China’s Sinovac hurdles initial stage of screening for clinical trials in Philippines
FDA Director General Eric Domingo said Sinovac has passed the review of the vaccine experts panel chaired by the Department of Science and Technology to conduct Phase 3 clinical trial in the Philippines......»»
Philippines lodges strong protest with China over water cannon attack in disputed South China Sea
Manila [Philippines], March 25 (ANI): In the wake of accusation by the Philippines that the Chinese Coast Guard wounded three of its soldiers during a water cannon attack in the disputed South China Sea, Manila on Monday summoned Beijing's envoy to lodge its strong protest, Al Jazeera reported. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, in a statement said that Manila conveyed its "strong protest against the aggressiv.....»»
Pacquiao, Sulaiman honor Filipino champs, eye PH-Mexico tiff
Invited by Manny Pacquiao to the Elorde-Pacquiao Boxing Awards, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman announces that he will stage a dual meet involving the Philippines and Mexico.....»»
Consider alliances with Netherlands, Norway, DFA urged
The Department of Foreign Affairs should consider alliances with non-defense allies like Norway, the Netherlands and other countries for maritime exploration, research and development amid conflict with China over the West Philippines Sea (WPS), Sen. Francis Tolentino said yesterday......»»
Fish catch in West Philippine Sea grows despite tensions with China
Despite rising tensions with China, the Philippines expanded its fish catch in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) last year to a four-year high of over 200,000 metric tons on the back of higher state support to fishermen......»»
US condemns China’s latest aggression in WPS
The Philippines reported on Saturday that the Chinese Coast Guard blocked and damaged a Filipino supply boat with water cannons while it was on its way to Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal), causing injuries to personnel onboard......»»
Philippines accuses Chinese coastguard of firing water cannons at supply boats
Manila [Philippines], March 23 (ANI): The Philippines has accused China's coastguard of firing water cannons at one of its supply boats in South China Sea, Al Jazeera reported. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that BRP Cabra managed to manoeuvre and reach Unaizah May 4 to provide assistance to the Philippine supply boat, which had sustained "significant damage."According to the Philippine military, the confrontati.....»»
Japan policy paper to focus on US, Philippines to counter China
Tokyo [Japan], March 23 (ANI): Japan released a draft of its annual foreign policy report stating that it will pay attention to the importance of boosting collaboration with the United States and the Philippines to counter China's assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region, Kyodo news reported on Thursday. The Diplomatic Bluebook for 2024 will also underscore that Tokyo "cannot afford to waste even a moment" to solve.....»»
China coastguard uses water cannons against Philippine ships in South China Sea
MANILA/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China’s coastguard said it had taken measures against Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, while the Philippines decried the moves, including the use of water cannons, as “irresponsible and provocative”. China’s actions led to “significant damage” and injury to personnel on a civilian boat hired to resupply.....»»
After Ayungin harassment, China tells PH: Prepare ‘to bear all potential consequences’
The Philippines, meanwhile, says it 'will not be deterred – by veiled threats or hostility – from exercising our legal rights'.....»»
US Bolstering Philippines Amid Increasing Assertiveness by China
washington - The U.S. and Philippines will for the first time venture outside Manila's territorial waters when they begin joint annual combat drills in April, a Philippines government spokesman said Thursday.Colonel Michael Logico said elements of the Balikatan 2024 drills would be conducted about 22 kilometers (more than 12 nautical miles) off the west coast of Palawan, an island in the archipelago nation that.....»»
Biden to Host Japan PM Kishida, Philippines President Marcos
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a White House summit next month amid growing concerns about North Korea's nuclear program, provocative Chinese action in the South China Sea and differences over a Japanese company's plan to buy an iconic American steel company.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a sta.....»»
Biden to host trilateral summit with Japan, Philippines on April 11
Washington, DC [US], March 19 (ANI): US President Joe Biden will host a three-way summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in Washington on April 11, as announced by the White House, as reported by Kyodo News. This historic summit, the first of its kind involving the United States, Japan, and the Philippines, aims to bolster defence cooperation in response to China's asse.....»»
US warns China against armed attack on Philippines
Washington, DC [US], March 19 (ANI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China on Tuesday, stating that any "armed" attack on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would activate a mutual self-defence agreement between Washington and Manila, underscoring the escalating tensions in the region that could potentially embroil the United States in conflict with Beijing, as reported by The New York Times. Despite th.....»»
Blinken underscores ironclad support for the Philippines as it clashes with China in disputed sea
Blinken underscores ironclad support for the Philippines as it clashes with China in disputed sea.....»»
US Officials Warn of New Axis of Evil With China at the Fore
WASHINGTON - U.S. military and defense officials are increasingly concerned that as China and Russia forge ever stronger ties, they might attempt to challenge Western unity and eventually alter the balance of power on the world stage.The commander of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific told lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee that the evolving relationship between Beijing and Moscow is a "big portion" of.....»»
Medical, but hold the marijuana: new CBD source found in Brazil
In a laboratory tucked away on a sprawling university campus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian molecular biologist Rodrigo Moura Neto is running tests on a seemingly ordinary plant with a potent secret. The fast-growing, homely plant, Trema micrantha blume, is native to the Americas, where it is widespread and often considered a weed. But Moura Neto recently discovered its fruits and flowers contain one of the active ingredients in marijuana: cannabidiol, or CBD, which has shown promise as a treatment for conditions including epilepsy, autism, anxiety and chronic pain. Crucially, he also found it does not contain the other main ingredient in pot, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC -- the psychoactive substance that makes people high. That opens the possibility of an abundant new source of CBD, without the complications of cannabis, which remains illegal in many places. The discovery has made something of an overnight academic star of Dr Moura Neto, an affable, silver-haired 66-year-old who now has a packed schedule of meetings with patent experts and companies keen to tap the multi-billion-dollar CBD market. "It was wonderful to find a plant (with CBD but) without THC, because you avoid all the mess around psychotropic substances," says Moura Neto, who has spent the better part of five decades researching in this small lab at Rio de Janeiro Federal University. "That means the potential is enormous," he tells AFP. His 10-member team recently won a 500,000-real ($104,000) public grant to expand his project, which will now identify the best methods to extract CBD from "Trema," then study its effectiveness as a substitute for medical marijuana. Man in demand Many of CBD's touted medical uses are still under research. The compound is controversial, including in Brazil, where patients have gone to court to win the right to use it. They often have to import it at eye-watering prices, given that cultivating medical marijuana remains illegal -- though there is legislation before Congress to change that. Debates aside, demand for CBD is booming. The global market for CBD last year was estimated at nearly $5 billion. Analytics firm Vantage Market Research projects it will grow to more than $47 billion by 2028, driven mainly by health and wellness use. Interest in Moura Neto's research has been "huge," says Rosane Silva, the director of his laboratory, which sits off a hallway bustling with students and researchers in white lab coats. "Lots of companies have been calling, looking to collaborate" on an eventual non-cannabis-based CBD medication, Silva says, standing beside what she calls the "magical plant." A member of the Cannabaceae family -- like cannabis -- "Trema" can grow into a tree up to 20 meters (66 feet) tall. Moura Neto says he and the university may explore patenting any innovations they find for extracting CBD from its tiny fruits and flowers. But he is quick to add he won't patent "Trema" itself. He wants scientists everywhere to be able to research it. "If I dreamed of being a billionaire, I wouldn't have become a professor," he says. From policing to producing? Moura Neto started studying CBD for a completely different reason: trained as a forensic geneticist, he would analyze the DNA of marijuana seized by police to help investigators trace its source. When he came across a study that identified CBD in a related plant in Thailand -- another member of the Cannabaceae family -- he got the idea to test for it in "Trema." He says turning his still-unpublished findings into a drug ready for market will take five to 10 years of research and clinical trials -- if it is possible at all. Cannabis, first domesticated in China more than 10,000 years ago, has been cultivated for millennia to hone its mind-altering and medicinal effects. CBD from "Trema" might not work as well, or at all, Moura Neto says. In the meantime, it's no use smoking the plant for a high. "That definitely won't do anything for you," he laughs. The post Medical, but hold the marijuana: new CBD source found in Brazil appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rubbing vaginal fluid on C-section babies boosts development: study
Babies born by cesarean section don't acquire the same healthy bacteria as those delivered vaginally, a setback to the development of their immune system thought to increase their risk of certain diseases later in life. But a new study, published Thursday in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, finds that exposing C-section babies to their mother's vaginal fluids after birth successfully restores this microbial balance, and has neurodevelopment benefits, too. The study used rigorous methods but was small, involving just 68 infants. Coauthor Jose Clemente of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai told AFP that if the findings are confirmed in bigger clinical trials, the technique could be used as a low-cost way to ensure C-section newborns start life on the same footing as vaginally delivered infants. "If the results can be generalizable to a larger population, then ideally we would like to see that this becomes a part of standard of care," he said. It comes as C-section rates are on the rise globally, now accounting for around one in every three births in the United States, though the World Health Organization estimates only 10-15 percent are medically necessary. Past research has shown infants born by C-section have vastly different gut bacteria composition compared to those born vaginally. The latter receive their early gut bacteria from their mother's birth canal, while C-section babies receive theirs mainly from their mothers' skin, breast milk and the environment. These differences tend to disappear by around the age of one, but even so, they can have certain lasting impacts, raising the risk for asthma, allergies and diabetes. 'Vaginal seeding' In the new study, Clemente, an expert on the role of the microbiome in human health, collaborated with colleagues at the Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China to test out a technique known as "vaginal seeding," or smearing newborns with vaginal fluid. Chinese colleagues, led by researcher Yan He, rubbed 32 newborns delivered by C-section with a gauze soaked with their mother's vaginal fluids, and another 36 newborns with a gauze soaked with saline as a control. The gauze was placed inside the mothers' vaginas about an hour before C-section. Applying it to babies took about 30 seconds, starting with the mouth and face and moving to the rest of the body. Mothers were tested in advance to make sure they did not have sexually transmitted diseases or group B streptococcus. No infants experienced severe adverse events as a result of the experiment. At six-weeks-old, the group exposed to vaginal fluid had gut bacteria that was more "mature" and more characteristic of vaginally delivered babies than the group given the saline placebo. The team also looked at the babies' neurodevelopment at three months and six months using a standard questionnaire to ask their mothers about milestones, such as whether the babies were able to make simple sounds or had begun rolling or getting in the crawl position. The infants who received the vaginal seeding scored significantly higher at both three and six months. "We think this is partially because of how microbes are producing certain chemical compounds that might impact brain function," said Clemente, an expanding field of study that is backed by animal research. Crucially, he stressed, the experiment was "triple blinded," meaning nobody involved (mothers, healthcare providers or researchers) knew beforehand which babies belonged to which group, in order to eliminate any temptation to make the results match expectations. Dorothy Bishop, a developmental neuropsychology expert at the University of Oxford, who was not involved in the study, praised the "clever design," and said the team had laid the groundwork for bigger trials by establishing the safety and feasibility of the technique. However, she stressed that they had not yet proven developmental benefit and that the test scores from the placebo group "seem pretty average" rather than suggesting impairment. Next, Clemente is looking to expand the study with his Chinese collaborators to move the procedure closer to clinical practice, while he has another ongoing study assessing whether it reduces the risk of food allergies. In the meantime, he says, families should not try to replicate the procedure outside of clinical research settings. The post Rubbing vaginal fluid on C-section babies boosts development: study appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sinovac cleared for COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials in the Philippines
China's Sinovac has secured approval to hold clinical trials in the country for its coronavirus vaccine, local regulators said Tuesday......»»
Vaccine exec vows transparency on test results
A senior executive of Sinovac, one of the makers of China’s leading vaccine candidates, said the firm would be transparent on the results of its clinical tests as it assured the Philippines it would provide “affordable” vaccines......»»
BAKUNA NG SINOVAC, LIGTAS!
Iginiit ng Malakanyang nitong Lunes na ligtas at epektibo ang bakuna laban sa coronavirus disease (Covid-19) na dinevelop ng Sinovac Biotech ng China kung saan inaasahang makakakuha ang Pilipinas ng 25 milyong doses ngayong taon. Ayon kay Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, napag-alaman na ang mga resulta ng late-stage clinical trials ng CoronaVac sa Turkey ay […] The post BAKUNA NG SINOVAC, LIGTAS! appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»