Philippines loses 12 doctors to COVID-19: group

MANILA  - Twelve Filipino doctors have died fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, an official of the Philippine Medical Association said Sunday.

"We still have some other patients confined and fighting the illness at this time. Hopefully, we don’t add more to the list of deaths among our practitioners, our physicians," Dr. Oscar Tinio, chair of the association's commission on legislation, told ANC.

"We’re still grieving but, at this point, we cannot do anything about what has lapsed already, what has been done already."

The country's latest death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak stood at 68, as of Saturday, out of the countrywide tally of 1,075 cases.

Tinio estimates that more than 5 percent of the country's health workers are also currently on quarantine due to the nature of their work in directly dealing with the disease.

To underscore the need of protecting all healthcare professionals in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Tinio disclosed that the doctor-to-patient ratio currently stands at 1:40,000, far from the ideal 1:10,000.

The country also does not have enough nurses, as they would "rather work somewhere else," he added.

"In Metro Manila, we have an over-concentration of physicians. In other areas, we have relatively very few doctors in remote areas of Luzon and all over the country as well," Tinio said.

While he appreciates the effort of government to get volunteer health workers to augment the current active medical workforce, Tinio said "definitely, it's not fair" to offer them only P500 per day in allowance.

According to the Department of Health, 690 individuals have signified interest, as of Sunday noon, to become HealthCare Warriors.

Tinio, meanwhile, urged the DOH to augment the supply of medical equipment in public and private hospitals such as face masks and personal protective equipment (PPEs).

"We're willing to procure them, (but) they're not available. The government, probably they would have supplies available," he said.

Rustico Jimenez, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, told DOH to "immediately release" PPEs to hospitals and do away with requests before giving supplies.

"We still have to request to them when to deliver and where to deliver the donated PPEs and others. It should be distributed immediately to save our frontliners. There should be no delay," he told ANC in a separate interview.

"Do not wait for more frontliners to die and to be quarantined."

Tinio, meantime, thanked those who have been giving support to health workers and frontline personnel.

"I would like to recognize and thank all those who have been active in providing for assistance and services to the medical professionals, all other healthcare providers as well, especially those people who have been giving us donations in the form of PPEs or food or anything to that effect," Tinio said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Doctors, nurses attacked in panic-stricken India

They have been hailed as India's coronavirus "heroes", but doctors, nurses, delivery drivers and other frontline workers have been attacked and in some cases evicted from their homes by panicked residents.

Some e-commerce giants have even halted deliveries partly due to the harassment of staff, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi said abuse of hospital workers had become a "huge issue".

Reports of attacks and abuse have come from across India, increasing with the imposition this week of a 21-day nationwide lockdown. In at least one case, police were accused of beating a delivery driver carrying medicines.

Sanjibani Panigrahi, a doctor in the western city of Surat, described how she was accosted as she returned home from a long day at a hospital that is treating COVID-19 patients.

She said neighbors blocked her at the entrance to her apartment building and threatened "consequences" if she continued to work.

"These are the same people who have happily interacted with me (in the past). Whenever they've faced a problem, I've helped them out," the 36-year-old told AFP.

"There is a sense of fear among people. I do understand. But it's like I suddenly became an untouchable."

This week, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences appealed to the government for help after health workers were forced out of their homes by panicked landlords and housing societies.

"Many doctors are stranded on the roads with all their luggage, nowhere to go, across the country," the letter said.

Modi called on Indians to stop treating medical workers as pariahs, describing those fighting the virus were "god-like".

"Today they are the people who are saving us from dying, putting their lives in danger."

Fake news and paranoia

Health workers are not the only ones facing the brunt of the frightened population in an environment where misinformation and rumours are thriving.

Airline and airport staff, who are still being called on for evacuations of Indians stuck overseas and management of key cargo deliveries, have also been threatened.

Indigo and Air India have condemned threats made against their staff.

An Air India flight attendant told AFP her neighbors threatened to evict her from her apartment while she was heading to the United States, saying she would "infect everyone".

"I couldn't sleep that night," she said, afraid to reveal her name over fear of further stigmatisation.

"I was scared that even if I did go home, would someone break open the door or call people to kick me out?"

Her husband had to ask the police for help.

Others have not been as lucky, the flight attendant said, with one colleague -- who declined to speak to AFP -- forced out of her home and now living with her parents.

"With all the fake news and WhatsApp forwards, they don't know what is going on, so there's this paranoia that makes them behave like this," she said.

T. Praveen Keerthi, general secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (IPCA), told AFP they had received more than 50 complaints from airline crew.

"Airline staffers are being stopped from entering their own residential premises by security guards," he said.

"We also have families and children that we leave at home to help fellow citizens... The least we expect is for our colleagues to not be harassed and ostracised."

Airport workers involved in moving essential supplies have also faced attacks as have delivery workers transporting medicines and groceries.

E-commerce giant Flipkart temporarily suspended services this week.

The Walmart-owned group said it only resumed home deliveries after police guaranteed "the safe and smooth passage of our supply chain and delivery executives".

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hong Kong medics join protests against perceived police brutality

HONG KONG - Hundreds of Hong Kong medical workers and other anti-government protesters rallied in the Chinese-ruled city's financial center on Saturday, angry at perceived police brutality during more than four months of sometimes violent unrest.

Pro-democracy activists have attacked police with petrol bombs and rocks and shone lasers in their eyes. One officer was slashed in the neck with a knife.

Police have responded with tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets and occasional live rounds, wounding several protesters, many of whom received treatment from volunteer first aiders at the roadside.

A 26-year-old nurse, who gave his name only as Stephen, said police would often come into the hospital where he works on the Kowloon peninsula and stand outside the wards or search for protesters in the accident and emergency department.

"Sometimes they bring their guns and weapons. The patients may be scared. This is not good practice," he said. "The protesters have injuries. This searching must be done after they are healed."

He said he worked as a first aider at protest sites in his spare time.

"I didn't tell any of my supervisors - only some colleagues with the same values," he said. "...But when I see people injured, I have to provide first aid."

Police deny accusations of brutality, saying they have shown utmost restraint in life-threatening situations and issue warnings to protesters with color-coded signs before they respond with tear gas or baton charges.

Protesters are angry about what they see as creeping Chinese interference in Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula intended to guarantee freedoms that are not enjoyed on the mainland.

China denies meddling. It has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of inciting the unrest.

The demonstrators gathered peacefully on Saturday, occasionally chanting "Hong Kong people, resist."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Feeling sick? The in-app doctor will see you now

LONDON -- London-based Babylon Health says its artificial intelligence technology, in tests, has outperformed most physicians in assessing disease symptoms, throwing down a challenge to doctors, some of whom doubt its true abilities.

Babylon, which was founded by entrepreneur Ali Parsa in 2013, is one of a number of start-ups tapping into the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) to help patients and doctors sift through symptoms to come up with a diagnosis.

It aims to offer health advice of family doctor quality by using AI delivered through a smartphone chatbot app - potentially a big saving for governments as they struggle to fund healthcare for growing and ageing populations.

In a representative sample of questions set by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) for its final exams to qualify as a family doctor, the Babylon app achieved an 81 percent success level, well ahead of the average pass mark over the last five years of 72 percent, the company said.

But Martin Marshall, vice chairman of the RCGP, said AI systems could not be compared to highly-trained medical professionals.

"No app or algorithm will be able to do what a GP does," he said.

"An app might be able to pass an automated clinical knowledge test but the answer to a clinical scenario isn't always cut and dried, there are many factors to take into account, a great deal of risk to manage, and the emotional impact a diagnosis might have on a patient to consider."

Babylon showed off its AI technology in a public demonstration on Wednesday evening.

In a separate test against seven highly experienced primary care doctors, Babylon's AI correctly diagnosed 80 percent of illnesses, against a range of 64-97 percent for the professionals, it said.

Parsa said the results demonstrated Babylon's AI could help bring healthcare to millions of people who have no access to even basic services, adding he was "saddened" by the criticism as the app was never designed to replace doctors.

"Even in the richest nations, primary care is becoming increasingly unaffordable and inconvenient, often with waiting times that make it not readily accessible," he said.

"Babylon's latest artificial intelligence capabilities show that it is possible for anyone, irrespective of their geography, wealth or circumstances, to have free access to health advice that is on-par with top-rated practicing clinicians."

Malcolm Grant, chairman of the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) in England, said the service was looking at a range of new technologies, including AI.

Underscoring the pressure on costs, the British government this month announced an extra 20 billion pounds ($26 billion) a year for the NHS by 2023, but critics said that still wouldn't be enough to keep up with demand.

Babylon, which secured a $60 million investment last year, is working with smartphone maker Samsung and Chinese internet firm Tencent to roll out its technology. Rival AI health apps available in the UK include Ada and Your.MD.

Smartphone diagnosis is only one way in which AI is being harnessed in healthcare.

Elsewhere, medtech companies are already using the pattern-spotting power of computers to help interpret medical images, while many drug companies are increasingly investing in AI-driven techniques in drug discovery.

Babylon's app is allowing users in London to book NHS appointments with family doctors in seconds, it said, and have a video consultation typically within two hours.

It is also helping more than 2 million people in Rwanda access digital healthcare, which it said gives the East African nation the highest penetration of digital health in the world.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Doctor's own diagnosis drives quest for a cancer cure

BETHESDA, United States - Christian Hinrichs knew his life had forever changed the day he thought he was pouring milk into a glass, but heard it splashing on the floor instead.

It was 2005, and the young cancer surgeon had just undergone the removal of his right eye because of a rare cancer, called ocular melanoma, which affects 6 in a million people.

Prior to the operation, his doctors had been optimistic that he'd make a full recovery and be able to return to practicing surgery.

"But the reality for me personally was after I lost the eye, it really threw off my depth perception," said Hinrichs.

"I knew I couldn't operate anymore. So I decided not to."

At the time, Hinrichs was 33, and had spent 13 years in training and in the operating theater.

Even before his own diagnosis, he'd decided to focus on cancer surgery.

He also had an interest in cancer research, particularly the burgeoning field of adoptive T-cell therapy, which involved genetically engineering the immune cells to recognize and attack cancer.

But after his eye was removed, he felt like a "square peg" that didn't fit anywhere.

"I was a surgeon who couldn't operate, and I was interested in oncology but I wasn't an internal medicine doctor," he said.

So he went back to school to train as an internal medicine doctor and oncologist, a process that took 4 years.

Going back to being a medical resident -- while married with a one-year-old son at home -- was "a huge drop down the ladder," he recalled.

But he was more driven than ever to find another way to beat cancer, when surgery, chemotherapy and radiation failed.

For Hinrichs, the fight was now personal.

"If the cancer ever came back in me at a site distant from the eye, I would be in that group of incurable patients," he said, explaining that his cancer would then be considered metastatic, and fatal.

The odds of a recurrence, for his type of cancer, were about 50 percent.

'SCANXIETY'

Hinrichs, now 46, is an investigator at the National Cancer Institute, and leads experimental trials aimed at training the body's T-cells to eradicate cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Two women who participated in one of his early clinical trials against cervical cancer have been disease-free for 5 years, and are now considered cured.

Many of the trials he runs at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, the nation's top research hospital, are considered "first-in-human," aimed at testing an experimental treatment in people for the first time.

They typically enroll one or 2 dozen patients with advanced cancers that have stopped responding to every other treatment.

Most patients aren't cured. But some see their cancers disappear in months. And that can lead to new treatments which may one day reach the broader public.

Colleagues describe Hinrichs as blunt, honest and direct, traits that may have been sharpened by his cancer ordeal.

"He told me on day one," about his experience with cancer, said NCI researcher Lindsey Draper, who works in Hinrichs' lab and is testing a next-generation T-cell therapy that arose from an earlier HPV trial.

"I think he wanted me to understand his sense of urgency in pushing this research forward."

Hinrichs sometimes tells patients about his back story if they ask how he got into this field, or if he thinks it will help them somehow.

One of them, Aricca Wallace, who has been cancer-free since 2012, said he helps her manage her fear each time she goes for follow-up scans. She even has a word for it: "scanxiety."

"He knows that I am on pins and needles and don't sleep. So he will take a quick look and shoot me a thumbs up," she said, describing their rapport as "more family than doctor-patient."

For his part, Hinrichs decided to stop getting follow-up MRI and CT scans about five years after his eye was removed.

A long-time Presbyterian, he says his faith carries him through times of uncertainty.

When it comes to his particular cancer, "the statistics are really of limited value, anyway," he added.

So he presses on, designing trials that are intended to cure advanced cancer with a single infusion of billions of super-charged T-cells that will take aim at tumors wherever they lie in the body.

Hinrichs thinks pursuing any other work would be unsatisfying.

"Cancer patients don't want researchers to be focused on things that slow down the cancer or may have relatively minor effects," he said.

"What they really want is for their cancers to go away."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

VIRAL: Traffic compels ex-24K girl to twerk

MANILA - The daily stress triggered by the chronic heavy metro traffic can be fatal, according to doctors.

READ: Doctors warn: Heavy traffic can be fatal

To cope with the stress, some people honk hard on other vehicles, some open their windows and curse out loud in the air, while some just try to keep themselves sane with music.

However, Jan-jannie Loudette Vicencio Alipo-on, a former member of the 24K Girls of "Kapamlya: Deal or No Deal," has a different coping mechanism.

The ex-suitcase girl posted on Facebook a video of how the metro traffic turned her "beast mode" on.

Her video instantly became viral, and has now been Liked over 5,000 times and has already been shared by over 1,000 Facebook users.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

World's first: Woman uses frozen ovary, gives birth

In a world first, a woman has given birth after surgeons implanted ovarian tissue that had been removed when she was a child, doctors reported Wednesday.

The girl was coming up for her fourteenth birthday when she was diagnosed with acute anemia, needing powerful, ovary-damaging treatment.

Before the therapy, her right ovary was removed and frozen in fragments in the hope that it could be used if she ever wanted to become a mother.

A decade later, surgeons in Belgium thawed some of the fragments and reimplanted them. A healthy son was born last November.

Several babies have been born from tissue taken from adult women, but this is the first success with tissue removed before puberty, doctors reported in the journal Human Reproduction.

"This is an important breakthrough in the field because children are the patients who are most likely to benefit from the procedure in the future," said Isabelle Demeestere at Erasmus Hospital at Brussels Free University, whose team carried out the transplant.

"When they are diagnosed with diseases that require treatment that can destroy ovarian function, freezing ovarian tissue is the only available option for preserving their fertility."

The patient, born in the Republic of Congo, was diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder, when she was five.

After she emigrated to Belgium at the age of 11, doctors found the disease was so severe that she needed a bone marrow transplant.

The procedure requires chemotherapy or radiotherapy to disable the immune system so that it does not to reject the marrow.

The transplant succeeded, although the girl had to continue with immuno-suppressive drugs for a further 18 months, and her left ovary failed.

Ten years later, the woman -- who wishes to remain anonymous -- wanted to have a family.

At this point, Demeestere's team offered their help.

They grafted four ovarian fragments to the remaining left ovary and 11 fragments at other sites.

The patient started menstruating regularly five months later but then hopes were dashed by another problem.

Her partner turned out to be infertile, the couple tried unsuccessfully for an in-vitro pregnancy, and then their relationship failed.

- Baby boy -

More than two years after the transplantation, the woman became pregnant naturally with a new partner at the age of 27. The boy was born last November, weighing 3.1 kilograms (6.8 pounds).

The patient's ovary continues to function normally, and she has the remaining fragments in storage.

Demeestere, in a press release, said the procedure was not without controversy, given that it entailed very young girls.

"For instance, because it is an invasive procedure and because the lifespan of the graft is limited, should it be used to induce puberty and menstruation, rather than to restore fertility, when hormone replacement therapy is an efficient, standard, and non-invasive alternative for inducing puberty?," Demeestere asked.

"Should the procedure only be proposed for patients with a high risk of ovarian failure or for those at low risk as well?"

Independent commentators hailed the feat as an important step in overcoming infertility, but agreed that ethical hurdles remained.

"We have to remember that many children who require chemotherapy are very ill and the surgery to remove ovarian tissue is no small undertaking," Professor Adam Balen, head of the British Fertility Society, told the Science Media Centre (SMC) in London.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Researchers measure average penis size

PARIS -- What is an "average" size for a penis?

The enduring question now has a scientific answer: 13.12 centimeters (5.16 inches) in length when erect, and 11.66 cm around, according to an analysis of more than 15,000 appendages around the world.

In a flaccid state, it found, the penis of the average Joe is all of 9.16 cm in length and has a girth of 9.31 cm.

The numbers should help "reassure the large majority of men that the size of their penis is in the normal range," said British researchers who had assembled data from studies where participants had their member measured by a professional.

The team then used the collated numbers to devise a graph that doctors can use in counselling men with "small penis anxiety."

In the worst cases, men may be diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder -- a debilitating psychological condition that can lead to obsessive and anti-social behavior, depression and even suicide.

In reality, only 2.28 percent of the male population have an abnormally small penis, said the study -- and the same percentage an unusually large one.

The study participants were men aged 17-91 who had their penises measured in 20 previously published studies conducted in Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States.

The team found no evidence for penis size differences linked to race, though most of the study participants were of European and Middle Eastern descent and a full comparison could thus not be made.

Nor did the researchers find any convincing correlation between a man's foot size and the length of his manhood.

They acknowledged their results may have been somewhat skewed by the possibility that men who volunteer to be examined may be more confident in their penis size than the general population.

The team said their work, published in the BJU International journal of urology, was the first to combine all existing data on penis length and girth into a definitive graph.

The information may be useful for reassuring men worried about their size. But it may also have the unintended effect of shriveling the egos of those who thought they were abnormally well-endowed.

Doctors may also use the graph to help men find well-fitting condoms, said the team.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Doctors facing another scandal?

MANILA -- The medical profession may again be forced to face the limelight after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked the corporate registration of a group promoting stem cell therapy allegedly due to a falsified document.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) is already checking into the alleged falsification of the papers of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM). A lawmaker, on the other hand, has filed a resolution urging the House of Representative to probe the matter.

In a five-page order, the SEC revoked the corporate registration of the group for allegedly submitting a fraudulent endorsement from the professional regulator.

“Considering the submission of a falsified PRC endorsement, there is fraud in procurement of respondent’s certificate of registration. The falsified document was relied upon by this Commission in approving the registration application of the respondent,” SEC Acting Director Ferdinand Sales said.

In a separate statement, PRC chairperson Teresita Manzala said: “The Commission directed the PRBOM [Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine] to initiate the filing of a case of unprofessional, dishonorable and unethical conduct against the five incorporators motu proprio. The case is pending before the PRC Legal Division.”

The incorporators are: Leo Olarte, Bu Castro, Rey Melchor Santos, Oscar Tinio and Jose Asa Sabili.

ABS-CBNnews.com is still waiting for a response from Olarte, who is presiding over a meeting of the Philippine Medical Association, which he heads.

Under a memorandum of agreement (MOA), the PRC will evaluate the capacity of a group and later submit an endorsement to the SEC.

Upon SEC’s request, the PRBOM directed the PSSCM incorporators to submit proof of their education, training, certification, and actual practice in the field of stem cell medicine.
Manzala said the PRBOM did not receive any response, thus it placed the group’s application papers on hold.

“After a lapse of several months, the PRBOM received information that the PSSCM was able to obtain a SEC registration, with the PRC endorsement signed by the PRC chairperson. The PRBOM eventually got hold of a copy of the SEC registration,” Manzala said.

She noted that the supposed endorsement used the Philippine Veterinary Law of 2004 instead of Medical Act of 1959 as a reference regulatory law. She also noted her supposed signature even if she had not signed one.

“The PRC chairperson requested the SEC to conduct an investigation mainly on the basis of the forged signature. The SEC served summons on the incorporators, directing them to file their answer to the complaint filed by PRC chairperson Manzala. A reply was never submitted to the SEC. After the lapse of the 15-day period within which respondents should have submitted their reply, the SEC proceeded to promulgate its decision, effectively revoking the registration of the PSSCM,” Manzala said.

Bad light

Meanwhile, Batangas 2nd District Rep. Raneo Abu filed last March 12 a resolution urging the lower House to look into the forgery case.

“[The] foresaid incorporators, who are all professionals, committed a crime and fell short of the ethical standards demanded of them when they forged, or caused to be forged, the signature of PRC chairperson Manzala and thereafter submitted the forged document with the SEC,” Abu said.

The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) said it has no official statement at this time.

PCP incoming president Anthony Leachon told ABS-CBNnews.com, however, that: “It saddens me really that the medical profession is again disgraced and put in a very bad light. In playful jest but offending and embarrassing, I was asked: Tax cheats! Forgers! What’s next, Doc?”

He clarified that this is only his personal opinion.

While he empathizes with the group of doctors involved, he said: “The accusation is very serious, and the stature of the ‘doctors charged with fraud,’ as the column of Ramon Tulfo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer is entitled, all the more aggravated the problem.”

He noted the incorporators are leaders of the medical profession. “Had they not been the incumbent president and past presidents of the PMA, this issue would not have been as contentious, damaging and notorious. The controversy would have been limited in their personal capacities, and the medical profession would not have been unnecessarily dragged down,” Leachon said.

Doctors

Weeks ago, the medical profession had questioned the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for putting out advertisements that portrayed doctors as tax cheats. The issue may also merit another probe by lawmakers.

Leachon encouraged the stakeholders to face the issue about the forgery head on, saying it’s time to restore the pride and honor of the medical profession.

“They should meet and confront the issue head-on; don’t take cover behind allegations of ill will on the part of PRC in filing the case. A lawyer himself, Dr. Olarte knows that there is always bias and partiality in every case filed, and a relief against the person/s charged is always sought. The merit of a case is not defined by the motivation, whether fair or foul, in its filing. Truth does,” Leachon said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Canada makes it easier for foreign experts to practice

CANADA - Good news for acupuncturists and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners: The government of Canada recently announced they are making it easier for these professionals to practice across the country faster.

"What we want is a one common national examination process so we can be sure that our licensed TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioners in Ontario is at the same standard, same knowledge, same training as one in BC, essentially allowing them to move around the country and practice. Secondly, it also streamlines the process for immigrant doctors, TCM doctors who come to Canada. This is part of a broader strategy to make it easier for foreign-trained professionals for all the licensed professions to work at their skill level, be more productive," said Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development.

This is something that Filipina Melissa Briones hopes for other licensed professionals coming to Canada as well.

A lawyer in the Philippines, Briones experienced first-hand the problem with Canada's foreign credential recognition.

"We clocked in the hours. You went to school. You put in the time and then you don't get to practice and you're so very willing to pay the taxes. You're so very willing to work and able and then they don't recognize it because there's a credentials recognition process. Nakaka-demoralize for a lot of professionals here," Briones said.

It's the same problem that the government has been working on for years.

"The problem of licensing foreign-trained professionals is a long standing, really complicated problem. Unfortunately, there's not one easy solution. If there was, we would have come up with it a long time ago. It's complicated by the fact that professions and trade are regulated at the provincial level, not at the federal level."

"But by working together in practical measures like this project were announcing today, we really will continue to seek progress," added Kenney.

But with these steps, Briones hopes that Chinese professionals' example also teaches kababayans the power of working together for a common goal.

"Dapat yung mga Filipinos we have to be more proactive, we have to be more active in lobbying for our rights and our abilities and we have to educate them on how good the Filipinos are. It is doable. It is possible," she said.

Various Pinoy groups have begun lobbying for foreign credential recognition for Pinoy nurses in Canada.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Doctors don't promise cure with stem cell therapy

MANILA, Philippines – Amid the recent warning issued by the Department of Health (DOH) regarding stem cell therapy, doctors who are offering the treatment in the Philippines clarified that they are not promising a cure.

“We are very careful about claiming cure. These days ang dami nagsasalita, nawala ang sakit. All of a sudden siya (stem cell therapy) na ‘yung magic bullet ng buong mundo, like if you get stem cell, you get cured,” said Dr. Michelle de Vera, deputy director of the Institute of Personalized Molecular Medicine at The Medical City.

“Kapag may narinig na ganyan dapat lalo silang mag-ingat. Cure is zero evidence of disease or kung genetic ‘yung disease dapat napalitan ‘yung genes mo. Hindi mangyayari ‘yun at this point," he stressed.

De Vera, an allergologist and immunologist, does stem cell therapy on her patients at The Medical City but he said he believes that the DOH is right in warning patients on stem cell therapy.

“Tama naman na magbigay sila ng warning,I think what their trying to do is regulate stem cell therapy,” the doctor said.

Public advisory

The DOH recently came out with a public advisory on stem cell therapies saying that there is an "observed proliferation of ‘centers’ offering stem cell treatments for medical and aesthetic purpose, and although this technology holds promise, stem cell therapy is not yet part of the standard of care and is considered an investigative procedure for compassionate use."

The DOH further stated that "applications of stem cells for the treatment of malignancies, blood disorders, degenerative diseases (e.g. Alzhimer's), metaboloc diseases (eg diabetes), and immune cell therapy are still under clinical evaluation and study."

“I did not say it doesn't work but it takes a while, a lot of experiments and clinical studies before it is considered a standard of care in medicine,” clarified Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona.

Ona also added in his statement that "the public is strongly advised to avoid stem cell therapies which use the following as sources for stem cells: embryonic stem cells, aborted fetuses, genetically-altered and animal fresh cells."

Not from animals

The Medical City has been offering stem cell treatment since 2005 and had more than 300 patients, most of them for the treatment of cancer.

De Vera explained that they use human stem cells, which come from the bone marrow of the patient or umbilical cord, and warns against stem cells coming from animals like cows or sheep, as well as companies abroad offering a spa-like experience.

"Our choice of sources, we know it's safe kasi galing din sa ‘yo," she said.

But while stem cell therapy is not yet a standard of care, it doesn't mean that it does not work, the doctor said, although she added that doctors who administer it offer no guarantees.

"’Yung iba, sobrang ganda ng effect sa kanila, yung iba naman not so much, it's very personal, very dependent on every person," she said.

De Vera also said that the science behind stem cell therapy is sound, noting that all humans have stem cells which the body uses to heal itself.

"If you give stem cells to a person, pumupunta naman talaga sila sa injured organ, nakaka-repair na talaga sila, hindi na yun theory, meron ebidensya," she explained.

De Vera also claimed that their patients have improved symptoms. "In certain cancer cases with combined standard of care like chemo or radiation therapy, we have made patients cancer-free in terms of markers or imaging for tumors," she added.

According to the doctor, they also do stem cell therapy for aesthetic purposes. "Inherently the stem cell has anti-inflammatory properties, it repairs injury. May evidence that skin has rejuvenated or regenerated. But it doesn't mean hindi ka na tatanda. Cells will eventually age. ‘Di naman infinite ang buhay nya," she said.

Among The Medical City's patients are celebrity couple Albert and Liezl Martinez -- he for aesthetic purposes, while she for breast cancer. Liezel is now reportedly cancer-free.

The DOH said the department will soon issue guidelines for the use of stem cell therapy and the process of licensing facilities offering such services.

"Maybe in two to three weeks," said Ona.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Kidney transplants among Filipinos with diabetes rising

MANILA, Philippines – Kidney transplants among Filipinos afflicted with diabetes have been steadily rising the past 20 years, a leading Filipino urologist said.

Dr. Benjamin l. Mendoza, a US-trained urologist, noted that “most kidney transplants we are doing are those afflicted with diabetes.”

In the 1980s Filipinos afflicted with kidney disease was due to infection, inflammation and hypertension, but during the last two decades the culprit is diabetes.

”About 1,000 kidney transplants are being performed in the country per year during the past two decades and counting,” Dr. Mendoza told the Philippines News Agency in an interview.

”Fifty percent is attributed to diabetes and the other half is due to various illnesses,” Dr. Mendoza added.

To avoid diabetes, the best antidote is diet, regular exercise, including brisk walking for at least half an hour, and a regular medical check-up, particularly blood sugar or even urinalysis, Dr. Mendoza said.

”Drinking plenty of water is also good but intake of water must be done during the day. Drinking plenty of water at night is not advisable because one’s sleep is interrupted when one has to go to the rest room to urinate.”

”Early detection of diabetes is also a big advantage for a patient to enable him to control his blood sugar level,” he said.

Kidney transplant is very expensive, ranging from P1 million if you have a donor and P3 million or more if you have none, Dr. Mendoza said.

Dr. Mendoza holds clinic at the National Kidney Institute, St. Luke’s Medical Center, East Avenue Medical Center and other big hospitals in Metro Manila.

He said it is very expensive to have a kidney transplant.

”The cost is at least one million pesos that is if you have a donor and is more if you have none, running into P3 million,” Dr. Mendoza said.

However, he advised kidney patients to coordinate with kidney foundations found in some big hospitals like the National Kidney Institute.

”The foundation will help facilitate the finding of a donor,” he said.

Dr. Mendoza also said the donor will be taken cared of by the foundation, including livelihood and insurance.

The US-trained doctor warned “to avoid dealing with middlemen in kidney transplant because they are more expensive as their only motive is money.”

”You will be shortchanged,” Dr. Mendoza said.

A prospective donor will be screened thoroughly before he is considered donor, he said.

”We have to make sure that the would-be donor is not suffering from major illness,” he said.

Once a donor is found to be compatible with the patient’s kidney, the donor will undergo a surgery called open or laparoscopy wherein the incision is limited to a small portion of the stomach, Dr. Mendoza said.

It will take one to two weeks to screen a donor.

Dr. Mendoza also said that foreigners are coming to the country to undergo kidney transplant because the cost is much less.

“Filipino doctors are at par with the world’s best and our facilities are also comparable to the best in the world,” he said.

source: interaksyon.com

US study shows antibiotics ineffective for most sinus infections

WASHINGTON DC -- Antibiotics that doctors typically prescribe for sinus infections work no better than a dummy pill in getting rid of the ailment, according to a study to be published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study included 166 adults whose symptoms fit the criteria for acute sinus infection. They were randomly assigned to receive a 10-day course of either amoxicillin or placebo.

Three days after starting antibiotics, there were little difference in symptoms between those taking amoxicillin and those given a placebo. At day seven, a small improvement was seen in the antibiotic group's questionnaire scores. This modest statistical improvement disappeared by day 10, when about 80 percent of patients in both groups reported their symptoms were very much improved or cured.

"Patients don't get better faster or have fewer symptoms when they get antibiotics," says Jay Piccirillo, professor of otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the study's senior author.

"Our results show that antibiotics aren't necessary for a basic sinus infection -- most people get better on their own."

source: interaksyon.com