Multidisciplinary

Top Medical News
Chronic wounds cost Singapore 0.07% of GDP
Jairia Dela Cruz, 15 hours ago
Chronic wounds impose a substantial economic burden on Singapore, costing the country approximately 0.07 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) annually, as reported in a study.
Liver cirrhosis tied to higher risk of herpes zoster
16 hours ago
The risk of herpes zoster (HZ) and HZ-related hospitalization is much higher among patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), especially those who are not currently recommended for HZ vaccination, than the general population, according to a nationwide population-based study in Korea.
Calcium-channel blocker use ups glaucoma prevalence
Stephen Padilla, 17 hours ago
Use of calcium-channel blockers (CCBs) appears to increase the risk of developing glaucoma, suggests a study. In addition, use of systemic beta blockers is associated with lower intraocular pressure (IOP).
Almond-enriched diet promotes weight loss, helps lower cardiovascular risk
Stephen Padilla, 18 hours ago
An energy-restricted, almond-enriched diet (AED) is as effective as an energy-restricted nut-free control diet (NFD) in promoting and maintaining weight loss, reports a study, noting that both diets support cardiometabolic health.
Passive smoking: Does it influence risk of childhood atopic eczema, food allergy?
Audrey Abella, 19 hours ago
A systematic review and meta-analysis from Singapore demonstrates that parental smoking is not a strong risk factor for offspring eczema, food allergy, and food sensitization development.
No benefit to adding subablative multisite SBRT to ICI monotherapy for advanced solid tumours
23 hours ago
Adding subablative stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) concurrently to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy does little to improve survival outcomes in patients with advanced solid tumours, as shown in the phase II CHEERS trial.
Dupilumab improves lung function in children with moderate-to-severe type 2 asthma
Elaine Soliven, Yesterday

Treatment with dupilumab significantly improves lung function in children with moderate-to-severe type 2 asthma compared with placebo, according to two post hoc analyses presented at ERS 2023.

Special Reports
FOCUS ON POLYCYTHAEMIA VERA
01 Sep 2023
At the recent MPN Expert Forum held in Kuching, Dr Chew Lee Ping (Consultant Haematologist, Sarawak General Hospital) and Dr Yong Kar Ying (Clinical Haematologist Hospital Miri Sarawak) shared their expert opinion on treating hydroxyurea (HU) resistance/intolerance in Polycythaemia Vera (PV) patients, where real-life patients were managed successfully.
Inclisiran provides additional LDL Cholesterol-Lowering Benefit for the selected patients.
01 Sep 2023
Consultant Cardiologist Dr Yew Kuan Leong elaborates on the efficacy and safety of inclisiran, a new LDL cholesterol-lowering injectable medication now available in Malaysia, and the target group of patients benefiting from the additional LDL cholesterol-lowering therapy.
Naltrexone/Bupropion combination Aids Weight Management by Suppressing Hunger and Reducing Craving
01 Aug 2023
Dr. Kevin Lee, Consultant Endocrinologist and Specialist Physician, and Professor Dr. Norlaila Mustafa, Consultant Endocrinologist, discussed the role of naltrexone HCl 8 mg/bupropion HCl 90 mg prolonged-release tablets in weight management among patients with obesity during a recent symposium in Kuala Lumpur. 
Potential Strategies to Reduce the Incidence and Burden of SMA
01 Aug 2023
A renowned expert in clinical genetics explains various potential strategies that may be employed at different stages of life to lighten the burden caused by spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) on patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system.
Delivering a One-Two Punch in the Treatment of
Hypertension With a Vasodilating β-blocker
01 Aug 2023
Hypertension (HT) is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the global leading cause of death from non-communicable diseases.  Patients with CVD and comorbid HT have a poor prognosis owing to increased mortality rates. In recent decades, the prevalence of HT in developing countries has increased owing to economic development and an ageing population.  According to the 2019, Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey, the prevalence of HT in adults above 18 years of age was 30%, and this increased with age, rising to 81.7% among older adults above 75 years of age. Other established risk factors for HT include gender, body mass index, smoking and alcohol intake. The management of HT typically involves lifestyle modifications and pharmacological treatment with appropriate blood pressure (BP)-lowering medications. Third-generation vasodilating β-blockers are an example of antihypertensives that are increasingly prescribed in recent years.
Improve Surgical Outcomes For you and your patients.
31 Jul 2023
Dry Eye can be an annoying complication when planning surgery.  Dry Eye is commonly considered as part of the postoperative standard of care. However, Dry Eye commonly results in impaired ocular surfaces, which increases surgical difficulty and creates adverse effects on pre-operative planning for cataract surgery, including intraocular lens (IOL) calculations, Toric IOL Axis and magnitude estimates, keratometry, and topography measurements.
Topical NSAIDs in the Management of Osteoarthritis
Pain: A Consensus Approach by Malaysian Experts
01 Jul 2023
In an era marked by a growing prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA),healthcare professionals (HCPs) are called upon to employ effective and safe pain management strategies. Yet, despite their prominence as a first-line treatment approach in international guidelines, topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) remain underutilized in Malaysia. In an effort to bridge this gap, a group of esteemed orthopaedic surgeons and rheumatologists who are key opinion leaders and researchers in Malaysia recently developed eight consensus recommendations, shedding light on the burden of OA, safety and efficacy of topical NSAIDs, as well as importance of patient education. This article offers a succinct summary of this evidence-based consensus statement which stands poised to provide much-needed guidance on the use of topical NSAIDs in the management of OA pain for HCPs across Malaysia.
Conference Reports
Dupilumab improves lung function in children with moderate-to-severe type 2 asthma
Elaine Soliven, 26 Sep 2023

Treatment with dupilumab significantly improves lung function in children with moderate-to-severe type 2 asthma compared with placebo, according to two post hoc analyses presented at ERS 2023.

Is CPAP cardioprotective?
Audrey Abella, 25 Sep 2023
Two studies presented at ERS 2023 demonstrated the potential of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to address cardiovascular (CV) risks in individuals with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
Vaping tied to chronic stress, poor QoL in young adults
Stephen Padilla, 23 Sep 2023
Use of e-cigarette (EC) shows a significant relation with a higher incidence of chronic stress and is indicative of poorer quality of life (QoL) in young adults, suggests a study presented at ERS 2023.
Fatigue in COPD influenced by multiple contributing factors
Jairia Dela Cruz, 22 Sep 2023
Fatigue in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be caused by factors such as shortness of breath, sleep quality, pain, and fatigue-related catastrophizing, according to the FAntasTIGUE study.
Varenicline for smoking cessation in teens?
Stephen Padilla, 22 Sep 2023
A recent Mendelian randomization (MR) study provides genetic evidence showing that smoking can accelerate ageing as a result of shortened leucocyte telomere length (LTL). However, quitting may help reduce such risk.
OCT- vs angiography-guided PCI for bifurcation lesions: Which is better?
Audrey Abella, 22 Sep 2023
In percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for complex bifurcation lesions, optical coherence tomography (OCT) guidance outdid the angiography-guided approach, findings from the OCTOBER* trial have shown.
Benralizumab reduces asthma exacerbations in Asians
Elaine Soliven, 22 Sep 2023

Treatment with benralizumab significantly reduces the annual asthma exacerbation rate (AAER) among Asian patients with severe uncontrolled asthma compared with placebo, according to a subgroup analysis of the MIRACLE trial presented at ERS 2023.