Volume 53, Number 11
November 2024

Research explores corticosteroid use in critically ill patients with community-acquired pneumonia in Singapore—assessing effects on mortality, ventilation duration and ICU stay, and offering insights for clinical practice in intensive care.

Illustration by Ladyfingers Co.

Traction alopecia in women: An under-recognised cause of hair loss

Dear Editor, Alopecia ranks among the most common clinical complaints encountered by dermatologists.1 In particular, affected women often experience great psycho-emotional stress leading to a reduction in quality of life.2 We conducted a prospective epidemiological study conducted over 77 weeks from 1 August 2022 to 23 January 2024 at an outpatient...

Gender dysphoria in children and adolescents: A retrospective analysis of cases in Singapore

The understanding of gender dysphoria (GD) has evolved significantly, from early conflations of sexual orientation and gender identity to its recognition as a distinct condition characterised by gender incongruence. GD is now classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).1 GD is currently defined...

Corticosteroids in critically ill patients with community-acquired pneumonia: A systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common cause of hospital mortality. Each year, in the US alone, more than 1.5 million pneumonia patients are hospitalised, and 1 in 3 of them die within 1 year.1 Mortality is the highest among patients requiring organ support in the intensive care unit (ICU)....

Natural Language Processing for serious illness communications in palliative surgical oncology

Dear Editor, Approximately one-fifth of surgeries performed at major cancer centres worldwide are palliative in nature, and one-third of advanced cancer patients receive surgery during their last year of life.1,2 Serious illness communication (SIC) is an essential component of palliative care. In the context of palliative surgical oncology, the surgical...

Can a Bayesian approach clarify if corticosteroids are beneficial for severe community-acquired pneumonia?

Despite advances in the antimicrobial treatment of sepsis and organ support in the intensive care unit (ICU), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a leading cause of mortality and disability-adjusted life years lost globally.1 Severe CAP, where CAP becomes complicated by acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure or shock, is also the most...

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Board of Reviewers 2024

Organ donation in the paediatric intensive care unit: Time for change?