Objective: To examine the prevalence of cutaneous disorders in children under 5 years old who attended a rural hospital in Southern Ethiopia. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January 26 to February 20, 2015 in children under 5 years old who attended Gambo Rural Hospital in West Arsi of the Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Results: A total of 324 children were included (59.6%male) whose median age was 16.4 months. In total, 147 children [45.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 40.0%–50.8%] under 5 years had a skin problem, of which 101 (68.7%) consulted for that reason. The other 46 (31.3%) consulted for a general health problem and the dermatological condition was a secondary finding during the physical exploration. In 93 children (28.7%;95%CI:20%–33.8%), it was the main disease, and in 54 children (16.5%;95%CI:13.0%–21.1%) it was concomitant with other diseases. The most common dermatological disease was scabies (n=44, 13.6%;95%CI:10.3%–17.7%). Impetigo was diagnosed in 32 children (9.9%;95%CI:7.1%–13.3%), of which 23 (71.9%) had complicated impetigo. Nineteen children (5.9%;95%CI:3.8%–9.0%) had eczema, 10 (3.1%) had eczema associated to other conditions. The following most frequent skin problems were tinea (n = 9; 2.8%), infected wound and ulcer (n=7;2.2%), and burns (n=6;1.9%). Conclusions: Skin problems, mainly scabies, impetigo, and eczema were common in young children attended at a rural hospital in Southern Ethiopia. Children under 5 years should be examined thoroughly to rule out skin diseases, especially scabies.

Introduction: Annual health examinations are a crucial component of health promotion and sickness prevention. A hospital cannot fulfill its core objective of helping people if its employees are not physically, intellectually, and socially fit. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the health perception and level of awareness regarding the Annual Physical Examination of Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC) employees. Methods: The study utilized the descriptive method of research and an online survey questionnaire were adopted and constructed. Results: One hundred fourteen participants who completed the survey, 67.5% were female, and 32.5% were male. Majority of the respondents were 31-40 ages or 43.9%. 43.9 % were from the nursing/supervisor/officers. In terms of health perception in various indicators, the respondents were concerned about their health. The overall mean of 3.7105 (SD=0.48884) shows in general that respondents were very aware of the level of preventive care. Conclusions The findings suggested that the majority of respondents were aware of the importance of annual physical examination in terms of the level of preventive care insignificant to their health perceptions.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the frequency of abnormalities in the newborn oral cavity and to evaluate the association with prenatal and perinatal factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated 2,216 newborns. Oral findings were assessed in the first 24 hours of life using visual examination. Sex, weight, length, gestational age, and medical disorders at birth were recorded. Maternal demographic and medical information was also obtained. RESULTS: The most common oral findings were Bohn’s nodules, Epstein’s pearls, and dental lamina cysts. Other intraoral findings included odontogenic cysts, ankyloglossia, and natal teeth, among others. In logistic regression analyses, folic acid consumption during pregnancy was significantly associated with Bohn’s nodules (odds ratio [OR], 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–2.55; P=0.002), Epstein’s pearls (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.14–2.33; P=0.007), and dental lamina cysts (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.02–2.05; P=0.038). Moreover, preterm births were negatively associated with prevalence of Bohn’s nodules (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.50–0.80; P≤0.0001). Comparison between newborns with and without oral inclusion cysts showed that maternal folic acid and iron intake were significantly different (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Maternal folic acid and iron intake were associated with the prevalence of oral inclusion cysts.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Folic Acid ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Iron ; Logistic Models ; Mouth ; Mouth Abnormalities ; Natal Teeth ; Odontogenic Cysts ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth ; Prevalence

Objective: To evaluate antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anti-venom capacity of crude bark extracts of Alstonia parvifolia Merr. Methods: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and energy dispersive X-ray analyses were accomplished to characterize the chemical constituents of Alstonia parvifolia. Biochemical characterization was evaluated using an inhibitory phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2) assay, DPPH, and cytotoxicity assays. Using the constituents listed in the GC-MS analyses, molecular docking was conducted to inspect the binding energies between the chosen compounds and selected PLA 2 isoforms. Results: GC-MS analyses showed that the Alstonia parvifolia crude extract consisted predominantly of acetylmarinobufogenin (14.89%), γ-sitosterol (10.44%), 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (5.88%), 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (5.30%), (2α,5α)-17-methoxyaspidofractinin-3-one (AFM) (4.08%), and 2,3,5,6,7,8,9-heptahydro-1-phenyl-5-(p-chlorophenylimino)-1H-benzo[e] [1],[4] thiazepine (HPT) (1.37%). The principal elemental components of Alstonia parvifolia were Ca (4.012%) and K (1.496%), as exhibited by energy dispersive X-ray examination. Alstonia parvifolia showed significant free radical scavenging ability (IC 50: 0.287 mg/mL) and was non-cytotoxic to normal HDFn cells (IC 50 >100 μg/mL). Moreover, Alstonia parvifolia was favorably cytotoxic to MCF-7 (IC 50: 4.42 μg/mL), followed by H69PR, HT-29, and THP-1, with IC 50 values of 4.94, 5.07, and 6.27 μg/mL, respectively. Alstonia parvifolia also displayed notable inhibition against PLA 2 activity of Naja philippinensis Taylor venom with IC 50 of (15.2 ± 1.8) μg/mL. Docking and cluster analyses projected negative binding energies from AFM (-6.36 to -9.68 kcal/mol), HPT (-7.38 to -9.77 kcal/ mol), and acetylmarinobufogenin (-7.22 to -9.59 kcal/mol). These calculations were for the particular interactions of Alstonia parvifolia constituents to PLA 2 homologues where the utmost affinity was detected in HPT owing to the dipole interactions with amino acid residues. Conclusions: The bark extract of Alstonia parvifolia shows great potential as an anti-venom agent due to its low cytotoxic profile, remarkable PLA 2 inhibition, and docking binding energies between its bioactive constituents and PLA 2 homologues.

Objectives: To determine the frequencies of gastrointestinal manifestations and identity associations with outcomes among COVID-19 patients admitted in a tertiary hospital. Furthermore, it sought to determine conditions and risk factors that can be attributed to the development of these gastrointestinal symptoms. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort of 1212 adult patients admitted at the Philippine General Hospital from April to September 2020 for COVID-19 infection. Data were gathered from an established database and chart review. Frequencies of observations were tabulated and expressed in percentages. Analytical statistics via the Fisher's Exact test was used to determine associations. Results: A total of 597 observations of gastrointestinal symptoms was noted: diarrhea (16.4%), anorexia (13.3%), ageusia/dysgeusia/hypogeusia (7.7%), vomiting (4.5%), abdominal discomfort (4.7%), nausea (1.7%), and gastrointestinal bleeding (0.7% - [melena 0.5%, hematochezia 0.16%, hematemesis 0.08%]). Most of these patients had moderate COVID infection (38.37%). Gastrointestinal bleeding was significantly associated with the need for oxygen support (p = 0.009), invasive ventilation (p = 0.002), invasive ventilation (p= 0.001), ICU admission (p = 0.006) and mortality (p= 0.006). Anorexia was significantly associated with the need for oxygen support (p = <0.001), invasive ventilation (p= <0.001), renal replacement therapy (p = 0.003), ICU admission (p = <0.001) and mortality (p = <0.001). Vomiting was significantly associated with need for invasive ventilation (p = 0.023) and renal replacement therapy (p = 0.003). Conclusion Gastrointestinal manifestations can present among patients with COVID-19 infection and can affect overall prognosis.
Gastrointestinal Tract ; COVID-19 ; Tertiary Care Centers

Objective To examine the prevalence of cutaneous disorders in children under 5 years old who attended a rural hospital in Southern Ethiopia. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January 26 to February 20, 2015 in children under 5 years old who attended Gambo Rural Hospital in West Arsi of the Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Results A total of 324 children were included (59.6% male) whose median age was 16.4 months. In total, 147 children [45.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 40.0%–50.8%] under 5 years had a skin problem, of which 101 (68.7%) consulted for that reason. The other 46 (31.3%) consulted for a general health problem and the dermatological condition was a secondary finding during the physical exploration. In 93 children (28.7%; 95% CI: 20%–33.8%), it was the main disease, and in 54 children (16.5%; 95% CI: 13.0%–21.1%) it was concomitant with other diseases. The most common dermatological disease was scabies (n = 44, 13.6%; 95% CI: 10.3%–17.7%). Impetigo was diagnosed in 32 children (9.9%; 95% CI: 7.1%–13.3%), of which 23 (71.9%) had complicated impetigo. Nineteen children (5.9%; 95% CI: 3.8%–9.0%) had eczema, 10 (3.1%) had eczema associated to other conditions. The following most frequent skin problems were tinea (n = 9; 2.8%), infected wound and ulcer (n = 7; 2.2%), and burns (n = 6; 1.9%). Conclusions Skin problems, mainly scabies, impetigo, and eczema were common in young children attended at a rural hospital in Southern Ethiopia. Children under 5 years should be examined thoroughly to rule out skin diseases, especially scabies.

Background and Objective: Retinoblastoma is one of the most common intraocular cancers among children usually caused by the loss of retinoblastoma protein function. Despite being a highly heritable disease, conventional diagnostic and prognostic methods depend on clinical examination, with limited consideration of cancer genetics in the standard of care. CD133, KRT19, and MUC1 are commonly explored genes for their utility in liquid biopsies of cancer including lung adenocarcinoma. To date, there are few extensive molecular studies on retinoblastoma in Filipino patients. To this end, the study aimed to describe the copy number of CD133, KRT19, and MUC1 in retinoblastoma samples from a Filipino patient and quantitate the respective expression level of these genes. Methods: Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) staining was utilized to characterize the retinoblastoma tissue while fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using probes specific to CD133, KRT19, and MUC1 was performed to determine the copy number of genes in retinoblastoma samples from a Filipino patient (n = 1). The gene expression of CD133, MUC1, and KRT19 was quantitated using RT-qPCR. Results: The H&E staining in the retinoblastoma tissue shows poorly differentiated cells with prominent basophilic nuclei. CD133 was approximately 1.5-fold overexpressed in the retinoblastoma tissue with respect to the normal tissue, while MUC1 and KRT19 are only slightly expressed. Multiple intense signals of each probe were localized in the same nuclear areas throughout the retinoblastoma tissue, with high background noise. Conclusion These findings suggest that CD133 is a potential biomarker for the staging and diagnosis of retinoblastoma in Filipino cancer patients. However, further optimization of the hybridization procedures is recommended.
Retinoblastoma ; Biomarkers ; In Situ Hybridization