News & Updates

The chances of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss after withdrawing nucleo(s)tide analogue (NUC) treatment depend on factors such as patient ethnicity, end-of-treatment antigen levels, and HBV genotype, a new study reports.

The use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic does not reduce compliance to social distancing or other public health control measures, a recent study has found.

Alcohol-based hand disinfectants might be insufficient to suppress hepatitis E virus infectivity, a new study has found.

Systemic inflammation plays a significant role in severe COVID-19 associated with obesity, particularly in patients aged <65 years, as captured by peak C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a study has found.

The Singapore Smell and Taste Test (SSTT), a personal testing kit for the daily home- and self-assessment of smelling and tasting functions, can objectively assess sensory losses in patients with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and align well with self-reported measures of sensory function, according to a recent study.

In patients hospitalized for severe COVID-19, adding the plant flavonoid quercetin to the antiviral drugs remdesivir or favipiravir reduced hospitalization period and levels of inflammatory markers related to the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, thus preventing the progression of the disease into its critical phase, suggests an open-label study from Iran.

While the strict and rapid implementation of border restrictions, contact tracing, case isolation, social-distancing, and quarantine protocols can effectively suppress COVID-19 transmission, densely populated environments, as in the case of migrant worker dormitories in Singapore, remain at risk of outbreaks, according to a recent study.