Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystemic autoimmune disease of clinical importance in the Philippines. While its actual prevalence in the Philippines is unknown due to a lack of organized cohorts and community-level screening, Filipino females in the second and third decades of life are primarily affected, commonly presenting with mucocutaneous, musculoskeletal, hematologic, and renal involvements. Several risk factors have been described as influencing the development of SLE in Filipinos, including molecular/genetic, clinical, lifestyle, and environmental factors. The diagnosis of SLE in the Philippines still relies on international standards, such as the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics 2012 and the European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology 2019 classification criteria. Similarly, the lack of published local guidelines for SLE requires Filipino practitioners to rely on international management guidelines, which now include the Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology recommendations for the Asia-Pacific region, with management goals including the achievement of a low disease activity state, the prevention of organ damage, the prevention of flares, and the promotion of quality of life. Structural barriers still impede comprehensive lupus care in the country, manifesting as poor access to essential drugs and rheumatologists, low capacity for community-level surveillance, lacking research and guidelines in Philippine-specific nuances (i.e., common presentations and comorbidities such as tuberculosis), and education. The medical community in the country must be mobilized to ensure holistic care for SLE patients, as it is one of the most important rheumatologic conditions in the Philippines.

Background: Consumption and abuse of alcohol remains a significant cause of concern worldwide. Furthermore, there is evidence of the association between chronic alcohol use and reduced life expectancy. Objectives: To study the effects of Garcinia binucao extract (GBE) supplementation on lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster, in the presence or absence of chronic alcohol exposure. Methods: D. melanogaster was mass cultured and given GBE supplementation in high (1 mg/mL) and low (200 µg/mL) sublethal doses. D. melanogaster flies were divided into groups - with and without chronic alcohol exposure, and their respective lifespans were monitored. Results: In D. melanogaster without alcohol exposure, mean lifespan was highest in the control flies (38.15 days), followed by high-dose GBE (34.42 days), low-dose GBE (33.24 days), and DMSO (22.29 days). In D. melanogaster chronically exposed to alcohol, the longest mean lifespan was observed in flies treated with high-dose GBE (33.80 days), followed by low-dose GBE (33.63 days), the DMSO group (30.30), and the control group (29.65 days), but the differences were not statistically significant. Comparing groups with and without chronic alcohol exposure, the mean lifespan of the control group chronically exposed to alcohol significantly decreased by 9.51 days (p < 0.05). In GBE treatment groups, mean lifespan significantly decreased by 0.82 days in high-dose set-up (p < 0.05), and significantly increased by 0.39 days in the low-dose set-up (p < 0.05) upon chronic alcohol exposure. Conclusion Garcinia binucao extract supplementation ameliorated the observed reduction in lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster chronically exposed to alcohol.
Drosophila melanogaster ; Longevity

Background: With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnant women may turn to online information searches regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination. Objective: We aimed to determine global online interest in COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. Materials and Methods: We utilized Google Trends data to determine the global search volume index (SVI) for the search terms “COVID-19 in pregnancy” and “COVID vaccine pregnancy” from January 1, 2020, to February 12, 2022, and ranked the top 15 search queries via their individual SVIs to assess the worldwide distribution of interest. Using Pearson correlation, we correlated several economic and pandemic-related country-specific data with the SVIs for the two search terms, while we utilized a one-way analysis of variance to country income groups with the SVIs using ANOVA. Significant correlations were denoted with P < 0.05. Results: SVI for “COVID-19” in pregnancy showed a minimal and nonsignificant downward trend in 2022. SVI for this search term was positively correlated with the SVI for “COVID vaccine pregnancy” (P < 0.05). On the other hand, SVI for “COVID vaccine in pregnancy” showed an exponential decline from November 2020 to 2022. SVI for this search term was also negatively correlated with deaths per 100,000 cases (P < 0.05). Although this was nonsignificant, high-income countries showed higher online interest with the two search terms than low- to low-middle-income countries. There were no significant correlations among specific economic and pandemic-related country-specific data and SVI for both search terms. Conclusion We observed a constant online interest in COVID-19 in pregnancy during the time period of the study, which may reflect the watchful engagement of people in the absence of face-to-face physician consultations. Peak online interest in COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy declined steadily, which may reflect either vaccine hesitancy or an increase in public knowledge of COVID-19 vaccines. High-income countries have apparently higher online interest in COVID-19 vaccines, which may be due to access to early mass administration to the general public. These data can be used as a reference regarding future policy-making in the setting of potentially massive public health emergency in the future.
Infodemiology ; Pandemics

Objectives: A recent review on the status of Philippine ethnobotany showed the lack of ethnobotanical studies in the Visayas group of islands. The use of medicinal plants by the Eskaya, an Indigenous ethnic group in the province of Bohol in Visayas, Philippines, has not yet been documented. This study determines the ethnomedicinal knowledge of traditional healers in selected Eskaya communities in Bohol. Methods: Fifteen (15) Eskaya traditional healers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire, and the valuable medicinal plant species were identified through guided field walks. Informal group discussions with the community were also conducted. Moreover, the fidelity level, informant consensus factor (ICF), and use values (UV) were calculated. Results: Our results showed that the majority of the Eskaya healers belong to an older age group (38 – 71 years old). Eighty-five medicinal plants recorded belong to 44 plant families—with Family Lamiaceae having the highest number of species represented. The leaf is the most common plant part used for healing. Blumea balsamifera was an essential plant with a UV of 0.8. Cardiovascular diseases have the highest ICF values of 0.6, and the most common plants used for these diseases include Cymbopogon citratus, Zingiber officinale, and Luffa cylindrica. Conclusion Our study yielded a record of native and non-native medicinal plants used by the Eskaya healers. This initial listing is also their contribution to promoting medicinal plants that are accessible and abundant in their communities.
ethnobotany ; ethnopharmacology ; herbal medicine ; Philippines ; traditional medicine

Background: Nanotechnology and nanomedicine are rising novel fields in plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS).The use of nanomaterials often goes with regenerative medicine. Due to their nanoscale, these materials stimulate repair at the cellular and molecular levels. Nanomaterials may be placed as components of nanocomposite polymers allowing enhancement of overall biochemical and biomechanical properties with improved scaffold properties, cellular attachment, and tissue regeneration. They may also be formulated as nanoparticle-based delivery systems for controlled release of signal factors or antimicrobials, for example. However, more studies on nanoparticle-based delivery systems still need to be done in this field. Nanomaterials are also used as frameworks for nerves, tendons, and other soft tissues.Main body In this mini-review, we focus on nanoparticle-based delivery systems and nanoparticles targeting cells for response and regeneration in PRS. Specifically, we investigate their roles in various tissue regeneration, skin and wound healing, and infection control. Cell surface-targeted, controlled-release, and inorganic nanoparticle formulations with inherent biological properties have enabled enhanced wound healing, tumor visualization/imaging, tissue viability, and decreased infection, and graft/transplantation rejection through immunosuppression. Conclusions Nanomedicine is also now being applied with electronics, theranostics, and advanced bioengineering technologies. Overall, it is a promising field that can improve patient clinical outcomes in PRS.

Objective: To evaluate the cytotoxic activities of Premna odorata (P. odorata) leaves and bark, Artocarpus camansi (A. camansi) and Gliricidia sepium against selected human cancer cell lines by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Methods: The crude extracts of P. odorata, A. camansi and Gliricidia sepium were subjected to liquid-liquid partitioning by using hexane and ethyl acetate to separate compounds based on their polarity. The fractions were tested for their cytotoxic activity against human colon cancer cell line (HCT116), breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) and Chinese hamster ovary cell line (AA8) by using MTT assay. Results: Based on the standard values of toxicity set by the study of Suffness and Pezzuto, P. odorata leaves and P. odorata bark hexane fractions and A. camansi leaves were all considered highly cytotoxic against the selected human cancer cell lines. P. odorata bark hexane extract exhibited the highest selectivity index for HCT116, MCF-7 and A549 cancer cell lines. Conclusions: The results obtained indicated that P. odorata leaves and bark and A. camansi leaves have excellent cytotoxic activity and warrant further studies to isolate novel compounds for chemotherapeutic use.