She celebrates Hari Raya, thanks to liver transplant and altruistic donor

​14-year-old Falisha Zafilin, who was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, received a life-saving liver transplant from an altruistic donor in October 2022. The transplant surgery was conducted at NUH and Falisha’s primary doctor, Dr S. Venkatesh Karthik, Senior Consultant at NUCOT and KTP-NUCMI, NUH, shared that the team was gratified to witness Falisha’s recovery journey and continues to monitor her progress post-liver transplantation closely. Falisha now enjoys a new lease of life and participates actively in school activities.

Scientists grow 'mini kidneys,' revealing new insights into metabolic defects and potential therapy for polycystic kidney disease

​Researchers at NTU Singapore have successfully cultivated 'mini kidneys' in laboratory settings and transplanted them into live mice, shedding light on metabolic abnormalities and potential therapeutic interventions for polycystic kidney disease (PKD). A/Prof Ng Kar Hui, Senior Consultant at the Division of Paediatric Nephrology, Dialysis, and Renal Transplantation, Department of Paediatrics, KTP-NUCMI, NUH, noted that PKD is one of the biggest causes of chronic kidney diseases among adults, and that an effective treatment may potentially ameliorate the rising numbers of people with kidney failure in Singapore. She added that the establishment of such models in live organisms could lead to the discovery of more treatment options.

Major shift that could mean having to build one less hospital

​An The Straits Times feature on the Mobile Inpatient Care @ Home (MIC@Home) scheme highlighted that virtual hospitals that became a mainstream programme in April could potentially eliminate the need for another large public hospital once fully established. Participating hospitals include all hospitals under National University Health System, which has already treated nearly 4,000 patients through NUHS@Home since 2020.

The Straits Times highlighted the positive experience of current NUHS@Home patient Mr Ong Jia Rong, who opted for the programme after being diagnosed with severe cellulitis. He shared that he is confident of the team treating him and feels more comfortable at home. The feature also detailed the home visit by NUHS@Home Clinical Lead Dr Sandra Tan and Assistant Nurse Clinician Wang Yanan.

Dr Stephanie Ko, Lead for NUHS@Home, elaborated on the benefits to receiving treatments at home rather than in hospitals. She noted that National University Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Alexandra Hospital are also looking to include cancer and transplant patients under the programme. Mr Johnny Wong, Operations and Administration Lead for NUHS@Home, also shared how the MIC@Home scheme can reduce costs for hospitals.

Singaporean At Heart - An Advocate For Kidney Patients

Singaporean At Heart, an exclusive CNA series, showcases the inspiring stories of global trailblazers who have made Singapore their home. An episode spotlights Prof A Vathsala, the Co-Director of National University Centre for Organ Transplantation (NUCOT) and Head of Medicine at National University Hospital and NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, whose efforts have made kidney transplant patient outcomes in Singapore among the best in the world.

The episode highlighted the story of how she became a medical leader, educator and researcher in the fields of nephrology and kidney transplantation. A/Prof Tiong Ho Yee, Surgical Director & Senior Consultant of the Adult Kidney Transplantation Programme at NUCOT, shared how Prof Vathsala’s leadership has shaped the kidney transplant programme in Singapore.

• MeWatch, Singaporean At Heart - Ep 2 An Advocate For Kidney Patients, 21 March 2024
  

New treatments can slow progress of kidney disease, delay need for dialysis

‘I thought I was going to lose her,’ says father

​ST featured NUH patient Huang Siqing who was diagnosed with a very rare disease called atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) in 2017 and was warded in the intensive care unit for two months. As her condition was initially dire and did not improve, her mother’s friend recommended them to Prof Yap Hui Kim, Head & Emeritus Consultant, Division of Paediatric Nephrology, Dialysis and Renal Transplantation, KTP-NUCMI, NUH. The NUH medical team including Associate Consultant Dr David Lu treated her with plasmapheresis and the drug eculizumab, which successfully improved her health. Siqing completed treatment in January 2018 and now leads a normal life. Her father said that they are grateful Prof Yap was able to administer the appropriate treatment to help Siqing recover.

துவாழ்வு நரம் உறுப்பு தாளம் (Organ donation gives new life)

​A/Prof Shridhar Ganpathi Iyer, Senior Consultant, Division of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, and Surgical Director of the Adult Liver Transplantation Programme, NUCOT, said that since the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of people coming forward to donate organs has dropped. He said the average waiting time in Singapore for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor is nine years. NUH patients Satya and Diksha Anand have kidney failure. Diksha had dialysis at NUH Children’s Kidney Centre three times a week for nearly four hours each time. In 2018 when Diksha was 10, she received kidneys from a deceased donor. Satya still undergoes peritoneal dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant.

NUH docs use mouth tissue to mend man’s ureter in novel surgery

前线追踪 | 等候名单最长 他洗肾十年仍抱着希望 (Frontline: Longest waiting list; he continues to remain optimistic despite being on dialysis for 10 years)

​In a Frontline feature on organ donation and transplantation, Dr Emmett Wong, Consultant, Adult Kidney Transplantation Programme, NUCOT, NUH, discussed the causes and symptoms of end-stage kidney failure, as well as the benefits of living donor kidney transplantation. He also shared that the risk of kidney donors developing kidney failure themselves in the future is marginal.

搭配全息投影技术 病人静脉跃然眼前 (With holographic projection through 5G technology, patient’s veins appear before one’s eyes)

National University Health System (NUHS) Holomedicine programme was showcased as one of the cutting-edge projects that are part of the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s $30 million 5G Innovation Programme. The NUHS indoor private 5G Enterprise and mobile-edge computing network has been deployed in 10 operating theatres since August 2023 and three inpatient wards since early November 2023. 

Dr Gao Yujia, Assistant Group Chief Technology Officer, NUHS, and Consultant, Division of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, National University Hospital, explained that in preparation for complex surgeries such as liver transplants and brain tumour removal, the doctor and the patient each wear a HoloLens device to view the patient's 3D scan as part of patient education prior to the procedure. 

He also said the technology can be used to identify patients’ veins for blood-taking, greatly enhancing the success rates of blood draws for patients with small veins. With 5G-enabled technology, the time it takes for patients’ scans to be converted to 3D images has also been reduced from approximately 20 to 25 seconds to less than one second.

马国男孩罕见肝炎复发随母来新求医 (Malaysian boy with rare hepatitis relapse comes to Singapore with his mother to seek medical treatment)

Public hospitals in S’pore seeing rise in high-risk pregnancies

When IBD flares up

​An ST feature on the rise of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) indicated that NUH has observed an increase from almost 400 cases in 2018 to about 600 active cases of IBD in recent years. The article cited Dr Juanda Leo Hartono, Senior Consultant, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Department of Medicine, NUH, who explained that stress could be a factor in the rise in IBD cases. He also shared that emerging therapies like stool transplants have worked to manage symptoms in three out of five stool transplant patients under his care.

A life full of miracles

Cancer among younger Americans is on the rise, new study shows

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open has highlighted a concerning trend of increasing cancer rates among younger Americans, particularly women. The study showed that cancers among people under 50 have slightly increased overall, with the largest increases seen in the 30 to 39 age group. Gastrointestinal, endocrine, and breast cancers were climbing at the fastest rates. 

The senior author of the study, Assistant Professor Daniel Huang from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Senior Consultant, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, and Adult Liver Transplantation Programme, National University Centre for Organ Transplantation, National University Hospital, was cited in the reports.

• CNN, 16 August 2023, Cancer diagnosis rates are going up in younger adults, study finds, driven largely by rises in women and people in their 30s
  

• Forbes, 16 August 2023, Cancer rates among Americans Under 50 Are Slightly Rising, New Study Finds
  

• New York Post, 17 August 2023, Cancer cases are rising among younger Americans: ‘alarming’ trend
  

• Yahoo! News, 18 August 2023, New study shows significant rise in cancer rates among young AAPIs
  

• Xinhua, 17 August 2023, Cancers among younger Americans under 50 on rise: study
  

• Next Shark, 17 August 2023, New study shows significant rise in cancer rates among young AAPIs
  

• WebMD, 17 August 2023, Cancer rates rise among people under age 50
  

• The American Journal of Managed Care, 16 August 2023, Early-onset cancer incidence in the US increased through 2010s
  

• Healthline, 17 August 2023, Cancer rates on the rise for people under 50, here’s the groups affected
  

• NewsNation, 17 August 2023, 17 August 2023, Researchers find increase in younger people diagnosed with cancer
  

• The Philadelphia Tribune, 17 August 2023, Cancer diagnosis rates are going up in younger adults, study finds, driven largely by rises in women and people in their 30s
  

• Chief Healthcare Executive, 17 August 2023, More cancers found in those under 50, with women seeing higher increases
  

• The Messenger, 17 August 2023, Cancer rates are going up in those under age 50
  

• CGTN America Youtube, 17  August 2023, Study finds increase cancer cases in younger Americans
  

• KazInform, 17 August 2023, Cancers among younger Americans under 50 on rise: study
  

• Newsday, 16 August 2023, Cancer rate among those under age 50 ‘increased substantially’ from 2010-2019, report finds
  

• Star Tribune, 16 August 2023, Cancer among younger Americans is on the rise, new study shows
  

• Staten Island, 17 August 2023, Advance, Cancer rates among younger adults rose last decade, new study shows
  

• Red Lake Nation News, 17 August 2023, Cancer among younger Americans is on the rise, new study shows
  

• The Bulletin, 17 August 2023, Cancer rising among younger Americans, new study shows
  

• Time News, 17 August 2023, Rising rates of cancer among young people: a grim new trend
  

• Science Alert, 17 August 2023, More young people are getting cancer, and we don’t know why
  

• Philly Voice, 17 August 2023, Cancer rates among people in their 30s have risen significantly, study finds