BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was initially known to affect the respiratory system and has been reported to also involve the cardiovascular system leading to myocardial damage. Remdesivir is one of the approved treatments for COVID-19, wherein viral replication is inhibited by terminating the RNA transcription prematurely. According to studies, the primary electrocardiographic effect of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients are sinus bradycardia and QT prolongation. The use of electrocardiogram (ECG) is an essential diagnostic tool in assessing the electrical conditions of the heart. The objective of this study is to describe the electrocardiographic profile of adult patients with COVID-19 who were given remdesivir and admitted in the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH). To this date, this is the only study done locally identifying the electrocardiographic profiles of adult patients with COVID-19 who were given remdesivir.

This was a retrospective descriptive study involving adult patients with COVID-19 who were given remdesivir and admitted in UP-PGH from June 2021 to June 2022. Demographic profiles and 12-lead ECG done during the hospital admission were gathered. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the clinical characteristics and the electrocardiographic findings of the patients.

There were 412 confirmed COVID-19 patients who were given remdesivir (mean age 56 years old; female 52%) included in this study. The most common comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and stroke. Majority of the patients had severe (58%) to critical (22%) COVID-19 infection. Most of the patients had sinus rhythm (94%), normal rate (72%), and normal axis (93%). The most common baseline ECG findings were non-specific ST-T wave changes (42%). Some patients had atrioventricular blocks (3.4%), bundle branch blocks (3.6%), prolonged QT interval (1.9%). Among those with repeat 12-L ECG (136 patients) during admission, ECG changes observed were sinus bradycardia (6%), prolonged QT interval (4%), and both (1.5%).

Based on this retrospective review, which to our knowledge is the only study done locally investigating the effects of remdesivir on ECG of adult Filipino patients with COVID-19 infection, majority of the patients had sinus rhythm, normal rate, and axis. The most common ECG finding was non-specific ST-T wave changes. This study demonstrated a low incidence of adverse ECG changes that would preclude the administration of remdesivir when indicated. These include sinus bradycardia and QT interval prolongation which did not require further interventions. ECG remains to be useful, low-cost noninvasive tool that can help monitor electrophysiologic adverse events of remdesivir.

BACKGROUND

In the Philippines and other developing countries, access to high-stability external fixators for traumainduced bone fracture management is limited, as modular external fixators, especially those with snap-on features, are manufactured overseas and are prohibitively expensive for most Filipino patients.

This study aimed to assess the biomechanical performance of a locally-developed modular external fixator prototype for tibial diaphyseal fractures in comparison to available external fixators, such as Roger Anderson and Hoffmann. This provides an initial evaluation for the use of the external fixator as an alternative in terms of its stability.

Using axial compression testing compliant with the ASTM F1541-24 standards, the ultimate strength, yield strength, safe strength, and stiffness were measured across various fixator types and tightening mechanisms, with or without the aid of a wrench. Statistical tools such as the t-test assuming equal variances, one-way analysis of variance, and Tukey-Kramer test with a 0.05 level of significance were used to determine any significant differences.

The mechanical performance of the external fixator prototype increased by a factor of 1.5 to 2.5 after the clamps were tightened with the wrench. However, when hand-tightened, it still performed sufficiently, showing a comparable mechanical performance with the Roger Anderson Fixator. In terms of the ultimate, safe, and yield strengths, it performed competitively in comparison with the Hoffmann system. However, there is a significant difference in stiffness between the prototype and the Hoffmann system.

The locally-developed external fixator was comparable biomechanically to the commercially available external fixators and the prototypes in different studies.

BACKGROUND

Graduating student nurses are crucial to healthcare delivery, yet concerns about their clinical performance persist. They often face challenges translating theoretical knowledge into practice, leading to a theory-practice gap. Clinical competence is essential for ensuring safe and effective nursing care.

This study assessed the clinical competence of graduating student nurses in HEIs within Baguio City. It specifically evaluated their proficiency in professional behavior, general performance, core nursing competency, and advanced nursing skills. Additionally, it examined whether significant differences in clinical competence existed based on sex, area of duty, and accreditation status.

A descriptive-quantitative non-experimental research design was employed. The study surveyed 285 graduating student nurses from six HEIs in Baguio City, selected through fishbowl sampling. Data was collected using the Clinical Competence Questionnaire (CCQ), a 47-item questionnaire with an I-CVI rating of 1.0 and a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.94. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Welch's T-test, One-way ANOVA, and Welch's ANOVA.

Students demonstrated high competence with the following means: 4.42 in nursing professional behaviors, 4.32 in general performance, 4.35 in core nursing skills, and 3.92 in advanced nursing skills. While the results were interpreted as high competence, specific advanced nursing skills require further enhancement. No significant differences (p-value < 0.05) in clinical competence were found concerning sex (0.38), duty area (0.92), or accreditation status (0.07).

Graduating student nurses show high competency upon entering level IV, emphasizing ongoing skill development for quality patient care. Both genders exhibit proficiency, indicating fair training and effective education regardless of duty area exposure and accreditation status.

Introduction: Residential settlement is seen as a contributing factor to the diet of children. This study aimed to investigate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices between coastal and inland communities of Camarines Sur, Philippines. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 628 caregivers of infants and young children aged 0-23.9 months. Socio-demographic data were gathered. IYCF practices were assessed through face-to-face interviews using a list of indicators from World Health Organization guidelines. Descriptive and inferential statistics using chi-square test of association were done. Results: The majority of children were breastfed (coastal=97.1%; inland=96.8%; p=0.83), with most breastfed within 1 hour after birth (coastal areas 85.3%; inland areas 86.7%). However, the practice of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was low for both areas (57.0% and 47.0%, respectively, p=0.58). Minimum meal frequency, continued breastfeeding until 23.9 months, and appropriate complementary feeding for children 6-8 months were also low in both areas. Meanwhile, unhealthy food consumption (inland: 85.4%; coastal: 79.8%) and zero consumption of vegetables or fruits were higher in inland areas. Consumption of meat products and sweet beverages was observed to be higher in coastal areas (coastal: 26.8%; inland: 16.9%). Conclusion: Minimal differences were seen in IYCF practices of caregivers between coastal and inland communities. However, the study found a notable difference in the consumption of sweet beverages, where coastal areas had significantly higher rates. This suggests that interventions must be made to educate caregivers to improve the diets of infants and young children

BACKGROUND

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among Filipinos. The guideline-recommended treatment for AMI includes emergency care, early electrocardiogram, emergent coronary angiogram and angioplasty, intensive care, medical management and cardiac rehabilitation. However, the cost of treatment is very high and not affordable for most Filipinos. To address this, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) released the ischemic heart disease – acute myocardial infarction (IHD-AMI) Benefits Package under Circular No. 2024-0032 on December 21, 2024. This package significantly increased the insurance coverage for AMI to include invasive procedures and cardiac rehabilitation. The UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) was the first to implement this package. This paper documents the initial planning, system changes and innovations undertaken by UP-PGH to support implementation.

This qualitative descriptive study used retrospective document review to detail revision of the existing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) pathway and development of the AMl pathway, restructuring of patient flow and upgrades in infrastructure and hospital capabilities. Meeting minutes from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and UP-PGH were reviewed to describe the hospital's preparation and implementation process.

UP-PGH established an efficient, evidence-based ACS and AMI pathway. Hospital protocols, staffing, infrastructure and equipment were aligned to implement the PHIC IHD-AMI Benefit Package. Key steps included resources upgrade, stakeholder consultations, pathway redesign, workflow development, process alignment and monitoring systems.

The PHIC IHD-AMI Benefit Package can be successfully implemented in a tertiary hospital with catheterization laboratory. The documented process at UP-PGH can serve as a model for other institutions planning to utilize the package.

BACKGROUND

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among Filipinos. The guideline-recommended treatment for AMI includes emergency care, early electrocardiogram, emergent coronary angiogram and angioplasty, intensive care, medical management and cardiac rehabilitation. However, the cost of treatment is very high and not affordable for most Filipinos. To address this, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) released the ischemic heart disease – acute myocardial infarction (IHD-AMI) Benefits Package under Circular No. 2024-0032 on December 21, 2024. This package significantly increased the insurance coverage for AMI to include invasive procedures and cardiac rehabilitation. The UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) was the first to implement this package. This paper documents the initial planning, system changes and innovations undertaken by UP-PGH to support implementation.

This qualitative descriptive study used retrospective document review to detail revision of the existing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) pathway and development of the AMl pathway, restructuring of patient flow and upgrades in infrastructure and hospital capabilities. Meeting minutes from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and UP-PGH were reviewed to describe the hospital's preparation and implementation process.

UP-PGH established an efficient, evidence-based ACS and AMI pathway. Hospital protocols, staffing, infrastructure and equipment were aligned to implement the PHIC IHD-AMI Benefit Package. Key steps included resources upgrade, stakeholder consultations, pathway redesign, workflow development, process alignment and monitoring systems.

The PHIC IHD-AMI Benefit Package can be successfully implemented in a tertiary hospital with catheterization laboratory. The documented process at UP-PGH can serve as a model for other institutions planning to utilize the package.

Background: The study of small-molecule compounds with antitumor activity involves several crucial steps. These include determining their selective effects on cancer cells, understanding the type of cell death they induce, identifying the activated signaling pathways, pinpointing the target molecules, and elucidating the mechanisms of action. Among the plant-derived compounds with anticancer properties, flavonoids are notable for their ease of isolation and their abundance in food. Apigetrin, a representative flavonoid, is a secondary metabolite found in plants, and our previous study indicated that its anticancer selectivity index was 13.1. However, the specific mechanism by which apigetrin inhibits leukemia cell growth remains unclear. Aim: To study of the inhibitory action of apigenin on leukemia cell culture Materials and Methods: In this study, we evaluated the apoptosis of cells using flow cytometry and investigated the in volvement of the caspase pathway through the use of pancaspase inhibitors to explore the effects of apigetrin on leukemia cell growth. Results: After incubating leukemia RAW264.7 cells with 30 μM apigetrin for 24 and 48 hours, we did not detect any apoptosis through Annexin V and PI staining by flow cytometry. We compared the number of viable cells using the MTT assay after 24-hour treatment of apigetrin with or without pretreatment of Z-VAD, a pancaspase inhibitor, for 30 minutes. The results indicated that the pancaspase inhibitor did not reduce the inhibitory effect of apigetrin on the growth of RAW264.7 cells. In contrast, the positive control group, treated with doxorubicin—which induces apoptosis—showed not only significant apoptosis but also a reduction of the pancaspase inhibitor on the cell growth inhibition. Therefore, these data suggested that apigetrin likely has a cytostatic effect or inhibits the cell cycle rather than being cytotoxic. Future research should focus on determining which stage of the cell cycle RAW264.7 cells treated with apigetrin are in, as well as studying the signaling pathways involved in the cell cycle. Conclusions Apigetrin inhibits the proliferation of RAW264.7 leukemia cells in a caspase-independent and non-apoptotic manner.

Background/Aims: This study aims to investigate the association between Binge Eating Disorder and functional dyspepsia in a Mexican population, focusing on symptomatology and demographic characteristics. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 1016 subjects, evaluating binge eating disorder (BED) and functional dyspepsia based on the Rome IV criteria. Data collection included sociodemographic information, gastrointestinal symptom severity, and anxiety/depression screening using validated tools. A multivariate logistic regression analysis with the 2 test was conducted for comparison analysis. Results: The prevalence of dyspepsia in BED was 53.6% (95% CI, 46-56). Postprandial fullness (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.06-2.17; P = 0.021) and overlap syndrome (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.25-2.60; P = 0.002) were significantly associated with BED. Patients with BED also presented more severe postprandial distress syndrome (P = 0.027). Anxiety was prevalent in BED patients, while depression was more prominent in patients with BED and dyspepsia overlap. Conclusions BED patients have a high prevalence of dyspepsia with an association between postprandial fullness and this eating disorder. BED appears to be more prevalent in younger individuals and males. These findings underscore the importance of considering dyspepsia in the management of BED and highlight the need for further research on this association.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Given the rigors of medical training with its high documented prevalence of mental issues as well as the global need to safeguard the well-being of medical students, there is an urgency to assess the well-being of medical students and their perception of support from their respective medical schools during their education. This also applies in the context of public medical school students in the Philippines, where there is still a relative lack of literature. This cross-sectional study investigates the well-being and such perceptions of medical students at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM).

The study uses a quantitative approach using a subset of secondary data from a college-wide survey online that was disseminated, through convenience sampling, to medical students from October 3, 2018 to December 3, 2018. A total of 432 responses were included in the analysis, out of the total student population of the included learning unit levels of 809. Participants were grouped based on their entry into medical school, either through the Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (INTARMED) program or lateral entry. Exclusion criteria comprised responses from Learning Unit I-II (pre-medical proper) students and incomplete survey sets. Responses were interpreted using established scales such as the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5), Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory-Medical Student (OLBI-MS). Data analysis involved statistical techniques including one-way ANOVA and independent samples t-test using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

The findings suggest that medical students at UPCM generally find the administrative and academic systems satisfactory, but express concerns about inadequate educational resources and infrastructure, especially as they progress through their studies and engage more with clinical settings like the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). As students advance through the program, there are different patterns for wellbeing outcomes, including decreasing perceived stress and increasing burnout. In particular, LU IV and LU VII students reported lower well-being and higher burnout levels, respectively. This is potentially due to heavier workloads and clinical responsibilities. Lateral entrants, who are older and typically enter with prior degrees, tend to have higher well-being and lower burnout compared to INTARMED students, suggesting age and previous educational experience may play a role in adjustment and coping mechanisms.

Overall, the study highlights the medical students’ generally satisfactory perception of medical educational aspects, as well as the patterns of wellbeing throughout their medical college experience. Furthermore, it identifies different areas for improvement to ensure effective education and student mental health. By analyzing trends across different year levels, the study provides insights for interventions and program refinements, while also suggesting avenues for further research to assess student experiences over time.