G.T.A.R.A. : A Randomized Controlled Trial Using Guitar Lessons for Restoring Hand Function among Patients with Unilateral Hand Impairment.

Objective: To determine the effects of guitar lessons (intervention group) in comparison to conventional occupational therapy (OT) sessions (control group) on hand function of chronic stroke patients with unilateral hand impairment.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial enrolled 34 chronic stroke patients with unilateral hand impairment. Participants were grouped randomly into intervention (guitar lessons) and control (conventional occupational therapy) groups.

A rapid and high-throughput fraud detection method of Philippine coconut wine () using H qNMR spectroscopy.

Methanol contamination of the Philippine coconut spirit (often called coconut wine) is the major cause of -related deaths in the country. Hence, a strict quality control and detection method must be established for methanol in tandem with ethanol analysis. In this study, a quantitative Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) method using H analysis was developed to quantify the methanol and ethanol in 26 samples collected from four different provinces in Luzon, Philippines.

Enhancing systematic literature review adapting 'double diamond approach'.

Current literature review frameworks often lack quantification of literature volume, guidance on keyword inclusion, confidence in identifying knowledge gaps, and the formulation of research questions, which can lead to potential bias in research. This undermines the validity and reliability of reviews. In this paper, we aim to enhance the systematic literature review (SLR) methods-starting with a review of review literature followed by a review of empirical literature-to address these challenges.

Insights into Ecological Resettlements and Conservation-led Displacements: A Systematic Review.

A systematic literature review (SLR) on ecological resettlements and conservation-led displacements (hereafter 'ER') is essential for guiding future research and conservation strategies, yet it has not been conducted. We performed a comprehensive two-stage review-a review of reviews and a review of empirical articles from Web of Science and Scopus-using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). We extracted and analyzed data from 164 research articles, revealing three key themes in ER research: publication trends and geographical distribution, methodological approaches and data types, and thematic focus with associated governance and equity indicators.

Extent and Nature of Television Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing in 9 Asian Countries: Cross-Sectional Study Using a Harmonized Approach.

Background: Rising childhood obesity rates in Asia are adding risk for the future adult burden of obesity and noncommunicable diseases. Weak policies across most Asian countries enable unrestricted marketing of obesogenic foods and beverages to children. Television is the common medium for food marketing to reach this audience.

Successful Models of Virtual Experiential Education Initiatives in Global Health for International Students.

Experiential learning activities help students prepare for their future careers by providing opportunities for hands‑on practice experiencing real‑world scenarios. Innovations in technology can facilitate experiential learning and cross‑cultural connections for large groups of students in multiple global settings through a virtual platform. However, designing these opportunities with diverse groups of students for a virtual environment can be challenging.

The importance of helical structures to the overall activity and structural stability of a lipase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 in n-hexane.

Bacterial lipases are versatile extracellular enzymes with a catalytic triad at the active site and a flexible 'lid' that modulates catalytic accessibility. We combined computational modeling with preliminary in vitro testing to assess the structural stability and activity of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 lipase (PAL). We evaluated several systems consisting of the native and mutant forms of the lipase in n-hexane using molecular dynamics simulations.

onitoring drug fficacy through ulti-mics esearch initiative in lzheimer's isease (MEMORI-AD): A protocol for a multisite exploratory prospective cohort study on the drug response-related clinical, genetic, microbial and metabolomic signatures in Filipino patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Dementia is one of the leading causes of disability among older people aged 60 years and above, with majority eventually being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Pharmacological agents approved for dementia include acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) inhibitors like rivastigmine, donepezil and galantamine and the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist memantine, prescribed as monotherapy or in combination with each other, depending on the severity of disease. There is currently no available study demonstrating the clinical response to these drugs for AD in the Filipino population.

Enhanced skin cancer diagnosis: a deep feature extraction-based framework for the multi-classification of skin cancer utilizing dermoscopy images.

Skin cancer is one of the most common, deadly, and widespread cancers worldwide. Early detection of skin cancer can lead to reduced death rates. A dermatologist or primary care physician can use a dermatoscope to inspect a patient to diagnose skin disorders visually.

Prescribing Patterns in a Primary Care Service in a Rural Site in the Philippines from April 2019 to March 2020 - A Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Appropriate use of medication is an important indicator of quality healthcare delivery among children. Previously published studies on drug utilization involved Filipino households in general and were conducted in the 1990s. No recent Philippine studies have been conducted that focus on drug utilization in children.

Advanced Extraction Techniques and Physicochemical Properties of Carrageenan from a Novel Cultivar.

Carrageenans are valuable marine polysaccharides derived from specific species of red seaweed (Rhodophyta) widely used as thickening and stabilizing agents across various industries. , predominantly cultivated in tropical countries, is the primary source of kappa-carrageenan. Traditional industrial extraction methods involve alkaline treatment for up to three hours followed by heating, which is inefficient and generates substantial waste.

"Men Need Role Models": Exploring the Facilitators and Barriers for Yoga Participation Among Men.

Yoga is a holistic form of physical activity taken up for various reasons, including physical and mental health, and sometimes spirituality. Despite the growing popularity of yoga as a form of health-enhancing physical activity, data show the uptake among men to be consistently low compared to women. To gain an understanding of barriers and facilitators for yoga uptake and adherence among men, four focus group discussions (three male groups, one female group) and three individual interviews were undertaken.

Assessing the spatial scale of synchrony in forest tree population dynamics.

Populations of forest trees exhibit large temporal fluctuations, but little is known about the synchrony of these fluctuations across space, including their sign, magnitude, causes and characteristic scales. These have important implications for metapopulation persistence and theoretical community ecology. Using data from permanent forest plots spanning local, regional and global spatial scales, we measured spatial synchrony in tree population growth rates over sub-decadal and decadal timescales and explored the relationship of synchrony to geographical distance.

Comparative genomics reveals putative copper tolerance genes in a Fusarium oxysporum strain.

Copper has been widely used as a main component in fungicides due to its versatility and effectivity. However, copper contamination from the environment creates selective pressure for the emergence of copper-tolerant pathogenic fungal strains that may proliferate and further cause damage to important agricultural crops. Although some studies focused on specific cellular mechanisms of copper tolerance, comprehensive genomic data are lacking.

Analyzing the dynamics of COVID-19 transmission in select regions of the Philippines: A modeling approach to assess the impact of various tiers of community quarantines.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted communities worldwide, and effective management strategies are critical to reduce transmission rates and minimize the impact of the disease. In this study, we modeled and analyzed the COVID-19 transmission dynamics and derived relevant epidemiological values for three regions of the Philippines, namely, the National Capital Region (NCR), Davao City, and Baguio City, under different community quarantine implementations. The unique features and differences of these regions-of-interest were accounted for in simulating the disease spread and in estimating key epidemiological parameters fitted to the reported COVID-19 cases.

Teachers as Health Workers in the Philippines.

Objectives: While the chronically overburdened state of public school teachers in the Philippines is well-established, little is known about how they specifically provide 'care' and attend to their students' health in the workplace. This article addresses that knowledge gap by illustrating the many forms of 'health work' undertaken by public school teachers on a daily basis, and analyzing the concrete challenges they face in doing such work. In so doing, this article provides a qualitative construction of school teachers as 'health workers' in the country.

Frequency Distribution of Pediatric Primary Care Cases in a Rural Site in The Philippines: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Primary care for pediatric patients focuses on providing comprehensive, accessible, and coordinated healthcare from the neonatal period to adolescence. The implementation and use of electronic medical records (EMR) in pediatric primary care facilities is an efficient strategy to gather necessary information on the epidemiology of common pediatric diseases in the Philippines.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the frequency distribution of pediatric diseases in a rural primary healthcare facility in the Philippines.

Search for the Exclusive W Boson Hadronic Decays W^{±}→π^{±}γ, W^{±}→K^{±}γ and W^{±}→ρ^{±}γ with the ATLAS Detector.

A search for the exclusive hadronic decays W^{±}→π^{±}γ, W^{±}→K^{±}γ, and W^{±}→ρ^{±}γ is performed using up to 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV. If observed, these rare processes would provide a unique test bench for the quantum chromodynamics factorization formalism used to calculate cross sections at colliders. Additionally, at future colliders, these decays could offer a new way to measure the W boson mass through fully reconstructed decay products.

Insights into Metabolic Reprogramming in Tumor Evolution and Therapy.

Cancer remains a global health challenge, characterized not just by uncontrolled cell proliferation but also by the complex metabolic reprogramming that underlies its development and progression. This review delves into the intricate relationship between cancer and its metabolic alterations, drawing an innovative comparison with the cosmological concepts of dark matter and dark energy to highlight the pivotal yet often overlooked role of metabolic reprogramming in tumor evolution. It scrutinizes the Warburg effect and other metabolic adaptations, such as shifts in lipid synthesis, amino acid turnover, and mitochondrial function, driven by mutations in key regulatory genes.

Atypical Exon 2/3 Mutants G48C, Q43K, and E37K Present Oncogenic Phenotypes Distinct from Characterized NRAS Variants.

NRAS belongs to the RAS family of GTPases. In colorectal cancer (CRC), NRAS mutations are rare compared to KRAS, but may lead to worse outcomes. We report the functional characterization of the novel NRAS mutants-G48C, Q43K, and E37K-identified in Filipino young-onset CRC patients.

Long-term COVID-19 sequelae by Theta and SARS-CoV-2 variants in a Philippine cohort.

Introduction: Millions have been infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) since its emergence in 2019, but most patients make a full recovery. The long-term consequences of the infection are anticipated to unravel in the succeeding years with reports of patients experiencing chronic, debilitating sequelae post-infection commonly referred to as Long COVID. Various Variants of Concern (VoCs) have emerged as the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolved displaying increased infectivity and immune evasiveness.