Singap Med J
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The accuracy of the Alvarado score in diagnosing acute appendicitis in an Asian population has been disappointingly low. We prospectively compared the RIPASA score with the Alvarado score for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. ⋯ The RIPASA score at a cut-off threshold total score of 7.5 is a better diagnostic scoring system than the Alvarado score for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in our local setting.
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Multicenter Study
Isolation of the first three cases of Clostridium difficile polymerase chain reaction ribotype 027 in Singapore.
The incidence of Clostridium (C.) difficile infection (CDI) was on the rise from 2001 to 2006 in Singapore. Recent unpublished data suggests that its incidence had remained stable or decreased in most local public hospitals between 2006 and 2010. It is, however, not known if the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ribotype 027 strains have been circulating, although reports suggest that this strain is emerging in Asia, with the first cases reported from Japan in 2007, as well as in Hong Kong and Australia in 2009. We initiated a culture-based surveillance to detect this epidemic strain in Singapore. ⋯ We report the first three isolates of C. difficile 027 from Singapore. However, their susceptibility patterns are more consistent with the historical 027 strains. Rising CDI incidence may not be associated with the emergence of the epidemic 027 strain at this time.