Related Articles - Annals Singapore

Letter to the Editor

Association between self-care and chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Gwyneth Joy Lim, Serena Low, Allen Yan Lun Liu, Yi-Ming Shao, Tavintharan Subramaniam, Chee Fang Sum, Su Chi Lim

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...

Original Article

Characteristics of anti-transcriptional intermediary factor 1 gamma autoantibody-positive dermatomyositis patients in Singapore

Choon-Guan Chua, Jia-Zhen Low, Wei-Yen Lim, Mona Manghani

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

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: Not nearly the end of the road

Nur Azizah Allameen, Anselm Mak

The clinical spectrum of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) has broadened over the past half century from a simple disease characterised primarily by muscle and...

Letter to the Editor

Safety and efficacy of combined antiplatelet and low-dose rivaroxaban in patients with chronic limb threatening ischaemia in Singapore

Claire Alexandra Chew, Julian Chi Leung Wong, Charyl Jia Qi Yap, Shereen Xue Yun Soon, Tjun Yip Tang

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)...

Review Article

Barriers to breast cancer screening in Singapore: A literature review

Priyanka Rajendram, Prachi Singh, Kok Teng Han, Vasuki Utravathy, Hwee Lin Wee, Anand Jha, Shyamala Thilagaratnam, Swathi Pathadka

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

Interaction of sex and diabetes in Asian patients with heart failure with mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction

Julian CK Tay, Shaw Yang Chia, David KL Sim, Ping Chai, Seet Yoong Loh, Aland KL Shum, Sheldon SG Lee, Patrick ZY Lim, Jonathan Yap

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...

Editorial

Impact of sex and diabetes in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction

Derek PH Lee

With increasing global awareness of sex differences in the heart failure population and the new entity of heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction...

Letter to the Editor

Attitude towards screening for congenital cytomegalovirus infection in newborns in Singapore

Eugene Ren Jie Lim, Selina Kah Ying Ho, Daisy Kwai Lin Chan, Tze Tein Yong, Jiun Fong Thong

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...

Original Article

Diagnosis and management of polycystic ovary syndrome: Perspectives of clinicians in Singapore

Wei Shan Teoh, Deepika Ramu, Inthrani Raja Indran, Marvin Wei Jie Chua, Win Pa Pa Thu, Eu-Leong Yong

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...

Original Article

Glaucoma Pattern Amongst the Elderly Chinese in Singapore

D H J Sim, L G Goh, T Ho

Glaucoma is a major cause of world blindness in developing and developed nations. The WHO Global data on blindness show that over half of...

Others

Thyroid Storm Presenting as Jaundice and Complete Heart Block

S C Ho, P H K Eng, Z P Ding, A C K Fok, D H C Khoo

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...

Review Article

Adenocarcinoma of the Cervix

M A Quinn

It is clear from studies in Canada, Scandinavia, and more recently the United Kingdom, that routine Pap smear screening has not only reduced the...

Others

Hyperthyroidism with Gynaecomastia as the Initial Complaint: A Case Report

H K Ho, K C Loh

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

Urinary 2/16α-hydroxyestrone Ratio: Correlation with Serum Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 and a Potential Biomarker of Breast Cancer Risk

G H Ho, X W Luo, C Y Ji, S C Foo, E H Ng

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

L F Hsu, C Rajasoorya

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

A Case Report of a Patient with Bronchial Carcinoid Tumour and Late Presentation of Cushing’s Syndrome

S C Lim, H S Lim, C E Tan, Z W Wong, C M Fong

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...

Original Article

Population-based Mammographic Screening in Singapore: What are Participants’ Views?

A Seow, P T Straughan, E H Ng, S C Emmanuel, C H Tan, H P Lee

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Singapore and has been increasing in incidence since 1968. This rise is particularly marked...

Others

Measurement of Obesity by Anthropometry and Bioelectric Impedance Analysis: Correlation with Fasting Lipids and Insulin Resistance in an Asian Population

E S Tai, S C Ho, A C K Fok, C E Tan

Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This risk is partially mediated by the correlation between obesity and other coronary artery disease risk...

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

H H Tan, R K W Chan, A S M Teo, L P Boey

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

A Study to Assess the Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Soluble Fibre (Minolest®) on Lipid Levels in Normal Subjects with Hypercholesterolaemia

E S Tai, A C K Fok, R Chu, C E Tan

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...

Review Article

Regulation of Insulin Secretion by Nerves and Neuropeptides

B Ahrén

The pancreatic islets of Langerhans were described by Paul Langerhans in 1869. They are distributed throughout the entire pancreas forming in adults approximately 1%...

Review Article

Diabetic Retinopathy

J S Wong, L P Aiello

Diabetes mellitus affects some 9% of Singaporeans. Studies had shown that virtually all insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (Type 1) and 85% of non-insulin dependent...

Others

Hypoglycaemia from Islet Cell Hyperplasia and Nesidioblastosis in a Patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus—A Case Report

Y C Kon, K C Loh, S P Chew, D Wong, W M Yap, Y S Lee, C H Low

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...

Original Article

Spectrum of Abnormal Mammographic Findings and Their Predictive Value for Malignancy in Singaporean Women from a Population Screening Trial

K W E Sng, E H Ng, F C Ng, P H Tan, S C Low, G Chiang, G H Ho, L T Ng, C Wilde, K P Tan

While screening mammography can detect early breast cancers, a significant proportion of asymptomatic women are subject to unnecessary workup and surgery when biopsies for...

Editorial

Orlistat (Xenical) in the Management of Obesity

J S Cheah

The term “obesity” implies an excess of adipose tissue (fat) and excess adiposity is a health risk. In most cases it develops in the...

Others

The Molecular Pathogenesis of Obesity: An Unfinished Jigsaw Puzzle

Y S Lee, K Y Loke

Obesity is one of the most common health problems in Singapore with escalating prevalence, affecting about 6% of the Singapore population above 18 years...

Others

1990-2000: Progress in Determining High Blood Pressure Genes

P B Munroe, J Knight, M J Caulfield

Essential hypertension and its complications, coronary heart disease, stroke and renal failure are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in western societies.1 While the...

Others

A Case Report of Aspergillus Hypersensitivity Syndrome with Obstructing Bronchial Aspergillosis

P Lee, S K Goh, W M Yap, C C Chan

The spectrum of pulmonary aspergillosis includes saprophytic colonisation, hypersensitivity syndromes and invasive lung disease. There has been a tendency to classify these syndromes as...

Original Article

A Rational Alternative for the Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus in High Risk Individuals

S Tavintharan, L S W Chew, D M K Heng

The “gold standard” for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus has all along been the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). As diabetes mellitus defines a...

Original Article

Evaluation of a Rapid Screening Test for Microalbuminuria with a Spot Measurement of Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio

W Y Ng, K F Lui, A C Thai

In 1989, the St Vincent Declaration was formulated by all European countries to address the growing problem of diabetes, with the general goals of...

Others

Traditional Indian Systems of Medicine

R Lodha, A Bagga

Traditional medicine includes the knowledge and practices that rely exclusively on practical experience and observations handed down from generations to generations, either verbally or...

Letter to the Editor

Graves’ disease after COVID-19 vaccination

Marvin Wei Jie Chua

Dear Editor, Case 1 was a 41-year-old man with a history of primary hyperthyroidism. At the time of diagnosis, thyroglobulin antibodies were elevated although no...

Original Article

Severe Diabetes in Remission: A Singapore’s Perspective

H H Tan, H S Lim, S C Lim

Diabetic ketoacidosis is generally believed to be the result of an acute and severe degree of insulin insufficiency, classically occurring at the presentation of...

Editorial

Obesity in Singapore

J S Cheah

The word obesity implies an excess of adipose tissue (fat) and not merely an excess of body weight. An increase in body weight may...

Others

Isolated Non-compaction of Ventricular Myocardium: A Report of Three Cases

K L Tong, Z P Ding

Non-compaction of ventricular myocardium is a rare morphogenic arrest of compaction of the ventricular myocardial fibres during intrauterine life. Usually, the left ventricle is...

Others

A Rare Cause of Syncope in a Patient with Diabetes Mellitus—A Case Report

S Tavintharan, J J Mukherjee

Hypoglycaemia is a common medical emergency. It presents either with symptoms of neuroglycopaenia, such as episodes of visual blurring, confusion, convulsions and sometimes coma...

Original Article

Malignant Melanoma Seen in a Tertiary Dermatological Centre, Singapore

E Tan, S H Chua, J T E Lim, C L Goh

Unlike in Caucasians, primary malignant melanoma is an uncommon skin malignancy in Singapore. There have been little published data on cutaneous melanoma in Southeast...

Original Article

Body Mass Index Profile in Hong Kong Chinese Adults

G T C Ko, M M F Wu, J Tang, H P S Wai, C H S Chan, R Chen

Obesity is considered a chronic disease and not just a social stigma due to the associated morbidity and early mortality. Obesity has now become...

Others

Problem-based Learning (PBL) as an Approach in the Teaching of Biochemistry of the Endocrine System at the Angeles University College of Medicine

M C A Villamor

The Angeles University College of Medicine (AUCOM) was established in 1983 with a curriculum that is conventionally teacher-centred. Biochemistry is a basic science subject...

Others

46, XY Female—A Case Report

M K S Leow, K C Loh

The phenotypic sex of an individual is usually male if that person’s genotype is 46, XY since the SRY gene on the Y chromosome,...

Others

A Case Report of Primary Hyperparathyroidism with Severe Bony Involvement and Nephrolithiasis

S P Chan, F L Hew, G Jayaram, G Kumar, K W Chang, A Tay

Primary hyperparathyroidism is said to have evolved from a disease of “bones, stones and groans”, to one that is largely asymptomatic with a relatively...

Others

Current Therapeutic Strategies for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

K C Loh, M K S Leow

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is now recognised as a metabolic syndrome and although the treatment paradigm has shifted from one that focuses solely on...

Others

Treating Thyrotoxicosis with Radioiodine

D C E Ng, G H W Keng, S C Ho

Iodine is an essential component of thyroid hormone and is actively taken up by thyroid follicles. This is the physiological basis for the use...

Others

Evidence-based Medicine: The Key to Guidelines, Disease and Care Management Programmes

N Friedman

Health care in America and the rest of the industrialised world continues to reinvent itself at an ever-accelerating rate. The societal pressures for high...

Original Article

A Preliminary Evaluation of a Disease Management Programme for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in a Primary Healthcare Setting

F S Lim, M P H S Toh, S C Emmanuel, S P Chan, G Lim

Chronic diseases are the main causes of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. In most developed countries, the problems of a rising prevalence of...

Review Article

Current Understanding of Pre-eclampsia

K Kwek, G S H Yeo

Pre-eclampsia is a major cause of adverse obstetric outcome. It remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality1 and continues to contribute significantly...

Review Article

Thyroid Diseases in Pregnancy

Y T Chen, D H C Khoo

Abnormalities of thyroid function associated with pregnancy encompass both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. These may have been present before the onset of pregnancy, or occurred...

Original Article

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Call for Systematic Tracing

H H Tan, H K Tan, H S Lim, A S A Tan, S C Lim

The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide. In Singapore, the prevalence of diabetes has increased dramatically from 4.7% in 1984 to 8.6% in 1998....

Commentary

Statins and Bone Morphogenetic Proteins: New Pathways in Bone Formation

C J Edwards

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem causing considerable morbidity and mortality in Asian women. It is estimated that half of the world’s hip...

Original Article

Comparing Fasting Plasma Glucose against Two-hour Post-load Glucose Concentrations for the Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus and Glucose Intolerance in Singaporean Hospital Patients

Y T Chen, J J Mukherjee, C H Lee, V S C Au, S Tavintharan

Prior to 1997, the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in asymptomatic individuals was based upon the 1985 World Health Organisation (WHO) diagnostic criteria in which,...

Others

Clinical Update on Osteoporosis

L K H Koh

Fractures, the most serious complication of osteoporosis, are increasing and constitute an evolving public health problem in terms of disability, mortality and cost. A...

Commentary

The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010: For Prevention and Treatment of Musculoskeletal Disease

I Y Y Tsou, H H Chng

The theme of this issue of the Annals, Academy of Medicine at the beginning of the year is suitably on osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, with its...

Commentary

Osteoporosis—A Worldwide Problem and the Implications in Asia

E M C Lau

Osteoporosis is a condition characterised by low bone mineral density, microarchitectural deterioration of bony tissue, and a consequent increase in fracture risk. With rapid...

Review Article

Bone Fragility in Asian and Caucasian Men

Y Duan, E Seeman

Bone fragility in men has been receiving greater attention during the last few years. Epidemiological studies have been done in Caucasian and Asian populations. This...

Review Article

Steroid-induced Osteoporosis

P N Sambrook

Corticosteroids are known to affect bone through multiple pathways (Fig. 1), influencing both bone formation and bone resorption, and these mechanisms have been reviewed....

Review Article

Medical Treatment of Osteoporosis—Increasing Options

K H Leong

The current practice and management of osteoporosis differs greatly from even the recent past. Up to 15 years ago, bone mineral density (BMD) measurements...

Review Article

Osteoporosis Risk Factor Assessment and Bone Densitometry—Current Status and Future Trends

L K H Koh, D C E Ng

Osteoporosis affects predominantly elderly women; although younger women and men may also be affected. Demographically, the number and proportion of the elderly (aged 65...

Review Article

Osteoporosis in Relation to Menopause

W L Choo, F H Loh, S C Ng

Singapore has a rapidly ageing population. In 1990, only 6% of the population was above the age of 65 years but this percentage of...

Review Article

An Asian Perspective to the Problem of Osteoporosis

L K H Koh

Osteoporosis is regarded as an important public health problem in many Caucasian populations. Much of the research on epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, genetic and molecular...

Editorial

Osteoporosis: A Treatable Disease

K H Leong, L K H Koh, D C E Ng

Osteoporosis twenty years ago was a very different disease from what we know of it today. At that time a diagnosis of osteoporosis was...

Others

The Diagnosis and Management of Hypercalcaemia

L K H Koh

Hypercalcaemia is a relatively common clinical problem with the widespread use of routine biochemical screening. Population studies have suggested a prevalence of 3% in...

Others

The Perils of Puberty

K Y Loke, R M Viner

Adolescence is a biopsychosocial maturational process, with the biological changes including completion of linear growth and sexual maturation (puberty), maturation of enzyme systems such...

Original Article

How Much do Diabetic Patients Know About Diabetes Mellitus and its Complications?

KY Tham, JJY Ong, DKL Tan, KY How

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common and growing healthcare problem in Singapore with a prevalence of 9% in 1998. Since the 1990s, the Ministry...

Others

Unravelling the Mystery in a Case of Persistent ACTH-independent Cushing’s Syndrome

Ling Choo Lim, Leonard HC Tan, C Rajasoorya

A Malaysian Chinese male patient, CMO, first presented at the age of 22 years with a 2-week history of severe spontaneous low backache with...

Review Article

Diabetes as a Risk Factor for Periodontal Disease: Current Status and Future Considerations

Wah Ching Tan, Fidelia BK Tay, Lum Peng Lim

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common and growing global health problem. It is highly prevalent in Asian communities. Hong Kong, Pakistan, and Singapore are...

Original Article

Diabetic Retinopathy in Type II Diabetics Detected by Targeted Screening Versus Newly Diagnosed in General Practice

Swati Agarwal, Rajiv Raman, Rani Padmaja Kumari, Himanshu Deshmukh, Pradeep G Paul, Perumal Gnanamoorthy, Govindasamy Kumaramanickavel, Tarun Sharma

The epidemic of type II diabetes mellitus is now recognised worldwide. In India, it has been estimated that the population with type II diabetes...

Others

A Hyperthyroid Patient with Measurable Thyroid-stimulating Hormone Concentration – A Trap for the Unwary

Mary Jean Tan, Florence Tan, Robert Hawkins, Wei-Keat Cheah, JJ Mukherjee

Free thyroxine (FT4), total tri-iodothyronine (T3) and thyrotropin (TSH) are the commonly measured biochemical indices in the assessment of thyroid function in a patient...

Others