; food quality, however, significantly counteracted the deleterious effects of UVR on FCR. Females collected from the two beaches showed similar FCR under high-nutrient diet and had no food compensation when fed in low-nutrient diets. Females were more vulnerable to UVR, since their FCR were lower when exposed to UV radiation independent of the diet. Our results show that under anthropogenic eutrophication and high solar UVR levels an increase in the nutrient input could favor only males of A. valida , by reducing the negative effects of UVR on their FCR. Nevertheless, these nutrient inputs might cause additional problems like anoxia, as a result of an unusual macroalgal growth, thus affecting amphipod’s survival.Fil: Valiñas, Macarena Soledad. Fundación Playa Unión. Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Bermejo, Paula. Fundación Playa Unión. Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Galbán, Lara. Fundación Playa Unión. Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión; ArgentinaFil: Laborda, Luciana. Fundación Playa Unión. Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión; ArgentinaFil: Häder, Donat P.. Universitat Erlangen-Nuremberg; AlemaniaFil: Villafañe, Virginia Estela. Fundación Playa Unión. Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Helbling, Eduardo Walter. Fundación Playa Unión. Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin