Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 38 in total

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  1. Sun C, Liew G, Wang JJ, Mitchell P, Saw SM, Aung T, et al.
    Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2008 May;49(5):1784-90.
    PMID: 18436813 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.07-1450
    To describe the relationship of retinal vascular caliber with cardiovascular risk factors in an Asian population.
  2. Sahadevan S, Saw SM, Gao W, Tan LC, Chin JJ, Hong CY, et al.
    J Am Geriatr Soc, 2008 Nov;56(11):2061-8.
    PMID: 19016940 DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.01992.x
    To study the prevalence of dementia in Singapore among Chinese, Malays, and Indians.
  3. Venketasubramanian N, Tan LC, Sahadevan S, Chin JJ, Krishnamoorthy ES, Hong CY, et al.
    Stroke, 2005 Mar;36(3):551-6.
    PMID: 15692124
    Stroke prevalence data among mixed Asian populations are lacking. Prevalence rates of stroke were studied among Singaporeans aged > or =50 years of Chinese, Malay, and Indian origin.
  4. Chan EW, Chiang PP, Wong TY, Saw SM, Loon SC, Aung T, et al.
    Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2013 Feb;54(2):1169-75.
    PMID: 23341009 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.12-10258
    We determined the impact of glaucoma severity and laterality on vision-specific functioning (VF) in an Asian population.
  5. Loh FH, Khin LW, Saw SM, Lee JJ, Gu K
    Maturitas, 2005 Nov-Dec;52(3-4):169-80.
    PMID: 16257608
    To describe the prevalence of menopausal symptoms, define the mean age of menopause, and determine contributory factors, which influence the experience of symptoms among Singaporean women of different racial groups.
  6. Lau EM, Suriwongpaisal P, Lee JK, Das De S, Festin MR, Saw SM, et al.
    J. Bone Miner. Res., 2001 Mar;16(3):572-80.
    PMID: 11277276 DOI: 10.1359/jbmr.2001.16.3.572
    The objectives of the Asian Osteoporosis Study (AOS) were to determine risk factors for hip fracture in men and women in four Asian countries, that is, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. A total of 451 men and 725 women (aged 50 years and over) with hip fractures were compared with an equal number of community controls. A standardized questionnaire was administered by interview. The following relative risks (RRs) were found in women and men by multiple logistic regression: dietary calcium intake < 498 mg/day, 2.0 for women (95% CI, 1.5-2.8) and 1.5 for men (95% CI, 1.0-2.2); no load bearing activity in the immediate past, 2.0 for women (95% CI, 1.4-2.7) and 3.4 for men (95% CI, 2.3-5.1); no vigorous sport activities in young adulthood, 7.2 for women (95% CI, 4.0-13.0) and 2.4 for men (95% CI, 1.6-3.6); cigarette smoking, 1.5 for men (95% CI, 1.0-2.1); alcohol consumption 7 days a week, 2.9 for women (95% CI, 1.0-8.6) and 1.9 for men (95% CI, 1.1-3.2); fell twice or more in the last 12 months, 3.0 for women (95% CI, 1.8-4.8) and 3.4 for men (95% CI, 1.8-6.6); a history of fractures after 50 years of age, 1.8 for women (95% CI, 1.1-2.9) and 3.0 for men (95% CI, 1.6-5.6); a history of stroke, 3.8 for women (95% CI, 2.0-7.1) and 3.6 for men (95% CI, 1.8-7.1); use of sedatives, 2.5 for women (95% CI, 1.0-6.3) and 3.0 for men (95% CI, 1.0-9.7); and use of thyroid drugs, 7.1 for women (95% CI, 2.0-25.9) and 11.8 for men (95% CI, 1.3-106.0). Women who were 1.56 m or taller had an RR of 2.0 (95% CI, 1.3-3.0) for hip fracture and men who were 1.69 m or taller had an RR of 1.9 (95% CI, 1.2-3.1) for hip fracture. Based on these findings, primary preventive programs for hip fracture could be planned in Asia.
  7. Koh LK, Saw SM, Lee JJ, Leong KH, Lee J, National Working Committee on Osteoporosis
    Osteoporos Int, 2001;12(4):311-8.
    PMID: 11420781
    In this population-based study, we determined the incidence rates of hip fracture among Singapore residents aged 50 years and above. Information was obtained from a centralized database system which captured admissions with the primary diagnosis of a closed hip fracture (ICD-9 codes 820, 820.0, 820.2 and 820.8, n = 12,927) from all health care establishments in the country from 1991 to 1998 inclusive. After removing duplicates, hospital transfers, readmissions and non-acute care admissions, the total number of hip fractures was 9406. Based on the national population census 1990 (n = 464,100) and yearly population estimates, the age-adjusted hip fracture rates for 1991-1998 (per 100,000) were 152 in men and 402 in women. This was 1.5 and over 5 times higher than corresponding rates in the 1960s. From 1991 to 1998, these hip fracture rates tended to increase by 0.7% annually in men and by 1.2% annually in women. Among the three major racial groups, in men, the Chinese had significantly higher age-adjusted hip fracture rates (per 100,000): 168 (95% confidence interval (CI) 158-178) compared with 128 (95% CI 105-152) for Indians and 71 (95% CI 54-88) for Malays. A similar pattern occurred in women: 410 (95% CI 395-425), for Chinese compared with 361 (95% CI 290-432) for Indians and 264 (95% CI 225-303) for Malays. Since the 1960s, the main increases in hip fracture rates have been seen in the Chinese and Malays, with the rates in Indians appearing to decrease. Hip fracture incidence rates in Singapore have risen rapidly over the past 30-40 years, particularly in women, and are now among the highest in Asia. Significant racial differences in hip fracture rates occur within the same community. Time trends in hip fracture rates differed between races.
  8. Wu HM, Seet B, Yap EP, Saw SM, Lim TH, Chia KS
    Optom Vis Sci, 2001 Apr;78(4):234-9.
    PMID: 11349931
    PURPOSE: To study interethnic variation in myopia prevalence and severity in young adult males in Singapore and to determine whether these variations are related to differences in education level.

    METHODS: A population-based survey of refractive errors in a cohort of 15,095 military conscripts between July 1996 and June 1997 using noncycloplegic autorefraction and a standard questionnaire. Prevalence rates of myopia (

  9. Lau EM, Lee JK, Suriwongpaisal P, Saw SM, Das De S, Khir A, et al.
    Osteoporos Int, 2001;12(3):239-43.
    PMID: 11315243 DOI: 10.1007/s001980170135
    The Asian Osteoporosis Study (AOS) is the first multicenter study to document and compare the incidence of hip fracture in four Asian countries. Hosital discharge data for the year 1997 were obtained for the Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand (Chiang Mai). The number of patients who were 50 years of age and older and who were discharged with a diagnosis of hip fracture (ICD9 820) was enumerated. The age-specific incidence rates were deduced and were directly adjusted to the US white population in 1989. The age-adjusted rates for men and women (per 100,000) are as follows: Hong Kong, 180 and 459; Singapore, 164 and 442; Malaysia, 88 and 218; Thailand, 114 and 289; compared with US White rates of 187 in men and 535 in women, published in 1989. We conclude that there is moderate variation in the incidence of hip fracture among Asian countries. The rates were highest in urbanized countries. With rapid economic development in Asia, hip fracture will prove to be a major public health challenge.
  10. Lee YS, Kek BL, Poh LK, Saw SM, Loke KY
    J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr, 2008 Aug;47(2):172-8.
    PMID: 18664869 DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0b013e318162a0e5
    To identify factors associated with raised alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and gamma-glutaryl transferase in severely obese children
  11. Loon SC, Tay WT, Saw SM, Wang JJ, Wong TY
    Clin Exp Ophthalmol, 2009 May;37(4):362-7.
    PMID: 19594562 DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2009.02035.x
    To describe the prevalence and risk factors of ocular trauma in an urban Asian population.
  12. Saw SM, Goh PP, Cheng A, Shankar A, Tan DT, Ellwein LB
    Br J Ophthalmol, 2006 Oct;90(10):1230-5.
    PMID: 16809384
    To compare the prevalences of refractive errors in Malay, Chinese and Indian children in Malaysia and Singapore.
  13. Soh SE, Chong YS, Kwek K, Saw SM, Meaney MJ, Gluckman PD, et al.
    Ann Nutr Metab, 2014;64(3-4):218-25.
    PMID: 25300263 DOI: 10.1159/000365023
    BACKGROUND: The dramatic emergence of noncommunicable diseases (NCD) in Asia, albeit with ethnic variation, has coincided with the rapid socioeconomic and nutritional transition taking place in the region, with the prevalence of diabetes rising 5-fold in Singapore in less than 4 decades. The Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort study recruited 1,247 expectant mothers of Chinese, Malay, or Indian ethnicity in their first trimester, with detailed longitudinal tracking--through the antenatal period, birth, and the child's first 4 years of life--to examine the potential roles of fetal, developmental, and epigenetic factors in early pathways to metabolic and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

    KEY MESSAGES: A number of findings with a translational and clinical focus have already emerged. In the mothers, we found that changes and differences in food consumption varied across ethnic groups, with persistence of traditional beliefs, during pregnancy and the postpartum period. During pregnancy, higher maternal glucose levels, even in the absence of gestational diabetes mellitus, had graded relations with infant adiposity. Relations between maternal emotional health and birth outcomes and neurodevelopment have been identified. Genotype (25%) and in particular gene × environment interactions (75%) shape interindividual variations in the DNA methylome at birth. The complex effects of fixed genetic variations and different in utero environments can influence the epigenetic status at birth and the later-life phenotype.

    CONCLUSIONS: The richness of the clinical data in 3 ethnicities, the extent of the biospecimen collection, and the extensive infancy and preschool follow-up have allowed us to study the biological pathways that link fetal development to health outcomes. In the coming years, more sophisticated analyses of epigenotype-phenotype relationships will become possible as the children grow and develop. Our studies will lead to the development of clinical and population-based interventions to reduce the burden of NCD.

  14. Zheng Y, Lamoureux E, Finkelstein E, Wu R, Lavanya R, Chua D, et al.
    Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2011;52(12):8799-805.
    PMID: 21969296 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.11-7700
    It is known that a person's socioeconomic status (SES; individual-level SES) is closely correlated with his or her degree of visual impairment. Whether there is an independent relationship between area-level measures of SES (e.g., living in a lower SES environment) and visual impairment is unclear. This study describes the associations of area-level SES with visual impairment.
  15. Koh V, Cheung CY, Wong WL, Cheung CM, Wang JJ, Mitchell P, et al.
    Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2012 Feb;53(2):1018-22.
    PMID: 22247478 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.11-8557
    To describe the prevalence of epiretinal membrane (ERM) and its risk factors in an Indian population and compare the findings with other populations.
  16. Dorajoo R, Blakemore AI, Sim X, Ong RT, Ng DP, Seielstad M, et al.
    Int J Obes (Lond), 2012 Jan;36(1):159-63.
    PMID: 21544081 DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2011.86
    Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 38 obesity-associated loci among European populations. However, their contribution to obesity in other ethnicities is largely unknown.
  17. Cheung N, Lim L, Wang JJ, Islam FM, Mitchell P, Saw SM, et al.
    Am J Ophthalmol, 2008 Oct;146(4):620-4.
    PMID: 18639861 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2008.05.033
    To examine the prevalence and risk factors of retinal arteriolar emboli, a risk predictor of stroke, in an Asian population.
  18. Amerasinghe N, Wong TY, Wong WL, Mitchell P, Shen SY, Loon SC, et al.
    Arch. Ophthalmol., 2008 Aug;126(8):1101-8.
    PMID: 18695105 DOI: 10.1001/archopht.126.8.1101
    To describe the distribution and determinants of the optic cup to disc ratio (CDR) in Malay adults in Singapore.
  19. Tan LC, Venketasubramanian N, Hong CY, Sahadevan S, Chin JJ, Krishnamoorthy ES, et al.
    Neurology, 2004 Jun 08;62(11):1999-2004.
    PMID: 15184604
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of Parkinson disease (PD) in Singapore and compare the rates between Singaporean Chinese, Malays, and Indians.

    METHODS: A three-phase community-based survey among a disproportionate random sample of 15,000 individuals (9,000 Chinese, 3,000 Malays, 3,000 Indians) aged 50 years and above who live in central Singapore was conducted. In phase 1, trained interviewers conducted a door-to-door survey using a validated 10-question questionnaire. In phase 2, medical specialists examined participants who screened positive to any of the questions. Participants suspected to have PD had their diagnosis confirmed in phase 3 by a movement disorders specialist.

    RESULTS: The participation rate was 67% among 22,279 eligible individuals. Forty-six participants with PD were identified of which 16 were newly diagnosed cases. The prevalence rate of PD for those aged 50 and above in Singapore was 0.30% (95% CI: 0.22 to 0.41), age-adjusted to US 1970 census. The prevalence rates increased significantly with age. The age-adjusted prevalence rates among Chinese (0.33%, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.48), Malays (0.29%, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.67), and Indians (0.28%, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.67) were the same (p = 1.0).

    CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of PD in Singapore was comparable to that of Western countries. Race-specific rates were also similar to previously reported rates and similar among the three races. Environmental factors may be more important than racially determined genetic factors in the development of PD.

  20. Lanca C, Teo A, Vivagandan A, Htoon HM, Najjar RP, Spiegel DP, et al.
    Transl Vis Sci Technol, 2019 Jul;8(4):7.
    PMID: 31360613 DOI: 10.1167/tvst.8.4.7
    Purpose: Lack of outdoor time is a known risk factor for myopia. Knowledge of the light levels reaching the eye and exposure settings, including sun-protective measures, is essential for outdoor programs and myopia. We evaluated the impact of sun-protective strategies (hat and sunglasses) on maintaining high illuminance levels to prevent myopia.

    Methods: A child-sized mannequin head was developed to measure light illuminance levels with and without sun-protective equipment, across a wide range of environments in Singapore, outdoors (open park, under a tree, street) and indoors (under a fluorescent illumination with window, under white LED-based lighting without window). A comparison was made between indoor and outdoor light levels that are experienced while children are involved in day-to-day activities.

    Results: Outdoor light levels were much higher (11,080-18,176 lux) than indoors (112-156 lux). The higher lux levels protective of myopia (>1000 lux) were measured at the tree shade (5556-7876 lux) and with hat (4112-8156 lux). Sunglasses showed lux levels between 1792 and 6800 lux. Although with sunglasses readings were lower than tree shade and hat, light levels were still 11 to 43 times higher than indoors.

    Conclusions: Recommendations on spending time outdoors for myopia prevention with adequate sun protection should be provided while partaking in outdoor activities, including protection under shaded areas, wearing a hat or sunglasses, sunscreen, and adequate hydration.

    Translational Relevance: Light levels outdoors were higher than indoors and above the threshold illuminance for myopia prevention even with adequate sun-protective measures.

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