University of the Philippines

About: University of the Philippines is a education organization based out in Quezon City, Philippines. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 4589 authors who have published 4437 publications receiving 114846 citations. The organization is also known as: UP.

Use of Salvia divinorum in a nationally representative sample.

Abstract: Background: Salvia divinorum has known hallucinogenic effects and is legal in most parts of the United States. Given that this psychoactive substance has a potential of misuse and abuse, further data regarding the clinical and psychosocial factors associated with use are needed. Objectives: To examine the clinical and psychosocial characteristics associated with use of salvia. Methods: The study uses data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2008 (N = 55,623). Results: The results of this study suggest that salvia use is most common among young adults aged 18–25 years as well as individuals who had engaged in risk-taking behaviors (selling illicit drugs, stealing) or illicit drug use (especially other hallucinogens/ecstasy). Self-reported depression and anxiety were also associated with salvia use. Conclusions/Scientific Significance: The results provide evidence that salvia use is part of a broader constellation of psychosocial and behavioral problems among youth and young adults. The accessibility, legal status, and psychoactive effects of salvia can be a potentially complicating health risk to young people, especially among those with existing substance use problems.

Asia Pacific Association of Allergy Asthma and Clinical Immunology White Paper 2020 on climate change, air pollution, and biodiversity in Asia-Pacific and impact on allergic diseases.

Abstract: Air pollution, climate change, and reduced biodiversity are major threats to human health with detrimental effects on a variety of chronic noncommunicable diseases in particular respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The extent of air pollution both outdoor and indoor air pollution and climate change including global warming is increasing-to alarming proportions particularly in the developing world especially rapidly industrializing countries worldwide. In recent years, Asia has experienced rapid economic growth and a deteriorating environment and increase in allergic diseases to epidemic proportions. Air pollutant levels in many Asian countries especially in China and India are substantially higher than are those in developed countries. Moreover, industrial, traffic-related, and household biomass combustion, indoor pollutants from chemicals and tobacco are major sources of air pollutants, with increasing burden on respiratory allergies. Here we highlight the major components of outdoor and indoor air pollutants and their impacts on respiratory allergies associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis in the Asia-Pacific region. With Asia-Pacific comprising more than half of the world's population there is an urgent need to increase public awareness, highlight targets for interventions, public advocacy and a call to action to policy makers to implement policy changes towards reducing air pollution with interventions at a population-based level.

Resistance to Pseudomonas solanacearum in the potato: I. Effects of sources of resistance and adaptation

Abstract: F1 hybrid true potato seed progenies with multiple sources of specific resistance to Pseudomonas solanacearum and adaptation were evaluated under tropical greenhouse conditions for resistance to a race 1 isolate of P. solanacearum. Results indicated that genes for adaptation are involved in conferring resistance to bacterial wilt. The effect of a particular resistant parent clone on the resistance level of its progeny depended on the resistance, adaptation or the combination of both characteristics of its mate. A heat tolerant parent gave a higher frequency of resistant offspring in combination with an ascertained source of resistance. Combining ability was an apparent feature of resistance to bacterial wilt and resistance was highest in the majority of the crosses that had a wide genetic background for both resistance and adaptation. The possible genetic nature of the resistance to bacterial wilt is discussed.

Diversification and spatial structuring in the mutualism between Ficus septica and its pollinating wasps in insular South East Asia

Abstract: Background: Interspecific interactions have long been assumed to play an important role in diversification. Mutualistic interactions, such as nursery pollination mutualisms, have been proposed as good candidates for diversification through co-speciation because of their intricate nature. However, little is known about how speciation and diversification proceeds in emblematic nursery pollination systems such as figs and fig wasps. Here, we analyse diversification in connection with spatial structuring in the obligate mutualistic association between Ficus septica and its pollinating wasps throughout the Philippines and Taiwan. Results: Ceratosolen wasps pollinating F. septica are structured into a set of three vicariant black coloured species, and a fourth yellow coloured species whose distribution overlaps with those of the black species. However, two black pollinator species were found to co-occur on Lanyu island. Microsatellite data on F. septica indicates the presence of three gene pools that broadly mirrors the distribution of the three black clades. Moreover, receptive fig odours, the specific message used by pollinating wasps to locate their host tree, varied among locations. Conclusions: F. septica and its black pollinator clades exhibited similar geographic structuring. This could be due originally to geographic barriers leading to isolation, local adaptation, and finally co-structuring. Nevertheless, the co-occurrence of two black pollinator species on Lanyu island suggests that the parapatric distribution of the black clades is now maintained by the inability of migrating individuals of black pollinators to establish populations outside their range. On the other hand, the distribution of the yellow clade strongly suggests an initial case of character displacement followed by subsequent range extension: in our study system, phenotypic or microevolutionary plasticity has allowed the yellow clade to colonise hosts presenting distinct odours. Hence, while variation in receptive fig odours allows specificity in the interaction, this variation does not necessarily lead to coevolutionary plant-insect diversification. Globally, our results evidence evolutionary plasticity in the fig-fig wasp mutualism. This is the first documentation of the presence of two distinct processes in pollinating fig wasp diversification on a host species: the formation of vicariant species and the co-occurrence of other species over large parts of their ranges probably made possible by character displacement.

Factors that influence degradation of acetaminophen by Fenton processes

Abstract: The effects of important parameters, Fe 2+ , H 2 O 2 and initial acetaminophen concentrations, on the initial rate and efficiency of ACT degradation in the electro-Fenton (EF) and photoelectro-Fenton (PEF) processes were investigated. The effect of organic acids on the degradation of ACT molecules was also studied. Experimental results show that the initial rate and removal efficiency of ACT in the EF and PEF processes varied insignificantly with Fe 2+ concentration. The initial rate and removal efficiency of ACT in the PEF process were higher than those in the EF process. At a high initial ACT concentration, the initial rate of ACT degradation in the EF process was lower than that in the PEF process. Acetic acid improved ACT degradation efficiency while malonic and oxalic acids reduced it. Oxalic acid exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect, reducing ACT degradation efficiency by 18%. In the presence of oxalic acid in solution, EF yielded a degradation efficiency of 79%, which should be compared to efficiencies of 9% and 3%, for the fluidized-bed and conventional Fenton processes, respectively, showing that the EF process involves beneficial Fe 2+ regeneration.