Evaluation of the national control of diarrhoeal disease programme in the Philippines, 1980-93.
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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the National Control of Diarrhoeal Disease Programme (NCDDP) in the Philippines over the period 1980-93, describing levels and trends in programme activities, and relating them to severe diarrhoea morbidity and mortality among under-5-year-olds. METHODS: Routinely collected data on morbidity and mortality trends were obtained from health statistics reports of the Health Intelligence Service and the NCDDP. Socioeconomic indicators, including annual average family income and expenditures, gross national product, and unemployment rates, were derived from the Philippine population census data collected by the National Statistics Office. FINDINGS: In relation to baseline levels, diarrhoea mortality among infants and young children fell by about 5% annually over the 18-year period under review. The decline was faster than those related to acute respiratory infections (ARIs) among children of similar age and to perinatal causes. Diarrhoea hospital admission rates registered an annual decline of 2.4% relative to the baseline level. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the programme had a substantial impact; the period under review also witnessed some degree of improvement in other factors with positive influences on health, such as exclusive breastfeeding, nutrition and environmental sanitation. The quality, particularly completeness and reliability, of the existing data did not allow further analysis, thus, making it difficult to conclude beyond doubt that the observed trends indicate that they were solely due to NCDDP. (+info)
Zinc and iron status during pregnancy of Filipino women.
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Low birthweight is associated with maternal anaemia and, in some circumstances, with low iron and zinc status, but this relationship has not been investigated in the Philippines. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of anaemia and suboptimal iron and zinc status in pregnant women from three geographical regions (mountain, coast, city) of Zamboanga del Sur province at 24 weeks (n = 305). and again at 36 weeks (n = 127), gestation. At 24 weeks, 34% were anaemic (i.e., haemoglobin < 105 g/L) from all causes, of whom only 14% had concomitant low serum ferritin values (i.e., < 12 microg/L). The presence of infection was low, based on both elevated white blood cell count (> 11 x 10(9)/L; 19%) and serum C-reactive protein (> 15 mg/L; 3%). Of the women surveyed, 20% were iron depleted but not anaemic, and 15% were zinc deficient (i.e., serum zinc < 7.1 Micromol/L). The mean (+/- SD) birthweight of the infants (n = 250) was 3074 g +/- 408 g, of whom 5% were of low birthweight (< 2500 g). No differences existed for biochemical indices or birthweight among the three regions, or between women consuming maize or rice-based diets. Women with low haemoglobin (P = 0.05) and low serum zinc (P = 0.14) values at 24 weeks gestation had infants with lower birthweights than those with values > or = 105 g/L and > or = 7.1 micromol/L, respectively. However, in the multivariate model, the contribution of maternal haemoglobin to the variance in birthweight at 24 weeks gestation was non-significant, although modest for serum zinc. Anaemia and/or suboptimal zinc status during pregnancy may be related to low birthweight in the Philippines, and their aetiology deserves further study. (+info)
Isolation and structure elucidation of two new alkaloids, pandamarilactonine-C and -D, from Pandanus amaryllifolius and revision of relative stereochemistry of pandamarilactonine-A and -B by total synthesis.
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Two new pyrrolidine alkaloids, pandamarilactonine-C and -D, were isolated from Pandanus amaryllifolius. Based on the total synthesis of pandamarilactonine-C and its related alkaloid, pandamarilactonine-A, the relative stereochemistry of pandamarilactonine-A and -B, which was previously proposed by spectroscopic analysis, was revised. (+info)
Are there associations between grain-filling rate and photosynthesis in the flag leaves of field-grown rice?
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Rate of grain filling in terms of dry mass accumulated per panicle per day was measured in field-grown rice in the dry season in the Philippines and compared to rates of light-saturated photosynthesis per unit leaf area (P(max)) measured at 350 micro l l(-1) CO(2) for 21 d after flowering. Five new plant type (tropical japonica) varieties (NPT) and one indica variety (IR72) were used and these gave some variation in rates and patterns of grain filling. A rapid grain-filling phase (RGFP) occurred approximately 10 d after flowering in most varieties. There was no consistent relationship in any variety between the rate of grain-filling and P(max) and chlorophyll content, both of which remained mostly unchanged throughout grain filling. Significant declines in the amount of total leaf protein and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco) occurred, but these did not occur at the same time as the RGFP in all varieties. A decrease in the ratio of chlorophyll a/b preceded these changes and a transient rise in chlorophyll content was also observed in four varieties at this time. There was no significant change in leaf non-structural carbohydrate content during or following the RGFP. It is concluded that the decline in Rubisco and protein content in NPT was not reflected in photosynthetic activity. Hence in these field experiments Rubisco accumulated to a level in excess of photosynthetic requirements, serving as a store of nitrogen for grain filling. (+info)
Antibiotic susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in the Western Pacific in 1971.
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Isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from 256 patients contracting acute gonococcal urethritis, primarily in the Republic of the Phillipine Islands, in 1971, were tested for the minimum inhibitory concentrations of five antibodies. The median is advocated as a measurement for comparison of ranges of MIC values; the median MIC of penicillin for 258 isolates was 0-23 mug/ml. A positive correlation coefficient was observed for the susceptibility of isolates to penicillin, spectinomycin, cephaloridine, and tetracycline. (+info)
Risk behaviors of Filipino methamphetamine users in San Francisco: implications for prevention and treatment of drug use and HIV.
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OBJECTIVE: This study describes the demographics, HIV risk and drug use behaviors, and psychosocial status of Filipino American methamphetamine users in the San Francisco Bay area. METHODS: Individual interviews were conducted with 83 Filipino American methamphetamine users, recruited through snowball sampling methods. A structured survey questionnaire included measures of drug use behaviors, HIV-related sexual behaviors, psychosocial factors, and demographics. RESULTS: Filipino methamphetamine users tended to be male, to have low levels of perceived personal control in their lives, and to report low levels of shame about their drug use. Methamphetamine use was strongly associated with HIV-related risk behaviors. Frequent methamphetamine users tended to engage in drug use before or during sex and to use condoms infrequently. Commercial sex activity was associated with frequency of methamphetamine use. About one-third of the study participants had never been tested for HIV. CONCLUSION: HIV/STD and drug abuse prevention programs that target Filipino Americans are needed. These programs should be tailored to meet clients' needs on the basis of gender, employment status, acculturation, and psychosocial variables that affect drug use and sexual behaviors. (+info)
Culturally based interventions for substance use and child abuse among native Hawaiians.
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OBJECTIVE: This article presents an overview of child abuse among culturally diverse populations in Hawaii, substance use among culturally diverse students in Hawaii, and culturally based interventions for preventing child abuse and substance abuse in Native Hawaiian families. OBSERVATIONS: Native Hawaiians accounted for the largest number of cases of child abuse and neglect in Hawaii between 1996 and 1998. Alcohol and other drugs have increasingly been linked with child maltreatment. Native Hawaiian youths report the highest rate of substance use in Hawaii. Cultural factors such as spirituality, family, and cultural identification and pride are important in interventions with Native Hawaiians. CONCLUSION: Human services should continue to emphasize interventions that integrate "mainstream" and cultural-specific approaches. (+info)
Histopathology of natural Ebola virus subtype Reston infection in cynomolgus macaques during the Philippine outbreak in 1996.
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We investigated the livers, spleens, kidneys and lungs collected from 24 cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) naturally infected with Ebola virus subtype Reston (EBO-R) during the Philippine outbreak in 1996, in order to reveal the histopathologic findings. These macaques showed necrotic hepatocytes with inclusions, slight to massive fibrin deposition in splenic cords, depletion of lymphoid cells in the white pulp of the spleen, and fibrin thrombi in some organs. Immunohistochemical analysis using anti-leukocyte antigen L1 antibody revealed an increase in blood-derived macrophages/monocytes in the livers, kidneys and lungs of EBO-R infected macaques. EBO-R NP antigens were detected in the macrophages/monocytes, endothelial cells and fibroblasts in the liver, spleen, kidney and lung. These results indicate that EBO-R infection is characterized by systemic coagulopathy and an increase in blood-derived macrophages/monocytes in accordance with the EBO-R propagation in macrophages/monocytes. (+info)