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Purpose: The study aims to describe the characteristics and etiologic causes of intermediate uveitis (IU) patients seen by a tertiary eye center in Singapore over 8 years. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of the clinical records of consecutive new cases of IU that presented to the uveitis subspecialty clinic from 2004–2011 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Data collected included demographics, clinical and laboratory findings. Diagnoses were based on standardized clinical history, ophthalmological examination and investigations. Results: There were 66 new cases of IU, comprising 5.7% of 1168 new uveitis patients. The median age of diagnosis was 40 years (mean 39.4±15.9), with largest subgroup of the patients in the age group of 41–60 years (36.4%). The majority was Chinese (57.6%), followed by Asian Indians (18.2%) and Malays (16.7%). The ethnicity distribution was dissimilar to our ethnic distribution in Singapore (p<0.001) with an increased incidence of IU in the Asian Indian population. Most were idiopathic (59.1%) in etiology, followed by tuberculosis (TB) (15.2%). Ocular complications developed in 21 patients (31.8%), with cystoid macular edema (CME) being the commonest (28.8%). Severe vitritis occurred in 9.1% of patients, and was significantly associated with TB-associated IU (p<0.001). There was a downward trend for the incidence of the proportion of IU patients over the total uveitis patients (p = 0.021), with Spearman’s rho of −0.786. Conclusions: Despite the downward trend, TB-associated IU was still of higher prevalence compared to less endemic areas, emphasizing the need for increased TB surveillance. A high index of suspicion for TB-associated IU is required in patients with severe vitritis. Comparisons with other countries revealed disparities in the IU etiologies, indicating possible geographical differences. Prevalence of known immune-mediated etiologies of IU is less compared to the western population. Our study also suggests a probable predisposition of the Singapore local Indian population for IU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which aims to determine the short-term outcome of neuropsychiatric (NP) events of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) upon enrollment into an international inception cohort study. Patient-derived mental component summary (MCS) scores were lower in patients with NP events according to the study. Results suggest that there was a significant association between physician outcome scores and patient MCS scores only for NP events attributed to SLE.

Background: Endothelial injury is an important prognostic factor in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a critical role in endothelial destruction and angiogenesis. Genetic variations of the VEGF gene have been associated with VEGF production. A study was undertaken to investigate the impact of VEGF gene polymorphisms on the clinical outcomes of ARDS.Methods: Three VEGF polymorphisms (-460C/T, +405C/G and +936C/T) were determined in 1253 patients in an intensive care unit with risk factors for ARDS, 394 of whom developed ARDS. Patients were followed for assessment of 60 day survival. Plasma VEGF levels were measured in 71 patients with ARDS.Results: The +936TT (OR 4.29, 95% CI 1.12 to 16.40, p = 0.03) and +936CT+TT (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.42, p = 0.01) genotypes were significantly associated with increased mortality from ARDS. Plasma VEGF levels in patients with ARDS with the +936CT+TT genotype were significantly lower than in subjects with the +936CC genotype (median 49 (IQR 16-98) pg/ml vs 112 (IQR 47-162) pg/ml, p = 0.02). At the haplotype level, haplotype TCT (-460T+405C+936T) was significantly associated with a higher rate of mortality (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.30 to 6.43, p = 0.009) and haplotype CGT (-460C+405G+936T) was associated less strongly with increased mortality (OR 1.90, 95% CI 0.94 to 3.83, p = 0.07) in patients with ARDS. Lower plasma VEGF levels were correlated with the probability of haplotype CGT (coefficient = -0.26, p<0.05), but the same trend of correlation was not significant to haplotype TCT.Conclusions: VEGF polymorphisms may contribute to the prognosis and inter-individual variations in circulating VEGF levels in patients with ARDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide variations exist in the methods for evaluating potency following radical prostatectomy. We describe our technique of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP), present our methods for assessing the return of potency following LRP, and discuss the relevant literature. Sexual function was assessed pre- and postoperatively using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite questionnaire (EPIC). Sexual function subscale scores (SFSS) were reported as a percentage of preoperative baseline sexual function. The EPIC was also used for single-question assessment of successful intercourse. We also reviewed the literature on prospective health-related quality of life results following LRP and open radical retropubic prostatectomy. Only patients reporting preoperative intercourse were analyzed. Of these, 72 and 35% undergoing bilateral and unilateral nerve sparing (NS) reported postoperative intercourse at 12 months (P=0.01). Mean SFSS at 12 months was 61 and 57% of baseline after bilateral and unilateral NS, respectively (P=0.71). Following NS procedures, 74% of patients 58 years of age and 41% of patients >58 years of age reported successful intercourse at 12 months (P=0.015). Mean SFSS was 64 and 52% of baseline function (P=0.249) at 12 months for patients 58 and >58 years of age, respectively. In patients <58 years of age who underwent bilateral NS surgery, 82% reported intercourse at 12 months. In conclusion, return of sexual function following NS LRP in our experience is comparable to reports from centers of excellence in open prostatectomy. Standardizing data collection using validated quality of life instruments can provide both surgeon and patient with a realistic forecast of relative return to normal sexual function following prostatectomy.International Journal of Impotence Research (2006) 18, 69–76. doi:10.1038/sj.ijir.3901376; published online 11 August 2005 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To study the influence of patient characteristics and unit ergonomics and human factors on the time to initiation of CPR.Methods: A single center study of children, 0 to 21 years old, admitted to an ICU who experienced cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) requiring >1 min of chest compressions. Time of CPA was determined by analysis of continuous ECG, plethysmography, arterial blood pressure, and end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) waveforms. Initiation of CPR was identified by the onset of cyclic artifact in the ECG waveform. Patient characteristics and unit ergonomics and human factors were examined including CPA cause, identification on the High-Risk Checklist (HRC), existing monitoring, ICU type, time of day, nursing shift change, and outcome.Results: The median time from CPA to initiation of CPR was 50.5 s (IQR 26.5 to 127.5) in 36 CPAs. Forty-seven percent of patients experienced time from CPA to initiation of CPR of >1 min. There was no difference in CPA cause, ICU type, time of day, or nursing shift change.Conclusion: Nearly half of pediatric patients who experienced CPA in an ICU setting did not meet AHA guidelines for early initiation of CPR. This is an opportunity to study the recognition phase of CPA using continuous monitoring data with the aim of improving the understanding of and factors contributing to delays in initiation of CPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To track penicillin susceptibility among Streptococcus pneumoniae causing invasive diseases and to evaluate risk factors for antibiotic resistance. Methods A retrospective study was performed in a medical center of all patients with invasive pneumococcal infections based on positive microbiological findings, confirmed by appropriate clinical and laboratory findings. MICs of penicillin and ceftriaxone were determined and interpreted by NCCLS methodology. Results Fifty-three episodes of invasive S. pneumoniae infections (ISPI) among 22 children and 31 adults were identified. The disease patterns of ISPI were similar between children and adults, and the most common modes were pneumonia (70%) and primary bacteremia (23%). The rate of penicillin-nonsusceptible S. pneumoniae (PNSP) isolated from pediatric patients was higher than that in adult patients (95.5% vs. 54.8%, P < 0.001). This finding was correlated to prior antibiotic use that was more common in children (36.4%) than in adults (18.9%). The rate of penicillin-resistance among S. pneumoniae isolates (PRSP) was extremely high in this area: 45.5% from pediatric patients and 41.9% from adult patients. More adults (90.3%) with ISPI had major underlying diseases than children (4.5%). This may explain why adult patients tended to run an unfavorable outcome (mortality rate, 51.6% and 4.5% in adults and children, respectively), although most of the cases with empyema were children. None of the patients enrolled in this study received pneumococcal vaccination. Conclusion We suggest that vaccines be administered for young children and the elderly with major underlying diseases to prevent ISPI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]