University of the Philippines Manila

About: University of the Philippines Manila is a education organization based out in Manila, Philippines. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 2218 authors who have published 2357 publications receiving 88781 citations. The organization is also known as: UPM.

School Health: an essential strategy in promoting community resilience and preparedness for natural disasters.

Abstract: Background : The Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction recommended the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, which aims to achieve substantial risk reduction and to avoid various disaster-associated losses, including human lives and livelihoods, based on the lessons from the implementation of the Hyogo framework. However, the recommendations did not lay enough stress on the school and the Safe School Concept, which are the core components of a disaster response. Objective : To raise the issue of the importance of schools in disaster response. Results : For human capacity building to avoid the damage caused by natural disasters, we should focus on the function of schools in the community and on school health framework. Schools perform a range of functions, which include being a landmark place for evacuation, acting as a participatory education hub among communities (students are usually from the surrounding communities), and being a sustainable source of current disaster-related information. In 2007, the Bangkok Action Agenda (BAA) on school education and disaster risk reduction (DRR) recommended the integration of DRR into education policy development, the enhancement of participatory mechanisms to improve DRR education, and the extension of DRR education from schools to communities. Based on our discussion and the recommendations of the BAA, we suggest that our existing challenges are to construct a repository of disaster-related lessons, develop training materials based on current information drawn from previous disasters, and disseminate the training to schools and communities. Conclusions : Schools linked with school health can provide good opportunities for DRR with a focus on development of school health policy and a community-oriented participatory approach. Keywords: disaster risk reduction; school health; preparedness (Published: 17 December 2015) Citation: Glob Health Action 2015, 8 : 29106 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha.v8.29106

Psychological Stress Risk Factors, Concerns and Mental Health Support Among Health Care Workers in Vietnam During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak.

Abstract: Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly affected health care workers (HCWs), including their mental health. However, there has been limited evidence on this topic in the Vietnamese context. Therefore, this study aimed to explore COVID-19-related, psychological stress risk factors among HCWs, their concerns and demands for mental health support during the pandemic period. Methods: We employed a cross-sectional study design with convenience sampling. An online, self-administered questionnaire was used and distributed through social media among medical and non-medical HCWs from April 22 to May 12, 2020. HCWs were categorized either as frontline or non-frontline. We measured the prevalence of psychological stress using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) instrument. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with psychological stress among HCWs. Results: Among the 774 enrolled participants, 761 (98.3%) eligible subjects were included in the analysis. Most respondents were females (58.2%), between 31 and 40 years of age (37.1%), lived in areas where confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported (61.9%), medical HCWs (59.9%) and practiced being at the frontline (46.3%). The prevalence of stress was 34.3%. We identified significant risk factors such as being frontline HCWs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.77 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-2.67]), perceiving worse well-being as compared to those before the COVID-19 outbreak [OR = 4.06 (95% CI: 2.15-7.67)], and experiencing chronic diseases [OR = 1.67 (95% CI: (1.01-2.77)]. Majority (73.9%) were concerned about testing positive for COVID-19 and exposing the infection to their families. Web-based psychological interventions that could provide knowledge on managing mental distress and consulting services were highly demanded among HCWs. Conclusion: The prevalence of psychological stress among HCWs in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic was high. There were also significant risk factors associated with it. Psychological interventions involving web-based consulting services are highly recommended to provide mental health support among HCWs.

Validation of the XDP–MDSP rating scale for the evaluation of patients with X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism

Abstract: X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism(XDP) is a neurodegenerative disorder endemic to the Philippines. A rating scale was developed by the authors under the guidance of the Movement Disorder Society of the Philippines (MDSP) to assess XDP severity and progression, functional impact, and response to treatment in future clinical trials. Our main objective was to validate our new scale, the XDP–MDSP scale. The initial validation process included pragmatic testing to XDP patients followed by a modified Delphi procedure with an international advisory panel of dystonia, parkinsonism and scale development experts. Pearson correlation was used to assess construct validity of our new scale versus the assess construct validity of our new scale versus standard dystonia, parkinsonism, non-motor and functional scales; and also to assess divergent validity against behavioral and cognitive scales. The 37-item XDP–MDSP scale has five parts: I-dystonia, II-parkinsonism, III-non-motor features, IV-ADL, and V-global impression. After initial validation, the scale was administered to 204 XDP patients. Inter-domain correlation for the first four parts was acceptable. The correlation between these domains and the global rating was slightly lower. Correlations between Parts I, II, III, and IV versus standard dystonia, parkinsonism, non-motor and functional scales were acceptable with values ranging from 0.323 to 0.428. For divergent validity, a significant correlation was seen with behavioral scales. No significant correlation was noted with the cognitive scale. The proposed XDP–MDSP scale is internally valid but the global rating subscale may need to be modified or eliminated. While there is convergent validity, divergent validation was successful only on cognitive and not behavioral scales. The frequent co-occurrence of anxiety and depression, and its effect on the motor and functional state, may explain this finding. Researchers validate a tool to assess patients with X-linked dystonia parkinsonism (XDP), a movement disorder that affects men of Filipino descent. Roland Dominic Jamora and Paul Matthew Pasco, at the University of the Philippines Manila, and colleagues collaborated with the Movement Disorder Society of the Philippines (MDSP) to develop a new comprehensive rating scale that is specific for this condition. The 37-item test was administered to over 200 patients and the results correlated with those obtained in commonly used scales for the assesment of dystonia, parkinsonism, motor and non-motor symptoms. The authors conclude that the XDP-MDSP rating scale will allow clinicians and researchers to evaluate the severity of XDP as well as determine patients’ response to treatment. Further refining the scale may be required to discern the effect of patients’ anxiety and depression on their functional state.

Prevalence of pharmacogenomic variants in 100 pharmacogenes among Southeast Asian populations under the collaboration of the Southeast Asian Pharmacogenomics Research Network (SEAPharm).

Abstract: Pharmacogenomics can enhance the outcome of treatment by adopting pharmacogenomic testing to maximize drug efficacy and lower the risk of serious adverse events Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a cost-effective technology for genotyping several pharmacogenomic loci at once, thereby increasing publicly available data A panel of 100 pharmacogenes among Southeast Asian (SEA) populations was resequenced using the NGS platform under the collaboration of the Southeast Asian Pharmacogenomics Research Network (SEAPharm) Here, we present the frequencies of pharmacogenomic variants and the comparison of these pharmacogenomic variants among different SEA populations and other populations used as controls We investigated the different types of pharmacogenomic variants, especially those that may have a functional impact Our results provide substantial genetic variations at 100 pharmacogenomic loci among SEA populations that may contribute to interpopulation variability in drug response phenotypes Correspondingly, this study provides basic information for further pharmacogenomic investigations in SEA populations