Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece
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Long-Term Evolution of Skeletal Muscle Quantity and Quality After Curative-Intent Colon Cancer Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
No full textBackground: Computed tomography (CT)-based sarcopenia is a promising predictor of postoperative complications and recovery. However, studies on the longitudinal evolution of skeletal muscle markers are lacking and findings regarding its correlation with survival are still not clear. Methods: We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing curative-intent colon cancer surgery. Skeletal muscle area (SMA), skeletal muscle index (SMI), skeletal muscle radiation attenuation (SMRA), and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) area and index (IMATI) were measured on a single axial CT slice at the third lumbar vertebral level before surgery and at 6, 12, and 24 months after. Descriptive statistics were used to report the evolution over time of CT-based sarcopenia markers. Their correlation with overall survival was analyzed using Cox's proportional hazards regression analysis. Results: The final cohort included 102 patients (65.7% males) with a mean age of 66 ± 13 years. Eighty-five (86.7%) patients were alive at 24 months, and forty-five (45.9%) underwent a CT scan at all time points. CT-based sarcopenia markers remained statistically stable over 2 years. Age (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.14) and ASA score (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.00-5.7) were negative independent predictive factors. Patients with larger differences (Δ) of IMAT area and IMATI at 12 months, HR 0.79 (95% CI 0.67-0.93) and 0.49 (95% CI 0.30-0.80), respectively, had a lower mortality. Conclusions: CT-based markers of skeletal muscle quantity (SMA, SMI) and quality (IMAT area, IMATI) remained statistically stable after curative-intent colon cancer surgery. No preoperative CT-based sarcopenia markers were predictive of overall survival. Larger cohorts are needed to generalize these initial findings
Maternal Influenza-Like Illness and Neonatal Health During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in a Swiss City
No full textExposure to the 1918 influenza pandemic may have been associated with preterm birth (<37 weeks). Other outcomes, such as infant size or weight, have rarely been explored. Using 2177 historical birth records from University Maternity Hospital of Lausanne, it was estimated whether in utero exposure to maternal influenza-like illness (ILI) during the 1918 pandemic was associated with pregnancy outcomes and whether associations varied depending on the trimester of ILI during pregnancy or on fetal sex. Generalized linear models and robust linear models were used to analyze the association between ILI and gestational age, stillbirth, and anthropometric measurements, adjusting on covariates. Analyses were stratified by fetal sex. A total of 282 (13%) women developed ILI during pregnancy. Exposure to ILI was associated with lower anthropometric measurements: low birthweight (LBW; <2500 g) (marginally adjusted percentage was 13.3% compared with 6.9% in the unexposed group; difference, 6.4 percentage points [95% CI, 5.5 to 7.2 percentage points]). There was strong evidence that third trimester exposure was associated with worse adverse pregnancy outcomes, including with LBW (difference, 12.8 percentage points [CI, 11.8 to 13.7 percentage points]) and preterm birth rates (difference, 9.4 percentage points [CI, 8.2 to 10.6 percentage points]). Maternal ILI may have triggered premature birth. The magnitude of the declines in anthropometric parameters was higher among male fetuses, and they had a higher stillbirth rate. For instance, males exposed during the third trimester had their birthweight lowered by 228.4 g (CI, -391.0 to -65.8 g) compared with 126.3 g among females [CI, -256.6 to 4.0 g]. Only 41% of infants exposed to first-trimester ILI were males, suggesting a selection against male fetuses through miscarriage. Our findings may not generalize to the entire population of Lausanne, as 34% of births were home births at the time
Arthroscopic Plication of the Anterior Portion of the Annular Ligament for Lateral Elbow Instability.
No full textThe elongation of the annular ligament is a rare injury causing disability and instability of the elbow. The loosening of the annular ligament is also a pathological sign of symptomatic minor instability of the lateral elbow and could be evaluated through the loose collar sign. This Technical Note aims to describe a safe and reproducible all-arthroscopic procedure to plicate the annular ligament with suture anchor through posterolateral and midlateral portals
Vitiligo et pelade chez l’enfant : le point de vue dermatologique [Vitiligo and alopecia areata in children : the dermatologist's perspective]
No full textVitiligo and alopecia areata are chronic autoimmune dermatoses that are relatively common in the pediatric population. Vitiligo is a pigmentation disorder and alopecia areata is a non-scarring alopecia. Both conditions can be highly stigmatizing and have a significant impact on the mental health and quality of life of young patients and their families. There are no large-scale prospective therapeutic studies in the pediatric population. As a result, the expertise of the pediatric dermatologist, along with shared decision-making with the patient and his/her parents, is critical for effective management. This process should carefully consider the individual benefit-risk ratio to ensure the best possible outcome
The Power of Words in Late Medieval Devotional and Mystical Writing: Essays in Honour of Denis Renevey
No full textThis volume offers a series of essays focusing on the power of words. Contributors address the centrality of language to devotional and mystical experience as well as the attitudes towards language fostered by devotional and mystical practices. The essays are arranged under four subheadings: (1) “Other Words: Figures and Metaphors,” treating the application of the languages of romantic love, medicine, and travel to descriptions of devotional and mystical experience; (2) “Iconic Words: Images and the Name of Jesus,” considering the deployment of words and the Word (Jesus) as powerful images in devotional practice; (3) “Testing Words: Syntax and Semantics,” exploring the ways in which medieval writers stretch the conventions of language to achieve fresh perspectives on devotional and mystical experiences; and (4) “Beyond Words: The Apophatic and The Senses,” offering novel perspectives on a group of texts that address the difficulty of expressing God and visionary experience with words.
The volume’s global purpose is to demonstrate the attractions of an explicitly philological approach for scholars studying the Christian tradition
Role of Routine Electrophysiological Study Performed During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement to Predict AV Block.
No full textPeriprocedural electrophysiological (EP) testing may be useful to predict high degree atrioventricular block (HAVB) risk in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
To determine whether pre- and immediate post-TAVR ECG and HV interval findings are predictive of HAVB.
Consecutive TAVR patients without prior pacemaker (PM) implantation underwent ECG and standardized HV interval measurements pre- and post-TAVR using the quadripolar catheter for rapid pacing. The primary outcome was HAVB >24 h after TAVR or ventricular pacing need RESULTS: Out of 97 included patients, 8 experienced the primary outcome (7 with HAVB and 1 with PM need). On univariate analysis, pre- and post-TAVR PR, post-TAVR HV, and Delta-HV intervals were predictors of the primary outcome. A Delta-HV interval ≥18 ms predicted HAVB with sensitivity = 50% and specificity = 90% (AUC = 0.708, PPV = 31%), while an HV interval ≥60 ms after TAVR had sensitivity = 63% and specificity = 79% (AUC = 0.681, PPV = 21%). None of the patients with a PR interval ≤180 ms post-TAVR experienced the primary outcome. Among patients with new-onset LBBB, an HV interval post-TAVR >65 ms was the only predictor of HAVB (AUC = 0.776, PPV = 33%, and NPV = 97%).
The yield of periprocedural EP assessment during TAVR is limited considering that about half of the at-risk patients fail to be identified. However, early periprocedural risk stratification may be more useful in the subset of patients with new-onset LBBB. Among ECG findings, a post-TAVR PR interval ≤180 ms identifies a subgroup at very low risk, independently of QRS interval and morphology
Endoscopic ossiculoplasty: audiological and surgical outcomes from a multicenter experience with 292 cases
No full textTo evaluate surgical and audiological outcomes of different endoscopic ossiculoplasty (endo-OPL) techniques and prosthesis materials.
In this multicenter retrospective study, 292 patients underwent endo-OPL for various ossicular chain pathologies at three university hospitals between 2017 and 2023. We analyzed pre- and postoperative hearing metrics, perforation characteristics, surgical procedures, prosthesis types, and complication rates.
The cohort showed significant audiological improvement, with the mean preoperative air-bone gap (ABG) reducing from 26.88 dB (SD ± 12.73) to 19.94 dB (SD ± 10.90) at the last follow-up (FU; mean 20.7 months ± 15.53) (p = 0.001), and a graft success rate of 94.2%. Significant postoperative ABG improvements were observed with bony partial ossicular replacement prostheses (PORP) (p < 0.001), titanium total ossicular replacement prostheses (TORP) (p = 0.008), and semi-synthetic TORP (p = 0.016). Both cement PORP and bony PORP groups showed consistent ABG improvements over two FU visits. Conversely, titanium based PORP and TORP demonstrated initial improvements but later showed deterioration. Prosthesis extrusion and dislocation rates were 8.4% and 4.2% for titanium PORP, and 0% and 5.2% for titanium TORP, respectively, at the last FU. Endo-OPL combined with additional mastoidectomy (n = 59) did not yield significant ABG improvements.
This multicenter study supports the efficacy of endo-OPL as a valuable technique to improve hearing outcomes in patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss. It highlights the superior performance of specific prosthesis materials and demonstrates that endo-OPL without additional mastoidectomy provides better hearing results, emphasizing the benefits of mastoid preservation in exclusive endoscopic procedures.
© 2025. The Author(s)
How bumblebees manage conflicting information seen on arrival and departure from flowers.
No full textBees are flexible and adaptive learners, capable of learning stimuli seen on arrival and at departure from flowers where they have fed. This gives bees the potential to learn all information associated with a feeding event, but it also presents the challenge of managing information that is irrelevant, inconsistent, or conflicting. Here, we examined how presenting bumblebees with conflicting visual information before and after feeding influenced their learning rate and what they learned. Bees were trained to feeder stations mounted in front of a computer monitor. Visual stimuli were displayed behind each feeder station on the monitor. Positively reinforced stimuli (CS +) marked feeders offering sucrose solution. Negatively reinforced stimuli (CS-) marked feeders offering quinine solution. While alighted at the feeder station the stimuli were likely not visible to the bee. The "constant stimulus" training group saw the same stimulus throughout. For the "switched stimulus" training group, the CS + changed to the CS- during feeding. Learning was slower in the "switched stimulus" training group compared to the constant stimulus" group, but the training groups did not differ in their learning performance or the extent to which they generalised their learning. The information conflict in the "switched stimulus" group did not interfere with what had been learned. Differences between the "switched" and "constant stimulus" groups were greater for bees trained on a horizontal CS + than a vertical CS + suggesting bees differ in their processing of vertically and horizontally oriented stimuli. We discuss how bumblebees might resolve this type of information conflict so effectively, drawing on the known neurobiology of their visual learning system