Swiss Medical Weekly recognises Prof Andrea Alimonti, recipient of the Dr Josef Steiner Cancer Research Foundation Award 2015

Alimonti has shown that senescent cancer cells can be a double-edged sword.

Diagnosis and assessment of renal fibrosis: the state of the art

Evaluation of interstitial fibrosis is crucial to the assessment of prognosis and to guide therapy for most kidney diseases. However, how best to measure kidney fibrosis remains uncertain.

Use of tramadol in psychiatric care: A comprehensive review and report of two cases

Tramadol has a triple action all of which are relevant in treating psychic suffering, especially suffering from the feelings of psychic “pain” that can arise from social loss. As it is short acting, has a wide therapeutic range as a weak mu-receptor agonist, has a relatively low risk for inducing neurochemical tolerance, and comparatively low risk for abuse, tramadol needs to be further evaluated for the treatment of depression.

Predictors of re-exacerbation after an index exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the REDUCE randomised clinical trial

In the REDUCE trial, 5 days of prednisone administration was shown to be noninferior to 14 days of treatment in preventing re-exacerbation of COPD. In addition, there was an inverse correlation between circulating cortisol levels and exacerbation risk during a 6-month follow-up period.

The role of a surveillance programme for intro-ducing peripherally inserted central catheters: a 2-year observational study in an academic hospital

Peripherally inserted central catheters for home administration of drugs or parenteral nutrition have undoubted benefits, but their safety has been questioned. In this study, intoduction of PICCs was supported by team surveillance of complications.

Prevalence of tobacco smoking in Switzerland: do reported numbers underestimate reality?

Could it be that legislators and other public health professional base their tobacco control policy decisions on smoking prevalence estimates that are more reassuring than may be justified?

Adapting the "Chester step test" to predict peak oxygen uptake in children

Good cardiorespiratory fitness in youth is associated with a lower risk of myocardial infarction in later life. Measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness is necessary to assess the future risk of disease and evaluate physical activity programmes.

Severe injection site reactions after subcutaneous administration of Sayana©

Intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) has been used for hormonal contraception for many years. After the introduction of a subcutaneous formulation of DPMA, a number of serious injection-site reactions were reported.

Impact of growing cohorts of adults with congenital heart disease on clinical workload: a 20-year experience at a tertiary care centre

Nowadays, about 90% of children born with heart defects are expected to survive to adulthood, which has led to rapidly increasing new cohorts of adult survivors with congenital heart disease. These adults are not cured and many remain at high risk of cardiovascular complications.

Effectiveness of the Bern Ambulatory Interprofessional Rehabilitation (BAI-Reha) programme for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a cohort study

Several randomised controlled trials have shown that interprofessional/interdisciplinary rehabilitation programmes are more effective than single interventions in patients suffering from chronic pain. The BAI-Reha programme reported here is a complex interprofessional 12-week intervention.