Publications by authors named "Alyssa Ng"

Article Synopsis
  • Extended work hours and night shifts in healthcare can negatively impact physicians' sleep, well-being, and patient care, suggesting that alternative work schedules with shorter hours may help alleviate these problems.
  • An observational study tracked interns at a Singapore hospital for 8 weeks to compare the effects of irregular, extended shifts versus more regular, restricted-hour schedules on sleep, well-being, and cognitive performance.
  • Results indicated that participant well-being and sleep patterns varied significantly between those on irregular call schedules and those on a float schedule, highlighting the potential benefits of more predictable work hours for healthcare professionals.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated how variations in sleep affect blood glucose levels in 119 non-diabetic university students using sleep tracking devices and continuous glucose monitoring over two weeks.
  • Results showed that while longer sleep durations correlated with lower glucose variability during the same night, overall sleep had little effect on next-day glucose levels or post-meal responses.
  • The findings suggest that healthy, young adults may be less sensitive to changes in sleep patterns regarding glucose regulation than previously believed.
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Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the few cancers for which screening has been associated with better survival and morbidity, but screening uptake has been underexplored in spouses of existing patients with CRC. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a brief, structured behavioral intervention delivered to spouses of patients with CRC in a colorectal clinical setting could increase fecal immunochemical test (FIT) uptake within 3 months of the study period.

Methods: This study was designed as a block randomized, unblinded, parallel trial conducted in the colorectal outpatient clinics of 2 public tertiary hospitals in Singapore from December 2017 to February 2023.

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Objectives: Perceptions towards advanced care planning (ACP) amongst individuals with Ischemic Heart Disease before or after a life-threatening Acute Myocardial Infarction event is underexamined and could impact the appropriate timing for ACP advocacy. This cross-sectional study assessed awareness and intentions regarding ACP in individuals with Ischemic Heart Disease, both before and after an Acute Myocardial Infarction, and explored the motivating effect of a near-fatal Acute Myocardial Infarction event on its engagement.

Methods: This study was conducted from 24 August 2021 through 13 March 2023, whereby patients were administered a one-time questionnaire with no follow-up required.

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Study Objectives: Consumer sleep trackers issue daily guidance on 'readiness' without clear empirical basis. We investigated how self-rated mood, motivation, and sleepiness (MMS) levels are affected by daily fluctuations in sleep duration, timing, and efficiency and overall sleep regularity. We also determined how temporally specific these associations are.

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: It remains unclear which domains of preoperative health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and mental health are predictive of postoperative clinical and patient-reported outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. A prospective cohort of 78 CRC patients undergoing elective curative surgery was recruited. The EORTC QLQ-C30 and HADS questionnaires were administered preoperatively and one month after surgery.

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Cephalopods' remarkable behavior and complex neurobiology make them valuable comparative model organisms, but studies aimed at enhancing welfare of captive cephalopods remain uncommon. Increasing regulation of cephalopods in research laboratories has resulted in growing interest in welfare-oriented refinements, including analgesia and anesthesia. Although general and local anesthesia in cephalopods have received limited prior study, there have been no studies of systemic analgesics in cephalopods to date.

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Despite the global prevalence of colorectal cancer (CRC) and efforts in screening advocacy, screening uptake remains relatively low. Considering the greater accessibility and popularity of telemedicine in behaviour change interventions, this meta-analysis seeks to examine the usefulness of digital interventions in promoting CRC screening uptake as compared to existing non-digital strategies. A systematic search on five databases identified articles published before September 2022.

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Study Objectives: COVID-19 lockdowns drastically affected sleep, physical activity, and wellbeing. We studied how these behaviors evolved during reopening the possible contributions of continued working from home and smartphone usage.

Methods: Participants (N = 198) were studied through the lockdown and subsequent reopening period, using a wearable sleep/activity tracker, smartphone-delivered ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and passive smartphone usage tracking.

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Using polysomnography over multiple weeks to characterize an individual's habitual sleep behavior while accurate, is difficult to upscale. As an alternative, we integrated sleep measurements from a consumer sleep-tracker, smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment, and user-phone interactions in 198 participants for 2 months. User retention averaged >80% for all three modalities.

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Daytime naps have been linked with enhanced memory encoding and consolidation. It remains unclear how a daily napping schedule impacts learning throughout the day, and whether these effects are the same for well-rested and sleep restricted individuals. We compared memory in 112 adolescents who underwent two simulated school weeks containing 8 or 6.

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Study Objectives: Afternoon naps benefit memory but this may depend on whether one is a habitual napper (HN; ≥1 nap/week) or non-habitual napper (NN). Here, we investigated whether a nap would benefit HN and NN differently, as well as whether HN would be more adversely affected by nap restriction compared to NN.

Methods: Forty-six participants in the nap condition (HN-nap: n = 25, NN-nap: n = 21) took a 90-min nap (14:00-15:30 pm) on experimental days while 46 participants in the Wake condition (HN-wake: n = 24, NN-wake: n = 22) remained awake in the afternoon.

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Study Objectives: We compared the basic cognitive functions of adolescents undergoing split (nocturnal sleep + daytime nap) and continuous nocturnal sleep schedules when total sleep opportunity was either below or within the recommended range (i.e. 6.

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Objectives: Shortened sleep has negative consequences on adolescents' well-being. The present study evaluated an interactive school-based sleep education program (SEP) aimed at increasing adolescent sleep duration.

Design And Intervention: A cluster-randomized controlled trial with 12 clusters (classes) was used.

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Food product health warnings have been proposed as a potential obesity prevention strategy. This study examined the effects of text-only and text-and-graphic, negatively and positively framed health warnings on dietary choice behavior. In a 2 × 5 mixed experimental design, 96 participants completed a dietary self-control task.

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Modern societies are replete with palatable food cues. A growing body of evidence suggests that food cue exposure activates conditioned appetitive physiological and psychological responses that may override current metabolic needs and existing eating goals, such as the desire to maintain a healthy diet. This conditioned response results in unhealthy dietary choices and is a contributing factor in the current obesity epidemic.

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