Health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with leukemia in Singapore: a cross-sectional pilot study

There has been a paradigm shift in health service delivery to a more holistic approach, which considers Quality of Life (QoL) and overall functioning. Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional construct that encompasses physical functioning as well as psychosocial aspects of emotional and social functioning. This study explored factors related to HRQoL in Asian pediatric patients with leukemia in Singapore. The available variables included: age, treatment duration, household income, gender, ethnicity, religion, diagnosis, and phase of treatment. It is hypothesized that the relationships will be significant. In the current study, there were 60 patients (60% males) with leukemia; their ages ranged from 1 to 21 years (Mean = 8.03, Standard Deviation = 4.55). The hypothesis was partially supported. Age had a significant positive relationship with physical functioning, r(60) = 0.28, p < 0.05, physical health, r(60) = 0.28, p < 0.05, and the total HRQoL score, r(60) = 0.29, p < 0.05. Treatment duration had a positive relationship with school functioning, r(60) = 0.28, p < 0.05. All other correlations were statistically non-significant. The effects of the available psychosocial variables of gender, ethnicity, and religion were examined on scores from the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Ethnicity had a significant effect on social functioning, U = 292.00, p < 0.05, r = 0.3 (medium effect size). Specifically, Chinese (Median = 85.00, n = 33) had significantly higher scores on social functioning than others (Median = 70.00, n = 27). The remaining comparisons were statistically non-significant. The current findings added to QoL research, and provided an impetus for more research in the area of HRQoL for children with leukemia in Singapore

POVIJEST ZLARINA 3

Singapore Medical Journal354420-42

A nested case-control study of polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, and thyroid cancer in the Janus Serum Bank cohort

Background: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides have been associated with altered thyroid hormone levels in humans, but their relationship with thyroid cancer is unknown. Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study of thyroid cancer in the Norwegian Janus Serum Bank cohort using pre-diagnostic blood samples from 1972 to 1985. Incident thyroid cancer (n = 108) was ascertained through 2008. Controls were matched 2:1 by age, date of blood draw, gender, and county. We used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to quantify 36 PCB congeners and metabolites of pesticides DDT, chlordane, hexachlorocyclohexane, and hexachlorobenzene. PCBs and pesticide metabolites were evaluated individually and summed by degree of chlorination and parent compound, respectively. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using conditional logistic regression per specified increase in lipid-adjusted concentration. We additionally stratified analyses by birth cohort (1923–1932, 1933–1942, 1943–1957). Results: Increasing concentration of DDT metabolites (OR per 1000 ng/g = 0.80, 95%CI = 0.66–0.98) was inversely associated with thyroid cancer. Associations for PCBs were null or in inverse direction. We observed interactions for total PCBs, moderately-chlorinated PCBs, and chlordane metabolites with birth cohort (p ≤ 0.04). Among participants born 1943–1957, total PCBs (OR per 100 ng/g = 1.25, 95%CI = 1.00–1.56), moderately-chlorinated PCBs (OR per 100 ng/g = 1.31, 95%CI = 1.01–1.70), and chlordane metabolites (OR per 10 ng/g = 1.78, 95%CI = 1.09–2.93) were positively associated with thyroid cancer. For individuals born before 1943, associations were generally null or in the inverse direction. Conclusions: Emissions of PCBs and OC pesticides varied over time. Different risk patterns by birth cohort suggest the potential importance of timing of exposure in thyroid cancer risk. Further evaluation of these associations is warranted

Effects of sleep deprivation on neural functioning: an integrative review

Sleep deprivation has a broad variety of effects on human performance and neural functioning that manifest themselves at different levels of description. On a macroscopic level, sleep deprivation mainly affects executive functions, especially in novel tasks. Macroscopic and mesoscopic effects of sleep deprivation on brain activity include reduced cortical responsiveness to incoming stimuli, reflecting reduced attention. On a microscopic level, sleep deprivation is associated with increased levels of adenosine, a neuromodulator that has a general inhibitory effect on neural activity. The inhibition of cholinergic nuclei appears particularly relevant, as the associated decrease in cortical acetylcholine seems to cause effects of sleep deprivation on macroscopic brain activity. In general, however, the relationships between the neural effects of sleep deprivation across observation scales are poorly understood and uncovering these relationships should be a primary target in future research

Track D Social Science, Human Rights and Political Science

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138414/1/jia218442.pd

Problems and solutions in diagnosing systemic hypertension.

Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore191113-11

Postectopic U wave normalization

Journal of Electrocardiology193303-304JECA

An unusual cause of giddiness. Fig. 1: Complete heart block with prolonged QT interval. Fig. 2: Torsades de pointes.

Singapore Medical Journal34181-82, 9

Simultaneous occurrence of type A and type B Wolf-Parkinson-White conduction abnormalities: Case report

Angiology379683-686ANGI

Low voltage electrocardiogram with tachycardia in hypothyroidism--a warning sign of cardiac tamponade.

Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore226945-94