Integrated care teams in primary care improve clinical outcomes and care processes in patients with non-communicable diseases.

Introduction: Primary care physicians face the increasing burden of managing multimorbidities in an ageing population. Implementing an integrated care team (ICT) with defined roles and accountability to share consultation tasks is an emerging care model to address this issue. This study compared outcomes with ICT versus usual care for patients with multimorbidities in primary care.

Assessing the impact of educational methods on influenza vaccine uptake and patient knowledge and attitudes: a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Although influenza vaccination reduces rates of pneumonia, hospitalisation and mortality, influenza vaccination uptake remains low in older patients. The primary aim was to compare individualised counselling with educational pamphlets alone in improving influenza vaccination uptake. The secondary aims were to evaluate knowledge and attitudes towards influenza vaccination and factors influencing uptake.

Prevalence and factors associated with false hyperkalaemia in Asians in primary care: a cross-sectional study (the Unlysed Hyperkalaemia- the Unseen Burden (UHUB) study).

Unlabelled: Serum potassium is part of routine laboratory tests done for patients with hypertension or diabetes mellitus in primary care. Those found to have raised potassium (K>5.5 mmol/L) are recalled for repeat potassium in emergency departments or primary care clinics.

Interaction between Antibiotic Resistance, Resistance Genes, and Treatment Response for Urinary Tract Infections in Primary Care.

Given increasing antimicrobial resistance, we aimed to determine antibiotic susceptibility and presence of resistance genes in uropathogens in primary care, factors associated with resistance to commonly prescribed antibiotics, and effect of treatment on early symptom resolution. We conducted a prospective study of primary care patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms and culture-confirmed UTI in Singapore from 2015 to 2016. Cohort characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility of cultured isolates were analyzed.

Accuracy of urinary symptoms and urine microscopy in diagnosing urinary tract infection in women.

Background: Women with urinary tract infections (UTIs) often present with urinary complaints such as frequency of micturition, dysuria, foul-smelling urine and other non-specific symptoms like fever. Physicians may order urine microscopy to guide empirical antibiotic prescription. However, the performance of this approach has not been assessed.

The utility of diabetes risk score items as predictors of incident type 2 diabetes in Asian populations: An evidence-based review.

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is rising, with many Asian countries featured in the top 10 countries with the highest numbers of persons with diabetes. Reliable diabetes risk scores enable the identification of individuals at risk of developing diabetes for early intervention.

Objectives: This article aims to identify common risk factors in the risk scores with the highest discrimination; factors with the most influence on the risk score in Asian populations, and to propose a set of factors translatable to the multi-ethnic Singapore population.

[Effects of diazoxide on the mitochondrial ultrastructure and permeability in donor rat myocardium].

Objective: To investigate the effect of diazoxide (DE) on the myocardial ultrastructure and opening of maitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) in donor rat heart suffered from long-term hypothermic preservation.

Methods: The Langendorff model of isolated rat heart was used. The hearts were stored in 4 degrees C Celsior solution containing different concentration of DE (15, 30, or 45 micromol/L) for 9 h followed by 60 min of reperfusion.