Background: COVID-19 pandemic has caused an extraordinary situation, especially for the healthcare workers (HCWs), leading to increased psychological stress. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of different grades of anxiety and depression across different centers in the Philippines and identify demographic factors associated with them. Design and Method: A cross-sectional, web-based, multi-center study was conducted among HCWs of Philippines from April 20- May 20, 2020. The study instruments used were the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Risk perception scores were analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test. Logistic regression was done to identify factors significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression determined. Results: A total of 516 HCWs were included in the study. Most of them have anxiety symptoms (70.74%), but only half of them have symptoms of depression (50.97%). In addition, gender, age, marital status, living status, occupation, work premises, and availability of mental health services were significantly associated with the participants' anxiety symptoms. In contrast, gender, marital status, occupation, and work premises were significantly associated with depression symptoms. Conclusion: This study reiterates the fact and demonstrates that COVID-19 has disrupted the mental well-being of HCWs in the Philippines. Majority of HCW was psychologically affected by COVID-19. Therefore, there is a dire need to address mental illness amongst HCWs and frame guidelines based on proven algorithms to overcome these mental illnesses.

Background and Purpose: Movement disorders are increasingly recognized as late‐occurring neurologic manifestations of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). We aimed to dissect the spectrum of relevant movement disorders in 22q11.2DS, including clinical and electrophysiologic presentations and effective therapies.Methods: Retrospective review of medical records, medication histories, and videotaped examinations was conducted in 31 unrelated adults (55% female) diagnosed with 22q11.2DS and a movement disorder who were seen at a major center of excellence from June 1996 to September 2023. Between‐group comparisons were performed to explore the influence of medications on movement disorder presentations.Results: The median age at movement disorder onset was 35.5 (IQR: 22.0) years. Non‐parkinsonian tremor was the most common phenotype (21/31, 68%), followed by parkinsonism (13/31, 42%), dystonia (11/31, 36%), myoclonus (9/31, 29%), dyskinesia (6/31, 19%), stereotypies, and functional movement disorders (4/31, 13% each). The majority of patients (24/31, 77%) presented with two or more movement disorder phenotypes (median 3, range: 2–7). Similar trends in prevalence emerged after accounting for antipsychotic exposure and potential drug‐related movement disorders. Electrophysiological assessments identified both previously described and novel motor phenotypes. Treatment data for at least one movement disorder (available for 20/31, 65%) indicated a positive response to standard phenotype‐based interventions.Conclusions: We demonstrate that movement disorders in adults with 22q11.2DS exhibit greater clinical complexity than previously reported, which could reflect innate vulnerability and pathologic mechanisms beyond medication side effects. In those with a confirmed 22q11.2 microdeletion, periodic neurologic evaluations, supported by electrophysiologic investigations, enable accurate diagnosis and implementation of personalized management strategies.

Background and Aims: Skin tumors are one of the most common complaints among patients due to their external location and esthetic reasons. Skin tumors have a wide spectrum from being benign, with only esthetic problems, to malignant, which can be fatal. This study aimed to describe the epidemiologic profile of skin tumors in the Philippine General Hospital Out‐patient Services.Methods: This is a cross‐sectional study that describes the epidemiologic profile of the different skin tumors among Filipinos who consulted at the Philippine General Hospital Out‐patient Services.Results: Benign skin tumors are more common than malignant ones. Benign skin tumors are commonly seen in middle‐aged adults, with a median age of 33 years. There was a higher proportion of benign tumors among females (n = 1256/1529, 82.15%) compared to males (n = 690/923, 74.76%). The site of predilection was the head and neck region. The most common benign skin tumor was the intradermal nevus. The older adult age group had a higher predilection for malignant tumors, with a median age of 57 years. Relatively, there was higher proportion of malignant tumors among males (n = 223/923, 25.24%) compared to females (n = 273/1529, 17.85%). The site of predilection is also the head and neck region. Among malignant skin tumors, basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer.Conclusion: The epidemiologic profile of skin tumors from patients seen in the Philippine General Hospital in terms of median age at diagnosis, sex preponderance, site of predilection, and tumor classification was similar to various Asian countries located in relatively the same latitude as the Philippines.

The Accuracy of Mean Neutrophil Volume Relative to Blood Culture for the Diagnosis of Sepsis: A Meta-analysis

Background In the Philippines, the exact prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) has not yet been determined. Although cases can be extrapolated from medical registries, this method may undermine actual case rates. A reliable screening tool for PD is essential for a timely diagnosis and community-based epidemiological studies. The most widely used screening questionnaire for PD diagnosis was developed by Tanner et al., which consists of nine questions about the motor symptoms of PD. Although this questionnaire has been translated to several languages, the translated version must be validated for use in our local setting. Objective To determine the validity of the Cebuano version of a PD screening questionnaire. Method The questionnaire was translated from English to Cebuano by a hired language specialist. Each item was supplied with a yes, no, or don't know answer. A total of 73 patients with PD and 244 control subjects completed the study. Results The overall Cronbach alpha for internal consistency of the questionnaire was 0.9410. The item on tremor had the highest sensitivity (97.26%), while the item on problems with buttoning had the highest specificity (100.00%). A cut-off score ≥ 3 obtained the best Youden index (99.18%), with a sensitivity of 100.00% and a specificity of 99.18%. The questionnaire had an almost perfect predictive ability to diagnose PD (AUC of 0.9994). Conclusion The translated version of the Tanner questionnaire is a validated instrument to identify PD in a literate Cebuano population.