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Biomedical subjects

V Wiwanitkit

Publications and source records attributed to V Wiwanitkit.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Malaria among hilltribe communities in northern Thailand: a review of clinical manifestations.

Malaria is an important vector-borne disease in the tropics. Northern Thailand is endemic for malaria. We reviewed the clinical manifestations presented by patients with malaria; our data were drawn from the database of Mae Chaem Hospital, Chiang Mai Province. Mae Chaem district is hilly and rural. More than 80% of the district's population are members of hilltribes. The database showed that between July 2000 and April 2001, a final diagnosis of malaria was made in 94 cases. The commonest clinical manifestation was fever (in 91 cases; 96.8%), followed by chills (in 57 cases; 60.6%). Interestingly, some unusual presentations such as petechiae, abnormal menstruation, and jaundice were also found.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Enterobius vermicularis infection among pre-school children in Karen hilltribe villages in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

We surveyed Karen hilltribe villages in the Mae Chaem District of Chiang Mai Province between April and May 2001. Two hundred and forty-nine pre-school children were selected by stratified sampling from 10 villages and were examined for Enterobius vermicularis eggs by the Scotch tape perianal examination technique. One hundred and thirteen (53 boys and 60 girls) were found to have E. vermicularis eggs, giving an overall infection rate of 45.38%. We were able to determine that E. vermicularis infection is prevalent among the children of these hilltribe villages.

Child↗
PubMed2002

Human herpes virus 6 antibodies in beta-thalassemia/hemoglobin E pediatric patients.

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a viral pathogen that causes exanthem subitum in children. It has also been identified as the cause of life-threatening illness in immunocompromised pediatric patients and transplant recipients. We undertook a serological study of HHV-6 IgM and IgG antibody among 29 children (12 females and 17 males) with beta-thalassemia/HbE disease. The rate of infection was 86.2%; the rates of early recent infection (IgM positive only), recent infection (both IgM and IgG positive) and past infection (IgG positive only) were 13.8%, 41.4% and 31.0%, respectively. The geometric means of the IgM and IgG titers of the splenectomy group (9 cases) were 10.15 units and 11.18 units, respectively. The geometric means of the IgM and IgG titers of the non-splenectomy group (20 cases) were 10.10 units and 12.84 units, respectively. According to this study, the prevalence of HHV6 infection among pediatric patients with beta-thalassemia/HbE is very high; morever, the significantly higher titer among these patients may imply a high risk for further possible bone marrow transplantation. Increased awareness of HHV-6 infection among this population is necessary.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

High serum alkaline phosphatase levels, a study in 181 Thai adult hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND: Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an important enzyme mainly derived from the liver, bones and in lesser amounts from intestines, placenta, kidneys and leukocytes. An increase in ALP levels in the serum is frequently associated with a variety of diseases. This study was done in order to determine the diseases associated with a high ALP level among Thai adult hospitalized patients. METHOD: A review was made of medical records of inpatients with high ALP level above 1000 IU/L in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand from January 1999 to December 1999. Excluded were cases of (a) patients who have bone involvements with malignancies, (b) pediatric patients younger than 15 years old and c) HIV-seropositive patients. RESULTS: A total of 181 hospitalized patients with eligible medical records were identified (96 males and 85 females, mean age 49.4 +/- 16.1 years). Their ALP levels ranging from 1,001 to 3,067 IU/L, these patients were divided into four groups. CONCLUSION: High serum ALP levels in hospitalized patients were commonly found in three major groups having obstructive biliary diseases, infiltrative liver disease and sepsis. The study results were in accordance with previous reports in developed countries. Nonetheless, cholangiocarcionoma and some tropical diseases unique to our setting were also detected in these cases, where there was a marked elevation of serum ALP.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Intestinal parasitic infections in Thai HIV-infected patients with different immunity status.

BACKGROUND: One of the major health problems among HIV seropositive patients is superimposed infection due to the defect of immunity. Furthermore, intestinal parasite infection, which is also one of the basic health problems in tropical region, is common in these patients. In this study, a cross sectional study to document the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection in Thai HIV-infected patients with different immune status was performed. METHODS: A study of stool samples from 60 Thai HIV-infected patients with different immune status was performed at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand. Each patient was examined for CD4 count and screened for diarrheal symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection among the HIV-infected patients in this study was 50 %. Non- opportunistic intestinal parasite infections such as hookworms, Opisthorchis viverrini and Ascaris lumbricoides were commonly found in HIV-infected people regardless of immune status with or without diarrheal symptoms. Opportunistic intestinal parasites such as Cryptosporidium, Isospora belli, Microsporidia and Strongyloides stercoralis infection were significantly more frequent in the low immunity group with diarrhea. CONCLUSION: Therefore, opportunistic intestinal parasite infection should be suspected in any HIV infected patient with advanced disease presenting with diarrhea. The importance of tropical epidemic non-opportunistic intestinal parasite infections among HIV-infected patients should not be neglected.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed2001

Needle stick injuries during medical training among Thai pre-clinical year medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University.

OBJECTIVE: To study episodes of needle stick injuries during medical training among pre-clinical year medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. SETTING: Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive study. SUBJECTS: 375 pre-clinical year medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University during academic year 1998-1999. METHOD: Questionnaire survey and interviewing. RESULTS: In this study only 5 students revealed that they had ever had accidental exposure during venipuncture training. Each episode of exposure was different in the details. Most of the accidents occurred after venipuncture practice (80%). CONCLUSION: Although the universal precautions are taught in many subjects, we also found that accidental exposures still occur. Not only prevention of accidents but also post-exposure management should be frequently reiterated to the medical students at every level. Any medical practice of students should be under supervisor control.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Comparative study between Westergren and erythrocyte sedimentation pipette method for determination of erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

A comparative study between standard Westergren and erythrocyte sedimentation pipette (Sediplast) methods for determination of erythrocyte sedimentation rate was performed on 80 individual subjects. From the study, the comparison-of-methods plot Sediplast method (X) vs Westergren method (Y) gave the least square linear regression equation of Y = 1.001 X - 2.24 (r = 0.99). Precision analysis gave a coefficient of variation below 3 per cent. The new erythrocyte sedimentation pipette method seems to be an effective and safe method for erythrocyte sedimentation rate determination in the present day.

Blood Sedimentation↗
PubMed2001

Comparative study between the classical Westergren and the new sealed vacuum extraction methods for erythrocyte sedimentation rate determination.

A comparative study between the classical Westergren and the new sealed vacuum extraction methods for erythrocyte sedimentation rate determination was performed on 80 individual subjects. The comparison-of-methods plot sealed vacuum extraction method (X) vs Westergren method (Y) gave a least square linear regression equation of Y = 1.001 X + 0.03 (r = 0.99) and precision analysis gave a coefficient of variation below 3 per cent. Compared to the classical method, the sealed vacuum extraction method was easy to use, showed acceptable precision and reduced biohazard risk to the practitioner, therefore, it was suitable for a laboratory setting with a high rate of blood-borne infectious diseases such as Thailand.

Blood Sedimentation↗
PubMed2001

Feasibility of urinary trans, trans-muconic acid determination using high performance liquid chromatography for biological monitoring of benzene exposure.

Benzene is an important carcinogenic substance used in many industrial processes. Inhalation of this substance can cause both acute and chronic toxicity. In this study, monitoring of benzene exposure by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for urine trans, trans-muconic acid (ttMA) determination was adapted. We described a new adapted sensitive and specific HPLC method. We mixed 0.5 mL of urine sample with 2 mL of Tris Buffer containing vanillic acid as internal standard (IS) and percolate this through a preconditioned ion-exchange column. After rinsing the column with phosphoric acid solution, acetate buffer, and deionized water, we eluated the analytes with 2 mL of an equivolume solution of 1.5 mol/L sodium chloride and methanol. Of this, 10 microliter was injected into the HPLC column. The mobile phase consisted of, per liter, 10 ml of acetic acid, 100 ml of methanol, and 5 mmol/L sodium acetate. The flow rate was started at 1.2 ml/min. The ttMA and IS were detected at 4.2 to 4.4 and 12.6-13.3 minutes, respectively. The lowest detection limit was 0.05 mg/L.

Benzene↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of blood specimens from plain and gel vacuum blood collection tubes.

This study was set in the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Chulalongkorn Hospital. All 2,000 blood specimens were randomly collected using evacuated blood collection by plain or gel vacuum tubes. After collection, each specimen was considered and judged using criteria of specimen rejection to determine how proper the specimen presentations were. All data were reviewed, collected and interpreted. It revealed that there were only 20 (1%) improper specimens and all were improper in quality. There was no significant difference between the ratio of improper specimens in both groups (P > 0.30). From this study, it revealed that efficacy of both types of vacuum tubes was not different. The new gel vacuum tube seems to be an effective tool in the evacuated blood collection system due to its advantage in reduction of time in specimen processing.

Blood Specimen Collection↗
PubMed2001

Urine trans,trans-muconic acid as a biomarker for benzene exposure in gas station attendants in Bangkok, Thailand.

The toxicity of benzene, a chemical used in many industrial processes, involves bone marrow depression and leukemogenesis and is associated with damage to multiple classes of hematopoietic cells and hematopoietic functions. Environmental exposure to benzene causes an increased body burden, which is reflected in several biomarkers, eg, urine trans,trans-muconic acid (ttMA). Associated with the industrialization of Thailand, a developing country in Southeast Asia, workers in many occupations have acquired substantial risks of benzene exposure. In this study, benzene exposure was monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of urine ttMA in 79 persons, including 49 controls and 30 gas station attendants. In controls, urine ttMA concentration averaged 0.12 (SD +/- 0.03) mg/g creatinine; in gas station attendants, urine ttMA concentration averaged 4.00 (SD +/- 12.49) mg/g creatinine (p < 0.05). Based on these findings, wider use of urine ttMA determination is recommended as a biomarker for occupational exposure to benzene.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed2001

Methodology evaluation of a new immunoturbidimetric method for measuring serum soluble transferrin receptor.

The value of soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) detected in serum is closely related to erythroid TfR turnover rate. An increased erythropoietic activity causes an increase in the sTfR level. Therefore, it is a useful test for monitoring the erythropoiesis. In this study, a new immunoturbidimetric method for automated measurement of sTfR was evaluated for its performance characteristics. Imprecision studies on patients' sera with 1.01 mg/l and 2.94 mg/l concentrations yielded within-run CVs of 1.16% and 1.27%. Accuracy analysis of the test by using the low and high control kit sera with 1.45 mg/l and 5.41 mg/l concentrations were 89.06% and 95.41%, respectively. The evaluation was also performed in 60 individual pediatric subjects, 30 beta-thalassemia/HbE and 30 control pediatric subjects. There is a statistically significant difference of sTfR between both groups (p < 0.0005, 95% Cl = 9.457-14.124). Ninety-five percent of matched pediatric subjects had sTfR level < or = 2.670 mg/l and 93.33% of patients diagnosed beta-thalassemia/HbE had values > 2.670 mg/l. In conclusion, this immunoturbidimeteric test yields good laboratory performance characteristics in terms of precision and accuracy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Monitoring of lead exposure among mechanics in Bangkok.

Lead is an important heavy metal used in many industrial processes. It plays an important role in the pathogenesis of both acute and chronic toxicity. Mechanics have a high risk of benzene exposure but tend to be a forgotten occupational group in Thailand. In this study, monitoring of lead exposure by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) determination of blood lead levels was conducted for 69 subjects (29 control subjects and 40 mechanics). The mean blood lead level in the control group was 6.59 +/- 1.98 microg/dl. The mean blood lead level in the mechanics was 11.24 +/- 5.82 microg/dl. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.05). Based on this study, consideration of the prevention of exposure to lead among mechanics as a public health strategy is recommended.

Automobiles↗
PubMed2000

Evaluation of microalb immunoturbidimetric test for albuminuria screening.

Microalb, an immunoturbidimetric test for screening urinary albumin levels was evaluated for its potential as a screening test for microalbuminuria in diabetic patients. It was compared with the current standard, the radioimmunoassay (RIA). The results showed that the test lacks sensitivity while its specificity was acceptable. Therefore, it can not replace the RIA as the screening method. This study also showed that the first early morning urine could be used if a 24- hour collection was not possible, as its albumin content fairly correlated (r = 0.78) with the 24-hour urine collection of the diabetic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Urine trans,trans-muconic acid determination for monitoring of benzene exposure in mechanics.

Benzene is an important carcinogenic substance used in many industrial processes. Inhalation of this substance can cause both acute and chronic toxicity. In this study, monitoring of benzene exposure by high-performance liquid chromatography for urine trans,trans-muconic acid (ttMA) determination in 94 subjects, (49 control subjects and 45 mechanics) was performed. The mean urine ttMA level in the control group was 0.116 +/- 0.027 mg/g creatinine. The mean urine ttMA level in the mechanics group was 0.280 +/- 0.131 mg/g creatinine. There was a significant difference between the groups (p < 0.05). Based on this study, we recommend the use of urine ttMA determination for monitoring of benzene exposure in high risk workers.

Benzene↗