Background/Aims: MicroRNA (miRNA) isoforms (isomiRs) broaden the regulatory landscape of canonical miRNAs, but their role in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) remains unknown. We aimed to characterize the hepatic isomiR landscape in MASLD and define their association with disease activity and fibrosis. Methods: Small RNA (sRNA) sequencing was performed on liver biopsies from 79 patients across the histological spectrum of MASLD. IsomiRs were annotated and quantified. Their association to disease activity and fibrosis score was assessed by differential expression, ordinal regression, and machine learning. Parallel mRNA sequencing and pathway enrichment were used to map isomiR–mRNA interactions and regulatory networks, which were validated against an independent dataset. Results: MiRNAs accounted for 75% of sRNAs in liver tissue, of which 67% were isomiRs. Across MASLD severity, 173 isomiRs correlated with disease activity and 58 with fibrosis stage. Key findings included a miR-122 isomiR uniquely targeting INSIG1 (cholesterol metabolism) and a miR-21 isomiR targeting PPARA and HMGCS2 (lipid and fibrosis pathways). Integration with mRNA data revealed 33 dysregulated pathways, including PPAR signaling, insulin resistance, and TGF-β response. Several novel isomiRs from miR-26b, let-7c, and miR-32 families were also linked to lipid metabolism and fibrosis progression. Conclusions IsomiRs represent the majority of hepatic miRNAs and uncover novel regulatory networks masked by canonical miRNA analysis. These findings provide new insights into the molecular heterogeneity of MASLD, highlight candidate pathways driving disease progression, and identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for precision hepatology.

Practice-based learning is the key objective of postgraduate education. COVID-19 has revealed that medical institutions may need to adopt adaptive strategies to guide their students. The aim of this study is to describe the perception of Philippine medical clerks towards their surgical preparedness with an Enriched Virtual Mode (EVM)-Hybrid Learning during the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 176 fourth-year students using a 21-item 4-point-Likert questionnaire. Descriptive analysis showed that students sustained a strong enthusiasm for surgery (composite mean = 2.83 ± 0.62), with the highest ratings given to skill-oriented subjects, such as practical minors (3.05 ± 0.82) and clinical surgery (3.03 ± 0.78). Preparedness was similarly high (3.17 ± 0.46): practice was regarded as essential (3.50 ± 0.68) and operating-room exposure useful (3.22 ± 0.68), though time for hands-on practice was adequate (2.84 ± 0.74). Preference scores revealed a desire for richer tactile experience (3.36 ± 0.37), with scrubbing, suturing and live surgery observation receiving most support (>3.50). Overall satisfaction reached a moderate-to-high level (2.99 ± 0.48) but lagged behind interest and preparedness, indicating that limited physical immersion tempered fuller contentment. These suggest that while a blended curriculum can preserve enthusiasm and sense of readiness, emphasis on protected skills laboratories and increased exposure to the operating room may be needed to translate conceptual competence into experiential fulfillment.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Young Adult: 19-24 Yrs Old ; Cross-sectional Studies ; Education ; Curriculum ; Perception ; Observation ; Schools, Medical ; Personal Satisfaction ; Learning ; Mental Competency ; Laboratories ; Pandemics

BACKGROUND: The Covid-19 pandemic caused educational institutions to shift from traditional to distance learning. Higher educational institutions offering bachelor’s degrees in Physical Therapy (PT) adapted to the situation by employing various strategies to facilitate learning online. One of the strategies employed is inviting family members as simulated patients in various performance-based assessments (PBA). In the Philippines, the PT department at the University of Santo Tomas made similar changes in the delivery of its courses. Given that family members are one of the primary stakeholders of PT education, it is important to know their experience, insights, and knowledge gained about the profession of PT after playing as a simulated patient (SP) during online performance-based assessments. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to explore how family members describe their experiences playing the role of patients in PT PBAs. METHODS: This study will utilize a phenomenological explorative research design. Family members, including parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, and household helpers who played the role of a patient in any PT PBAs such as case presentation, case discussion, and practical examination, will be invited to participate. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews will be used for data gathering. Qualitative data from interview transcriptions will be analyzed using thematic analysis using NVivo 12 plus program. EXPECTED RESULTS Family Members will offer experiences in role-playing as patients in PBAs. Main themes and findings will be generated from their sharing that will provide insights regarding the improvement of remote PT PBAs.

Introduction: Caffeine use disorder (CUD), a problematic caffeine use pattern, is yet to be recognized under DSM-5 and is under consideration for further research. This study aimed to determine if the sex, employment status, and smoking status of Quezon City residents aged 18 years old and above are associated with CUD, and to determine the mean daily caffeine consumption (MDCC) of caffeinated products and the proportion of individuals meeting the CUD criteria. Methods: A total of 334 respondents accomplished the online survey that collected socio-demographic information and evaluated CUD using an 8-point Caffeine Consumption Questionnaire (CCQ). Results: The study population was mostly composed of females, unemployed, and non-smokers. Results showed that 17% of respondents have CUD, that brewed coffee was most consumed daily, the MDCC of the study population was 158.31 mg; and females were at an increased risk for CUD, while nonsmokers and unemployed individuals were at reduced risk. Conclusion The proportion of Quezon city residents that have CUD is at 17%, consuming an average of 158.31 mg of coffee daily, with brewed coffee being consumed most. Female residents are at an increased risk of having CUD, while nonsmokers and unemployed individuals are at a decreased risk.
Caffeine ; Coffee ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

INTRODUCTION: Student volunteers in COVID-19 vaccination activities help augment the health care workforce. However, there is a lack of literature that explores student volunteerism in the Philippines. This paper analyses the shared meanings of the lived experiences of volunteer nursing students during a pandemic. METHODS: Student nurses who had joined Red Cross vaccination activities were recruited by purposive sampling and interviewed online using a pilot-tested interview guide with open-ended questions. Participants were recruited until data saturation. The data collected was analyzed using Colaizzi’s Seven-Step Method. RESULTS: The study has identified two main themes that describe the phenomenon of student- nurse volunteerism during COVID-19 vaccination programs: 1) personal motivation and 2) perceived benefits and outcomes. There were four sub-themes under personal motivation - desire for personal growth, intrinsic altruism, past experiences and involvement in volunteer work, and opportunity for advocating against vaccine hesitancy. Perceived benefits and outcomes had two sub-themes - sense of fulfillment in the act of volunteering and opportunity for actual nurse-patient interaction. CONCLUSION The findings from the study suggest that, despite the lack of experience of working as frontliners during the COVID-19 vaccination programs, nursing students volunteered due to personal motivations and perceived benefits and outcomes.
Volunteers

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a destructive pest native to America and has recently become an invasive insect pest in China. Because of its rapid spread and great risks in China, understanding of FAW genetic background and pesticide resistance is urgent and essential to develop effective management strategies. Here, we assembled a chromosome-level genome of a male FAW (SFynMstLFR) and compared re-sequencing results of the populations from America, Africa, and China. Strain identification of 163 individuals collected from America, Africa and China showed that both C and R strains were found in the American populations, while only C strain was found in the Chinese and African populations. Moreover, population genomics analysis showed that populations from Africa and China have close relationship with significantly genetic differentiation from American populations. Taken together, FAWs invaded into China were most likely originated from Africa. Comparative genomics analysis displayed that the cytochrome p450 gene family is extremely expanded to 425 members in FAW, of which 283 genes are specific to FAW. Treatments of Chinese populations with twenty-three pesticides showed the variant patterns of transcriptome profiles, and several detoxification genes such as AOX, UGT and GST specially responded to the pesticides. These findings will be useful in developing effective strategies for management of FAW in China and other invaded areas.
Animals ; China ; Genomics ; Humans ; Male ; Pesticides ; Spodoptera/genetics* ; Transcriptome

To present the clinical characteristics and the misdiagnosis rate of acute coronary syndrome manifested primarily as throat discomfort, we conducted a multicentric and retrospective study in the cardiology and otorhinolaryngology departments. Records of patients with primary complaint of throat discomfort, absence of chest pain at onset, and an ultimate diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, as well as patients with pharyngitis (as controls) were collected from May 2015 to April 2016. The patients' main manifestations were compared. Logistic regression results showed that chest tightness, dyspnea, perspiring, and exertional throat symptoms were significantly associated with acute coronary syndrome, with odds ratios of 8.3 (95% CI 2.2-31.5), 10.9 (95% CI 1.8-66.9), 25.4 (95% CI 3.6-179.9), and 81.2 (95% CI 13.0-506.7). A total of 25 (56.82%) out of 44 acute coronary syndrome patients, who were first admitted to the otorhinolaryngology department, were misdiagnosed, with a 12% (3/25) mortality rate. Throat discomfort can be the principal manifestation of acute coronary syndrome. Such patients exhibit high misdiagnosis and mortality rates. Exertional throat symptoms, chest tightness, perspiring, and dyspnea were important indicators of acute coronary syndrome in patients whose main complaint was throat discomfort. The awareness of this condition will result in prompt diagnosis and reduce morbidity and mortality.
Acute Coronary Syndrome/etiology* ; Dyspnea/etiology* ; Humans ; Pharyngitis/diagnosis* ; Pharynx ; Retrospective Studies

Although genome-wide association studies have identified more than eighty genetic variants associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk, biological mechanisms of these variants remain largely unknown. By integrating a large-scale genotype data of 15 581 lung adenocarcinoma (AD) cases, 8350 squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) cases, and 27 355 controls, as well as multiple transcriptome and epigenomic databases, we conducted histology-specific meta-analyses and functional annotations of both reported and novel susceptibility variants. We identified 3064 credible risk variants for NSCLC, which were overrepresented in enhancer-like and promoter-like histone modification peaks as well as DNase I hypersensitive sites. Transcription factor enrichment analysis revealed that USF1 was AD-specific while CREB1 was SqCC-specific. Functional annotation and gene-based analysis implicated 894 target genes, including 274 specifics for AD and 123 for SqCC, which were overrepresented in somatic driver genes (ER = 1.95, P = 0.005). Pathway enrichment analysis and Gene-Set Enrichment Analysis revealed that AD genes were primarily involved in immune-related pathways, while SqCC genes were homologous recombination deficiency related. Our results illustrate the molecular basis of both well-studied and new susceptibility loci of NSCLC, providing not only novel insights into the genetic heterogeneity between AD and SqCC but also a set of plausible gene targets for post-GWAS functional experiments.
Adenocarcinoma of Lung/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/genetics* ; Genetic Heterogeneity ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains one of the leading causes of both nosocomial and community infections worldwide. In the Philippines, MRSA rates have remained above 50% since 2010, but resistance to other antibiotics, including vancomycin, is low. The MRSA burden can be partially attributed to pathogen-specific characteristics of the circulating clones, but little was known about the S. aureus clones circulating in the Philippines. We sequenced the whole genomes of 116 S. aureus isolates collected in 2013–2014 within the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program. The multilocus sequence type, spa type, SCCmec type, presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants and virulence genes and relatedness between the isolates were all derived from the sequence data. The concordance between phenotypic and genotypic resistance was also determined. The MRSA population in the Philippines comprised a limited number of genetic clones, including several international epidemic clones, such as CC30-spa-t019-SCCmec-IV-PVL+, CC5-SCCmec-typeIV and ST239-spa-t030-SCCmec-typeIII. The CC30 genomes were related to the South-West Pacific clone but formed a distinct, diverse lineage, with evidence of global dissemination. We showed independent acquisition of resistance to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim in various locations and genetic clones but mostly in paediatric patients with invasive infections. The concordance between phenotypic and genotypic resistance was 99.68% overall for eight antibiotics in seven classes. We have made the first comprehensive genomic survey of S. aureus in the Philippines, which bridges the gap in genomic data from the Western Pacific Region and will constitute the genetic background for contextualizing prospective surveillance.