Cervical Cancer Risk Factors among Female High School Students in Baguio city

Objective: To determine and correlate the prevalence of cervical cancer risk factor exposures such as smoking, sexual activity, use of condoms, contraceptives pills, and history of STIs according to age and high school year level in Baguio city high-school students, Philippines. Background: Cervical cancer is the second cause of cancer deaths among women in the Philippines and the second most frequent cancer in women ages 15-44 [1]. Methods: The risk stratification level of cervical cancer development was determined using a questionnaire adapted from Siteman Cancer Center and Barnes- Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. A coding manual was created for each of the risk factors and the level stratification of the risk factors. The study size was computed with the use of Open Epi, Version 2, open source calculator—SSPropo, an internet based epidemiologic calculator. Results: 98.3% of the study group was classified to have much below average risk of developing cervical cancer. 1.2% of the study group was of below average risk and 0.5% of the study group was with above average risk of cervical cancer with significant relationship to age of first sexual contact and number of sexual partners. Conclusion: An increased risk of cervical cancer among these students were associated with early onset of sexual activity, increasing number of sexual partners and early parity

Analysis of Mercury Content in Canned Tuna Fish Commercially Available in the Philippines

Objective: To analyze the total concentration (in mg/kg) of Mercury in Canned Tuna Fish commercially available in the Philippines, using Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (CVAAS) and to compare the results gathered with permissible FAO/WHO levels. Background: The levels of the toxic heavy metal, mercury have not been previously determined in canned Tuna commercially available in the Philippines. Methods: Six different brands of canned tuna, commercially and widely available in the Philippines were selected. The samples were primed, then analyzed using Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The values obtained were then compared the tolerable weekly limit of Mercury as set by WHO. Results: Of the six canned tuna, all were tested positive for mercury. The mercury content expressed in mg/kg body weight were 0.10, 0.04, 0.06, 0.02, 0.02, and 0.02, for samples A, B, C, D, E and F respectively. The Provisional Tolerable Weekly intake of total mercury is 0.004 mg/kg, as set by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives [1]. The recovered mercury from all the canned tunas tested were well above the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake of total Mercury [1]. Conclusion: All of the 6 cans of tuna samples tested were positive for mercury well above the permissible FAO/WHO levels for mercury. Therefore, the analysis of the canned tuna is considered significant and the canned tuna fish seem to be unsafe for human consumption