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,...
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...
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...
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
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...
Others
Hypoglycaemia from Islet Cell Hyperplasia and Nesidioblastosis in a Patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus—A Case Report
A 57-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for perforated left tubo-ovarian abscess and found to have newly diagnosed diabetes with an admission blood...
Others
Pathology of Ductal Carcinoma In situ of the Breast: A Heterogeneous Entity in Need of Greater Understanding
Breast cancer is the commonest malignancy in Singapore women, with an age-standardised rate of 46.1 per 100,000 per year and an annual increase in...
Others
Sudden Death Due to Granulomatous Myocarditis: A Case of Sarcoidosis?
Granulomatous myocarditis and sarcoidosis are considered uncommon entities in our local community and sudden death due to either condition has not been described in...
Review Article
CerbB2 Status in Breast Cancer: Pathologic Issues
The cerbB2 gene, also known as Her2/neu, encodes a transmembrane cell receptor with tyrosine kinase activity and epidermal growth factor receptor homology. All normal...
Original Article
Epidemiology of Beta-haemolytic Group G Streptococcal Bacteraemia in Singapore (1996 to 1998)
Human isolates of group G streptococci (GGS) that form large colonies are similar to group A streptococci (GAS) in terms of virulence and cause...
Review Article
Nipah Encephalitis Outbreak in Malaysia
From September 1998 to June 1999, there was an outbreak of viral encephalitis in several pig farming villages in Malaysia. The outbreak, which started...
Images in Medicine
An intensely pruritic disseminated skin eruption
A 64-year-old man presented to the dermatology outpatient clinic with a 4-month history of pruritic papules. He had a significant medical history of thyrotoxicosis,...
Review Article
Lymphomas Involving Waldeyer’s Ring: Placement, Paradigms, Peculiarities, Pitfalls, Patterns and Postulates
As the histopathological diagnosis of any lymphoma still largely hinges upon the demonstration of lymphoid architectural abnormality, the pathologist must first be cognizant of...
Review Article
Melanocytic Lesions of the Face: Diagnostic Pitfalls
Cutaneous melanocytic lesions are amongst the commonest tumours in all races but are more common in Caucasians with fair skin. Although most are benign...
Original Article
The HercepTest and Routine C-erbB2 Immunohistochemistry in Breast Cancer: Any Difference?
The proto-oncogene c-erbB2 (also known as HER2/neu) is located on chromosome 17q21 and encodes a 185-kD transmembrane glycoprotein. It belongs to the human epidermal...
Others
Presumed Dapsone-induced Drug Hypersensitivity Syndrome Causing Reversible Hypersensitivity Myocarditis and Thyrotoxicosis
A 22-year-old Malay soldier doing his National Service was warded with a 6-day history of an itchy generalised rash associated with fever and lymphadenopathy....
Original Article
Study of Inherited Metabolic Disorders in Singapore – 13 Years Experience
Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) described in the early 1900s by Garrod were due to a block in a metabolic pathway, arising from an...
Original Article
Bodies Recovered from Wells, Sewerage Systems and Pits: What is the Cause of Death?
It may be difficult to determine the identities, and cause and time of death in corpses found in wells, sewer systems and pits because...
Commentary
Buprenorphine-associated Deaths in Singapore
Buprenorphine is a thebaine derivative that was developed in the 1970s for pain relief. It was approved for substitution therapy in France in 1996,...
Original Article
Plasma and Urine Amino Acid Profiles in a Healthy Adult Population of Singapore
Analysis of blood plasma and urinary amino acids is required for the diagnosis and management of inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs) affecting one or more...
Others
Organising Services for IMD in Thailand: Twenty Years Experience
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Letter to the Editor
Pericardial Thymoma: An Unusual Cause of Sudden Death
Thymomas are located in the normal location of the thymus, the anterior mediastinum. It is very rare for thymomas to arise primarily intrapericardialy.
This article...
Others
A Brief History of Pathology and the Chapter of Pathologists
A history of the Chapter of Pathologists would be incomplete without a history of the specialty of Pathology in Singapore. Pathology is in fact...
Letter to the Editor
Peritoneo-Cutaneous Fistula Secondary to Skin Excoriation from a Large Chronic Incisional Hernia
Incisional hernias are common complications following abdominal surgery with an incidence of 2% to 20% after midline laparotomy. Umbilical fluid discharge is, however, an...
Letter to the Editor
Primary Epithelioid Angiosarcoma of the Lung Presenting as Left-sided Shoulder Pain
Primary angiosarcoma of the lung is a rare, often difficult to diagnose disorder with non-specific respiratory manifestations. Angiosarcoma involving the lung is usually a...
Letter to the Editor
Macronodular Tuberculosis: Imaging Resemblance of Cholangiocarcinoma
The ability of multiphasic computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) studies in the diagnosis of liver tumours such as hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma...
Original Article
Phosph-Akt1 Expression is Associated with a Favourable Prognosis in Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer related mortality worldwide with an estimated 34,290 deaths recorded in the United States in 2008....
Review Article
Drug-induced Kidney Disease – Pathology and Current Concepts
Departing from the usual account of drug-induced renal disease according to the specific type of drug, we divide this discussion into 3 main areas...
Editorial
Genome-wide Association Studies: Promises and Pitfalls
Genetic testing is an important means to confirm the diagnosis of an inheritable disease. For this to be feasible, genes that are associated with...
Letter to the Editor
Diagnosing Bacteraemia Early in Older Adults
Sepsis is a prevalent and important cause of morbidity and mortality in the general population. Approximately 750,000 patients in the United States alone develop...
Original Article
Risk Factors for Severe Adenovirus Infection in Children during an Outbreak in Singapore
Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are well known pathogens that cause a variety of human illnesses. They are non-enveloped, linear double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) viruses. More...
Original Article
Safety and Effectiveness of Improving Carbapenem Use via Prospective Review and Feedback in a Multidisciplinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria coupled with a rapidly diminishing antimicrobial pipeline has made antimicrobial resistance an international public health problem. Control strategies of MDR bacteria...
Original Article
Anaerobic Bacteraemia Revisited: Species and Susceptibilities
Over the last 2 decades, the importance of anaerobic bacteraemia has undergone various shifts in opinion. Early studies in the 1970s reported that anaerobes...
Letter to the Editor
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae carriage in polyclinic attendees and national servicemen presenting with diarrhoea
Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess is an invasive syndrome that mainly affects people living in East Asia. It especially affects adults with diabetes and is...
Original Article
PLA2R1 and HLA-DQA1 gene variations in idiopathic membranous nephropathy in South China
Membranous nephropathy is an organ-specific autoimmune disease and is the most common cause of adult-onset nephrotic syndrome. The diagnosis of membranous nephropathy mainly depends...
Letter to the Editor
Alternating hemiplegia of childhood presenting as recurrent apnoea in a term newborn infant
Recurrent apnoea in a term infant is usually pathologic, warranting a thorough aetiologic evaluation. An accurate diagnosis is essential in guiding subsequent management and...