Time course biochemical responses of green algae Scenedesmus obliquus to Aluminum and low pH.
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Algal Proteins↗
Biomedical subjects
J K Tan
Publications and source records attributed to J K Tan.
Erectile dysfunction in Singapore: prevalence and its associated factors--a population-based study.
PURPOSE: To study the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in Singapore males aged 30 and above and its association with demographic, medical and other risk factors. METHODOLOGY: A population based cross sectional study of 729 men aged 30 and above in Singapore was conducted using the abridged, five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). Presence of erectile dysfunction was defined as IIEF-5 score of less than 21. Erectile dysfunction was further categorised into mild (IIEF-5: 16-20), moderate (IIEF-5: 11-15) and severe (IIEF-5: <11). A logistic regression model was used to identify significant independent risk factors for ED. RESULTS: Overall, 51.3% of respondents (n=374) reported some degree of erectile dysfunction. Of these, 23.2% have mild ED, 8.8% have moderate ED and 19.3% had severe ED. The prevalence of ED increased from 42.8% for men in their forties to 77.4% in their sixties. The prevalence of severe ED increased from 9.1% in men in their forties to 43.5% in their sixties and 77.0% in those aged 70 and above. Age above 50 years is the single most significant risk factor on multivariate analysis when adjusted for all confounding factors. Other important risk factors include Indian ethnic group, lower household income, physical inactivity, diabetes mellitus and cardiac diseases. CONCLUSION: Erectile dysfunction is common amongst Singaporean men. Age is the single most important physiologic factor affecting erectile function. The prevalence and severity increased significantly with age after 50 years old. With an ageing population, erectile dysfunction may become a significant health problem. Health care providers should plan their resources accordingly.
Adult↗
Prevalence of prostatitis-like symptoms in Singapore: a population-based study.
OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of prostatitis-like symptoms in a generally healthy population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Singapore to evaluate "prostatitis-like symptoms" (PS), lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS),erectile dysfunction (ED), and quality of life (QoL). Respondents with pain or discomfort in the perineum, testicles, tip of penis or bladder/suprapubic region were identified as having prostatitis-like symptoms. RESULTS: Altogether, 1087 males aged 21 to 70 were evaluated. While at least 20% of them had some degree of LUTS, only 2.67% (29 out of 1087) had pain or discomfort suggestive of prostatitis. Six men had pain in the bladder or suprapubic region, two in the perineum, six at the tip of penis and 26 had pain during micturition (11 subjects had more than one location of pain). Only two men had severe pain while seven had moderate and the rest had mild pain. The mean age of subjects with PS was 43.14. In terms of racial distribution, 2.23% (18) of Chinese, 3.15% (4) of Malay, 4.49% (4) of Indians and 12.12% (3) of other ethnic origin had PS. Those who had PS had worse erectile function (International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) 11.92 vs. 17.16, p < 0.003) and a worse QoL score (2.96 vs. 1.38, p < 0.001) than those without PS. Those with PS were more bothered and worried about their symptoms. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of prostatitis-like symptoms in a largely Chinese population is 2.67%. Prostatitis-like symptoms have a negative impact on the quality of life and erectile function.
Adult↗
Use of the internet for self-education by patients with prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVES: To define use of the Internet for self-education by a cohort of patients with prostate cancer and to arrive at some relevant recommendations for the practicing urologist. Little has been published about patient use of the Internet in investigating their health conditions, specifically prostate cancer. METHODS: In April 1999, a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was mailed to 490 men with the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Institutional ethics approval was obtained. Standard statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: Of 490 questionnaires mailed, a total of 312 (63.7%) were available for analysis. Forty-eight percent of patients were 60 to 69 years old. Fifty-two percent of patients had never used a computer, and 25% described daily use. Only 35% of this cohort had used the Internet. Ninety-one patients had used the Internet to obtain information about prostate cancer, with 53 doing so after diagnosis but before deciding on treatment. Twenty-eight patients stated that Internet information influenced their decision about treatment. Not surprisingly, patients were more likely to use the Internet for health information if they were younger, had a higher education level, owned a personal computer, and had prior computing experience. Most patients could not recall the exact web sites they had visited but tended to recall the sites of some well-known institutions. CONCLUSIONS: In this Canadian cohort study, we found a substantial (and most likely, rapidly increasing) number of patients used the Internet to obtain health information. This information may influence patients' decisions regarding treatment and, as urologists, we should participate in the development of web sites directed toward shared decision-making. A list of practical recommendations has been formulated.
Analysis of Variance↗
Beliefs and perceptions of patients with acne.
BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of information on the knowledge and understanding of patients with acne about their condition. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions of acne patients regarding their understanding of acne pathogenesis, sources of information, treatment options, and expectations. METHODS: Patients referred to a community-based dermatologist for management of acne vulgaris completed a self-administered questionnaire. Responses were correlated with demographic and clinical information. RESULTS: Seventy-four percent of patients waited more than 1 year before seeking medical attention for acne. Nonprescription products used most frequently were cleansers, acne pads, and lotions. Acne was most often believed to be caused by hormonal and genetic factors, although diet, poor skin hygiene, and infection were also implicated. Information on acne was obtained primarily from family physicians, mass media, friends, and family, but was largely believed to be inadequate. Acne was believed to be curable by 49% of patients with an anticipated treatment duration of less than 6 months. Male patients and those with severe acne preferred systemic therapy compared with female patients and those with lesser grades of acne. CONCLUSION: There is a need for accessible, accurate, community-based education on the natural history of acne, pathogenesis, risk of sequelae, the effectiveness and expected duration of treatment, and the importance of prompt medical attention.
Acne Vulgaris↗
Oral contraceptives in the treatment of acne.
Oral contraceptives (OCs) can reduce acne by lowering the production of adrenal and ovarian androgens, by inhibiting 5-alpha-reductase, which in turn, reduces the levels of dihydrotestosterone, and by stimulating sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), thus reducing the levels of free testosterone. In newer OCs, such as Tricyclen and Diane-35, the progestin component is minimally androgenic and anti-androgenic respectively, thereby enhancing the favorable profile of these products in the treatment of hyperandrogenic disorders, including acne. The efficacy of these agents and their long-term safety profile supports their use in various grades of acne in females: * As adjunctive therapy to topical agents for women with mild non-scarring acne desiring oral contraception * As primary therapy for patients with moderate non-scarring acne in combination with topical therapy and systemic antibiotics * As one of two preferred methods of contraception in patients with scarring and severe inflammatory acne being treated with systemic isotretinoin.
5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors↗
A new formulation containing sunscreen (SPF 15) and 1% metronidazole (ROSASOL Cream) in the treatment of rosacea.
ROSASOL Cream is a novel topical formulation of 1% metronidazole in a vehicle containing sunscreens (SPF 15). This product has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of inflammatory lesions, erythema, and telangiectasiae associated with rosacea.
Drug Combinations↗
Perspectives on isotretinoin and the Canadian Consensus Guidelines on treatment of acne.
Treatment objectives and pharmacoeconomic considerations are important when developing guidelines that are effective and rational. Canadian Acne Treatment Guidelines were last published in 1995. New guidelines were recently developed to incorporate therapeutic advances and data from more recent studies. Isotretinoin fulfills the major objectives of acne treatment and has clear pharmacoeconomic advantages when compared to conventional rotational oral antibiotics, antiandrogens and topical therapy in the treatment of moderate-to-severe acne. It should be considered the standard of treatment for scarring acne and moderate-to-severe non-scarring acne.
Acne Vulgaris↗
Treatment of acne vulgaris and prevention of acne scarring: canadian consensus guidelines.
Acne affects approximately 95% of the population at some point during their lifetime.1 This common disorder can range from mild to severe forms, cause sometimes extensive scarring, and can last well into the fourth and fifth decades. Effective therapeutic agents are available to both treat acne and prevent ongoing disease. Despite this, dermatologists frequently see patients with significant acne scarring because many patients delay seeking medical attention for acne and many practitioners procrastinate over using effective antiscarring options. In patients who already demonstrate scarring, repeated courses of antibiotics only result in recurring acne and additional scarring. This, in turn, exacerbates the despair and other adverse psychosocial effects of the disease. There are a variety of agents and devices to help acne patients with scarring. However, successful treatment cannot be guaranteed, and in most cases residual scarring will be evident. Thus, the most effective way of managing acne scarring is to prevent its occurrence in the first place. Although we currently have a number of effective antiacne agents to control the disease, such as antibiotics and hormonal agents, isotretinoina is the only agent that has been shown to induce long-term drug-free remission and curative potential.
Acne Vulgaris↗
The critical success factor approach to strategic alignment: seeking a trail from a health organization's goals to its management information infrastructure.
The critical success factor (CSF) approach is a technique that will aid health administrators, planners and managers to identify, specify and sort among the most relevant and critical factors determining an organization's survival and success. Following a top-down management perspective, this paper discusses the CSF methodology as a strategic information management process comprising several important phases: (i) understanding the external factors such as the organization's industry, market and environment; (ii) achieving strong support and championship from top management; (iii) encouraging the proactive involvement of management and staff in generic CSF identification; (iv) educating and directing the participation of staff members in CSF verification and further refinement of generic CSFs into specific CSFs; and (v) aggregating, prioritizing and translating activity-related CSFs into organizational information requirements for the design of the organization's management information infrastructure. The implementation of this CSF approach is illustrated in the context of a British Columbia community hospital, with insights provided into key issues for future health researchers and practitioners.
British Columbia↗
Strategic relevance and accountability expectations: new perspectives for health care information technology design.
In this article, we discuss the traditional systems analysis perspective on end-user information requirements analysis and extend it to merge with the new accountability expectations perspective to guide the future planning and design of health organization information systems. Underlying the strategic relevance of health care information technology (HCIT) are three critical questions: (1) What is the ideal HCIT model for the health organization in terms of achieving strategic expertise and competitive advantage? Specifically, how does this model link industry performance standards with organizational performance and accountability expectations? (2) How should the limitations of past HCIT models be reconciled to the benefits presented by the superior arrangement of the ideal model in the context of changing accountability expectations? (3) How should alternative HCIT solutions be evaluated in light of evidence-based accountability and organizational performance benchmarking? Insights into these questions will ensure that health care managers, HCIT practitioners and researchers can continue to focus on the most critical issues in harnessing today's fast-paced changing technologies for evolving strategically relevant, performance-based health organization systems.
Benchmarking↗
Integrating cost information with health management support system: an enhanced methodology to assess health care quality drivers.
Changes in health care delivery, reimbursement schemes, and organizational structure have required health organizations to manage the costs of providing patient care while maintaining high levels of clinical and patient satisfaction outcomes. Today, cost information, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction results must become more fully integrated if strategic competitiveness and benefits are to be realized in health management decision making, especially in multi-entity organizational settings. Unfortunately, traditional administrative and financial systems are not well equipped to cater to such information needs. This article presents a framework for the acquisition, generation, analysis, and reporting of cost information with clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction in the context of evolving health management and decision-support system technology. More specifically, the article focuses on an enhanced costing methodology for determining and producing improved, integrated cost-outcomes information. Implementation issues and areas for future research in cost-information management and decision-support domains are also discussed.
Data Collection↗
A model for achieving total quality-management information technology infrastructure within an integrated delivery system.
The strategic development and deployment of a health management information technology infrastructure is discussed from two perspectives for radiologists and for other medical technologists: the integrated delivery system (IDS) perspective and a total quality-management (TQM) perspective. On the one hand, an IDS perspective is important because of the need to prepare radiologists and other medical practitioners to thrive within rapidly changing health organizational models and evolving health service delivery partnership systems. On the other, a TQM perspective is important due to the need to realize an appropriate, efficient, and cost-effective health information infrastructure for developing seamless, integrated radiological and other medical imaging services. Apart from intelligently pursuing an aligned organizational business strategy with the organizational information system strategy, senior radiological managers and medical technologists of health organizations need to pay particular attention to key quality principles for effecting changes in organizational structures and processes to fit changes in information technological requirements, implementations, and innovations.
Computer Communication Networks↗
Designing health care information systems for integrated delivery systems: where we are and where we need to be.
A critical step in evolving an integrated delivery system (IDS) is planning, designing, and technologically realizing an efficient, appropriate, and effective infrastructure for developing an integrated network of information systems. The key to meeting this objective philosophically, logically, and physically in the face of rapid advances in computing technology and communication trends is often poorly understood by health providers and managers. The article discusses the concept of a total quality management information system model and illustrates how this sort of thinking can be applied to guide the critical steps that must be undertaken to plan, design, and develop a networked infrastructure of health care information systems that can facilitate information exchange and sharing among multiple health care providers within an IDS.
Canada↗
Graduate education in health decision support systems (HDSSs): reconfiguring the health information system (HIS) basket or putting HDSS Humpty Dumpty together again?
Building on previous discussions in graduate health information system (HIS) education, this article focuses on the design of a course in health decision support systems (HDSSs). The goal here is not simply to add to existing prospectives of HIS theories and methodologies, but to prepare these students for changing trends in HIS technologies and applications and for new challenges in HIS administration and impacts arising from these emerging, more advanced, and complex technologies. Specifically, advancing HDSS technology: (1) promises to close the gap between theory and practice, (2) creates a new perspective for the application of information technologies in health care organizations, and (3) enhances innovations in the management and implementation of health information technologies. This paper highlights the need for graduate education in HDSS domain knowledge and how such knowledge can be taught in preparing students for managing change in the future health care environment.
British Columbia↗
Pustular psoriasis and hepatotoxicity associated with use of Skin Cap spray.
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Administration, Topical↗
Design of effective health decision support systems: towards automating the health administrators's decision processes.
There has been very little evidence to suggest the effective use of, and demand for, computer-based systems by health care administrators to support their increasingly complex decision-making activities. This is so, despite a considerable amount of research attention paid to examining the efficiency and power of mathematical models, and the application of increasingly sophisticated Management Science Techniques to problems encountered within the health care system over the last several years. In recent times, advancing computer technology: 1) promises to close the gap between theory and practice, 2) creates a new perspective for computerized decision support in health care organisations, and 3) points to the need for new directions in research. This paper highlights the factors that are critical to the success of interfacing between health managerial decision-makers and effective computerized decision aids.
Budgets↗
Health graphics: reconciling theory and practice in the 21st century.
This presentation attempts to break away from traditional beliefs about the promises of computer graphics, particularly regarding their application for information management within the health care industry. A key question in graphical interface research for designers and practitioners is whether human information processing, including perceptual, cognitive, and decisional effectiveness, can and will improve with the use of innovative (e.g., color graphics) versus traditional modes (e.g., monochrome tables) of representation. A careful survey of the large existing bodies of empirical literature bearing on this question suggests that too much medical information processing has proceeded through the blind creation of new forms of computer graphical interface without a preliminary thinking about the cognitive aspects of the task at hand. Several research-based guidelines are drawn to provide both the practitioners and users with insights as to how one should best approach the selection of a particular graphical interface for use in a health administrative or clinical information system setting. The presentation also suggests directions for future research in the domain of health graphics for information management and clinical decision support.
Adult↗