Editorial
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Holistic Approach
In 1997, the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disease (IFFGD) designated April as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Awareness Month. This period of awareness was intended to focus the attention on important health messages about IBS diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life. The month of April was first designated as...
Original Article
Discrepancies in End-of-life Decisions Between Elderly Patients and Their Named Surrogates
In the context of Singapore, advanced medical decision-making is an unfamiliar concept to the majority of the local elderly population.
As such, in situations where an elderly patient is suddenly afflicted with an acute and life-threatening illness, it often falls upon his or her next-of-kin to shoulder the burden of...
Original Article
Where do People with Mental Disorders in Singapore go to for Help?
Not only are mental disorders prevalent in any country, it is also common that many of those with mental disorders are neither seeking nor receiving help. This is the case even in developed countries: of the 31% of the US population affected by at least one mental illness, 67%...
Original Article
Effects of Age and Gender on Left Atrial Ejection Force and Volume from Real-Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiograph
The left atrium (LA) plays the primary role in the filling of the left ventricle (LV). A number of studies have demonstrated that LA enlargement (i.e. volume increase) is a negative prognostic factor for survival in patients with a variety of cardiovascular disorders, including stroke, congestive heart failure and...
Original Article
The Hidden Impact of Childhood Cancer on the Family: A Multi-Institutional Study from Singapore
Chronic childhood illnesses have varying degrees of impact on the children and their families. Some chronic conditions that have little or no impact on the children and their families whereas those at the other end of the spectrum that has a high impact, for example, the diagnosis of cancer....