The University of Lucerne (UNILU; German: Universität Luzern) is a public university with a campus in Lucerne, Switzerland. 1,460 undergraduates and 1,258 postgraduate students attend the university, which makes it Switzerland's smallest university.Despite its size, it holds an international reputation in several areas. For instance, the Institute for Jewish-Christian Research has acquired renown. The university evolved over time: Since the early 17th century, courses in philosophy and theology have been taught in the city. The faculty of Theology was established in 1938, whereas the department of history was founded August 1, 1989. In 1993, the faculty of humanities was established. After a popular vote, the University of Lucerne was established in 2000.
ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop Clinical Functioning Information Tool-musculoskeletal, an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-based clinical tool for the assessment and reporting of the functioning and rehabilitation potential of patients with a musculoskeletal condition.DesignThis multistep, mixed-methods tool development process encompassed developing an initial shortlist of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health categories (comprising the aggregation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for musculoskeletal conditions and a literature search), identifying the Clinical Functioning Information Tool-musculoskeletal items feasible for clinical use via a two-round Delphi survey, developing a simple description for each item and deciding on the rating scale through development working group consultations. These consultations were also instrumental at each step of tool development.ResultsBased on a shortlist of 33 categories, the Delphi survey generated 17 items (7 body function and 10 activity and participation categories), which can be rated with a 0-4 scale (0 = no problem to 4 = complete problem) accompanied with rating specifications or with a 0-10 numeric rating scale without specification.ConclusionsClinical Functioning Information Tool-musculoskeletal can be used by rehabilitation professionals to support individualized care and track functional outcomes. It can also be employed in research and public health. Psychometric testing and cross-cultural validation will be pursued to ensure Clinical Functioning Information Tool-musculoskeletal's scientific robustness and applicability across diverse settings.
Toward the end of the eighteenth and in the early nineteenth centuries, Hamburg saw an influx of people of non-European descent, among them free and enslaved domestic labourers and sailors from the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Most stayed in the region only for a limited time. This article traces the patterns of their mobility and interactions with local authorities, arguing that Hamburg functioned as a kind of oceanic borderland: the city's proximity to the sea facilitated mobility, but authorities also used maritime borders to control and restrict mobility, transporting those deemed dangerous or burdensome.
BACKGROUND:As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is integrated into existing infectious disease control programs, it is important to understand the comparative clinical impact of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. METHODS:We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with symptomatic healthcare-associated COVID-19 or influenza reported to the nationwide, hospital-based surveillance system in Switzerland. Included patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) hospitalized for ≥3 days in tertiary care and large regional hospitals. Patients had COVID-19 symptoms and a real-time polymerase chain reaction-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection ≥3 days after hospital admission between 1 February 2022 and 30 April 2023, or influenza symptoms and a real-time polymerase chain reaction-confirmed influenza A or B infection ≥3 days after hospital admission between 1 November 2018 and 30 April 2023. Primary and secondary outcomes were 30-day in-hospital mortality and admission to intensive care unit, respectively. Cox regression (Fine-Gray model) was used to account for time dependency and competing events, with inverse probability weighting to adjust for confounding. RESULTS:We included 2901 patients with symptomatic, healthcare-associated COVID-19 (Omicron) and 868 patients with symptomatic, healthcare-associated influenza from 9 hospitals. We found a similar case fatality ratio between healthcare-associated COVID-19 (Omicron) (6.2%) and healthcare-associated influenza (6.1%) patients; after adjustment, patients had a comparable subdistribution hazard ratio for 30-day in-hospital mortality (0.91; 95% confidence interval, .67-1.24). A similar proportion of patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (2.4% COVID-19; 2.6% influenza). CONCLUSIONS:COVID-19 and influenza continue to cause severe disease among hospitalized patients. Our results suggest that in-hospital mortality risk of healthcare-associated COVID-19 (Omicron) and healthcare-associated influenza are comparable.
This paper examines the political and policy implications of artificial intelligence (AI) from the perspective of managers in Danish firms. We investigate how managers perceive AI's impact on the workplace, their preferences for social and regulatory policies to address AI's societal effects, and how information about AI's economic consequences and regulation influences these preferences. Utilising a novel firm-level survey in Denmark with experimental treatments, we find that firms perceiving AI-related risks are more likely to support AI regulation and social investment (education and upskilling). Firms with extensive AI experience are more likely to oppose AI regulation but, paradoxically, are more likely to express concern about AI. They also tend to prefer social investment over compensation policies. While information treatments partly increased firms' expression of concern about AI, they did not significantly alter their policy preferences. Overall, our findings indicate that subjective AI risk and AI experience significantly influence managers' policy preferences, leading to a general preference for social investment over compensation, with firms expressing concern supporting regulation and those with extensive AI experience opposing it.
OBJECTIVE:Evaluate long-term mortality and the role of causative pathogens in periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS:Retrospective nationwide cohort study of adults undergoing THA (2012-2022) using data from the Swiss Joint Registry, Center for Infection Prevention and civil registry. Primary outcome was up to 10-year survival with or without PJI. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were estimated via Gompertz regression, controlling for sex, age, BMI, and ASA. Pathogen-specific mortality hazard was analyzed. RESULTS:Of 215,678 patients, 89,709 met inclusion criteria (51.3% women; median age 69 years). PJI occurred in 745 (0.8%) patients, 2 752 (3.1%) underwent aseptic revision. PJI was associated with increased mortality (aHR 2.15; 95% CI, 1.79-2.57; p<0.001) compared to no PJI/revision, aseptic revisions were not (aHR 0.92; 95% CI, 0.80-1.06; p=0.27). Pathogens associated with increased mortality included Enterobacterales (aHR 3.17; 95% CI, 2.09-4.83, p<0.001), Staphylococcus aureus (aHR 2.32; 95% CI, 1.65-3.27; p<0.001), Cutibacterium acnes (aHR 2.31; 95% CI, 1.20-4.45; p=0.01), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (aHR 1.65; 95% CI, 1.16-2.35; p=0.006). Streptococcal infections showed no significant association (aHR 1.24; 95% CI, 0.62-2.49; p=0.54). CONCLUSION:PJI following THA was associated with an approximately twofold increase in long-term mortality hazard. C. acnes presented an unexpectedly high mortality hazard.
