Background: Smoking is a known risk factor for many maternal and perinatal morbidities. Regrettably, as many as 69.8% of mothers, though not active smokers themselves, are exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke (SHS). No level of SHS exposure is safe. Due to the potential harmful effects to the mother and her unborn child, it is important to establish the effect of SHS exposure on neonatal outcome among our pregnant patients. Objective: To determining the effect of second hand cigarette smoke exposure on neonatal outcomes. Methods: Participants are patients with low risk singleton pregnancies who were going for prenatal check up and eventually delivered in secondary hospitals in Manila. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. Null hypotheses were rejected at 0.05 ?-level of significance. The computer software STATA 13.1 was used for data analysis. Results: The husband was the most identified source of second-hand smoke. Maternal weight was also higher among the exposed group. The most significant effect of SHS exposure among newborns was a 103 grams difference in mean birth weight. There was no difference in pediatric aging, birth length, and anthropometric measurements. Conclusion The prevalence of smoking in Philippines remains high at 23.8% among adult population, majority being male adults. Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy was noted to be as high as 69.8%. The most common source of second-hand smoke is the husband, and thus, he should be one of the targets of preventive strategies in second-hand smoke exposure.
Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; Pregnancy ;

BACKGROUND: Entamoeba histolytica is an important etiologic agent of diarrhea. Globally, it is estimated to infect 40 to 50 million people and cause 40,000 to 100,000 deaths per year. Metronidazole is effective but can cause adverse reactions in certain individuals. In search of alternatives, traditional medicinal plants are being studied. Several plants in Family Simaroubaceae have shown anti-amoebic activity. Quassia amara, a member of this family has not been tested.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of Q. amara crude extract on Entamoeba histolytica in vitro.
METHODS: Initial testing of 104 µg/ml ethanolic bark extract was performed. Counts were made after 72 hours. Three trials in triplicates were performed.
Nine (9) dilutions of extract were then tested (18.8 to 5,00 µg/ml). Test tubes were checked for viable amoeba after 24-hour and 72-hour incubation. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined for the two incubation periods. At least two trials in triplicates for each dilution were performed. metronidazole served as positive control.
RESULTS: At 104 µg/ml incubated for 72 hours, no viable amoeba was obtained and counted. The MIC after 24 hours was 5,000 µg/ml, while the MIC at 72 hours was 37.5 µg/ml.
CONCLUSION: Q. amara crude extract has inhibitory effects on E. histolycain vitro.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Aged 80 And Over ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Child ; Child Preschool ; Infant ; Infant Newborn ; Quassia ; Metronidazole ; Entamoeba Histolytica ; Plants, Medicinal ; Amoeba ; Simaroubaceae ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Diarrhea