Introduction: In the realm of education and professional licensure, the assessment of individuals’ competencies is pivotal in determining eligibility for entry into various fields of practice. Medical school assessments encompass cognitive and non-cognitive measures. The Philippines’ Physician Licensure Examination (PLE) relies solely on cognitive assessment. This study explored the predictive power of cognitive assessment in the passing the Physician Licensure Examinations. Methods: A case-control study design was done. Cognitive examination grade was defined as the average cumulative grade of written examinations in specific subjects, while the dependent variable was PLE scores. Results: The study revealed a positive association between failing written examinations and failing the Physician Licensure Examination. In all subjects, there is an observed association, but only Pharmacology reached statistical significance (OR: 2.30 CI:1.01,5.24). For the remaining subjects, although there is an association, it did not reach statistical significance (Biochemistry OR:1.42, CI: 0.43, 4.72; Medicine 3 OR:1.56, CI: 0.81, 3.0; Surgery 3 OR:1.28 CI: 0.63, 2.58). There was no association seen between failing the written examination and failing the PLE in Obstetrics (OR:0.98 CI: 0.47, 2.03). Furthermore, there was a weak positive correlation (0.18-0.31) between written examination grades and corresponding board exam subject grades for all subjects, highlighting the importance of cognitive assessments in predicting success. The research also found a statistically significant difference in PLE grades between those who failed the written examinations and those who passed. Conclusion These findings emphasized the crucial role of cognitive assessments in predicting success in the PLE and its associated board subjects. The study underscored the need for medical institutions to focus on strengthening cognitive competencies and to align the content and rigor of written examinations with the PLE. Addressing these issues would better prepare students for the licensure examination and enhance the quality of healthcare professionals entering the workforce. The results may contribute to the ongoing discussion on the effectiveness of assessment methods in medical education and licensure examinations.
Association

INTRODUCTION: Studies showed that those who tested positive for COVID-19 have a 65% risk for a psychiatric disorder, while those undergoing isolation or quarantine are put at risk for anxiety and depression. The objective of this study was to appraise studies that determine the risk factors for psychiatric disorder post-COVID-19 infection. METHODS: All cross-sectional and cohort studies from 2019 onwards that had COVID-19 survivors that developed anxiety, depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), were included. Medline, Cochrane Library and ClinicalKey were searched using MeSH terms including “COVID-19”, “depression”, “anxiety”, “post-traumatic stress disorder”, and “risk factor”. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The data extracted from the studies were characteristics of the participants, risk factors, outcome measures and outcomes. RESULTS: Four cohort and four cross-sectional studies involving 1438 COVID-19 survivors who developed depression, anxiety and/or depression were included. The risk factors that were statistically significant were 1) female sex (RR = 1.86; 95% CI 1.06, 2.04; Z = 2.32; p = 0.02) for depression, 2) having family members infected with COVID-19 (RR = 1.56; 95% CI 1.32, 1.85; Z= 5.17; p = <0.01) for depression, 3) steroid administration during hospital admission (RR = 1.62; 95% CI 1.07, 2.47; Z = 2.26; p = 0.02) for anxiety and 4) female sex (RR = 2.13; 95% CI 1.16, 3.91; Z = 2.45, p = 0.01) for PTSD. CONCLUSION Female sex increases the risk of depression and PTSD. A family history of COVID-19 increases the risk of depression. Steroid administration is a risk factor for anxiety.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of basil tea as an adjunct to antihypertensive medications in decreasing the blood pressure of hypertensive subjects. Methods: Hypertensive patients were randomly allocated into either experimental (antihypertensive medications + basil tea) or control (antihypertensive medications alone) group. Experimental subjects drank basil tea twice daily for 28 days, with blood pressure readings done at baseline and on a weekly basis for four weeks. Results : A significant difference in systolic blood pressure was elicited for both treatment (p=0.005) and control (p=0.034) groups. There is a significant difference in the mean systolic (p=0.021) and diastolic blood pressure P (p=0.023) between the two groups at the fourth week in the basil tea group. There was a significant difference (p=0.046) in the mean difference in diastolic blood pressure from baseline to Week 4 in the basil tea group. There was a statistically significant decrease in systolic blood pressure between baseline and Week 4 (p=0.05). Conclusion Basil tea, used as an adjunct to anti-hypertensive medications, elicited a statistically significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and a statistically significant difference in change of diastolic blood pressure after four weeks of treatment.
Ocimum basilicum ; Hypertension

INTRODUCTION: The social environment of adolescents plays a significant role in their psychological wellbeing, which in turn contributes to their personal development as individuals. This research aimed to determine the correlation between internet addiction and the psychological well-being of high school students in private schools in Metro Manila for the school year 2020-2021. METHODS: High school students from Grades 7-12 in private schools in Metro Manila, with at least one account in any social media platform participated. The Internet Addiction Test and The Flourishing Scale were used to determine internet addiction and psychological well-being, respectively. Spearman’s rank-order correlation was used to determine the magnitude of correlation between internet addiction and psychological well-being. RESULTS: The prevalence of internet addiction was 46.1% among 128 respondents. The mean psychological well-being score of the participants was 45.9 ± 7.84. There was weak statistically significant negative correlation between psychological well-being and internet addiction (rs(126) = -0.346, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Students with higher scores of internet addiction were more likely to have lower scores in psychological well-being. There was weak statistically significant negative correlation between psychological well-being and internet addiction.
Humans ; Adolescent ; Internet Addiction Disorder ; Dependency, Psychological ; Internet

INTRODUCTION: Women in the perimenopausal period experience the height of menopausal symptoms due to the fluctuating levels of hormones because of ovarian dysfunction. This study aimed to determine the effect of cinnamon tea on menopausal symptoms among perimenopausal women. METHODS: Perimenopausal women from Cainta, Rizal were recruited using cluster sampling and were randomly allocated into cinnamon tea or black tea groups. All participants were instructed to consume one tea bag once a day for 28 days. A response survey was conducted by the researchers using the Menopausal Rating Scale questionnaire every 2 weeks during the 28-day period to assess the number and severity of symptoms associated with perimenopausal stage. RESULTS: The Menopausal Rating Scale scores of both cinnamon and placebo groups showed a statistically significant decrease in the number and severity of symptoms over time within groups. However, there was greater decrease in symptom number and severity among the cinnamon tea group and the difference was significant. CONCLUSION Cinnamon tea resulted in a decrease in the severity of perimenopausal symptoms and maybe an effective, economical and accessible alternative treatment for perimenopausal symptoms.

INTRODUCTION: This study compared the effectiveness and safety of neem (Azadirachta indica) seed oil methanolic extract shampoo against permethrin shampoo in reducing head lice infestation among children. METHODS: A single-blind, non-inferiority, randomized clinical trial was conducted on children aged 6-14 years with pediculosis. Using block randomization, the participants were assigned to receive either 10% neem seed oil methanolic shampoo, 1% permethrin shampoo, or pure shampoo for three treatment applications at 10-day intervals. The presence of head lice after each application was determined by standard quadrant counting and compared with the baseline count within and among treatment groups. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in lice count after treatment for both neem and permethrin, with mean reductions of 17.8 ± 23.97 (p = 0.043) and 22.5 ± 23.47 (p = 0.014), respectively. Repeated Measures ANOVA showed a summary p-value of 0.041 for neem, 0.013 for permethrin, and 0.193 for the shampoo alone with a linear trend indicating a significant decrease in the lice counts from the baseline to the third application of neem and permethrin shampoo, but not in the shampoo group. There was no significant difference in the mean decrease in lice count from baseline to the third application between the neem and permethrin shampoo groups. CONCLUSION Neem seed oil methanolic extract shampoo is non-inferior and comparable to permethrin in the reduction of head lice count. There were no reported dermatologic adverse effects such as burning sensations, redness, skin irritation, and allergic reactions.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of immature Magnifera indica L. (mango) fruit with albendazole in reducing Ascaris lumbricoides infection among children. METHODS: Children aged 2 to 14 years were enrolled in a randomized, controlled, non-inferiority trial. Participants were randomly allocated to receive 250 mL immature mango fruit puree daily for 3 days or one dose of albendazole 400 mg tablet. Egg reduction rates and cure rates were computed and compared. Adverse effects were monitored during and after administration of treatment. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant decrease between the pre- and post-treatment EPG of those who took immature mango fruit (p < 0.001) and those who took albendazole (p < 0.001). There was a higher ERR and CR for the albendazole group, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.472, p = 785, respectively). Risk analysis of reduction in intensity showed mango is non-inferior to albendazole (RR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.67, 0.97; p = 0.026). Risk analysis of cure showed mango is noninferior to albendazole in both PP (RR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.68, 1.25; p = 0.607) and ITT (RR=0.79, 95% CI 0.58, 1.08; p = 0.139). CONCLUSION Immature Mangifera indica Linn is non-inferior to albendazole in terms of effectiveness in the reduction of ascariasis infection.
Ascariasis

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus is a serious health issue in every nation of the world. The quality of life of diabetic patients is sometimes compromised because of the numerous medications being taken and as a consequence of the diabetic complications. There is a need for a validated Filipino translated quality of life questionnaire that can be used by researchers in the Philippines. METHODS: This is a linguistic validation study of the Filipino version of the Asian Diabetes Quality of Life Scale (ADQOL). The ADQOL was translated in Filipino, back translated to English, reviewed, tested on patients, revised, and fnalized. Content validity, cognitive validity, and test stability using test-retest reliability were determined. RESULTS: The item content validity index showed a score of 1.00 except for two numbers which scored 0.80 and 0.90 on clarity. The scale content validity index universal agreement and average also scored 1.00 for representativeness, relevance and appropriateness. The comprehension index average was 0.97 while the average clarity index was 0.96. The per item Cronbach’s alpha score ranged from 0.86 – 0.89 with no item lower than 0.70, while the overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.88. The test retest reliability showed a Bland Altmann Plot repeatability correlation of 0.813 and a Pearson’s correlation of 0.820. CONCLUSION The validity and reliability testing of the Filipino version of the Asian Diabetes Quality of Life questionnaire had a higher validity and reliability score as compared with the original English version making it a valid and reliable tool for researchers who would want to measure the quality of life of Filipino patients with type 2 diabetes.
translations

INTRODUCTION: Medical students are susceptible to depression due to the constant exposure to stressful situations and almost 30% of medical students suffer from depression. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression among first- to third-year medical students in a private medical institution. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was employed on first- to third-year medical students selected through simple random sampling. They were asked to answer the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for the assessment of depression. RESULTS: The prevalence of moderate to severe depression was 19.1%. Almost 15% of the first-year medical students, 23.7% of the second-year medical students and 18.3% of the third-year students were found to have a risk of having depression. Twenty-one percent of the male students and 18.4% of the females were classified to have depression. CONCLUSION Almost one-fifth of the first- to third-year medical students in the private medical institution have depression. The highest prevalence of having depression was among second-year medical students, males, 20 to 22 years old.
Depression

INTRODUCTION: Unregulated biomedical waste management is an emerging public health problem in the Philippines. This study aimed to differentiate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses and medical technologists toward biomedical waste management. METHODS: Using an analytic cross-sectional study design, an online survey of nurses and medical technologists from hospitals around the Philippines was conducted. A 27-item questionnaire covering knowledge, attitudes and practices was used. The percentages of correct answers and mean scores in each domain was compared between the nurses and medical technologists. RESULTS: A total of 196 respondents consisting of 77 registered nurses and 119 medical technologists were included in the study. Medical technologists had significantly better knowledge scores than nurses on disposal procedures for expired blood units and by-products waste (55% vs. 19%, p = 0.026). Both had low correct responses on adequate disposal of human tissue remains, throwing blood waste into domestic waste, and throwing of expired medications in domestic waste. There was no significant difference in the attitude of nurses and medical technologists. Nurses had significantly better practice scores on disposal of liquid waste in bags (84.4% vs. 68.9, p = 0.018), but medical technologists fared better at disposal of human tissue together with other waste (13.0% vs. 2.5%, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION Both nurses and medical technologists had adequate knowledge of some aspects but were lacking in others. There was no significant difference in the attitude of nurses and medical technologists towards biomedical waste management. Half of the respondents practiced proper biomedical waste management.
Medical Laboratory Personnel ; Waste Management ; Knowledge ; Attitude