Communication competence on Facebook

Social media has become part of many people’s way of life. One of them most popular social media sites is Facebook which allows them to establish and maintain connectivity worldwide. One aspect of Facebook users that has not yet been explored much as a subject of investigation is communication competence. This descriptive-comparative study was conducted to determine the perceived communication competence on Facebook of the select students of University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP). Stratified random sampling was used to determine a sample size of 80 students. Validated survey questionnaires were distributed to the respondents. The data were analyzed using mean, percentage and standard deviation to describe the variables investigated in the study such as frequency and level of the students’ exposure on Facebook, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to determine the significant difference of communication competence sub-skills among the students. The findings show that most of the respondents were highly competent communicators in certain sub-skills while the rest were relatively competent in other sub-skills. Overall, the respondents need to acquire—or rather, holistically develop—their communication competence which combines the sub-skills on “knowing what to say” and “knowing how to communicate”

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Assessment of housing for the urban poor in the four local Government units in southern Mindanao, Philippines

Paper presented at the XXXIII IAHS World Congress on Housing, 27-30 September 2005,"Transforming Housing Environments through Design", University of Pretoria.ABSTRACT: Shelter for the urban poor is always a problem in the process of urbanization in developing countries. The objective of this paper is to assess the demand and provision of urban poor housing in the four local government units in Southern Mindanao, Philippines. Home lot ownerships were accessed through government shelter programs, while houses were provided by the urban poor themselves and through the assistance of NGOs. Even if gaps between need and delivery are unavoidable in every shelter programs, but the participatory approach of this research contributed positively to the approaches in local housing policies. The evolution of slum into a more permanent urban fabric was illustrated, and this must be further understood for a more feasible shelter program.Authors of papers in the proceedings and CD-ROM ceded copyright to the IAHS and UP. Authors furthermore declare that papers are their original work, not previously published and take responsibility for copyrighted excerpts from other works, included in their papers with due acknowledgment in the written manuscript. Furthermore, that papers describe genuine research or review work, contain no defamatory or unlawful statements and do not infringe the rights of others. The IAHS and UP may assign any or all of its rights and obligations under this agreement

Loxosceles venom-induced cytokine activation, hemolysis, and acute kidney injury

Herein, we describe a confirmed case of Loxosceles spider bite that illustrates the critical complications seen in loxoscelism, including skin necrosis, rhabdomyolysis, hemolysis, coagulopathy, acute kidney failure, and electrolyte disorders. Upon initial assessment, laboratory studies revealed the following: the white blood cell count was 29 400 WBCs/mm(3), hemoglobin was 9.2g/dL, and the platelet count was 218000cells/mm(3). Coagulation studies revealed the following: international normalized ratio, 1.83; activated partial-thromboplastin time, 62s; D-dimer, 600 ng/mL (normal range < 500 ng/mL); free protein S, 37% (normal range = 64-114%); protein C, negative; and antithrombin III, negative. Various serum levels were abnormal: urea, 110mg/dL; creatinine, 3.1 mg/dL; indirect bilirubin, 3.8 mg/dL; creatine kinase, 1631 U/L, lactate dehydrogenase, 6591 U/L; potassium 6.2mmol/L. Urine tests were positive for hemoglobin and bilirubin. In addition, concentrations of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were notably elevated in the serum. In conclusion, physicians must be alert to the possibility of loxoscelism when a patient presents with the clinical and laboratory findings described above, especially if the patient resides in an endemic area. Advances in our understanding of multiple pathways and mediators that orchestrate the response to Loxosceles venom might reveal new possibilities for the management of loxoscelism. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

SHELTER FOR THE URBAN POOR IN SANPASADA

With urbanization comes the problem of shelter provision for the urban poor in developing countries like the Philippines. The objective of this paper is to assess the socialized housing provision for the urban poor in the local government units of the Municipality of Sta. Cruz, Panabo City, Island Garden City of Samal, and Davao City (also known as SANPASADA). The assessment of the physical stock as an indicator includes the provision of land and the housing structure.  The study shows that both local and national government units mostly assisted only in the lot acquisition of housing beneficiaries. The provision of housing structures was mostly provided through the initiative and ingenuity of the urban poor beneficiaries or with the assistance of the non-government organizations. Site development and the provision of infrastructure and utilities were done phase by phase through the initiative of the homeowners associations and from limited assistance of local government units.  It is generally recommended that to promote a comprehensive approach in the provision of shelter needs of the urban poor, both the local and national government units should encourage the active participation and collaboration with NGOs and urban poor beneficiaries

Failure of chloramphenicol prophylaxis to reduce the frequency of abscess formation as a complication of envenoming by Bothrops snakes in Brazil: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

Bites by many species of venomous snake may result in local necrosis at, or extending from, the site of the bite. The use of prophylactic antibiotics to prevent infection as a complication of local necrotic envenoming is controversial. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was carried out to assess whether antibiotic therapy is effective in this situation. Two hundred and fifty-one patients, with proven envenoming by snakes of the genus Bothrops, admitted to two hospitals in Brazil, between 1990 and 1996, were randomized to receive either oral chloramphenicol (500 mg every six hours for five days) or placebo. One hundred and twenty-two of these patients received chloramphenicol. (group 1) and 129 were given placebo (group 2). There were no significant differences between the groups at the time of admission. Necrosis developed in seven (5.7%) patients in group 1 and in five (3.9%) patients in group 2 (P > 0.05) white abscesses occurred in six patients (4.9%) in group 1 and in six (4.7%) patients in group 2 (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the use of orally-administered chloramphenicol for victims of Bothrops snake bite with signs of Local envenoming on admission, is not effective for the prevention of local infections. (C) 2004 Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved