Prevalence of IgE-mediated cow milk, egg, and peanut allergy in young Singapore children.

Background: The rising prevalence of food allergy reported in the United States, UK, and Australia may be attributable to the rise in peanut allergy prevalence. The food allergy prevalence in other parts of the world such as Asia is, however, less well documented.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of cow's milk, egg, and peanut allergies in a general population of Singaporean children below 30 months of age.

Aeroallergen sensitization and allergic disease phenotypes in Asia.

Allergic diseases are on the rise in Asia. Aeroallergen exposure is a strong risk factor for sensitization, development and severity of atopic diseases, especially in the Asian paediatric population. Geographical and seasonal variations in aeroallergen sensitization are seen even within Asian countries and changes in aeroallergen sensitization patterns have been observed over time.

Food allergy in Singapore: opening a new chapter.

With the exception of shellfish, the overall food allergy rates in Singapore have not reached the epidemic proportions of the West. The rates of egg, milk and fish allergies remain low. However, the patterns of some food allergies in Singapore have changed over the last decade.

Use of intravenous immunoglobulin in an Asian paediatric population over a 10-year period.

Aims: There is a paucity of data on the pattern of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) usage in the paediatric population. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, trends, indications and burden of cost of IVIG usage in the Singaporean paediatric population.

Methods: Pharmacy data of all IVIG prescriptions between 2000 and 2009 in the two major paediatric public hospitals in Singapore were retrospectively reviewed.

Food allergy in Asia: how does it compare?

Asia is a populous and diverse region and potentially an important source of information on food allergy. This review aims to summarize the current literature on food allergy from this region, comparing it with western populations. A PubMed search using strategies "Food allergy AND Asia", "Food anaphylaxis AND Asia", and "Food allergy AND each Asian country" was made.

Stem cell transplantation for primary immunodeficiency disease: experience of a singapore hospital.

We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in 7 patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases treated at the National University Hospital, Singapore, over the period from December 1996 to January 2010. The primary immunodeficiency diseases managed were X-linked hyperimmunoglobulin M syndrome (n = 3), severe combined immunodeficiency (n = 1), leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1 (n = 1), chronic granulomatous disease (n = 1), and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (n = 1). The age of the patients ranged from 5 months to 17 years.

Shellfish allergy--an Asia-Pacific perspective.

Background And Objective: Shellfish forms a common food source in the Asia-Pacific and is also growing in the West. This review aims to summarize the current literature on the epidemiology and research on shellfish allergy with particular focus on studies emerging from the Asia-Pacific region.

Data Sources: A PubMed search using search strategies "Shellfish AND Allergy", "Shellfish Allergy Asia", and "Shellfish AND anaphylaxis" was made.

What stops us from healing the healers: a survey of help-seeking behaviour, stigmatisation and depression within the medical profession.

Background: Doctors are poor at help-seeking, particularly for mental ill health; attitudes of colleagues reflecting stigmatisation may be important factors influencing decisions to seek support.

Aims: This article focuses on doctors' attitudes to depression rather than mental illness in general. It seeks to determine the extent to which doctors perceive depression is stigmatised within the medical profession and whether the level of perceived stigma affects patterns of help-seeking behaviour.

Simulating inadequate dialysis and its correction using an individualized patient-derived nomogram.

Computerized kinetic modeling is a valuable automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) prescription tool for optimizing dialysis adequacy. However, non-compliance results in failure to achieve adequacy targets. The aim of this study was to determine if a nomogram could estimate dialysis compensations for shortfalls in simulated non-compliant patients, such that total weekly urea clearance (Kt/V(urea)) targets are met.

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene family of Anopheles gambiae.

Background: Members of the M2 family of peptidases, related to mammalian angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), play important roles in regulating a number of physiological processes. As more invertebrate genomes are sequenced, there is increasing evidence of a variety of M2 peptidase genes, even within a single species. The function of these ACE-like proteins is largely unknown.

Expression and characterisation of a Psoroptes ovis glutathione S-transferase.

The astigmatid mite Psoroptes ovis is the causative agent of sheep scab, a highly contagious parasitic disease of sheep. Infection causes severe allergic dermatitis, resulting in damage to the fleece and hide, loss of condition and occasional mortality. Interest in the P.