Research

As the national university, we champion and support innovative research that addresses the country’s most pressing challenges.

18 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

Preventing frailty and depression may improve sleep health in those who are food insecure

Extensive research reveals the close relationship between food insecurity and the occurrence of sleep problems due to mental health. In...

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17 Feb 2025

UP Los Baños

Verb-controlled that-clauses are the most useful finite complement clauses in applied linguistics, communication, and measurement and evaluation research articles

The study cross-investigated finite complement clauses (FCCs) in qualitative (QUALI) and quantitative (QUANTI) research articles (RAs) written by Filipino academic...

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12 Feb 2025

UP Los Baños

Machine learning can identify cancerous samples with almost 100% accuracy and could thus replace the current, more traumatic screening methods

The success rate of treating colorectal cancer (CRC) can be greatly increased through the early and accurate diagnosis of the...

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11 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

Roger Felix Salditos’s writings offer a key perspective on the persistence of one of the world’s longest-running rural insurgencies

Roger Felix V. Salditos was among seven Filipino revolutionaries who were summarily executed by police and military forces in San...

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11 Feb 2025

UP Visayas

Boracay, Gigantes and Guimaras islands are in potentially sustainable status according to locals and visitors

This study considered the interaction or nexus of people and the natural resources in small island tourist destinations in the...

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10 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

Can we use acoustic indices to estimate the relative number of bird species in urban areas?

Birds are used as biological indicators of ecosystem health. They are often surveyed through point count method which requires skilled...

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10 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

Mindset and emotional resilience, known as psychological capital, can improve the overall educational experience of students and teachers

This paper delves into how the mindset and emotional resilience—referred to as psychological capital or PsyCap—of students and teachers in...

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07 Feb 2025

UP Manila

The use of skin-lightening products is linked to psychological distress among Filipinos

The Philippines is one of Southeast Asia’s top consumers of beauty products. There have been few studies on the psychological...

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06 Feb 2025

UP Los Baños

Two species belonging to the group of species commonly known as lagundi were found to be endemic to the Philippines

The Vitex trifolia complex in the Philippines consists of economically important medicinal species, including five species collectively referred to as medicinal “lagundi”. The V. trifolia complex...

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04 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

Switching jeepneys to Euro-4 engines can significantly reduce air pollution and improve public health

In the Philippines, new rules require public vehicles, like jeepneys, to use Euro-4 diesel engines, which are cleaner and more...

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04 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

The rising frequency of toxic algal blooms in the Philippines and Malaysia could be linked to climate change

Our study explores the growth of toxic algal blooms in the waters near the Philippines and Malaysia, countries with coastal...

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03 Feb 2025

UP Los Baños

Ang pagbibiro ni Duterte tungkol sa kaniyang phallus ay walang matibay na kahulugan sa loob at labas ng Pilipinas

Mula sa dalawang pahayag ni Rodrigo Duterte hinggil sa kaniyang aring lalagpas sa pusod (2019) at kaniyang sariling pagpapakahulugan sa...

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Research

This study gathered information to establish baseline data on the potential risks of the hepatitis A virus (HAV) in the Philippine molluscan bivalve (oysters and mussels) supply chain.

HAV is an infectious liver disease and is a significant contributor to foodborne illness-related deaths. The primary cause of infection for shellfish is their living environment and feeding method. Socio-economic development and access to standard hygiene and sanitation influenced the geographical distribution, rural-to-urban migration, and population aging, which are crucial factors in the widespread presence of HAV.

HAV is considered a primary concern in the Philippines, and its endemicity levels remain moderate to high. The molluscan bivalve industry is usually cultured in polluted shallow coastal areas near industrial and household areas. In the Philippines, there are only select parameters in which shellfish are monitored, and it does not include the presence of HAV, where infection cases attributed to the virus in contaminated food range around 5%.

Southeast Asian countries have limited established action plans for HAV outbreaks and lack coordination. In this regard, food risk analysis is crucial to understanding the increased susceptibility of the Filipino population to shellfish-related HAV infections. Food safety risk assessment is a science-based and sensible approach to gauge the current safety of local shellfish consumption. It involves exposure assessment, risk characterization, and risk estimation. Therefore, food safety risk assessment is a crucial approach that a developing country can utilize to strengthen its capacity and competence in food safety and public health protection, specifically in controlling shellfish-related HAV endemicity.

Authors:

Abigail S. Rustia (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Home Economics,
University of the Philippines Diliman)

Crisanto M. Lopez (Department of Biology, School of Science and Engineering,
Ateneo de Manila University)

Erniel B. Barrios (School of Business, Monash University Malaysia Selangor)

Dennis D. Tanay (National Fisheries Development Center, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Dagupan City, Pangasinan)


Patricia Mae M. Lagazon (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Home Economics,
University of the Philippines Diliman)

John Carlo G. Gosilatar (National Fisheries Development Center, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Dagupan City, Pangasinan)

Leslie M. Dalmacio (College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila)

Read the full paper: https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/defining-risk-hepatitis-a-virus-in-philippine-shellfish-oyster-and-mussels/