The Varsitarian

UPON seeing patients admitted at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) with only coins to pay their hospital bills, a Thomasian doctor dreamt and sought to change this status quo.

And because of that dream, Lingkod ER was brought to life 10 years ago.

“Before Lingkod ER was brought to UST, it started back in UP (University of the Philippines) Manila, where Dr. Luisa Tecson took up her pre-med,” said UST Lingkod ER president Monica Perez. “The story even goes that because of the small size of PGH, some patients were treated while sitting on a monoblock.”

After taking her pre-med, Tecson transferred to UST to pursue medical studies. Along with her transfer, she brought the cause of Lingkod ER to the auspices of the University.  read more »

A NOBEL prize winner opened the UST’s Global Conference on Ethics in Science and Technology at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex last month, explaining that truth should not be pursued for truth’s sake without considering the ethical implications.

Professor Yuan Tseh Lee, who won the Nobel prize for chemistry in 1986, said “scientists have a responsibility for the consequences of their actions,” stressing the importance of ethics in the scientific profession as a means to have “social responsibilities.” read more »

EFFECTIVE not only against venom, but also against dengue.

Such is the new use of tea extracted from tawa-tawa (Euphorbia hirta), a plant traditionally used to cure boils, wounds, bronchitis, sores, asthma, and hypertension, said Rafael Guerrero III, an academician from the National Academy of Science and Technology.

“Tawa-tawa has been a traditional herbal medicine for centuries in countries not only in Asia, but also in the Caribbean, South America and Africa,” Guerrero told the Varsitarian by email.

He added that studies have shown that tawa-tawa, found in the Davao and Leyte areas, is effective in increasing the blood’s platelet count, which would help the body fight dengue fever. read more »

AMERICAN thriller film “Contagion” explored the effects on social stability of a pandemic, specifically from a fomite-transmitted virus, an object or substance that is capable of carrying germs or parasites to cause contagion.

The story started on the second day of the virus, with only one carrier in the guise of a certain Beth Emhoff, who just returned from Hong Kong.

The virus, however, spread within a short span of time, as when she arrived home in Minneapolis, where she was already displaying flu-like symptoms. 
Two days after, she was rushed to the hospital by her husband after she experienced seizures, but died upon arrival due to an unknown disease that even doctors cannot diagnose. read more »

WALA talagang presyo ang pagmamahal.

Hindi mga siyentipikong nakasuot ng laboratory gown ang kasalukuyang nangangalaga sa pinakamalaking mangrove site ng Batangas, ang Tubugan Research Post ng UST.

“Kahit na tatlong taon na ding walang pondo mula sa UST, nagkusa na ako at ang barangay na alagaan ito,” ani Danilo Balbaera, dating kagawad ng Barangay Imelda, San Juan.

Dagdag pa niya, wala ring nakukuhang pondo ang kanilang barangay mula sa lokal na pamahalaan kahit na nangako ang Department of Environment and Natural Resources na pangangalagaan daw nila ang naturang mangrove site. read more »

MATALINO man ang matsing, ang tao’y mas matalino pa rin.

Dahil sa mga ebidensiyang nagpapatunay sa kanilang pagkakahalintulad, ilang mga dalubhasa ang nangangarap ng biglaang ebolusyon ng mga unggoy sa aspeto ng katalinuhan.

Sa pelikulang “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” tinalakay ang pagbangon ng mga matsing bilang makabagong naghaharing-uri sa daigdig.

Ang istorya ay nagsimula sa isang siyentipikong nakaimbento ng lunas para sa Alzheimer’s disease, isang sakit na nagdudulot ng malubhang pagkawala ng intelektwal na kakayahan ng tao, gaya ng alaala. read more »

KUNG hika ang ‘yong problema at nais mong mapabuti ang iyong paghinga, subukan mo ang Buteyko breathing method.

Ito ay isang ehersisyo sa paghinga upang makontrol ang hika at ibang pang mga chronic diseases gaya ng migraine, high blood pressure, bronchitis, at allergies nang hindi gumagamit ng gamot o anumang uri ng medikasyon.

“Ang kahalagahan ng ‘Buteyko method’ ay ang malaking tulong nito sa sakit sa baga at mga karamdaman sa paghinga,” ani Jac Vigden, isang eksperto sa pagtuturo ng Buteyko breathing method sa mga may hika. read more »

THE LONG-CONSIDERED “decorations” that thrive all over the world pestered residents of Cotabato City last month by invading the waterways of Rio Grande de Mindanao causing knee-high floods in the recent 'Falcon' onslaught.

While public officials declared an ecological battle against these plants, some Filipinos remain hopeful of their potentials and tapped their innovative characteristics.

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), erroneously called as water lily, is a free-floating plant, naturally growing in tropical freshwater bodies that originated in South America. read more »

When does life really begin?

Opponents of the reproductive health (RH) bill argue that many types of contraceptives are abortifacients, meaning they terminate life inside the mother’s womb, a position flatly rejected by its proponents.

While advocates of the bill assert that life does not begin at fertilization which means no life is ended by the anti-implantation effect of contraceptives, medical experts from UST – Dr. Edilberto Gonzaga and embryology professor Josephine Lumitao – are clear: Life begins at fertilization.

Fertilization marks the union of the egg and the sperm cells, Lumitao said.

Gonzaga said the fertilized egg, scientifically called a “zygote”, immediately becomes a living individual during the process. read more »

ONE GROUP built a robot, one that could keep an eye on thieves, using cellphone technology.

Not to be outdone, another group showed how “kamote” could help cure a blood clot-related condition. Still another one proved that with a little dose of yoga, patients suffering from osteoarthritis could still live a meaningful life.

Don’t look far for the year’s best researches. They’re right on campus; courtesy of some of the most creatives and sophisticated minds UST has produced.

Electronics Engineering majors Jennifer Jill Aquino, Seigfred Prado, June Andrew Rabin, Jade Antonette Rico, and Josyl Mariela Rocamora used 3G cellphones to control a robot. read more »