Podcasts about university hospital zurich

This month on Episode 72 of Discover CircRes, host Cindy St. Hilaire highlights four articles featured in the April 25th and May 9th issues of Circulation Research. This Episode also includes a discussion with Dr Sarah Costantino and Dr Francesco Paneni from University Hospital Zurich about their study, Chromatin Rewiring by SETD2 Drives Lipotoxic Injury in Cardiometabolic HFpEF     Article highlights: Laudette, et al. PCSK9 and Mitochondrial Cholesterol in Heart Yang, et al. Srsf3 Limits AS by Lengthening 3′ UTRs of mtARSs Li, et al.  CircCDYL Contributes to Cardiac Hypertrophy Zhakeer, et al. Treg Cells Regulate Pulmonary Venous Remodeling

This piece discusses significant advancements and ongoing challenges in anesthesia and perioperative medicine. Our guest shares his journey from his training days at the University of Basel to his influential work in patient safety across Europe; including pioneering efforts with incident reporting and simulation training inspired by collaborations with NASA. The conversation delves into the evolution of safety practices, the emphasis on human factors over technological advancements, and the complexities of teamwork and communication in the operating room. They explore the importance of standardized procedures, the necessity of adaptability in unstandardized situations, and the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in enhancing patient outcomes. We mention the Helsinki Decleration on Patient Safety in Anasethesiology (link below) and touch on the dissemination and integration of safety principles, the financial implications of quality and safety issues in hospitals, and the future direction of patient safety initiatives, emphasizing the need for continued investment in training and teamwork. Presented by Desiree Chappell with her guest, Sven Stander,  Senior leading physician in Intensive Care Medicine; Clinical Research, Intensive Care, Anesthesiology at The University Hospital Zurich. Link to the Helsinki Declaration on Patient Safey in Anaesthesiology is here: https://esaic.org/patient-safety/helsinki-declaration-on-patient-safety-in-anaesthesiology/

In this episode, Phil and Martin talk to Dr Aline Wolfensberger, Senior Attending Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology at University Hospital Zurich and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care at the Univetsity of Zurich. We discuss a recent paper that has analysed a range of algorithms for detecting non-ventilator associated pneumonia (nvHAP) that have the potential for significantly reducing the surveillance burden. This work also demonstrated the value of an annual local hospital-wide point prevalence survey that provides data on which areas to target. Relevant reading: [1] Mueller A, Pfister M, Faes Hesse M, Zingg W, Wolfensberger A, Swissnoso G. Development and validation of selection algorithms for a non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia semi-automated surveillance system. Clin Microbiol Infect 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2024.11.032 [2] Wolfensberger A, Scherrer AU, Sax H. Automated surveillance of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (nvHAP): a systematic literature review. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2024;13(1):30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-024-01375-8 [3] Wolfensberger A, Jakob W, Faes Hesse M, Kuster SP, Meier AH, Schreiber PW, et al. Development and validation of a semi-automated surveillance system-lowering the fruit for non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (nvHAP) prevention. Clin Microbiol Infect 2019;25(11):1428 e7- e13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2019.03.019

In this episode, Phil and Martin talk to Dr Aline Wolfensberger, Senior Attending Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology at University Hospital Zurich and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care at the Univetsity of Zurich. We discuss a recent paper that has analysed a range of algorithms for detecting non-ventilator associated pneumonia (nvHAP) that have the potential for significantly reducing the surveillance burden. This work also demonstrated the value of an annual local hospital-wide point prevalence survey that provides data on which areas to target. Relevant reading: [1] Mueller A, Pfister M, Faes Hesse M, Zingg W, Wolfensberger A, Swissnoso G. Development and validation of selection algorithms for a non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia semi-automated surveillance system. Clin Microbiol Infect 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2024.11.032 [2] Wolfensberger A, Scherrer AU, Sax H. Automated surveillance of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (nvHAP): a systematic literature review. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2024;13(1):30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-024-01375-8 [3] Wolfensberger A, Jakob W, Faes Hesse M, Kuster SP, Meier AH, Schreiber PW, et al. Development and validation of a semi-automated surveillance system-lowering the fruit for non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (nvHAP) prevention. Clin Microbiol Infect 2019;25(11):1428 e7- e13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2019.03.019

Autoimmune cerebellar ataxia and other autoimmune movement disorders encompass a broad spectrum of different clinical syndromes, antibodies, and immunopathophysiologic mechanisms. Given the overlap between phenotypes and antibodies, panel testing in serum and CSF is recommended. In this episode, Gordon Smith, MD, FAAN, speaks with Bettina Balint, MD, author of the article “Autoimmune Movement Disorders,” in the Continuum August 2024 Autoimmune Neurology issue. Dr. Smith is a Continuum® Audio interviewer and professor and chair of neurology at Kenneth and Dianne Wright Distinguished Chair in Clinical and Translational Research at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Balint is an assistant professor for clinical research on complex movement disorders and Parkinson's diseases, a consultant neurologist, the head of the Department of Movement Disorders, and co-lead for the Centre for Movement Disorders and Functional Neurosurgery in the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland. Additional Resources Read the article: Autoimmune Movement Disorders Subscribe to Continuum: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @gordonsmithMD Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum, the premier topic-based neurology clinical review and CME journal from the American Academy of Neurology. Thank you for joining us on Continuum Audio, which features conversations with Continuum's guest editors and authors who are the leading experts in their fields. Subscribers to the Continuum journal can read the full article or listen to verbatim recordings of the article and have access to exclusive interviews not featured on the podcast. Please visit the link in the episode notes for more information on the article, subscribing to the journal, and how to get CME.   Dr Smith: This is Dr Gordon Smith. Today, I'm interviewing Dr Bettina Balint about her article on ataxia and other autoimmune movement disorders, which appears in the August 2024 Continuum issue on autoimmune neurology, which is a highly anticipated and exciting issue. Dr Balint, welcome to the podcast, and, perhaps, you can just introduce yourself to our audience and tell us a little bit about your practice and how you became interested in this topic.   Dr Balint: Thank you, Gordon, for having me. I am an assistant professor for clinical research in complex movement disorders and Parkinson's disease at the University of Zurich and the Head of the Movement Disorders Department at the University Hospital in Zurich. So while I'm originally German (from Heidelberg), I have now been to Switzerland since end of 2021.   Dr Smith: So, you know, how many movement disorder chiefs have a focus on autoimmune movement disorders? I found that really interesting. Most of the movement disorder folks I interact with, their primary interest is in neurodegeneration.   Dr Balint: Very good question. Even so, I never asked myself that question, really, but I think I'm the only one with this designated focus as such. Many people come from the neurology angle - most of them. Even so, movement-disorder people really welcome this field and are interested, but I think somebody who has dedicated their interest and time to it? I think I can't actually think of many other people.   Dr Smith: Yeah, I think it's really cool, and, of course, autoimmune neurology is the flavor of the day these days, right? I mean, I remember when I was at the University of Utah, we were recruiting Stacy Clardy (who I think many of our listeners will know). I remember thinking, you know, she's never going to be busy. How many of these autoimmune problems are there, really? And she was, like, deluged when she came. These are really common problems. I guess that was one question I had for you. You know, we think of these as rare disorders, and when we look at the article, you have these tables of these antibodies, and a lot of them are pretty uncommon – but, cumulatively, how common are autoimmune movement disorders?   Dr Balint: It's a very difficult question, because we don't have good epidemiological data. And if you look at series, I mean, most papers addressing this issue come actually from the ataxia field. And then, depending on where you look at, you might find varying numbers, and they might be also influenced by the fact that they come from ataxia centers with own certain biases. Even so, it's very close to my heart, but, I also still think it's overall very rare. So, in my practice, I see all sorts of movement disorders, and overall, they're still quite rare, but the point is that they are treatable and have important management implications, so you want to be sure not to miss any of them.   Dr Smith: Well, maybe we can go to that next. Part of the challenge here, of course, is there's just so many of these different syndromes and antibodies. Are there pearls that you can provide our listeners that would help them guide when they should be thinking about these disorders when they confront a patient with a particular phenotype? Like ataxia, for instance - you know, there are certain aspects of the clinical scenario that should trigger, “Wow, this might be an autoimmune problem”.   Dr Balint: So, in general, I would say there are certain scenarios where you would want to think of an autoimmune etiology in your differential. One is a very characteristic phenotype. So, speaking broadly in terms of movement disorders, stiff-person spectrum disorders have a very characteristic phenotype which you need to recognize, and then you will be able to see it when a patient enters. Important phenotypes to know which are very characteristic are faciobrachial dystonic seizures, for example, with anti-GA1 antibodies, or pseudofinalistic movements in non-REM sleep is IgLON5 antibodies, leg myoclonus is CASPR2 antibodies. I don't want to necessarily enumerate all the scenarios. The point here is there are some characteristic phenotypes where you would think of autoimmune neurology. Another scenario where you would think of autoimmune, for example, the context of late-onset paroxysmal movement disorders. So, classically, when we think of paroxysmal dyskinesia, we think of a group of genetic disorders, but if somebody develops a paroxysmal movement disorder later in life in adulthood, then you would think of autoimmune neurology, and this applies also in the context of episodic ataxias. Another red flag might be a propensity to autoimmunity. For example, somebody with type one diabetes and vitiligo coming in for cerebellar ataxia, of course, you would think of anti-GAD ataxia. And, similarly, if somebody has recently been diagnosed with a cancer and develops a rapidly disabling syndrome, of course, then you would think of a paraneoplastic autoimmune disorder. And with autoimmune syndrome, there are some symptoms which are also like tell-tale signs. So, for example, somebody with a stiff-person spectrum disorder, an ataxia with long-lasting diarrhea over months, losing weight - investigations haven't found anything, then you would think of DPPX antibodies or celiac disease. Or, if you have, like, a neuropathic pain which is otherwise not explained, then you might think of CASPR2 antibodies in somebody with a cerebellar ataxia. So, there are some features of some antibodies. (Again, I will not now list all of them which might point you to a diagnosis.) Then, of course, another scenario which is important, I think, is if you have a hemisyndrome without a structural lesion on imaging. Classically, neurologists are trained to think of a hemisyndrome - we look for a lesion on the contralateral side. But if you have, like, for example, a hemichorea without a lesion or a hemiataxia without a lesion, one should also think of an autoimmune disorder with antibodies. And then, more generally, of course, if you have changes on brain MRI or information on CSF, of course, if the clinical cause is more rapidly progressive - and last, but not least, if somebody does not really fit into our categories of the degenerative symptoms or metabolic syndromes or functionality disorders, then, of course, one should just take a step back and think, could it be something autoimmune? Having said that, if I may, I just want to say that, I mentioned that rapid disease course, and on the other hand, it's important to stress that a slowly progressive disease cause does not exclude an autoimmune etiology.   Dr Smith: So, that was a great summary. Thank you. I don't know if you're familiar with the term “Aunt Minnie” (something I learned in medical school and radiology). There are certain findings that are “Aunt Minnie”, you know what “Aunt Minnie” looks like, and if you see these particular findings, you should really think about a specific disease - and I think you gave a lot of pearls in that answer, so I appreciate that. This may seem like a bit of a random question, but it's interesting that there are some of these phenotypes that do replicate genetic phenotypes, and you used episodic ataxia, which, in a younger individual, we think of a spectrum of various genetic disorders. Is that random, or are there instances where the underlying mutation in a genetic disorder actually serves as a target for autoimmunity in a later-onset autoimmune problem? Not that the mutation causes autoimmunity, but are there shared targets - in one disease it's the mutation, and another, there's an antibody that binds to the protein, for instance?   Dr Balint: That's an excellent topic, and even though it's not addressed in the Continuum article, I actually covered this in an article in Brain from 2018, where we also discuss parallels (immunogenetic parallels) with targets seen in genetic disease or in autoimmune disease, and there are actually some examples for cerebellar ataxia, and some of the targets are, indeed, the same for the antibodies and mutation. And some targets are a little bit more difficult, because for those, the antibodies would probably not be pathogenic, but it's more like an autoimmune overall target but it's T-cell mediated. But, for example, water-gated, um, calcium channels - we have antibodies and we have mutations. Or, another example would be glycine receptor antibodies give you acquired hyperekplexia, whereas the mutations give you hereditary hyperekplexia. So, there is, indeed, a bit of an overlap between autoimmune and genetic disorders, but often, also, like, the age at onset (because that might be the next question, the age at onset), and maybe family history and associated features, should help to distinguish the two. I think more from the pathophysiological point interesting, rather than clinically too confusing.   Dr Smith: Wow, that's really cool. So, another question I have is regarding antibody panels, right? And so, I think, oftentimes (at least around here), folks confronting an unusual phenotype will send the Mayo panel - they'll send autoimmune encephalitis or a paraneoplastic panel – and, you know, I think one of the challenges I have thinking about the spectrum of phenotypes that you described, I mean, if you recognize “Aunt Minnie”, then you know where to go, but it seems to me that there's a lot of these that maybe folks don't recognize “Aunt Minnie”. What is the diagnostic utility and pearls and pitfalls of ordering these panels when you're not really certain? In other words, is there a risk of a false positive if the pretest probability is low? So, I guess that's a long question, but do you have guidance about when we should and maybe when we should not be ordering these panels? So, you know, undifferentiated ataxia that's chronically progressive - should we be sending a panel or not? Patients who are later-onset acute, maybe so. So, what's the guidance on when to order the panel?   Dr Balint: It's a tricky topic also for many people in our practice, because, of course, as you said, we don't want to miss something, but, indeed, with any test which you order with a low pretest probability and which is not quite appropriate, you might have false positives, and that might cause much additional trouble in security, or maybe unnecessary and invasive immunotherapy with adverse effects – so, it's really important to think well about antibody testing. And, generally speaking, like always in medicine, we shouldn't order random tests, and antibody panels and neuronal antibodies are not designed as a screening test, so you need to have a phenotype and a reasonable suspicion - and clinical acumen is really key, and that's why also the article is so much focused on the phenotype. It's clearly not that any movement disorder patient who enters the outpatient clinic should get a blood test for antibodies that will likely cause harm, and it has been shown that these antibodies can be falsely positive, both in other diseases but also in healthy controls, and much depends also on which tests you use (but, let's not go into too much detail over here) - so, generally speaking, I would say if you have a suspicion of an autoimmune disease clinically (I mentioned some scenarios where you would think of an autoimmune disorder). And then, ataxias are, of course, a bit tricky, because often, we don't have too many other handles there, and there's still also a significant number of acquired late-onset ataxia where we don't know what the cause is. I think in the ataxia scenario, if I don't have a good answer or explanation, I would order antibody tests a bit more freely - I mean, if you do it properly, you do the serum and the CSF, and that also increases your sensitivity but also the specificities, so I wouldn't then just do the serum, but then go for serum and CSF. In other movement disorders, it depends also a little bit on the phenotype. So, somebody with a phenotype fitting well with Parkinson's disease, I wouldn't do any testing. Somebody with clear PSP phenotype without any red flags or not-fitting features, it is very unlikely to have an antibody finding, and this has been shown also in cohorts. But, if you have something which is not fitting in the phenotypes - for example, you have somebody where you think it might be a PSP phenotype with predominantly axial Parkinsonism falls, but you notice that the oculomotor disturbance is not a vertical gaze palsy, but a horizontal gaze palsy – so, it's not really fitting phenotype as you know it. That's a scenario where would probably think of antibody testing. Then, if you do the testing theorem - and CSF, in general, is gold standard - there are some antibodies where theorem is good enough (like, for example, with aquaporin-4 antibodies), but the reason why we do serum and CSF, as I mentioned, is the increased sensitivity and specificity. And nowadays, in the antibody world, we have something similar to the genetics - we have the variant of unknown significance and in the neurology world, we coin the term “antibody of unknown significance” to also give a name to the problem that, sometimes, we get a test result and it is difficult to interpret. Another handle over there would be to try to confirm the test result in another test method. So for example, if you have a cell-based assay with an antibody finding, you would like to confirm that on immunohistochemistry - the staining pattern is in keeping with that.   Dr Smith: So, Bettina, that was a really great and comprehensive answer to the question with a lot of pearls packed into it, and I think the idea that, you know, oftentimes, it's helpful to do both serum and CSF testing is important - also looking for staining to further confirm the diagnosis. And, I think one of the things that I was struck by in your response was the example of a PSP patient who instead of vertical gaze palsy had horizontal gaze palsy as a red flag, and I think a lot of our listeners are probably familiar with the idea that maybe hyperkinetic movement disorders might be autoimmune, or certainly rapidly progressive ataxia, but at least I don't think of Parkinsonian syndromes as often. I know there are some that we need to consider. Maybe you can give us some pearls about when we should consider antibody testing in a patient who has a Parkinson syndrome?   Dr Balint: So, I will not cover now the paraneoplastic Parkinsonian syndromes (because they typically develop as rapidly that you would anyway think about it, hopefully), but go more into those conditions which might mimic degenerative disease - and one of the most interesting antibodies in this regard is IgLON5, and you will be aware that it has been discovered in 2014 in patients who shared a characteristic sleep movement disorder (non-REM parasomnia). The spectrum has broadened a lot, and one possible manifestation is that it could come into the differential of Parkinsonian syndromes - so, for example, if you have axial Parkinsonism and a gaze palsy, you are in a PSP phenotype, but the red flag would be maybe if the eye movement disorders are not really fitting with the PSP phenotype. Also, in PSP patients, we don't expect parasomnias at night. If the bed partner is, for example, complaining that the patient is moving in his sleep and doing movements, then this would be a red flag, and in this context, you would think of IgLON5. IgLON5 could also give you Parkinsonism and cerebellar ataxia, and they might have dysautonomia, and, of course, with a sleep movement disorder, you are now in the ballpark of MSA phenotypes; however, if there are additional features (like, for example, fasciculations) which you don't expect in MSA, that would be, again, the red flag. So, typically, even in those differentials, there are some red flags on handles which would point you to the diagnosis - it is not that it completely mimics the phenotype of our default degenerative disease, but, sometimes, you need to hunt a little bit for those handles.   Dr Smith: So, Bettina, that's really interesting. I wanted to ask you about IgLON5, and in particular, the sleep phenotype, but, you know, I wonder whether there's a risk of just confusing this with REM sleep behavior disorder and a chronic Parkinsonian syndrome - what's the time course of this, and any other wisdom in terms of how to differentiate it from, you know, a more common neurodegenerative problem?   Dr Balint: So, the spectrum of sleep disorders in IgLON5 is actually a bit broad. The characteristic thing is the non-REM sleep parasomnia with the finalistic fine movements, but classic REM sleep behavior disorder has also been reported in these patients. And one of the tricky things is IgLON5 is a slowly progressive disease (some patients had symptoms for a decade prior to diagnosis), so it's really an important differential of autoimmune disease - but as mentioned, the features not fitting in, and they are typically also the cardinal features. So, gaze palsies are very frequent, ptosis, bulbar symptoms, vocal cord palsy, sleep movement disorders which might not fit to the original phenotype, and breathing problems (for example) so severe that they require a tracheostoma – so, these are some red flags which would alert you to this diagnosis of anti-IgLON5 disease.   Dr Smith: I'm curious, Bettina, how do you keep up on all of this and keep it all straight? Right, there's a lot of information, and as I was reading your article, you've got these wonderful tables - and in fact, this whole issue for our listeners feels that way. I've read several of these articles now, and I'm just curious what your strategy is to stay up to date and stay organized. You have to be very organized to be an autoimmune neurologist, it seems to me.   Dr Balint: And having a little bit of OCD helps clearly, as always, in neurology. I think it is just that I started to be interested in this area for a while and I have in my head the clinical phenotype to most important associated antibodies, and as the field continues, I just add up on that panel. But, I don't want people to be discouraged - you're right, many antibodies, but I think the point is not to know each and every antibody but to know in which scenario to think of an autoimmune syndrome and then to know where to look it up.   Dr Smith: Well, I think that's a great way of ending our conversation, Bettina. I think your article does a great job of that, and one of the things I love about Continuum is these articles serve as point-of-care tools. I think our conversation will also serve as a useful framework, because I think you've talked a lot about how to organize your thinking, and, you know, pearls for when we should be thinking about these disorders which are uncommon, but you certainly don't want to miss one because the therapy can be very effective. So, Bettina, thank you so much for joining me. This has been a really great conversation.   Dr Balint: Thank you so much, Gordon. Thank you very much for your good questions.   Dr Smith: So, again, today, I've had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr Bettina Balint, whose article on ataxia and other autoimmune movement disorders appears in the most recent issue of Continuum, which is on autoimmune neurology. Be sure to check out Continuum Audio episodes from this and other issues. And thanks to our listeners for joining us today.   Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use this link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at Continpub.com/AudioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.

Isabelle Opitz, MD, is the director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, and an associate professor for thoracic surgery at the University of Zurich, as well as the chair of the Lung Cancer Center in Zurich. In this episode of Same Surgeon, Different Light, Dr. Opitz talks with Dr. Thomas Varghese about her international career path, spanning Germany, France, and Switzerland, where she now resides. She explains how career journeys in Europe differ from the US, especially for women, and how the healthcare system overseas is striving for greater diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

The Cochrane Neonatal group has produced several hundred systematic reviews of interventions that might help to improve the care and treatment of preterm infants and their families. In this podcast, one of the group's researchers, Dirk Bassler, talks with lead author Friederike Haslbeck, a clinical music therapist and senior researcher at the University Hospital Zurich, Department of Neonatology in Switzerland, about the September 2023 review looking at music and vocal interventions to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes for preterm infants.

The Cochrane Neonatal group has produced several hundred systematic reviews of interventions that might help to improve the care and treatment of preterm infants and their families. In this podcast, one of the group's researchers, Dirk Bassler, talks with lead author Friederike Haslbeck, a clinical music therapist and senior researcher at the University Hospital Zurich, Department of Neonatology in Switzerland, about the September 2023 review looking at music and vocal interventions to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes for preterm infants.

Redeem your EUR 75 bonus at Splint Invest with code Dali24: https://splintinvest.onelink.me/ZGYb/swppod Timestamps: 5:20 - Going from researcher to entrepreneur  8:57 - How bacteria kills cancer 15:14 - Proof of concept in biotech 17:56 - Avenues after a tradesale  24:13 - Entrepreneurship and motherhood About Ana Montalban-Arques: Ana Montalban-Arques is co-founder and CEO of Recolony, a biotech startup developing a bacteria-based oral therapy to treat cancer. She holds a PhD in Medicine from the Medizinische Universität Graz (Austria) and previously worked at hospitals in Spain and Switzerland before starting Recolony in 2022. In the past few years, scientists have been made aware of the extent to which our gut microbiome influences our health. Considering we've been evolving alongside these bacterias for thousands upon thousands of years, it can be safely said that we've developed a symbiotic bond: the state of our microbiome influences our immune system and can even cause (or prevent) certain inflammatory diseases. Recolony's team took this research one step further when they found a deficiency in a certain type of bacteria in colorectal cancer patients, and hypothesized whether providing patients with the missing bacteria could help treat their disease. Animal tests showed that this specific bacteria can not only prevent tumors but also treat them once they are already in existence, and that it works not only with colorectal cancer but other sorts of cancers as well, regardless of the fact that the bacteria is in the gut and the tumor may be somewhere completely different in the body. This is because the bacteria produces molecules which travel through the bloodstream and activate an immune response to fight the tumors. Recolony is a spin-off company from the University of Zurich that started as a research project in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University Hospital Zurich. So far the team has received CHF160K in grant money. Don't forget to give us a follow on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, so you can always stay up to date with our latest initiatives. That way, there's no excuse for missing out on live shows, weekly giveaways or founders' dinners.

Practical Radiation Oncology associate editor Louis Potters, MD, of Northwell Health hosts a conversation on Treatment of Oligometastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: An ASTRO/ESTRO Clinical Practice Guideline. Two of the authors, Puneeth Iyengar MD, PhD of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Matthias Guckenberger MD of the University Hospital Zurich, along with patient advocate Jill Feldman discuss the framework for the treatment of oligo-mets of lung cancer.

Practical Radiation Oncology associate editor Louis Potters, MD, of Northwell Health hosts a conversation on Treatment of Oligometastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: An ASTRO/ESTRO Clinical Practice Guideline. Two of the authors, Puneeth Iyengar MD, PhD of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Matthias Guckenberger MD of the University Hospital Zurich, along with patient advocate Jill Feldman discuss the framework for the treatment of oligo-mets of lung cancer.

In this episode, we discuss a paper in the Lancet Infectious Disease about preventing non-ventilator associate pneumonia including the determinants of implementation success. Brett and Martin chat with Dr Aline Wolfensberger and Professor Hugo Sax, authors of this paper about this important work. Link to paper: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00812-X/fulltext   Dr Aline Wolfensberger is a medical doctor, certified in Internal Medicine and in Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology. She works at the Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology of the University Hospital Zurich with Professor Hugo Sax. Prof Hugo Sax is a Swiss ID physician who worked for the last 20 years as a leader in infection prevention and control.    

In this episode, we discuss a paper in the Lancet Infectious Disease about preventing non-ventilator associate pneumonia including the determinants of implementation success. Brett and Martin chat with Dr Aline Wolfensberger and Professor Hugo Sax, authors of this paper about this important work. Link to paper: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00812-X/fulltext   Dr Aline Wolfensberger is a medical doctor, certified in Internal Medicine and in Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology. She works at the Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology of the University Hospital Zurich with Professor Hugo Sax. Prof Hugo Sax is a Swiss ID physician who worked for the last 20 years as a leader in infection prevention and control.    

Many neurological diseases share similar symptoms, making correct diagnosis difficult and impacting the treatment of patients. While Alzheimer's Disease has made advancements in its diagnostic criteria becoming more based on biology, Parkinson's Disease and other neurological conditions lag behind and remain diagnosed mainly based on clinical presentation.Dr Ruiqing Ni is leading the NeuroPAT project, a collaboration between the University Hospital Zurich, ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich, the University Hospital Bern, and the University of Aachen. They aim to develop a biological definition of neurological diseases, detecting molecular changes in the brain, which will help detect and treat the disease.

Preterm infants are uniquely at risk due to a lack of glucose deposits in their tissue compared to full-term infants. However, monitoring blood glucose is currently only possible by taking blood samples - a process limited to once per several hours due to their low blood volume.The Gluckli Project hopes to make a substantial difference for at-risk preterm infants. The Gluckli team is developing a non-invasive tool to continuously monitor blood glucose levels of preterm infants using microfluidics technology. The Gluckli project is based out of the University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, and led by Dr Aldo Di Costanzo Mata, an Entrepreneur Fellow at the University of Zurich. He talks to us about his journey from Mexico to Switzerland and becoming a founder.

In this podcast we speak to Professor Hatem Alkadhi, Deputy Director and Senior Physician at the Department for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland about the topic of photon-counting CT.

A new research paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 13 on December 29, 2022, entitled, “Impact of Covid-19 on the management of patients with metastatic melanoma.” The Covid-19 pandemic created new uncertainties in the management of metastatic melanoma patients. In particular, the impact of immunotherapy, targeted therapy or chemotherapy on the risk of Sars-CoV-2 infection and severity was debated. In this study, researchers Michèle Welti, Phil F. Cheng, Joanna Mangana, Mitchell P. Levesque, Reinhard Dummer, and Laurence Imhof from University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich analyzed all patients with metastatic melanoma receiving therapy at the Department of Dermatology at the University Hospital Zürich who developed Covid-19 between February 2020 and February 2022. “We retrospectively collected demographic data, cancer-specific parameters, melanoma treatment regimen, comorbidities and Covid-19-specific parameters in these patients.” Of the 350 patients with metastatic melanoma, 25 had Covid-19. The median age at the time of Covid-19 diagnosis was 66 years (range 36–86), 10 patients were female and 15 patients were male. The treatment regimen during infection was immunotherapy in 12 cases, followed by targeted therapy (n = 8), chemotherapy (n = 2) and TVEC injections, follow-up and palliative therapy in 1 case each. The severity was mild in 17 patients and 8 had a moderate to critical course. Patients with a severe Covid-19 course were often older and had more comorbidities than patients with a mild infection. Many of the patients had a mild Covid-19 course despite having metastatic melanoma and systemic therapy. “We therefore recommend continuing systemic therapy whenever possible, even in such exceptional situations as the Covid-19 pandemic.” DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28333 Correspondence to: Michèle Welti - michele.welti@uzh.ch Keywords: metastatic melanoma, Covid-19, Sars-CoV-2, immunotherapy, targeted therapy About Oncotarget: Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science. To learn more about Oncotarget, visit Oncotarget.com and connect with us on social media: Twitter – https://twitter.com/Oncotarget Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget/ Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ LabTube – https://www.labtube.tv/channel/MTY5OA SoundCloud – https://soundcloud.com/oncotarget For media inquiries, please contact: media@impactjournals.com.

Tune in to the new podcast episode to hear Sam Pauly talk with two expert guests Professor Asgeir Jakola, Director of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) Research Fund & Dr Victor Staartjes, a neurosurgery resident at the University Hospital Zurich. They look at how the EANS Research Fund facilitates neurosurgical research across Europe.

Deputy Editor Dr. Salma Jabbour, Vice Chair of Clinical Research and Faculty Development and Clinical Chief in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, hosts Dr. Matthias Guckenberger, Chairman and Professor of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, discussing a new article from his European team, "Completeness of reporting oligometastatic disease characteristics in the literature and influence on oligometastatic disease classification using the ESTRO/EORTC nomenclature," and Dr. David Palma, Clinician Scientist II at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Radiation Oncologist at the London Health Sciences Center, and Associate Professor at Western University, who was the supervising author on the 5-year update of the SABR-COMET trial, " Stereotactic Radiation for the Comprehensive Treatment of Oligometastases (SABR-COMET) – Extended Long-Term Outcomes."

Guest : Prof. Daniel (“Dan”) Kovalik Professor Daniel Kovalik is a labor and human rights attorney and author, who teaches international human rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. For over two decades he served as a counsel for the United Steelworkers and the AFL-CIO, and is best known for his cases against Coca Cola, Drummond, and Occidental Petroleum based upon human rights abuses in Colombia. He was a recipient of a Project Censored award for his investigation into the murders of Colombian trade unionists. Dan is a graduate of Columbia Law School and received a fellowship at Stanford University's law school. He has written several acclaimed books dealing with the scapegoating of Russia, plots to attack and overthrow Iran and Venezuela,  US efforts to establish world hegemony by interfering in other nations and on Cancel Culture.  His most recent book is “No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using Humanitarian Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests,”  and his articles appear on Counterpunch, Global Research, Dissident Voice and elsewhere.  A combination of three simple treatments may reduce invasive cancer risk by 61% among adults aged 70+ University Hospital Zurich, April 25, 2022 A new study published in Frontiers in Aging found that a combination of high-dose vitamin D, omega-3s, and a simple home strength exercise program (SHEP) showed a cumulative reduction by 61% in cancer risk in healthy adults aged 70 or older. It is the first study to test the combined benefit of three affordable public health interventions for the prevention of invasive cancers. Following future studies, the results may impact the future of cancer prevention in older adults. Mechanistic studies have shown that vitamin D inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Similarly, omega-3 may inhibit the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells, and exercise has been shown to improve immune function and decrease inflammation, which may help in the prevention of cancer. The researchers conducted the DO-HEALTH trial: a three-year trial in five European countries (Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, and Portugal) with 2,157 participants. (NEXT) β-Glucan-Rich Extract of Gray Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus pulmonarius, Improves Object Recognition Memory and Hippocampus Morphology University of Malaya (Malaysia), April 12, 2022 Obesity may cause behavioral alterations, while maternal obesity can contribute to metabolic disorders in subsequent generations. The effect of β-glucan-rich oyster mushroom was investigated on mouse neurobehavior and hippocampus and its offspring's hippocampus development. Female ICR mice were fed with normal diet (ND), ND with βgPp, high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD with βgPp for 3 months followed by behavioral test and mating. βgPp significantly enhanced short-term object recognition memory in HFD-fed mice. βgPp also ameliorated the histological alterations and neuronal loss and increased Iba-1-positive microglia in the hippocampus regions These findings demonstrated that βgPp supplementation attenuated the effects of HFD on object recognition memory and the alterations on the hippocampal regions of maternal mice and their male offspring. (NEXT) Exposure to high-powered microwave frequencies may cause brain injuries Texas A&M University, April 25, 2022 Recent research from Texas A&M University reveals that exposure to certain extremely high-powered microwave and radio frequencies may result in high stresses within the brain. Justin Wilkerson in collaboration with researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory, began investigating the effects of high-powered pulsed microwaves on the human body. Most commonly used for rapid cooking, microwaves are a type of electromagnetic radiation that fall between radio and infrared light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Using computational modeling, the team's two-simulation approach first calculates the specific absorption rate (SAR) of planar electromagnetic waves on a 3D model of a human body. The SAR values are then used to calculate changes in temperature throughout the head and brain. Those temperature changes are then used to determine how the brain tissue physically alters in response to the high-intensity microwaves. Wilkerson said, “We found that if those waves interact in just the right way at the center of the brain, the conditions are ideal to induce a traumatic brain injury.” Wilkerson's research revealed that when applying a small temperature increase over a very short amount of time (microseconds), potentially injurious stress waves are created. Imagine all of the microwave energy needed to pop a bag of popcorn condensed into one-millionth of a second and then directed at the brain. (NEXT) Study Finds Homeopathic Medicine Extremely Helpful For Cancer Patients Medical University of Vienna, April 19, 2022 Thanks to consistent propaganda efforts from big pharma and the corrupt scientific establishment, Homeopathic medicine gets a ton of negative publicity in the mainstream media. However, a recent study has shown that Homeopathic remedies have shown to significantly help cancer patients. According to the study: 373 patients yielded at least one of three measurements. The improvement of global health status between visits 1 and 3 was significantly stronger in the homeopathy group by 7.7 (95% CI 2.3–13.0, p = 0.005) when compared with the control group. A significant group difference was also observed with respect to subjective wellbeing by 14.7 (95% CI 8.5–21.0, p < 0.001) in favor of the homeopathic as compared with the control group. Control patients showed a significant improvement only in subjective wellbeing between their first and third visits. Results suggest that the global health status and subjective well-being of cancer patients improve significantly when adjunct classical homeopathic treatment is administered in addition to conventional therapy.

Solid tumours can be roughly classified into two groups - hot and cold. Hot tumours experience inflammation and are susceptible to drugs like checkpoint inhibitors, and so are more treatable than cold tumours. Cold tumours are just the opposite - they actively dampen the immune system, reducing the effectiveness of cells like macrophages by turning them from the pro-inflammatory M1 type to the anti-inflammatory M2 type. https://www.usz.ch/team/simon-bredl/ (Dr Simon Bredl) discovered a unique feature of macrophages in a mouse model of HIV. Their macrophages behaved strangely, switching to the pro-inflammatory M1 type when given an anti-inflammatory signal. While investigating their potential for HIV treatment, Simon realised these cells could be used to target cold solid tumours - and potentially turn them hot. In this episode of BioInnovation Spotlight, Simon tells us the story of how an HIV research model led him to pursue cancer treatment and the potential impact these cells could have in cell therapy treatments for hard-to-treat cancers like Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Simon's work is in collaboration with https://www.usz.ch/en/ (University Hospital Zurich) and the https://www.usz.ch/en/clinic/comprehensive-cancer-center-zuerich/ (Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich), and supported by Gebauer Stiftung, Lotte und Adolf Hotz Sprenger-Stiftung, the Claudia von Schilling Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, OPO-Stiftung, Stiftung zur Krebsbekämpfung, and http://www.stiftungmedbiol.novartis.com/index.html (Novartis Foundation for medical-biological research).

Expert: Alessandra Curioni-Fontecedro, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Questions: 1.What's the accurate definition of immunotherapy rechallenge? 2.When we could rechallenge with immunotherapy after failure of previous I.O based therapy ? 3.There is any biomarkers to guide us in I.O rechallenge? 4.Which type of I..O could be used after failure of previous I.O? 5.what is the current trials that investigate this type of therapy?

On the podcast is Hugo Sax. Professor Hugo Sax is a medical doctor, board-certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases with over 20 years of experience in Infection Prevention and Control. Until 2021, he was Head of the Infection Prevention Program at the University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland.He is currently a Research Fellow at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Bern University Hospital. He is also a board member and prev. President of Swissnoso, the Swiss National Center for Infection Prevention. He is a member of the First Challenge on Patient Safety at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Chief Medical Border Officer at Zurich Airport. His research focuses on human factors and systems thinking in healthcare. He also created ‘My five moments for hand hygiene,' which has become a global standard. He teaches Human Factors to medical students and pilots and enjoys flying vintage aerobatic aircraft himself.On infection prevention"Now, I think we are in infection prevention 4.0. where system integration and data science are the big things"On interventions"You have to imagine the reality of people on the ground, and then design the intervention in a way that takes into account the context of the people"On human beings"It's all about realizing the strengths and weaknesses of human beings"

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150821-the-dangerous-consequences-of-seeing-your-doppelgangerhttps://www.britannica.com/art/doppelgangerhttps://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/james/emilie-sagee-and-the-strange-case-of-the-doppelganger-5362/

A slightly different spread of this episode of Deep Breath In, Navjoyt Tom and Jenny are discussing two separate topics, headaches and team debriefings. Firstly headaches, the team discuss why so many GPs find headaches to cause the most anxiety in their practice, and get some advice on migrainous headaches from Heather Angus-Leppan, consultant neurologist at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (also discussed vaccinations and CVST in our covid vaccination episode). Secondly, team debriefings - seeking support from colleagues is essential, but the way in which teams discuss problems can be helpful or harmful. Michaela Kolbe, psychologist and director of University Hospital Zurich's simulation centre joins us to give some tips on how to make those team meetings work better. Reading list Team debriefings in healthcare: aligning intention and impact https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2042

With David Duncker (Host) , Hannover heart rhythm centre, Hannover medical school, Hannover - Germany & Jan Steffel (Invitee), University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland  Link to practical guide This podcast will tackle ‘Screening for AF' and more particularly: why should we screen? screening modes? whom to screen? how to screen? new technologies for screening?

Experts: Alessandra Curioni-Fontecedro, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, CH Giuseppe Banna, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Portsmouth, UK Questions: 1.In patients who have received chemo immunotherapy ad first line treatment for advanced NSCLC, would you consider a re-challenge with two immunotherapies as an option? (patients who did not experience any irAE) 2.In case of First line Immunotherapy alone, would you consider chemo immunotherapy in second line or chemotherapy alone? (patients who did not experience any irAE) 3.In case of progression after first line, do you recommend a re-biopsy? 4.What is you preferred second line treatment of choice after chemo-immunotherapy? 5.In case a patient experienced response to chemotherapy +immunotherapy in first line and progresses on immunotherapy maintenance, would you re-challenge the patient with the same chemotherapy given in first line?

The pandemic has changed the world of medical and science conferences, including the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, ENDO 2021, which will be an all-virtual event. Host Aaron Lohr talks with Felix Beuschlein, a professor at University Hospital Zurich and chair of the Society's annual meeting steering committee, about what to expect. ENDO 2021 will be held on March 20-23. For more information, including helpful links and other episodes, visit our website at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast.

The pandemic has changed the world of medical and science conferences, including the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, ENDO 2021, which will be an all-virtual event. Host Aaron Lohr talks with Felix Beuschlein, a professor at University Hospital Zurich and chair of the Society's annual meeting steering committee, about what to expect. ENDO 2021 will be held on March 20-23. For more information, including helpful links and other episodes, visit our website at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast.

In today's episode we discuss: —Epidemiology: There is higher prevalence of pulmonary macrothrombi in SARS-CoV-2 than in influenza A. A comparative analysis by pathologists at University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland assessed pulmonary macrothrombi autopsy findings in 411 patients who died from the Influenza A pandemic in 1918/1919, 12 from Influenza A in 2009-2020, and 75 for COVID-19. They found COVID-19 patients had significantly higher occurrences of grossly visible pulmonary thrombosis despite empiric thrombophylaxis due to in situ clot formation associated with SARS-CoV-2. Authors suggest a specific COVID-19 coagulopathy may be linked to higher mortality rate seen in COVID-19 compared to the seasonal flu. —Understanding the Pathology: In vivo demonstration of microvascular thrombosis in severe COVID-19 was found in one study where researchers in the Department of Internal Medicine, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine in Brazil conducted imaging via video capillaroscopy of 13 severe COVID-19 positive patients requiring mechanical ventilation to assess sublingual microcirculation for evidence of microthrombi. They found microthrombi in 11/13 (85%) of patients and acute thromboembolic occlusion in 5/13 (38%) of patients. This evidence suggests that microvascular thrombosis could be considered a hallmark of COVID-19 and that these microvascular thrombotic events occur systemically, affecting many organ systems. —Management: Dosing of thromboprophylaxis and mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients were explored by investigators in Stockholm, Sweden. They analyzed thromboprophylaxis and 28-day mortality among 156 patients with COVID-19-associated respiratory failure admitted to 2 local ICUs. Dosing was dependent on changes in regional guidelines over time and not patient severity. Results illustrated the following: - 67 patients on low-dose thromboprophylaxis had a mortality rate of 38.8% - 48 patients on medium-dose thromboprophylaxis had a mortality rate of 25% - 37 patients on high-dose thromboprophylaxis had the lowest mortality rate of 13.5% These findings suggest that starting critically ill patients on high-dose thromboprophylaxis maybe a beneficial strategy in reducing thromboembolic events and mortality. · Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) can be useful in managing ICU Patients with COVID-19. —Adjusting Practice During COVID-19: ewer motor vehicle collisions and higher alcohol involvement were seen in COVID-19 Pandemic trauma presentations in one trauma center. Medical students and physicians from the Medical College of Georgia compared trauma activations at their level 1 trauma center between March 1 and June 15, 2020 to trauma activations from the same time frame in the previous 5 years (2015-2019). While there was no difference in the number and distribution of trauma cases, they found fewer motor vehicle collisions (MVCs)(p=0.009704), higher incidence of alcohol involvement in traumas (p=2.26 × 10^-7), and longer average length of hospital stay (3.87 vs 5.39; p=8.488 × 10^-6) in 2020 compared to pre-pandemic years. Authors suggest the decreased number of MVCs is attributable to fewer drivers during pandemic-related lockdowns but recommend further investigation into factors influencing the observed increase in alcohol related trauma and longer hospital stays to better identify areas of potential preventative interventions. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/covid19lst/support