Humans ; Diverticulum, Colon ; Fecal Impaction ; Hydrodynamics

Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; Poisoning ; Retrospective Studies

INTRODUCTIONDuring cataract surgery under regional (retrobulbar, peribulbar or sub- Tenon's) or topical anaesthesia, many patients experience a variety of visual sensations in their operated eye intraoperatively. Between 3% and 16.2% of patients are frightened by their intraoperative visual experiences, which may increase the risk of intraoperative complications and affect patients' satisfaction with the surgery. This study aims to determine optometry students' beliefs and knowledge of visual sensations experienced by patients during cataract surgery under regional and topical anaesthesia.

MATERIALS AND METHODSA nationwide survey of all Malaysian optometry students using a standardised, self-administered questionnaire.

RESULTSAll 129 optometry students participated in the survey, giving a 100% response rate. Overall, 26.4% and 29.5% of the students believed that patients undergoing cataract surgery under regional and topical anaesthesia, respectively, may experience no light perception, while 78.3% and 72.9%, respectively, thought that patients would experience light perception. Many respondents also believed that patients might experience a variety of other visual sensations. Of all respondents, 70.5% and 74.4% of students believed that patients undergoing cataract surgery under regional and topical anaesthesia, respectively, may be frightened by their visual experience and 93.0% and 85.3%, respectively, felt that preoperative counselling might help to alleviate this fear.

CONCLUSIONMany optometry students are aware that patients might encounter a variety of visual sensations during cataract surgery under local anaesthesia. A high proportion of students believe that patients may experience fear as a result of the intraoperative visual sensations and felt that preoperative counselling would be helpful.

Adult ; Anesthesia, Conduction ; Cataract Extraction ; psychology ; Counseling ; Fear ; Female ; Humans ; Intraoperative Period ; Malaysia ; Male ; Optometry ; education ; Sensation ; Visual Perception

INTRODUCTIONSevere acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) affected 8096 individuals in 29 countries, with 774 deaths. In Singapore, there were 238 cases of SARS with 33 deaths. A retrospective analysis was performed to identify predictors of poor outcome in patients with SARS locally.

MATERIALS AND METHODSClinical, laboratory and outcome data of 234 patients admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Singapore General Hospital were collected and analysed. Only data collected at the time of admission were used in the analysis for predictors of poor outcome. Adverse events were defined as admission to the intensive care unit or death.

RESULTSClinical (temperature, FiO2) and laboratory [leukocyte, lymphocyte, neutrophil, platelet, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), albumin] trends in groups with and without an adversarial event were presented. Fifty patients experienced an adverse event. On univariate analysis, male gender, advanced age, presence of comorbidities, neutrophilia, lymphopaenia, hyponatraemia, hypoalbuminaemia, transaminitis and elevated LDH or C-reactive protein were found to be significant predictors. On multivariate analysis, predictors of poor outcome were increased age [odds ratio (OR) 1.73 for every 10-year increase; 95% CI, 1.35 to 2.21], neutrophilia (OR 1.06 for every 1 x 10(9)/L increase; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.11) and high LDH (OR 1.17 for every 100 U/L increase; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.34). None of the 12 paediatric patients had an adverse event.

CONCLUSIONAdvanced age, neutrophilia and high LDH predict poor outcomes in patients with SARS.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Viral ; analysis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; DNA, Viral ; analysis ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; SARS Virus ; genetics ; immunology ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; virology ; Severity of Illness Index ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Survival Rate

Objective: To understand the epidemiological and etiological characteristics of mumps in Fujian province, 2005-2017. Methods: All the reported mumps cases were collected through the National Notifiable Disease Information Management System, 2005-2017. Active search and interviews were conducted to collect the information on vaccination of mumps. Throat swab specimens were collected for cells culture, genotyping and gene sequence analysis on mumps virus (MuV). Results: A total of 83 959 cases of mumps were reported in Fujian province from 2005 to 2017, with an average annual incidence of 17.6 per 100 000. Since 2007, the incidence appeared increasing but then decreasing, reaching the lowest level (7.5 per 100 000), after the setup of a monitoring program. Annually, the onset time of mumps showed an obvious two seasonal peaks, one from April to July, with a weakening trend, and the other from October to January with a rising trend. Most of the mumps cases occurred among students, kindergarten and scattered children (89.2%, 5 814/6 517), children aged 5-9 years (38.8%, 2 527/6 517), with cases reported from every region. Program from the pathogen surveillance showed that the transmission chain of G genotype mumps virus did exist in Fujian. Data from the sequence analysis revealed that mutations in the nucleotide of G genotype strain in 2015 had led to mutation of 6 amino acid sites in the SH gene coding region, resulting in the differences appearing in both nucleotide and amino acid homology with type A vaccine strain. Conclusions: The incidence of mumps decreased annually, in Fujian. Prevention programs should focus on primary and secondary school students. In Fujian province, we also noticed the transmission chain of mumps G genotype with some amino acid mutations in the SH gene coding region. Monitor programs on both epidemiologic and etiology, should be strengthened.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mumps/epidemiology* ; Mumps virus/pathogenicity* ; Phylogeny ; Sequence Analysis

In childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), cytogenetics play an important role in diagnosis, allocation of treatment and prognosis. Conventional cytogenetic analysis, involving mainly karyotyping in our experience, has not been successful in a large proportion of cases due to inadequate metaphase spreads and poor chromosome morphology. Our aim is to develop a highly sensitive and specific method to screen simultaneously for the four most frequent fusion transcripts resulting from specific chromosomal translocations, namely, both the CML- and ALLtype BCR-ABL transcripts of t(9;22), E2A-PBX1 transcript of t(1;19), the MLL-AF4 transcript of t(4;11) and TEL-AML1 (also termed ETV6-CBFA2) of the cryptic t(12;21). A multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction protocol (RT-PCR) was developed and tested out on archival bone marrow samples and leukaemia cell lines. In all samples with a known translocation detected by cytogenetic techniques, the same translocation was identified by the multiplex-PCR assay. Multiplex RT-PCR assay is an effective, sensitive, accurate and cost-effective diagnostic tool which can improve our ability to accurately and rapidly risk-stratify patients with childhood ALL.
Child ; Humans ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; genetics ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Translocation, Genetic

PURPOSE: The Pipeline embolization device (PED) is approved in the USA for treating giant and large aneurysms arising from the petrous to superior hypophyseal segments of the internal carotid artery in patients older than 21 years of age. This study investigates off-label PED results in a large cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective, single-center review of all patients who had off-label PED surgery. RESULTS: Sixty-two aneurysms (48 patients) underwent off-label PED treatment from 2012–2017. There were 44 females and four males (age 21 to 75 years; mean/median, 54.3/55.0 years). The most common presenting symptom was headache (47/62, 75.8%). All aneurysms were in the anterior circulation. Aneurysm size ranged from 1.4 to 25.0 mm (mean/median, 7.6/6.9 mm). Fifty-two aneurysms had post-operative imaging with total/near-complete occlusion of 84.6% (44/52). Aneurysm-based operative near-term complication rate was 9.7% while there were no permanent complications. For aneurysms and headache, 86.7% improved/resolved after embo-surgery, and were four times more likely to have a better clinical outcome (resolved or improved symptoms) after surgery (odds ratio [OR], 4.333; P=0.0325). Left-sided aneurysms had a higher occlusion rate (OR, 20; P=0.0073). Hypertension (OR, 4.2; P=0.0332) and smoking (OR, 7; P=0.0155) were more prone towards aneurysm occlusion. Patients without a family history were 14 times more likely to have favorable imaging outcome (P=0.0405). There is no difference of occlusion rates between untreated and previously treated aneurysms (P=0.6894). Overall, occlusion rate decreased by 14% with an increase of aneurysm size by 1 mm (P=0.0283). CONCLUSION: For anterior circulation aneurysms, the off-label application of PED is as effective and safe as reported for on-label intracranial aneurysms.
Aneurysm ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking

INTRODUCTIONSince the fi rst imported case on 26 May 2009, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 has spread from travellers and has resulted in sustained community transmission. Singapore began with a strict containment policy where all suspected and confirmed cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 were admitted for testing. We describe here the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the fi rst 50 adult cases with confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009.

MATERIALS AND METHODSA review was conducted of medical notes of adult patients with confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 by polymerase chain reaction assay from combined nasal and throat swabs admitted to the Communicable Disease Centre, Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

RESULTSFrom 26 May to 18 June 2009, 50 patients with a median age of 27 years old were admitted at a median of 3 days from illness onset. Half were male and all were travellers arriving in Singapore. Non-Singaporean citizens (38%) and other ethnic groups (40%) were over-represented. History of fever was reported in 90% and respiratory symptoms in 92%. Gastrointestinal symptoms were uncommon, present in 4% only. Temperatures on presentation of >or=38.0 degrees C, >or=37.8 degrees C and >or=37.5 degrees C were present in 48%, 56% and 76%, respectively. Only 46% of patients met the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) case definition of influenza-like illness (ILI). Clinical and laboratory findings were unremarkable for the majority. All cases were treated with oseltamivir and had uncomplicated recovery.

CONCLUSIONPandemic (H1N1) 2009 had mild clinical and laboratory findings in immunocompetent patients. Use of the US CDC ILI criteria alone would have detected less than half of confirmed cases.

Adult ; Communicable Diseases, Emerging ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; isolation & purification ; Influenza, Human ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Male ; Medical Audit ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Young Adult

Being an undisputed risk factor of cancer, air pollution is posing a huge threat to the health on human beings. In this article, we introduced the composition of air pollution, and the standards on air quality which was set by both World Health Organization and the Chinese government. We also summarized the most recent research findings on the association between air pollution and the risk of lung, breast, bladder and other major cancers.
Air Pollutants/toxicity* ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Research/trends* ; Risk Factors

Background/Aims: Data on treatment efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Asian patients with severe renal impairment are limited. This study aimed to study the treatment and side effects of GLE/PIB in these patients infected with non-1 genotype (GT) HCV. Methods: We prospectively recruited patients with Child’s A cirrhosis and eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 in Hong Kong and Taiwan during 2017–2018 to receive GLE/PIB treatment. Results: Twenty-one patients (GT2, n=7; GT3, n=6; and GT6, n=8) received GLE/PIB for 11.2±1.8 weeks. All except one were treatment-naïve. GLE/PIB was initiated in 16 patients while on dialysis (seven on peritoneal dialysis [PD] and nine on hemodialysis) and in five patients before dialysis. One patient died of PD-related peritonitis during treatment and two were lost to follow up. The SVR12 rate in the remaining 18 patients was 100%. All patients achieved undetectable levels at 4-, 12-, 24- and 48-week after treatment. Patients with deranged alanine aminotransferase showed normalization after 4 weeks and the response was sustained for 48 weeks. No significant adverse event was observed. Conclusions GLE/PIB treatment was associated with high efficacy and tolerability in HCV-infected patients with severe renal impairment.