Accessibility and consumption of alcoholic drinks in Metro Manila colleges and universities

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol consumption of university students in Metro Manila was determined and compared to other countries in the region and in the West.METHODS: A survey of students from ten randomly selected public and private universities in Metro Manila was done.RESULTS: A total of 2,930 students participated, 46.1% from public schools and 58.9% were female. Of the total students, 81.6% had drank an alcoholic drink in their lifetime; and 15.6% drank beer, 22.5% drank wine and 11.4% drank distilled spirits before they were 13 years old. For the past 30 days, 30.2% drank beer, 30.8% distilled spirit and 18.7% wine; 16.9%, 7.4% and 19.7% binged on beer, wine and distilled spirits, respectively; and 29.1% got drunk. Five percent of the students had drank inside their school. Of those who drove any motorized vehicle, 28.9% drove when they had drank and of those who use prohibited drugs, 66.7% mixed the two. Thirty one percent said they tried to quit drinking in the past 12 months and 7.5% admitted they have a drinking problem.CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption of Metro Manila students approximates those of other countries. For policy and monitoring purposes, it is recommended that this survey be done regularly with a nationwide scope and compare this with other countries for best practices.

Accessibility and consumption of alcoholic drinks in Metro Manila colleges and universities

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> Alcohol consumption of university students in Metro Manila was determined and compared to other countries in the region and in the West.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong> A survey of students from ten randomly selected public and private universities in Metro Manila was done.<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> A total of 2,930 students participated, 46.1% from public schools and 58.9% were female. Of the total students, 81.6% had drank an alcoholic drink in their lifetime; and 15.6% drank beer, 22.5% drank wine and 11.4% drank distilled spirits before they were 13 years old. For the past 30 days, 30.2% drank beer, 30.8% distilled spirit and 18.7% wine; 16.9%, 7.4% and 19.7% binged on beer, wine and distilled spirits, respectively; and 29.1% got drunk. Five percent of the students had drank inside their school. Of those who drove any motorized vehicle, 28.9% drove when they had drank and of those who use prohibited drugs, 66.7% mixed the two. Thirty one percent said they tried to quit drinking in the past 12 months and 7.5% admitted they have a drinking problem.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Alcohol consumption of Metro Manila students approximates those of other countries. For policy and monitoring purposes, it is recommended that this survey be done regularly with a nationwide scope and compare this with other countries for best practices.</p>

Management of “SHARPS” Wastes in Manila Hospitals (Part 3) Off -Site Management of Hazardous Healthcare Wastes in Six Tertiary Hospitals in South Manila, Philippines

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> The aim of this study was to determine if the collection, treatment and final disposal of hospital hazardous wastes conform to the rules and regulations and standards set by the Philippine Government and the World Health Organization (WHO). <br /><strong>METHODS:</strong> Three private and three government tertiary hospitals located in South Manila were randomly chosen and the companies that provides them with hospital waste disposal services were asked to participate in the study to validate their conformity to the national and international hazardous waste disposal standards. Validation was done through the use of observer checklists and photographs.<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> Results of the study showed that there were four companies who services 6 selected hospitals included in the study. All of these conformed to the standards of the World Health Organization, and to rules and regulations as set by the Philippine government. All of the companies conformed as to standards for Legal Permits, Off-site Transport, Personal Protective Devices and Off-Site Waste Disposal.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> All of the companies servicing the 6 selected hospitals conformed to the standards set by WHO and the Philippine government.</p>

Expression of intronic miRNAs and their host gene Igf2 in a murine unilateral ureteral obstruction model

The objective of this study was to determine the expression of miR-483 and miR-483* and the relationship among them, their host gene (Igf2), and other cytokines in a murine model of renal fibrosis. The extent of renal fibrosis was visualized using Masson staining, and fibrosis was scored 3 days and 1 and 2 weeks after unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Expression of miR-483, miR-483* and various cytokine mRNAs was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Expression of miR-483 and miR-483* was significantly upregulated in the UUO model, particularly miR-483 expression was the greatest 2 weeks after surgery. Additionally, miR-483 and miR-483* expression negatively correlated with Bmp7 expression and positively correlated with Igf2, Tgfβ, Hgf, and Ctgf expression, as determined by Pearson's correlation analysis. Hgf expression significantly increased at 1 and 2 weeks after the surgery compared to the control group. This study showed that miR-483 and miR-483* expression was upregulated in a murine UUO model. These data suggest that miR-483 and miR-483* play a role in renal fibrosis and that miR-483* may interact with miR-483 in renal fibrosis. Thus, these miRNAs may play a role in the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis and coexpression of their host gene Igf2.

Management of sharps waste in Manila hospitals (part 2) awareness of hospital employees on the principles of healthcare waste management in six tertiary bay area hospitals in South Manila, Philippines

OBJECTIVE: This paper evaluated the personnel of three public and three private hospitals in the Metro Manila area in terms of their knowledge of the (1) Hospital Waste Committee at their hospital and (2) the general guidelines of segregation and handling of hospital wastes. METHODS: Convenience sampling was used. Nurses, medical technologists, and janitorial staff present at three private and three public tertiary hospitals in south Manila during respective data collection visits were given a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The majority of those included in the study had correct knowledge regarding the Waste Management Committee of their particular hospital but did not have enough knowledge regarding general waste management, particularly sharps waste management. The medical technologists and nurses in both private and public hospitals had about the same knowledge and awareness regarding hospital policies and sharps waste management; however, there were differences between the knowledge and awareness of private and government hospital janitorial staff. Two of the perceived problems in waste management of the hospitals were (1) the general lack of knowledge regarding waste management, specifically sharps waste and (2)the lack of hospital support in terms of provision of proper waste disposals. CONCLUSION: Workers involved in sharps waste management-in tertiary hospitals had enough knowledge regarding the Waste Management Committee, but the respondents did not have enough knowledge regarding waste management in general and sharps waste management in particular. Problems perceived by respondents are: lack of knowledge regarding waste management and lack of hospital support.

Prevalence of graves ophthalmopathy among patients with thyroid disease

Objective@#This study determined the prevalence of Graves ophthalmopathy among thyroid-disease patients at a tertiary government hospital.@*Methods@#Patients with thyroid disease seen at a tertiary hospital from February to September 2007 were enrolled. All patients underwent ophthalmologic examination consisting of visual-acuity testing; exophthalmometry; examination for presence of lid retraction, lid lag, and lateral flare; globe position; external-ocular-muscle-movement grading; corneal light reflex; and direct funduscopic examination. All clinical findings were recorded and data were analyzed. Chi square and Fisher’s exact tests determined the association of gender and age to the different ocular signs and symptoms. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) compared the average number of ocular symptoms among the different age groups.@*Results@#A total of 121 patients, 20 males and 101 females, with thyroid disease were evaluated. 47.93% had Graves ophthalmopathy, occurring more frequently among patients aged between 30 and 49 years. The most common signs were eyelid retraction, proptosis, and lid lag.@*Conclusion@#Graves ophthalmopathy occurs frequently among patients with thyroid disease, especially those more than 30 years of age.

Management of "SHARPS" wastes in Manila hospitals (Part 1)

BACKGROUND: Sharps waste is a special kind of health care waste that needs to undergo certain processes before its final disposal. These processes are guided by international policies, national laws and memoranda, the implementation of which is under the jurisdiction of certain agencies. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to document the health care sector's adherence to proper waste management practices, especially for hazardous sharps waste. It specifically documented the adherence to government regulations of six tertiary hospitals in the Manila and Pasay City areas. The study was undertaken to identify if these six hospitals adhere to the guidelines set by the World Health Organization as adapted by the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The first specific objective is to document if these hospitals are complying with the documentary requirements of such regulations as required by law. The second specific objective is to document the presence of facilities and resources in the hospital that will ensure proper implementation of regulations regarding sharps waste disposal. METHODS: The study was conducted in six tertiary hospitals, three of which are government/public and three are private hospitals. An observation checklist was constructed to identify in a detailed manner if the said hospitals were adhering to the standards set by the government. This checklist was validated by photographs for documentation. Specific areas, people and equipment of interest were earmarked for observation. Nurses stations and the laboratory for example, were singled out due to the high volume of sharps waste produced and temporarily stored in these areas. Chart reviews were also done to check if permits and policies were in place to oversee proper hospital waste management. Results. The study showed that all six hospitals were not strictly adhering to all the prescribed requirements by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Health. CONCLUSION: Even with rules and policies in place, it has been documented that all of the study hospitals have not been adhering to documentary requirements. Furthermore, the facilities and resources needed for waste management in the hospital are not available. Recommendation: The responsible agencies should closely monitor the sharps waste management practices of hospitals to ensure safety and protect the health of health care workers, patients, their companions and visitors.

Chronic renal failure in adult Yemeni patients: Risk factors

This research was done to investigate some of the risk factors of chronic renal failure among adult Yemeni patients. A case-control study of two groups, each containing 140 patients, was designed. Cases were the patients with chronic renal failure in the dialysis center of Al-Thawra Modern General Hospital in Sana'a. The controls were selected from other departments: general surgery, orthopedics and gynecology. The groups were matched for age, sex and residence. Risk factors studied included previous renal calculi, urinary tract infections, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prostatic enlargement, malaria, tuberculosis, family history, analgesic abuse and Khat chewing. Mean age of cases was 38.6 +/- 13.9 years and that of the controls was 39.7 +/- 12.6 years. Renal calculi were found to be the most common risk factor for chronic renal failure in Yemen, with odds ratio of 11.23. The second risk factor was hypertension with odds ratio of 8.33. Third was a history of urinary tract infection with odds ratio of 4.04. The family history of hereditary diseases was the fourth risk factor with odds ratio of 3.24, and last was analgesic abuse with odds ratio of 2.05. The other studied factors were found to be of no significance in relation to chronic renal failure. Renal calculi were the leading risk factor for chronic renal failure