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PubMed2005

Proteomic studies of the Singapore grouper iridovirus.

The Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) genome consists of a double-stranded circular DNA of 140,131 base pairs with 162 predicted open reading frames. Our earlier study using peptide mass fingerprints generated from MALDI-TOF MS led to the identification of 26 viral proteins. The present investigation aimed to achieve a more comprehensive and precise identification of the SGIV viral proteome by two workflows: one-dimensional gel electrophoresis (1-DE) separation followed by protein identification by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS (1-DE-MALDI workflow) and shotgun proteomics in which the whole virus was digested by trypsin and the resulting peptides were separated by nano-LC and analyzed by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS (LC-MALDI workflow). In total, 44 viral proteins were identified, 25 of which were reported for the first time. Fourteen proteins were uniquely identified by the 1-DE-MALDI workflow, whereas another 10 proteins were only identified by the LC-MALDI workflow with 20 proteins found by both approaches. Moreover 13 proteins were found to have acetylated N termini. Twenty-three proteins identified contain predicted transmembrane domains, accounting for 52.3% of the total proteins identified. RT-PCR confirmed the transcription products of all the identified viral proteins. A large number of proteins identified by both the 1-DE-MALDI and the LC-MALDI workflows from this study have significantly enhanced the coverage of the SGIV proteome. The SGIV proteome is at present the only iridoviral proteome that has been extensively characterized. Our results should provide further insights into the biology of SGIV and other iridoviruses.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Vitamin A reserve of liver in health and coronary heart disease among ethnic groups in Singapore.

1. The vitamin A content of human liver tissue was determined in 363 autopsy samples. The sample comprised a total of 181 subjects dying after accidents and 182 dying from coronary heart disease among Singapore ethnic groups of both sexes. 2. The medium vitamin A reserve was 146 mg/kg in accident victims and 141 mg/kg in those who had died of coronary heart disease. Of all the samples 16% contained less than 40 mg/kg, 45% had 100-300 mg/kg, while 9% contained more than 500 mg/kg liver. 3. Among the accident victims, Indians had the lowest median liver vitamin A reserve (118 mg/kg) compared with that in other ethnic groups (137 mg/kg in Chinese, 191 mg/kg in Malays, 155 mg/kg in Caucasians). 4. The ethnic distribution of vitamin A reserve in coronary deaths was similar to that in accident victims. 5. There was no significant difference between the sexes in hepatic vitamin A reserve. 6. The distribution of vitamin A reserve in all the groups was skewed to the right.

China↗
PubMed1976

A preliminary study of the health of a populaltion staying in apartments of varying sizes in Singapore.

A study was made of the health of 438 households living in high-rise flats in three public housing estates in Singapore. These households were selected by serial sampling from a total sample of 594 households; 156 (26%) were non-respondents. The study used personal interviews to collect data. Respondents questioned directly indicated a low but positive effect of high-rise living conditions on their physical health. The perceived health status of most of these flat dwellers remained unchanged after moving into their present accomodation. The major findings with regard to mental health were: (a) worry and anxiety were associated with the socio-economic status of the respondents; (b) the recreational activities of the respondents were related to their socio-economic status, although the majority spent most of their spare time at home; (c) living conditions in flats tended to affect the patterns of social contacts of the residents with their extended families and primary groups. Three factors (income, education and ethnic group) affected the social behaviour of the respondents with regard to health: (a) the preference for, and selection of, the first source of medical treatment varied for the different soci-economic and ethnic groups; (b) self-medication was associated with ethnic group; (c) the level of education affected the decision on when to receive antenatal care.

Anxiety↗
PubMed2001

An exploratory study on the career anchors of educators in Singapore.

In this exploratory study, the authors adopted an empirical approach to determine the various primary career anchors possessed by Singapore educators, the impact of the degree of congruency between teaching and the career anchors on intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction, and turnover intentions. A number of hypotheses were supported and provided the 1st step in understanding this group of important individuals who nuture the future generation of human capital for the workplace.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Temporary employees in Singapore: what drives them?

In this study the authors provide an empirical analysis of the job attitudes and behavior of temporary workers in Singapore, compiling and categorizing the various reasons individuals choose temporary jobs, in an effort to provide a clear and comprehensive understanding of why people choose this work arrangement. A profile of temporary employees showed that job attitudes are affected by the importance of the various reasons given for being a temporary worker. This exploratory study provides a foundation on which more complex relationships between these variables can be examined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Perceived job image among police officers in Singapore: factorial dimensions and differential effects.

The authors examined the perceived job image of police officers in Singapore and its differential effects on their work-related attitudes (e.g., job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intention to quit). The authors obtained data from questionnaire surveys and focus-group interviews. Perceived job image consisted of 4 dimensions: (a) prestige, (b) integrity, (c) competence, and (d) nonroutine job nature. Results of hierarchical regression analyses suggested that the first 2 dimensions of the perceived job image construct were salient in affecting the police officers' work-related attitudes.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

A comparative study of the aerobic fitness of 421 healthy adult males in Singapore.

The maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) of 421 healthy adult males from three ethnic groups (Chinese, Malay and Indian), aged 25-54 years, was assessed from direct analyses of their expired respiratory gases during all-out runs on a treadmill as a measure of aerobic fitness. The subjects were divided into three age groups: group 1, 25-34 years; group 2, 35-44 years; group 3, 45-54 years. Each group was further subdivided into non-exercisers (NE), non-regular exercisers (NRE) and regular exercisers (RE). Consistently within each age group, regular exercisers produced significantly higher VO2 max values compared to non-regular exercisers and non-exercisers. They also met the VO2 max requirements for heavy physical work and compared favourably with the standards of the National Physical Fitness Award of Singapore and Cooper's aerobic fitness classification standards based on North American males. Non-regular exercisers and non-exercisers only met the VO2 max requirements for moderate physical work and compared poorly in both of the aerobic fitness standards.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Delays in the EMS response to and the evacuation of patients in high-rise buildings in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: Singapore is a highly urbanized and cosmopolitan city situated at the crossroads of Southeast Asia. High-rise buildings and "vertical living" are common, and the city serves as a major business, financial, and industrial hub in the region. More than 80% of the population live in high-rise apartments. This poses unique problems and challenges for emergency ambulance services personnel in the access to and evacuation of patients. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the arrival-to-patient contact delay when accessing patients in high-rise buildings and evacuating them to the hospital, compared with accessing patients in ground-level premises. METHODS: This was a prospective study carried out from February 2 to March 1, 1998, for emergency calls from two of the busiest fire stations. The first 150 consecutive cases were enrolled into each of the two groups. Cases of road traffic accidents were excluded because these did not require the crew to get into a building. The times were clocked by one of the paramedics, using a stopwatch. A high-rise building was defined as one where the crew had to ascend at least one flight of stairs. A ground-level building did not involve any stair climbing. We set forth to determine whether the interval between the following was statistically significant when comparing high-rise vs ground-level premises: 1) time when the ambulance arrives at the scene (taken as the time when the driver turns the engine off) and time of arrival at the patient's side; 2) time of leaving the dwelling with the patient and time when the ambulance starts its journey to the hospital (taken as the time when the driver starts the engine). Data analysis was done with the use of SPSS, and the one-tailed unpaired Student's t-test was used for significance testing, with the alpha error rate set at 0.05. Results. One hundred fifty runs were analyzed for each group. The mean delay from arrival to patient contact was 2.49 +/- 0.98 minutes for the high-rise group compared with 1.02 +/- 1.41 minutes for the ground-level group (difference was statistically significant with 95% CI: 1.20, 1.74 minutes; p = 0.0106). The mean delays from the time of leaving the building with the patient to the time when the ambulance turned its engine on to start its journey to the hospital were 3.24 +/- 1.58 minutes and 1.27 +/- 0.71 minutes for the two groups, respectively (difference was statistically significant with 95% CI: 1.68, 2.04 minutes; p = 0.0098). CONCLUSION: There were significant delays present when accessing patients in high-rise buildings and evacuating them to the hospital. Modification to buildings and increasing public awareness and education have been suggested to help minimize these delays.

Ambulances↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation in prehospital cardiac arrest patients in Singapore.

INTRODUCTION: The chain of survival emphasizes the importance of the four links associated with survival after cardiac arrest (CA). The involvement of laypersons has been increasing over the years. They have been contributing toward "early access," "early cardiopulmonary resuscitation" (CPR), and, of late, "early defibrillation," with the advent of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Bystander CPR rates are difficult to assess due to the lack of formal documentation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the bystander CPR rate for CA patients brought to the emergency department (ED) of an urban, tertiary teaching hospital in the central part of Singapore, over a period of 12 months. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study carried out from May 1, 1999, to April 30, 2000. "Bystander CPR" refers to an attempt to perform basic CPR by someone who is not part of an organized emergency response system. In general, this refers to the person who witnesses the arrest. RESULTS: There were 155 adult patients with CA who satisfied the inclusion criteria over the 12-month period. The median age was 62.1 +/- 6.4 years, and the majority of patients were brought in by ambulances (126, or 81.3%). There were 142 (91.6%) non-trauma and 13 (8.4%) trauma CAs. Most patients had the CA at home (96, or 61.9%), and the most common initial rhythm at presentation upon the arrival of the paramedics was ventricular fibrillation (VF) (50 patients, or 32.2%). The bystander CPR rate was 20.0% (i.e., 31 of the 155 patients). A total of 32 (20.6%) patients had return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC, defined as the return of a palpable pulse) and 31 (96.9%, or 31/32) of them were those who had some form of bystander CPR performed. Of these 31 who had bystander CPR, four (12.9%) were subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), while among those who did not have bystander CPR, all had death pronounced in the ED. Of the four patients admitted to the ICU, three (3 of 4, or 75.0%; or 3 of 155 CA patients, or 1.9%) were subsequently discharged alive from the hospital. CONCLUSION: The bystander CPR rate for prehospital CA was 20.0%. About 12.9% (4 patients) of those who had bystander CPR were admitted to the ICU, compared with none from the group that did not receive any form of bystander CPR. Three patients (1.9% of all prehospital CAs) were discharged alive from the hospital.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Parasuicide: a Singapore perspective.

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to determine whether there were ethnic and social variations in parasuicide in the population of Singapore. METHODS: All hospital records of parasuicide from a teaching hospital between 1991 and 1995 were reviewed. Demographic data, reasons precipitating the suicide attempt and the psychiatric diagnoses were recorded. Altogether 814 patients were identified. RESULTS: There was a general upward trend of cases admitted from 1991 to 1995. Young females appear to be the most vulnerable accounting for 60.5% of the study population. The Indian community has significantly higher risk of parasuicide compared to the Chinese and Malays. Overdose of medication was the most common method with paracetamol being implicated in 48.1% of all overdoses. CONCLUSION: Differences in parasuicide rates amongst the three ethnic communities can be attributed to various socio-cultural factors. The phenomenon of parasuicide is of increasing importance as it particularly involves adolescents and young adults. Suicide prevention will continue to present a challenge for mental health professionals in the foreseeable future.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed2004

Psychosocial stressors that precipitate dissociative trance disorder in Singapore.

OBJECTIVE: To study the psychosocial stressors that precipitate dissociative trance disorder (DTD) and to identify predictors of DTD. METHOD: We conducted semistructured interviews in which detailed information was obtained for 58 cases diagnosed with DTD at a psychiatric hospital in Singapore. A comparison group of 58 patients who received treatment at the same hospital for major depression (MD) were also interviewed, using the same instrument. RESULTS: While 100% of the DTD group described at least one psychosocial stressor, only 80% of the MD group did so. Common stressors for the DTD group include problems with military life (38%), conflicts over religious and cultural issues (38%), and domestic disharmony and marital woes (24%). Conflicts over religious and cultural issues seemed to be important in the precipitation of DTD but not in the precipitation of MD (p < 0.001). Logistic regression reveals that the following are positive predictors for DTD: conflicts over religious and cultural issues; prior exposure to trance states; and being a spiritual healer or his/her assistant. CONCLUSIONS: An understanding of the precipitating psychosocial stressors that overwhelmed the patient's coping abilities would have implications for treatment and enable the clinician to devise strategies for intervention and prevention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Identification of hepatitis B surface antigen variants with alterations outside the "a" determinant in immunized Singapore infants.

Vaccine-associated hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) mutations have been mainly identified within the "a" determinant (aa 124-147). Now changes have been detected that are located outside the "a" determinant from immunized Singapore infants born to hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier mothers. These include Asn116 to Thr116, Val118 to Ala118, Pro120 to Ser120, Ala159 to Val159, Phe183 to Cys183, and Val184 to Ala184. Decreased binding to "a" determinant-specific monoclonal antibody was observed for variants Pro120 to Ser120, Ala159 to Val159, and Phe183 to Cys183. Unlike other HBsAg variants, the Asn116-to-Thr116 HBsAg variant had the wild type threonine in the infant, whereas the mutated asparagine was found in the mother. Vertical transmission is indicated for Phe183-to-Cys183 and Val184-to-Ala184 HBsAg variants, as they were found in both the infants and mothers. Detailed analysis of these HBsAg variants would provide further understanding of the antigenic structure of HBV.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Mild illness associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection: lessons from a prospective seroepidemiologic study of health-care workers in a teaching hospital in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a newly recognized infectious disease that has recently emerged in East Asia and North America. Although the clinical features of acute infection have been well described, mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic infections have not been well characterized. OBJECTIVE: To assess the spectrum of illness in health-care workers (HCWs). METHODS: A prospective seroepidemiologic cohort study was conducted on 372 HCWs in a large teaching hospital in Singapore who were both exposed and not exposed to patients with SARS. Participating HCWs completed a questionnaire and provided paired serum samples, which were analyzed by 2 different laboratories blinded to clinical data, by use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on a protocol developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a dot-blot immunoassay, with confirmation by a viral neutralization assay. RESULTS: A total of 21 patients with SARS were treated at our hospital. They were associated with transmission to 14 staff members, patients, and visitors in our hospital. Of the 372 HCWs participating in the present study, 8 were found to have positive antibodies to the SARS coronavirus in both samples by use of both test methods, and 6 had pneumonia and had been hospitalized for either probable or suspected SARS infection, whereas 2 had fever but did not have changes on chest radiographs. All seropositive HCWs had been exposed either directly or indirectly to patients with SARS. No asymptomatic, nonexposed staff members were found to be seropositive. There was a trend towards protection for HCWs who, while fully protected, had had contact with patients with SARS. CONCLUSIONS: Although the majority of cases of SARS are associated with pneumonia, a small number of mildly symptomatic individuals do seroconvert. HCWs who are exposed to patients with SARS can be infected with SARS, regardless of the intensity of exposure. This has implications for surveillance and infection control planning, in the event that SARS returns next winter.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in Singapore is usually "healthcare associated".

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. SETTING: A teaching hospital in Singapore. METHODS: Prospectively collected surveillance data were reviewed during a 1-year period to determine the extent and origin of community-acquired MRSA infections. RESULTS: Whereas 32% of 383 MRSA infections were detected less than 48 hours after hospital admission and would, by convention, be classified as "community acquired," all but one of these were among patients who had been exposed to outpatient centers including dialysis or chemotherapy clinics, visiting nurses, community hospitals, or all three. CONCLUSIONS: With health care increasingly being delivered in an outpatient setting, community-acquired MRSA infections are often acquired in hospital-related sites and most may be more accurately described as "healthcare acquired." Infection control measures need to move beyond the traditional paradigm of acute care hospitals to effectively control the spread of resistant pathogens.

Community-Acquired Infections↗
PubMed2004

Prevalence of and risk factors for nasal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus among human immunodeficiency virus-positive outpatients in Singapore.

We studied the prevalence of and risk factors for Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in HIV-positive outpatients in Singapore. Overall prevalence was 23% (45 of 195), with 3% (6 of 195) being MRSA. Recent antibiotic use and hospitalization were independent predictors of MRSA colonization. Isolates were genotypically identical to our hospital's inpatient circulating strain.

HIV Infections↗
PubMed2006

First outbreak of colonization and infection with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in a tertiary care hospital in Singapore.

We report the first outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium colonization and infection among inpatients in the hematology ward of an acute tertiary care public hospital in Singapore. Two cases of bacteremia and 4 cases of gastrointestinal carriage were uncovered before implementation of strict infection control measures resulted in control of the outbreak.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Physical space and cyberspace: how do they interrelate? A study of offline and online social interaction choice in Singapore.

This paper investigates if the new space created by cyberspace affects how we use old space--physical space--and how the range of physical space we have access to affects our urge to extend into cyberspace. To do this I polled young IT savvy people in land-scarce Singapore about the amount of physical space they had at their disposal--private space in terms of the size of their house and bedroom space, and public space in terms of how many public meeting areas they frequented. I attempted to see if there was a correlation between the amount of physical space they enjoyed and the amount of time they spent in cyberspace.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Urinary incontinence among the elderly people of Singapore.

In a sample of 919 respondents aged 65 years and older, resident in a public housing estate in Singapore, the prevalence of regular urinary incontinence was 4.6%. Thirty-five of the 42 incontinent subjects consented to a detailed interview. The majority of these 35 cases leaked urine daily, leaked amounts over one tablespoon, or were suffering some psychological [corrected] or social effect of the incontinence. Urge incontinence was the commonest type in women and outlet obstruction in men. Almost all incontinent subjects were agreeable to having medical attention for the condition although over a third had not previously consulted medical personnel about the problem. There may be scope for the provision of primary health care continence services.

Aged↗