Postmortem studies of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) reveal an increase in iron concentration in the substantia nigra. Iron content in the brain is associated with decreased signal intensity on T2-weighted MRI. We measured in vivo the T2 relaxation time in 30 PD patients and 33 healthy volunteer subjects, using a 1.5-T whole-body MRI system. In comparison with healthy controls, T2 values in PD patients were reduced in the following brain regions: substantia nigra, caudate nucleus, and putamen. Due to the overlap between patients and control subjects, we could not differentiate, in a given patient, healthy from diseased state on the basis of T2 relaxation time. Our findings support the notion of increased iron deposition in the substantia nigra of patients with PD. However, the shortening of T2 values in the substantia nigra did not correlate with disease duration nor with clinical severity.

Actinic keratosis (AK) affects millions of people worldwide, and its prevalence continues to increase. AK lesions are caused by chronic ultraviolet radiation exposure, and the presence of two or more AK lesions along with photodamage should raise the consideration of a diagnosis of field cancerization. Effective treatment of individual lesions as well as field cancerization is essential for good long-term outcomes. The Swiss Registry of Actinic Keratosis Treatment (REAKT) Working Group has developed clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of field cancerization in patients who present with AK. These guidelines are intended to serve as a resource for physicians as to the most appropriate treatment and management of AK and field cancerization based on current evidence and the combined practical experience of the authors. Treatment of AK and field cancerization should be driven by consideration of relevant patient, disease, and treatment factors, and appropriate treatment decisions will differ from patient to patient. Prevention measures and screening recommendations are discussed, and special considerations related to management of immunocompromised patients are provided.

In agreement with recent studies, the Swiss data demonstrate the high impact of CHE on medical well-being, patient quality of life and work ability. As it is associated with an intense use of health care services, high rate of sick leave, job loss and change, CHE may cause a high socio-economic burden.

No abstract

Psoriasis vulgaris is a common, chronic inflammatory skin disease with a prevalence of 1.5-2% in Western industrialized countries. A relevant percentage of patients suffer from moderate-to-severe psoriasis and experience a significant reduction in quality of life. The choice of an adequate therapy could help to prevent disease and exacerbation of comorbidity, which could increase quality of life, avoid hospitalization and avoid reduction of working days. The present guidelines are focused on the initiation and management of systemic therapies in cases of moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis in adults to optimize treatment response, adherence and quality of life. This first version of the Swiss S1 guidelines presents therapeutic recommendations which are based on a systematic literature search as well as an informal expert consensus of dermatologists in Switzerland.