Breakthroughs Today

FILIPINO MOLECULAR biology student Jann Adriel Sy (24) of the University of the Philippines-Diliman noticed the inadequacy in the standard dose policy currently employed by doctors in ensuring a normal metabolic response in a person in the metabolism of medications due to differences in genetic structure, such as the mutation in the protein-coding section of enzymes critical to drug metabolism.   The study has positive implications in bringing down cases of adverse effects from drugs. A person with slow metabolism for paracetamol, for example, can suffer toxic side effects, or even death, from the unmetabolized portions of a 500-mg dose.   The study was performed at the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at UP Diliman. It won for Sy the 2013 BPI-DOST Best Project of the Year Award.   Source: Donna Pazzibugan: "Research on personalized medicine dosages based on genetics proclaimed best thesis," Philippine Daily Inquirer 28 January 2013 [

Anticipation had been cited as capable of increasing appetite. But even with anticipation no appetite may increase when the third type of fiber called resistant starch is added into your meal. Although we have left out the benefits of resistant starch in our previous article because of spatial constraints, this week will disclose what so far medical researchers has found out.     “IF YOU cannot bite, do not show your teeth,” Jennifer Roberson advised in her Highlander book, Scotland the Brave (1996). Biting is one thing; throwing off the bad that comes with the biting is another.   We covered the resistant starch in a previous article but have to leave off on its health benefits.   First, the Anderson study in 2010 found out that resistant starch can specifically protect against colorectal cancer. It has also been found to reduce the intestinal crypt length so that after an average of 29 months of intake developing cancer cells in the gastrointestinal tract, even those

It is a third type, not a third gender or a third kind in the Spielberg movie tradition. There is a third type of fiber that even a lot of health buffs are not familiar with. WHAT most of us know about dietary fiber is that there are two types: the soluble and the insoluble. Soluble fibers dissolve in water to form a gel-like material, which help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels.   Insoluble fibers, conversely, do not dissolve in water, making these effective in promoting healthy bowel movement by increasing stool bulking. Being so, these help resolve problems with constipation and irregular bowel movement.   But there’s a third type of dietary fiber that most of us do not know about. These are called... [ READ MORE ]   This article appeared in Sun-Star Cebu newspaper on January 16, 2013.

There is a special bond between a mother and the child that the world of today tends to minimize in a mistaken notion that independence is threatened by the a child's devotion to his mother. Far from the truth. In fact, devotion to our mother enriches our appreciation of true independence--an independence ground by the stability of a mother's love. This week's Breakthroughs article will reveal how much of the mother reaches the being of her child.   CHRISTMAS is not merely about the birth of God’s only Son, but also the emergence of a Mother. We can say that the new year is also all about birth and everything starting anew. This is a relevant thought because even in this age of test tube babies and surrogate parenthood, a child will not see the light without a mother. So wherever the son is, the mother must be there also. In the same manner, whatever the mother has the son will get also.   That’s the essence of the scientific breakthrough we will be on this week.

THE Year 2013 will usher the 8th Year Anniversary of Breakthroughs with SunStar Cebu newspaper. Born from the paper's commitment to provide newsbreaking information in health sciences that are based on hardcore scientific research, the column have gone a long way in serving its readers in the city of Cebu and beyond where it can touch people's lives through the internet. I want to thank all the readers of Breakthroughs who silently followed it through the years, and at times engage the columnist in a hearty discussion through emails and mobile phone. The dream of providing you the latest breakthroughs in health sciences before they break out into the traditional news media continued to be my guiding star and motivator in keeping this column alive through the years. And the year 2013 is another year to look forward to with great anticipation. --ZOSIMO T. LITERATUS, RMT

The compulsive behavior can start with the first loss of money, or even before walking into a gambling den with minds full of dreams at winning big, or perhaps just enjoying the thrill. But once the unsettling feeling starts bothering the mind even outside the gambling floor, the problem can be leading for the worst it can be.   A VERY fascinating aspect of research is questionnaire validation. And by its nature it can be madugo, a Tagalog term that the English literal translation “bloody” cannot quite capture.   Your questionnaire must be acceptably sensitive (detects what it is designed to detect); positively predictive (predicts what it is designed to predict); and negatively predictive (does not predict what it is not designed to predict).   You also have the privilege of understanding better the behavior you want to study later on. A case in point is a study by Rachel Vilberg, Ingrid Munck and Nancy Petry that the American Journal of Addiction published in May last ye

The skin, largest organ of the body, is created to protect the body from external threats as well as prevent moisture from escaping the body. But the second largest organ of the body--the liver--is vulnerable through the food that we eat. The question is: can we protect it from ourselves? Another question: can we rebuild it once we got it damaged through mindless eating habits?   THROUGH the years, researches seem to point out that most, if not all, human diseases always factor lifestyle into it. Infection? Stressful work, insufficient rest or sleep and dirty environment can certainly ensure that.   Another component to the lifestyle factor is the food we eat. We often eat based on how much time is available to us. If we have no time to prepare good food, then we have to go for quick-cooking canned goods or perhaps the high-fat, high-calorie dishes of fast foods. Conditions like these put an increasing load of toxins on our body that our liver must process every day. But th