INTRODUCTION: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) remains a significant complication of diabetes in the world and is associated with high rates of hospital admissions. In mild, uncomplicated cases of DKA a subcutaneous regimen of newer rapid-acting insulin analogues has been proposed as a safe and effective alternative to intravenous regular insulin in prospective, randomized trials. Our primary objective is to compare the efficacy and safety of intermittent subcutaneous (SC) rapid insulin administration with continuous intravenous (IV) regular insulin infusion in the treatment of mild to moderate DKA.

METHODOLOGY: A retrospective chart review of all adult Filipino patients admitted for mild to moderate DKA at UST Hospital private and clinical divisions from 2012 - 2015 was done. Chart cases were divided into two groups, namely:group one who received IV infusion of regular insulin and group two who received SC rapid insulin analog astreatment. The clinical and biochemical characteristics of the patients on admission were obtained. Efficacy and safety of both treatment regimens were compared as to the duration of time and amount of insulin administered from admission until resolution of DKA was achieved, occurrence of hypoglycemia and hypokalemia, mortality and length of hospitalization.

RESULTS: Twenty-one chart cases were included, twelve in the continuous IV insulin infusion group and nine in the intermittent SC rapid insulin group. The baseline characteristics of patients were almost similar. There was no significant difference between the treatment groups in the duration of time and amount of insulin administered to achieve DKA resolution, occurrence of hypoglycemia, and death. Hypokalemia occurred more frequently and hospital stay was longer in the IV insulin group.

CONCLUSION: Intermittent subcutaneous rapid insulin regimen is an effective, safe, and potentially cost-effective alternative to continuous intravenous insulin infusion for treatment of mild to moderate cases of DKA.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Insulin, Short-acting ; Diabetic Ketoacidosis ; Insulin ; Hypokalemia ; Hypoglycemia ; Hospitalization ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Safety

Introduction: The potential efficacy of a board game in health education has been demonstrated. This study aims to develop a simple and useful diabetes education board game for adult Filipinos with T2DM that can supplement diabetes education. Methods: This study used a mixed methods design involving a multistep process to develop and evaluate the board game. The initial phase involved the generation of comprehensible illustrations. Diabetes experts including three endocrinologists, one diabetes education nurse, and one dietician and 20 patients evaluated each illustration incorporated into the game board patterned after snakes and ladders. Twenty adult patients were then recruited to play the board game. Each patient subsequently completed a survey regarding perception of the game’s acceptability in terms of usability, replay appeal, and ability to reinforce knowledge. Results: The illustrations’ comprehensibility or mean correct response of participants to the illustrations was 75%. At least 50% of patients correctly identified each of the illustrations. Eighteen (56.25%) out of the 32 illustrations had a mean correct response of 75% or higher. The illustrations were perceived to depict their intended meaning (translucency). All illustrations had a median translucency score of five and above in a scale of one to seven. The game had a high median rating for acceptability of five on a scale of one to five. All the participants agreed that they liked playing the game and would recommend the game to other patients with diabetes. Conclusion The developed adult diabetes board game – “Winning at Diabetes”, is a simple, useful and acceptable supplement to standard diabetes education.
Adult

We report a case of a 24-year-old Filipino male who complained of general weakness, polydipsia, weight loss, bitemporal headaches, loss of libido and behavioral changes. Endocrine work-up revealed neurogenic diabetes insipidus and panhypopituitarism. Brain MRI showed multiple intracranial tumors in the left frontal lobe, pineal and suprasellar region with moderate non-communicating hydrocephalus. Intracranial mass biopsy with ventriculo-peritoneal shunting was done. Histopathology of the mass and CSF revealed a germinoma. He underwent chemoradiotherapy while on maintenance hormone replacement.
Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Germinoma ; Hypopituitarism ; Diabetes Insipidus

Background & Objective: Chronic pain impacts the quality of life of patients, with neuropathic pain causing profound negative sequelae. Assessment of pain whether nociceptive or neuropathic is important to provide appropriate treatment. The objective of this study is to translate and validate the pain-DETECT Questionnaire (PDQ) to two widely spoken regional languages in Filipino. Methods: The PDQ, a self-administered questionnaire, was translated from English into the Filipino version, painDETECT Tagalog (PDQ-Tag) and painDETECT Cebuano (PDQ-Ceb). One hundred Filipino patients suffering from pain for at least three months were recruited in the out-patient clinics of a hospital and completed the questionnaire. The investigators, blinded to the subjects PDQ-Tag and PDQ-Ceb scores, examined the subjects using the standard clinical and neurological examination. The PDQ-Tag and PDQ-Ceb, scores were validated. Both questionnaires were administered to the same patient twice, two days apart by the same investigator. Results: Seventy subjects completed the (PDQ-Tag) and thirty subjects the (PDQ-Ceb). The sensitivity and specificity of PDQ-Tag were both 80% for an upper limit cut-off value of ≥ 17. The sensitivity and specificity of PDQ-Ceb were 62.5% and 80% respectively, for an upper limit cut-off value ≥ 18.0. Both questionnaires were reliable [Cronbach’s alpha coefficient: 0.78 (PDQ-Tag) and 0.70 (PDQ-Ceb), good test-retest stability with intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.93 for PDQ-Tag and 0.99 for PDQ-Ceb]. Cohen’s kappa were 0.64 and 0.61 for PDQ-Ceb and PDQ-Tag respectively, with P value<0.001 indicating a significant agreement on the assessment of neuropathic pain. Conclusion: PDQ-Tag and PDQ-Ceb are reliable and valid self-administered screening tools to detect neuropathic pain among Filipinos.

Background: A well-informed patient with Type 2 diabetes may be more compliant with treatment. This study aims to evaluate the diabetes-related knowledge and socio demographic determinants of patients seen at University of Santo Tomas Hospital through a translated and validated Filipino-DKT questionnaire.

Methods: Standard translation procedure was used to produce the Filipino version of the DKT2. A convenience sample of 112 outpatients with Type 2 diabetes was identified for six months at the University of Santo Tomas Hospital, Philippines. All data were collected using the Filipino-DKT and a demographic questionnaire.

Results: The Filipino-DKT demonstrated an acceptable Cronbach's alpha of 0.70 and an acceptable average inter-item correlation of 0.40 (p<0.001). The test-retest reliability was excellent, with a Pearson coefficient r of 1.00 (p<0.001). Our study demonstrated that of the 112 patients with diabetes who answered the general knowledge test, the majority had average knowledge of 78.64%, while 16.07% had poor knowledge. A total of 55 participants on insulin answered the second part of Filipino-DKT that measures insulin knowledge. Surprisingly, 56% of the subjects on insulin had poor knowledge, and only 7% had good knowledge. Results showed that the majority (56%) had poor knowledge. Participants who reported poor control of their diabetes (HbA1c >7%) also reported lower levels of knowledge about diabetes and insulin use. There was no association between duration of diabetes, family history of diabetes, and type of diabetes with knowledge of diabetes.

Conclusion: The Filipino diabetic knowledge of diabetes is poor and not related to age, sex, and duration of diabetes. Filipino-DKT is an acceptable, reliable, and valid measure of diabetes knowledge used in our clinical practice and research.

Diabetes Knowledge ; Translation ; Validation

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of mySugr^TM app on diabetes self-management, HbA1c level and its acceptability among app users with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

METHODS

A prospective, single-arm interventional study in 70 adult Filipino patients with T2DM and HbA1c ≥ 8.0%. Participants used the basic mySugr^TM mobile app for 12 weeks. The Modified Behavior Score Instrument and the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ) pre- and post-intervention measured its impact on diabetes self-management while the Mobile Application rating Scale (MARS) assessed the quality of the app.

RESULTS

There was a significant increased adherence to the diabetes self-care behaviors. DSMQ showed that only 12% of the participants had poor self-care behaviors at week 12 particularly in physical activity and diet. The baseline median HbA1c [9.55% (8.43-11.30)] and estimated HbA1c [8.9% (8.3-10.9)] declined significantly after week 12, [8.0% (8.0-8.43)] and [7.2% (6.5-8.1)] respectively with a very significant p value of (p < 0.00001). About 42% of patients achieved an HbA1c level of ≤7%. MARS confirmed the app’s good quality and acceptability.

CONCLUSION

Mobile application such as mySugr^TM mobile app can be a viable tool for improved self-care behavior and help in achieving good glycemic control among patients with poorly controlled T2DM even as early as 12 weeks. The app has good quality and acceptability.

Human ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Introduction: Approximately 40% of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) will require insulin when diet failed to reduce glycemic levels. Insulin analogs have been noted to result in an improved glycemic control and an acceptable safety profile in diabetes mellitus. Our general objective was to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pregnancy outcomes of insulin analog versus human insulin in women with GDM. Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis of women with singleton pregnancy and GDM from January 2013 to March 2016 at the University of Santo Tomas Hospital was performed. Women were grouped into Group A (diet-controlled), Group B (supplementary insulin analog), Group C (supplementary human insulin), and Group D (combination of supplementary insulin analog and human insulin). Maternal characteristics, glycemic data, and outcomes and neonatal outcomes were compared among the treatment groups. Parametric data were expressed as mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage. Chi-square and one-way analysis of variance were utilized to analyze data. Results: Of 144 women with GDM, 59 received insulin analog and 19 received human insulin. Good glycemic control and low rate of hypoglycemia in Group B were comparable to other groups. Maternal outcomes (hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and primary cesarean section) in Group B were not increased and similar to other groups. Neonatal outcomes (birth weight, large for gestational age, neonatal hypoglycemia, neonatal jaundice, and acute respiratory distress syndrome) in Group B were also not increased and comparable to other groups. Rates of prematurity were higher in Groups A and B. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that insulin analog was comparable to human insulin in terms of non-increased rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes with the exception of prematurity, and can be safely used as a viable treatment option without increased risk of hypoglycemia while achieving optimal glycemic control throughout pregnancy in Filipino women with GDM.
Diabetes, Gestational ; Pregnancy Outcome

Objective: The main objective is to determine if digital pulse oximetry is an acceptable screening tool to detect hemodynamically significant lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) in patients 50 years old and above with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) seen at the University of Santo Tomas Hospital (USTH). Methodology: A total of 78 subjects (155 limbs) were included. Using duplex ultrasonography as the reference standard for the presence of hemodynamically significant lower extremity PAD, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were obtained for abnormal percent oxygen saturation (SpO2) gradients and for ankle-brachial index (ABI). Results: Of the 155 limbs, 38.7% had hemodynamically significant stenosis. Pulse oximetry had 76.7% sensitivity (95% CI, 65.2% to 88.1%), 85.3% specificity (95% CI, 78.0% to 92.6%), 76.7% PPV (95% CI, 66.5% to 84.4%) and 85.3% NPV (95% CI, 78.4% to 90.2%). ABI had 40.7% sensitivity (95% CI, 30.1% to 51.3%), 88.2% specificity (95% CI, 80.0% to 96.3%), 68.6% PPV (95% CI, 53.6% to 80.4%) and 70.1% NPV (95% CI, 65.1% to 74.5%). Combining both produces 88.1% sensitivity (95% CI, 78.5% to 97.8%), 74.2% specificity (95% CI, 65- 83.4%), 68.4 PPV (95% CI, 60.3% to 75.6%) and 90.8% NPV (95% CI, 83.0% to 95.2%). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that pulse oximetry has a higher sensitivity than ABI as a screening tool for hemodynamically significant lower extremity PAD in T2DM patients 50 years old and above. Combining these two tests may be done to achieve a higher sensitivity.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Peripheral Arterial Disease ; Oximetry

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm with poor prognosis. We report a case of a 30-year-old female who presented with profound classic features of an adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)-independent Cushing’s syndrome (CS) and a large adrenal mass with massive venous tumor thrombosis of the entire inferior vena cava (IVC), left renal and adrenal veins confirmed by imaging. Adrenal biopsy histopathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed ACC. Systemic palliative chemotherapy was administered. This rare case presents a unique and atypical presentation of an extensive tumor thrombosis of IVC. With the advanced stage at diagnosis, aggressive nature and poor prognosis of the disease, there is still a need to determine viable therapeutic options for metastatic ACC associated with venous invasion.
Adrenocortical Carcinoma