Singap Med J
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Fifty consecutive unmarried women seeking termination of pregnancy in Toa Payoh Hospital were analysed to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection as compared to gonococcal infection. Cases harbouring chlamydial infection were followed up to exclude postabortal pelvic infection. ⋯ Results from the data analysed showed that chlamydial infection was significantly more prevalent than gonorrhoea in our local women seeking therapeutic abortion. However, further research to define the exact size of the problem is indicated.
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Pulmonary function parameters were examined in a Malay Muslim population during normal activity and Ramadan fasting conditions. The validity of employing various lung function prediction formulae for the subjects was also assessed. Present findings indicate that the water deprivation regime and resultant dehydration during Ramadan did not cause significant changes in ventilatory functions. Although pulmonary prediction formulae based on Caucasian and African populations were inapplicable to the subjects examined, the equations derived from the neighbouring populations in Singapore could be employed.
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Tuberculosis was responsible for 177 deaths in 1987. This study evaluated the accuracy of tuberculosis death certification by hospital doctors and general practitioners in 111 cases where hospital case-notes were available for verification. It revealed that only 49 cases (44%) died of active tuberculosis, 12 (11%) died of late effects of tuberculosis and 41 (37%) died of causes unrelated to tuberculosis. ⋯ Only 39 cases (56%) of active tuberculosis certified by hospital doctors were correct compared to 10 (24%) certified by general practitioners. Hospital doctors certified 6 out of 9 deaths which had no evidence of tuberculosis. The actual tuberculosis mortality rate was estimated to be between 1.9 and 4.9 per 100,000 instead of the officially published 6.8 per 100,000 for 1987.
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Cytogenetic investigations were carried out on 117 women with primary amenorrhea who had been referred to our Genetics Laboratory by clinicians throughout Malaysia, after exclusion of other causes of the disorder. Thirty-six cases (31%) showed numerical or structural abnormalities of the sex chromosomes. ⋯ There was no observable correlation between the phenotype of the patients and their respective abnormal karyotypes. The aetiological role of sex chromosomal abnormalities in these amenorrheic women is discussed.