Ms Koh Chieng Mun (aka ‘Dolly’ from ‘Under One Roof’) survived Cancer

I was reading today's papers and realized Ms Koh Chieng Mun survived kidney and breast cancer after completing her chemotherapy treatment in 2005.

Her Insurance payouts allowed her to stop working and is able to spent time to help others in need instead.

“So I did a stock check of my past and started to understand how I became ill”

Recalling her busy past as an actress where she had long work hours, irregular meals and little sleep.

“A young, busy person always thinks he or she is invincible, but stress is the silent killer – it weakens one’s immune system and secret hormones that make you vulnerable to diseases”

She has a website www.myhealthylifestyle.com.sg where she shares what she has learnt about Health and Wellness, the website also contains healthy food recipes.

 

[Partly quoted from “The Straits Times - Silver&Active”, 20th April 2010]

In The News:

 

Paralyzed Cab Diver sues Government, Mr Choy’s family has had a hard time after the accident, paying for the mounting medical bills and having to come to terms with Mrs Choy's breast cancer which was diagnosed last December.

Mr. Choy Yue Leong collided with a Mindef land-rover last year.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1050489/1/.html

 

Cheaper price for current H1N1 vaccine with new 3-in-1 vaccine becoming available.

http://www.todayonline.com

 

GIRLS who are thin at the age of seven are at higher risk of breast cancer after menopause than chubbier counterparts and more vulnerable to a worse type of tumour, according to a Swedish study.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/TechandScience/Story/STIStory_515230.html

In The News:

 

 

Only 13% of people developed immunity after being infected by the H1N1 virus, as reported by a study conducted by experts in Singapore and Australia.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_514448.html

 

New 3-in-one vaccine more effective for influenza

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1050048/1/.html

 

Protection for Spa customers, Spa Association of Singapore (SAS) and Spa and Wellness Association of Singapore (SWAS) working on insuring either their members' business or individual packages so that consumers will not be left in the lurch.

http://www.todayonline.com

In The News:

NSF dies of heat-stroke 2-days after IPPT trial, Mr. Roslan Saharo was believed to be having a fever but didn’t inform his instructors. Condolences to his family and loved ones.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_513952.html

 

New drug for Cancer patients, the new drug Everolimus (Afinitor) could cost about $8,500 to $10,000 a month.

http://www.todayonline.com/iTODAY

In The News:

Prevent Alzheimer's disease, eat more olive oil, nuts, fish, poultry and certain fruits and vegetables

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/TechandScience/Story/STIStory_513884.html

In The News

 

Income Family Micro-Insurance (IFMIS) Scheme, Free Insurance for families with young children receiving childcare, kindergarten and student care subsidies under Comcare.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_512546.html

 

AVIVA back in Asian general insurance, starts selling Motor Insurance online

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_512508.html

 

Global life expectancy increases from 47-years to 68-years

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_512831.html

Pfizer to raise number of clinical trials conducted in S'pore by 10% this year

SINGAPORE: Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said it plans to raise the number of clinical trials it's conducting by 10 per cent this year out of its Singapore operations. This is in line with its strategy to grow in research and development capabilities in Asia.

Singapore's Raffles Hospital is where Pfizer now runs a facility conducting Phase 1 studies and clinical trials for a range of drugs.

These are aimed at treating diseases like HIV, cancer and high cholesterol.

To protect patients' privacy, television cameras aren't allowed inside.

The Singapore facility, in which Pfizer has invested more than S$60 million has seen the volume of clinical trials rise 35 per cent since 2001.

23 trials were conducted here last year and the centre aims to increase this by 10 per cent this year.

Chong Chew Lan, medical director, Pfizer, said: "We definitely plan to grow the number of the trials that we can conduct here and we would like to expand our capabilities into different areas as well. We would like to increase our capabilities in our pharmacy in terms of the types of preparations that we can do in our pharmacy."

Pfizer told a news conference that its R&D efforts will focus on Asia and emerging markets.

While it is still mainly research and development in the region, Pfizer hopes to start producing drugs specific to the Asian market within the next three to five years.

Martin Mackay, president, PharmaTherapeutics, R&D, Pfizer, said: “We want to grow our revenues in Asia because it's a growth area and there are no questions about it. But we also want to come up with great medicines for Asian patients and then that will fit exactly into our strategic plans.”

China, in particular, is an important market with R&D spend amounting to over US$150 million from 2005 to the first half of 2009.

Annual R&D spend in China grew seven-fold in four and a half years. - CNA/vm

NDEs due to carbon dioxide

PARIS - PEOPLE who have 'near-death experiences,' such as flashing lights, feelings of peace and joy and divine encounters before they pull back from the brink may simply have raised levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood, a study suggests.

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are reported by between 11 and 23 per cent of survivors of heart attacks, according to previous research. But what causes NDEs is strongly debated. Some pin the mechanisms on physical or psychological reasons, while others see a transcendental force.

Researchers in Slovenia, reporting on Thursday in a peer-reviewed journal, Critical Care, investigated 52 consecutive cases of heart attacks in three large hospitals. The patients' average age was 53 years. Forty-two of them were men.

Eleven patients had NDEs, but there was no common link between these cases in terms of age, sex, level of education, religious belief, fear of death, time to recovery or the drugs that were administered to resuscitate them. Instead, a common association was high levels of CO2 in the blood and, to a lesser degree, of potassium.

Further work is needed to confirm the findings among a larger sample of patients, say the authors, led by Prof. Zalika Klemenc-Ketis of the University of Maribor.

Having an NDE can be a life-changing experience, so understanding its causes is important for heart-attack survivors, they say. -- AFP

'Five a day' has low impact

PARIS - EATING lots of fruit and vegetables has only a small effect on warding off cancer, a study published on Wednesday says, although its authors insist that tucking into the recommended 'five-a-day' is still good for general health.

Doctors led by Paolo Boffetta at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, pored over eight years of data from a major European investigation into the relationship between cancer risk and food.

The investigation, which is continuing, covers nearly 470,000 volunteers recruited in 10 Western European countries. Between 1992 and 2000, more than 30,000 of the participants were diagnosed with cancer.

Dr. Boffetta's team found that high consumption of fruit and vegetables gave only a modest protective effect against cancer.

An increase of 200 grams a day resulted in a reduction of cancer risk in the order of some three per cent. Vegetable consumption by itself also gave a small benefit, although this was restricted to women, while heavy drinkers who ate many fruit and veggies had a somewhat reduced risk, but only for cancers linked to alcohol and smoking.

'The bottom line here is that, yes, we did find a protective effect of fruit and vegetable intake against cancer, but it is a smaller connection than previously thought,' Dr Boffetta said in a press release issued by Mount Sinai. -- AFP

Stronger Sing$ by Oct?

SINGAPORE'S central bank will favour a stronger currency by October to curb inflation and catch up with regional peers in withdrawing economic stimulus, a Bloomberg news survey of economists showed.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will seek a strengthening as early as its twice-yearly review this month, according to six of 13 economists in the survey, reported on Wednesday.

12 expect an appreciation by October with one undecided. MAS uses the exchange rate, rather than interest rates, to conduct monetary policy. It guides the Singapore dollar against a basket of currencies within an undisclosed band. The currency has risen 0.5 per cent so far this year, lagging behind a 7 per cent gain in Malaysia's ringgit and a 5 per cent advance in India's rupee.

Consumer prices rose 1 per cent in February from a year earlier, the fastest pace since March last year, compared with a 0.2 per cent increase in January, official data show. 'MAS doesn't want to be seen as being behind the curve,' Sebastien Barbe, head of emerging-market research at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong told Bloomberg. 'The central bank wants to manage inflation expectations.'

Singapore's currency traded at S$1.3951 per US dollar as of 8.40 am, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Its value has fallen 0.3 per cent since the last central bank meeting on Oct 12, making it the worst performer among Asia's 10 most- active currencies outside Japan. The currency will rise 1.1 per cent to S$1.38 by June 30, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey.

Policy makers from India to China have begun withdrawing monetary stimulus this year, seeking to check asset-price bubbles as the region leads global growth. China has twice ordered banks to increase the share of their assets held in reserve. India increased interest rates last month for the first time in almost two years, while Australia's central bank has raised borrowing costs in five out of the past six meetings.

[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]

Soy won't reduce cholesterol

 

NEW YORK - EATING extra soy for one year doesn't help postmenopausal women cut their cholesterol levels, new research shows. The findings support the Food and Drug Administration's 2007 move to reevaluate its decade-old decision allowing soy product makers to claim heart benefits, Dr. Sara Chelland Campbell of Florida State University in Tallahassee and her colleagues say.

When a woman stops having her period, her estrogen levels plummet, which in turn ups her total cholesterol level and her level of 'bad' LDL cholesterol, while reducing her 'good' HDL cholesterol levels, Campbell and her team explain in the journal Menopause. Because soy contains estrogen-like substances called isoflavones, it has been promoted as having health benefits for women after menopause, including cutting cholesterol levels and strengthening bones.

Recent studies investigating soy and cholesterol levels in postmenopausal women have been short, or have only looked at individual soy components, the researchers note. They conducted the current study to investigate the long-term effects of soy protein in food, specifically 25 grams of soy protein and 60 milligrams of isoflavones every day for a year, in women after menopause.

They enrolled 87 postmenopausal, overweight women who were younger than 65, 62 of whom completed the study. Study participants had moderately high total cholesterol levels (236 milligrams per deciliter in the control group, 231 mg/dL in the soy group; less than 200 mg/dL is considered optimal), and were randomly assigned to eat soy products, or comparable products containing the milk protein casein, for a year. The products included a snack bar, drink mix, and cereal.

Total cholesterol and 'good' HDL levels showed a small increase in the women given soy products, the researchers found, while soy had no effect on 'bad' LDL cholesterol levels or triglyceride levels. Among control group women, average total cholesterol had risen to 254 mg/dL after a year (an 18-point increase), compared to about 243 mg/dL for the soy group (a 12-point increase). HDL levels increased from 58 mg/dL to 63 mg/dL in the control group, and from 57 mg/dL to 60 mg/dL in the soy group.

Having HDL levels below 50 mg/dL is a 'major risk factor for heart disease' in women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), while 60 mg/dL is believed to help protect the heart. Since 1999, Campbell and her colleagues note, the FDA has allowed soy product labeling to claim that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, along with 25 grams of soy protein daily, 'may reduce the risk of heart disease'. Other recent studies have called this benefit into question, the researchers add, and the AHA in 2000 changed its position to say that the benefit of soy protein or isoflavones is 'minimal at best'. -- REUTERS

Donor Care Registry set up

A DONOR Care Registry has been set up to monitor the health of living donors, as part of move to strengthen donor welfare and long-term medical follow-up.

It is part of the Ministry of Health's efforts to promote organ donations by living donors to significantly reduce the waiting list for an organ.

This follows the amendments to the Human and Organ Transplant Act (Hota) last November to increase the upper age limit for deceased donation, which has been 'well received by the public,' said the Health Ministry's director of medical services Professor K Satku at the National Kidney Foundation's 41st anniversary celebration on Monday.

Since last November, only 2,500, or 0.5 per cent of those aged 60 years and older have chosen to opt out of Hota. In the last five months, eight patients have already benefitted from donations from older deceased donors.

'In the years ahead, we will continue to promote the deceased donation programme' and encourage more living donations to 'strive towards self-sufficiency in transplantation,' said Prof. Satku.

 

[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]

Health drive in 1,000 cities

 

GENEVA - THE World Health Organisation will launch a major campaign on Wednesday to counter a triple threat to health in fast growing cities, home to more than half the world's population.

The global campaign starting on World Health Day aims to rally 1,000 cities to 'open up public spaces to health,' by closing off portions of streets to traffic, to encourage exercise in parks and clean up campaigns.

One of the WHO officials behind the drive, Lori Sloate, said it was important to forge a global movement for action in cities, 'while there's still time because we've just passed the tipping point.'

The world's urban population passed 3.0 billion in 2007, exceeding the rural population for the first time, according to the United Nations. By 2030, 60 per cent of the world's growing population is expected to live in cities.

Cities are home to a 'triple threat' to health, Ms Sloate told AFP. 'Infectious diseases is one, particularly in places where there's lack of water and sanitation,' she explained, adding that stressful urban lifestyles fuelled by fast food, smoking and alcohol also fostered chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancers and cardiovascular problems in congested cities. The challenges are also amplified by urban poverty, with an estimated 830 million people who currently live in slums, according to the UN's Habitat agency.

The biggest megacities include Tokyo, with a population of more than 35 million, and Mumbai, New Delhi, Mexico City and Sao Paulo with more than 20 million inhabitants each. The WHO campaign is backed by a website http: 1000cities.who.int with social networking links to encourage community action. -- AFP

'Red Shirt' blood had HIV

THE Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on Friday confirmed that some blood samples from the 'Red Shirt' activists were contaminated with the HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C viruses.

'About 2 per cent tested positive for HIV. Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C each were found in five per cent ,' Deputy Bangkok Governor Dr Malinee Sukvejvorakij said.

She was speaking after Dr Weng Tojirakarn, a leader of 'Red Shirt' Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD), called on the BMA to comment on the matter.

On Thursday, Dr Kusol Prawichpaiboon publicly expressed concern about the possible outbreak of diseases caused by the DAAD blood-splashing activities. He revealed that the blood thrown in front of Government House, the Democrat Party headquarters, and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's house carried diseases.

'Indeed, some blood samples have tested positive for diseases,' Dr Malinee said on Friday. She said the BMA collected blood samples before starting the cleaning operation out of concern for the health of the red shirt demonstrators. Despite warnings from various health authorities, thousands of 'Red Shirts' provided blood for the blood-splashing activities last month.

Dr Malinee did not say where the blood test was conducted but the BMA has its own medical college and a hospital. As for Dr Kusul, he said his information was based on blood tests carried out at the Ramathibodi Hospital, which now admitted that it might have unknowingly conducted the test on the red shirts' blood. -- THE NATION/ANN

Cheaper shots at the doc's

 

SINGAPORE - If you have not gotten your H1N1 vaccination, you can do so soon at possibly a lower price. Or, you can get it as part of a new all-in-one shot to protect against three strains of flu.

In his blog post yesterday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the Health Ministry has reduced its H1N1 vaccine transfer price to $8 per dose for new orders.

"This will enable the GPs (general practitioners) to lower their H1N1 vaccination price to below that for the seasonal flu vaccination," said Mr Khaw.

It was reported previously that the ministry had initially acquired the vaccine from manufacturers at $16 per dose, excluding GST, and sold them - without profit - to doctors at $17 nett. The H1N1 vaccine is currently priced at $29 in polyclinics, while the seasonal flu jab costs between $20 and $40.

But this week, vaccine manufacturers announced the sale of a new batch of flu vaccine for the 2010 southern winter, at a price below that for the pandemic H1N1 flu.

Moreover, the new vaccine will be for three strains: Pandemic H1N1 virus, an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus and a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus. It is based on the recommendation of World Health Organization experts.

"Persons in high-risk groups should consider the new batch of seasonal flu vaccine for added protection against seasonal strains," said Mr Khaw.

He added, however, that the pandemic H1N1 vaccine is "still useful" since H1N1 "is still the predominant circulating strain in most areas".

Dr Melvyn Tan, a family physician at AMK Family Clinic, said that while he is unlikely to buy more H1N1 vaccine at the lowered price since he still has stock, he will probably lower his vaccine prices "to be more competitive". The H1N1 jab for now costs $28 at his clinic.

Raffles Medical granted in-principle approval for scrip dividend scheme

SINGAPORE: Raffles Medical Group has been granted in-principle approval for a proposed scrip dividend scheme.

The scheme will be subject to the approval of shareholders in a general meeting yet to be convened.

Raffles Medical said the scheme will provide the opportunity for shareholders to receive dividends in the form of shares instead of cash.

This will enable shareholders to participate in the equity capital of the company without incurring brokerage fees or stamp duty.

Raffles Medical said the company will also benefit as it will be able to retain cash that would otherwise have been spent in dividends.

It will use this cash to fund future growth. - CNA/vm

Financial crisis has set up investment opportunities in Asia: Henderson Funds

 

SINGAPORE: Henderson Global Investors said the global financial crisis may have been the best thing that has happened to Asia.

It believes the crisis has helped the region move away from being too export-dependent and develop its own economic drivers.

Henderson said it has already created investment opportunities in various sectors including property and financials especially in China.

Many Asian economies benefitted from an export boom in the few years before the global economic crisis in 2008.

But the crisis caused a sharp drop in exports as consumption in the West dropped and showed no signs of returning to the strong levels previously.

Henderson said there is a silver lining from the crisis for Asia because policy makers were forced to pump-prime their economies by spending on infrastructure and focus on potential growth areas.

Michael Kerley, director of Pan Asian Equities, Henderson Global Investors, said: “It's made Asian governments focus on other areas other than exports. Growth in Asia over the last 10 years has been export-led.

“Going forward we won't be able to rely on those exports as a region because US consumption and European consumption are unlikely to be as strong as we've seen. So the Asian governments need to focus on other areas.

“So focusing on investment and domestic consumption, I think ultimately gives us the goal of being more evenly balanced in terms of growth profile, more structural and less reliant on the global cycle and I think that should be welcomed."

In terms of Asian equities, Henderson is especially optimistic on sectors like property, financials, industrials, and telecoms.

And it has recently been positioning its funds towards these segments especially in Chinese properties and banks which it believes have been oversold.
Property and financials now make up about 38 per cent of its Asian Dividend Income Fund.

Mr Kerley said: “The real value opportunity at the moment is China. It's underperformed for eight to nine months. The market is roughly trading at 20 to 25 per cent discount and I think to its average and to the region as a whole.

“We've been adding Chinese properties. The banks and property have been quite weak. Considering that the markets have oversold these on worries of interest rates changes and policy initiatives, this is where the opportunities lie.”

Henderson also believes that Asian banking stocks are attractive because of their dividend outlook.

For example, it said that total dividends paid by banks in Asia last year were higher at around US$20 billion than banks in the US, Europe or UK.

And the dividend yield growth for Asia Pacific region ex-Japan for the past 10 years has been around seven per cent compared to the less than three per cent growth seen in the US, EU and UK. - CNA/vm

Aussie liver patient dies

AN AUSTRALIAN liver transplant recipient, who sparked a storm of debate over her organ donation in her country, died at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital at noon on Thursday, after doctors battled for eight hours on Wednesday to remove blood clots that had formed around her heart.

Doctors said they had done all they could to save Ms Claire Murray, 25, from West Australia.

Her supporter and Perth doctor, George O'Neil, earlier told The West Australian news site that Ms Murray had been taken off life support on Thursday morning. 'This morning it looked as though they were taking her off the ventilator and she was in renal failure by 9am,' Dr O'Neill told the news portal. He said he expected doctors to 'declare she will be dead before lunchtime'.

According to a source close to the Murray family, the mother of two had too many blood clots. The operation had been expected to take four hours, but complications extended it to eight, The West Australian reported.

Ms Murray's organ donation sparked a storm of debate in Australia. Dr O'Neill commended her public fight. He said: 'I think a lot of people in the community have been interested but not really understood it could mean the death of a young, 25-year-old woman.' 'I have talked to (Ms Murray's family) and they are definitely in grieving mode.'

Her father, Michael, flew to Singapore to be with her on Wednesday. Her parents, brother, uncle and step-father are with her, although her two children remained in Perth.

Ms Murray, a recovering heroin addict, was refused a donor transplant by doctors in Perth because she relapsed soon after her first transplant in 2009. Ms Murray's aunt had donated part of her liver.

[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]