End-stage liver disease is arguably one of the leading burdensome diseases among developing countries such as the Philippines. Although liver transplantation is considered the treatment of choice for decompensated cirrhosis, the establishment of a robust transplant program locally has been protracted as numerous obstacles continue to plague our transplant landscape. Issues on cost, options of having the transplant done overseas, and low rates of deceased donation are some of the difficulties that hamper our program's progress and development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn neurorehabilitation, assessment of functional problems is essential to define optimal rehabilitation treatments. Usually, this assessment process requires distinguishing between impaired and non-impaired behavior of limbs. One of the common muscle motor disorders affecting limbs is spasticity, which is complicated to quantify objectively due to the complex nature of motor control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackscattered acoustic energy from a target varies with frequency and carries information about its material properties, size, shape, and orientation. Gas-bearing organisms are strong reflectors of acoustic energy at the commonly used frequencies (∼18-450 kHz) in fishery surveys, but lack of knowledge of their acoustic properties creates large uncertainties in mesopelagic biomass estimates. Improved knowledge about the volume and elongation (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF