UIC rules 4th Health R & D competition

by : Mary Jane Barluado

With major winnings of FIRST and SECOND in best paper category; FIRST, SECOND and THIRD in poster presentation category; and THIRD in best oral presentation category, UIC Pharmacy students dominated the 4th regional Health R & D Expo held at the Pinnacle Hotel, Davao City on July 28-29, 2014.

The victorious UIC students bested other contenders from different higher education institutions (HEIs) in the region including Davao Doctors College, Mindanao Medical Foundation College, San Pedro College, University of Mindanao, and University of the Philippines – Mindanao.

For the graduate/ professional category, UIC won FIRST in both the best paper and oral presentation categories against contenders from San Pedro College and Davao Medical School Foundation.

The triumphant UIC researchers and their studies are as follows:

UNDERGRADUATE/ STUDENT CATEGORY

Paper & Oral Presentation Competition:

1st Place for Best Paper & 3rd Place for Best Oral Presenter
Niña Dia B. Cordon
The Effect of Tabing (Abutilon indicum) Hydroethanolic Extract on Levels of Reproductive Hormones of Female Albino Rats
Advisers: Prof. Kathleen G. Bersabal & Dr. Adorico M. Aya-ay

2nd Place for Best Paper

Marifel A. Tomas
Urine Output Increasing Activity of the Formulated Syrup from the Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Physic Nut (Jatropha curcas L.)
Advisers: Profs. Annabelle A. Ribo & Orcheliza L. Paramo

Poster Presentation Competition:

1st Place - Poster Presenters
Arabelle Kristine O. Capito & Efraim M. Oliva
SGPT Level in Paracetamol-induced Rabbits Treated with Formulated Capsule from Turmeric Rhizome (Curcuma longa) Ethanolic Extract
Advisers: Profs. Sonia S. Morales & Orcheliza L. Paramo

2nd Place - Poster Presenters
Elaine Joy B. Dorado & Jan Michael T. Nerpiol
Efficacy and Safety of the Formulated Ointment of Fresh and Dried Leaf Extracts of Dalupang (Urena lobata Linn.) against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Advisers: Dr. Ma. Eva C. San Juan & Prof. Vivien Leigh Pasicolan

3rd Place - Poster Presenter
Maricar T. Rellin
Quantitative Analysis of Caffeine in Selected Commercially Available Energy Drinks by High Performance Liquid Chromatography
Adviser: Dr. Edna T. Salva

GRADUATE / PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY

1st Place for Best Paper
Prof. Marx P. Catalan & Dr. Renan P. Limjuco
Viability of Pineapple (Ananas comosus) as Laboratory Anticoagulant and Substitute for Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic acid (EDTA)

1st Place for Best Oral Presenter
Prof. Marx P. Catalan
Same Study.

The UIC entries and presenters were selected and co-coached by the Pharmacy Program Research in Charge Prof. Judee Nogodula, Science Resource Center (SRC) Director Dr. Ludivina Porticos, and Research and Publication Center (RPC) Director Dr. Renan Limjuco.

Annually conducted by the Department of Science and Technology XI (DOST-XI) and the Regional Health Research Development Consortium XI (RHRDC-XI), the affair’s first place winners will represent the region to the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) competitions the following year.

As inspiration to this year’s participants, the two-day event also featured three resource speakers who showcased their studies that won in the past R & D Expo and reaped major awards in national competitions. One such study was by UIC Pharmacy faculty Prof. Mary Jane G. Barluado and her Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) research advisees. Prof. Barluado presented their study titled Development of Microbial Culture Media using Latundan Banana (Musa sapientum) as Sole Nutrient Source, which won FIRST in the 2nd regional Health R & D Expo and SECOND in the 7th national PNHRS.

The other featured winning works were Antiglycation Effects of Asparagus officionalis as an Adjunct Treatment for Metformin-treated Individuals with Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes mellitus by Dr. Genevieve D. Tupas of Davao Medical School Foundation and Digitized Prescriptions by Dr. Richard T. Mata, first place winner in the 7th PNHRS and second place winner in the 1st National eHealth Summit, respectively.

“The region fared really well in national health research competitions in the past years and hope to maintain the winning streak with the promising entries this year,” said Dr. Anthony Sales, DOST XI Director and RHRDC XI Coordinator, in his closing address to the participants.

Finally, as a strategic answer to many health researchers’ confusion, the event also showcased a seminar on “Demystifying Sample Size Determination for Research Studies” by the sought-after international Biostatistics expert Dr. Ophelia M. Mendoza, who also served as chairperson of the competitions’ Board of Judges.