Introduction: Previous studies have shown conflicting results on the efficacy of okra on lowering blood sugar levels. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of okra in decreasing blood sugar among patients with impaired fasting glucose. Methods : This was a randomized double-blind trial among patients with impaired fasting blood glucose from three clinics in Antipolo City. Potential subjects were identified from records of the three clinics, recruited and screened using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) and fasting blood sugar (FBS). Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive okra or placebo capsules twice daily for one month. The blood sugar after 30 days was compared with the baseline and the difference between the okra and placebo groups was compared. Results : There was a significant difference between the pre-treatment and post-treatment FBS levels, respectively, of both the okra and placebo groups (p-value <0.01). However, the difference between the mean difference of the okra and placebo groups was not significant (p = 0.06). Conclusion The present study showed that okra capsules are not efficacious in lowering blood sugar levels.
Abelmoschus ; Blood Glucose

Introduction: COVID-19 has emerged as a global problem with vaccines being established as one of the best tools in its control. Of particular interest in dermatology are risks and manifestations of cutaneous reactions from such countermeasures, with strides made in documenting and associating skin reactions with vaccines against COVID-19. This study aimed to determine the incidence of cutaneous adverse reactions in recipients of recombinant ChAdOx1-S and inactivated SARS-COV-2 vaccines among healthcare personnel and employees of UERMMMCI. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done were respondents, chosen through randomized stratified cluster sampling, were given a questionnaire to elicit cutaneous adverse effects associated with COVID-19 vaccines. Results: There were198 respondents, of which 29.3% were male and 70.7% were female, with a mean age of 26.07 years. Of these respondents, 72 (36.36%) received recombinant ChAdOx1-S and 126 (63.64%) received inactivated SARS-COV-2 vaccine. For the first dose, cutaneous reactions developed in 6 (8.33%) recipients of recombinant ChAdOx1-S, and 2 (1.59%) recipients of inactivated SARS-COV-2. For the second dose, no reactions followed vaccination with recombinant ChAdOx1-S while 4 (3.17%) reactions developed after inactivated SARS-COV-2 vaccination. Lesions were mostly confined to the injection site presenting with erythema for both vaccine types. One urticarial, widespread reaction was associated with a second dose of inactivated SARS-COV-2 vaccine. Conclusions Adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccinations have been documented which may be attributed to respective excipients rather than vaccine antigens. Due to the rare occurrence of severe anaphylactic reactions, vaccine use is recommended as they confer protection even to those with prior infections. Documented reactions in this study were observed to be mild and self- limiting similar to larger studies.
Vaccines ; COVID-19 ; Pandemics