Related Articles | Annals Singapore

Original Article

Clinical efficacy of primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening with partial genotyping for HPV-16 and HPV-18 subtypes in women from 25 years old

Joella Xiaohong Ang, Wai Yen Lee, Sun Kuie Tay

The World Health Organization has launched a campaign to eliminate cervical cancer on the basis of effective vaccines against oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes,...

Original Article

Immune and coagulation profiles in 3 adults with multisystem inflammatory syndrome

Ruth Xian Lynn Yap, Bernard Pui Lam Leung, Hwee Siew Howe, Mung Ee Loh, Barnaby Edward Young, Bingwen Eugene Fan, Xin Rong Lim

A spectrum of immune dysregulation has been described following SARS-CoV-2 infections—from the cytokine storm in the acute phase, to hyperinflammatory syndromes that occur after...

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...

Original Article

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease screening in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cost-effectiveness and price threshold analysis

Bryan Peide Choo, George Boon-Bee Goh, Sing Yi Chia, Hong Choon Oh, Ngiap Chuan Tan, Jessica Yi Lyn Tan, Tiing Leong Ang, Yong Mong Bee, Yu Jun Wong

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....

Letter to the Editor

Antiphospholipid and other autoantibodies in COVID-19 patients: A Singapore series

Khai Pang Leong, Carol Yee Leng Ng, Bingwen Eugene Fan, Chien Mei Loh, Lok To Wong, Valerie Hui Hian Goh, Gwen Li Xuan Tan, Chong Rui Chua, Janet Suyun Tan, Samuel Shang Ming Lee, Xin Rong Lim, Teck Choon Tan

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...

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...

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...

Review Article

Circular RNAs in the pathogenesis of sepsis and their clinical implications: A narrative review

Lin Wei, Yongpeng Yang, Weikai Wang, Ruifeng Xu

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...

Letter to the Editor

Change in hepatitis B virus DNA status in patients receiving chronic immunosuppressive therapy for moderate-to-severe skin disease

Valencia Long, Zhun Rui Mok, Guan Huei Lee, Nisha Suyien Chandran

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...

Others

A Case Report of Neutrophilic Eccrine Hidradenitis in a Patient Receiving Chemotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

G C Wong, L H Lee, Y Y Chong

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...

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...

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...

Original Article

One Hundred and Seventy Cases of Childhood Onset Rheumatological Disease in Singapore

Y See, E T Koh, M L Boey

Children with rheumatological disease form a small but important proportion of the ill paediatric population. Most of the published data available are based on...

Others

Systemic Sclerosis in DRw52-positive Silica-exposed Males: A Case Report

H Englert, G Dracos, H Dunckley, J York, G Richards, R Penny, P Brooks

Familial scleroderma was first documented in 1953 by Rees and Bennett who described the occurrence of a localised disease in a father and daughter....

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...

Commentary

Synovitis, Acne, Pustulosis, Hyperostosis and Osteitis (SAPHO) Syndrome: A Brief Review of a Rare Condition

E T Koh

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

M L Chan

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

K H Yoon, S C Ng

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

K F Chan

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

Y See

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

K H Leong

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

A G Fam

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

K H Leong

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

H S Howe

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

J S L Wong, S C Ng

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

T S G Chee, F L Thoo, I Y Y Tsou

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

O Amengual, T Atsumi, M A Khamashta, G R V Hughes

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

D L T Teo

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

D R Koh

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

K Y Fong, M L Boey

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

M L Boey

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

C Mohan

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

K D Muirden

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

L T Pan, S K Tin, M L Boey, KY Fang

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

J Thumboo, K Y Fong, H P Chia, H H Chng, E T Koh, K H Leong, W H Koh, H S Howe, K P Leong, M L Boey, P H Feng

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

E Lim, H H Chng

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

W H Koh, A Seah, P Chai

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

W H Koh, M L Boey

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

M L Boey

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...

Others

Bullous Dermatomyositis Associated with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma —A Case Report

P Ang, M W Sugeng, S H Chua

Bullous dermatomyositis is a rare variant of dermatomyositis and has been reported in the literature. It is believed to be strongly associated with the...

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

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...

Others

The Genetics of Spondyloarthropathies

K Y Fong

The spondyloarthropathies (SpA) comprise a heterogenous group of conditions that include ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis/Reiter’s syndrome, arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel...

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...

Original Article

An Audit of Patients with Rheumatic Disease Requiring Medical Intensive Care

B Y H Thong, D Y H Tai, S K Goh, A Johan

Patients with rheumatic disease are often immunocompromised as a result of either their disease or treatment. They may become ill either from a flare...

Review Article

New Disease Modifying Agents in Adult Rheumatoid Arthritis

E T Koh

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterised by symmetrical inflammatory arthritis. Most patients exhibit a chronic course. This article is available only as...

Review Article

New Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors

S Vasoo, S C Ng

Cyclooxygenase inhibitors are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They have been used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases for several decades. This article is available only...

Others

10th Seah Cheng Siang Memorial Lecture: Going Places—A Rheumatological Odyssey

P H Feng

I am greatly honoured to deliver the 10th Seah Cheng Siang memorial lecture. I came into direct contact with Professor Seah in January 1965...

Review Article

Immunotherapy in Autoimmune Diseases

K Y Fong

In the early 1700s, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, wife of the British ambassador to Turkey, introduced the practice of variolation against smallpox into Western...

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...

Original Article

Outcome of Pregnancy in Asian Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Experience of a Single Perinatal Centre in Singapore

L K Tan, H K Tan, C T Lee, A S A Tan

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic connective tissue disease with a reported prevalence of 5 to 100/100,000. Women are affected much more...

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...

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

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...

Others

Primary Meningococcal Arthritis and Endogenous Endophthalmitis: A Case Report

Y K Cheng, S W Leo, C J Edwards, E T Koh

Primary meningococcal arthritis (PMA) and endogenous meningococcal endophthalmitis are both uncommon presentations of meningococcal infection that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of...

Others

Validity and Reliability of the EQ-5D Self-report Questionnaire in Chinese-speaking Patients with Rheumatic Diseases in Singapore

N Luo, L H Chew, K Y Fong, D R Koh, S C Ng, K H Yoon, S Vasoo, S C Li, J Thumboo

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) refers to patients’ perceptions of their own functioning and well-being. HRQoL is increasingly being used as a primary or...

Others

Intermittent Epoprostenol Infusions in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Associated Pulmonary Hypertension—A Series of Three Cases

K O Kong, H Badsha, J Thumboo, H H Chng

Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is seen in 0.5% to 14% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and is associated with a grave prognosis. The overall...

Original Article

Behcet’s Disease: Experience in a Tertiary Rheumatology Centre in Singapore and a Review of the Literature

YK Cheng, BY Thong, HH Chng

The only published study on Behcet’s disease in Singapore by Tan E et al (34 patients at the National Skin Centre) found that only...

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

Septic Monoarthritis and Osteomyelitis in an Elderly Man Following Klebsiella pneumoniae Genitourinary Infection: Case Report

Li-Ching Chew

Despite improved antimicrobial therapy over the past 30 years, there has been little change in the incidence, outcome, or, causative organisms in septic arthritis....

Others