Availability and accessibility of perinatal data for the Robson classification of caesarean sections in Switzerland

The authors recommend that the limited availability and accessibility of Swiss perinatal data necessitates urgent efforts to link maternal and neonatal data in Switzerland on a national level and to make these data publically available.

Preventing HIV transmission through blockade of CCR5: rationale, progress and perspectives

Strategies to reduce the spread of HIV infection are urgently required. A large number of studies point to the importance of the chemokine receptor CCR5 in the transmission of HIV and its potential utility as a target for HIV prevention strategies.

Digital health: meeting the ethical and policy challenges

Digital health entails connecting health-related data, including data generated by patients themselves, and harnessing the medical potential of technological tools of common usage, such as smartphones, wellness bands, apps, social media.

Excellent outcome of direct antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C in Switzerland

The introduction of direct acting antivirals for the therapy of chronic hepatitis C has revolutionised treatment and marks a paradigm shift in the approach to this disease, rendering interferon-based therapies obsolete.

Vitamin D levels in Swiss breast cancer survivors

Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) is widely supplemented in breast cancer survivors because of the role of vitamin D in multiple health outcomes, but usual supplementation regimens appear to be inadequate in many cases.

Funding characteristics of randomised clinical trials supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation: a retrospective cohort study

Failure to publish publicly funded research represents a waste of scarce research ­resources. In Switzerland, about 40% of randomised clinical trials supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation were not published.

Computed tomography imaging for the characterisation of drugs with radiation density measurements and HU spectroscopy

In patients undergoing an abdominal CT scan, a density assessment of pills incidentally found within the gastrointestinal tract might provide additional information on therapy compliance, and might even be life-saving.

Evaluation of the frequency of adrenal crises and preventive measures in patients with primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency in Switzerland

Adrenal insufficiency is a dangerous clinical condition, leading to significant ­morbidity or mortality in situations with inadequate glucocorticoid replacement treatment.

Hospital discharge of patients with ongoing care needs: a cross-sectional study using data from a city hospital under SwissDRG

Switzerland introduced the SwissDRG in 2012 to promote cost containment and ­efficiency in hospital care. To ensure that patients with care needs are not released prematurely, a law on Acute and Transitional Care was introduced one year earlier