INTRODUCTION: Gadget use with its diverse range of functions from communication to navigation and
entertainment, has brought increasing concerns about its effects on psychological health. Despite
growing evidence on its effect among children, its effect on the adolescent age group, particularly on
the socio-emotional dimension remains uncertain.

METHOD: An analytical cross-sectional study was done to identify a possible association between duration
of gadget use and socio-emotional difficulties of an adolescent. A cluster sample of junior high school
students aged 13-17 years old from four selected private schools were invited to answer the Strengths
and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to measure socio-emotional difficulties and provide information on
the type and duration of gadget use. Scores derived from the SDQ were classified as normal, borderline
and abnormal based on the questionnaire's scoring guide. Association between duration of gadget use
and strengths and difficulties was tested using chi-square, controlling for sex and age groups.

RESULTS: Majority of the 315 respondents had normal scores on the strengths and difficulties sub-scales.
Regardless of the duration of gadget use, majority of the respondents had normal prosocial behavior
and likewise scored normal on all dimensions of the Difficulties subscale. There was no significant
association between duration of gadget use and Strength (p = 0.47) and Difficulties scores (p = 0.35).
Stratifying by sex and age groups likewise resulted in insignificant associations (p > 0.05). Those with
prolonged gadget use were 1.68 times more likely to have abnormal scores on the Difficulties subscale
compared with those with normal gadget use but the association was not significant (95% CI 0.82, 3.34).

CONCLUSION: There was no significant association between duration of gadget use and socio-emotional
difficulties of adolescents in selected private schools, controlling for sex and age groups.

INTRODUCTION: There is a consistent increase in the interest and demand for non-invasive modalities to
improve facial skin laxity and rhytides. Monopolar radiofrequency is one of such non-invasive modalities.
This systematic review aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of monopolar radiofrequency in
improving facial rhytides and skin laxity.

METHODS: Clinical studies that assessed the efficacy of monopolar radiofrequency to address clinically
observable facial rhytides and skin laxity were included. Outcome measures included improvement
in rhytides and skin laxity as documented by patient satisfaction scores, and investigator and third-person
observer ratings based on clinical photographs and clinical scales.

RESULTS: Three studies involving 29 participants were included in this review. All studies reported 25-
50% improvement in facial rhytides and skin laxity. Participants from the three studies were satisfied
with the results. Transient erythema was reported in several patients.

CONCLUSION: Monopolar radiofrequency appears to be beneficial and safe for patients with facial
rhytides and skin laxity. However, the evidence is inconclusive due to problems in the methodological
quality of each trial and the heterogeneity of the studies included in this review.

Objectives: To evaluate abnormal Papanicolau smear results at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) for the past four years by comparing abnormal smear cytology with histologic interpretations. Possible causes of discrepant results were also determined.

Methods: All Pap smears released as abnormal from January 2014 to December 2017 and the corresponding available biopsies were retrieved. Discrepancy between cytologic and histology diagnosis was assessed and pairs with major discordance were reviewed.

Results: There were a total of 30,237 conventional pap smears signed out of which 239 (0.79%) were abnormal and only 56 (23%) had a subsequent tissue biopsy. The overall concordance rate is 75% while strict or absolute concordance rate is 32%. The overall discordance rate is 25%. Positive predictive value is highest for pap smears signed out as atypical glandular cells favor neoplastic (AGC-NEO) (100%), followed by malignant (93%), high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) (83%), and then atypical squamous cells cannot exclude an HSIL (ASC-H) and atypical squamous cell of undetermined significance (ASCUS), both at 67%.

Conclusions: Considering that the Philippine General Hospital is a referral and academic center, we have a low percentage of abnormal pap smears compared to other developing countries and even a lower percentage of patients who had subsequent biopsies. Cytohistologic correlation detected interpretative as well as sampling errors, and the aim is to work on these deficiencies by improving quality assurance protocols and modifying current local practices of both pathologists and clinicians.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: IL-37b is a cytokine that may exist in several forms, including a full-length precursor protein and its putative mature forms (IL-37b cleaved at E21, 146, and K53, respectively). In recent years, the role of IL-37b has been associated with the regulation of inflammation and inflammatory diseases. Previous studies focused on the intracellular activity of the cytokine, while the bioactivities of its variants when introduced in the extracellular environment has been limited and require further investigation. To enable this, the study produced precursor and truncated forms of IL-37b in an E.coli expression system.

METHODOLOGY: Recombinant proteins of the full-length (FL) and shorter forms (E21, 146, and K53) of IL-37b were produced in IPTG-induced E. coli BL21-CodonPlus(DE3)-RIPL strain and subsequently purified using Ni2+ NTA affinity, ion exchange, and size exclusion chromatography. The identity of the proteins was confirmed through western blotting and LC-MS.

RESULTS: Findings showed that the masses of the expressed proteins correspond to their respective theoretical masses with 24,134.75 +0.04 Da for FL, 21,919.63 +0.80 Da for E21, 19,298.57 +0.04 Da for 146, and 18,551.21 +0.04 Da for K53 at 90-95% purity. This confirms that the correct proteins have been produced and at high purity. Further, the tendency of FL to homodimerize was observed in this study, which may have implications in the extracellular processing and bioactivity of FL.

CONCLUSION: This study describes the successful expression and purification of recombinant precursor and putative mature forms of IL-37b in E.coli, which can be utilized for downstream characterization. 

BACKGROUND: Improving the means to detect SARS-COV-2 infection is important in the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. STANDARDTM Q COVID-19 Ag Test offers an easy to use, cheap and rapid way of testing that must be evaluated first to optimize its utility.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of this test kit compared with Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-COV-2 diagnosis.

METHODS: Using retrospective cross-sectional study, seventy seven (77) nasopharyngeal swabs in viral transport media were used to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of STANDARDTM Q COVID-19 Ag Test compared with the reference method, RT-PCR.

RESULTS: Among all participants, the rapid antigen test has a sensitivity of 9.86%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, and negative predictive value of 8.57%. The sensitivity increases among symptomatic participants and when Ct value is less than 20 to 25.00% and 31.58%, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Despite the low sensitivity, STANDARDTM Q COVID-19 Ag Test has a high specificity and positive predictive value and could be a cheap and efficient test in the proper clinical context. Its use in conjunction with RT-PCR for those who tested negative initially should be emphasized in the implementation of the existing policies.

INTRODUCTION

The aging process can be different for those who have been incarcerated, including issues related to physical health, mental health, and social dynamics. Much of the existing research on incarceration tends to focused on younger or middle-aged populations. The unique experiences, needs, and challenges faced by older adults who are incarcerated often received less attention and can be better explored qualitatively. This study could address the gap in how existing policies and reforms consider the specific needs of older incarcerated individuals. By addressing these gaps, the study aimed to explore the lived experiences of incarcerated older adults in Cebu Province and contribute to a more complete and empathetic understanding of incarceration from the perspective of older individuals, ultimately supporting more informed and compassionate approaches to criminal justice and prison reform.

The study employed Husserl's qualitative phenomenological design. There were a total of 9 key informants interviewed from various jails in Cebu Province. An open ended interview guide was used in audio recorded interviews which were transcribed and analyzed using the steps of Colaizzi's method.

The emerging themes were (1) Adversities Behind Bars with the following subthemes, (a) Psychosocial Concerns, (b) Health Problems, and (c) Issues on Basic Needs: Food and Sleep. The second theme was (2) Significance of Supporting Factors with the following subthemes, (a) The Importance of Health and Wellness in Health Promotion and Management and (b) How Meaningful Social Relations and Visitations are. The last theme was (3) Rebound from Hardships with the following subthemes, (a) Blending in, (b) Renewed Faith, and (c) Positive Outlook.

Prison life challenged the mental, social, and physical health of Older PDL's including meeting some basic needs. The jail system addressed health and medical concerns depending on availability and managed visitations, social, and spiritual programs. Older PDL's adapt to life in jail and develop a positive outlook. Overall health should be prioritized, especially mental health. Regular inventory of medical and healthcare stocks for earlier procurement of supplies. Visitations, social, and spiritual programs should be continued and monitored. Nurses inside the jail were tasked to take care of the entire community without any special considerations on older PDL's. Jails should strengthen their healthcare system and give importance to the special needs of older PDL's such as but not limited to: 1. Comprehensive Health Assessments; 2. Specialized Medical Care; 3. Enhanced Medical Facilities and Resources; 4. Mental Health Support; 5. Training and Education; 6. Nutrition and Exercise; 7. Accessibility and Adaptations; 8. Collaboration with External Healthcare Providers; 9. Legal and Ethical Considerations. By implementing these strategies, jails could better address the complex and diverse needs of older persons deprived of liberty, promoting their health, well-being, and dignity.

This study was conducted to determine the occupational health and safety of 47 nurse clinical instructors employed in four selected local universities in Metro Manila to provide input for policy formulation. It employed a descriptive cross-sectional design using a researcher-made survey tool for data gathering.

Results showed that the respondents, majority of which belong to the age bracket of 40 below (49%), were females (66%), had been employed in their respective local universities for 6 to 10 years (44.7%), and were Master's degree holders (87%), generally have a high exposure to occupational hazards, low incidence of injury, and low level of workplace security. It was also found that there was no significant difference in the level of exposure to occupational hazards when grouped according to age, sex, length of service, area of assignment, and highest educational attainment at p-values of more than 0.05 level of significance (0.557, 0.678, 0.473, 0.229, and 0.292, respectively), no significant difference in the level of occupational injury incidence when grouped according to the same profile variables (0.559, 0.736, 0.763, 0.442, and 0.361, respectively), and no significant difference in the level of workplace security for occupational hazards when grouped according to the same variables (0.719, 0.469, 0.905, 0.113, and 0.269, respectively). Moreover, no significant relationship between the level of health and safety encounter and level of workplace security in terms of hazard exposure was observed with p-value of 0.073, and no significant relationship in terms of injury incidence was with two-tailed significance of 0.208.

Despite such a lack of significant differences found in the study, the nurse clinical instructors consistently had a low level of occupational security to protect them from the hazards and injuries they are faced with. With no significant relationship found, it can be reflected that irrespective of level of occupational health and safety encounters, the nurse clinical instructors manifested the same level of security.

Given the issues concerning affiliating health institutions and educational institutions as problems emphasized by the respondents that they have encountered in their practice environment, it was apparent that actions need to be taken to augment the workplace security of nurse educators. Among the recommendations were to increase the awareness and sensitivity of the public to the occupational health and safety situation that nurse clinical instructors were confronted with in the exercise of their duties in their respective health institutions of assignment, and urged legislators and appropriate authorities for the prevention of accidents and illness at the practice environment, and the protection of nurse clinical instructors' occupational health and safety through inclusion or policy formulation.

BACKGROUND

Medication administration errors (MAEs) are significant threats to patient safety, yet many incidents go unreported. Effective reporting of medication errors can provide valuable data to improve safety practices.

This study aimed to examine registered nurses' experiences with medication administration errors, their perceptions of medication error reporting, and the potential barriers in reporting medication errors.

Having used a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative research design, the study was conducted on 232 registered nurses. Data were structured via questionnaire adopted from medication administration error reporting scale with content validity index (CVI) of 0.87 and the scale's overall internal consistency alpha (KR-20) of 0.82. Data were collected from April 2020 to May 2020 through emailed invitation and via selected social media platforms such Facebook and Instagram, consent forms were also gathered thru email, and the survey instruments were hosted in Google Form. Data collected from the survey were electronically stored in a password-protected cloud. Quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software. The characteristics of the sample were presented using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages).

Two-hundred thirty-two registered nurses (n=232) participated in the study. Most of the participants were aged 20 to 30 years old (n=158, 68.10%) and majority were females (n=165, 71.1%). Most subjects have four or more years of clinical practice and were assigned in the general ward (n=129, 55.60% and one-hundred eighty-one (78.02%) were affiliated in private hospitals.

Most respondents reported having encountered medication administration errors (72.41%). Despite acknowledging the importance of error reporting, many nurses did not report errors due to fear of negative consequences and lack of support from management. Specifically, 47.41% of nurses reported errors "always," while 12.07% never reported. The data revealed that majority of the participants have encountered medication administration errors and most of them reported such incidents. The study identified several barriers that deterred nurses from reporting these errors: fear of personal blame, concerns about adverse consequences, and a focus on individual accountability by nursing administration. The lack of support from the management brought insecurity to nurses to admit their error. The findings indicated that fear of negative repercussions and insufficient managerial support contribute significantly to the underreporting of medication errors. This reluctance to report compromised the ability to identify and to address systemic issues, which is crucial for improving patient safety.

Hospital organization should promote a culture of safety. Nursing managers were discovered to have provided personal, professional, and legal support that encouraged a culture of reporting errors in order to discover the root cause of errors and not focus on nurses alone so as to eventually lessen and to ultimately prevent medication errors from happening. To foster a culture of safety, healthcare organizations were also recommended to have implemented strategies that encourage error reporting and support nurses. Recommendations also included developing anonymous reporting systems, providing comprehensive personal, professional, and legal support, and shifting focus from individual blame to systemic improvements. Such measures were recommended to help enhance reporting practices by ultimately reducing medication errors and improving patient outcomes.

BACKGROUND

This is the first study conducted to determine the predictors of outpatient based rehabilitation cost in the local setting. This aimed to determine whether demographic and clinical characteristics of post-stroke patients are predictors of direct medical costs for outpatient-based rehabilitation.

A retrospective single-arm cohort study was utilized to determine the predictors of direct medical cost for out patient based post-stroke rehabilitation seen at the rehabilitation department of a tertiary hospital from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023.

A significant association was found between direct cost and smoking. Additionally, an association between direct cost and hypertension was evident. No significant associations were identified between direct rehabilitation cost and other factors such as age, sex, mRS score, type of stroke, intervention, and other co-morbidities, aside from hypertension and smoking.

Smoking and hypertension are predictors of direct medical cost for outpatient-based post stroke rehabilitation. These factors necessitate more intensive therapy and longer rehabilitation periods as compared to other factors which did not have significant associations with cost.

BACKGROUND

Globally, previous surveys on financial literacy among healthcare workers highlight the lack of understanding of basic financial concepts. Financial literacy and financial well-being of healthcare professionals are areas that lack comprehensive study. Assessing the level of financial literacy is vital to raise awareness, identify challenges, and provide tailored support, ultimately improving financial well-being and the quality of patient care.

We determined the degree of financial literacy and financial well-being of healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Cebu.

One hundred thirty-nine respondents were analyzed in this cross-sectional study using the validated Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development International Network on Financial Education (OECD/INFE) Toolkit. Independent t test and ANOVA were used to determine the statistical significance.

The mean Financial Literacy score was 13.7 + 2.4 over a total score of 21 points. It varied significantly with physicians gaining higher scores relative to other professions. Financial attitude varied significantly with married participants having slightly higher score. The mean Financial Well being score was 8.3 + 3.2 over 20 points. It likewise varied significantly with again physicians having higher well-being scores. Similarly, well-being was higher amongst participants with higher income.

Financial literacy of healthcare professionals was quite low. While most healthcare workers demonstrated positive financial behaviors, such as budget management and savings, a significant portion fell short of the minimum target score for financial knowledge and financial attitude. Many struggle with basic concepts in finance, especially compound interest and diversification. Their attitudes around living for today and toward saving were more literate than their attitudes towards spending. Results also showed that on average, the healthcare workers found their financial situation to add stress and worry.