Comparing characteristics and clinical and echocardiographic outcomes in low-flow vs normal-flow severe aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction in an Asian population.

Background/objectives: In severe aortic stenosis (AS), deterioration of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) to <50% is an AHA/ACC class I indication for valve replacement, regardless of symptoms. Controversy surrounds prognosis of low-flow AS compared to normal-flow, and no study has examined LVEF deterioration. We compared factors associated with LVEF deterioration (to <50%) and clinical outcomes.

Trends in importation of communicable diseases into Singapore.

Introduction: Singapore is a transition country in Southeast Asia that is both vulnerable and receptive to the introduction and re-introduction of imported communicable diseases.

Materials And Methods: For a 10-year period between 1998 and 2007 we studied the trend, epidemiological characteristics, proportion of imported versus local transmission of malaria, viral hepatitis (hepatitis A and E), enteric fevers (typhoid and paratyphoid), cholera, chikungunya and SARS.

Results: Of a total of 4617 cases of the above selected diseases notified in Singapore, 3599 (78.

Framingham risk score inadequately predicts cardiac risk in young patients presenting with a first myocardial infarction.

Introduction: The Framingham Risk Score (FRS) is a well-validated epidemiologic tool used to assess the risk for a fi rst cardiac event. Because young patients presenting with a fi rst myocardial infarction (MI) tend to have less significant risk profiles compared with older patients, we hypothesized that FRS may underestimate cardiac risk in these patients.

Materials And Methods: We studied 1267 patients between January 2002 and November 2007 presenting with a fi rst MI.