Filipino Research Articles

Bioequivalence Study Comparing Meloxicam 15mg Tablet of Pascual Laboratories, Inc. with Meloxicam (Mobic®) 15mg Tablet of Boehringer Ingelheim in Healthy Male Filipino Subjects under Fasting Conditions

Objective. Proof of bioequivalence is important for the interchangeability of pharmaceutically equivalent drug products. This study aimed to compare the rate and extent of absorption of meloxicam 15 mg tablet of Pascual Laboratories, Inc. (Test) with meloxicam 15 mg tablet (Mobic) of Boehringer Ingelheim (Reference) in healthy Filipino men. In addition, the study also determined the safety and tolerability of single doses of the said medications, under the same conditions. Methods. This was a randomized, open label, blind-endpoint analysis, truncated, crossover study with single drug doses administered in the fasting condition in each of the two treatment periods, separated by a two-week washout period. Pharmacokinetic blood sampling was performed up to 72 h post-dose. Plasma samples were analyzed using a validated liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry technology. The primary endpoints were: area under plasma-concentration-time curve from time zero to the last observed concentration at time 72 h (AUC0-72) and maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) for meloxicam. Results. Eighteen men (mean age 21.5 years; mean body mass index 22.9 kg/m2) completed the study. When administered one meloxicam 15 mg tablet, the ratios of the geometric means of the primary endpoints AUC0-72 and Cmax, were within the established bioequivalence limits of 80% to 125% compared with Mobic 15 mg tablet: 104.07% (90% Confidence Interval [CI]: 100.26, 108.03), and 103.34% (90% CI: 96.22, 110.97), respectively. No adverse event was reported. Conclusion. Meloxicam 15 mg tablet of Pascual Laboratories, Inc. and the innovator Mobic 15 mg tablet are bioequivalent. Single doses of both products were safe and well tolerated.

Forces of modernization and the welfare of rural households: a saga of a village in Central Luzon, 1977-2013

This study aims to give a detailed account of how household sources of livelihood, income, and poverty change under the pressure of four modernizing forces: (1) population pressure on closed land frontier; (2) implementation of land reform; (3) expansion of public infrastructures such as irrigation systems, roads, and schools; and (4) growing urban influences accelerated by improvements in transportation and telecommunication systems. This study was conducted in a village in Central Luzon where recurrent household surveys were done for 36 years from 1977 to 2013 encompassing the period of dramatic diffusion of modern rice technology. The major finding is that the interaction between the four modernizing forces and the diffusion of modern rice technology resulted in major economic and social changes that led to a rise in household income and prevented poverty from increasing. This study provides evidence contrary to the popular belief that the spread of modern agricultural technology and the encroachment of market activities into rural villages are harmful to the economic welfare of the rural Filipino people.

Religious Support for Civil Resistance Movements: When and How Does It Contribute to Regime Change?

There is substantial research on the influence of elite defections on civil resistance campaign outcomes. Yet most studies focus on defections among security forces, political leaders, and economic elites. In this article, the author examines religious elite defections. Analyzing 99 civil resistance struggles, the author explores whether religious leaders’ support is associated with regime change in authoritarian contexts. The author also uses qualitative comparative analysis to determine the conditions and pathways that lead to a successful outcome. The author illustrates these pathways with four cases (Ukraine’s orange revolution, Mali’s uprising against General Traoré, the Philippine People Power movement, and Malawi’s struggle against President Banda). The results indicate that religious elite defections are not necessary for civil resistance success. However, religious support can contribute critical resources to movements, create a positive flank effect, facilitate security force defections, provide space for resistance in conditions of indiscriminate repression, and activate international networks that can pressure a regime.

Getting serious about the dirty little secrets of health care reform to guarantee true Universal Health Care for all Filipinos

Getting serious about the dirty little secrets of health care reform to guarantee true Universal Health Care for all Filipinos

(Un)configurable masculinities and gender dynamics in men’s eyes: “Mixed” couples of Filipino migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands

Studies on “mixed” couples focus mainly on women’s perspectives, which results in the neglect of the viewpoints of men. Addressing this empirical gap, this research note investigates the case of Belgian and Dutch men in (former) relationship with Filipino women, and Filipino men (currently or previously) married to Belgian/Dutch women. Ethnographic data analysis unveils the importance of the traditional division of household chores to these men. Belgian and Dutch informants maintain a gendered division of labor in their respective households, whereas Filipino informants, whose Belgian/Dutch spouses pursue gender equality, adopt various strategies to regain their masculine self.

Bifurcation Stenting Using Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold in an Adult Male With Radiation-Induced Coronary Artery Disease and Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION: Radiation-induced coronary artery disease is associated with absolute risk between 0.1% and 0.5% per year after mediastinal radiotherapy of Hodgkin disease. Risk increases with time and becomes statistically significant after 10 years. This often involves the left anterior descending (LAD) and right coronary arteries with proximal arterial narrowing involving the coronary ostia. This is the first documented case of radiation-induced coronary artery disease in a 25-year-old Filipino man diagnosed with nodular sclerosing-type Hodgkin lymphoma stage IIA treated with percutaneous revascularization using bioresorbable vascular scaffolds in a bifurcation type of lesion admitted at St Luke’s Medical Center for chest pain. Patient reported progressive worsening of exertional angina 16 months after chemotherapy and external beam radiation therapy in the neck and mediastinum. Treadmill exercise test revealed inducible ischemia in the inferior leads at stage 3, 7 metabolic equivalents. Coronary angiogram showed severe stenosis involving the midsegment of the proximal LAD artery and the ostial-to-proximal segment of the first diagonal branch, a bifurcation lesion, Medina 1,1,1. A percutaneous coronary intervention was successfully done using two bioresorbable vascular scaffolds via T-and-protrude bifurcation stenting technique and achieves a brisk TIMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) 3 flow. Follow-up after 6 months showed a normal treadmill exercise test. However, patient still complains of occasional chest pain and epigastric discomfort. Coronary angiogram was repeated demonstrating an 80% stenosis in the proximal LAD without evidence of in-stent stenosis. This was confirmed by optical coherence tomography with adequate stent apposition to the intima with a note of a large chronic red thrombus proximal to the previously deployed stent; thus, percutaneous coronary intervention using drug-eluting stent was performed. KEYWORDS: radiation-induced coronary artery disease, Hodgkin lymphoma, bifurcation stenting, bioresorbable vascular scaffold, optical coherence tomography

Towards an Experimental Turn in Filipino Philosophy: A New Way Forward

Towards an Experimental Turn in Filipino Philosophy: A New Way Forward

Abstract PO-186: Disparities in incidence of early- and late-onset lung cancer among Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) Populations in Guam, Hawai’i, and the United States.

Abstract Lung Cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and the number one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the US and in Guam. However, incidence rates vary between ethnic groups and location. The objective of the study was to compare cumulative incidence rates (CIRs) among ethnic groups in Guam, Hawai’i, and the US; specifically, Chamorros in Guam, Filipinos in Guam, Hawai’i and the US, and Native Hawaiians in HI and the US. This study included all lung and bronchus cancer cases (n=474,558) reported to the Guam Cancer Registry and all lung cancer and bronchus cases (n=859) reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 9-Registry from 2000 to 2014. Trends in incidence were analyzed for early-onset (age<50; EO) and late-onset (age 50+; LO) cases by gender, ethnicity and location. For all three time periods: 2000-2004, 2005-2009, 2010-2014, EO lung cancer incidence rates were highest on Guam (5.1, 4.2 and 2.9 respectively) followed by Hawai’i (2.9, 2,9, and 1.9), followed by the US (3.1, 2.7, 2.1). Chamorro males on Guam have the highest EO incidence rates among all ethnic groups and locations and 8.1 times higher than Filipino males on Guam. EO lung cancer incidence decreased for males in all locations and all ethnic groups over the 3 times periods. Similarly, Chamorro females have the highest EO incidence rates and 7.4 times higher than Filipino females. EO lung cancer incidence decreased for females in all locations and all ethnic groups except for Filipino females in Hawai’i. For this group the incidence rate increased from 2.3 in 2000-2004 to 3.9 in 2010-2014. LO incidence rates reveal similar patterns. The rates decreased for both genders in all locations and all ethnic groups except for Filipino males and Filipino females in Hawai’i. Interestingly, there are big differences in lung cancer incidence rates between Filipinos in Hawai’i, Filipinos in the US and Filipinos on Guam. Filipinos in Hawai’i have the highest rates both for EO and LO and for both genders. Conclusions This data suggests that there are disparities in incidence of EO and LO lung cancer among different ethnic groups and even among different locations for the same ethnic group. Further study is needed to examine how the changes to the exposure to risk factors (smoking) contribute to the incidence disparities. Citation Format: Grazyna Badowski, Jaelene Renae Manibusan, Regina-Mae Dominguez, Trisha Mae Togawa. Disparities in incidence of early- and late-onset lung cancer among Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) Populations in Guam, Hawai’i, and the United States. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-186.

Reference Intervals of Total Testosterone in Adult Filipino Men.

Background The reference range of total testosterone needs to be established locally as ethnic differences in adiposity, insulin sensitivity, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels may affect total testosterone levels. The aim of this study is to establish the reference intervals of total testosterone from healthy, young adult Filipino males. Methods The study included 110 healthy, Filipino male volunteers aged 21–40, studying or working at the University of the Philippines Manila. Clinical history, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP) were obtained, and blood for total testosterone, SHBG, albumin, insulin, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and total cholesterol was collected. Free testosterone was calculated using Vermeulen's formula. The 2.5th to 97.5th percentiles of subjects for total testosterone were used as the normative range for Filipino men. Results The reference range of total testosterone is 7.33–53.01 nmol/L. Conclusion The present study derived reference ranges of total testosterone using data from apparently healthy, young adult men to support clinical services.

Communicative Utopias

The American occupation of the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century instituted a massive public education system that sought to transform the entire civilizational configuration of Philippine culture and society. A crucial part of this pedagogical project was the introduction of the English language to Filipino students, who had to learn and speak this foreign tongue as they climbed the educational ladder and eventually led the government bureaucracies and cultural and political affairs of the nation. In this essay, I dwell on the English colonial classroom as the primary site where American educators enacted epistemologies and embodiments revolving around speech. By examining a range of colonial archives, I historically map out the training that such enactment entailed and engendered, especially how it situated Filipinos into a new colonial order by transforming them into a kind of English-speaking subjects. I will argue that oral training was significant because it rehearsed and reified the supremacies of the English language, the directives for smooth utterance and masterful delivery, and the aspirations of verbal purity and vocal virtuosity. Such training was an embodied practice informed by hegemonic Western structures that suppressed locality and indigeneity, on the one hand, and riddled with local capacities of Filipino students and their limits that betrayed any cultural imposition and domination, on the other. This tension brought about a space that emphasized and policed the Filipino people’s linguistic errors, communicative failures, and untrainable bodies. I conclude this essay with critical reflections on communicative utopias purveyed by the American colonial regime in its acts of reordering, if not altering altogether, representations of language, speech, and the body in the Philippines.

Projecting the Prevalence of Hypertension in the Philippines: Its Impact and the Need for a Call-to-Action

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular mortality, and the global numbers of affected individuals are increasing. Several health care strategies and reforms have been implemented by different countries to curb the prevalence of hypertension and the Philippines has also started to implement programs for non-communicable diseases, including hypertension. To determine the impact of hypertension in the country, this paper aims to project the hypertension prevalence by 2050 using published statistical data and plotting the data to linear regression model. Results showed hypertension prevalence will remain as high as 23% but the number of cases will double in 2050 given the population projection if no intervention will occur. Filipino males will have a higher prevalence rate, but the hypertension cases will doubly increase in females by 2050. However, because some interventions conducted by the government and medical societies, hypertension prevalence declined in 2018. If the downward trend continues, we see a reduced projected rate of hypertension prevalence and lower cardiovascular deaths. This trend will continue if government and medical programs on hypertension continue to strengthen. The need for continued proper diagnosis and management of hypertension needs to be implemented in the country. Funding Statement: The Philippine Society of Hypertension Declaration of Interests: No conflict of interest.

Development and Validation of Catastrophizing and Stigma Scale (CaStS) for Patients with X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism

Background and Objectives: X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism (XDP), is a progressive neurodegenerative disease primarily affecting male Filipinos. The increasing number of deaths due to suicide may be due to psychological factors, independent of the disease, caused by the disfigurement and social factors which caused social withdrawal and isolation. There are no specific scales on catastrophizing and stigma, which may help the clinician to evaluate the possible hindrances in the treatment and compliance of the afflicted patients.

A Case Study on Attitudes and Motivation among Filipino-Germans towards Language

Acquiring two languages such as English and Cebuano during migration is an interesting challenge for nine young Filipino-German migrants living in Dumaguete City, Philippines which is dubbed as one of the best places to retire in the world. Attitudes and motivation play a significant part in learning the second language with the consequence of forgetting the mother tongue due to its non-use. The respondents are divided into short -term migrants who migrated less than five years and long-term migrants who moved to Dumaguete for more than five years and beyond. In the motivation and attitude study, only the short-term migrants answered neutral for attitude towards German people and attitude towards Filipino people. The rest of the categories yielded moderately agree answers. Finally, majority of the short-term migrants believed that speakers of other languages perceived them as German speakers while people in the community thought that long-term migrants speak Cebuano, English fluently but actually attrited in their native language.

A Rare Case of Vertebral Osteomyelitis and Bilateral Psoas Abscess From an Unknown Source

We present a case of a 31-year-old Filipino man with vertebral osteomyelitis and bilateral psoas abscesses. Vertebral osteomyelitis is a rare infection of the bone and bone marrow that affects the vertebral column. The patient’s initial presentation included a 1-week history of cough, fatigue, diarrhea, fevers, and a 40-pound weight loss. An extensive workup including a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated bilateral psoas abscesses with subcutaneous air tracking into the right flank. Blood cultures revealed Escherichia coli , Streptococcus anginosus , and Bacteroides . However, with an unclear primary source of infection, the most likely causative factor we believed to be due to immobility. J Med Cases. 2020;11(11):345-347 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc3565

Factors influencing malnutrition in Filipino elderly

Factors influencing malnutrition in Filipino elderly

Prognostic performance of Predictive Index for Osteoporosis and Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians in the identification of individuals high-risk for osteoporosis

ObjectivesTo compare Predictive Index for Osteoporosis (PIO) with Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA) as a clinical tool for identifying the risk of osteoporosis in Filipino men 50–69 and Filipino women 50–65 years of age. MethodsThis was an analytic study that employed a cross sectional approach that included Filipino men and women seen at the Outpatient Charity Department or at the private clinics and who underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. All subjects completed a structured questionnaire and their weight and height were obtained, from which their PIO and OSTA scores were computed. ResultsA total of 81 patients were included in the study. OSTA has an area under the curve of 0.712 which turns out to be significant (P = 0.0004), with a calculated likelihood ratio of 1.64. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of PIO showed that the optimal cut off is > 0.962 and the calculated likelihood ratio that this patient may have osteoporosis is 1.38. Comparing the sensitivity and specificity, the resulting P value of 0.2728 denotes that the area under the curve of the 2 tools is not significantly different. ConclusionsThe optimal cut-off point of OSTA and PIO to discriminate high-risk and low-risk patients for osteoporosis were 0.712 and 0.686, respectively, based on ROC analysis. The performance measures of OSTA and PIO did not vary significantly in predicting the risk for osteoporosis in Filipino adults.

Language of Indifference: The Voice of the Powerless in the Select Works of Filipino Artists

Language of Indifference: The Voice of the Powerless in the Select Works of Filipino Artists

Glycogen Storage Disease IXa in a 9-year-old Filipino Boy with Short Stature: A Case Report

Glycogen storage disease (GSD) type IXa, due to a deficiency of hepatic phosphorylase b kinase, results in liver enlargement, growth retardation and fasting ketosis. Many are asymptomatic and do not require treatment. This is the first documented GSD IXa in a Filipino boy evaluated for short stature.

The Philippines’ Perception and Strategy for China’s Belt and Road Initiative Expansion: Hedging with Balancing

The Duterte administration has adopted a positive attitude toward China; however, Filipino people are cautious in cooperating with China because of Chinese behavior in the South China Sea dispute and the country’s increasing influence on the world economy and regional security. The Filipino business sector’s stance on this collaboration is closer to that of the government’s because the BRI is perceived as a good business opportunity. Although there are diverging stances toward China and the BRI among state, people, and businesses in Philippines, these differences have not influenced President Duterte’s decision to cooperate with China under the framework of the BRI. The Duterte administration shelved differences pertaining to the South China Sea dispute first and then participated in the Chinese government’s BRI. Philippines’ government has tried to combine China’s funding and technology with Philippines’ Build, Build, Build program to improve domestic infrastructure, expand export of agriculture products to China, and increase economic growth rate. The Duterte administration has thus expanded cooperation with China for benefits in terms of economy, trade, science and technology, agriculture, education, tourism, and infrastructure through the BRI. The implications of the above actions taken by Philippines’ government include promotion of Philippines’ economic and infrastructure developments and elimination of security threats from China without the United States’ support through cooperation with China by participation in the BRI. Hence, shelving the South China Sea dispute is a means of promoting cooperation between the Philippines and China. The Duterte administration hopes to neutralize the effects of the pro-United States foreign policy in the past by cooperating with China in favor of maximum national interest.

Culture-embedded drivers and barriers to (non) condom use among Filipino MSM: a critical realist inquiry

ABSTRACT This qualitative study examines the drivers and barriers of condom use among Filipino men who have sex with men (MSM) using a critical realist inquiry (i.e., shared meanings, norms, and practices related to condom use). Thematic analysis was used to analyze interviews of 105 MSM participants across 21 cities in the Philippines. Key findings showed three social structures that shape how participants view sexual partners as safe (linked to non-condom use) or unsafe (linked to condom use). First, classism is linked to relative economic social position of sexual partner (lower socio-economic class as unsafe; higher socio-economic class as safe). Second, heteronormativity is linked to relationship arrangements (multiple partner as unsafe; exclusive partner as safe) and identity categories (bisexuals as unsafe; straight men are safe). Third, body-ism is linked with notions of health (looks sick as unsafe; looks healthy as safe) and appearance (not good looking as unsafe). Sexual partners perceived as good looking can be construed as either safe or unsafe. Discussion points highlight importance of understanding the cultural and material contexts of looking and sounding educated, looking healthy, looking physically attractive vis-à-vis promoting condom use.