INTRODUCTION: Eccrine  carcinoma  is  an  extremely  rare  skin tumor where only 1/13000 specimens have been submitted to dermatopathological  laboratories  in  the  United  States.There  is  no  data  yet  to compare the Philippines with the international  incidence  of  eccrine  carcinoma.  This is a case of a 69-year-old Filipino female who presented with a recurring invasive indolent tumor at the right fronto-parietal area who presented with left sided hemiparesis and seizure.
CASE: The patient was presented with a recurrent invasive indolent  mass  on  her  right  front-parietal  area,  grossly measuring five by four centimeters, nodular flesh colored,which  extended  intracranially.This was associated with left sided hemiparesis and due to the extent of the tumor encroaching through the brain parenchyma, patient was noted  to  have  seizure  episodes.  The  patient  was  given surgical and radiologic options however, she did not comply and died last December 2015.
RESULTS: A cranial MRI with MRA showed a  heterogenous enhancing intracranial mass with extracranial component with compressed entrapped and depressed superior sagittal sinus  by  the  axial  mass  witin  calvarial  penetration  and scalp involvement compressing on the right parietal lobe with parenchyma edema. Biopsy was eventually done and findings were consistent with an eccrine carcinoma.
CONCLUSION: This is the first case of eccrine carcinoma in our institution. Due to the paucity of data, there are no guidelines to the management of an eccrine carcinoma. Hence the imperative need to raise awareness regarding this rare tumor because,  without  a  high  index  of  suspicion  this  rare  entity may be overlooked or misdiagnosed. When presented with an indolent invasive recurrent tumor a high index of suspicion that  an  eccrine  Carcinoma  may  be  suspected.Excision biopsy may be done for correct identification of the tumor.

Human ; Female ; Aged ; Scalp ; Superior Sagittal Sinus ; Seizures ; Sweat Gland Neoplasms ; Biopsy ; Skin Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Skin Appendage ; Brain ; Edema ; Paresis ; Parietal Lobe

Introduction: Sleep health is essential to overall physical, mental and neurobehavioral well-being. Poor sleep quality has been linked to numerous health conditions, impaired school and work performance and increased risk for accidents. Hence, evaluation of a person's sleep health is vital to any medical examination. Questionnaires such as Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) have an important role in the preliminary evaluation of sleep health. PSQI has been regarded as the standard instrument to measure sleep quality. It has been translated into several languages and has been validated in various populations. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Filipino version of the PSQI.

Methods: The Filipino version of the PSQI was administered to 200 adult subjects. After 24-48 hours, the English version of the PSQI was administered to the same respondents. Basic demographic information, co-morbidities and use of medications were obtained. Cronbach's alpha and Kappa test of agreement were measured to test the reliability of the Filipino version while confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the validity of the translated tool.

Results: The Filipino version of the PSQI was reliable with Cronbach's alpha of 0.70. The agreement coefficient of all items in the questionnaire were all above 0.81 indicating a very good level of agreement between the English and Filipino versions. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that items Q1, Q3, Q4, Q5a-Q5i, Q6, Q7, Q8 and Q9 were significant with p-values below 0.05. Overall, as measured by the Goodness of fit, it showed that the items in the Filipino version of the questionnaire are directly correlated with English PSQI Score.

Conclusion: The Filipino version of the PSQI is a valid and reliable instrument to assess sleep quality.

Sleep ; Sleep Quality

Objectives: Knowing the limited epidemiological studies on painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN) in the Philippines, the present review aimed to map the prevalence of pDPN and identify the associated healthcare gaps. Materials and Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase and BIOSIS was conducted using predefine inclusion criteria, and relevant studies published in English between 2004 and 2021 were identified. An unstructured literature search was also conducted on public and government websites with no date restriction. Data combined from all sources were synthesized and presented as a simple mean. Results: Three studies were considered for final analyses of the 26 articles retrieved from structured and unstructured searches. The sample sizes for the three studies were 103, 172, and 100, respectively. The simple mean prevalence of pDPN was estimated at 26.5%. Awareness of pDPN based on a published study was 89%. According to published studies, screening and diagnosis of pDPN were 65% and 76.7%, respectively. One-third of the patients with pDPN (75%) were treated. No literature is available for adherence and control. Conclusion Limited data exist on the different management stages of patients with pDPN in the Philippines. The study analysis will help address the knowledge gaps, improve patient care and pain management, and aid decisionmaking.
diabetes mellitus ; Philippines