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.

flaB-polymerase chain reaction (flaB-PCR) and its restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis are an efficient tool for detection and identification of Leptospira spp.

Abstract: For establishment of a rapid-identification method of Leptospira species, a flaB gene of Leptospira was investigated and the following results were obtained. 1) HaeIII- or HindIII-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products (793 bp) of flaB gene was effectual for the classification of species of Leptospira. 2) Twenty cells of Leptospira in 1 ml of coagulated blood and 100 cells of Leptospira in 1 ml of anti-coagulated blood could be detected by flaB-PCR. These results suggested that PCR-RFLP based on the flaB gene was an efficient tool for rapid detection and identification of species of infected Leptospira from clinical specimens.

Chelation therapy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Abstract: Background Chelation therapy is promoted and practiced around the world as a form of alternative medicine in the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease It has been suggested as a safe, relatively inexpensive, non-surgical method of restoring blood flow in atherosclerotic vessels However, there is currently limited high-quality, adequately-powered research informing evidence-based medicine on the topic, specifically regarding clinical outcomes Due to this limited evidence, the benefit of chelation therapy remains controversial at present This is an update of a review first published in 2002 Objectives To assess the effects of ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) chelation therapy versus placebo or no treatment on clinical outcomes among people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease Search methods For this update, the Cochrane Vascular Information Specialist searched the Cochrane Vascular Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and ClinicalTrialsgov trials register to 6 August 2019 We searched the bibliographies of the studies retrieved by the literature searches for further trials Selection criteria We included studies if they were randomised controlled trials of EDTA chelation therapy versus placebo or no treatment in participants with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease The main outcome measures we considered include all-cause or cause-specific mortality, non-fatal cardiovascular events, direct or indirect measurement of disease severity, and subjective measures of improvement or adverse events Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed trial quality using standard Cochrane procedures A third author considered any unresolved issues, and we discussed any discrepancies until a consensus was reached We contacted study authors for additional information Main results We included five studies with a total of 1993 randomised participants Three studies enrolled participants with peripheral vascular disease and two studies included participants with coronary artery disease, one of which specifically recruited people who had had a myocardial infarction The number of participants in each study varied widely (from 10 to 1708 participants), but all studies compared EDTA chelation to a placebo Risk of bias for the included studies was generally moderate to low, but one study had high risk of bias because the study investigators broke their randomisation code halfway through the study and rolled the placebo participants over to active treatment Certainty of the evidence, as assessed by GRADE, was generally low to very low, which was mostly due to a paucity of data in each outcome's meta-analysis This limited our ability to draw any strong conclusions We also had concerns about one study's risk of bias regarding blinding and outcome assessment that may have biased the results Two studies with coronary artery disease participants reported no evidence of a difference in all-cause mortality between chelation therapy and placebo (risk ratio (RR) 097, 95% CI 073 to 128; 1792 participants; low-certainty) One study with coronary artery disease participants reported no evidence of a difference in coronary heart disease deaths between chelation therapy and placebo (RR 102, 95% CI 070 to 148; 1708 participants; very low-certainty) Two studies with coronary artery disease participants reported no evidence of a difference in myocardial infarction (RR 081, 95% CI 057 to 114; 1792 participants; moderate-certainty), angina (RR 095, 95% CI 055 to 167; 1792 participants; very low-certainty), and coronary revascularisation (RR 046, 95% CI 007 to 325; 1792 participants) Two studies (one with coronary artery disease participants and one with peripheral vascular disease participants) reported no evidence of a difference in stroke (RR 088, 95% CI 040 to 192; 1867 participants; low-certainty) Ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI; also known as ankle brachial index) was measured in three studies, all including participants with peripheral vascular disease; two studies found no evidence of a difference in the treatment groups after three months after treatment (mean difference (MD) 002, 95% CI -003 to 006; 181 participants; low-certainty) A third study reported an improvement in ABPI in the EDTA chelation group, but this study was at high risk of bias Meta-analysis of maximum and pain-free walking distances three months after treatment included participants with peripheral vascular disease and showed no evidence of a difference between the treatment groups (MD -3146, 95% CI -8763 to 2471; 165 participants; 2 studies; low-certainty) Quality of life outcomes were reported by two studies that included participants with coronary artery disease, but we were unable to pool the data due to different methods of reporting and varied criteria However, there did not appear to be any major differences between the treatment groups None of the included studies reported on vascular deaths Overall, there was no evidence of major or minor adverse events associated with EDTA chelation treatment Authors' conclusions There is currently insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of chelation therapy in improving clinical outcomes of people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease More high-quality, randomised controlled trials are needed that assess the effects of chelation therapy on longevity and quality of life among people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Genotyping of Giardia duodenalis isolates among residents of slum area in Manila, Philippines.

Abstract: Giardia duodenalis is a flagellated protist that causes gastrointestinal disease throughout the world. In the Philippines, study on G. duodenalis is limited. It is also believed that prevalence rates of this organism in the country are underestimated. In this study, stool samples from residents living in a slum area in Manila were collected. These were examined under microscopy for identification of common helminthic and protistan parasites. Results showed that 22.05% of 2,354 stool samples collected contained Giardia cysts. A fraction of samples (n = 133) positive for Giardia cysts were set aside. Genomic DNA was extracted from these samples and a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism procedure based on the organism’s triose phosphate isomerase gene was utilized. This particular procedure is capable of distinguishing assemblages or genotypes within G. duodenalis. The highest identified assemblage was Assemblage B (86.47%). The two genotypes of Assemblage A were also detected. This is the first report on the identification of genotypes of G. duodenalis in the Philippines. The results of this study can serve as basis for future control and prevention of giardiasis and parasitism in the country.

Effects of elevated seawater temperature and nitrate enrichment on the branching coral Porites cylindrica in the absence of particulate food

Abstract: Compounded disturbances are becoming increasingly common on coral reefs. Impacts of global warming, which is generally perceived as the most serious threat to coral reefs today, often coincide with various common anthropogenic disturbances, such as pollution and overharvesting. To better evaluate the impact of global warming, interactions between elevated temperature and background disturbance should be investigated. In this study, the physiological response of the reef-building coral Porites cylindrica was investigated, when exposed to enrichment of dissolved inorganic nitrate (+15 μM for 14 days) and elevated seawater temperature (+2oC for 48 h), in the absence of particulate food. It was shown that P. cylindrica was able to tolerate the temperature exposure without losing symbiotic microalgae or chlorophyll pigments, although the photosynthetic capacity was affected. Nitrate enrichment significantly reduced primary production rate, although zooxanthella population density and chlorophyll concentrations were not affected. The combination of elevated temperature and nitrate enrichment produced an even more pronounced reduction of the production rate. Since coral respiration rate remained unaffected by the treatments, this implies that the corals were unable to acclimate to impaired photosynthesis. However, there was no indication of subsequently reduced tissue growth or increased host catabolism based on tissue biomass measurements. On the other hand, all corals, including controls, lost tissue biomass during the exposure, suggesting a dependence on particulate food. Our results imply that corals on nutrient-exposed reefs may be more stressed during periods of elevated temperature, compared to corals in more pristine areas.

Income, Time, the Working Mother and Child Nutriture

Abstract: The mothers allocation of her time between income-earning activities and work within the household has important implications for the selection and design of nutrition intervention programs. There is increasing evidence that in poor households there is a negative relationship between the mothers labor force participation and the health and nutritional status of the young child. Low income households with economically active mothers may thus constitute a significant group in designing social service programs. When the mother participates in the labor market the amount of time spent in household activities--particularly more time-intensive activities such as child care and breastfeeding--have a tendency to decline. The determinants of the effects of this on the health and nutritional status of the young child are: 1) the extent to which the job is compatible with child care; 2) quality of child care provided by those who substitute for the mother; 3) availability and extent to which market purchased goods and services can substitute for the mothers time and 4) availability and quality of social services which provide substitutes for the mothers time. Section 1 of this paper utilizes these concepts to analyze Filipino data on the effects of mothers economic activity on the nutritional status of younger children. Section 2 reviews the relationship between income and time constraints of the woman and the use of social services and Section 3 discusses the implications of the analysis. Although the examples are related mainly to the Philippines the lessons may have much wider application.