Abbott, Bantay Bata 163 Join Hands to Save Lives
Abbott Laboratories recently joined the roster of ABS-CBN Foundation's Bantay Bata 163 partners. In a meeting with Bantay Bata 163 representatives on October 1, company officials led by Edwin Feist, Abbott Laboratories president and general manager, pledged their support for the foundation's projects.
Feist said that they chose Bantay Bata 163 because they believe in the foundation's mission of touching young people's lives and protecting them from harm. He hoped that this act would inspire other companies and individuals to actively participate not only in health-related undertakings but in humanitarian causes as well.
Abbott Laboratories is extending financial assistance to Bantay Bata 163, which is now in its seventh year.
Bantay Bata 163 representative Net-Net Torres expressed appreciation to Abbott for re-cognizing Bantay Bata 163's efforts and taking part in its activities. She said: "The foundation started seven years ago only as a 24-hour hotline for cases of child abuse, child abandonment, and emergency cases of child rescue." It has gone a long way since then and has been able to attract local and international companies and organizations to help its cause.
During the meeting, Feist also reviewed Abbot's performance and achievements over the years and presented a glimpse of its 2005 plans. He highlighted the company's strengths.
Amzel Ordoņez
City Health Workers Gear Up
Even if the spirit is willing but the biomedical equipment keeps breaking down, how can the delivery of medical services improve? When repairs cost a lot and machines serve no one when they do not work?
This is one of the challenges that health-care professionals are frequently faced with.
In Manila, health workers hit upon a simple yet effective solution--endusers training in the proper use and care of biomedical equipment.
With a grant from Asia Urbs and additional help from several European local governments, Manila was able to set up a city-wide system for the maintenance of biomedical equipment. This started last year as part of a pilot project on improving the health of mothers and young children in poor communities by providing immediate access to health services.
The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), Ospital ng Tondo, Ospital ng Sampaloc, and Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, as well as 48 health centers and 12 Department of Health-accredited lying-in clinics, are all helping implement this project.
During the third training/seminar on the proper care and use of biomedical equipment held September 22 at UP-PGH, secretary to Manila mayor Lito Atienza, Atty. Emmanuel Sison, explained how important it is to keep equipment in good running condition. "If we are able to train our personnel on proper handling and maintenance of these equipment, then there will be fewer breakdowns. With fewer breakdowns, we expect better efficiency and increased savings [for the city]," he said.
Manila has saved about PhP7.5 million from repair expenses, since some of the city's health officials have been trained on how to repair malfunctioning equipment themselves.
Asia Urbs was established by the European Union (EU) in 1998 to encourage local governments in EU and Asia to join forces in addressing urban development problems. Manila's partners in this EU-cofunded project are Provincia di Pisa and Regione Toscana in Italy, Municipality of Plasencia in Spain, and Arci Cultura e Sviluppo of Southeast Asia.
Head of EU's delegation to the Philippines, Ambassador Jan De Kok, graced the training/seminar. He was hopeful that the training would benefit the city's health programs.
Michelle Ciriacruz
IMx Assay Improves Transplant Patient Monitoring
Wyeth's Rapamune and Abbott's IMx immunoassay system collide, promising to mark a big change in the practice of transplantation and the lives of surgeons and patients.
This change is the stepped-up use of Rapamune in those who received a kidney transplant--because a fully auto-mated therapeutic drug-moni-toring system for this agent is now in place in several major hospitals in Metro Manila.
Rapamune is an oral macrolide immunosuppressant used as an adjunct to corticosteroid or ciclosporin. It is used to suppress specific parts of the immune system to prevent it from rejecting a transplanted organ. The IMx is a machine used to detect and analyze a variety of substances and antigens in blood serum.
Immunotherapy with Rapamune alone is not associated with nephrotoxicity. However, as adjunct, use of rapamune may lead to impaired renal function compared with the use of ciclosporin alone. The use of Rapamune in renal transplant patients is also associated with a dose-dependent increase in serum cholesterol and triglycerides.
Levels of Rapamune in the blood and possible interactions with other drugs should there-fore be closely monitored so that dosage can be adjusted.
The established method of monitoring is the high-performance liquid chromotography assay. But its testing turnaround time--how long before results of the assay can be obtained--is somewhat slow (24 hours). Abbott's IMx shortens that turnaround time from 24 hours to 40 minutes for 22 specimens.
Apart from enhancing confidence in results, the IMx Rapamune assay greatly improves patient monitoring and management.
These other features also validate the IMx's technical superiority as an aid in the management of patients receiving sirolimus immunosuppressive therapy:
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sample stability of the EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) whole blood specimen: at least 14 days refrigerated and 6 months frozen (-20 degrees Centigrade)
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calibration curve stability is only two weeks minimum
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needs no reagent preparation
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boasts precision and functional and analytical sensitivity
With 200 placements of the IMx system in major hospitals nationwide, this advantage is now available to transplant patients, transplant surgeons, and other medical professionals in the country.
Among the hospitals that have acquired IMx are Capitol Medical Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and Makati Medical Center. St. Luke's Medical Center is set to acquire one soon.
Michelle Ciriacruz
J & J Advocates Knee Replacement for Arthritis Patients
The knee joint, one the most complex joints in the body, allows the leg to move freely and with a full range of motion while absorbing the impact that results from activities such as walking and running.
There are a number of conditions that may require knee-replacement surgery, the most common being osteoarthritis. Knee injuries happen to everybody--not only to athletes--because of the wear and tear of the joints, said Dr. Antonio Tanchuling, vice president of the Philippine Hip and Knee Society.
And so as part of its campaign to make patients more aware of the benefits of total knee replacement, Johnson & Johnson Medical Philippines paid tribute to Ramoncito Campos Jr., a three-time Olympian, who had undergone total knee replacement in March.
Campos is known for his contributions to the La Salle Sports Development Program. "He acts as a mentor, adviser, counselor, big brother, and father to our teams," commented Jay Gervasio, vice president for sports of the De La Salle Alumni Association.
Ruben Cauton, J & J marketing manager said their company "was fortunate to partner with patients like him who have long suffered from debilitating diseases."
The 78-year-old Campos said that prior to the operation he was walking on one foot. "My left was useless. I can't even go up and down the stairs. I had to go one step at a time. That hindered me and I felt so frustrated. I couldn't do what I wanted to do. After the operation, I felt relieved, it was like a miracle."
Campos also said he had doubts in the beginning because he considered putting artificial things in one's body abnormal. "But after the operation and therapy, I felt fine--no more pain. I felt so happy. It's like a miracle really."
Replacing the knee joint is usually recommended when the pain becomes so constant that it limits one's daily activities. Said Tanchuling: "It's a good option for patients who are at the end line of the disease to give them a new lease on life, and to improve the quality of their lives." He added this type of surgery used to be debatable, but a number of studies have already proved it both safe and effective.
Miles Dumalagan
"Read Yourself" of Bone, Joint, and Muscle Injuries
He shall be pleased if they come calling on him socially. But he prefers never having to see them, if they come calling for his professional expertise.
So did orthopedic surgeon Jose Pujalte Jr., who fixes bone injuries, and replaces bones if necessary, wish during the launch of his A Bone, Joint, and Muscle Handbook, attended by colleagues, media, and friends, on September 18 at Powerbooks-Greenbelt.
Again, Pujalte stressed the importance of prevention. In the second chapter of the handbook, he cited osteoporotic fractures as something that need never happen, if only precautionary measures, such as clearing away clutter and cleaning up spills right away, are taken.
He wrote: "Osteoporotic fractures are tragedies, because they are preventable."
Reader-friendly and handy, this illustrated reference contains tips for avoiding bone, joint, and muscle injuries. Once damage is done, however, Pujalte discusses what treatment can be given.
Topics included in the handbook are osteoarthritis, gout, bone cancer, fractures, dinner fork wrists, texter's thumbs, scoliosis, neck pains, whiplash, anterior-cruciate-ligament injuries, bunions, frozen shoulders, and hip and knee replacement.
General concerns such as what the patient needs to know about medical consultations and battered-child syndrome are also tackled.
Michelle Ciriacruz
TMC Psychiatrists Promote Mental Health and Happiness
The department of psychiatry of The Medical City (TMC) held their second postgraduate course entitled Psychiatry in Crisis Situations: Interventions in Ordinary and Extraordinary Life Events on October 9.
Dr. Maria Imelda Batar, head of the scientific program, said that the course was designed to "serve as a forum for exchange of vital information for the prevention of mental illness and to make psychiatry more relevant to the needs of the community." She said this would help bring the department a step closer to its goal "not only as a healer of mental illness and as a promoter of mental health but as an advocate of happiness."
Dr. Cornelio Banaag Jr., department chair, spoke about child-rearing practices in the country. He discussed issues such as how to be good and effective parents, the lack of preparation for the job, and the rapid changes and conditions of contemporary times. He said the theme was very appropriate, stressing that "the foundation of everything that makes us human is our relationships and this course is all about relationships--building relationships, maintaining relationships, and healing relationships that have been broken."
Dr. Ruby de Guzman-Manalastas spoke about making relationships last. She said that women do not automatically assume subordinate roles in life, but rather are conditioned from childhood to do so. She said: "The sense of inferiority is not formed in the Oedipal stage when the girl realizes that she is not a boy; it is intimately linked to the very beginning of a girl's life and the acquisition of her gender identity."
She said this is reinforced when she weds and "all the rights fall on the groom while the duties and obligations become the wife's domain." However, she said that sometimes, "when a woman feels good about herself and feels adequate as a woman, gender roles become insignificant in the building of a successful relationship."
Taking the male point of view, Dr. Baltazar Reyes Jr. said that marriage, for a man, "is a developmental phase," but the most important requirement for marriage is "psychological maturity." He added that in an ideal marriage, "independence is equal, dependence is mutual, and obligation is reciprocal."
Giving a synthesis of the course, Dr. Lourdes Lapuz, immediate past chair of the department, talked of the "dual role of psychiatry in crisis situations." These roles involve "providing guidelines and suggesting measures by which such crisis may be avoided or minimized and for the psychiatrist to intervene, stop, control, palliate, and help repair whatever damage and suffering attend the crisis."
Mariafe Pagsuguiron
Rational Antibiotic Use in Kids Pushed
United Medical Education and Development (UMED) conducted a workshop on rational antibiotic use for severe infections in children at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in August.
UMED aims to provide health professionals with a broad base medical knowledge and ensure that they develop a comprehensive understanding of the role of pharmaceutical products in the treatment and prevention of disease.
The second part of the UMED modules on infectious diseases, the workshop focused on antibiotic classifications, mechanisms of action, and principles of use.
Dr. Ma. Liza Gonzales, member of the UMED faculty in pediatrics/infectious diseases, stressed that in treating infections, the following factors should be kept in mind: etiologic agent, host, patient's age, and underlying illness.
Knowing the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drug will also aid in choosing the appropriate antibiotic. "With the infective agent, we also have to consider susceptibility, which may be different from institution to institution," she added.
For Streptococcus pneumoniae, for instance, Gonzales said that macrolides and first-gene-ration cephalosporins are good choices. For streptococcal infections in patients with an allergy to beta-lactams, macrolides, cotrimoxazole, and chloramphenicol are recommended.
Gonzales also advised caution in the use of newer antibiotics. "[They] should have an advantage over the older antibiotics with regard to pharmacokinetics like longer half-life [and fewer] adverse events," she said. "And newer antibiotics should have an equal or better spectrum of activity against a specific infection being treated."
But she emphasized a basic fact: "If your older antibiotics [are still efficacious], then it would be better to use the proven or traditional antibiotics."
Each lecture was followed by group discussions and case presentations. Drs. May Montellano and Melba Marasigan of the UMED faculty in pediatrics/infectious diseases served as moderators.
Miles Dumalagan
Louis Widmer Brings Quality Skin Care
Louis Widmer from Zurich, Switzerland takes care of the skin with only the highest quality products.
On October 21, the manufacturer of ethical and hypoallergenic skin-care preparations came to the Philippines to unveil its products and philosophy on skin care.
Said Louis-Max Widmer, cofounder and owner of the company: "Quality is our philosophy."
Louis Widmer products are produced in collaboration with Swiss dermatologists under the strictest quality controls. They are manufactured using the Louis Widmer's "clean-room" technology, which guarantees that all products are sterile.
"Based on the latest dermatological research, Louis Widmer products are both effective and well tolerated by the most sensitive skin. With our dermatological skin-care line, we offer our clients more than cosmetic properties," Widmer explained.
Products for four major skin types--normal, dry, oily, and combination--include cleansing gels and cream, moisturizing formulas, day- and night-care lines, regenerating and special-care products, and sun screens.
Today, Louis Widmer has subsidiary companies in Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Finland. In the Philippines, Louis Widmer products are exclusively distributed by Zuellig Pharma and marketed by Pharmalink, a marketing arm of Zuellig Pharma.
Michelle Ciriacruz
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