On the way to light the dark: a retrospective inquiry into the registered cases of domestic violence towards women over a six year period with a semi-quantitative analysis of the corresponding forensic documentation

Domestic violence victims are increasingly identified at emergency departments (ED). Studies report a prevalence of 6-30%; women are more frequently affected and to a more serious extent than men. Studies have shown that without screening domestic violence victims are often not recognised. The primary aim of the study is to collect data descriptive of domestic violence victims and to show whether medical documentation meets the requirements of forensic medicine.

[Hand transplantation - fiction or reality?]

Hand transplantation has been indicated in selective patients after traumatic upper extremity amputation and only performed in a few centers around the world for the last decade. In comparison to solid organ transplantation, there is a challenge to overcome the host immunological barrier due to complex antigenicity of the different included tissues, the skin being the most susceptible to rejection. Patients require lifelong immunosuppression for non life-threatening conditions. Minimization of maintenance immunosuppression represents the key step for promoting wider applicability of hand transplantation. Current research is working towards the understanding mechanisms of composite tissue allograft (CTA) rejection. Worldwide, in 51 patients 72 hands (21 double hand transplants) and once both arms have been successfully transplanted since 1998.

The role of migration and domestic transmission in the spread of HIV-1 non-B subtypes in Switzerland

By analyzing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) pol sequences from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS), we explored whether the prevalence of non-B subtypes reflects domestic transmission or migration patterns.

A novel isolation method of Brucella species and molecular tracking of Brucella suis biovar 2 in domestic and wild animals

Brucella suis biovar 2 is the most common aetiological agent of porcine brucellosis in Europe. B. suis biovar 2 is considered to have low zoonotic potential, but is a causative agent of reproductive losses in pigs, and it is thus economically important. The multilocus variable-number of tandem repeats genotyping analysis of 16 loci (MLVA-16) has proven to be highly discriminatory and is the most suitable assay for simultaneously identifying B. suis and tracking infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the relatedness between isolates of B. suis biovar 2 obtained during a brucellosis outbreak in domestic pigs and isolates from wild boars and hares collected from proximal or remote geographical areas by MLVA-16. A cluster analysis of the MLVA-16 data revealed that most of the isolates obtained from Switzerland clustered together, with the exception of one isolate. The outbreak isolates constituted a unique subcluster (with a genetic similarity >93.8%) distinct from that of the isolates obtained from wild animals, suggesting that direct transmission of the bacterium from wild boars to domestic pigs did not occur in this outbreak. To obtain a representative number of isolates for MLVA-16, alternative methods of Brucella spp. isolation from tissue samples were compared with conventional direct cultivation on a Brucella-selective agar. We observed an enhanced sensitivity when mechanical homogenisation was followed by host cell lysis prior to cultivation on the Brucella-selective agar. This work demonstrates that MLVA-16 is an excellent tool for both monitoring brucellosis and investigating outbreaks. Additionally, we present efficient alternatives for the isolation of Brucella spp.

Toll-like receptors in domestic animals

Toll-like receptors are pattern recognition receptors with which hosts recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP). This recognition process is translated rapidly into a meaningful defense reaction. This form of innate host defense is preserved in the animal kingdom: invertebrates heavily depend on it; higher vertebrates also have an adaptive immune system. Both adaptive and innate immune systems are intertwined in that the former also depends on an intact innate recognition and response system. Members of the TLR system cover recognition of parasitic, bacterial or viral germs. Due to the constraints imposed by the necessity to recognize PAMP and to interact with downstream signaling molecules, the TLR system is relatively conserved in evolution. Nevertheless, subtle species differences have been reported for several mammalian TLR members. Examples of this will be given. In all mammalian species investigated, part of the coding sequence is available for the most important TLR members, thus allowing study of expression of these TLR members in various tissues by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in its classical (RT-PCR) and quantitative real time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) form. In some species, the whole coding sequences of the most important or even all TLR members are known. This allows construction of cDNA and transfection of common host cells, thus permitting functional studies. Extensive investigations were devoted to the study of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms. In a few cases, expression of a given amino acid in the extracellular (ligand-binding) portion of TLR members could be associated with infectious diseases. This will be discussed below.