Campylobacter (C.) fetus (epsilonproteobacteria) is an important veterinary pathogen. This species is currently divided into C. fetus subspecies (subsp.) fetus (Cff) and C. fetus subsp. venerealis (Cfv). Cfv is the causative agent of bovine genital Campylobacteriosis, an infectious disease that leads to severe reproductive problems in cattle worldwide. Cff is a more general pathogen that causes reproductive problems mainly in sheep although cattle can also be affected. Here we describe a multiplex PCR method to detect C. fetus and differentiate between subspecies in a single step. The assay was standardized using cultured strains and successfully used to analyze the abomasal liquid of aborted bovine fetuses without any pre-enrichment step. Results of our assay were completely consistent with those of traditional bacteriological diagnostic methods. Furthermore, the multiplex PCR technique we developed may be easily adopted by any molecular diagnostic laboratory as a complementary tool for detecting C. fetus subspecies and obtaining epidemiological information about abortion events in cattle.
Animals ; Campylobacter ; Campylobacter fetus ; Cattle ; Communicable Diseases ; Fetus ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pathology, Molecular ; Sheep

Objective: To determine a normative value for the nasopharyngeal depth from the anterior nasal spine (ND-ANS) among normal adult Filipinos using Computed Tomography scans. Methods: Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Tertiary National University Hospital. Participants: Of 516 adult patients that underwent facial, neck and temporal bone CT scans in our hospital between January 1 to June 30, 2019, 100 cases were randomized to be included in the study and 91 CT scans were analyzed. Results: The mean nasopharyngeal depth from the anterior nasal spine among Filipino adults is 7.17 ± 0.42. There was a significant difference between sexes with a mean measurement of 7.23 cm ± 0.44 in males and 7.09 ± 0.37 cm in females. There was no statistically significant difference in mean nasopharyngeal depth across age groups. Conclusion A statistically significant difference was observed between sexes in our study sample. Our study provides initial normative values of nasopharyngeal depth among adult Filipinos, and additional studies may use this as a basis for further research.
Nasopharynx ; Adult ; Anthropometry

Introduction: ILeptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease commonly found in tropical or sub-tropical countries. The most severe form is Weil's syndrome which presents with jaundice, renal failure, and bleeding diatheses. Although jaundice occurs in 38% of patients with leptospirosis, no studies in Asia have focused on the liver biochemical profile of these patients. Characterization of liver biochemical profile and ultrasonographic findings may shed more light on the disease process. Identification of liver biochemical parameters that portend a poor prognosis may also allow for early aggressive intervention. Objective: To describe the liver biochemical profile and liver ultrasonographic findings in adult patients with laboratoryconfirmed leptospirosis, admitted at a tertiary hospital in Manila, Philippines. The association of clinical and laboratory features with clinical outcomes (i.e., severe liver injury, Weil’s syndrome, and mortality) was also investigated. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study reviewed all available cases of adult patients with laboratoryconfirmed leptospirosis admitted in the Philippine General Hospital from January 2009 to August 2018. The clinical features, liver biochemical profiles, and ultrasound findings were recorded and analyzed. Comparison between the means of each group based on clinical outcome (i.e., mortality, Weil’s syndrome) was done via Students’ t-test for continuous variables, and calculation of the Odds Ratio for categorical variables. Results: Total and direct bilirubin levels were elevated in patients with leptospirosis compared to serum aminotransferases and alkaline phosphatase levels which were only mildly elevated. Abdominal ultrasound showed typically un-enlarged livers with normal parenchymal echogenicity, normal spleens, and non-dilated biliary trees. Dyspnea was associated with an increased odds for mortality. Although jaundice was present in 39.5% of patients and significantly associated with severe liver injury, this was not associated with mortality. Liver biochemical test values did not differ among patients who expired and those who survived to discharge. The presence of myalgia and abdominal pain increased the odds for Weil's syndrome. Conclusion To date, no local studies have fully described the liver biochemical profile of patients with leptospirosis. Our findings are compatible with previous studies showing that leptospirosis typically presents with predominantly elevated direct bilirubin from cholestasis and systemic infection. Contrary to previous literature, however, our study found no association between jaundice and mortality.
Leptospirosis

BACKGROUND

Students’ perceptions of their educational environment have been determined to influence their educational performance, behavior, and well-being. Assessing the students’ educational environment enables stakeholders to recognize limitations and opportunities for ensuring optimal learning experiences. However, no studies have yet explored the perceived educational environment of occupational therapy (OT) students in the Philippines.

Using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) instrument, this study assesses how occupational therapy students perceive their educational environment. Additionally, this study aims to identify strengths and weaknesses in the current educational environment.

This descriptive cross-sectional study utilized a records review of anonymized secondary responses from the Student Life Survey 2021. The DREEM questionnaire was employed to evaluate the perspectives of occupational therapy students in five domains, namely: students’ perception of learning, students’ perceptions of academic self-perceptions, students’ perceptions of atmosphere, and students’ social self-perceptions. Individual item and subscale scores were summarized as mean and standard deviation (SD).

With a total mean score of 124.12 ± 26.79 in the five domains, the OT students positively perceive their educational environment. Data analysis revealed the scores for the DREEM domains of Students' Perception of Teachers (30.50 ± 6.08), Students' Perception of Learning (31.11 ± 5.94), Students' Academic Self-Perceptions (20.37 ± 4.26), Students’ Social Self-Perceptions (15.58 ± 4.00), and Students’ Perceptions of Atmosphere (26.56 ± 6.51). Interpretation for each domain indicates that the educational environment is moving in the right direction, has a more positive approach, is feeling more on the positive side, is not too bad, and has a more positive atmosphere, respectively.

The study revealed a positive perception of the educational environment among OT students. However, there needed improvement in the areas of authoritarian teachers, the demanding program environment, and the overemphasis on factual learning. To guarantee that OT education in the country is of high quality, these findings can be utilized to inform the institution’s stakeholders regarding policy development, curriculum review, and future OT program development and implementation.

Aged ; Cognition ; Cognitive Dysfunction/therapy* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Status and Dementia Tests ; Middle Aged ; Pilot Projects

Background: and Purpose Recent studies suggested an increased incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the volume of CVT hospitalization and in-hospital mortality during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the preceding year. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of 171 stroke centers from 49 countries. We recorded COVID-19 admission volumes, CVT hospitalization, and CVT in-hospital mortality from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. CVT diagnoses were identified by International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes or stroke databases. We additionally sought to compare the same metrics in the first 5 months of 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2019 and 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04934020). Results: There were 2,313 CVT admissions across the 1-year pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic year (2020); no differences in CVT volume or CVT mortality were observed. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT volumes compared to 2019 (27.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.2 to 32.0; P<0.0001) and 2020 (41.4%; 95% CI, 37.0 to 46.0; P<0.0001). A COVID-19 diagnosis was present in 7.6% (132/1,738) of CVT hospitalizations. CVT was present in 0.04% (103/292,080) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. During the first pandemic year, CVT mortality was higher in patients who were COVID positive compared to COVID negative patients (8/53 [15.0%] vs. 41/910 [4.5%], P=0.004). There was an increase in CVT mortality during the first 5 months of pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to the first 5 months of the pre-pandemic year 2019 (2019 vs. 2020: 2.26% vs. 4.74%, P=0.05; 2019 vs. 2021: 2.26% vs. 4.99%, P=0.03). In the first 5 months of 2021, there were 26 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), resulting in six deaths. Conclusions During the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVT hospitalization volume and CVT in-hospital mortality did not change compared to the prior year. COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with higher CVT in-hospital mortality. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT hospitalization volume and increase in CVT-related mortality, partially attributable to VITT.