Search Results (34)

Background/Objectives: Neonates with hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) are born in delivery facilities with different levels of neonatal care. The objective of this study was to investigate differences in the incidence of HIE and postnatal management between different levels of neonatal care in delivery facilities. Methods: This is a retrospective, multi-center cohort study of neonates with moderate-to-severe HIE receiving therapeutic hypothermia (TH) in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, registered in the Swiss National Asphyxia and Cooling Register between 2015 and 2023. Incidences of HIE receiving TH were calculated for all delivery facilities according to the national levels of neonatal care on site (Level I—basic; Level IIB—intermediate (no Level IIA facility in the Canton of Zurich); Level III—intensive neonatal care). Perinatal characteristics and variables on transport and outcomes were compared between neonates born in Level I and Level IIB facilities (the majority of the HIE population) and reported for neonates born in all other facilities (for completeness). Results: A total of 173 neonates (79 (45.7%) born in Level I; 80 (46.2%) in Level IIB; 9 (5.2%) in Level III; 5 (2.9%) in birthing centers) were admitted to a neonatal cooling center to receive TH. The average number of annual cases of HIE receiving TH per facility was 0.67 (0.11–1.50) in Level I and 2.22 (0.22–3.11) in Level IIB facilities (p = 0.088), respectively. There was no difference in Apgar score, worst pH (within 60 min after birth) and the severity of encephalopathy between neonates born in Level I and Level IIB facilities. Neonatal transport team requests were initiated earlier in Level I facilities (median 12 vs. 34 min of life, p < 0.001). There was no difference in age at initiation of TH (median 3 vs. 3 h, p = 0.431) and the time when target temperature was reached (median 4 vs. 4 h, p = 0.431) between neonates born in Level I and Level IIB facilities. Conclusions: The level of neonatal care available in delivery facilities influenced the management of neonates with HIE receiving TH. Full article

Polymers are essential materials in the fabrication of partial and complete dentures, where their mechanical properties directly impact durability, comfort, and clinical performance. This study examines the influence of different manufacturing temperatures on the surface hardness of polymeric materials used in dental applications. A total of 60 experimental samples with a rectangular shape of Vertex ThermoSens polymer (Vertex Dental, 3D Systems, Soesterberg, The Netherlands) were fabricated through injection molding at 280 °C and 300 °C and analyzed over time to assess changes in their properties. Hardness measurements, conducted using the EQUOTIP Shore D hardness tester (Proceq SA, Schwerzenbach, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland), indicated increased hardness over time, with higher values observed in samples fabricated at 300 °C. A two-way ANOVA was performed to evaluate the statistical significance of temperature and time on hardness, revealing a significant effect (F = 14.73, p = 0.0185). These findings suggest that processing polymers at elevated temperatures improves surface hardness, significant for denture longevity and patient comfort. Increased hardness contributes to greater wear resistance. Optimizing polymer manufacturing conditions can thus lead to improved clinical outcomes, ensuring more durable and biocompatible dental prostheses. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aims to investigate differences in cancer diagnosis based on absolute case numbers and age-standardized incidence rate ratios (IRRs) in the pre-Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) years (2018/19) and the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020, 2021) in two Swiss cantons. Methods: Data of the Swiss cantonal cancer registry of the cantons of Zurich (ZH) and Zug (ZG) were used to descriptively investigate differences in annual and monthly absolute numbers regarding all-cancer and the five most common cancer types. Directly age-standardized monthly incidence rates (IRs) were calculated. Multivariate Quasipoisson regression models were fitted to determine the IRRs with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: Annual absolute numbers of all investigated cancers were similar in 2018/19, 2020, and 2021, except for prostate cancer (increase of 20.8% in 2021 compared to 2018/19). In 2020, there were generally more cancer diagnoses in January and February followed by a decrease in April and May. Compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, lower IRs were observed in 2020 for all-cancer (IRR = 0.96 [95% CI 0.96, 0.97]) and female breast cancer (0.92 [0.89, 0.96]), whereas higher IRs were observed in 2021 for all-cancer (1.02 [1.02, 1.02]) and prostate cancer (1.23 [1.18, 1.28]). Conclusions: Cancer detection and diagnoses decreased during the first year of the pandemic, especially during the most stringent lockdown phase in April. The findings of this study may inform the decisions of policymakers and public health system during future pandemics. Full article

Zwingli never considered it likely for the old Confederacy to endure being split between two confessional camps. Therefore, his sermons were a powerful impetus for mobilizing the cantonal governments in favor of a conversion of the entire alliance to the reformed Gospel. However, facing fierce reluctance, he tried to bypass the Diet by rallying local support among parishioners, thus bringing the whole Confederacy on his side. This purpose, allegedly uttered with the intent of securing peace, underpinned the use of symbolic violence and coercion. With the Christian Civic Union between Bern and Zurich, the local parishes found themselves at the core of these efforts, relying on majority votes. Preachers would certainly try to explain how the community would temporarily be divided before achieving a superficial unanimity by voting to abolish the Mass. While Zwingli’s death marked an end to these ventures, French-speaking preachers translated these views and beliefs into Western and then French communities and the accusations of sedition and political disruption the protestants faced since years suddenly bloomed again. The transposition of those concepts to less republican contexts than those of Ancient Switzerland created one of the first manifestations of a link between Calvinism and Democracy, although in a controversial way. Full article

Politicians may be particularly vulnerable to hate speech because of their public visibility and exposure to deviating opinions. They play a critical role in the functioning of a democratic system, and therefore, hate speech poses a potential threat because it can impede politicians’ freedom of expression or even lead politicians to resign from office. However, little is known about the prevalence and impact of hate speech targeting politicians. We therefore surveyed the politicians in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, 667 of whom participated (39.8% response rate). The prevalence of hate speech experiences was 29.7% in their total time as politicians and 20.6% in the past 12 months. Participants who had held a political office for longer and were affiliated with a political party on the poles of the political spectrum were more susceptible. Crucially, 29.4% of the affected politicians had contemplated resigning from politics due to hate speech. Thus, our study underlines a need for action. As the participants indicated they wanted to deal with hate speech as little as possible but still desired some form of intervention, political measures should strive for intervention options that require minimal contributions from the victims. Full article

Objectives: This study entailed a weekly analysis of real-world data (RWD) on the safety and efficacy of intravitreal (IVT) faricimab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Methods: A retrospective, single-centre clinical trial was conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland, approved by the Cantonal Ethics Committee of Zurich, Switzerland. Patients with nAMD were included. Data from patient charts and imaging were analysed. The safety and efficacy of the first faricimab injection were evaluated weekly until 4 weeks after injection. Results: Sixty-three eyes with a complete 4-week follow-up were enrolled. Six eyes were treatment-naïve; fifty-seven eyes were switched to faricimab from another treatment. Neither group showed signs of retinal vasculitis during the 4 weeks after injection. Central subfield thickness (CST) and volume (CSV) showed a statistically significant decrease compared to the baseline in the switched group (CST: p = 0.00383; CSV: p = 0.00702) after 4 weeks. The corrected visual acuity returned to the baseline level in both groups. The macular neovascularization area decreased in both groups, but this was not statistically significant. A complete resolution of sub- and intraretinal fluid after 4 weeks was found in 40% (switched) and 75% (naïve) of the treated patients. Conclusions: The weekly follow-ups reflect the structure–function relationship beginning with a fast functional improvement within two weeks after injection followed by a return to near-baseline levels after week 3. The first faricimab injection in our cohort showed a high safety profile and a statistically significant reduction in macular oedema in switched nAMD patients. Full article

Many different animal species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, including a few Canidae (domestic dog and raccoon dog). So far, only experimental evidence is available concerning SARS-CoV-2 infections in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). This is the first report of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in a sample from a red fox. The RT-qPCR-positive fox was zoo-kept together with another fox and two bears in the Swiss Canton of Zurich. Combined material from a conjunctival and nasal swab collected for canine distemper virus diagnostics tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA with Ct values of 36.9 (E gene assay) and 35.7 (RdRp gene assay). The sample was analysed for SARS-CoV-2 within a research project testing residual routine diagnostic samples from different animal species submitted between spring 2020 and December 2022 to improve knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 infections within different animal species and investigate their potential role in a One Health context. Within this project, 246 samples from 153 different animals from Swiss zoos and other wild animal species all tested SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR and/or serologically negative so far, except for the reported fox. The source of SARS-CoV-2 in the fox is unknown. The fox disappeared within the naturally structured enclosure, and the cadaver was not found. No further control measures were undertaken. Full article

Muslim religious professionals are caught between the expectations of the community they serve and belong to and the expectations of the society they live in. Drawing on Helmut Plessner’s notion of “antithetical tensions between community and society”, this study addresses questions of how Muslim religious professionals experience these tensions and how they cope with them. The data presented are based on semi-structured interviews conducted as part of exploratory research on Muslim service providers in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. The findings show that Muslim religious professionals have to deal with community-related challenges such as generational differences, social change and fragmentation, together with outside influences including radicalisation and challenges related to society. Given the recurrent debates on Islamic radicalisation and terrorism in media and politics, they are expected to prove they are peaceful and loyal citizens, even though they are more often than not accused of not being integrated into society. Muslim religious professionals work strenuously, often on a voluntary basis, to do justice to expectations from both sides and try to be non-provocative by engaging in low-profile activities. Finally, they reach out to the wider society, e.g., by participating in inter-religious dialogue and, therefore, engage in bridging activities. Full article

One of the most important areas of tension for diaconia in the Western European, German-speaking context is the demands of an interreligious and plural society. The social challenges to churches with their congregations and parishes, diaconal organizations, and the state with its social institutions are complex. This article deals with religious layers of social transformations that shape helping actions. It focuses on innovative projects in the field of spiritual care and diaconia that created new spaces of diaconal practice in the last ten years in the Canton of Zurich and Switzerland. Specifically, the process of accrediting the first imam at the University Hospital in Zurich, the employment of chaplains of Muslim and Jewish faith in the Swiss Army, and the training of Muslim chaplains in the Canton of Zurich are presented. On the one hand, the aim is to adequately define the relationship between diaconia and spiritual care in a pluralistic society. On the other hand, interreligious cooperation is analyzed as a process of intercultural communication and transcultural practice. From this, theses for prospective, innovative, and well-founded interreligious cooperation in diaconia can be gained, which can be further developed and discussed in other European and global contexts. Full article

Adolescents in acute adult psychiatric wards—developments in the coronavirus pandemic and implications for rehospitalisation rates. Children and adolescents are severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic in their everyday lifes and possibly also in their long-term development. Currently, a significant increase in mental health problems among children and adolescents and a corresponding increase in the use of the healthcare system can be observed in Switzerland. Studies from German speaking countries show that the burden of mental problems such as anxiety and depression has increased, and the quality of life has decreased at the same time. The present study aimed to investigate how the number of adolescents who were treated for capacity reasons in adult psychiatry in the canton of Zurich developed during the pandemic and whether treatment in specialised adolescent psychiatry differs from treatment in adult psychiatry in terms of rehospitalisation rates. Full article

Newborn screening (NBS) for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) was introduced in Switzerland in 1977, which allowed for the preclinical, biochemical diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of transient CH (tCH) in the canton of Zurich. In this analytical cohort study, all newborns born in the canton of Zurich, between the 1st of January 2000 and the 30st of June 2016, with a TSH value above 15 mU/L (whole blood) were included. There were 115 cases out of 247,918 babies born during the study period. However, 23 cases had to be excluded due to missing data. The definite diagnosis was made after a thyroxine withdrawal at 2 years of age. The total prevalence of confirmed CH and the female to male ratio (f/m) were 1:2695 and 2.17:1; for permanent CH (pCH), 1:3443 and 2.8:1; and for tCH, 1:12,396 and 1:1, respectively. The TSH value was significantly higher in pCH compared to tCH, at 130.3 (62.9–171.9) and 36.4 (26.5–53.3) (median and interquartile range), respectively (p < 0.001). The prevalences found for congenital hypothyroidism and its transient form are comparable to previous studies. TSH concentration at birth was predictive for the further course of the disease. Low birth weight correlated with a tCH, whereas low gestational age did not. The dominance of the female sex in congenital hypothyroidism is supported by a gender ratio of 2.17:1. Full article

In 2013, the new Child and Adult Protection Law (CESR), which also regulates the involuntary ad¬mission of patients, was introduced in Switzerland. In a retrospective cross-sectional study in a psychiatric hospital with a full care mandate in the canton of Zurich, formal and content-related aspects of all medical placement orders (n = 593) in the observation period of one year were ex-amined. In the evaluation of the referral certificates, formal and content-related deficiencies were found. In conclusion, further measures to ensure quality, such as regular further training and limit¬ing the competence to order an involuntary admission to specialised physicians, seem to be rea¬sonable to ensure that such a serious interference with personal freedom is decided and carried out with sufficient care. Full article

This paper starts from the hypothesis that streetscapes with shorter façade lengths are more pleasant for pedestrians than long and monotonous façades. It analyses four case studies where short façade lengths were implemented by applying different means of regulation and gives insight into an experimental planning example from Schlieren, Switzerland. Through the investigation of these cases, different possibilities to regulate façade length were revealed and categorised. The applied comparative case study analysis and comparative approach showed that most case studies are project-based solutions, either by applying text-based regulations or by reducing parcel size. The experiment in Schlieren offered a possibility to reduce façade length to a maximum value within the standard building regulations (Rahmennutzungsplanung) and therefore make it applicable to more than just singular projects. This approach failed, since it falls into the category of form-based codes, which in the canton of Zurich are by law not allowed in all zones. The experiment showed, however, that form-based codes can act as a powerful alternative to reduce façade length if parcel size cannot be influenced and more than just one single project perimeter is to be regulated. Full article

Erwinia amylovora, the causative agent of fire blight, leads to important economic losses of apple and pear crops worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the potential of the resident microbiota of the apple blossom in combatting plant disease-causing organisms, with a focus on controlling fire blight. We obtained 538 isolates from sites around Canton Zurich, which we tested for activity against Pectobacterium carotovorum and E. amylovora. We also evaluated the isolates’ activity against oomycete and fungal pathogens. Nine isolates showed activity against P. carotovorum, and eight of these against E. amylovora. Furthermore, 117 showed antifungal, and 161 anti-oomycete, activity. We assigned genera and in some cases species to 238 of the isolates by sequencing their 16S RNA-encoding gene. Five strains showed activity against all pathogens and were tested in a detached apple model for anti-E. amylovora activity. Of these five strains, two were able to antagonize E. amylovora, namely Bacillus velezensis #124 and Pantoea agglomerans #378. We sequenced the P. agglomerans #378 genome and analyzed it for secondary metabolite clusters using antiSMASH, revealing the presence of a putative bacteriocin cluster. We also showed that B. velezensis #124 exhibits strong activity against three different fungi and two oomycetes in vitro, suggesting a broader capacity for biocontrol. Our results showcase the protective potential of the natural apple blossom microbiota. We isolated two candidate biocontrol strains from apple blossoms, suggesting that they might persist at the most common entry point for the causative agent of fire blight. Furthermore, they are probably already part of the human diet, suggesting they might be safe for consumption, and thus are promising candidates for biocontrol applications. Full article