Singap Med J
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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is an infection that has a role in causing dyspepsia and complications such as peptic ulcer disease and gastric malignancies. In the primary care setting, one can adopt a stepwise approach with the 'test-and-treat' strategy to manage H. pylori-associated dyspepsia in young patients without alarm symptoms. Empiric first-line therapies should be for a two-week duration; options include clarithromycin-containing triple therapy alone or with the addition of bismuth, concomitant therapy and bismuth quadruple therapy. ⋯ Options for empiric second-line treatment include bismuth quadruple therapy and levofloxacin-containing triple therapy. Patients with persistent or alarm symptoms should be referred for further evaluation. Patients with persistent infection should be referred for gastroscopy so that gastric biopsies can be obtained for H. pylori culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing.
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Review
A review of Zika virus infections in pregnancy and implications for antenatal care in Singapore.
Given the consensus that there is a causal relationship between Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnancy and congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), clinicians must be prepared to manage affected patients despite the numerous gaps in current knowledge. The clinical course in pregnancy appears similar to that in non-pregnant women, although viraemia may be prolonged. ZIKV infection can be diagnosed by serum and urine reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, but commercially available serological tests are currently unreliable in dengue-endemic regions. ⋯ Serial ultrasonography should be conducted for infected cases. Without a vaccine, pregnant women should be advised to minimise mosquito bites and reduce sexual transmission risk. Overall, the absolute risk of CZS arising amid a ZIKV outbreak appears relatively low.
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Comparative Study
Prognostic factors for candidaemia in intensive care unit patients: a retrospective analysis.
Candidaemia, recognised as a fairly common disease among intensive care unit (ICU) patients, carries a poor prognosis. However, as studies on the prognostic factors associated with candidaemia in ICU patients are limited, this study aimed to establish the best prognostic factor for ICU patients with candidaemia in a tertiary care hospital in Japan. ⋯ Our results suggest that the cumulative number of risk factors for invasive candidiasis was the most useful prognostic indicator for candidaemia in ICU patients.
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Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a sleep-related breathing condition, is diagnosed based on a patient's apnoea-hypopnea index from a sleep study, and the presence or absence of symptoms. Diabetes mellitus (DM) and OSA share a significant common risk factor, obesity, with all three conditions contributing to the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The pathophysiological links between OSA and DM are still unclear, but intermittent hypoxia may be an important mechanism. ⋯ Continuous positive airway pressure is the standard treatment for OSA, while weight loss through dietary and lifestyle modifications is important to holistically manage patients with either condition. There is currently insufficient evidence to support the benefits of screening every diabetic patient for OSA. However, diabetic patients with symptoms suggestive of OSA should be referred to a sleep specialist for further evaluation.
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This study aimed to describe the clinical presentation, treatment and outcome of patients with relapsing polychondritis (RP) who were seen at a large tertiary-care academic medical institution in Singapore. ⋯ The high frequency of patients with haematological malignancies in this series was unexpected. Myelodysplastic syndrome has been reported, but other haematological malignancies are rarely associated with RP. As the association between haematological malignancies and RP is currently unclear, the threshold for haematological/lymphoproliferative screening should be lowered in patients with RP.