News & Stories

Medtech & the next generation of healthcare

​Dr Gao Yujia, Assistant Group Chief Technology Officer at National University Health System, talked about the advantages of medtech, such as training medical teams overseas without physical limitations. He cited holomedicine as one type of medtech, where surgeons in different countries can look at the same holographic scan and discuss the case in real time. 

Cancer Awareness - World Cancer Day

​In a live radio and Facebook video with Oli 96.8FM in conjunction with World Cancer Day, Dr Sreyes Ravi, Resident Physician, Department of Radiation Oncology, National University Cancer Institute Singapore, discussed the risk factors, symptoms and treatment options of a few common cancers seen in Singapore. He also shared about the national cancer screening programmes that are available and the importance of early detection for better treatment outcomes.

Singapore records 19 dengue deaths in 2022, nearly four times 2021’s toll

​ST cited Prof Tikki Pang, Visiting Professor at NUS Medicine, who had previously shared that dengue vaccination could help protect the elderly and the vulnerable, noting that the majority of deaths from the disease here are among those aged 65 and above. 

CDC warns EzriCare eyedrops may be linked to bacteria infections, 1 death

​Dr David Chen, Associate Consultant, Department of Ophthalmology, NUH, shared that Pseudomonas aeruginosa is found in the environment and skin and typically enters eye drops through contamination with environmental agents. The bacteria is a common cause of corneal infections (microbial keratitis), which can lead to permanent visual damage or blindness if not treated properly.

Singapore records 19 dengue deaths in 2022, nearly four times 2021’s toll

​The Straits Times cited Prof Tikki Pang, Visiting Professor at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, who had previously shared that dengue vaccination could help protect the elderly and the vulnerable, noting that the majority of deaths from the disease here are among those aged 65 and above. 

• The New Paper Online, 31 January 2023, 19 dengue deaths recorded in 2022, nearly four times 2021’s toll
  

• Asia News Network, 1 February 2023, Number of Singapore dengue cases in 2022 likely to be second highest on record
  

• Head Topics, 31 January 2023, Singapore records 19 dengue deaths in 2022, nearly four times 2021’s toll
  

• Newswav, 31 January 2023, Singapore records 19 dengue deaths in 2022, nearly four times 2021’s toll
  

• Red Hot, 31 January 2023, Singapore records 19 dengue deaths in 2022, more than three times 2021’s toll
  

Headaches and how to treat them

Health Check Podcast: Why is ageing viewed negatively, and what can we do about it?

​In a podcast on Singapore’s updated action plan for successful ageing, Prof Kua Ee Heok, Tan Geok Yin Professor in Psychiatry and Neuroscience, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and Vice Chairman of the Mind Science Centre, National Univesity Health System, spoke about a 10-year study on positive ageing and dementia prevention in the elderly residents of Jurong.

• Razor TV, 1 February 2023, S1E100: Why is ageing viewed negatively, and what can we do about it?
  

心房颤动的警号 (Warning signs of atrial fibrillation)

​Asst Prof Yeo Tee Joo, Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, National University Health Centre Singapore, shared that statistics would show a higher number of people suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF) now due to greater awareness and testing. More patients are also susceptible to the condition because of various diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and coronary artery disease, among others. He added that those with a family history of AF are at higher risk of developing the condition.

本地研究： 幼童看屏幕时间过多 影响大脑执行功能发展 (Local study: Too much screen time for young children affects brain executive function development)

A local longitudinal study, Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO), found that too much screen time for children can affect executive function development. Children with executive functioning deficits often have difficulty controlling emotions, sustaining attention, following multi-step instructions, and persisting in difficult tasks. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), A*STAR Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), National Institute of Education, KKH, McGill University and Harvard Medical School.

Prof Chong Yap Seng, Dean of NUS Medicine, noted that with these results, more can be learnt about how environmental factors affect the health and development of our children, and by giving each child the best start in life, there can be more informed decisions about improving the health and potential of every Singaporean.

Commentary: Who should we hold responsible when AI goes wrong?

​In a commentary by Dr Anantharaman Muralidharan, Research Fellow, Centre for Biomedical Ethics, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, he discusses the responsibility of users, manufacturers and programmers for AI malfunction and how it was underscored that many of the tasks AI would perform required judgement. Dr Muralidharan suggested that humans must be the final decision-maker, as the outputs of AI could never be decisions as such, only recommendations.

COVID-19: Should Singapore lift mask-wearing rule on public transport, healthcare venues? Experts think so

​A/Prof Alex Cook, Vice Dean of Research from NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that in Singapore, the risk of death for COVID-19 has lowered. He added that Singapore’s position is sufficiently stable enough for it to lower its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition, or Dorscon, to the green level.

• Berita Mediacorp, 1 February 2023, Haruskah SG tarik balik pemakaian pelitup dalam pengangkutan awam, persekitaran jagaan kesihatan? (Should SG recall the wearing of masks in public transport, healthcare settings?)
  

专家：低钠盐对健康有益 但并不适合所有人食用 (Experts: Low-sodium salt has its benefits but it is not for everyone)

​Dr Emmett Wong Tsz Yeung, Consultant in NUH’s Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, and Adult Kidney Transplantation Programme, NUCOT, explained that low-sodium salt, in which sodium is replaced by potassium, may not be suitable and could sometimes be life-threatening for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. Consuming such low-sodium salt may result in high potassium levels in these patients, leading to consequences such as muscle weakness, cardiac arrhythmia and even sudden death.  

小身躯大爱心 骑行100公里为慈善 (Small in size, big in spirit: Cycling 100km for charity)

​CanCycle, jointly organised by National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS), the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore and National University of Singapore Centre for Cancer Research, runs until 11 February. This is a cycling campaign to raise funds and awareness for cancer research work done in the lab that will ultimately translate to better care and treatment for cancer patients. Dr Caryn Wujanto, Registrar, Department of Radiation Oncology, NCIS, said more research will ultimately improve the overall survival rate and quality of life for cancer patients. Dr Wujanto has joined CanCycle with her son, nine-year-old Sebastian Djene Putera, who said cycling up slopes is one of the challenges he encounters. Sebastian also roped in his friend, Por Yu Han, to join their CHAINcancer team in CanCycle to support charity.

Call for ICU patients in S’pore to participate in trial to find best pneumonia treatment

The Year of the Coronabbit

​A commentary by Adj A/Prof Ren Ee Chee, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and Principal Investigator at Singapore Immunology Network, A*STAR, and Prof Benjamin Seet, Deputy Group CEO for Education and Research at National Healthcare Group, noted that it is a challenge to predict with certainty what the COVID-19 virus could do, as its genetic evolution continues to take a random and uncharted path.