The place of the Ozaki procedure in the treatment of aortic valve disease

The number of options for approaching a diseased aortic valve is probably the largest existing in the field of surgery.

First case of Candida auris in Switzerland: discussion about preventive strategies

The authors present an update of the situation in Switzerland and their recommended approach in terms of preventive strategies.

The impact of clinical trial units on the value of clinical research in Switzerland

A decade ago, the Swiss National Science Foundation instigated clinical trial units (CTUs) at the five university hospitals and St Gallen cantonal hospital, with the aim of improving the quality of Swiss academic clinical research projects.

The role of molecular imaging in assessing degenerative parkinsonism – an updated review

Atypical parkinsonian syndromes are characterised by a modest or nonexistent response to dopaminergic therapy and a poor prognosis, with selective neuronal loss in distinct brain regions that differ from those involved in of Parkinson’s disease.

The Swiss Cystic Fibrosis Infant Lung Development (SCILD) cohort

In Switzerland, new-born screening for cystic fibrosis was started in 2011. This ­allows early monitoring and treatment of preclinical disease, and a better understanding of the early disease pathogenesis.

Occupational exposure to plant protection products and health effects in Switzerland: what do we know and what do we need to do?

There is no centralised database on workers’ exposures to plant protection products in Switzerland, nor a national register for their negative health effects. This makes it difficult to implement research or prevention campaigns.

Point prevalence of healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic use in three large Swiss acute-care hospitals

The current burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in Switzerland is unknown. Prevalence surveys have a long tradition in the field of infection prevention and control for measuring both HAI and antimicrobial use.

Impairment of chondrocyte proliferation after exposure of young murine cartilage to an aged systemic environment in a heterochronic parabiosis model

An increase in age has a greater impact on the development of primary osteoarthritis than other risk factors. It is important to ascertain the factors that promote ageing of the cartilage with the aim to prevent or reduce cartilage dysfunction.

Extended-criteria donors in lung transplantation in Switzerland: an evaluation of two adapted lung donor scores

Various scoring systems aim to assess the quality of organs donated for transplantation. How well such scoring systems reflect the practice in lung transplantation in Switzerland has never been studied.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma chemotherapy reveals a combined immunodeficiency syndrome in cartilage hair hypoplasia

Cartilage hair hypoplasia is a rare autosomal recessive ribosomopathy related to a mutation in the ribonuclease mitochondrial RNA processing (RMRP) gene, which encodes the mitochondrial portion of the RNA processing endonuclease.