Individual and combined effects of muscle strength and visceral adiposity on incident prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in a longitudinal cohort of midlife Asian women.

Aim: To investigate the independent and combined effects of muscle strength and visceral adiposity on prediabetes and type 2 diabetes incidence among midlife women.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study of midlife women (mean age 56.4 years), visceral adiposity, defined as visceral adipose tissue (VAT) >131 cm measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and poor combined muscle strength, defined as handgrip strength <18 kg and/or five-time repeated chair stand test performance ≥12 s, were determined at baseline between 2014 and 2016.

Polycystic ovary syndrome v.2023: Simplified diagnostic criteria for an East Asian phenotype.

Introduction: Two decades after the Rotterdam 2003 consensus workshop, there have been considerable advances in elucidating the pathophysiology and epidemiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This has prompted the re-examination of the features that characterise this common condition. Current definitions have led to great heterogeneity in the prevalence of PCOS and have contributed to inconsistent treatment protocols and assessment of therapeutic outcomes.

The prevalence patterns and risk factor profiles of poor muscle health and its associated components in multiethnic older Asians: The PIONEER study.

Background: We aim to determine the multiethnic patterns of the prevalence and associated factors of poor muscle health and its associated components in older Chinese, Malays, and Indian Asian adults.

Methods: We included 2199 participants (mean age ± SD: 72.9 ± 8.

Associations between hypertension with reproductive and menopausal factors: An integrated women's health programme (IWHP) study.

Background: Women are less likely to have classic cardiovascular risk factors than men, and events during their reproductive and menopausal years may increase hypertension risk. The aim of this study is to examine woman-specific factors, including menstrual, reproductive and pregnancy complications, in relation to the prevalence of hypertension in mid-life Asian women.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 1146 healthy women aged 45-69 years, from a multi-ethnic Asian cohort.

Individual and combined associations of sarcopenia, osteoporosis and obesity with frailty in a multi-ethnic asian older adult population.

Background: We explored the relationships between sarcopenia (SP), osteoporosis (OP), obesity (OB), (alone and in combination) with physical frailty (PF) in a multi-ethnic, population-based study of Asians aged ≥ 60 years.

Methods: Participants were enrolled from the PopulatION HEalth and Eye Disease PRofile in Elderly Singaporeans Study (PIONEER) study. PF was defined using the modified Fried phenotype; SP using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019; OP using bone mineral density scores; and OB using the fat mass index.

Menopausal symptoms in midlife Singaporean women: Prevalence rates and associated factors from the Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP).

Objective: Menopausal symptoms can substantially impact quality of life. We studied somatic, psychological, and urogenital symptoms and their associated factors.

Design: Cross-sectional study of healthy midlife Singaporean women from three major Asian ethnic groups.

Associations of reading language preference with muscle strength and physical performance: Findings from the Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP).

Background: The contribution of language preference and ethnicity to muscle strength and physical performance is unclear. We examined the associations of reading language preferences with muscle strength and performance in Chinese women and compared them to other ethnicities.

Methods: The Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP) cohort comprised community-dwelling, midlife Singaporean women aged 45-69.

Factors associated with deep infiltrating endometriosis, adenomyosis and ovarian endometrioma.

Introduction: To compare epidemiological features and clinical presentations of deep infiltrating endometriosis with endometrioma and adenomyosis, as well as to identify risk factors for the respective histologically confirmed conditions.

Method: Patients undergoing index surgery at the National University Hospital, Singapore for endometriosis or adenomyosis over a 7-year period-from 2015 to 2021-were identified from hospital databases using the Table of Surgical Procedures coding. Social and epidemiological features of cases with histologically confirmed diagnoses of endometrioma only, adenomyosis only, and deep infiltrating endometriosis were compared.

Association of sarcopenia with important health conditions among community-dwelling Asian women.

This study aimed to examine sarcopenia prevalence using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS) and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) definitions, and their associations with important health conditions affecting midlife Singaporean women. Muscle mass and function were objectively assessed in 1201 healthy community-dwelling subjects aged 45-69 years under the Integrated Women's Health Program (IWHP). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), handgrip strength and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) were measured, and the relationship between sarcopenia with hypertension, type 2 diabetes (T2DM), osteoporosis, depression/anxiety, and urinary incontinence were examined using binary logistic regression models.

Serum GDF9 and BMP15 as potential markers of ovarian function in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective: Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein-15 (BMP15) are critical paracrine regulators of female fertility and are predominantly expressed by oocytes. However, it is unknown if serum concentrations reflect changes in ovarian function and/or reproductive endocrine disorders. This study aimed to determine if serum GDF9/BMP15 are associated with ovarian, pituitary, oestrogenic, androgenic and metabolic characteristics and the ovarian pathologies, polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

The Associations between Upper and Lower Body Muscle Strength and Diabetes among Midlife Women.

We hypothesized that a combined index of upper and lower body muscle strength would be more strongly associated with diabetes than either measure alone. Women recruited into the Integrated Women's Health Program had their handgrip strength (HGS) measured using a dynamometer and underwent a timed 5-repetition chair stand (RCS) test. HGS < 18 kg and RCS performance ≥ 12 s assessed upper and lower body strength, respectively, both individually and combined in a muscle strength index (MSI).

Diagnosis and management of polycystic ovary syndrome: Perspectives of clinicians in Singapore.

Introduction: To harmonise the diagnostic processes of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and enable clinicians to provide better patient care, it is critical to understand the knowledge gaps in PCOS diagnosis. We evaluated how clinicians in endocrinology, family medicine, general practice and gynaecology diagnose PCOS.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey involved 208 clinicians from specific subspecialties across various healthcare settings in Singapore.

Sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction in midlife Singaporean women: A prospective cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors.

Objectives: To examine factors relating to both sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction in midlife Singaporean women.

Study Design: Sociodemographic, medical/lifestyle factors, physical activity, BMI, handgrip strength (HGS) and physical performance data collected from healthy Chinese, Indian, and Malay women, aged 45-69 years, attending gynaecology clinics.

Main Outcome Measures: Sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction (defined as total score ≤ 26.

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to examine the safety, pharmacokinetics and effects of Epimedium prenylflavonoids, on bone specific alkaline phosphatase and the osteoclast adaptor protein TRAF6 in post-menopausal women.

Background: Fragility fractures due to menopausal osteoporosis are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Osteoporotic medications have substantial side effects that limit long term use.

Hypotheses: Ingestion of a purified extract of Epimedium spp.

Higher risk of type 2 diabetes in women with hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective: To assess the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in relation to body mass index (BMI) and the hyperandrogenic (HA) PCOS phenotype.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Setting: Data from six Swedish national registers, with participants being followed for a maximum of 19 years.

Menopausal osteoporosis: screening, prevention and treatment.

Screening for osteoporosis in women can be based on age and weight, using the Osteoporosis Screening Tool for Asians and assessment for other risk factors such as early menopause, Chinese ethnicity and other secondary factors. Based on the resulting risk profile, women can be triaged to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning for definite diagnosis of osteoporosis. Treatment should be considered in women with previous fragility fractures, DEXA-diagnosed osteoporosis and high risk of fracture.

Effect of body mass index (BMI) on phenotypic features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Singapore women: a prospective cross-sectional study.

Background: A diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and its related phenotypic features including increased hair growth can affect a woman's social and emotional well-being. We aim to determine firstly, if excess body weight affects menstrual cycle length, excessive hair growth and other phenotypic features in healthy women without PCOS and secondly, whether having PCOS exacerbates the effects of high body mass index (BMI).

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study involving healthy women (21-45 years) recruited at an annual health screen for hospital staff and volunteers from the university community, and PCOS cases referred to tertiary gynecological clinics in Singapore.

A Smartphone App to Restore Optimal Weight (SPAROW) in Women With Recent Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Lifestyle interventions aimed at postpartum weight loss to reduce T2DM risk have been reported, but poor compliance remains a barrier. Smartphone-based interventions may improve compliance, but data on its use in women with recent GDM are limited.

Preventing early-onset group B streptococcal sepsis: clinical risk factor-based screening or culture-based screening?

Introduction: Two strategies are available for prevention of early-onset group B streptococcal (GBS) sepsis - clinical risk factor-based screening and routine culture-based screening of pregnant women for GBS colonisation. In our hospital, we switched from the former to the latter approach in 2014.

Methods: We compared the incidence of early-onset GBS sepsis during 2001-2015 between infants born to pregnant women who were screened for GBS colonisation and those born to women who were not screened.

Predictors of circulating vitamin D levels in healthy mid-life Singaporean women.

Unlabelled: Vitamin D levels were lowest in Indian and Malay compared to Chinese women, and in younger and employed women. The main reason for hypovitaminosis D in study women was deficient cutaneous production. Supplementation in regions with abundant sunshine should consider ethnicity and opportunities for exposure to sunlight.

Blood pressure and adiposity in midlife Singaporean women.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiac events and stroke. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is known to increase the risk of incident hypertension in adults. Although adiposity has been linked to markers of inflammation, few studies have examined these markers as potential mediators of the association between visceral adiposity and elevated blood pressure.

Factors associated with re-initiation of antidepressant treatment following discontinuation during pregnancy: a register-based cohort study.

Antidepressant treatment when facing a pregnancy is an important issue for many women and their physicians. We hypothesized that women with a greater burden of pre-pregnancy psychiatric illness would be more likely to re-initiate antidepressants following discontinuation of treatment during pregnancy. A register-based cohort study was carried out including 38,595 women who gave birth between the 1st of January 2007 and the 31st of December 2014, who had filled a prescription for an antidepressant medication in the year prior to conception.

Risk factors for insulin resistance in midlife Singaporean women.

Objectives: To understand the extent to which risk factors for insulin resistance are mediated by body mass index (BMI), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), physical activity and performance, and the inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- α, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).

Study Design: A wide range of socio-demographic characteristics of Chinese, Malay and Indian women attending routine gynecologic care in Singapore were prospectively collected. Physical performance was objectively measured by hand grip strength and the Short Physical Performance Battery.