Rare Cause of Facial Palsy: Case Report of Tick Paralysis by Ixodes Holocyclus Imported by a Patient Travelling into Singapore from Australia.

Background: Ticks are blood-sucking arachnids that feed on all classes of vertebrates, including humans. Ixodes holocyclus, also known as the Australian Paralysis Tick, is capable of causing a myriad of clinical issues in humans and companion animals, including the transmission of infectious agents, toxin-mediated paralysis, allergic and inflammatory reactions, and mammalian meat allergies in humans. The Australian Paralysis Tick is endemic to Australia, and only two other exported cases have been reported in the literature.

Intratympanic steroids as a salvage treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss? A meta-analysis.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is typically treated with systemic steroids. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of salvage intratympanic steroid treatment in patients who have initial treatment failure with systemic steroids. A MEDLINE literature search was performed, supported by searches of Web of Science, Biosis, and Science Direct.

Clinical audit of the microbiology of otorrhoea referred to a tertiary hospital in Singapore.

Introduction: Otorrhoea is a common complaint in Ear, Nose and Throat clinics. This study aimed to establish the pathogens involved in cases of otorrhoea in Singapore, their sensitivity patterns and the effectiveness of empirical management.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 91 patients with otorrhoea who had undergone swab cultures between July 2010 and February 2011.

Low local recurrence rates in young Asian patients with phyllodes tumours: less is more.

Background: Phyllodes tumours are increasingly being discovered incidentally in young patients after excision of a seemingly innocuous breast lump. The clinical course of this group of patients has not been well-described, especially in the Asian population.

Methods: A retrospective review of 44 consecutive patients below 25 years of age undergoing surgery for phyllodes tumours at our institution from 1992 to 2010 was conducted.