Das Coronavirus und die Grenzen des Notrechts - Überlegungen zu einer ausserordentlichen ausserordentlichen Lage

Zur Bekämpfung der Coronavirus-Krise und zur Linderung ihrer wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Folgen hat der Bundesrat im Frühling 2020 gestützt auf Art. 185 Abs. 3 BV zahlreiche Notverordnungen erlassen. In ihrer Quantität und Qualität gehen die darin enthaltenen Massnahmen über die bisherigen Anwendungsfälle des intrakonstitutionellen Notrechts hinaus. In dieser «ausserordentlichen ausserordentlichen Lage» stellt sich die Frage nach ihrer Zulässigkeit. Der Beitrag geht dieser Frage nach. Die Autoren kommen zum Schluss, dass die Massnahmen des Bundesrates in weitem Umfang zulässig sind. Sie müssen allerdings im Einzelnen einer Interessenabwägung standhalten; in einzelnen Punkten mag der Bundesrat den Bogen des nach Art. 185 Abs. 3 BV Zulässigen überspannt haben. Nun ist es nötig, dass die Bundesversammlung die bundesrätlichen Massnahmen – wenn sie an ihnen festhält – möglichst rasch auf die Grundlage von parlamentarischem Recht stellt. Für diesen «Verholzungsprozess» stellt dieser Aufsatz einige Leitlinien auf

Intensity-modulated versus 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy in the definitive treatment of esophageal cancer: comparison of outcomes and acute toxicity

Background: Though the vast majority of seminal trials for locally advanced esophageal cancer (EC) utilized three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), the advanced and highly conformal technology known as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) can decrease doses to critical cardiopulmonary organs. To date, there have been no studies comparing both modalities as part of definitive chemoradiation (dCRT) for EC. Herein, we investigated local control and survival and evaluated clinical factors associated with these endpoints between cohorts. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 93 patients (3DCRT n = 49, IMRT n = 44) who received dCRT at our institution between 2000 and 2012 with the histologic diagnosis of nonmetastatic EC, a Karnofsky performance status of ≥70, curative treatment intent, and receipt of concomitant CRT. Patients were excluded if receiving <50 Gy. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the endpoints of local relapse rate (LR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazards modeling addressed factors associated with outcomes with univariate and multivariate approaches. Rates of acute toxicities and basic dosimetric parameters were compared between 3DCRT and IMRT patients. Results: Mean follow-up was 34.7 months. The 3-year LR was 28.6% in the 3DCRT group and 22.7% in the IMRT group (p = 0.620). Median PFS were 13.8 and 16.6 months, respectively (p = 0.448). Median OS were 18.4 and 42.0 months, respectively (p = 0.198). On univariate analysis, only cumulative radiation dose was associated with superior LR (hazard ratio (HR) 0.736; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.635 – 0.916, p = 0.004). Factors clearly affecting survival were not observed. Conclusions: When comparing 3DCRT- versus IMRT-based dCRT, no survival benefits were observed. However, we found a lower local recurrence rate in the IMRT group potentially owing to dose-escalation. Prospective data are needed to verify the presented results herein

Introduction to Swiss Law

What are the origins of direct democracy in Switzerland? How does the Swiss judiciary function? What are the principles of Swiss civil, contract and administrative law? What is the role of public service broadcasting in the political decision-making process? What are the leading cases in tax law? What forms of euthanasia are legal in Switzerland? In this introduction 19 legal scholars of the University of Zurich Law Faculty try to answer these questions and give the reader an overview of Swiss public, private, and criminal law. As the first comprehensive introduction to Swiss law in English, it is addressed to both lawyers from abroad and incoming students to the University of Zurich

Science Forum: Consensus-based guidance for conducting and reporting multi-analyst studies

Any large dataset can be analyzed in a number of ways, and it is possible that the use of different analysis strategies will lead to different results and conclusions. One way to assess whether the results obtained depend on the analysis strategy chosen is to employ multiple analysts and leave each of them free to follow their own approach. Here, we present consensus-based guidance for conducting and reporting such multi-analyst studies, and we discuss how broader adoption of the multi-analyst approach has the potential to strengthen the robustness of results and conclusions obtained from analyses of datasets in basic and applied research

Consensus-based guidance for conducting and reporting multi-analyst studies

International audienceAny large dataset can be analyzed in a number of ways, and it is possible that the use of different analysis strategies will lead to different results and conclusions. One way to assess whether the results obtained depend on the analysis strategy chosen is to employ multiple analysts and leave each of them free to follow their own approach. Here, we present consensus-based guidance for conducting and reporting such multi-analyst studies, and we discuss how broader adoption of the multi-analyst approach has the potential to strengthen the robustness of results and conclusions obtained from analyses of datasets in basic and applied research