A FACULTY member and three BS Pharmacy graduates of the CHS won major awards at the close of a 2014 regional research contest conducted by the Region 1 Health Research and Development Consortium (R1HRDC) at the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University in Bacnotan, La Union on July 18.

Dr. Cheryll Didi Nellie N. Obra of the Physical Therapy Department placed second in the oral presentation, professional category, for her GAD-funded study titled “Impact of occupational hazards on the safety and health of women in nontraditional occupations in Ilocos Norte”.

On the other hand, Erika Camille R. Baga emerged second in the poster presentation for a study titled “Anti-diabetic activity of kamias fruit extract in alloxa-induced diabetic rats”, while Geniel M. Ortega and Rustan D. Sagun secured third places in oral presentation and poster categories, respectively. All three are members of Class 2014.

Obra’s research
Dr. Obra’s descriptive-comparative study involved 183 women in Ilocos Norte doing nontraditional occupations (NTOs) or those usually done by men such as engineering and carpentry works. Occupations are considered nontraditional if less than 25 percent of the total work force is composed of women.

Results of her study showed that women doing NTOs perceived their jobs to be moderately stressful. According to them, they seldom experience stress due to job demands; however, they claimed that, they are exposed to physical hazards. In Ilocos Norte, there are few incidences of workplace violence as shown by the study.

The results of the study can be used to design programs that promote safety and health of women workers with the end-goal of upholding the highest degree of their physical, mental, and social well-being.

Baga’s poster
Baga’s poster showed an evaluation of the anti-diabetic activity of kamias fruit extract in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The pure extract was obtained by defatting the freezer-dried kamias fruit with petroleum ether and extracted by maceration with 95 percent ethanol and rotary evaporation at 40° Celsius.

The phytochemical screening showed the presence of tannin and saponin compounds in the kamias fruit extract which possess anti-diabetic activity comparable with that of Glibenclamide drug.

Ortega’s research
Ortega’s research, on the other hand, focused on the blood glucose-lowering activity of eel grass leaf (or “Ballaiba” in Iluko) extract in alloxan-induced hyperglycemic rats.

The leaf extract was found to contain alkaloids and polyphenols that are responsible in lowering the amount of blood glucose in rats. The leaves were extracted through maceration and were subjected to rotary evaporation.

The test involved 15 albino rats grouped into five. Group 1 received normal saline water at 5 milliliter per kilogram live weight. Group 2 served as the hyperglycemic control; Group 3 received Glibenclamide at 5 milligram (mg) per kilogram live weight; and Groups 4 and 5 were treated orally with the leaf extract at 1,000 and 2,000 mg doses per kilogram live weight, respectively.

Results showed that there was no significant difference between Glibenclamide and the leaf extract at 1,000 and 2,000 mg doses per kilogram live weight of rats.

Sagun’s poster
Sagun’s poster showed the protective role of Lali-lali plant (Gelidiella acerosa) in paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in albino rats.

The poster presented how he tested the potential of the plant as a hepatoprotective (liver protection) agent for rats. The plant was found to have high antioxidant properties which can be helpful in preventing or slowing the progress of various oxidative stress-related disorders in humans.

In rats, the 100 mg Lali-lali extracts had a comparable performance with the 100 mg Silymarin drug after 24 hours of paracetamol intoxication. Thus, the researcher recommends the incorporation of Lali-lali plant in the diet of humans.

Meanwhile, the regional contest also highlighted an exhibit caravan and a research dissemination forum which featured mature technologies in line with health research.