The current polio epidemic in Indonesia is a reminder that infectious agents know no political or race boundaries. Like most of the world, this country was polio-free and prior to this outbreak, there were only 6 countries with endemic polio: Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Niger and Egypt.1 The outbreak...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Singapore and accounts for 22.8% of all female cancers.1 The incidence of breast cancer in Singapore has doubled between 1968 to 1972 and 1993 to 19972 and is now the highest in Asia, with an age-adjusted incidence of 53.1...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic relapsing disease in children. It was estimated that about 15% of children suffer from this disease.1-3 Bacterial colonisation/ infection due to Staphylococcus aureus is considered an important factor in the pathophysiology and mechanism involved in AD exacerbation.4,5 We set out to (i)...

In 1995, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published the “Organisational Standards for Maternity Services” in which it was proposed that there be a maximum decision-to-delivery interval (DDI) of 30 minutes for urgent caesarean sections (CS).1 This time standard was arbitrary and not supported by any trials or...

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odourless, tasteless and toxic gas and is the most abundant pollutant in the lower atmosphere. It is produced largely in industrial processes, internal combustion engines, malfunctioning home appliances and as a result of the incomplete combustion of wood and tobacco products This article is available...