Twenty-one day cumulative irritancy study of 2 new hand and body lotions compared to a standard skin lotion

Thirty healthy Filipino subjects of both sexes with ages between 18 and 54 years underwent a modified Draize test in humans to determine Cumulative Irritancy Index for 21 cumulative days. Utilizings the Mean Cumulative Irritancy Index of less than 1 to indicate non-irritancy and a value of more than 1 to indicate irritancy, the experimental lotions 1 (0.68) and 2 (0.53), belonged to the non-irritant category, while lotion 3 (4.45) was considered irritant based on this classification. (Auth)

The development of clinical immunology and allergy in the Philippines

A tribute to the late Dr. Augusto Lingao who set up the Allergy Section in 1965 and a laboratory not only to start production of allergens and antigens but also provided immnulogic facilities as well. He set up a private laboratory - the Medical Test System which met the need for immunological tests. Dr. Lingao put up a program for a fellowship which can be for immunology alone and/or combined program for immunology and allergy

A rational approach to the detection and management of penicillin allergy with report of four cases

Four cases of penicillin allergy depicting the immediate as well as the delayed hypersensitivity reactions are presented. The first three cases are considered life-threatening hypersensitivity reactions to penicillin and the fourth case is as occupational allergic reaction to penicillin. The problems of penicillin allergy, which are mostly detection and confirmation of penicillin are discussedIn the final analysis, the practitioners only recourse is the use of benzylpenicillin as a skin test antigen and his ability to elicit a good allergic history. An obvious history of immediate hypersensitivity reaction to penicillin or an apparent major allergic disease cancels the doing of skin test and giving of penicillin to these patients. If there is doubt as to the status of penicillin allergies of the patient and if the use of penicillin is highly indicated, skin test must be performed. A positive skin test should be taken for its face value. However, a negative skin test gives no complete guarantee that allergic reaction will not take place. This particular void can be diminished further by the collaboration of other in vitro tests mentionedGeneric and trade names of drugsPrednisolone and chlorpheniramine - HistacortErythromycin - ErythrocinPrednisolone succinate - Diadreson F. AquosumPotassium phenoxymethyl penicillin - Sumapen VKBenzyl benzoate - BenzophedCrystalline procaine penicillin, G crystalline penicillin G potassium and streptomycin - Pen-Strep (4:1)Dexamethasone - Oradexon (Summary)

A study of the recording and reporting of vital and health statistics at the local level and its significance of public health

A statistical survey to determine the recording and reporting procedures practiced at the local level of the health and civil registry offices was undertaken in four different areas which were randomly selected. It revealed some of the causes of the delay in reporting of vital and health statistics and the degree of accuracy, adequacy, and reliability of such reports. A significant observation is the information that deaths were under-registered by 27.3% in these areas where the people could be considered better informed. Evidences were also presented on why medical certification of cause of death can not be fully relied upon. Ultimately, this survey exposed the urgent need to improve the present system of collection of vital and health statistics in order that the information gathered be useful and meaningful. Suggestions on how to meet part, if not all of this need were offered. Standardization of forms and procedures to render the data sbumitted comparable is called for. That the "analysis is only as good as the data collected" is an indisputable truth. (Summary and conclusions)

The predictive value of intradermal testing with penicillin antigens in penicillin - sensitive and non-sensitive patients

A study of the predictive value of several penicillin antigens (Benzylpenicillin, penicilloyl-polylysine and penicilloyl - aminocaproate) and related antigens (Penicillium and Cephaloridin) was conducted in nineteen penicillin-sensitive patients and ten non-sensitive subjects or control. There was no decided difference between the skin test reactions of the penicillin-sensitive and the non-sensitive groups noted. Neither was there an antigen or antigens which gave a significant reaction when compared with the buffer control solution reaction. In view of the above findings, it is difficult to interpret results of skin testing using available penicillin antigens. A skin test which are either positive or negative seems unreliable as a basis to determine the penicillin sensitivity of a person. The authors feel that current practitioners who can not avail themselves of other immunological test must interpret skin test only in conjunction with the patients allergy background.(summary)

Congenital cystic dilation of the common bile duct (a review of five cases and review of the literature)

Five cases of choledochus cysts have been presented. All were not diagnosed clinically. All were females and relatively very young presenting the classic triad of mass, jaundice and pain except in case 4 and the classic pathologic picture of a cystic mass, an absent lining epithelium and a patent bile duct. (Summary)

Epidemiology of adverse drug reaction in a general hospital I. development of methodology

The magnitude of the problem of adverse reactions to drugs, local and abroad has been described. Our problems are those arising from multiple foreign sources having their own set of standards from which we rely heavily. It has been pointed out that these standards may not be applicable to our situation here. The setting up of an agency responsible for standardization has been hampered by lack of facilities and personnel; consequently no such studies on the extent of the problem of adverse reactions to drugs had been done locally. The need, therefore of a local study to determine the risk of adverse drug reactions among Filipinos and to identify factors that predispose patients to such risks is wanting. A method to study the risk of adverse drug reactions has been developed to study incidence among patients in a general hospital. In proposing such a method, the investigators draw heavily from the studies done in the United States and in England. However, in the design, particular attention was given not only to the local but also to the hospital conditions. In order to facilitate study, classification of cases and definitions of terms were made and adopted from those set up by the studies of Seidi and Hurwitz. (Summary)