Singap Med J
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The aim of this study was to establish the lymphocyte subset reference ranges in a defined Malaysian population as well as to determine inter-racial differences for these values. Normal blood obtained from 152 subjects (55.9% Malay, 26.3% Chinese and 17.7% Indian) was immunophenotyped. ⋯ However, the absolute number of CD4 cells and CD19 cells in Chinese was significantly lower (p < 0.05) compared to the Indian and the Indian and Malay groups respectively. Comparison of our results with other reports showed that the percentage of Natural Killer cells in this population is higher than that reported for Caucasian population.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Intra-articular morphine and bupivacaine for pain relief after therapeutic arthroscopic knee surgery.
This randomised, double-blind study compared the analgesic properties of intra-articular injection of morphine and bupivacaine during therapeutic arthroscopic knee surgery. Forty male patients were randomly divided into 4 groups of 10 patients each. Group A received intra-articular injection of 1 mg morphine sulphate in 20 ml saline, Group B received 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine while Group C received 1 mg morphine sulphate in 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine injected intra-articularly. ⋯ At 4 hours, it showed similar analgesic efficacy as morphine. There was no significant analgesic effect at the end of the study period. The combination of the two drugs resulted in satisfactory analgesia throughout the entire study period (p < 0.001 at 1, 2 and 24 hours and p < 0.05 at 4 hours) and appeared to be a simple, safe and effective analgesic technique for patients who underwent therapeutic arthroscopic knee surgery.
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A 47-year-old man presented with backache and signs of acute abdomen. An exploratory laparotomy was performed. Post-operatively he developed hypoxaemia in the operating theatre and was brought to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit for ventilatory support and further investigations. ⋯ The recovery course was complicated by chest infection, urinary tract infection and sympathetic overactivity. He improved later and ventilatory support was discontinued three weeks after admission. He then made uneventful recovery and was discharged from the hospital forty days after admission.
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Comparative Study
Susceptibility of Singapore Chinese schoolgirls to anorexia nervosa--Part I (Psychological factors).
Of 656 GCE "O" level Chinese Singapore schoolgirls, it was found that 56% perceived themselves as being too fat, and 38% had been teased about being overweight. On the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI), 15 (2%) had a score at the anorectic range. Compared to a group of American undergraduates, Singaporean subjects had no significant difference on the drive for thinness scores, but had significantly higher scores on bulimia, ineffectiveness, body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distress and greater maturity fears. In a population which appears to be susceptible to anorexia nervosa, possible reasons for the low incidence of this disorder is discussed.
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Myopia is a potentially blinding condition with serious socio-economic ramifications. Many causes have been alluded to and one of the strongest associations is that of formal education and nearwork. Studies done both locally and abroad illustrate this. ⋯ However, the Asian eye differs from the Caucasian eye. This is evidenced by the increased frequency and severity of myopia, and the difference in the pattern of corneal diseases in our population. As such, there is a need for local studies to be conducted to assess the effectiveness of this method in our population.