Canton Of Zurich In Switzerland Research Articles

Smoking prevention intervention with school classes in university hospital by thoracic surgeon und pulmonologist. The Zurich prevention project

Smoking prevention in schoolchildren to inform and prevent smoking initiation has been widely studied; however, the potential effect of interventions provided in a hospital setting is unknown. An intervention program named “Schoolchildren smoking prevention in the hospital” was developed in which the health aspects of smoking and its individual consequences were presented in an interactive informational event provided by a thoracic surgeon and a pulmonologist. We aimed to assess the feasibility and the short-term effect of smoking-related knowledge improvement in schoolchildren in a hospital setting.Scholars of 45 classes in Canton of Zurich in Switzerland filled in an anonymous 5-item questionnaire with questions on general knowledge about smoking. The answers were evaluated in this prospective observational cohort study. The primary endpoint was to compare the knowledge improvement by interpretation of answers before-and-after the smoking prevention intervention. Additionally, the performance of children was compared after setting up an overall score and specific subgroups according to gender and school-level.Between Jan 2010, and Oct 2019, schoolchildren aged 10 to 16 years participated in this intervention program and completed the questionnaire before (N = 1270) and after (N = 1264) the intervention. The amount of correctly answered questions increased from 40% (±20) before to 81% (±17), p < 0·0001 after the educational session.An intervention program on health effects of smoking provided by lung specialists in the hospital is feasible, well received, leads to a substantial increase of knowledge, and hopefully can be further explored in the development of smoking prevention programs for schoolchildren.

Accepting and resisting densification: The importance of project-related factors and the contextualizing role of neighbourhoods

Densifying existing settlements is a top planning priority worldwide. Its main goals include protecting undeveloped land, reducing CO2 emissions, and the provision of housing. Despite a common acceptance of densification as a planning strategy, the local implementation of densification tends to provoke local opposition. Based on the analysis of a survey on densification preferences (including an adaptive conjoint experiment), this paper examines how residents assess potential densification projects in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. The results indicate that residents tend to accept densification in general, but not in their own neighbourhood. Residents in urban neighbourhoods are more likely to accept densification, and if they resist it, they tend to be driven by NIMBY behaviour. The higher likelihood of resistance to densification in suburban and rural contexts seems to be based on either broader anti-growth sentiments or on NIMBY behaviour. Different project characteristics (project-related factors) can explain residents’ acceptance of and resistance to densification projects, yet the neighbourhood types in which residents live moderate the impact of these project-related factors. Our findings distinguish between the preferences of residents who live in different residential neighbourhood types and can thus provide planners with a starting point from which to craft context-dependent densification projects tailored to these different neighbourhood types.

Fiscal windfall curse

Abstract We study the impact of a one-off exogenous fiscal windfall on local public finances in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. In contrast to much of the literature of resource windfalls, the windfall occurred in a stable democracy with strong fiscal institutions. It was due to the IPO of Glencore on the London Stock Exchange in 2011. As a result, its CEO paid an extraordinary tax bill of approximately CHF 360 million. About CHF 238 million of that extra tax revenue entered the municipal resource equalization scheme and rained down on the municipalities of the canton of Zurich. This quasi-experimental setup and our unusually rich dataset allow us to estimate the causal effect of this one-off windfall on all municipal accounting positions. We show that it triggered large, permanent expenditure increases targeting specific groups (mostly public employees) at the same time as general tax cuts and user charge hikes. The resulting imbalances caused a 7.5-fold increase in gross debt relative to the windfall. This massive overreaction hints at a substantial fiscal windfall curse, even with strong fiscal institutions. (178 words)

Assessing the Risk of Intimate Partner Violence: Expert Evaluations Versus the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment

ABSTRACTIn the forensic field, a reliable and valid assessment of domestic perpetrators who pose a high risk of reassaulting an intimate partner is needed to implement effective risk management strategies. The purpose of the present study was to examine the accuracy of two violence risk assessment methods in identifying high-risk perpetrators of IPV, comparing forensic experts with psychology students. For a cohort (n = 30) of domestic violent cases that required an expert evaluation in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland, violence risk was assessed by certified forensic psychiatrists using unstructured clinical judgment (UCJ) and by undergraduate and graduate research assistants scoring the actuarial Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) instrument. After a mean follow-up period of 8.0 years, the base rate of violent recidivism was 20.0%. Students were significantly more accurate than clinical experts in assessing long-term violent recidivism (AUC = 0.78 vs. 0.44). Raters without extensive clinical training could differentiate those spouses who carried on assaulting their intimate partner from those who desisted from violent behavior. Potential explanations are clinical assessment biases and the mediating effect of interventions. Further research should address the lack of use of mechanical instruments in clinical forensic practice.

Glioblastoma in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland revisited: 2005 to 2009.

A population-based analysis of patients with glioma diagnosed between 1980 and 1994 in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland confirmed the overall poor prognosis of glioblastoma. To explore changes in outcome, registry data were reevaluated for patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2009. Patients with glioblastoma who were diagnosed between 2005 and 2009 were identified by the Zurich and Zug Cancer Registry. The prognostic significance of epidemiological and clinical data, isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1)(R132H) mutation status, and O6 methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation status was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model. A total of 264 patients with glioblastoma were identified, for an annual incidence of 3.9 compared with the previous incidence of 3.7. The mean age of the patients at the time of diagnosis was 59.5 years in the current cohort compared with 61.3 years previously. The overall survival (OS) rate was 46.4% at 1 year, 22.5% at 2 years, and 14.4% at 3 years in the current study compared with 17.7% at 1 year, 3.3% at 2 years, and 1.2% at 3 years as reported previously. The median OS for all patients with glioblastoma was 11.5 months compared with 4.9 months in the former patient population. The median OS was 1.9 months for best supportive care, 6.2 months for radiotherapy alone, 6.7 months for temozolomide alone, and 17.0 months for radiotherapy plus temozolomide. Multivariate analysis revealed age, Karnofsky performance score, extent of tumor resection, first-line treatment, year of diagnosis, and MGMT promoter methylation status were associated with survival in patients with IDH1(R132H) -nonmutant glioblastoma. The OS of patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland markedly improved from 1980 through 1994 to 2005 through 2009. Cancer 2016;122:2206-15. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Luis Arboledas Martínez.Minería y Metalurgia Romana en el Sur de la Península Ibérica. Sierra Morena Oriental(Oxford, Archaeopress, 2010: British Archaeological Reports I ternational Series, 2121, 203pp., 69 figs., 7 plates, pbk, ISBN:978 1 4073 0662 9)

This impressive volume presents and discusses the rich finds of textiles and basketry from the Neolithic (4300–2400 bc) and Bronze Age lake dwellings in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. It is t...

Meeting the Needs of Regional Train Travelers: A Comparison of Four Regions in Europe

Regional train services are largely organized at the regional level in Europe, but the objectives, strategies and implementation details vary widely from one country to another. This paper relies on a comparison exercise performed within the evaluation of the Rhône-Alps Region's train policy, comparing four regions in four European countries, all responsible for organizing and financing regional passenger train services: the metropolitan region of Barcelona in Spain, the Rhine-Ruhr area in Germany, the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland, and the Rhône-Alps region in France. It shows how strategic and tactical decisions taken on transport issues are shaped by local and national contexts. How do the authorities get value for money from the train operators? And how do they meet the needs of the regional travellers? The comparison shows that good results (in terms of satisfaction of passenger and policy makers, and of value for money) can be obtained by the application of a regime of competition for the market, as well as through direct negotiation without any competition. However, the way in which the system is implemented is vital for its success in both cases.

Representing the Nursing Process With Nursing Terminologies in Electronic Medical Record Systems

This article describes a framework model within a selected nursing classification system for the integration of nursing care processes into a clinical information system. The "Electronic Nursing Process Data Model," project was carried out from July 2004 to October 2006 in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. The Zurich Electronic Nursing Process Data Model integrates the nursing diagnosis, outcomes, and intervention terminologies in a standardized manner into the nursing care process within the electronic patient record. Findings of the pretest application in clinical nursing practices revealed that (1) functionalities are logically structured, (2) it is difficult to overview many details of the documentation, (3) a specific "to-do list" retrieved from the electronic system is needed, and (4) free-text entries are important to add description of the patient's situation. Furthermore, a consistent assessment terminology needs to be linked to the nursing diagnosis, outcomes, and intervention terminologies and the descriptions of nursing care process within the Electronic Nursing Process Data Model. As the project team, we recommend to implement the developed Electronic Nursing Process Data Model into professional software of clinical information systems and gradually into clinical practice. Therefore, an appropriate utilization strategy includes issues to improve nurses' understanding of the nursing care process and critical-thinking skills: not even the most comprehensive software program can substitute for facilitation.

Use of placebo interventions among Swiss primary care providers.

BackgroundPlacebo interventions can have meaningful effects for patients. However, little is known about the circumstances of their use in clinical practice. We aimed to investigate to what extent and in which way Swiss primary care providers use placebo interventions. Furthermore we explored their ideas about the ethical and legal issues involved.Methods599 questionnaires were sent to general practitioners (GPs) and paediatricians in private practice in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. To allow for subgroup analysis GPs in urban, suburban, and rural areas as well as paediatricians were selected in an even ratio.Results233 questionnaires were completed (response rate 47%). 28% of participants reported that they never used placebo interventions. More participants used impure placebos therapeutically than pure placebos (57% versus 17%, McNemar's χ2 = 78, p < 0.001). There is not one clear main reason for placebo prescription. Placebo use was communicated to patients mostly as being "a drug or a therapy" (64%). The most frequently chosen ethical premise was that they "can be used as long as the physician and the patient work together in partnership" (60% for pure and 75% for impure placebos, McNemar's χ2 = 12, p < 0.001). A considerable number of participants (11–38%) were indecisive about statements regarding the ethical and legal legitimacy of using placebos.ConclusionThe data obtained from Swiss primary care providers reflect a broad variety of views about placebo interventions as well as a widespread uncertainty regarding their legitimacy. Primary care providers seem to preferentially use impure as compared to pure placebos in their daily practice. An intense debate is required on appropriate standards regarding the clinical use of placebo interventions among medical professionals.

Are behavioral problems in childhood and adolescence associated with bipolar disorder in early adulthood?

Several recent studies have found an association between conduct problems and bipolar disorder in adolescents. However, prospective studies are rare and most do not apply multivariable analysis strategies to control for important variables (e.g. socio-demographics). The aim of this study was to test the association between certain conduct problems and bipolar disorders. The sample consisted of 591 adolescents (male and female) representative for 2,600 persons from the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Data were prospectively collected through an interviewing procedure, with the first screening taking place at the age of 19-20. The incidence rate was computed using sampling weights, and risk factors of bipolar II disorder were estimated using a multivariable logistic regression model. The 9-year incidence rate of bipolar II disorder in the canton of Zurich was 8.4% (n = 65). Adolescents and children showing behavior such as repeated running away from home and physical fighting were 2.6-3.5 times more likely to experience a bipolar II disorder than those with no indication of conduct problems. Sensitivity analysis showed that the conduct problems were not the result of low socio-economic status.

Atypical depressive syndromes in varying definitions

Atypical depression (AD) exhibits distinct patterns of gender,bipolar-II disorder, genetic, and neuro-biological measures. Using prospective data from a community sample, this paper identifies criteria (and correlates) for an AD syndrome that maximizes the association with female sex and bipolar-II. The Zurich cohort study is composed of 591 subjects selected from a population-based cohort of young adults in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland, screened in 1978 and followed with six interviews through 1999. Seven definitions of atypical depression were tested, using varying combinations of vegetative symptoms and mood reactivity. The atypical definitions using 2 of 3 (fatigue, overeating, oversleeping) or 2 of 2 (overeating, oversleeping) vegetative symptoms showed the strongest association with gender, bipolarity, and family history of mania. The 2/3 definition was chosen for further analysis due to its high sensitivity for identifying these characteristics. This syndrome had cumulated weighted prevalence of 16.4% (males 9.7%, females 23%); when associated with major depressive episodes, 8.2% (males 3.2%, females 15.1%). AD patients were characterized by high treatment rates, severity, and work impairment, early age of onset and long illness. AD was comorbid with social phobia, binge eating, neurasthenia, migraine headache, and subjective cognitive impairment.

Toward validation of atypical depression in the community: results of the Zurich cohort study

Aims: This paper (1) examines the validity of the atypical subtype of depression in a community-based longitudinal cohort study, (2) presents estimates of the prevalence and sex differences of DSM-IV atypical depression and a newly more broadly defined atypical syndrome in the community and (3) compares the clinical correlates and treatment patterns of those with atypical depression with other depressives. Methods: The Zurich cohort study is comprised of 591 subjects selected from a population-based cohort of young adults representative of the canton of Zurich in Switzerland, who were screened in 1978 with the Symptom Checklist 90-R [L.R. Derogatis (1977)] and followed prospectively with five interviews between 1979 and 1993. Atypical depression was defined on a spectrum ranging from atypical major to minor to atypical depressive symptoms alone. Results: The rate of DSM-IV atypical major depressive episodes in this community is 4.8% and for major atypical depression syndrome is 7.3%. Whereas there was no marked sex difference for nonatypical features, there was a significant female preponderance for DSM-IV and broadly defined atypical depressive subtypes. Systematic investigation of the diagnostic criteria for atypical depression revealed that a nonhierarchical definition of atypical depression with respect to mood reactivity yielded as valid a syndromic definition as the current hierarchy based on mood reactivity as an essential feature. Very high comorbidity (odd ratios>2.0) was found with seasonality, bipolar II, social phobia, binge eating, neurasthenia and sociopathy. Limitations: Atypical depression was not defined à priori, its criteria were derived from two sections of the Zurich interview. Conclusions: Atypical depression has high population prevalence and substantial significance in terms of clinical severity, impairment, and service use. The intriguing finding that the sex difference in depression may be attributed to atypical features of depression will need further investigation. Overall, our data indicate that the atypical subtype of depression is a valid entity based on evidence from such traditional indicators of validity as inclusion criteria and indicators of course. However, there are some problems with discriminatory validity from other disorders. Although comorbidity with these disorders may in part reflect an operational artifact of symptom overlap, further work needs to be done in distinguishing atypical depression from bipolar II.

Coping and illness behavior among young adults with panic.

The present study investigated illness behavior and coping strategies among young adults with panic (N = 21), with other anxiety disorders (N = 27), and without anxiety disorders (controls; N = 296). The sample represented a cross-section of 29- to 30-year-old adults from the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Coping was defined as the ways in which subjects react to life stress. Illness behavior was defined as use of medical care and substance consumption. Subjects with panic differed significantly from subjects with other anxiety disorders and controls in their coping strategies by seeking social support, using cognitive avoidance, and using rumination more frequently. Cognitive avoidance and rumination, however, are ineffective and maladaptive ways of dealing with stress. With respect to illness behavior, we found fewer differences. Subjects with panic had more psychiatric consultations and more days off from work than controls, but otherwise, they did not use medical care excessively. Also, their consumption of psychoactive substances was minimal, with the exception of tranquilizers. There was no indication of excessive use of nonpsychiatric medical care. The possible implications of these findings for psychotherapy and diagnostics are discussed.

Parasitological and serological studies on the prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863 in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus, 1758) in Switzerland.

In the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland, 1,252 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were examined during 1990-1991 for intestinal stages of Echinococcus multilocularis using the mucosal smear technique. Special safety precautions were employed during examination. An average of 35% (432 foxes) were infected, mostly with low to medium numbers of gravid worms producing thick-shelled eggs. In the eleven districts of the Canton, prevalence rates varied between 13% and 57%. An average of 29% of the foxes had antibodies in serum or body fluid against a highly species-specific antigen of E. multilocularis (Em2-antigen). The fact that foxes with intestinal E. multilocularis infection have been found in all parts of the Canton of Zurich indicates a relatively high potential infection risk for humans, but apparently the risk is reduced by certain extrinsic or intrinsic factors which have yet to be determined.

The Zurich Study. XIV. Epidemiology of seasonal depression.

In a longitudinal cohort study of young adults from the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland (Zurich Study), seasonal patterns of several psychiatric and psychosomatic syndromes were investigated in two interviews over a period of three years. At an age of 27-28 years, 23% of the depressives, 15% of the neurasthenic subjects, and 14% of the subjects with backache reported an increased susceptibility in autumn and/or winter. With respect to the course we found that 10.4% of the subjects of the longitudinal sample (n = 417) suffered from seasonal depression (including individuals with subsyndromal seasonal difficulties) over two consecutive years. Specific symptoms, such as hypersomnia, increase of appetite or weight gain, were not found to be consistently associated with seasonal depression. A comparison of actual and retrospective reports on seasonal depression resulted in a very low reliability. In view of these results the seasonal subtype of depression should be diagnosed with caution, except when the diagnosis is based on longitudinal observations and/or external sources of information (e.g. family members, partner).

Binge Eating and Weight Concerns among Young Adults

In the longitudinal cohort study of young adults from the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland, two groups of eating problems were defined: binge eating and weight concerns. Subjects with these conditions were interviewed at the ages of 27-28 and 29-30 years. The binge eaters, mostly women, differed both from subjects with weight concerns and from controls. They had more severe eating problems and more anxiety and depression. Follow-up as well as retrospective data suggest that eating problems are persistent for the binge eaters, and, to a lesser extent, also for subjects with weight concerns. Even so, professional treatment is rarely sought by subjects with eating problems. These findings encourage long-term studies on eating problems in community samples.

The Zurich study

The purpose of the present epidemiological study is to investigate and describe panic disorder and sporadic panic attacks among a cohort of young adults, aged 28 years, from the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Both DSM-III panic disorder and sporadic panic are characterized by frequent symptoms of somatic anxiety and tension, as well as by frequent symptoms of depressed mood and low vitality. Sporadic panic is more prevalent than panic disorder and shows a greater excess of females over males. The association with depressions (major depression and recurrent brief depression) is similarly high for both types of panic syndromes, while the association with other anxiety disorders is negligible. Several indicators suggest a marked similarity between sporadic panic and DSM-III panic disorder. More impressive differences were observed between subjects with panic disorder alone and subjects with comorbidity of panic and depression. For the latter group, the SCL-90R scores indicated higher severity. Comparison of the scores of life events, conflicts, self-esteem, and the number of chronic problems in childhood suggests a more specific nosological pattern for subjects with panic and depression as compared with those with panic alone.

Results of the Zurich Cohort Study: course of anxiety and depression

SummaryIn a longitudinal cohort study of young adults from the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland, the course of anxiety and depressive disorders was examined in 3 interviews over a period of 7 years. The 1-year prevalence rates of panic disorders (including a milder form), generalized anxiety disorder, major depression, and recurrent brief depression were similar from age 21–28 yr. Females prevailed among all diagnoses, their preponderance being strongest for mild panic and major depression. No differential course could be found for the 3 initial diagnostic groups in 1979: the pure anxiety disorders, the pure depression, and the mixed anxiety – depression. Their courses were very similar: 41–52'% recovered, 24–41% developed pure depression, 14–15% manifested a mixed anxious – depressive syndrome, and 5–10% manifested pure anxiety. Compared to controls, all 3 groups showed a tendency to develop into mixed cases and to manifest more recurrences. When the diagnostic information of all 3 interviews was cumulated into longitudinal diagnostic groups, however, differences emerged with respect to severity and chronicity of the disorders. Cases of mixed anxiety-depression were treated more often than cases of pure anxiety or pure depression. Furthermore, in a longitudinal perspective, the mixed cases received a diagnosis more frequently than the cases of pure anxiety disorders or pure depressive disorders, and thus were found to be more recurrent or chronic. With respect to course prediction, a single diagnosis does not differentiate sufficiently and more longitudinal diagnostic information should be taken into account to enhance the certainty of prediction of course and outcome.