INTRODUCTION: Preterm birth (PTB) remains a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Understanding Singapore's PTB trends and associated risk factors can inform effective strategies for screening and intervention. This study analyses PTB trends in Singapore from 2017 to 2023, identifies risk factors in this multi-ethnic population and evaluates a predictive model for PTB. METHOD: A retrospective analysis of all PTBs between 22+0 and 36+6 weeks of gestation, from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2023, was performed by extracting maternal and neonatal data from electronic medical records. These PTBs were taken from the registry of births for Singapore and SingHealth cluster data. Cochran- Armitage trend test and multinomial logistic regression were used. An extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model was developed to test and predict the risk of PTB. RESULTS: The PTB rate in Singapore did not show a significant change. However, there was modest downward trend in the SingHealth population from 11.3% to 10.2%, mainly in late spontaneous PTBs (sPTBs). sPTBs accounted for ∼60% of PTBs. Risk factors for very/extreme sPTB included Chinese ethnicity, age ≥35 years, body mass index (BMI) ≥23 kg/m², being unmarried, primiparity, twin pregnancy and maternal blood group AB. The XGBoost model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.75, indicating moderate ability to predict PTB. CONCLUSION The overall PTB rate in Singapore has not improved. This study underscores the importance of local factors, particularly advanced maternal age, BMI, primiparity, unmarried, Chinese ethnicity and maternal blood group AB influencing PTB risk. Artificial intelligence methods show promise in improving PTB risk stratification, ultimately supporting personalised care and intervention.
Humans ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Risk Factors ; Premature Birth/ethnology* ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Infant, Newborn ; Asian People/statistics & numerical data* ; Gestational Age ; Body Mass Index ; Maternal Age ; Logistic Models ; Ethnicity

INTRODUCTION: Countries are mandating the use of face masks to stem the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Face mask use has been associated with discomfort due to its effects on thermoregulation, breathing and oxygenation. We evaluated the prevalence and severity of self-reported cardiovascular symptoms before and during face mask use. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 1,001 participants residing in Singapore, who participated in a self-administered questionnaire between 25 April 2020 and 4 May 2020. Symptom severity before and during mask use, and health-seeking behaviour information were collected. The study outcome was self-reported worsening of cardiovascular symptoms and its association with the type of mask worn, duration of mask worn per day, and intensity of physical activities during mask use. RESULTS: The most common symptom reported during mask use was dyspnoea. Independent predictors for self-reported cardiovascular symptoms during mask use were moderate-high physical activity during mask use (odds ratio [OR] 1.634, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.176-2.270, P = 0.003), duration of mask use for ≥3 h (OR 1.672, 95% CI 1.189-2.352, P = 0.003) and type of mask used, after adjusting for age, sex, healthcare-based worker status and presence of comorbidities. N95 mask was associated with worse symptoms when compared to surgical mask. Participants with ≥3 worsening symptoms or worsening dyspnoea, palpitations, fatigue and dizziness were more likely to seek medical help. CONCLUSION Face mask use has been proven to be an effective way in curbing COVID-19 transmission. However, participants in this study had concerns regarding its use and these concerns should be urgently addressed to enable mask use policies to be enacted.
Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Pandemics ; Masks/adverse effects* ; Self Report ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dyspnea/etiology*

INTRODUCTION: Isolated oval window atresia (OWA) is a rare cause of congenital conductive middle ear deafness and may be overlooked owing to the normal appearance of the external ear. This anomaly has been previously described, although the published numbers with both imaging and surgical findings are few. Our aim is to correlate the imaging features of OWA with intraoperative findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a single-centre retrospective evaluation of patients who were diagnosed with OWA and who received surgery from January 1999 to July 2006. No new case was diagnosed after 2006 to the time of preparation of this manuscript. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) imaging of the temporal bones of the patients were retrospectively evaluated by 2 head and neck radiologists. Images were evaluated for the absence of the oval window, ossicular chain abnormalities, position of the facial nerve canal, and other malformations. Imaging findings were then correlated with surgical findings. RESULTS: A total of 9 ears in 7 patients (two of whom with bilateral lesions) had surgery for OWA. All patients had concomitant findings of absent stapes footplate with normal, deformed or absent stapes superstructure and an inferiorly displaced facial nerve canal. HRCT was sensitive in identifying OWA and associated ossicular chain and facial nerve abnormalities, which were documented surgically. CONCLUSION OWA is a rare entity that can be diagnosed with certainty on HRCT, best visualised on coronal plane. Imaging findings of associated middle ear abnormalities, position of the facial nerve canal, which is invariably mal-positioned, and associated deformity of the incus are important for presurgical planning and consent.

INTRODUCTIONRadiation injury resulting in sudden, late onset sensorineural hearing loss is a recognised complication in patients who have received head and neck irradiation. We describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the internal acoustic canal (IAC) of 3 such patients and postulate a cause for these findings.

CLINICAL PICTUREA total of 63 patients were referred for MRI IAC for sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss. Of these patients, only 5 patients had abnormal MRI finding in the affected ear and the remaining patients had normal studies. Two patients had acoustic neuromas. Three patients demonstrated high T1-weighted signal in the labyrinths of the affected ears and had past histories of head and neck irradiation. The MRI findings and medical records of these 3 patients were reviewed and described in this case series.

OUTCOMEHigh labyrinthine signal on unenhanced T1-weighted images in the symptomatic ear of these patients was observed, suggesting the possibility of haemorrhage. In the patient who had a history of brain tumour, susceptibility artifacts were also seen in the right hemipons on the gradient-echo images, indicating the presence of paramagnetic substances from previous therapy.

CONCLUSIONWe postulate that labyrinthine haemorrhage is a rare, late complication of head and neck irradiation, resulting in sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Female ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; radiotherapy ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; etiology ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; etiology ; Hemorrhage ; complications ; Humans ; Labyrinth Diseases ; complications ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiotherapy ; adverse effects ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Time Factors