With dosage limitations on virgin coconut oil due to its diarrheal effect, a University of the Philippines-Manila scientist leading the clinical trials on VCO as an adjunct cure for moderate to critical COVID-19 cases said that a study on the delivery using nasal spray or mouthwash is worth considering in the future.
This Monthly Bulletin highlights the different COVID-19 responses of the eight UP Constituent Universities and their involvement in various public service initiatives during the pandemic. It features the UP System Report on the CUs’ public service initiatives from October 1-31.
As the extension service arm of the University of the Philippines Los Baños-School of Environmental Science and Management (UPLB-SESAM), the Continuing Education and Training Division (CETD) conducted a short online course on Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) via video conferencing on 25 to 28 October 2021. Sixty-seven trainees from different agencies and organizations, such as the academe (18), national government agencies (15), local government units (11), non-government organizations (6), private organizations (12), and others (3) have successfully completed the short course.
According to researchers from University of the Philippines Manila who are conducting the clinical trial for the use of lagundi as herbal medicine in the management of mild COVID-19 cases, the plant brings “symptomatic relief” to patients without co-morbidities. Studies on the use of tawa-tawa as herbal supplement also yielded positive results.
The University of the Philippines Manila-National Institutes of Health, in partnership with the DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute, will be conducting research that will “determine the association of body composition with the functional capacity and quality of life of older persons in selected regions in the country.”
A new waste to energy (WTE) facility at UPLB is set to expand sustainable waste management research in the University.
The new facility held its soft launching on Oct. 20, which is an output of the project entitled “Establishment of a 25kW Waste to Energy Facility via Direct Combustion process for Municipal Solid Waste.” It aims to explore the potential of WTE technology in moving towards energy independence and environment sustainability for the country.
The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), trained over 1,000 teachers on flexible learning through the capability building program “Gearing up for the Next Normal: Training of Teachers on Flexible Learning.” The newly trained teachers were also equipped to develop their own Teacher-Training Program to be the lead trainers of the said topic in their respective institutions.
Dar particularly cited the ongoing collaboration among the NMIS, Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños, and the Bureau of Animal Industry to develop a digital traceability system for meat products.
The PGC Visayas was established through the support of the DOST – Philippine Council For Health Research And Development and University of the Philippines System. The facility is currently housed at the Regional Research Center, of the University of the Philippines Visayas.
“ACTI(on) Research Project stands for Assistance, Collaborations, Trainings, and Other Interventions (ACTI) on Research. It is a public service initiative aiming to improve the basic education outcomes through research-related extension activities,” explained Mx. John Bert C. Tutisura, one of the Project Managers.
The Project is a collaboration among faculty members, staff, and students of the College of Arts and Sciences, specifically co-headed by the Division of Professional Education and the Community Outreach Program/BIDANI (COP/BIDANI).
