Publications by authors named "Michelle Zhi Ling Kee"

Objective: To characterise lifestyle patterns (comprising dietary and movement behaviour aspects) of children in Singapore and examine the correlates of these patterns.

Design: An observational study approach was used. Children recorded their diet and activities over two weekdays and two weekend days on a validated web-based assessment, My E-Diary for Activities and Lifestyle (MEDAL).

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Background: Most previous research on the environmental epidemiology of childhood atopic eczema, rhinitis and wheeze is limited in the scope of risk factors studied. Our study adopted a machine learning approach to explore the role of the exposome starting already in the preconception phase.

Methods: We performed a combined analysis of two multi-ethnic Asian birth cohorts, the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) and the Singapore PREconception Study of long Term maternal and child Outcomes (S-PRESTO) cohorts.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to explore the connections between acute postpartum pain, psychological factors, socioeconomic status, and labor analgesia on the development of sub-acute pain after childbirth, which occurs between four weeks to three months postpartum.
  • - Conducted as a prospective cohort study at a major maternity hospital in Singapore, researchers focused on women planning to conceive while excluding those with various health conditions and complications.
  • - Results indicated that 9.5% of women experienced sub-acute pain; higher initial pain scores, use of certain analgesics, and elevated psychological distress before conception were identified as significant risk factors for developing this pain.
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Background: Increasing evidence suggests that maternal distress is a risk factor for development of respiratory infections and allergic diseases in the offspring. We aim to evaluate the link between maternal distress during critical periods in early life, namely the preconception, pregnancy and postnatal periods, and development of respiratory infections and allergic diseases in the offspring from the Singapore PREconception Study of long Term maternal and child Outcomes (S-PRESTO) cohort.

Methods: Maternal perceived distress was evaluated using validated questionnaires including Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) administered during three time periods: preconception (three months apart at four timepoints), pregnancy (during each trimester) and postnatal (3 and 6 months post-delivery).

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The Singapore Preconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes (S-PRESTO) is a preconception, longitudinal cohort study that aims to study the effects of nutrition, lifestyle, and maternal mood prior to and during pregnancy on the epigenome of the offspring and clinically important outcomes including duration of gestation, fetal growth, metabolic and neural phenotypes in the offspring. Between February 2015 and October 2017, the S-PRESTO study recruited 1039 Chinese, Malay or Indian (or any combinations thereof) women aged 18-45 years and who intended to get pregnant and deliver in Singapore, resulting in 1032 unique participants and 373 children born in the cohort. The participants were followed up for 3 visits during the preconception phase and censored at 12 months of follow up if pregnancy was not achieved (N = 557 censored).

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Growth cones are guided to their final destination by intermediate targets. Here, we identify intermediate targets and signaling components acting on zebrafish habenula commissural axons. Live imaging establishes that axons pause at the medial habenula before and after crossing the roof plate.

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