Board of Reviewers
Board of Reviewers 2022
Our sincere thanks to the following peer reviewers who completed and returned their reviews between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022. Your expertise...
Letter to the Editor
Association between self-care and chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Dear Editor,
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the key complications occurring in 25–40% of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).1 Our...
Letter to the Editor
Surgical margins assessment reduces re-excision rates in breast-conserving surgery
Dear Editor,
Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) followed by radiation therapy for breast cancer offers improved cosmetic results and comparable long-term survival rates as mastectomy.1 However,...
Letter to the Editor
Clinical outcome of bacterial endogenous endophthalmitis in 15 patients
Dear Editor,
Endophthalmitis refers to the inflammation of the ocular cavities and their immediate adjacent structures without extension beyond the sclera, usually secondary to...
Letter to the Editor
Case studies of fetal mosaicisms detected by non-invasive prenatal testing
Dear Editor,
The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics recommended that all pregnant women be offered non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) regardless of the patient’s...
Review Article
Ablation therapies for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and patient-level network meta-analysis
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a pertinent health condition that is seeing a sustained rise in global incidence and prevalence.1 In particular, paroxysmal AF (PAF),...
Review Article
Combating a resurgence of poliomyelitis through public health surveillance and vaccination
Singapore was certified poliomyelitis (polio)-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 29 October 2000, together with 36 other countries in the Western Pacific...
Original Article
Clinical efficacy and long-term immunogenicity of an early triple dose regimen of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in cancer patients
The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Initial studies have reported an increased vulnerability of patients with...
Editorial
Catheter ablation as first-line treatment for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
Pharmacotherapy has been the mainstay of atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment. As AF progresses from paroxysmal to persistent, electrical and structural remodelling of the atria...
Editorial
Early COVID-19 booster is beneficial in cancer patients
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and its corresponding coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported as a cluster of pneumonia cases in...
Editorial
Vaccination and surveillance: Two basic tools for a final poliomyelitis eradication
Over the past 3 decades, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has strived to achieve a poliomyelitis (polio)-free world. Wild poliovirus (WPV) types 2...
Images in Medicine
Lichen planus pemphigoides after pembrolizumab immunotherapy in an older man
An 84-year-old Chinese man with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer was initiated on pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed cell death (PD)-1 monoclonal antibody, 4 times...
Letter to the Editor
Diagnostic accuracy of multiparametric MRI in endometrial cancer and its adjunctive value in identifying high-risk women requiring surgical staging
Dear Editor,
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in developed countries, with a five-year survival rate of 81%.1,2 Prognostic factors include the International...
Letter to the Editor
Rapid exome sequencing to aid diagnostics in genetic disorders: Implementation and challenges in the Singapore context
Dear Editor,
There is a high burden of genetic disorders in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), ranging from 45–56%,1,2 and delayed definitive...
Letter to the Editor
Tozinameran (Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine)-induced AGEP-DRESS syndrome
Dear Editor,
A 40-year-old woman with scalp psoriasis was maintained on topical mometasone furoate therapy from 2019 with no major psoriatic flares until she presented...
Letter to the Editor
Multidisciplinary lung cancer clinic: An emerging model of care
Dear Editor,
Lung cancer management is progressively complex and multidisciplinary input is often needed. The recent publication of CheckMate 816 heralds a paradigm shift...
Commentary
Meeting today’s healthcare needs: Medicine at the interface
The demographic of Singapore has undergone dramatic changes. Historically, younger patients with communicable diseases predominated; however, patients are now older with chronic multimorbidity and...
Review Article
Drug interactions between common dermatological medications and the oral anti-COVID-19 agents nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and molnupiravir
In December 2021, an Emergency Use Authorisation was issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of the orally active...
Original Article
Low skeletal muscle mass predicts poor prognosis of elderly patients after emergency laparotomy: A single Asian institution experience
Emergency laparotomy (ELAP) for elderly patients is associated with higher mortality and increased postoperative complications compared with those undergoing elective surgery.1-3 Elderly patients, who...
Original Article
Characteristics of anti-transcriptional intermediary factor 1 gamma autoantibody-positive dermatomyositis patients in Singapore
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are a heterogeneous group of acquired, systemic autoimmune conditions characterised by muscular and extramuscular manifestations. As a subset within the...
Editorial
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenomic considerations in managing use of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and molnupiravir and dermatological treatments
The COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented in its impact on global health, economic, financial, psychosocial and political systems. The World Health Organization estimates approximately...
Editorial
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: Not nearly the end of the road
The clinical spectrum of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) has broadened over the past half century from a simple disease characterised primarily by muscle and...
Images in Medicine
A recurring nasal mass
A 56-year-old Chinese man presented to the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic with months of unilateral right-sided nasal obstruction. He reported occasional mucopurulent discharge...
Letter to the Editor
A strategy to make COVID-19 vaccination more accessible to the elderly
Dear Editor,
Singapore embarked on the COVID-19 National Vaccination Programme in early 2021. The main modality employed to achieve the mass vaccinations has been the...
Letter to the Editor
Erdheim-Chester disease: Imaging spectrum of multisystemic manifestations
Dear Editor,
Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare non-Langerhans histiocytosis, usually affecting middle-aged to older adults. It is a multisystemic disease with protean clinical manifestations....
Letter to the Editor
Implementation of an AI model to triage paediatric brain magnetic resonance imaging orders
Dear Editor,
Artificial intelligence (AI) is viewed as the most important recent advancement in radiology with the potential to achieve Singapore’s objective of delivering value-based...
Letter to the Editor
Early rehabilitation to improve functional outcomes in childhood cancer in Singapore
Dear Editor,
We conducted a prospective, single-centre cohort study to review the impact of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme in children with cancer in Singapore....
Letter to the Editor
Self-sampling HPV DNA test for cervical cancer screening in Singapore: A prospective study
Dear Editor,
Cervical cancer is known to be the most preventable malignancy through both vaccination and screening. However, it remains the tenth most common...
Commentary
‘Roe’lling with the punches: Telehealth contraception and abortion
Unsafe abortion is a global health issue as it is a key preventable cause of maternal mortality. It has been estimated that up to...
Review Article
The Omicron-transformer: Rise of the subvariants in the age of vaccines
The emergence and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 have been publicly tracked in unprecedented detail through a combination of intensive genomic sequencing and open-access sharing of...
Review Article
National surgical antibiotic prophylaxis guideline in Singapore
Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) refers to the administration of antibiotics prior to clean and clean-contaminated surgeries to prevent postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs). An...
Original Article
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease screening in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cost-effectiveness and price threshold analysis
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing epidemic and has become a major cause of liver-related mortality and indication for liver transplantations globally....
Original Article
Improving drug allergy label accuracy by supervised safety- and protocol-driven evaluation
Self-reported drug allergies1 are common, and the majority of these have been shown to be inaccurate. Recording of drug allergy details is also often...
Original Article
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in Singapore
While children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulting in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have milder manifestations compared to adults,1,2 a...
Editorial
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: A unique manifestation of COVID-19
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, children have been relatively spared from the severe symptomatic infection affecting adults, particularly the elderly and those...
Images in Medicine
A man with bark-like skin
A 65-year-old Chinese man was admitted for evaluation of chronic anaemia. He had a history of hypertension and chronic kidney disease, and his regular...
Letter to the Editor
Tragus pressure-guided removal of airway devices for safe emergence from sedation: A randomised controlled trial
Dear Editor,
Emergence from anaesthesia and deep sedation is the transition from unconsciousness to the return of awareness and airway reflexes. The chief patterns of...
Letter to the Editor
Child passenger safety training for healthcare professionals in Singapore
Dear Editor,
Road traffic injuries are a preventable cause of childhood morbidity and mortality.1,2 Use of age-appropriate child car seats (CCS) lowers the risk...
Letter to the Editor
Clinical characteristics of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections among hospitalised children in Singapore
Dear Editor,
Mycoplasma pneumoniae has become the leading cause of paediatric community-acquired pneumonia in countries where pneumococcal vaccination is included in the national immunisation programme,...
Letter to the Editor
Childhood interstitial lung disease: The end of a diagnostic odyssey
Dear Editor,
Childhood interstitial lung disease is a heterogeneous group of rare disorders featuring pulmonary interstitial remodelling and diffuse parenchymal infiltrates on imaging.1 Incidence...
Commentary
Low-dose computerised tomography screening for lung cancer in Singapore: Practical challenges of identifying participants
INTRODUCTION
In March 2022, the European Commission on cancer screening suggested the inclusion of low-dose computerised tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer, targeted at current...
Review Article
Managing adult asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic: A 2022 review and current recommendations
Asthma is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease, estimated to affect more than 300 million people worldwide.1 First recognised in December 2019, the coronavirus...
Review Article
Nutrition therapy in the older critically ill patients: A scoping review
The increasing levels of life expectancy and decreasing fertility are shifting the age structure of the world population towards older ages.1 From year 2020...
Review Article
Exploring loss and grief during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review of qualitative studies
As of mid October 2022, the World Health Organization recorded that more than 620 million people worldwide have been infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus...
Original Article
Impact of aortic annular size and valve type on haemodynamics and clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation
The management of severe aortic stenosis (AS) in patients with small aortic annulus (SAA) represents a therapeutic challenge due to the increased mortality and...
Original Article
Validation and comparison of the PECARN rule, Step-by-Step approach and Lab-score for predicting serious and invasive bacterial infections in young febrile infants
The diagnostic approach and management of febrile infants <90 days of age remain a challenge, given that the majority of these infants have no...
Editorial
ICU nutrition: Bracing for the silver tsunami
The global population’s life expectancy is growing with a steady increase in the proportion of older patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).1...
Editorial
The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on loss and grief
As of 17 October 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 6.5 million lives globally, with 1,639 deaths reported in Singapore.1 With numerous...
Images in Medicine
TB or not TB? The axillary lump question
An 81-year-old woman of healthy weight presented with a 2-week history of a painless right axillary lump. Physical examination revealed a 2cm firm nodule...
Letter to the Editor
Antiphospholipid and other autoantibodies in COVID-19 patients: A Singapore series
Dear Editor,
Thrombosis is an unexpected complication of COVID-19 initially reported in 3 patients from China.1 These patients tested positive for immunoglobulin (Ig) A anticardiolipin...
Letter to the Editor
Prevalence of perceived weight-based stigmatisation in a multiethnic Asian population
Dear Editor,
People with obesity contend with obesity-related stigmas, in addition to health complications.1 In contrast to the West, literature documenting the prevalence of such...
Letter to the Editor
Safety and efficacy of combined antiplatelet and low-dose rivaroxaban in patients with chronic limb threatening ischaemia in Singapore
Dear Editor,
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is characterised by the debilitating atherosclerotic occlusion of arteries in the lower extremities, with chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI)...
Letter to the Editor
Employers’ attitudes towards employing people with mental health conditions
Dear Editor,
The advantages of employment for young people with mental health conditions (PMHC) are well known and documented,1 but many remain unemployed. Besides offering...
Letter to the Editor
High burden of respiratory viral infection-associated mortality among critically ill children
Dear Editor,
Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) are a leading cause of under-5 mortality globally—two-thirds could be attributable to respiratory viral infections (RVIs).1,2 The burden...
Review Article
Periodontal disease and systemic health: An update for medical practitioners
Care for the oral cavity lies in the intersection of dentistry and medicine. As the oral cavity serves as an entry to the gastrointestinal...
Original Article
Cost analysis of a Patient-Centred Medical Home for community-dwelling older adults with complex needs in Singapore
The Patient-Centred Medical Home (PCMH) is a model of chronic care that replaces episodic primary care, with the delivery of primary care to patients,...
Original Article
Sex and ethnicity modified high 1-year mortality in patients in Singapore with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically significant arrhythmia and is associated with increased risks of stroke, dementia, heart failure (HF) and death.1...
Original Article
Non-motorised active mobility device use by children in Singapore: Injury patterns and risk factors for severe injury
The Active Mobility Act was introduced in Singapore in 2017 to promote the safe use of personal mobility devices. Non-motorised active mobility devices (AMDs)...
Editorial
From Astana to Singapore: Primary Health Care is key to the long-term success of Singapore’s health system
The Ministry of Health, Singapore (MOH) has launched a wide-ranging and ambitious initiative for a life-course approach to drive the population’s health.1 This approach...
Editorial
Different strokes for different folks
Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most common arrhythmia since William Harvey’s observation of fibrillating auricles in open chest animal models in 1628. Willem Einthoven...
Editorial
Inclusive and safe active mobility
Physical activity is considered the “best buy” in public health practice to prevent non-communicable diseases. This perspective overshadows the importance of avoiding injuries due...
Images in Medicine
Neck pain with prevertebral soft tissue thickening
A 37-year-old man presented with a history of sudden-onset neck pain, which was worse on movement and neck extension. He reported no history of...
Images in Medicine
White precipitate in a dialysis circuit
An 81-year-old man who had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 was admitted to the medical intensive care unit on day 5 of his COVID-19-induced...
Letter to the Editor
Development and feasibility of a mobile-based vestibular rehabilitation therapy application for healthy older adults
Dear Editor,
Vestibular hypofunction (VH) is the clinical condition where there is partial or complete loss of the vestibular organs and/or vestibular nerves. Symptoms...
Letter to the Editor
A case of rapidly progressive insomnia and dysautonomia
Dear Editor,
A 43-year-old woman with no past medical history presented with 8 months of progressive memory loss and irritability, which led to her...
Letter to the Editor
Teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives of medical students in Singapore
Dear Editor,
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in many changes to medical education, including the site and mode of teaching, conducting of...
Letter to the Editor
Screening for somatisation in an Asian children’s hospital emergency setting
Dear Editor,
In recent years, self-harm is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among adolescents in Singapore.1,2 This is just the tip of the...
Commentary
Activating Code Crimson in the emergency department: Expediting definitive care for trauma patients with severe haemorrhage in Singapore
Public healthcare institutions (PHIs) in Singapore have a range of policies and guidelines for the management of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED)...
Review Article
Barriers to breast cancer screening in Singapore: A literature review
Breast cancer is a major public health concern and a leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, including Singapore.1 According to the 2018...
Original Article
Nationwide study of the characteristics of frequent attenders with multiple emergency department attendance patterns
Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a growing issue that threatens public health in various parts of the world,1 including the US,2 UK,3 Australia,4 Japan5...
Original Article
Interaction of sex and diabetes in Asian patients with heart failure with mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common comorbidity worldwide with global prevalence among adults above 18 years of age increasing from 4.7% in 1980 to...
Original Article
Global monkeypox outbreak 2022: First case series in Singapore
Monkeypox has been declared a public health emergency of international concern. Up until 2022, most cases of monkeypox have been reported in parts of...
Editorial
Frequent attenders to multiple emergency departments in Singapore
The problem of overcrowding, of which access block is one of the main causes, continues to plague emergency departments (EDs) worldwide.1 Some of its...
Editorial
Impact of sex and diabetes in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction
With increasing global awareness of sex differences in the heart failure population and the new entity of heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction...
Editorial
The global emergence of monkeypox
Monkeypox is so named because the poxvirus was first identified in 2 outbreaks among cynomolgus monkeys housed at the Statens Serum Institut, Denmark, in...
Letter to the Editor
Response to letters arising from publication of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore clinical guideline on the use of sedation by non-anaesthesiologists during gastrointestinal endoscopy in the hospital setting
Dear Editor,
The Academy of Medicine, Singapore (AMS) guideline on the use of sedation by non-anaesthesiologists during gastrointestinal endoscopy in the hospital setting and an...
Images in Medicine
An unusual case of ear pain in a child
A previously healthy 4-year-old French boy presented to the children’s emergency department complaining of left otalgia for 3 days. He had initially experienced left...
Letter to the Editor
Sedation in gastrointestinal endoscopy in Singapore
Dear Editor,
I refer to the editorial “Ensuring safe sedation during gastroendoscopy”1 and the original article “Academy of Medicine, Singapore clinical guideline on the use...
Letter to the Editor
Non-anaesthesiologists administering propofol in the Singapore context
Dear Editor,
Propofol is a potent intravenous sedative-hypnotic agent. Its popularity for sedation has increased in the last 3 decades because of its smooth, rapid...
Letter to the Editor
Sedation by non-anaesthesiologists in gastrointestinal endoscopy
Dear Editor,
We read with interest the paper by Ang et al.1 on Singapore guidelines in the use of sedation by non-anaesthesiologists during gastrointestinal endoscopy...
Letter to the Editor
Knowledge and perception of fall prevention in hospital: A survey of nursing staff
Dear Editor,
Hospital falls are a common debilitating problem worldwide and are associated with negative patient outcomes and increased financial costs to organisations.1,2 While...
Letter to the Editor
Iatrogenic atrial septal defect after catheter ablation—to close or not to close?
Dear Editor,
Transseptal access to the left heart is increasingly performed for electrophysiological procedures and for structural heart disease interventions such as balloon mitral valvuloplasty...
Commentary
Cardiac sarcoidosis: Difficulties in diagnosis and treatment
Sarcoidosis is a multisystem, granulomatous disorder of unknown aetiology. It affects the lungs in 90% of cases, but is also known to affect other...
Review Article
Academy of Medicine, Singapore clinical guideline on endoscopic surveillance and management of gastric premalignant lesions
Gastric cancer (GC) is the 7th most common cancer in men and the 9th most common cancer in women in Singapore. More than two-thirds...
Original Article
Prevalence of burnout among healthcare professionals in Singapore
Burnout was first described in 1974 by Herbert Freudenberger, where he discussed the concept based on physical signs, behavioural indicators, judgment, emotional factors, and...
Original Article
Effects of electroconvulsive therapy on cognition and quality of life in schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder with a profound impact on patients, their families, caregivers and society. The global prevalence of lifetime schizophrenia is...
Original Article
Treating acutely ill patients at home: Data from Singapore
Inpatient hospitalisation is the conventional strategy to care for acutely ill patients. However, demand for hospital beds and clinical manpower is escalating as populations...
Editorial
Bridging electroconvulsive therapy in schizophrenia with cognition and quality of life
Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating severe mental illnesses with significant impact,1 irrespective of culture or socioeconomic class.2 Over the decades, antipsychotic medication...
Editorial
Treating patients at home: A novel solution for old problems
Hospital-at-home (HaH) programmes deliver hospital-type treatments to patients located in their own homes, often in substitution for an acute inpatient admission or to support...
Images in Medicine
Cause of vaginal spotting in an older woman
A 77-year-old Chinese woman with a past medical history of Sjogren’s syndrome, nodular goitre and right-sided neck lymphadenopathy, presented to the gynaecological service for...
Letter to the Editor
Palliative dialysis in hospice: A paradox or promising answer?
Dear Editor,
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients have higher mortality, hospital admissions and invasive procedures towards the end of life.1 However, many of them (82%)...
Letter to the Editor
Safe time interval for screening estimated glomerular filtration rate prior to gadolinium-enhanced MRI scan
Dear Editor,
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast media are commonly used in medical imaging and are usually gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs). They can be divided...
Letter to the Editor
Perception of disease, well-being and financial burden by patients with chronic hepatitis B: A self-reported assessment
Dear Editor,
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection affects approximately 248 million individuals in the world1 and 3.6% of the Singapore population.2 Given the natural history...
Letter to the Editor
Neuralgic amyotrophy in COVID-19 infection and after vaccination
Dear Editor,
Various neurological manifestations associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been described,1 conditions which left a significant proportion of patients with permanent disability....
Letter to the Editor
Attitude towards screening for congenital cytomegalovirus infection in newborns in Singapore
Dear Editor,
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common congenital infection.1 A systematic review that included 77 studies from 36 countries reported that the overall...
Commentary
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: Advocating for screening and education
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the leading non-genetic cause of congenital neurosensory hearing loss in children, accounting for 21% of cases of hearing loss at...
Original Article
Functional improvement after inpatient rehabilitation in community hospitals following acute hospital care
Early inpatient rehabilitation therapy has been known to have beneficial impact on physical function and mobility, psychological status and cognitive function of patients following...
Original Article
Epidemiological trends and outcomes of children with aural foreign bodies in Singapore
Aural foreign bodies (FBs) commonly present to the emergency department (ED) worldwide. Children represent the majority of the population, believed to be due to...
Original Article
Inter-hospital trends of post-resuscitation interventions and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Singapore
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have notoriously been a medical issue with high morbidity and mortality.1 It is a multifaceted problem with a multitude of...
Original Article
Nutrition support practices for critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2: A multicentre observational study in Singapore
Within 3 weeks of the World Health Organization declaring the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and...
Editorial
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Singapore: Can we do better?
Cardiac arrests are unpredictable events that frequently result in death or significant residual morbidity among survivors. These sudden events affect not only the individual,...
Editorial
Challenges and considerations in delivering nutritional therapy in the ICU during COVID-19 pandemic
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created unprecedented challenges for healthcare workers in Singapore and across the world. Providing clinical nutrition and metabolic care to...
Images in Medicine
Nitrous oxide and cervical myelopathy
A 25-year-old woman presented with progressive paraesthesia and numbness, both of which started from the left hand. Her symptoms progressed to the fingertips of...
Letter to the Editor
Psychosocial impact and treatment trends of hidradenitis suppurativa in Singapore
Dear Editor,
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a common disease with a prevalence of about 1%.1 Patients commonly suffer from pain, disfigurement and psychosocial embarrassment, and...
Letter to the Editor
Optimum follow-up period of arthroscopic and mini-open rotator cuff repairs
Dear Editor,
Rotator cuff disorders are the most common cause of disability related to the shoulder,1 and rotator cuff repairs—via mini-open or arthroscopic techniques—are...
Letter to the Editor
Transvaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES) hysterectomy in Singapore
Dear Editor,
Hysterectomy is one of the most common gynaecological procedures, and various approaches are available such as abdominal, laparoscopic and vaginal.1 Several studies...
Letter to the Editor
BNT162B2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccination did not promote substantial anti-syncytin-1 antibody production nor mRNA transfer to breast milk in an exploratory pilot study
Dear Editor,
Vaccine hesitancy still threatens global efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants. Social media-driven “conspiracy theories”...
Commentary
COVID-19 vaccination acceptance of healthcare workers in Singapore
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in 511.0 million cases of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and almost 6.2 million deaths globally as of end...
Commentary
The Lancet Commission on diagnostics: What it means for Singapore
Effective healthcare systems depend on a functioning healthcare value chain—defined as a care cascade comprising screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. The tremendous heterogeneity and...
Review Article
Consensus statement on Singapore integrated 24-hour activity guide for children and adolescents
The World Health Organization’s Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013–2020 provided guiding principles for national efforts in controlling...
Original Article
Prevalence and correlates of psychological distress and coronavirus anxiety among hospital essential services workers in Singapore
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected almost all geographies in the world since 2020. Many countries have imposed strict isolation measures to contain...
Original Article
Sepsis, cardiovascular events and short-term mortality risk in critically ill patients
Sepsis is defined as “life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host immune response to infection”.1 It is one of the most common conditions...
Original Article
Prevalence, risk factors and parental perceptions of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Asian infants in Singapore
Functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, such as colic, gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and constipation, are common in infants under 1 year. They are a frequent cause...
Editorial
Sepsis and cardiovascular events: The story so far
Sepsis is a state of life-threatening organ dysfunction that results from a dysregulated host immune response to infection.1 Sepsis is a common condition that...
Editorial
Gastroesophageal reflux disease in Asian infants: Similar condition, different perceptions
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a common problem in infancy, may lead to troublesome symptoms or complications such as oesophagitis or oesophageal stricturing in a...
Images in Medicine
A 52-year-old woman with beading of intracranial arteries
A 52-year-old woman of Indian ethnicity with a history of well-controlled hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and recurrent transient ischaemic attacks presented with altered mentation and slurred...
Letter to the Editor
An initial experience with laser haemorrhoidoplasty in addition to mucopexy for symptomatic haemorrhoids
Dear Editor,
Symptomatic haemorrhoids is the most common anorectal disorder, where up to 75% of people experience symptoms sometime in their lives.1
The current gold standard...
Letter to the Editor
Previous history of hyperthyroidism in emergency department patients with atrial fibrillation does not increase the risk of thromboembolism and death
Dear Editor,
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED) and is a major risk factor for thromboembolic events. The clinical decision...
Letter to the Editor
Injection site reactions after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination
Dear Editor,
The Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2 mRNA) and Moderna (mRNA-1273) COVID-19 vaccinations were approved for use in Singapore in December 2020 and February 2021, respectively. To...
Letter to the Editor
Haemoglobin H disease and outcomes in Singapore
Dear Editor,
Haemoglobin H (HbH) disease is a haemoglobinopathy affecting 3 of 4 α-globin genes on chromosome 16. It results from the deletion of 2...
Letter to the Editor
Retrospective analysis of neonates born after assisted reproductive technology and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit
Dear Editor,
There are limited studies evaluating neonatal outcomes after assisted reproductive technology (ART) in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, hence this study aimed to...
Commentary
Health economics of kidney replacement therapy in Singapore: Taking stock and looking ahead
Burden of ESKD in Singapore. The incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 in Singapore increased by 31% from 383.9 per million population...
Review Article
Medicolegal aspects of non-rapid eye movement parasomnias
Parasomnia is a clinical sleep disorder, which involves undesirable physical or behavioural phenomena that arise predominantly during sleep.1,2 This can occur during any stage...
Review Article
Circular RNAs in the pathogenesis of sepsis and their clinical implications: A narrative review
Sepsis is a condition with life-threatening organ dysfunction, resulting from abnormal responses of the host to various infections.1 The underlying pathogenic mechanisms include an...
Original Article
Comparison of planned-start, early-start and deferred-start strategies for peritoneal dialysis initiation in end-stage kidney disease
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a well-established long-term dialysis modality for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).1 It is recommended that a PD catheter should...
Original Article
Diagnosis and management of polycystic ovary syndrome: Perspectives of clinicians in Singapore
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder estimated to affect 4–21% of women, depending on the diagnostic criteria used.1 Clinical manifestations of the...
Editorial
Circular RNAs and sepsis: New frontiers in diagnostics and therapeutics?
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a group of endogenous RNAs characterised by their covalently closed-loop structures. These molecules are part of a large class of...
Editorial
Polycystic ovary syndrome in Singapore
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in young women, affecting approximately 10% of women. It is a heterogeneous condition that...
Images in Medicine
Unusual biliary gem: Cause of acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis and pancreatitis in a patient with Billroth II anastomosis
A 72-year-old man with a 10-year history of subtotal gastrectomy with Billroth II anastomosis and laparoscopic cholecystectomy presented with abdominal pain, high fever and...
Letter to the Editor
Change in hepatitis B virus DNA status in patients receiving chronic immunosuppressive therapy for moderate-to-severe skin disease
Dear Editor,
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection poses a global health burden. Clinically, patients may present with chronic HBV infection, occult HBV infection, and fulminant...
Letter to the Editor
Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma associated with sudden stridor arising from thyroid mucormycosis and concomitant bacterial infection
Dear Editor,
Mucormycosis is a life-threatening fungal infection that mainly affects immunocompromised patients. It typically has low prevalence, but fatality rate is as high...
Letter to the Editor
Acute hypercapnic respiratory failure in thyroid storm and the role of plasma exchange
Dear Editor,
Thyroid storm is a life-threatening condition due to excessive release of thyroid hormone. Cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and neurological manifestations have been described.1 Acute respiratory...
Letter to the Editor
Evaluation of a health screening protocol for recovered COVID-19 patients before “return-to-play” and strenuous physical activity
Dear Editor,
We conducted a prospective, single-centre cohort study to develop guidance for military personnel returning to strenuous activities following SARS-CoV-2 infection. The patients underwent...
Letter to the Editor
Telepalliative care during the pandemic: Lessons for the future
Dear Editor,
Mok et al. gave hope for cautious optimism for the acceptance of telemedicine for palliative care—which will be referred to as “telepalliative care”...
Review Article
Determinants of emergency department utilisation by older adults in Singapore: A systematic review
Older adults in Singapore contribute to a disproportionately higher number of visits to the emergency department (ED), mirroring trends around the world.1,2 For instance,...
Original Article
Identifying high-risk hospitalised chronic kidney disease patient using electronic health records for serious illness conversation
In-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is shown to have lower survival1 and a higher proportion of survivors on maintenance...
Original Article
Pre- and apnoeic high-flow oxygenation for rapid sequence intubation in the emergency department (the Pre-AeRATE trial): A multicentre randomised controlled trial
Critically ill patients in the emergency department (ED) have shorter safe apnoea times due to physiological distress from decreased cardiac output, increased shunting and...
Original Article
Diagnostic thresholds for absolute systolic toe pressure and toe-brachial index in diabetic foot screening
Diabetes mellitus is a global healthcare problem. In Singapore, the rising disease burden of this metabolic condition places considerable strain on the healthcare system,...
Original Article
Death and cardiovascular outcomes in end-stage renal failure patients on different modalities of dialysis
End-stage renal failure (ESRF) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, including Asia.1 In Singapore, incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage...
Editorial
Pressures, indexes and peripheral arterial disease: Time to rethink our approach?
Most patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are asymptomatic. Despite the absence of symptoms, these patients have a significantly increased risk of death and...
Editorial
Survival outcome of haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a challenging and growing health issue, with number of patients increasing globally. The use of dialysis has greatly improved...
Board of Reviewers
Board of Reviewers
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Others
Subject Index
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Author Index
Author Index
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Others
Mesothelial Splenic Cyst—A Case Report
Non-parasitic cystic lesions of the spleen are unusual. They are classified essentially as primary (true, epithelial) and secondary (pseudo, non-epithelial) based on the presence...
Others
A Case Report of Heparin Resistance due to Acquired Antithrombin III Deficiency
Intravenous heparin therapy is used in the management of angina and myocardial infarct with increasing frequency in recent years. Those patients who have been...
Others
Cryptococcal Prostatic Abscess in an Immunocompromised Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Cryptococcosis is a well-recognised infection in immunocompromised patients, although its prevalence varies with the type of immune defect. We report a patient with myasthenia...
Others
Cutaneous Polyarteritis Nodosa: A Case Report and Literature Review
Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa (CPN) is an uncommon form of vasculitis of the small-and medium-sized arteries in the reticular dermis and subcutaneous tissue. It remains...
Others
Sezary Syndrome: A Case Report and a Review of the Molecular Pathomechanism and Management
Our patient is a 64-year-old Malay man who first presented in July 1993 with a history of rash starting on the hands 1½ years...
Others
A Case Report of Neutrophilic Eccrine Hidradenitis in a Patient Receiving Chemotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
Neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis (NEH) is a neutrophilic dermatosis primarily affecting the eccrine glands and occurs most commonly in patients undergoing chemotherapy for a malignancy.
This...
Others
Pericardial Injury Following Severe Sepsis from Faecal Peritonitis—A Case Report on the Use of Continuous Cardiac Output Monitoring
The intermittent manual bolus thermodilution method is the most common means of determining cardiac output in critically ill patients. Although widely used, there are...
Others
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Presenting with Visual Blurring, Diplopia and Visual Loss: Heidenhain’s Variant
The electroencephalographic pattern is distinctive in many but not in all patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Often, it is one of diffuse and non-specific...
Others
Case Series of Bronchoscopic Removal of Tracheobronchial Foreign Body in Six Adults
Gustav Killian reported the first case of bronchoscopic removal of foreign body (FB) from the trachea in 1897. Since then, rigid bronchoscopy under general...
Review Article
An Overview of Anaesthetic Issues in Phaeochromocytoma
New developments in technology, monitoring and pharmacology over the last decade have improved our understanding of phaeochromocytoma and its management. This review summarises the...
Original Article
A Randomized Trial of the Use of Print Material and Personal Contact to Improve Mammography Uptake Among Screening Non-attenders in Singapore
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females in Singapore. Although lower than incidence rates in North America and the United Kingdom the...
Original Article
A Review of Pedestrian Fatalities in Singapore from 1990 to 1994
Fatal road accidents are by no means uncommon in Singapore, a modern tropical metropolis with a population of approximately 3 million. Statistics provided by...
Original Article
A Descriptive Study of the Demography, Symptomology, Management and Outcome of the First 300 Patients Admitted to an Independent Hospice in Singapore
Modern society views death as an aberration which has to be postponed and, if possible, prevented at all cost. Death is just unacceptable and...
Original Article
Glaucoma Pattern Amongst the Elderly Chinese in Singapore
Glaucoma is a major cause of world blindness in developing and developed nations. The WHO Global data on blindness show that over half of...
Original Article
Risk Factors for Predicting Mortality in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit
Following the rapid advances in medical therapy and critical care technology over the past 30 years, coupled with the spiralling cost of medical care,...
Original Article
The Profile of Hospitalised Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
Prevalence studies in various parts of the world have shown that Parkinson’s disease (PD) is relatively common among the aged in all countries. Crude...
Original Article
Reduction in Retake Rates and Radiation Dosage Through Computed Radiography
New computed radiography imaging systems are slowly gaining a foothold in radiological departments worldwide. By computed radiography we mean a digital imaging system which...
Original Article
Computed Tomographic and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Paranasal Sinus Involvement in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an aggressive infiltrative neoplasm. Spread into the paranasal sinuses is often seen but the frequency is documented in only a...
Original Article
Drug Treatment of Hypercholesterolaemia
Serum cholesterol has been established as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). There is a linear association between serum cholesterol level...
Original Article
A Study of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) Patients over a Ten-year Period
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an immunoregulatory disorder in which antibodies damage platelets leading to their removal by cells of the reticuloendothelial system (RES)....
Original Article
Goldberger’s Triad in Dilated Cardiomyopathy—Can it Predict the Severity of Left Ventricular Dysfunction?
In 1982, Goldberger described a novel electrocardiogram (ECG) triad that was highly specific for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure (attributable to...
Original Article
Is it Feasible to Use Magnesium Sulphate as a Hypotensive Agent in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery?
Although deliberate hypotension during surgery may potentially cause organ ischaemia, in particular of the myocardium and cerebrum, it is widely used as an adjuvant...
Original Article
Anthropometry of Anterior Cruciate Ligament in Singaporean Chinese
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a technically precise and demanding operation. Attention to factors such as the tunnel position, graft selection, fixation and...
Original Article
Surgical Results of Open Reduction and Plating of Humeral Shaft Fractures
Management of humeral shaft fractures has been the subject of controversy (Böhler, Ekkernkamp and Muhr, Nast-Kolb and Schweiberer). The problem of non-union, wound infection...
Original Article
Stereotactic Microelectrode-guided Posteroventral Pallidotomy and Pallidal Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease
Medications for Parkinson’s disease (PD) is effective for several years, but is followed by motor fluctuations, dyskinesias and progression of bradykinesia and rigidity. This...
Original Article
Operative Treatment of Displaced Talar Neck Fractures
Talus is a weight bearing bone with peculiar anatomy and blood supply. It forms the ankle joint with the medial and lateral malleoli, subtalar...
Original Article
Abdominal Surgery in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infected Patients—Early Local Experience
The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is rising at an exponential rate in Singapore. The surgical experience with this disease remains limited.
This...
Editorial
Academic Medicine in Singapore
Academic medicine is currently grappling with the problem of whether the triple-threat academician is a species threatened with extinction in the 21st century, given...
Others
Thyroid Storm Presenting as Jaundice and Complete Heart Block
Thyroid storm is defined as a severe and often life-threatening exacerbation of thyrotoxicosis which is usually characterised by hyperthermia, tachycardia, severe agitation and altered...
Others
Frontal Sinus Mucoceles Causing Proptosis—Two Case Reports
Frontal mucoceles are collections of inspissated mucus which occur when there is obstruction to the outflow of the frontal sinuses. The obstruction may be...
Others
Emerging Therapies for Sepsis and Septic Shock
Septic shock remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalised patients despite advances in antimicrobial therapy and medical support.
This article is available...
Others
Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Patients with Resected Dukes’ C and High-risk B2 Colon Cancer with Fluorouracil and Levamisole
Carcinoma of the large bowel is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in Singapore. Although the great majority of patients are discovered at...
Others
Postanaesthetic Shivering—A Comparison of Thiopentone and Propofol
The incidence of shivering following general anaesthesia varies from 5% to 65%. Postanaesthetic shivering may increase tissue oxygen demand by as much as 500%...
Commentary
Experience with a Nine-step Policy Dealing with Requests for Medically Inappropriate Interventions for Cancer
Although great strides have been made in treating cancers, a significant number of patients still reach the point at which no curative treatment is...
Commentary
Invasive Cancer after Treatment of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
The objective of a cervical screening programme is to prevent invasive cancer of the cervix by detecting and treating pre-invasive disease of the cervix....
Commentary
The Polarprobe—Emerging Technology for Cervical Cancer Screening
Cervical cancer is a preventable disease that affects nearly half a million women worldwide. The Papanicolaou smear has been used for screening for over...
Others
Occult Virilizing Ovarian Tumours in Postmenopausal Women: Problems in Evaluation with Reference to a Case
A remarkable variety of endocrinologic disorders may cause virilization syndromes. This can pose a diagnostic dilemma to even the most experienced clinicians.
This article is...
Others
Occult Virilizing Ovarian Tumours in Postmenopausal Women: Problems in Evaluation with Reference to a Case
A remarkable variety of endocrinologic disorders may cause virilization syndromes. This can pose a diagnostic dilemma to even the most experienced clinicians.
This article is...
Others
Pelvic Spleen Masquerading as an Ovarian Neoplasm
A 53-year-old Caucasian woman, a receptionist in a general practice, was referred to the gynaecology outpatient clinic with an 18-month history of heavy, irregular...
Others
Repair of Complex Ureterovaginal and Vesicovaginal Fistulas with Ileal Cystoplasty and Ureteric Reimplantation into an Antireflux Ileal Nipple Valve—A Case Report
Urogenital fistulas are a known but uncommon complication of gynaecological surgery, especially those involving a malignant process. Its incidence does not exceed 2%.
This article...
Others
A Case Report—Delayed Vesicocutaneous Fistula After Radiation Therapy for Advanced Vulvar Cancer
To our knowledge this is the first reported case of an isolated vesicocutaneous fistula related to previous radiation therapy for recurrent vulvar cancer.
This article...
Review Article
Optimal Treatment in Gestational Trophoblastic Disease
Gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTD) encompass a spectrum of interrelated conditions:
Hydatidiform mole (HM)
Invasive mole (IM)
Choriocarcinoma (CC)
Placental site trophoblastic tumour (PSTT)
This article is available only as...
Review Article
Fallopian Tube Carcinoma—A Review
Fallopian tube cancer is the least common of gynaecological malignancies. It was first described by Renaud in 1847.
This article is available only as a...
Review Article
Current Management of Early Vulvar Cancer
Carcinoma of the vulva is an uncommon malignancy, but one that is amenable to early diagnosis if symptoms and signs are appropriately investigated. Although...
Review Article
Topoisomerase-I Inhibitors in Gynaecologic Tumours
Topoisomerases are essential nuclear enzymes with a multiplicity of cellular functions involving DNA replication, RNA transcription, mitosis, and chromosome condensation. Two classes have been...
Review Article
Screening for Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is the most common gynaecological malignancy with over 5000 new cases diagnosed every year in the UK and 22 000 in the...
Review Article
Biomarkers in Carcinoma of the Cervix: Emphasis on Tissue-related Factors and Their Potential Prognostic Factors
Accurate staging is of utmost importance in determining the prognosis of carcinoma of the cervix. Demographic features such as race and socio-economic status have...
Review Article
The Management Dilemma of the Mildly Abnormal Smear: Fact or Fiction?
Carcinoma of the cervix is still a relatively common gynaecological malignancy. However, despite being potentially preventable it still claims the lives of many women...
Review Article
Adenocarcinoma of the Cervix
It is clear from studies in Canada, Scandinavia, and more recently the United Kingdom, that routine Pap smear screening has not only reduced the...
Original Article
Malignant Ovarian Germ Cell Tumours: Experience in the National University Hospital of Singapore
One of the most remarkable advances in the management of gynaecological cancers is in malignant ovarian germ cell tumours. Before the early 70s, some...
Original Article
A Phase II Study of Combined CPT-11 and Mitomycin-C in Platinum Refractory Clear Cell and Mucinous Ovarian Carcinoma
Platinum resistance, either de novo or acquired, is a major obstacle in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. Platinum-resistance has been classified into the...
Original Article
Single Agent Paclitaxel in Resistant and Relapsed Epithelial Ovarian Cancer After First-line Platinum-based Chemotherapy—Experience in an Asian Population
Ovarian carcinoma ranks fourth among causes of death in women and is the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancies in Western countries. In...
Original Article
Uterine Papillary Serous Carcinoma—The KK Hospital Experience
Endometrial carcinoma comprises a morphologically heterogeneous group of tumours. Several authors during the 1960s and 1970s described an unusual variant of endometrial cancer containing...
Original Article
Radiotherapy as Local Adjuvant Treatment for Endometrial Carcinoma—A Review of 45 Patients
Radiotherapy as an adjunct to surgery has long been used in the management of endometrial carcinoma with the intent to improve local tumour control...
Original Article
Outcome of Obstructive Uropathy After Pelvic Irradiation in Patients with Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix
Radiotherapy is the mainstay treatment for locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. It is also administered as an adjuvant therapy to patients deemed at...
Original Article
The Surgical Management of Colorectal Complications from Irradiation for Carcinoma of the Cervix
Radiation bowel injury is a significant clinical problem because of the technical difficulties of surgery. Among the more common causes is radiation of carcinoma...
Original Article
Adjuvant Chemotherapy in “High Risk” Patients after Wertheim Hysterectomy—10-year Survivals
Wertheim radical hysterectomy has today become an accepted method of management of stage IB and early stage IIA cervical carcinoma, particularly in young patients...
Original Article
A Review of Patients with High-risk Carcinoma of the Cervix Treated with Combined Surgery and Postoperative Radiotherapy
It is generally accepted that early stage invasive carcinoma of the cervix, stage I to stage IIA disease, can be treated with equal effectiveness...
Original Article
Outcome of Early Cervical Carcinoma Treated by Wertheim Hysterectomy with Selective Postoperative Radiotherapy
Cancer of the cervix is the fourth most common cancer in females in Singapore after breast, colorectal and lung cancers. It forms 7.8% of...
Editorial
Gynaecologic Oncology—The Next Lap
Cancer of the pelvic reproductive organs and external genitalia accounts for one in six cancers in women. It can occur in women of all...
Letter to the Editor
Re: Haematuria in the Diagnosis of Urinary Calculi. SBS Ooi, NW Kour, A Mahadev. Ann Acad Med Singapore 1998; 27:210-4
The above article highlights the insensitivity of urine microscopy compared with the Combur 9 test for detecting haematuria associated with urinary calculi. In the...
Others
Book Review
This book is a collection of 30 case studies, which were published in the Singapore Medical Journal from 1994 to 1997. They include interesting...
Others
The Sixth SGH Lecture—Singapore: A New Venice of the 21st Century
Venice is one of the legendary cities of the world. Its beauty and physical setting make Venice unique. For almost 800 years, from 1000...
Others
Citation on Professor Tommy Koh
Professor Tommy Koh was born on 12 November 1937 in Singapore. He was educated at Outram School from 1949 to 1951, followed by Raffles...
Others
Sudden Profound Hypoxaemia in the Intensive Care Unit—A Case Report
Significant arterial hypoxaemia is defined as a partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) that is less than 60 mmHg or a percentage of oxyhaemoglobin (%...
Others
Hyperthyroidism with Gynaecomastia as the Initial Complaint: A Case Report
Gynaecomastia is not a commonly recognised feature among the myriad symptoms and signs associated with hyperthyroidism. A review of the literature disclosed only eight...
Others
Rosai-Dorfman Disease with Primary Cutaneous Manifestations—A Case Report
In 1969, Rosai and Dorfman first described a newly recognised benign systemic histioproliferative disease characterised clinically by bilateral striking cervical lymphadenopathy, fever, leukocytosis, and...
Others
The Alien Hand Sign–Case Report and Review of the Literature
The alien hand sign or “strange hand sign”, first coined by Brion and Jedynak in 1972, refers to a feeling that the hand is...
Others
Simultaneous Transcatheter Valvuloplasty and Amplatzer Septal Occlusion for Pulmonary Valvar Stenosis and Secundum Atrial Septal Defect
Congenital pulmonary valvar stenosis (PVS) and secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) are relatively common forms of congenital heart disease (CHD). Since the first successful...
Others
A Case of Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Benign Nasal Polyps
Our patient was a 39-year-old Chinese man with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) presenting initially with right upper cervical lymphadenopathy. He was treated primarily with a...
Others
A Case Report of Atasoy Antenna Procedure
The hook nail deformity is a relatively common problem after fingertip amputations. It is usually ignored but can be quite disabling.
This article is available...
Others
Thoracoscopic Thymectomy for Myasthenia Gravis: A Case Report
Total thymectomy is the established surgical therapeutic method for generalised myasthenia gravis. Several approaches are used for the surgical removal of the thymus and...
Others
Electrocardiographic Abnormalities in Combined Hypercalcaemia and Hypokalaemia—Case Report
The electrocardiographic abnormalities in isolated hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia have been well documented in the literature. However, electrocardiogram (ECG) findings in combined hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia...
Others
A Case Series of Ocular Disease as the Primary Manifestation in Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis is an idiopathic, systemic, non-caseating, granulomatous disease with protean clinical manifestations. Although the first description of sarcoidosis was attributed to Hutchinson, its ocular...
Review Article
Bronchoscopy in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Flexible fibreoptic bronchoscopy (FFB) has become an indispensable tool in the optimal management of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with both diagnostic and therapeutic...
Review Article
Use of Atypical Neuroleptics in a State Mental Institute
Schizophrenia is the most severe of all mental disorders and affects about 1% of the population. The main disturbances of schizophrenia comprise positive symptoms,...
Review Article
Trends in the Pattern of Blindness and Major Ocular Diseases in Singapore and Asia
Singapore’s population has grown rapidly since 1965, the year in which it gained independence. The total population enumerated at its first census in 1970...
Review Article
The Impact of Clinical Guidelines and Clinical Pathways on Medical Practice: Effectiveness and Medico-legal Aspects
Guidelines for the management of specified clinical conditions are increasingly being touted as a vital component of the future delivery of health care. However,...
Original Article
Electrophysiological Features in the Management of Meralgia Paraesthetica
Meralgia paraesthetica is a condition resulting from entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve at the region of the anterior superior iliac spine, when...
Original Article
Urinary Deoxypyridinoline is a Useful Biochemical Bone Marker for the Management of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Postmenopausal osteoporosis is the most common cause of osteoporosis. It is heralded by the cessation of oestrogen production by the ovaries resulting in at...
Original Article
Bone Mineral Density—Correlation between Quantitative Ultrasound Characteristics and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry
Osteoporosis is well documented to be a significant determinant of the risk of fracture and its assessment in vivo has been based on various...
Original Article
Serum Selenium in the General Population of Singapore, 1993 to 1995
The current disease pattern in Singapore (an island state of 3.3 million people composed of 76% Chinese, 14% Malays, 7% Asian Indians and 3%...
Original Article
Outpatient Treatment of Middle and Lower Ureteric Stones: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy versus Ureteroscopic Laser Lithotripsy
Significant technological advances have been made in the management of ureteric calculi. The newer semirigid, fibreoptic ureteroscopes can now be passed with minimal trauma...
Original Article
Ambulatory Anorectal Surgery—Is it Feasible Locally?
Economic and social pressures are compelling surgeons to modify their practice. An increasing number of procedures are being done in an outpatient setting.
This article...
Original Article
Serum Ferritin and Iron Status in the General Population of Singapore, 1993 to 1995
Iron, a dietary constituent, is an essential element. Body iron stores can be measured by haemoglobin, serum ferritin, transferrin saturation, and erythrocyte protoporphyrin.
This article...
Original Article
The StuI Polymorphism on Exon 8 of the Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Receptor Gene: Prevalence and Impact on Serum Lipid Levels in an Asian Cohort
The low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles in the plasma carry most of the cholesterol in circulation. High levels of plasma cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol are...
Original Article
One Hundred and Seventy Cases of Childhood Onset Rheumatological Disease in Singapore
Children with rheumatological disease form a small but important proportion of the ill paediatric population. Most of the published data available are based on...
Original Article
Infections in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Children undergoing chemotherapy for cancer are especially vulnerable to infection because of immunosuppression related to their underlying illness, the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy....
Original Article
Childhood Leukaemia: Towards an Integrated Psychosocial Intervention Programme in Singapore
In the last two decades there has been a surge of interest concerning the psychosocial correlates of life-threatening illnesses. Research in this area has...
Original Article
Epidemiological Surveillance of Melioidosis in Singapore
Melioidosis was first described in 1911 among vagrants and morphine addicts brought into the mortuary in Rangoon, Burma. However, the disease received little attention...
Original Article
Orbital Lymphoma: Results of Radiation Therapy
Orbital lymphoma is a rare presentation of extranodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, accounting for less than 1% of the total. The role of radiotherapy in its...
Original Article
Day Hospital Rehabilitation for the Elderly: A Retrospective Study
Alexandra Hospital is the first hospital in Singapore with a Day Hospital for the elderly. One of the main functions of the Day Hospital...
Original Article
Self-Perception of Health among Elderly Community Dwellers in Singapore
The single most important determinant of the quality of an elderly person’s life is health. In the elderly, health matters affect all other areas...
Editorial
Evidence-based Medicine and Electronic Publication: Is There a Common Thread?
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) and electronic publication (EP) formed the basis of two back-to-back workshops (EBM Workshop—6 & 7 June 1998 and EP Workshop—8 June...
Commentary
Planning and Design of a Surgical Intensive Care Unit in a New Regional Hospital
The Changi General Hospital is a new regional hospital in the eastern part of Singapore catering to a population of about 750 000. Planning...
Commentary
Management Training in Critical Care Medicine
Critical care medicine as a specialty has grown rapidly, both clinically and academically, over the past 25 years. In the USA, certification of competence...
Others
A Case of Pseudohyperkalaemia and Thrombocytosis
Hyperkalaemia is a common biochemical derangement in the intensive care unit reflecting a diversity of systemic perturbations such as acute renal failure, rhabdomyolysis, extracellular...
Others
Combined High-frequency Ventilation (CHFV) in the Treatment of Acute Lung Injury—A Case Report
The role of ventilatory support in acute lung injury is supportive, whilst the damage to alveolar-capillary membranes resolves and alveolar stability is restored. The...
Review Article
Foregoing Life Support in Medically Futile Patients
The origins of withholding medical support are found in ancient times. More than two millennia ago, Hippocrates (460 to 361 BC) stated that the...
Review Article
Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy: Continuous Blood Purification in the Intensive Care Unit
The last decade has seen a progressive change in the style of management of severe acute renal failure (acute renal failure which requires the...
Review Article
Contributions of Respiratory Care Practitioners to Intensive Care: A Review
The intensive care unit (ICU) is a complex environment in which multidisciplinary expertise has been shown to enhance clinical outcomes. For example, the availability...
Review Article
Nitric Oxide in Septic Shock: Directions for Future Therapy?
In 1980, Furchgott and Zawadzki demonstrated that the relaxation of isolated arteries to acetylcholine required the presence of endothelial cells. This response was mediated...
Review Article
Ventilatory Strategies for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was first described by Ashbaugh et al in 1967. The original authors detailed the presence of tachypnoea, hypoxaemia, decreased...
Review Article
The Oxygen Delivery Debate—A Review
Multisystem organ failure occurs in a large proportion of critically ill patients and is a major cause of death in this group of patients....
Review Article
Severity Scoring Systems in the Modern Intensive Care Unit
The first major general severity adjustment system, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) system, was published in 1981. Since then, APACHE, the...
Review Article
Controlled Observations in Critical Care Medicine: The Therapeutic Trial
Central to the combined diagnostic and therapeutic approach to the critically ill subject is the evaluation of both the basal physiologic status and its...
Review Article
Critical Care Medicine in the Western Pacific Region
The Western Pacific region includes a very diverse group of countries varying in their culture, economic development and per capita income, disease prevalence and...
Review Article
Critical Care—The Worldwide Perspective
Although special areas for postoperative patients existed 50 years ago, the modern specialty of Critical Care began during the polio epidemic of the 1950s....
Original Article
Caudal Morphine in Paediatric Patients: A Comparison of Two Different Doses in Children after Major Urogenital Surgery
The use of caudal preservative-free morphine for postoperative analgesia in children has gained popularity since it was first described by Jensen. Several studies have...
Original Article
A Retrospective Study of Infants with Severe Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN) Managed without Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) is an important cause of neonatal mortality amongst infants who are of term or post-term gestation. The most severely ill...
Original Article
Five Paediatric Case Reports of the Use of Adenosine in Supraventricular Tachycardia
Adenosine has been shown to be effective in terminating supraventricular tachycardia in adults and children. However, the use of adenosine has not been previously...
Original Article
Use of Central Venous Lines in Paediatrics—A Local Experience
Peripheral access by venous cut down, once popular in the 1950s and 1960s, has almost become obsolete with the introduction of the Seldinger technique...
Original Article
Malaria Requiring Intensive Care
Malaria is an important and common infectious parasitic disease globally. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, especially in endemic areas.
This article is...
Original Article
Patients Admitted to an Intensive Care Unit for Poisoning
The study of poisoning has been relatively neglected in Singapore. A check through the Infogate database of the National University of Singapore Library revealed...
Original Article
A Retrospective Study of Near-drowning Victims Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit
Drowning victims suffocate from submersion. This may lead to immediate death or, if they survive, brain damage if significant cerebral hypoxia is present.
This article...
Original Article
Diabetes Insipidus in Neurosurgical Patients
Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a syndrome characterised by the excretion of abnormally large volumes of dilute urine. It occurs uncommonly in neurosurgical patients, but...
Original Article
Outcome of Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury Managed on a Standardised Head Injury Protocol
Trauma is the fifth commonest cause of death in Singapore. In 1996, trauma contributed to 5.4% of mortality.
This article is available only as a...
Original Article
Predictors of Long-term Outcome in Severe Head Injury
Injuries form the fifth commonest cause of death locally. They accounted for 27 out of 100 000 deaths in 1993.
This article is available only...
Original Article
Survival after Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the General Wards—The Results of a Dedicated “Code” Team
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is widely practised for cardiopulmonary arrests with variable success. The initial intention was to defibrillate patients with ventricular fibrillation after acute...
Original Article
APACHE II and SAPS II are Poorly Calibrated in a Hong Kong Intensive Care Unit
The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and the new Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II) scoring systems are widely used...
Original Article
Audit of 2431 Admissions to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Singapore General Hospital
The Singapore General Hospital is a 1700-bedded tertiary hospital with subspecialty intensive care units (ICUs), i.e. Surgical ICU, Cardiothoracic ICU, Neurosurgical ICU, Medical ICU,...
Original Article
Impact on Quality of Patient Care and Procedure Use in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) Following Reorganisation
Critical care is costly as it is labour intensive and involves expensive life support technology. In the United States, the intensive care units (ICUs)...
Editorial
Intensivists for the Intensive Care Unit—Do They Make a Difference?
Does Critical Care Medicine exist and what defines its area of practice? Different countries have embarked on their own journeys of discovery, and have...
Others
Urinary 2/16α-hydroxyestrone Ratio: Correlation with Serum Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 and a Potential Biomarker of Breast Cancer Risk
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Singapore with age-standardised incidence rates increasing markedly from 26.8 to 38.7 per 100 000...
Others
A Case Series of Paget’s Disease of Bone: Diagnosing a Rather Uncommon Condition in Singapore
Sir James Paget’s description in 1877 of “a form of chronic inflammation of bones” which now bears his name was based entirely on clinical...
Others
Ergotism and Vascular Insufficiency: A Case Report and Review of Literature
Toxicity from ergot and its derivative is well known. Great epidemics occurred during the middle ages due to consumption of rye contaminated with the...
Others
Systemic Sclerosis in DRw52-positive Silica-exposed Males: A Case Report
Familial scleroderma was first documented in 1953 by Rees and Bennett who described the occurrence of a localised disease in a father and daughter....
Others
Subclavian-oesophageal Fistula as a Complication of Foreign Body Ingestion: A Case Report
Ingested foreign bodies are a common condition in the practice of Otolaryngology. In particular, there is no doubt a greater tendency in the local...
Others
A Case Report of a Patient with Bronchial Carcinoid Tumour and Late Presentation of Cushing’s Syndrome
Cushing’s syndrome is usually easy to recognise clinically. Determining the cause of non-iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome is, on the other hand, often a diagnostic enigma.
This...
Others
Traumatic Dislocation of the Testes
Traumatic dislocation of the testes is uncommon. The first case was reported by Claubry in 1818 in Paris, when a 20-year-old soldier was run...
Others
A Case of Accelerated Development of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy in a Woman with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus after Pregnancy
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in persons between the age of 24 and 64 years both in the US and the...
Others
Trilateral Retinoblastoma—A Case Report
Retinoblastoma is the third most common tumour in childhood. It is inherited genetically.
This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download...
Others
Recurrent Gigantic Pyogenic Granuloma Disturbing Speech and Mastication: A Case Report and Literature Review
Pyogenic granulomas are common benign fibrovascular growths of the oral cavity that are non-neoplastic in nature. They may also present as skin lesions.
This article...
Others
Verrucous Haemangioma—A Case Report
Verrucous haemangioma is an uncommon congenital vascular malformation which may grow to large sizes. It has a characteristic hyperkeratotic and verrucous surface which resembles...
Review Article
Interventional Electrophysiology and its Role in the Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmia
Cardiac arrhythmias are disorders of the electrical system of the heart which can present as benign ectopics or as life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac...
Review Article
A Review of the Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and Rotator Cuff Tendon Tears
In the evaluation of chronic shoulder pain and dysfunction clinically suspected to be due to shoulder impingement syndrome and rotator cuff tendon tears, magnetic...
Review Article
Epidural Analgesia in Obstetrics
Most obstetric anaesthetists have their favourite epidural concoction for use in labour, This paper surveys the variation in techniques of drug delivery and types...
Review Article
The Global Pandemic of Dengue/Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever: Current Status and Prospects for the Future
The world has experienced unprecedented population growth in the past 50 years that continues unabated in the waning years of the 20th century. It...
Original Article
Survey of Aerobic Bacterial Infections in Paediatric Surgical Intensive Care Unit Patients
Data on infections in paediatric surgical patients are few in the literature. Although there are many studies on infection in adult surgical and paediatric...
Original Article
Are Antacids Necessary as Routine Prescriptives with Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs?
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used for their analgesic or anti-inflammatory properties in musculoskeletal pain. However, they are not without adverse effects, such...
Original Article
Otitis Externa—The Clinical Pattern in a Tertiary Institution in Singapore
Although otitis externa is a common otological condition, the literature pertaining to it is sparse in contrast to the vast amounts of articles that...
Original Article
Haematuria in the Diagnosis of Urinary Calculi
Patients with renal or ureteric colic are commonly seen at our Emergency Department. We routinely check their urine for haematuria using the Combur 9...
Original Article
A Retrospective Review of Patients with Clinically Definite Multiple Sclerosis
Genetic susceptibility and environmental factors influence the prevalence and clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis (MS). Since MS is rare in Southeast Asia, descriptions of...
Original Article
Phyllodes Tumour: An Update of 40 Cases
First described by Johannes Muller in 1838 as a large, benign tumour of the breast. Phyllodes tumour is a rare pathological entity, accounting for...
Original Article
The Investigation and Management of Thyroid Nodules—A Retrospective Review of 183 Cases
Thyroid nodule is a common problem in surgical practice. In 1994, more than 350 thyroid operations were performed in our department, of which 183...
Original Article
The Role for Preoperative Localisation Techniques in Surgery for Hyperparathyroidism
Hyperparathyroidism is well recognised as a clinical problem that has a myriad of presentation. The classical presenting symptoms of hypercalcaemia have been well documented...
Original Article
Double Level Fractures of the Femur Treated with Closed Intramedullary Nailing
Closed locked intramedullary nailing of the femur has become the accepted means of treating fractures of the femur. The use of locking nails has...
Original Article
Soft Tissue Cover in Compound and Complicated Tibial Fractures Using Microvascular Flaps
Compound tibial fractures are high-energy traumatic injuries, which are frequently associated with high incidence of complications like infection and failure of bony union leading...
Original Article
Portable Chest Radiography: Comparison of High-resolution Digital Displays with Laser Printed Digital Film
In most institutions, about 10% to 25% of imaging examinations are recorded digitally (e.g. digital subtraction angiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound)....
Original Article
Percutaneous Needle Aspiration in the Treatment of Hepatic Abscess: Factors Influencing Patients’ Outcome
Liver abscess traditionally has been treated by open surgical drainage, mortality rates being as high as 80% to 100% if left untreated. However, with...
Original Article
Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Internal Auditory Canals and Posterior Fossa
Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now the gold-standard examination for the exclusion of acoustic schwannomas or other posterior fossa tumours. We retrospectively reviewed...
Original Article
Non-diagnostic Smears in Aspiration Cytology of Palpable Breast Lumps
A wide variety of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions have been described in the breast. Breast tissue is also subjected to many physiologic changes such...
Original Article
Population-based Mammographic Screening in Singapore: What are Participants’ Views?
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Singapore and has been increasing in incidence since 1968. This rise is particularly marked...
Original Article
Plasma Vitamins A, C and E in the General Population of Singapore, 1993 to 1995
The current disease pattern in Singapore (an island state of 3.3 million people composed of 76% Chinese, 14% Malays, 7% Asian Indians and 3%...
Editorial
Scientific Publication is Dominated by First World Countries
There is a perception among authors of scientific articles from “developing” or “third world” countries that when they submit their research papers to international...
Others
The Rich Legacy of Tan Tock Seng Hospital Includes that of Being a Medical College in 1943 to 1944
Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), Singapore, started its history as a pauper hospital. The foundation stone of the first TTSH was laid on 25...
Others
Tan Tock Seng Hospital: Some Recollections from 1942 to 1997
When I was asked to deliver this inaugural Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) Oration, I was deeply moved and truly appreciative of the honour...
Others
Medicine and Surgery—History, Change and Challenge
Mr Koh Yong Guan, guest-of-honour; Dr Tan Ser Kiat, Master, Academy of Medicine; Dr K C Tan, Chairman, Chapter of Surgeons; Dr Robert Jalleh...
Commentary
Synovitis, Acne, Pustulosis, Hyperostosis and Osteitis (SAPHO) Syndrome: A Brief Review of a Rare Condition
The acronym SAPHO refers to a syndrome characterised by synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis and osteitis. In 1961, a link between acne conglobata and arthritis...
Commentary
The Role of Occupational Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis Management
Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease characterised by remissions and exacerbations that vary in severity and timing among people. Its chronic and degenerative course...
Others
A Case of Sulindac-induced Enteropathy Resulting in Jejunal Perforation
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used for the treatment of various rheumatic conditions including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The adverse effects of NSAIDs on...
Others
Musculoskeletal Pain Clinic in Singapore—Sacroiliac Joint Somatic Dysfunction as Cause of Buttock Pain
Patient A, a 33-year-old male administrative coordinator presented with left buttock pain of 4 to 5 years duration which radiated down to the leg...
Review Article
Intra-Synovial Corticosteroid Injections in Juvenile Chronic Arthritis—A Review
Locally injected intra-synovial corticosteroids are useful to target selected joint, tendon sheath or bursal inflammation in children with pauciarticular or polyarticular juvenile chronic arthritis...
Review Article
Osteoporosis—The Need for a Paradigm Shift
Osteoporosis is becoming an increasing public health problem in most countries. Osteoporosis literally means “porous bones” and involves skeletal fragility leading to an increased...
Review Article
Managing Problem Gout
Gout occurs in 3 overlapping phases: a long phase of asymptomatic hyperuricaemia, a period of recurrent acute gouty attacks separated by asymptomatic intervals (interval...
Review Article
Lipid Disorders and Rheumatic Diseases
The relationship between lipid disorders and arthritis is manifold. Hyperlipidaemia may manifest clinically in the musculoskeletal system. In 1968, Khachadurian studied 14 families of...
Review Article
Rheumatoid Arthritis—A Review
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis which is occasionally associated with extraarticular manifestations. Although the first good clinical description was by Landre-Beauvais...
Review Article
Imaging of Thoracic Manifestations of Scleroderma
Systemic sclerosis (SScl) is a generalised disease of the connective tissue characterised by fibrosis and vascular changes affecting the skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys,...
Review Article
Overview of Imaging in Rheumatologic Diseases
Since the discovery of X-rays over a century ago, radiology has played a pivotal role in rheumatology and diseases of the joints. The innovations...
Review Article
Advances in Antiphospholipid (Hughes’) Syndrome
Phospholipids (PLs) are components of cell membranes. Their function is not only to maintain the structure of the membranes but also to modify the...
Review Article
The Appropriate Use of Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA) Testing in Rheumatic Diseases
In 1982, Davies and co-workers in Melbourne described the presence of a serum factor that stained the cytoplasm of neutrophil leukocytes by indirect immunofluorescence...
Review Article
Oral Tolerance: Mechanisms and Therapy of Autoimmune Diseases
Immunologic tolerance is a hallmark of the immune system whereby immune cells are tolerant of self antigen. Historically, this tolerance was thought to be...
Review Article
The Genetics of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic rheumatic disease characterised by protean clinical manifestations as well as the presence of multiple autoantibodies. Tissue deposition...
Review Article
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Singapore
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus (“wolf” in Latin) in short, is an autoimmune disorder of unknown aetiology(ies) and characterised by diverse clinical manifestations...
Review Article
Murine Lupus: Pathogenic Mechanisms and Genetic Origins
The complex and non organ-specific nature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has made it difficult for researchers to unravel the genetic defects and pathogenic...
Review Article
Education in Rheumatology
The fact that there is an increasing and growing need in societies for care of sufferers of rheumatic conditions can be shown from national...
Original Article
The Sensitivity and Specificity of Autoantibodies to the Sm Antigen in the Diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
The presence of multiple autoantibodies is the hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Many of these autoantibodies target nuclear antigens e.g. histones, Sm, RNP,...
Original Article
Clinical Predictors of Nephritis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus nephritis is a common manifestation of lupus associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The use of cytotoxic agents has resulted in improved renal...
Original Article
Adult-onset Still’s Disease in an Oriental Population: Manifestations, Course and Outcome in 16 Patients
Although George Still first described systemic onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) comprising fever, arthritis, lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly in 1897, it was not until 1971...
Original Article
Clinical Presentation and Disease Associations of Gout: A Hospital-based Study of 100 Patients in Singapore
Gout is a common metabolic disease that causes arthritis which is often painful and sometimes disabling. It results from the deposition of monosodium urate...
Original Article
Ankylosing Spondylitis in Singapore: A Study of 150 Patients and a Local Update
Back pain is a common but often self-limiting problem. However, it is important to recognise causes of chronic backache such as ankylosing spondylitis which...
Editorial
Development of Rheumatology in Singapore
Patients with rheumatic diseases frequently consult primary care physicians, internists and orthopaedic surgeons. In the past, few doctors took interest in these diseases.
This article...
Board of Reviewers
Board of Reviewers
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Others
Subject Index
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Author Index
Author Index
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Others
Current Continuing Medical Education Provision in Singapore
It was in 1994 that as an overseas fellow of the College, I received a letter from Dr Peter Toghill, Director of Continuing Medical...
Others
Early 21st Century Professional Practice: Change and Challenge
Today is a day of rejoicing for all of you, graduates, parents, relatives and loved ones. I can share in your joy and also...
Others
9th Seah Cheng Siang Memorial Lecture: Gastric Cancer—Where are we now?
The last two decades have witnessed dramatic changes in the understanding of gastric cancer: a rapid decline in global incidence, its association with Helicobacter...
Others
Multivariate Statistical Analysis: A Brief Introduction
In modern medical research, it is rare to limit data analysis to merely two variables: a single exposure (independent) variable and a single outcome...
Others
Osteoid Osteoma after a Stress Fracture of the Tibia: A Case Report
A 24-year-old man complained of left leg pain following 3 months of infantry training 6 years ago. There was no previous complaint of pain...
Others
Reconstruction of a Supinated Hypoplastic Thumb with Combined Huber Transfer and Derotation Osteotomy: A Case Report
A 6-year-old Chinese girl presented with a deformity of the left thumb since birth. Her father has a similar deformity.
This article is available only...
Others
Incessant Ectopic Atrial Tachycardia and Tachycardia-related Cardiomyopathy: Therapeutic Options and Potential for Cure
Incessant ectopic atria tachycardia (IEAT) is a rare and insidious arrhythmia which is frequently misdiagnosed and if untreated, leads to ‘exhaustion’ of the myocardium...
Others
A Case Report of Adult T-Cell Leukaemia/Lymphoma (ATLL)
Our patient was a 71-year-old Chinese man who presented with a 6-year history of recurrent papular erythematous eruptions to the dermatologist.
This article is available...
Others
Haemorrhage into Non-functioning Adrenal Cysts—Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature
Doran, in 1903, reported the first case of adrenal cyst described by Greiselius in 1670. It was not until 1966 that Foster reported the...
Others
Chronic Subdural Haematoma Presenting with Transient Ischaemic Attacks— A Case Report
Transient ischaemic attacks (TIA) are commonly seen in neurologic practice. They are most commonly associated with cerebrovascular insufficiency, either from a thrombotic or embolic...
Others
Chryseobacterium meningosepticum (Flavobacterium meningosepticum)—A Report of Five Cases in a Local Hospital
Chryseobacterium meningosepticum has been known to be a causative agent of meningitis particularly in the premature and newborn infants. The first case of human...
Others
Bullous Dermatomyositis Associated with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma —A Case Report
Bullous dermatomyositis is a rare variant of dermatomyositis and has been reported in the literature. It is believed to be strongly associated with the...
Others
Case Reports of Linear IgA Bullous Dermatosis of Childhood
Linear IgA bullous dermatosis of childhood (LADC) is an acquired subepidermal blistering disorder of young children which is characterised by the unique finding of...
Others
Atypical Mycobacterium Infection with Sporotrichoid Spread in a Patient with Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Mycobacteria other than tubercle bacilli (MOTT) were shown to be agents of human disease in the 1950s. They are also known as atypical, environmental...
Review Article
Somatisation among Asian Refugees and Immigrants as a Culturally-shaped Illness Behaviour
During the past two decades, close to one million Southeast Asian refugees of war have resettled in North America. Together with the already significant...
Review Article
Intracoronary Brachytherapy: The Beginning of the End of Restenosis?
Restenosis remains a major clinical problem 20 years after the introduction of coronary angioplasty by Andreas Gruentzig in the treatment of coronary artery disease....
Original Article
One-year Review of Pityriasis Rosea at the National Skin Centre, Singapore
Pityriasis rosea is a common, self-limited disorder of unknown but suspected viral aetiology, that develops abruptly with few or no prodromal symptoms. Classically, the...
Original Article
Repigmentation of Vitiligo with Autologous Blister-induced Epidermal Grafts
Treatment of vitiligo can sometimes be difficult and disappointing. Medical treatment includes topical or systemic steroids and psoralen with ultraviolet A light (PUVA).
This article...
Original Article
An In vitro Evaluation of Epidural Catheters: Tensile Strength and Resistance to Kinking
In the current era of increasing economic and medicolegal pressures, it is imperative that equipment-related limitations and complications be reduced to a minimum. Epidural...
Original Article
Video-assisted Thoracoscopy: Role in the Management of Intrathoracic Pathology
Thoracoscopy was first introduced by Jacobaeus nearly a century ago. With the development of endoscopic equipment and the recent surge of interest in minimally...
Original Article
Outcome of Tunnelled Central Venous Haemodialysis Catheters Inserted by Radiologists
In end-stage renal failure patients, maintaining adequate vascular access continues to be an ongoing challenge. Native arteriovenous fistulas or synthetic arteriovenous grafts are satisfactory...
Original Article
Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma (FAST)
The multiply injured patient presents a challenge to even the most experienced surgeon. These patients often present in shock and require a rapid diagnostic...
Original Article
Is Staging of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Feasible?
Staging of disease is important. It serves as a guide for further management and also for comparing the results of treatment. Traditionally this has...
Original Article
Perinatal Drug Abuse in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
In recent years, perinatal drug abuse has been emerging as an area of major concern for the perinatologists. Chasnoff found the prevalence of substance...
Original Article
Transscaphoid Perilunate Fracture/Dislocations—Results of Surgical Treatment
Transscaphoid perilunate fracture/dislocations are relatively uncommon injuries of the wrist, constituting about 3% of all carpal injuries. However, it accounts for more than half...
Original Article
Excimer Laser Phototherapeutic Keratectomy for Recurrent Corneal Erosions
Recurrent cornea1 erosion (RCE) syndrome is a commonly encountered clinical condition which may be difficult to treat. Hansen first described it in 1872.
This article...
Original Article
Use of EMLA Cream or Alfentanil for Analgesia during Ophthalmic Nerve Blocks
Cataract surgery is performed mainly as day-case surgery, with the majority performed under regional anaesthesia. Retrobulbar block, combined with facial nerve block, provides good...
Original Article
The Effect of Fenofibrate on Insulin Sensitivity and Plasma Lipid Profile in Non diabetic Males with Low High Density Lipoprotein/Dyslipidaemic Syndrome
Hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance have been postulated to relate directly to both hypertension and coronary artery disease in type II diabetes and possibly also...
Original Article
A Pilot Study of the Efficacy and Tolerability of Intralesional Recombinant Human Beta-Interferons in Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is a neoplastic disorder in which infection with sub-types of the human papillomavirus appears to play an important aetiological ro1e....
Editorial
Trust and Editorial Independence—A Vision for the Annals
The latest casualty in the “Editor-Owner” debacle, the forced departure of Jerome Kassirer as Editor-in-Chief of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM),...
Others
New Treatment and Research Strategies for the Improvement of Care of Cleft Lip and Palate Patients in the New Millennium
I have chosen as the title of my keynote address “New Treatment and Research Strategies for the Improvement of the Care of Cleft Lip...
Others
Midface Distraction Osteogenesis in Cleft Patients: A Case Report
The aetiology of midfacial hypoplasia in patients with cleft lip and palate has been attributed in the literature to the surgical procedures used for...
Others
A Case Report of a Vital Replanted Tooth with Unfavourable Extra-alveolar Condition: A 10-Year Follow-up
Tooth avulsion, frequently of the maxillary central incisors, occurs most often in children from 7 to 9 years of age, when the periodontium surrounding...
Others
Odontoameloblastoma: Report of a Case
Ameloblastoma is a benign but locally invasive tumour that affects the jaws. Although it is commonly regarded as a homogeneous group of tumours, detailed...
Others
Oral Manifestations of Schimmelpenning Syndrome: Case Report and Review of Literature
Schimmelpenning syndrome (SS) is characterised by specific skin manifestations, skeletal defects, and central nervous system abnormalities, such as mental deficiency and seizures. Happle has...
Others
Selective Laser Sintering: Application of a Rapid Prototyping Method in Craniomaxillofacial Reconstructive Surgery
The value of computed tomography (CT) in craniofacial trauma is now well established with progress in imaging modalities. Three-dimensional (3-D) CT has changed the...
Review Article
The Role of Distraction Osteogenesis in the Management of Craniofacial Disorders
The concept of distraction osteogenesis was championed by Ilizarov, beginning as early as 1954, for the treatment of a variety of congenital and acquired...
Review Article
Alveolar Bone Grafts: The Surgical/Orthodontic Management of the Cleft Maxilla
Secondary alveolar bone grafting, which was pioneered in Europe, was reported in the German literature at the beginning of this century. However, it was...
Review Article
The Role of Laser Surface Imaging in the Evaluation of Craniomaxillofacial Disorders: The Singapore General Hospital Experience
The management of craniomaxillofacial disorders is not complete without the proper documentation of clinical information and the storage of images. It is usually long-term...
Review Article
Pathogenesis and Morphogenesis of Craniofacial Developmental Anomalies
The current explosion of molecular biology encompassing genetics, morphogenesis, teratogenesis and pharmacogenomics for targeted drug therapy is about to have a profound impact upon...
Review Article
A Review of Common Mucocutaneous Disorders Affecting the Mouth and Lips
Most of the mucocutaneous diseases are confined to the stratified squamous epithelia and thus may involve oral, genital and other mucosae and skin. Most...
Review Article
Oral Rehabilitation Using Dental Implants and Guided Bone Regeneration
Form follows function and adaptation to physiologic demands dictates skeletal form. In the oro-facial region, tooth loss leads to atrophy of the alveolar arches...
Review Article
Reconstruction of Cranial Bone Defects Using Alloplastic Implants Produced from a Stereolithographically-generated Cranial Model
Cranial bone defects can be a result of trauma, congenital defects, infection or iatrogenically induced by surgery. Even for patients with sufficient hair to...
Review Article
Repair of Complex Orbital Fractures: Technical Problems, State-of-the-art Solutions and Future Perspectives
Fractures involving the orbits are frequent among facial injuries, making up to nearly 40% of the total. Within the wide range of severity, the...
Review Article
Lessons Learnt from the Management of 1500 Complex Facial Fractures
With the advent of regional trauma centres and rapid air transport systems, a larger number of patients with extremely complex craniomaxillofacial trauma are now...
Original Article
An Anatomic Evaluation of the Furlow Double Opposing Z-Plasty Technique of Cleft Palate Repair
The Furlow double opposing Z-plasty has gained considerable popularity since its introduction approximately a decade ago, and is currently a favoured method of both...
Original Article
A 5-Year Survey of Oral Biopsies in an Oral Surgical Unit in Singapore: 1993-1997
There are a variety of pathological conditions that present in the oral cavity. While clinical and radiographic examination will suggest a provisional diagnosis, histological...
Original Article
The Role of Multiple Segment Osteotomies in Orthognathic Surgery
Multiple segment osteotomy (MSO) orthognathic surgery serves to combine total or segmental maxillary and mandibular correction of dentofacial deformities with concurrent diastematic procedures to...
Original Article
Epidemiology of Cleft Lip and Palate in Singapore—A 10-Year Hospital-based Study
With the control of most infectious diseases and malnutrition, congenital malformations are now one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality among...
Original Article
Sutures, Growth Plates and the Craniofacial Base—Experimental Studies in the Toothless (tl-Osteopetrotic) Rat
Craniofacial development is a complex multidimensional process that depends in large part on growth in the cranial base at several growth centres posteriorly and...
Original Article
Surface Laser Scanning of the Cleft Palate Deformity —Validation of the Method
Cleft palate morphology and palatal dimensional changes due to growth and treatment have been analysed by numerous quantitative techniques. Many of these methods, however,...
Original Article
Intraoral Mandibular Distraction: Indications, Technique and Long-term Results
Distraction osteogenesis is rapidly becoming a mainstream treatment modality for the early management of the patient with mandibular hypoplasia. Following early clinical experience with...
Original Article
A Review of Mandibular Fractures in a Craniomaxillofacial Trauma Centre
The mandible occupies a unique position in the facial skeleton, being both the aesthetic and functional foundation of the lower third of the face....
Original Article
Aetiology and Distribution of Mandibular Fractures in the National University Hospital, Singapore
Apart from the nasal bone, the mandible is the most commonly fractured bone in the face. It is also the 10th most often broken...
Editorial
A Duty of Quality
The process of delivery of health care is complex and includes aspects which concern the clinician, the patient and the treatment process itself. Training...
Others
Address by the Master, Academy of Medicine, Singapore at the 1999 Annual Induction Dinner at the Regent Hotel
We are in the last year of the nineteen hundreds. Next year will be year 2000. Time magazine, in choosing this century’s greatest minds...
Others
Response by the Representative of Inductees, Academy of Medicine, Singapore at the 1999 Annual Induction Ceremony: Hippocrates in the Next Millennium—Resurrecting the Dying Art of Apprenticeship
The learning of medicine has evolved significantly over the past few decades. Most of us will still remember the days of old where we...
Others
Address by the Master, Academy of Medicine, Singapore at the 1999 Annual Induction Ceremony
It is my pleasure to welcome you to this evening’s induction ceremony held in this Auditorium which was home to our only Medical School...
Letter to the Editor
Palm Printing on Agar Plates of Hands of Health Care Workers from the Intensive Care Units of the National University Hospital of Singapore
Nosocomial infections are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitals resulting in increasing health care costs. The intensive care unit...
Others
How the Mental Hospital was Renamed Woodbridge Hospital in 1951
In the 1920s the government embarked on an ambitious programme to build hospitals, staffed largely by graduates of the King Edward College of Medicine....
Others
Disseminated Penicillium marneffei Infection: A Report of Five Cases in Singapore
Penicillium marneffei is a dimorphic fungus that can cause infection in immunocompromised hosts. Reports on infection with this organism were initially uncommon, but after...
Others
Extraarticular Villonodular Synovitis of the Tendoachilles: A Case Report
Pigmented villonodular synovitis is a progressive synovial lesion of uncertain aetiology associated with synovial-lined tissues of the joints, tendon sheaths and bursae. The incidence...
Others
Embolisation of a Leaking Pseudoaneurysm of the Main Artery Supplying a Replanted Arm: A Case Report
Pseudoaneurysms are conventionally treated by surgery. In recent years, non-surgical methods are being considered, including embolisation with wires, coils or gelfoam and anticoagulation.
This article...
Others
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Discontinuation Symptoms
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a new class of antidepressants which are effective, better tolerated with less side effects and more specific in...
Others
Palatal Myoclonus—A Case Report
Palatal myoclonus is a rare movement disorder characterised by rhythmic recurring jerky movements of the soft palate, pharynx, larynx and rarely diaphragm, trunk and...
Others
Soft Tissue Chondroma in the Finger: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Chondromas are the most common bony tumours in the hand. However, soft tissue chondromas are relatively uncommon entities.
This article is available only as a...
Others
The Use of Magnesium Sulphate in the Intensive Care Management of an Asian Patient with Tetanus
A 29-year old Thai construction worker, previously well, was admitted to our Orthopaedic Department for sudden onset of lower back pain. Physical examination showed...
Others
Life-threatening Perineal Gangrene from Rectal Perforation Following Colonic Hydrotherapy: A Case Report
Alternative medicine has become widely publicised throughout the world. Alternative medicine practitioners (AMPS), which include Oriental medicine doctors, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, naturopaths and...
Others
A Case Series of Falciparum Malaria-induced Acute Renal Failure
Predominantly a disease of hot and humid climates, malaria affects 270 million people worldwide annually, and has a mortality rate of 1%. The increasing...
Others
Eccrine Porocarcinoma: A Case Report
Porocarcinoma is a rare malignant tumour, arising from the intra-epidermal ductal portion of the eccrine sweat gland, also known as “acrosyringium”.’ According to the...
Others
Re-expansion Pulmonary Oedema Following One-lung Ventilation —A Case Report
A 15-year-old female patient weighing 40 kg with asymptomatic but severe scoliosis was admitted for correction of a skeletal deformity via a thoracoscopic anterior...
Others
Bilateral Caudate Infarct—A Case Report
The head of caudate nucleus forms a prominent bulge in the lateral wall of the anterior horn of the lateral ventricle. Its blood supply...
Review Article
Homocysteine and Atherosclerotic Disease: The Epidemiologic Evidence
Homocysteine is a thiol-containing amino acid formed during the metabolism of methionine. The metabolic fate of homocysteine may be influenced by the alterations in...
Review Article
Genetically Manipulated Animals and Their Use in Experimental Research
Animals have long served as experimental models for studying human biology and diseases. With the biomolecular revolution in the past three decades, genetically manipulated...
Review Article
Under-diagnosed Psychiatric Syndrome II: Pathologic Skin Picking
Pathologic skin picking may be defined as the habitual picking of skin lesions, which when chronic and extensive, can lead to significant distress, dysfunction...
Review Article
Intravital Microscopy for the Study of the Microcirculation in Various Disease States
It is more than 150 years ago when the first detailed description of intravital microscopy was given by Waller, demonstrating in the frog tongue...
Original Article
Changing the Institutional Practice of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery to Early Extubation
In the past, cardiac patients in this institution were ventilated postoperatively for a prolonged period, frequently overnight. Since 1997 some of our cardiac anaesthetists...
Original Article
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Brain Metastases: Magnetisation Transfer or Triple Dose Gadolinium?
Accurate detection of brain metastases is an important part of tumour staging. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is well accepted as a sensitive tool in...
Original Article
Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma of the Undifferentiated Type
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) of the undifferentiated type has a unique geographic distribution and is rather different, biologically and aetiologically, from squamous cell cancer of...
Original Article
A Clinical Study of Seven Cases of Trichotillomania in Singapore
Trichotillomania was first described by a French dermatologist Hallopeau (1889) of a young man who pulled out his hair in tufts. The word trichotillomania...
Original Article
The Outcome of Trial Off Catheter after Acute Retention of Urine
Acute retention of urine (ARU) is the commonest urological condition requiring emergency admission to hospital and is usually managed by urethral catheterisation. Previously, patients...
Original Article
Renal Cell Carcinoma in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure
Dunnil and associates first described the association of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with acquired cystic kidney disease (ACKD) and end stage renal disease. The...
Original Article
Inferior Vena Cava Thrombectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma with Thrombus
A characteristic feature of renal cell carcinoma is the development of tumour thrombus extending into the inferior vena cava (IVC). This takes place in...
Original Article
Rapid One-day Fluorescence In Situ Hybridisation in Prenatal Diagnosis Using Uncultured Amniocytes and Chorionic Villi
The most common chromosomal abnormalities in newborns are trisomy 21, trisomy 18, trisomy 13, and monosomy X, with incidences of 1/800, 1/8,000, 1/20,000, and...
Original Article
A Comparison of Antigen Dipstick Assays with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Technique and Blood Film Examination in the Rapid Diagnosis of Malaria
According to the 1996 epidemiological studies in Singapore done by the Ministry of the Environment, a total of 364 cases of malaria were reported...
Original Article
New Techniques for Surgical Decompression of Thyroid-related Orbitopathy
For a number of years, transantral orbital decompression formed the mainstay of surgical treatment of thyroid-related orbitopathy. The goal of this and several subsequently-described...
Original Article
Potentiation of Acetylcholine-induced Smooth Muscle Contraction in Rat Ileum by Lead
It is known that exposure of animals and humans to heavy metals such as lead can result in neurological dysfunction. Pharmacodynamic effects of lead...
Original Article
Radiological Placement of 211 Central Venous Catheters: Outcome and Complications
Long-term central venous access is an important part of modern medical practice, especially in the haematology and oncology units. Central venous (CV) catheters are...
Original Article
A Prospective Study of Infections with Atypical Pneumonia Organisms in Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease state characterised by the presence of airflow limitation that is generally progressive, partially reversible and caused...
Original Article
Parainfluenza Type 3 Viral Outbreak in a Neonatal Nursery
Parainfluenza viruses are relatively large RNA paramyxoviruses. Four serologic types cause disease in humans.
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Editorial
Structured Abstracts
Structured abstracts are those that describe a study using specified content headings. In structured abstracts essential information is concisely reported using content headings (e.g....
Others
The Development of Postgraduate Training Programmes in Singapore
Singapore, a small island off the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia, was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles of the East India Company of Great...
Others
T Wave Alternans and Acute Rheumatic Myocarditis: A Case Report
T wave alternans, an electrical cardiac alternans in which there is a beat-to-beat variation in the amplitude, shape or the polarity of the T...
Others
Comparison of First Carpometacarpal Joint Arthrodesis with Contralateral Excision Arthroplasty in a Patient with Bilateral Saddle Joint Arthritis: A Case Report
The carpometacarpal joint (CMCJ) of the thumb is commonly afflicted with degenerative arthritis. Of the patients seeking surgical treatment, post-menopausal women outnumber men by...
Others
Measurement of Obesity by Anthropometry and Bioelectric Impedance Analysis: Correlation with Fasting Lipids and Insulin Resistance in an Asian Population
Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This risk is partially mediated by the correlation between obesity and other coronary artery disease risk...
Others
Retrospective Study of Behcet’s Disease seen at the National Skin Centre, Singapore
Behcet’s disease, first described by a Turkish dermatologist, Dr Hulusi Behcet, is a multisystem inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology. The diagnosis of Behcet’s disease...
Review Article
Controversies in Anaesthesia—Designer Drugs
The discovery of new drugs in anaesthesia previously relied completely on chance. Chemical compounds produced by pharmaceutical companies were screened by a variety of...
Review Article
Newer Thrombolytic Agents
First-generation fibrinolytic agents (streptokinase and urokinase) are effective thrombolytic drugs, but are not fibrin specific as they also have the property to convert circulating...
Review Article
Diagnosing and Managing Faecal Incontinence
Faecal incontinence is the inability to control the passage of gas, liquid or solid through the anus. Its severity varies from infrequent passage of...
Review Article
Cancer Gene Therapy—Fantasy or Foresight?
Genes define life, at least in its biological sense. The prospect of being able to manipulate human biological processes through genetic engineering understandably evokes...
Original Article
Acoustic Neuroma: Outcome of Surgical Resection and Study on the Anatomy of Facial and Cochlear Nerves
Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) patients have greatly benefited from technical advances in neurosurgery. In fact, the evolution of acoustic neuroma surgery is a microcosm...
Original Article
Trends in Mortality, Incidence, Hospitalisation, Cardiac Procedures and Outcomes of Care for Coronary Heart Disease in Singapore, 1991-1996
In line with trends in many high-income countries, Singapore has experienced some declines in mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) since the 1980s. Whether...
Original Article
A Preliminary Study of the Immunohistochemical Detection of a Novel Tumour Marker, 22-1-1 Antigen, in Gynaecological Cancer Specimens
Monoclonal antibodies expressed against specific tumour cells can play a useful role in the study and management of such cancers. Such antibodies have been...
Original Article
Hospitalised Low-risk Community-acquired Pneumonia: Outcome and Potential for Cost-savings
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common illness with nearly 4 million adults diagnosed each year in USA with more than 600,000 hospita1isations. The associated...
Original Article
Long-term Outcome and Disease Control in Near-fatal Asthma
Rising trends in mortality in asthma have been reported from many countries, including Asian countries such as Hong Kong. Asthma deaths have been associated...
Original Article
Perceived Need for Community Geriatric Services: A Survey at a Regional Hospital in Singapore in an Inpatient Setting
Singapore has one of the most rapidly ageing populations in the wor1d. The number of the very aged (>75 years old) has already increased...
Original Article
Swallowing Impairment and Feeding Dependency in the Hospitalised Elderly
Loss of ability to feed independently and swallowing impairment are common problems in the elderly and will be an increasing cause of disability as...
Original Article
Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography: Value of Using the Half-Fourier Acquisition Single-Shot Turbo Spin-Echo (HASTE) Sequence
Direct cholangiopancreatography has long been considered the standard of reference for assessment of the biliary tree and is generally safe, reliable and widely available....
Others
Young Investigator’s Award: Induction of Apoptosis Following Traumatic Head Injury in Humans
The outlook for sufferers of severe head trauma is extremely poor. Some 20% of patients died before significant treatment can be administered, and nearly...
Others
8th Seah Cheng Siang Memorial Lecture: New Antithrombotic Agents
The tremendous interest in finding new anti-aggregating agents stems from the preeminent role that platelets play, not only in haemostasis and thrombosis, but also...
Others
3rd Yahya Cohen Lecture: The Role of the Myofibroblast-Like Cell in Hepatocellular Carcinoma—Host Defence?
It is indeed a great honour for me to be named the third Yahya Cohen lecturer and I would like to express my deepest...
Others
9th Chapter of Surgeons’ Lecture: The Orthopaedic Surgeon: Historical Perspective, Ethical Considerations and the Future
The legacy of caring and humanitarianism has been the mission of the medical profession since the founding of Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles in...
Others
1998 Distinguished Academician Lecture: Hepatic Resection— A Western Perspective
Although debridement of portions of liver that prolapsed through war wounds was recorded from distant times, attempts at resection of a solid liver tumour...
Others
1998 Runme Shaw Memorial Lecture: Somatic Evolution of Cancer
The interpretation of cancer as a somatic evolutionary process involving genetic mutation followed by selection, goes back to the early years of this century....
Others
14th Gordon Arthur Ransome Oration: Continuity and Change
Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Datuk Dr Yeoh Poh Hong, Dr Chee Yam Cheng, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am deeply honoured...
Editorial
Is the Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine Relevant in an Age of Specialisation?
This 32nd annual Singapore-Malaysia Congress (SMC) of Medicine continued the traditional medical link of the two Academies of Medicine of Singapore and Malaysia, with...
Others
The Future of Medicine from the Standpoint of the Practising Paediatrician
From the time of recorded history of medicine, the doctor whether he be the ancient healer or the modern medical practitioner, the doctor had...
Others
Acute Mercury Vapour Poisoning in a Shipyard Worker—A Case Report
Despite improvements in industrial working conditions, mercury remains second only to lead as a cause of heavy metal poisoning. Cases of poisoning by inhaled...
Others
Hepatopulmonary Syndrome: A Rare Complication of Chronic Liver Disease in Children
Children with chronic liver disorders may present with dysfunction of other organ systems. Encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleeding, failure to thrive and impaired renal function are...
Others
Radial Nerve Injury after Intravenous Cannulation at the Wrist—A Case Report
A 44-year-old male, right-handed and ASA 1 bus driver presented for elective mastoidectomy under general anaesthesia. Preoperative venous cannulation with a 20G cannula (Angiocath™)...
Others
Case Report: Percutaneous Balloon Dilatation and Ureteral Stenting for Tuberculous Renal Infundibular and Ureteral Strictures
The management of the non-functional tuberculous kidney is controversial and ranges from surgical intervention to conservative treatment. Intra-renal scarring with stricture formation is common...
Others
Extensor Pollicis Longus Paralysis Following Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy
A 24-year-old man was referred for hyperhidrosis of more than 15 years duration. It affected both hands, feet and axilla.
This article is available only...
Review Article
Under-diagnosed Psychiatric Syndrome I: Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania (TTM) is a chronic psychiatric condition characterised by uncontrollable, self-inflicted, hair pulling, resulting in noticeable hair loss. First described by Hallopeau a century...
Review Article
Current Therapeutic Strategies in Glomerulonephritis
Twenty years ago, the therapy of glomerulonephritis (GN) was relatively simple as it was believed that treatment with prednisolone should be confined to patients...
Review Article
Prognostic Factors in Endometrial Carcinoma
In the United States of America, endometrial carcinoma is the most common cancer of the female genital tract and has an annual incidence of...
Original Article
Factors Affecting Success in an Embryo Cryopreservation Programme
The first pregnancy resulting from the thaw and transfer of cryopreserved pre-embryos was reported in 1983 by Trounson and his team, in Melbourne, Australia....
Original Article
Continuous Infusion 5-fluorouracil as Salvage Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Colorectal Cancer
Studies have shown beyond doubt that chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer prolongs survival, impedes progression and stabilises disease. Compared with supportive care alone, it...
Original Article
Activated Protein C Resistance: A Study Among 60 Thromboembolic Patients in the Singapore Population
In 1993, Dahlback and colleagues described a new hereditary thrombophilia state-activated protein C resistance (AK-R). Further studies showed this to be the commonest genetic...
Original Article
Use of Ligase Chain Reaction and Polymerase Chain Reaction on Urine Specimens to Detect Chlamydia trachomatis Infections in a Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic in Singapore
Infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis are amongst the most common bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the world, causing substantial morbidity in young sexually-active...
Original Article
Current Indications for Open Stone Surgery in Singapore
The treatment of urinary calculi has changed tremendously since the introduction of extra corporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), percutaneous nephrostolithotomy (PCNL), and ureteroscopy over the...
Original Article
Bidirectional Cavopulmonary Anastomosis
Children with complex congenital heart disease and a functional single ventricle may not be ideal candidates for a Fontan procedure. A staged approach to...
Original Article
A Study of Joint Mobility in a Normal Population
Joint mobility varies between individuals and factors such as age, sex, race and heredity influence the range of motion of a joint. Excessive mobility...
Original Article
Delayed Amputation in Lower Limb Trauma: An Analysis of Factors Leading to Delayed Amputation
The decision whether to amputate or to attempt a limb salvage procedure in a mangled extremity is a difficult one. Numerous protocols have been...
Original Article
Preliminary Results of Heart-beating and Non-heart-beating Donor Kidney Transplants—The Singapore Experience
End stage renal failure (ESRF) is the most common end stage organ disease treated with transplantation in Singapore. Though renal transplantation is the preferred...
Original Article
Hyperlipidaemia during Normal Pregnancy, Parturition and Lactation
Increase in the plasma lipid fractions in normal pregnancy have been described but irregularity of sampling, difference in materials studied (whole blood, serum, and...
Original Article
Ethnicity, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and Ischaemic Heart Disease
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a condition whereby there is snoring associated with complete or partial cessation of breathing during sleep, associated with nocturnal...
Original Article
A Study to Assess the Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Soluble Fibre (Minolest®) on Lipid Levels in Normal Subjects with Hypercholesterolaemia
Hypercholesterolaemia is one of the major risk factors in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). In recent years, many non-prescription treatments have become...
Original Article
Rapid Mycobacterial Tuberculosis Detection in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Samples by Polymerase Chain Reaction in Patients with Upper Lobe Infiltrates and Bronchiectasis
Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), the incidence of which is rising, poses a major health problem. It is caused by <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>. The isolation of <i>Mycobacterium...
Original Article
Extent and Appropriateness of Emergency Department Services Usage by Foreign Workers in Singapore
Singapore employs more than 350,000 foreign workers currently. With this influx of foreign workers into our city-state which has limited land and resources, it...
Original Article
Retinopathy of Prematurity in Very Low Birth Weight Infants
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which could lead to visual impairment and blindness, is a recognised serious morbidity amongst surviving premature infants. The inverse relationship...
Original Article
Standard Oesophageal Manometry in Healthy Adults in Singapore
Although standard oesophageal manometry has been widely used in the West for many years, normal manometric values that have been well described for healthy...
Original Article
Drowning and Near-drowning—Some Lessons Learnt
Drowning is defined as suffocation from submersion in a liquid with death within the first twenty-four hours. Near-drowning implies that recovery has occurred, at...
Original Article
Dissemination of Respiratory Secretions During Tracheal Tube Suctioning in an Intensive Care Unit
Tracheal tube suctioning is frequently performed in critically ill patients. This procedure often results in dissemination of droplets from the patient’s respiratory tract with...
Original Article
Role of Ultrasonography in Screening for Urological Malignancies in Patients Presenting With Painless Haematuria
Haematuria of any degree should never be ignored and, in adults, it should be regarded as a symptom of urological malignancy until proven otherwise....
Original Article
Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Angiography in Patients with Hemifacial Spasm
Hemifacial spasm (HFS), characterized by intermittent twitching of muscles supplied by one facial nerve is commonly due to compression of the facial nerve by...
Editorial
The Aftermath of the George Lundberg Affair: Comments on Editorial Independence and the Relationships between Editors and Appointing Bodies
Two months have elapsed since the controversial sacking of George D. Lundberg, the highly esteemed editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association...
Editorial
Responsibilities of an Editor?
For most societies/institutions, this is an honour that is bestowed upon a member of that organisation upon retirement of the incumbent editor, or it...
Commentary
A Practical Technique of Colour Image Analysis: Applications in Experimental Research
Colour image analysers have been extensively used in medical research since 1970 for histomorphometric studies. Image analysis gives more information and a better understanding...
Commentary
Tissue Microangiography Using a Simplified Barium Sulphate Cadaver Injection Technique
The understanding of blood supply is the cornerstone of successful tissue transfer in reconstructive surgery. This understanding has been derived largely from cadaveric dissections,...
Commentary
Effect of Antiangiogenic Agents on Experimental Animal Models of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Metastatic spread is the principal reason of treatment failure in solid tumours. Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy have not manifestly altered the prognosis for...
Review Article
Gut Barrier Dysfunction in Experimental Acute Pancreatitis
Bacterial infections are devastating and potentially lethal complications of acute pancreatitis, responsible for up to 80% of deaths in the condition. Pathogenetic studies of...
Review Article
Experimental Models of Pancreatitis
From a historical perspective, the first experimental pancreatitis was induced by Claude Bernard in 1856 by the injection of bile and olive oil into...
Review Article
Immunological Consequences of Trauma and Shock
Despite intensive research and intervention, trauma continues to be the leading cause of death during the first three decades of life in the USA,...
Review Article
Murine Metastatic Tumour Models for Cancer Gene Therapy Research
In the evaluation of any new cancer treatment, the use of appropriate experimental animal tumour models to bridge the gap between in vitro discovery...
Review Article
Experimental Models of Hepatic Fibrosis in the Rat
Hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver are complex diseases which, in man, may be caused by such varied factors as alcohol, hepatitis, schistosomiasis,...
Review Article
Development of the Human Intrahepatic Biliary System
The development of the human biliary system has been studied extensively. This knowledge is essential to the understanding of the pathogenesis of a spectrum...
Review Article
Regulation of Insulin Secretion by Nerves and Neuropeptides
The pancreatic islets of Langerhans were described by Paul Langerhans in 1869. They are distributed throughout the entire pancreas forming in adults approximately 1%...
Original Article
An Animal Model for the Study of Hepatic Stellate Cell and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Interaction
Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are mesenchymal cells that are prominent in various forms of liver injury, in particular with cirrhosis or carbon tetrachloride-induced fibrosis....
Original Article
Establishment of Animal Models Using Experimental Rats for Allogeneic Tissue Transplantation and Quantitative Flow Cytometric Detection of Immunochimera
Allogeneic tissue and organ transplantation has long been an important medical issue, as it provides an effective treatment alternative for a broad spectrum of...
Original Article
Experimental Study of Hypovolaemic Shock-Induced Gastric Mucosal Lesions in the Rat
Hypoxic tissue injury is not only caused by lack of oxygen as was previously believed. Now it is clear that tissue injury associated with...
Original Article
The Role of Mast Cell Degranulation in Ischaemia-reperfusion-induced Mucosal Injury in the Small Intestine
Although a number of data support the notion that mast cell (MC) degranulation Is an important component of the tissue response elicited by ischaemia-reperfusion,...
Original Article
Efficacy of Contraction Uncoupling by 2,3-Butanedione Monoxime during Initial Reperfusion versus Cardioplegic Arrest for Protection of Isolated Hearts
Despite the recent developments of minimally invasive surgery, most cardiac surgery procedures still include ischaemic cardioplegic arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass. For decades the efforts...
Original Article
Synergistic Effect of Hepatitis B Virus and Aflatoxin B1 in Hepatocarcinogenesis in Tree Shrews
Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the commonest cancers in some parts of the world including several areas in China. The geographically distinct...
Original Article
The Expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor II, Hepatitis B Virus X Antigen and p21 in Experimental Hepatocarcinogenesis in Tree Shrews
Hepatocarcinogenesis is a multistage and multifunctional process. Epidemiological studies indicate that contamination of food with aflatoxin B, (AFB,) and chronic infection with hepatitis B...
Original Article
Nitric Oxide Synthase-Its Distribution and Alteration in the Intramural Ganglia of the Urinary Bladder in Normal and Urethra-obstructed Guinea Pigs
Nitric oxide (NO) has been recognised as a nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) inhibitory neurotransmitter at various sites in the nervous system. Its function as a...
Original Article
Radionuclide Studies of Articular Cartilage in the Early Diagnosis of Arthritis in the Rabbit
Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease that involves destruction of articular cartilage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a sensitive imaging modality for the diagnosis...
Original Article
The Effect of Storage at -70°C and -150°C on the Torsion Properties of the Canine Femur
Allograft transplantation of bone has been established as a viable and useful reconstructive procedure when limb salvage is the option of choice. For bone...
Original Article
Direct Mucosal Targeting of Colonic Receptors by Prokinetic Drugs in an Experimental Model
The direct intraluminal (IL) administration of drugs into the intestine may have an important regional action and therefore clinical implications in the effective management...
Original Article
The Viability of Liver Graft for Transplantation After Prolonged Warm Ischaemia
Liver transplantation (LTx) is the treatment of choice for many patients with end stage liver disease. However liver allograft availability prevents its widespread application.
This...
Original Article
Use of Titanium Prosthesis to Bridge a Vertebral Gap in the Spine—A Preliminary Experimental Study
Bridging a vertebral gap in the spine is one of the commonest problems facing the spine surgeon after dealing with a tumour, infection or...
Original Article
A Simple Method of Blood Pressure Measurement in the Pig Using a Neonatal Cuff
Blood pressure is an important parameter commonly measured in experimental studies using animal models. Various non-invasive techniques to monitor blood pressure have been described...