Excessive alcohol consumption in young men: is there an association with their earlier family situation? A baseline-analysis of the C-SURF-study (Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors).

AIMS: To determine whether parental factors earlier in life (parenting, single parent family, parental substance use problem) are associated with patterns of alcohol consumption among young men in Switzerland. METHODS: This analysis of a population based sample from the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF) included 5,990 young men (mean age 19.51 years), all attending a mandatory recruitment process for the army. These conscripts reported on parental monitoring and rule-setting, parental behaviour and family structure. The alcohol use pattern was assessed through abstention, risky single occasion drinking (RSOD), volume drinking and dependence. Furthermore, the impact of age, family socio-economic status, educational level of the parents, language region and civil status was analysed. RESULTS: A parental substance use problem was positively associated with volume drinking and alcohol dependence in young Swiss men. Active parenting corresponded negatively with RSOD, volume drinking and alcohol dependence. Single parent family was not associated with a different alcohol consumption pattern compared to standard family. CONCLUSION: Parental influences earlier in life such as active parenting (monitoring, rule-setting and knowing the whereabouts) and perceived parental substance use problem are associated with alcohol drinking behaviour in young male adults. Therefore, health professionals should stress the importance of active parenting and parental substance use prevention in alcohol prevention strategies.

Cancer du sein: inhibiteurs de l'aromatase en situation adjuvante, un peu, beaucoup ou pas du tout [Aromatase inhibitors in the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer: a little, a lot or no way?]

Several large randomized trials showed that tamoxifen alone is no more the standard adjuvant hormonal therapy for menopausal patients. Aromatase inhibitors, given upfront or sequentially after tamoxifen, confirmed their efficacy by improving disease free survival, risk of distant metastasis and overall survival in some situations or subgroups of patients. These drugs are usually well tolerated, but they clearly increase bone mineral density loss as well as the risk of fractures and their long term safety on the cardio-vascular system needs to be followed. Thus, even if the role of the aromatase inhibitors is now evident in the adjuvant therapy of postmenopausal women the benefice/risk ratio should be carefully evaluated for each patient.

Bloodstream infections related to totally implantable venous access port: What is the situation in our hospital?

Port-a-Cath© (PAC) are totally implantable devices that offer an easy and long term access to venous circulation. They have been extensively used for intravenous therapy administration and are particularly well suited for chemotherapy in oncologic patients. Previous comparative studies have shown that these devices have the lowest catheter-related bloodstream infection rates among all intravascular access systems. However, bloodstream infection (BSI) still remains a major issue of port use and epidemiology data for PAC-associated BSI (PABSI) rates differ strongly depending on studies. Also, current literature about PABSI risk factors is scarce and sometimes controversial. Such heterogeneity may depend on type of studied population and local factors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe local epidemiology and risk factors for PABSI in adult patients in our tertiary- care university hospital. We conducted a retrospective cohort study in order to describe local epidemiology. We also performed a nested case-control study to identify local risk factors of PABSI. We analyzed medical files of adult patients who had a PAC implanted between January 1st, 2008 and December 31st, 2009 and looked for PABSI occurrence before May 1st, 2011 to define cases. Thirty nine PABSI occurred in this population with an attack rate of 5.8%. We estimated an incidence rate of 0.08/1000 PAC-days using the case-control study. PABSI causative agents were mainly Gram positive cocci (62%). We identified three predictive factors of PABSI by multivariate statistical analysis: neutropenia on outcome date (Odds Ratio [OR]: 4.05; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.05- 15.66; p=0.042), diabetes (OR: 11.53; 95% CI: 1.07-124.70; p=0.044) and having another infection than PABSI on outcome date (OR: 6.35; 95% CI: 1.50-26.86; p=0.012). Patients suffering from acute or renal failure (OR: 4.26; 95% CI: 0.94-19.21; p=0.059) or wearing another invasive device (OR: 2.99; 95%CI:0.96-9.31; p=0.059) did not have a statistically increased risk for developing a PABSI according to classical threshold (p<0.05) but nevertheless remained close to significance. Our study demonstrated that local epidemiology and microbiology of PABSI in our institution was similar to previous reports. A larger prospective study is required to confirm our results or to test preventive measures.

Eradication d'une population d'écrevisses de Louisiane, Procambarus clarkii, à l'étang de Vidy et situation des populations d'écrevisses à Lausanne, Suisse.

En juillet 2007, des écrevisses de Louisiane, Procambarus clarkii, ont été observées, pour la première fois en Suisse romande, dans l'étang artificiel de Vidy à Lausanne. Au printemps 2008, l'étang a été asséché pendant 2 mois pour tenter d'éradiquer les écrevisses. En juillet 2008, et au printemps 2009, des écrevisses de Louisiane furent à nouveau observées dans l'étang: des individus avaient survécu au traitement et/ou des écrevisses avaient à nouveau été introduites. En 2010, une nouvelle campagne d'éradication a été mise en place: l'étang fut asséché, son lit chaulé et les interstices entre les enrochements bétonnés. Lors du suivi 2011, plus aucune écrevisse ne fut capturée. L'opération semble donc finalement avoir été un succès. Les observations effectuées sur 20 plans d'eau dans un rayon de 4.5 km autour de l'étang de Vidy n'ont pas mis en évidence d'autres populations d'écrevisses de Louisiane. Plusieurs populations d'écrevisses américaines, orconectes limosus, et signal ̧ Pacifastacus lenuisculus, ont été localisées, ainsi qu'une population d'écrevisses à pattes rouges, Astacus astacus.

Prévention du VIH/sida, Suisse 2007: situation satisfaisante chez les jeunes, situation problématique chez les personnes plus âgées.

Depuis 1987, la Suisse dispose d'études répétées sur les comportements sexuels dans plusieurs populations, ce qui permet de suivre l'évolution de paramètres importants concernant la santé sexuelle et l'exposition au risque de transmission du VIH/sida et d'autres IST. Cet article, tiré du dernier rapport de suivi de la stratégie du VIH/sida en Suisse, présente la situation relative à l'activité sexuelle et aux comportements préventifs chez les jeunes de 17 à 20 ans et compare ces paramètres à divers âges de la vie.

Lack of Discipline in Cape Verdean Secondary Schools: The Need to Better Define the Problem and Develop Strategies to Prevent or Manage the Situation

This research paper has been written with the intention to discuss the problem of discipline in Cape Verdean secondary schools. While many of us discuss the effects that student misbehavior has on the student misbehavior has on the student, school and society as a whole, very few of us seek solutions which would impact on the prevention and management of this problem that each day becomes more complicated and harder to handle. This paper will discuss the need to better define discipline at the school level; identify the causes and factors that aggravate the problem, in addition, to provide what I hope to be useful strategies to better manage the problem as we make the effort to reclaim our schools and better educate our students. My research included surveys completed by teachers and student alike as they baffled over the question: what is discipline and how can we better manage discipline problems at our schools?