The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors in COVID-19: from acidosis to ventilation and immunity

The authors explain mechanisms by which inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system may increase susceptibility to and the development of cytokine storm during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

An overview of and approach to selecting appropriate patient representations in teaching and summative assessment in medical education

Medical education has a long tradition of using various patient representations in teaching and assessment. With this literature review the authors aim to provide an overview of the most important patient representations used to teach and assess clinical skills, to provide arguments for choosing certain patient representations and to show their advantages and limitations.

Expert recommendation from the Swiss Amyloidosis Network (SAN) for systemic AL-amyloidosis

These are the Swiss Amyloidosis Network recommendations which focus on diagnostic work-up and treatment of AL-amyloidosis. One aim of this meeting was to establish a consensus guideline regarding the diagnostic work-up and the treatment recommendations for systemic amyloidosis tailored to the Swiss health care system.

Physical and psychological health of medical students involved in the coronavirus disease 2019 response in Switzerland

Students involved in the COVID-19 response reported a similar proportion of COVID-19 symptoms or confirmed diagnoses, but lower levels of anxiety, depression and burnout compared with their non-involved peers.

Surgical management of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and its challenges: a case report

As far as is known, this is the first case describing a symptomatic ischemic colonic stenosis refractory to medical treatment in a vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome patient.

Social mixing and risk exposures for SARS-CoV-2 infections in elderly persons

Although many elderly persons continued to follow the recommended preventive measures during the transitional phase between the two pandemic waves, social mixing with younger persons constitutes a way for transmission of infections across age groups. Pandemic containment among all age groups thus remains essential to protect vulnerable populations, including the elderly.

Immunosuppression management in renal transplant recipients with normal-immunological risk: 10-year results from the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study

Primary maintenance immunosuppression with tacrolimus has displaced ciclosporin-based therapies. The tacrolimus-based immunosuppression therapy showed consistently better results across almost all assessed clinically relevant outcomes.

Characterisation of clinical manifestations and treatment strategies for invasive beta-haemolytic streptococcal infections in a Swiss tertiary hospital

Invasive beta-haemolytic streptococcal infections, the most severe presentation of which is necrotising fasciitis, remain a serious clinical issue and require rapid diagnosis and treatment. This is the first representative analysis monitoring clinical and microbiological characteristics of patients with a severe invasive beta-haemolytic streptococcal infection and treated in Zurich, Switzerland.

Supplementum 248: Abstracts of the cancelled 52nd Annual Meeting of the Swiss Society of Nephrology

Conference report: dementia research and care and its impact in Switzerland

A Swiss panel of experts met for the Dementia Summit in Brunnen, Switzerland, to discuss the latest scientific findings on basic and clinical research, as well as practical and political approaches to the challenges of dementia disorders in Switzerland. Here, they present the conference summary.