Accuracy of a Rapid Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Plus a Chromogenic Phenotypic Test Algorithm for Detection of Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamase and Carbapenemase-Producing Gram-Negative Bacilli in Positive Blood Culture Bottles.

We studied the performance of an algorithm combining multiplex polymerase chain reaction with phenotypic detection of extended-spectrum ß-lactamases and carbapenemases directly from positive blood culture bottles in patients with gram-negative bacteremia and found good concordance with routine cultures. Such an algorithm may be a tool to improve time to optimal therapy in patients with gram-negative bacteremia.

Patterns of use and perceived value of social media for population health among population health stakeholders: a cross-sectional web-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Although existing studies have described patterns of social media use in healthcare, most are focused on health professionals in one discipline. Population health requires a multi-disciplinary approach to ensure diversity and to include diverse stakeholders. To date, what is known about using social media in population health is focused on its potential as a communication tool. This study aims to investigate patterns of use and perceived value of social media usage among stakeholders in population health practice, policy, or research. METHODS: We conducted a web-based survey of delegates attending the Singapore Population Health Conversations and Workshop. We designed a 24-item questionnaire to assess 1) social media use in terms of type of platform and frequency of use; 2) perceptions of social media relevance and impact on population health; and 3) top three areas in population health that would benefit from social media. We used descriptive and logistic regression analyses to assess the relationships between variables. RESULTS: Of the 308 survey respondents, 97.7% reported that they use social media in some form. Messaging (96.8%) was the most dominant activity when using social media. Challenges in implementing social media for population health were time investment by health care professionals (56.2%) and patient adoption (52.9%). The top three population health areas that would benefit most from using social media were the promotion of healthy behaviors (60.7%), community engagement (47.7%), and preventive care (40.6%). Older respondents (> = 40 years) were less likely to view social media as useful for the promotion of healthy behaviors (OR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.19-0.60). Non-social/healthcare professionals were more likely to consider social media to be useful for community engagement (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.10-2.76). For preventive care, older respondents (OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.32-0.82) and non-social/healthcare professionals were less likely to view social media as useful (OR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.38-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that it may be important to select the specific care areas that would benefit most from using social media. The time investment needed by population health professionals should be fully addressed in planning to maximize the application and potential value of social media.

Deep whole-genome sequencing of 100 southeast Asian Malays.

Whole-genome sequencing across multiple samples in a population provides an unprecedented opportunity for comprehensively characterizing the polymorphic variants in the population. Although the 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP) has offered brief insights into the value of population-level sequencing, the low coverage has compromised the ability to confidently detect rare and low-frequency variants. In addition, the composition of populations in the 1KGP is not complete, despite the fact that the study design has been extended to more than 2,500 samples from more than 20 population groups. The Malays are one of the Austronesian groups predominantly present in Southeast Asia and Oceania, and the Singapore Sequencing Malay Project (SSMP) aims to perform deep whole-genome sequencing of 100 healthy Malays. By sequencing at a minimum of 30× coverage, we have illustrated the higher sensitivity at detecting low-frequency and rare variants and the ability to investigate the presence of hotspots of functional mutations. Compared to the low-pass sequencing in the 1KGP, the deeper coverage allows more functional variants to be identified for each person. A comparison of the fidelity of genotype imputation of Malays indicated that a population-specific reference panel, such as the SSMP, outperforms a cosmopolitan panel with larger number of individuals for common SNPs. For lower-frequency (<5%) markers, a larger number of individuals might have to be whole-genome sequenced so that the accuracy currently afforded by the 1KGP can be achieved. The SSMP data are expected to be the benchmark for evaluating the value of deep population-level sequencing versus low-pass sequencing, especially in populations that are poorly represented in population-genetics studies.

Prevalence of disturbed bowel functions and its association with disturbed bladder and sexual functions in the male population.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Chronic constipation is usually associated with young women, and urinary and sexual dysfunction has been reported as co-morbidity. Elderly men also appear to suffer from chronic constipation, as well as lower urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction, but their association as co-morbidity has not been studied in the community. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of bowel symptoms in our community with particular reference to the association with urinary and sexual dysfunction in the male population. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional survey involving 2276 subjects (1143 male, 1133 female) representative of the Singapore population demographics was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of chronic bowel disturbances, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), and erectile dysfunction (ED). RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic constipation was 25.1% overall, with the highest in men aged ≥ 70 years (35.8%) followed by women aged 20-29 years (30.5%). The commonest symptoms reported in chronic constipation were hard stool (95.1%), straining (90.9%) and incomplete evacuation (53.8%). Bloating was often experienced by 25.5% of the community, among whom 61.1% had some form of bowel disturbance. In men aged ≥ 30 years, LUTS (7.8% v 3.1%) and ED (60.5% v 48.6%) were more common in men with than without chronic constipation; constipation was an independent predictor of ED. CONCLUSIONS: In this Asian urban community, chronic constipation was more common than previously suspected, and urinary and erectile dysfunction were found to be co-morbidity in men.

Facilitators and Barriers to Uptake of Community-Based Diabetes Prevention Program Among Multi-Ethnic Asian Patients With Prediabetes.

Objective: This study aimed to identify facilitators and barriers to the uptake of a community-based diabetes prevention program (DPP) from the perspectives of decliners with prediabetes in a multi-ethnic Asian community. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 individuals with prediabetes who declined participation in a large community-based diabetes prevention program in Singapore. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify themes, which were subsequently mapped onto the Capacity-Opportunity-Motivation and Behavior model (COM-B). Results: We identified 16 key themes under three COM-B domains. Health status at the time of invitation, perceived ability of self-management, understanding of prediabetes condition and/or the program intention (Capability) were important determinants. Family commitment had the strong potential to enable or hinder physical and social Opportunity related to participation. Many participants desired involvement of physician as part of program invitation and component. Fear of exacerbation coupled with an automatic aversion for suffering influenced Motivation for participation. Conclusion: Identifying facilitators and barriers embedded in the COM-B will assist systematic program modifications to increase participation of individuals with prediabetes. How information about modifiable risk factors is communicated by physicians at the point of diagnosis and program introduction is key to participation. Co-locating programs with family activity, development of mHealth, readiness assessment, and tailored explanation of program purpose may increase participation. These findings will be used to guide future national interventions in the community to ensure successful implementation.

Developing population health research priorities in Asian city state: Results from a multi-step participatory community engagement.

OBJECTIVES: To identify a broad range of research priorities to inform the studies seeking to improve population health outcomes based on the engagement of diverse stakeholders. METHODS: A multi-step, participatory and mixed-methods approach was adopted to solicit and structure the investigative themes from diverse stakeholders. The priority setting exercise involved four key phases: (1) feedback from community leadership; (2) interim ranking survey and focus group discussions during the population health symposium; (3) individual in-depth interviews with stakeholders in the community; and (4) synthesis of the research priorities from the multistep process. RESULTS: Diverse stakeholders in Singapore, comprising community partnership leaders, health care and social service providers, users of population health services, patients and caregivers, participated in the research priority setting exercise. Initial 14 priorities were identified from six community leadership feedback, 42 survey responses, two focus groups (n = 16) and 95 in-depth interviews. The final integrated research agenda identified six priorities: empower residents and patients to take charge of their health; improve care transition and management through relationship building and communication; enhance health-social care interface; improve respite care services for long-term caregivers; develop primary care as a driving force for care integration; and capacity building for service providers. Selected research questions in each priority area were also generated to develop novel models of care, foster collaboration, implement optimal services and enhance understanding of the end users' care needs. CONCLUSIONS: This study illuminates that greater community engagement in research priority setting for population health can facilitate the formulation of evidence-based research agendas that matter to the care providers and service users in the community. The outcomes derived from this exercise will help focus researchers' efforts through which meaningful gains can be made for population health.

A comparative study of condom use and self-reported sexually transmitted infections between foreign Asian and local clients of sex workers in Singapore.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a survey to compare condom use and its associated factors between foreign Asian and local clients of female sex workers in Singapore. STUDY: A survey was conducted between 2001 and 2002 on a random sample of 810 clients (677 foreign Asian workers and 133 locals) recruited from the streets and outside the brothels in Singapore. RESULTS: Foreign clients were more likely than locals to be inconsistent condom users with sex workers. Clients from China reported the highest percentage of inconsistent condom use (29.2%) and sexually transmitted infections (16.7%) compared with 8.3% (P < 0.003) and 2.3% (P < 0.005), respectively, among locals. On multivariate analysis, inconsistent condom use among foreign clients increased significantly with the number of freelance sex workers. The reverse trend was found for local clients. CONCLUSION: There is a need to design separate condom-promotion programs for foreign Asian and local clients of sex workers in Singapore.

The prevalence, symptom characteristics, and impact of irritable bowel syndrome in an asian urban community.

OBJECTIVES: To study the epidemiology, symptom characteristics and impact of IBS in an urban Asian population. METHODS: A validated bowel symptom questionnaire was administered at face-to-face interviews to a random sample of 3,000 households in Singapore. RESULTS: The response rate was 78.2% (n = 2,276, 1,143 males and 1,133 females). The age, sex, and racial distribution of our respondents were similar to the general population and there was no significant difference between respondents and nonrespondents by type of household. The prevalence of IBS was 11.0%, 10.4%, and 8.6% by Manning (>1 criteria), Rome I and Rome II criteria, respectively. There was a higher prevalence of IBS in those <50 years of age (9.7%vs 5.8% 50 or > years, p = 0.002), with more than 6 years of education (9.8%vs 5.9% 6 year or <, p = 0.002) and living in landed property (16.8%vs 8.2% living in apartments and public housing, p = 0.008). There was no striking preponderance of female IBS subjects. Chronic constipation was a more common bowel disturbance than chronic diarrhea among our IBS subjects (51.0%vs 12.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence and impact of IBS in our Asian urban society are greater than previously appreciated. We believe that our results provide a useful window to the future trends of gastrointestinal diseases for health and education authorities in developing Asian countries to look into.

Concerns over participation in genetic research among Malay-Muslims, Chinese and Indians in Singapore: a focus group study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at exploring and comparing peoples' concerns over donation of blood specimens for genetic research across three ethnic groups in Singapore: Malay-Muslims, Chinese and Indians. METHODS: We conducted 12 focus group sessions among 98 participants with 7-10 in each group. RESULTS: Concerns over donation of blood specimens for genetic research were diverse, with all ethnic groups expressing anxiety about breach of confidentiality, finding out that they have a disease and misuse of research for cloning. Other concerns included fear of pain, blood and needle pricks and misconceptions of adverse health effects such as weight gain from donating blood specimens. Malay-Muslims were generally concerned about the selection process, potential racial discrimination, and religious beliefs regarding blood storage while Chinese and Indians were concerned about giving blood to strangers and being inconvenienced by participating in research. CONCLUSION: Programmes to promote community participation in genetic research should address the diverse ethnic concerns, design ethnic-sensitive messages and involve the community.