Perceptions of mental health literacy, stigma, empathy, and confidence in managing patients with psychiatric disorders among doctors and nurses working in a Singapore emergency department.

In line with the global rise in mental health disorders, Singapore has experienced a notable increase in prevalence, from 13.4% in 2020 to 17% in 2022. Despite strategic efforts to strengthen mental health services, such as expanding the workforce of psychiatrists and psychologists and integrating care into primary healthcare settings, the Emergency Department (ED) faces escalating numbers of patients with psychiatric disorders.

Echocardiography detection rate of newly diagnosed valvular heart disease amongst patients 12 years old and beyond, referred for transthoracic echocardiography in tertiary care settings.

Introduction: Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a significant contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Despite global awareness, data on the epidemiology and clinical profile of VHD in Malaysia remain limited. This study aimed to determine the echocardiographic detection rate of newly diagnosed VHD in tertiary care centres in Perak, Malaysia, as well as to examine its clinical characteristics, aetiologies, severity, associated comorbidities, and the rate of patient acceptance for valve intervention.

Massive Allograft Reconstruction in Limb Salvage Surgery: Insights From a Single-Institution Case Series in Malaysia.

Introduction With advances in imaging and oncological treatment, limb salvage surgery has become a preferred option in musculoskeletal oncology. As survival rates improve, reconstruction durability becomes critical. Massive bone allografts offer a biological solution that preserves bone stock and joint integrity, but they are associated with notable complications.

Conflict-related environmental damages on health: lessons learned from the past wars and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On 24 February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. The fighting has already caused unimaginable conditions and millions of people were forced to flee their homes. For decades, conflicts have been linked to environmental pollution, exposure to radioactivity and heavy metals as well as infectious diseases.

Use of STONE Score to Predict Urolithiasis in an Asian Emergency Department.

Background: The STONE score was developed to predict uncomplicated ureteral stones in patients so that they can be managed without imaging. Validation studies had been conducted previously but the results were varied. This study aims to investigate the utility of the STONE score in an emergency department in Singapore.

Evaluation of buccal swabs for pharmacogenetics.

Objective: A simple, non-invasive sample collection method is key for the integration of pharmacogenetics into clinical practice. The aim of this study was to gain samples for pharmacogenetic testing and evaluate the variation between dry-flocked and sponge-tipped buccal swabs in yield and quality of DNA isolated.

Results: Thirty-one participants collected samples using dry-flocked swabs and sponge-tipped swabs.

The A-Like Faker Assay for Measuring Yeast Chromosome III Stability.

The ability to rapidly assess chromosome instability (CIN) has enabled profiling of most yeast genes for potential effects on genome stability. The A-like faker (ALF) assay is one of several qualitative and quantitative marker loss assays that indirectly measure loss or conversion of genetic material using a counterselection step. The ALF assay relies on the ability to count spurious mating events that occur upon loss of the MATα locus of haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.

Introducing pharmacogenetic testing with clinical decision support into primary care: a feasibility study.

Background: Inappropriate prescribing increases patient illness and death owing to adverse drug events. The inclusion of genetic information into primary care medication practices is one solution. Our aim was to assess the ability to obtain and genotype saliva samples and to determine the levels of use of a decision support tool that creates medication options adjusted for patient characteristics, drug-drug interactions and pharmacogenetics.

Dosage Mutator Genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: A Novel Mutator Mode-of-Action of the Mph1 DNA Helicase.

Mutations that cause genome instability are considered important predisposing events that contribute to initiation and progression of cancer. Genome instability arises either due to defects in genes that cause an increased mutation rate (mutator phenotype), or defects in genes that cause chromosome instability (CIN). To extend the catalog of genome instability genes, we systematically explored the effects of gene overexpression on mutation rate, using a forward-mutation screen in budding yeast.

Overexpression screens identify conserved dosage chromosome instability genes in yeast and human cancer.

Somatic copy number amplification and gene overexpression are common features of many cancers. To determine the role of gene overexpression on chromosome instability (CIN), we performed genome-wide screens in the budding yeast for yeast genes that cause CIN when overexpressed, a phenotype we refer to as dosage CIN (dCIN), and identified 245 dCIN genes. This catalog of genes reveals human orthologs known to be recurrently overexpressed and/or amplified in tumors.

Inborn Error of Metabolism (IEM) screening in Singapore by electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI/MS/MS): An 8 year journey from pilot to current program.

IEM screening by ESI/MS/MS was introduced in Singapore in 2006. There were two phases; a pilot study followed by implementation of the current program. The pilot study was over a 4 year period.