Singapore medical journalPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-02-16DOI: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2021-293
Silin Kuang, Yiong Huak Chan, Serene Wong, See Meng Khoo
{"title":"Obstructive sleep apnoea and nocturnal atrial fibrillation in patients with ischaemic heart disease.","authors":"Silin Kuang, Yiong Huak Chan, Serene Wong, See Meng Khoo","doi":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2021-293","DOIUrl":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2021-293","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular arrhythmias, are independent risk factors of mortality in patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). While there is a growing body of evidence that suggests an association between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and cardiac arrhythmias, evidence on this relationship in patients with IHD has been scant and inconsistent. We hypothesised that in patients with IHD, severe OSA is associated with an increased risk of nocturnal arrhythmias.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We studied 103 consecutive patients with IHD who underwent an overnight polysomnography. Exposed subjects were defined as patients who had an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥30/h (severe OSA), and nonexposed subjects were defined as patients who had an AHI <30/h (nonsevere OSA). All electrocardiograms (ECGs) were interpreted by the Somte ECG analysis software and confirmed by a physician blinded to the presence or absence of exposure. Arrhythmias were categorised as supraventricular and ventricular. Arrhythmia subtypes (ventricular, atrial and conduction delay) were analysed as dichotomous outcomes using multiple logistic regression models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Atrial fibrillation and AF/flutter (odds ratio 13.5, 95% confidence interval 1.66-109.83; P = 0.003) were found to be more common in the severe OSA group than in the nonsevere OSA group. This association remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of ventricular and conduction delay arrhythmias between the two groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In patients with IHD, there was a significant association between severe OSA and nocturnal AF/flutter. This underscores the need to evaluate for OSA in patients with IHD, as it may have important implications on clinical outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":94289,"journal":{"name":"Singapore medical journal","volume":" ","pages":"190-194"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12063941/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139748037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Singapore medical journalPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-04-22DOI: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2025-069
{"title":"Congratulations to the 2024 SMJ Best Research Paper Award Winners.","authors":"","doi":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2025-069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2025-069","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94289,"journal":{"name":"Singapore medical journal","volume":"66 4","pages":"227"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143996405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Singapore medical journalPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-04-22DOI: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2025-024
Glenda Sze Ling Chong, Matthew Li Wei Ang, Sebastian Enrique Illanes, Matthew Warren Kemp, Nirmal Kishnani, Mahesh Choolani
{"title":"Climate-conscious conferences: redefining medical meetings for a sustainable tomorrow.","authors":"Glenda Sze Ling Chong, Matthew Li Wei Ang, Sebastian Enrique Illanes, Matthew Warren Kemp, Nirmal Kishnani, Mahesh Choolani","doi":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2025-024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2025-024","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94289,"journal":{"name":"Singapore medical journal","volume":"66 4","pages":"175-180"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12063944/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144056737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Singapore medical journalPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-04-22DOI: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2025-051
Yu Jun Wong, George Boon-Bee Goh
{"title":"Glucagon-like-peptide 1 receptor agonist for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: hype or hope?","authors":"Yu Jun Wong, George Boon-Bee Goh","doi":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2025-051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2025-051","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94289,"journal":{"name":"Singapore medical journal","volume":"66 4","pages":"173-174"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12063942/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144060210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Singapore medical journalPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-04-22DOI: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-121
Wei Xiang Lim, Mei Ling Licia Tan, Tzu Li Sylvia Teo, Wee Hoe Gan, Shiu Hong Joshua Wong
{"title":"The Singapore Green Plan 2030: occupational health hazards in the Singapore green economy.","authors":"Wei Xiang Lim, Mei Ling Licia Tan, Tzu Li Sylvia Teo, Wee Hoe Gan, Shiu Hong Joshua Wong","doi":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-121","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>The Singapore Green Plan 2030 was released by the Singapore government to set targets for sustainability by 2030. The adoption of novel technologies, processes and substances creates new jobs, and such developments bring about new challenges and risks for both employers and workers. Beyond emerging hazards, traditional hazards still remain, but they may take on new forms through new work processes. This review aims to provide an overview of the potential occupational health issues we may encounter or anticipate in these key sectors: solar energy, waste management and recycling, green buildings, electric vehicles and battery recycling, and sustainable fuels. While existing Occupational Safety and Health regulations in Singapore serve as a foundation, there may be gaps in addressing the specific hazards and risks associated with green jobs. In this review, we propose and outline possible approaches to the protection of worker safety and health.</p>","PeriodicalId":94289,"journal":{"name":"Singapore medical journal","volume":"66 4","pages":"181-189"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12063934/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144034356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prevalence and associated factors of musculoskeletal disorders among public primary care physicians in a regional healthcare cluster in Singapore: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Jia Yi Chee, Hui Li Koh, Shu Yun Tan","doi":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-116","DOIUrl":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) commonly affect workers across many industries. This includes healthcare workers, where the prevalence of MSDs ranges from 20% to 91.2% globally. As there is a lack of studies looking at the burden of MSDs among primary care physicians (PCPs), our study aimed to understand the prevalence of MSDs and explore their associated risk factors among PCPs working in the public sector in Singapore.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a cross-sectional study, where PCPs in a primary healthcare cluster were invited to complete a self-administered web-based questionnaire, which consisted of demographic information and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographic information and prevalence of MSDs. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore the factors associated with the presence of MSDs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 193 PCPs completed the study, of whom 174 (90.2%) reported the presence of MSDs in at least one body region in the last 12 months. The most common sites of trouble were the neck (72.5%), lower back (61.1%) and shoulder (50.3%). We also found that females had a higher risk of MSDs (odds ratio 5.66; 95% confidence interval 1.29-24.90) than males.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study demonstrated a high prevalence of MSDs among our local PCPs. Female gender was associated with a higher risk of MSDs. As such, further research can be conducted to explore the risk factors for MSDs and their impact on productivity and quality of care. This would help in the development of preventive measures with the goal of reducing MSDs among PCPs.</p>","PeriodicalId":94289,"journal":{"name":"Singapore medical journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143589084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Role of ChatGPT in interventional cardiology.","authors":"Ashita Ashish Sule, Kian-Keong Poh, Dinesh Kumar Srinivasan","doi":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-139","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Since the development of Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), its roles in health care and various medical specialties have been increasingly explored, showing significant potential in supplementing clinical approaches and management, as well as medical education and training for healthcare professionals. Furthermore, ChatGPT could have potential in the field of interventional cardiology, especially in aiding clinical decision-making, education and training. However, its role in interventional cardiology has yet to be comprehensively evaluated. This review aimed to evaluate existing literature on the potential of ChatGPT in interventional cardiology to better understand and utilise the platform for clinical decision-making, education and training in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":94289,"journal":{"name":"Singapore medical journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143757258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Huili Zheng, Chalani Udhyami Ubeynarayana, Serena Kiat Mun Low, Angela Mei Chung Moh, Jonathon Kay Chin Khoo, Bhuvaneswari Pandian, Yee Boon Soh, Bastari Irwan, Sweet Fun Wong, Su Chi Lim
{"title":"Subclustering general population with high body mass index to inform future risk of diabetes mellitus.","authors":"Huili Zheng, Chalani Udhyami Ubeynarayana, Serena Kiat Mun Low, Angela Mei Chung Moh, Jonathon Kay Chin Khoo, Bhuvaneswari Pandian, Yee Boon Soh, Bastari Irwan, Sweet Fun Wong, Su Chi Lim","doi":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-099","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94289,"journal":{"name":"Singapore medical journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143675143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shaun Tay, Young Koh, Fatha Noorul As'art, Ling Tiah, Yin Yan Jia, Kelvin Kuan, Siang Hiong Goh, Beng Hoong Poon
{"title":"Emergency department visits by inmates: an epidemiology and service utilisation study.","authors":"Shaun Tay, Young Koh, Fatha Noorul As'art, Ling Tiah, Yin Yan Jia, Kelvin Kuan, Siang Hiong Goh, Beng Hoong Poon","doi":"10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2024-073","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94289,"journal":{"name":"Singapore medical journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143675142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}