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Biomedical subjects

Viroj Wiwanitkit

Publications and source records attributed to Viroj Wiwanitkit.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

MicroSed SR-system: new method for determination of ESR--efficacy and expected value.

This study was undertaken to examine the efficacy of a new erythrocyte sedimentation determination (ESR) method, MicroSed SR-system, and study the expected value of the ESR obtained with this method among the healthy Thai population aged 17 to 50 years old. This was a comparative study between standard Westergren and the MicroSed SR-system for ESR on 100 individual subjects. In addition, the expected range was calculated based on ESRs of 50 males and 50 females. From the study, the comparison-of-methods plot the comparison-of-methods plot MicroSed SR-system (Y) VS Westergren method (X) gave the least square linear regression equation of Y = 0.1.371 X + 0.842 (r = 0.904). The expected range of ESRs for males and females are 0 to 25.6 mm/hr and 0 to 37.5 mm/hr, respectively. Based on study results, the MicroSed SR-system method ESR result correlates well with the standard Westergren method. The derived expected range of ESR was similar to the standard references. The MicroSed SR-system can be used as an alternative method for ESR determination.

Blood Sedimentation↗
PubMed2003

A trend of platelet indices in patients with green pit viper toxin.

The green pit viper (Trimeresurus albolabris and Trimeresurus macrops) is a common venomous snake in Thailand. The green pit viper venom has major effects on the hematologic system. The venom is found to have a thrombin-like effect in vitro but cause a defibrination syndrome in vivo. Unlike other pit viper snakes (such as Malayan pit viper and Russel's pit viper), the venomous effect on red blood cells is rarely mentioned. Clinical features of venomous snake bites vary from asymptomatic to fatal bleeding. In this study, an attempt was made to discern hematologic parameters in green pit viper envenomation and to characterize the changes in blood cells. The study included data from 40 patients who were hospitalized at the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital during 1995 to 1999 and 40 normal, healthy subjects as control. Concerning platelet determination, significantly decreased (p < 0.05) total platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV) were demonstrated in envenomous blood. The changes in blood cells may be partly due to the effect of green pit viper toxin on the platelet morphology. However, the explanation of this phenomenon requires further investigation for the specific pathophysiology. The components of green pit viper venom that have these hematologic effects in humans are interesting and should be further identified.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed2003

Gnathostoma infective stage larvae in swamp eels (Fluta alba) at a metropolitan market in Bangkok, Thailand.

A total of 1,788 livers from swamp eels (Fluta alba), purchased at a market in Bangkok, Thailand, from April to July 2002, were studied for the prevalence and intensity of Gnasthostoma third stage larvae (L3s). Of all livers, 466 were infected with Gnasthostoma L3s (infection rate = 26%). The larvae recovered averaged 0.43 +/- 0.51 larvae/liver. All larvae were identified as Gnasthostoma spinigerm by morphological criteria. The prevalence of G. spinigerum L3s in the eels was much higher in the rainy season (June and July, 74%) than during April and May (8%). Therefore, prevention programs for gnathostomiasis should be emphasized during the rainy season.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Oral simvastatin as an antilipemic therapy: effect on creatine kinase in hypercholesterolemic subjects.

UNLABELLED: This study was aimed at evaluating the short-term efficacy and effect on serum creatine kinase of simvastatin, a recently available antilipemic drug, as a monotherapy for hypercholesterolemic patients. This prospective study was performed at the Outpatient Division, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. All 45 Thai hypercholesterolemic subjects (aged 30 to 60 years) who were unable to normalize cholesterol by dietary means were recruited in this study. All subjects were assigned to receive oral simvastatin therapy (dose 10 mg/day) for a 2-month study. Before initiation of therapy, monitoring of lipid profile and serum creatine kinase levels was performed. Lipid profile and serum creatine kinase enzyme determinations were also performed 4 weeks after initial treatment and at the the end. After 8 weeks of therapy, total cholesterol had significantly declined from 267 +/- 33 mg/dL to 192 +/- 32 mg/dL, while no significant change in the levels of the serum creatine kinase (p > 0.05) was observed. Clinical follow-up and blood chemistry profile did not indicate any muscle side effects from oral simvastatin therapy. CONCLUSION: simvastatin is an effective oral antilipemic agent for treating Thai patients with hypercholesterolemia. Adverse effects presenting as elevation of the serum creatine kinase were not experienced by this group of patients.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2003

Intestinal parasitic infestations among children in an orphanage in Pathum Thani province.

Infection caused by intestinal parasites is still a common health problem especially in children from developing countries. Orphans are a group of underprivileged population in society. To evaluate the intestinal parasitic infections in children in an orphanage in Pathum Thani province, Thailand, stool samples were collected during a cross-sectional study in April 2001. Examination for intestinal parasites were performed by using simple smear, formalin-ether concentration, Boeck and Drbohlav's Locke-Egg-Serum (LES) medium culture and special staining (modified acid-fast and modified trichrome) techniques. A total of 106 pre-school orphans (60 males and 46 females), aged 10.0-82.0 months, were recruited for the study. There were 86 individuals (81.1%), 45 males and 41 females, infected with at least one parasite. Interestingly, most of the parasites identified were protozoa. Blastocystis hominis was found at the highest prevalence (45.2%). The infections caused by Giardia lamblia was 37.7 per cent and Entamoeba histolytica was 3.7 per cent. Other non-pathogenic protozoa found were Trichomonas hominis (39.6%), Entamoeba coli (18.8%), and Endolimax nana (3.7%). The only one case of helminth parasite detected was Strongyloides stercoralis (0.9%). The sensitivity for detection of B. hominis and T. hominis was increased by the LES culture technique. No history of diarrhea symptoms were recorded among these orphans. However, during the investigation, stools of all infected cases were noted for six characteristics including formed, soft, loose, mucous, loose-watery and watery. The present study emphasized the problems of protozoan infections among these orphans. Health educations as well as routine surveillance is necessary in order to control the infections.

Child↗
PubMed2003

Underweight schoolchildren in a rural school near the Thai-Cambodian border.

We report on the high prevalence of underweight children in a rural primary school near the Thai-Cambodian border. Ninety-five children were studied: anthropometric data were recorded and studied for their correlation with semester examination scores; 63.2% of the children (60 cases) were underweight; in addition, BMI appeared to be significantly correlated to the semester examination scores. Our findings also revealed problems of nutrition and sanitation among the schoolchildren. In conclusion, schoolchildren in rural areas should be considered a priority in the national health and nutrition promotion programs.

Body Mass Index↗
PubMed2003

Comparative study on serum iron determination by different methods.

Iron is an important trace element in humans. Depletion or overload iron status can result in a number of aberrant physiological functions. Determination of serum iron is one of the valuable test panels for iron status assessment. A comparative study was performed on 3 different methods of serum iron determination, nonprecipitating ferrozine colorimetric method, precipitating ferrozine colorimetric method, and iron liquicolor cleaning factor colorimetric agar-based (CAB) method (Human, Taunusstein, Germany). The correlation coefficients between nonprecipitating ferrozine colorimetric method and precipitating ferrozine colorimetric method, between nonprecipitating ferrozine colorimetric method and iron liquicolor cleaning factor CAB method, and between precipitating ferrozine colorimetric method and iron liquicolor cleaning factor CAB method were found to be 0.998 (P = .067), 0.999 (P = .067), and 0.951 (P = .934), respectively. For a setting with limited resources such as Thailand, use of the first analytical technique, nonprecipitating ferrozine colorimetric method, is recommended because of its low cost and ease of performance.

Colorimetry↗
PubMed2003

Report on blood cholinesterase among vegetable growers.

We report our study on serum cholinesterase in vegetable growers, a risk occupation in a rural area of Thailand. In this study, 70 subjects (35 vegetable growers and 35 controls) were studied. The mean blood cholinesterase level in vegetable growers (17.7 +/- 7.0 U/ml) was significantly lower than that of the control group (24.7 +/- 12.4 U/ml) (p=0.01).

Agriculture↗
PubMed2003

A note on urine trans, trans muconic acid level among a sample of Thai police: implication for an occupational health issue.

Benzene exposure is of particular concern because recent research indicating that benzene exposure can result in chronic toxicity, therefore, monitoring for benzene exposure among at-risk workers is recommended. In exposure- and risk-evaluation, the monitoring of benzene by peripheral biomarker has several advantages over technical assessment of exposure. For this purpose, the urine trans, trans muconic acid (ttMA)e level is accepted as a useful monitoring tool for early diagnosis of dangerous exposure. Apart from the industrial workers, there are other occupations with high risk for benzene exposure. In this study, we study another at-risk occupation, the police. Thirty-nine urine samples were obtained from 39 Thai police working close to traffic in an urban area. All 39 samples were analyzed for ttMA level and compared to 10 other controls. The average urine ttMA level for the control and exposed group were < 0.05 mg/gCr and was 0.79 +/- 1.43 mg/gCr, respectively. Significant higher urine ttMA acid level among the police were observed (p <.05). Working in the air pollution in the urban area can be health hazard for the police. Exposure to the benzene from automobile exhaust can be an important occupational problem for these police.

Benzene↗
PubMed2002

A note on indirect hemagglutination (IHA) antibody titers among hospitalized patients in Thailand with amebic liver abscesses.

Amebic hepatic abscess is a tropical disease with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. A retrospective case review was performed on 39 hospitalized patients in Thailand with the diagnosis of amebic liver abscess. A total of 23 men (59%) and 16 women (41%), with a mean age of 44.56 +/- 21.81 years (range, 10 to 88 years), were involved in the study. The average duration of present illness was 7.33 +/- 0.83 days. Abscesses were discovered in the right lobe in 29 patients (74.4%), in the left lobe in 3 patients (7.7%), and in both lobes in 7 patients (17.9%). Thirty patients had single abscesses (76.9%) and 9 patients had multiple abscesses (23.1%). On admission, the average white blood count was 17.37 +/- 6.34 x 1000 WBC/mm3, serum albumin was 2.86 +/- 0.61 g/dL, prothrombin time was 16.52 +/- 5.8 seconds, serum aspartate transaminase (AST) was 92.62 +/- 118.74 U/L, serum alanine transaminase (ALT) was 83.74 +/- 107.84 U/L, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was 407.68 +/- 343.42 U/L, and serum bilirubin was 2.44 +/- 2.08 g/dL. Average indirect hemagglutination (IHA) titer of the cases was 1:1190.35 +/- 895.42 (range, 1:256 to 2048). Concerning the multiple logistic regression analysis, no significant correlation was found between antibody titer and the other parameters. Of interest, pathogenic organisms were detected in stool in only 2 cases. This study shows the usefulness of serologic study in diagnosis of amebic liver abscess.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

A note on clinical presentations of amebic liver abscess: an overview from 62 Thai patients.

BACKGROUND: Amebic liver abscess is a tropical disease with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. Given the often nonspecific nature of the complaints related to amebic abscess, a retrospective review of patients with confirmed disease to recognize the most common patterns of presentation is useful. Here, we study the clinical presentations of 62 Thai patients with amebic liver abscess. We also compare the clinical presentations of Anti HIV seronegative and Anti HIV seropositive patients. METHODS: A retrospective case review was carried out for 62 Thai patients who had been diagnosed with amebic liver abscess. Clinical information was collected, including symptoms and signs, location and number of abscesses. The Anti HIV serology laboratory investigation was also reviewed. RESULTS: According to our study, the common clinical symptoms and signs are abdominal pain (85.5 %), fever and chills (74.2 %), and abdominal tenderness (69.4 %). The location of the abscess was predominantly in the right lobe (74.2 %), and most of patients had a single abscess (77.4 %). Similar trends in clinical presentations were observed in both Anti HIV seropositive and Anti HIV seronegative subjects. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the clinical presentations of our amebic liver abscess patients were similar to those in previous reports. A similarity to those in the pyogenic liver abscess patients can be observed. Nevertheless, we could not detect important significant differences in the clinical presentations between Anti HIV seropositive and Anti HIV seronegative groups of patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

High prevalence of Fasciolopsis buski in an endemic area of liver fluke infection in Thailand.

There is a high prevalence of Fasciolopsis buski in Sawasdee Village in the Nam Som District, Udonthani Province in northeastern Thailand, an endemic area of liver fluke infection. From stool examination of 183 villagers participating in the study, the authors detected a fluke parasitic infection rate of 14.8% (27 cases). Of interest, the authors found a similar high prevalence of both Opisthorchis viverrini (16 cases, 8.7%) and F buski (13 cases, 7.1%). This region is the endemic area of liver fluke, not of F buski. The surrounding environment is the hill area of Nayoong Namsom mountain, which is not a suitable area for F buski larvae. However, the village has been inhabited by a number of immigrants from various regions of Thailand over the past few years. The F buski can be carried by these people, possibly explaining the migration of the fluke parasite to this setting. The nonendemic parasite infection was also detected at high prevalence in the community. Wide spectrum control for various parasitic infections in villages like Sawasdee is necessary.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Encephalomeningocele cases over 10 years in Thailand: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Encephalomeningocele, especially in the frontoethmoidal region, is a form of neural tube defect which affects patients in Southeast Asia more commonly than in Western countries. Its underlying cause is not known but teratogenic environmental agents are suspected. However, nutritional deficiency, as in spina bifida, cannot be excluded. METHODS: This study reports 21 cases of meningocele (without brain tissue in the lesion) and encephalomeningocele (with brain tissue) that were admitted to our hospital for surgical corrections in the period of ten years, from 1990 to 1999. Clinicopathological findings, as well as occupations of family members and prenatal exposures to infectious agents or chemicals were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: The most commonly involved area was the frontoethmoidal region, found in 20 cases. The combined pattern between nasoethmoidal and nasoorbital defects was found most frequently (11 from 21 cases) and had more associated abnormalities. Encephalomeningocele had more related abnormalities than meningocele with proportions of 0.6 and 0.3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we confirmed that genetic defects are not likely to be the single primary cause of this malformation. However, we could not draw any conclusions on etiologic agents. We suggest that case control studies and further investigation on the role of nutritional deficiencies, especially folic acid, in the pathogenesis of encephalomeningocele are necessary to clarify the underlying mechanisms.

Encephalocele↗