Organ donation in Switzerland: a survey on marginal or extended criteria donors (ECD) from 1998 to 2009

The widening gap between the numbers of patients on the waiting list for organ transplantation and the insufficient numbers of organ donors results in the use of "critical" donors, so-called marginal donors or extended criteria donors. Data concerning the evaluation of extended criteria donors (ECD) in Switzerland are sparse.

Does surgery improve outcomes for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma? An analysis using the surveillance epidemiology and end results registry from 1998 to 2008

We examined survival associated with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell cancer (SCC) to evaluate if treatment without surgery could be considered adequate.

Prevalence of heart disease in symptomatic cats: an overview from 1998 to 2005

A total of 408 cats with various cardiovascular problems has been presented to two investigational clinics during the last 8 years. The number of yearly examinations has steadily increased during this period. Definitive cardiovascular disease was diagnosed in 287 cats, whereby hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) was the most common diagnosis with 67.6%. Congenital cardiovascular malformations were found in 11.8% of the cases. Ventricular septal defect (VSD) was the most frequent anomaly, in contrast to previously published studies. The ECG was found to be relatively non-specific and insensitive for the diagnosis of heart disease: Its usefulness lies in the recognition and diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias. The radiographically recognized changes were also non-specific for certain heart diseases. Radiographs of the thorax are especially useful in the evaluation of cardiomegaly, and secondary signs of congestion.

Nationwide surveillance of nasopharyngeal Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from children with respiratory infection, Switzerland, 1998-1999

The surveillance of pneumococcal antibiotic resistance and serotype distribution is hampered by the relatively low numbers of invasive pneumococcal infections. In Switzerland, a nationwide sentinel surveillance network was used to assess antibiotic resistance and serotype distribution among 1179 pneumococcal isolates cultured from 2769 nasopharyngeal swabs obtained from outpatients with acute otitis media or pneumonia during 1998 and 1999. The proportion of penicillin-susceptible pneumococcal isolates overall (87%) and among infants <2 years old (81%) was comparable to that of invasive isolates (90% and 81%, respectively). The high number of nasopharyngeal isolates allowed for the detection of a rapid increase in the number of penicillin-nonsusceptible pneumococcal (PNSP) strains in the West region of Switzerland, partly because of an epidemic caused by the 19F clone of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Clustering of risk factors for the carriage of PNSP isolates further explained the geographic variation in resistance rates. The nationwide sentinel surveillance of nasopharyngeal pneumococcus proved to be valuable for the monitoring of antibiotic resistance, risk factors for carriage of PNSP isolates, and serotype distribution and for the detection of the emergence of a new epidemic clone.

Voter Participation in the 1998 Bundestag Elections: A Theoretical Modification and Empirical Application of Downs’ Theory of Voter Participation

This article seeks to contribute to the illumination of the so-called 'paradox of voting' using the German Bundestag elections of 1998 as an empirical case. Downs' model of voter participation will be extended to include elements of the theory of subjective expected utility (SEU). This will allow a theoretical and empirical exploration of the crucial mechanisms of individual voters' decisions to participate, or abstain from voting, in the German general election of 1998. It will be argued that the infinitely low probability of an individual citizen's vote to decide the election outcome will not necessarily reduce the probability of electoral participation. The empirical analysis is largely based on data from the ALLBUS 1998. It confirms the predictions derived from SEU theory. The voters' expected benefits and their subjective expectation to be able to influence government policy by voting are the crucial mechanisms to explain participation. By contrast, the explanatory contribution of perceived information and opportunity costs is low.

Determinanten der Studierbereitschaft in Ostdeutschland. Eine empirische Anwendung der Humankapital- und Werterwartungstheorie am Beispiel sächsischer Abiturienten in den Jahren 1996 und 1998

Ausgangspunkt der empirischen Untersuchung ist die seit dem Zusammenbruch der DDR rückläufige Studierneigung ostdeutscher Abiturienten. Diese Entwicklung wird anhand der Humankapital- und Werterwartungstheorie zu erklären versucht. Demnach hängt die Studierneigung eines Individuums vom antizipierten Nutzen eines Studiums, von den erwarteten Kosten und der subjektiv eingeschätzeten Wahrscheinlichkeit, aufgrund eigener schulischer Leistungen erfolgreich studieren zu können, ab. Daraus wird die These abgeleitet, dass die Studierneigung wegen subjektiv wahrgenommener sinkender Bildungsnutzen und gleichzeitig antizipierter steigender Bildungskosten in der Zeit abgenommen hat. Für die empirische Überprüfung dieser These werden Querschnittsinformationen über sächsische Abiturienten der beiden Abschlussjahrgänge 1996 und 1998 herangezogen. Bei Kontrolle der sozialen Herkunft und des Geschlechts dieser befragten Abiturienten bestätigen die empirischen Befunde die These über die Veränderung in den subjektiv bewerteten Kosten-Nutzen-Relationen für oder gegen ein Studium nur teilweise. Ausschlaggebend für die abnehmende Studierwilligkeit ist die zunehmend ungünstige Einschätzung der beruflichen Verwertbarkeit eines Studiums. Offensichtlich lassen sich einerseits Abiturienten aus unteren und zunehmend auch aus mittleren Sozialschichten und andererseits Abiturientinnen wegen ungünstiger Arbeitsmarktentwicklungen vom Studium abschrecken.