bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSORS FOR HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS DNA, C-REACTIVE PROTEIN AND FOOD COLORANTS DETECTIONS
Authors:   , Jampasa Sakda
Published: September 2023

In this dissertation, electrochemical sensors for determination of medical biomolecular markers and food colorants were developed. The research can be divided into two parts. In the first part, electrochemical sensors for determination of clinically important biomarkers were studied. There was two subprojects based on the target markers. The first subproject was the development of electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous detection of high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) DNA type 16 and 18 as biomarkers for cervical cancer. In this work, a highly specific pyrrolidinyl peptide nucleic acid was employed as DNA capture probe for both target DNAs. A second PNA probe labeled with a redox-active anthraquinone (AQ) tag was used to generate the electrochemical signal upon binding to the DNA target. The developed sensor showed a linear range between 0.1 and 100 nM, and the limits of detection (LODs) of 40 and 60 pM (S/N = 3) for HPV types 16 and 18 were found, respectively. This developed sensor was highly sensitive and selective, and was successfully applied to detect DNAs obtained cell lines after amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For the second subproject, a sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor was designed to detect C-reactive protein (CRP) - a biomarker for cardiovascular diseases. The observed electrochemical signal increased proportionally to CRP level presented in the system with a linear range from 0.01 to 150 µg/mL and LOD of be 1.50 ng/mL. This developed sensor was successfully applied to determine CRP in practical samples, giving results that are in agreement with certified samples. For the second part of the research, an electrochemical sensor for the determination of synthetic colorants, sunset yellow (SY) and tartrazine (TZ) was developed. The employed electrode was modified using graphene oxide to enhance detection. Furthermore, a screen-printed electrode type was a low-cost screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with graphene oxide to enhance the performance of the detection. The graphene film was coated onto the electrode surface via a simple electrochemical reduction process that does not require toxic chemicals and generates no toxic wastes. From the obtained results, the modified electrode exhibited higher electrochemical signal response compared to the unmodified electrode. Linearity of detection was in the range of 0.01 – 20 µM and 0.02 – 20 µM, and LODs were 0.50 and 4.5 nM for SY and TZ, respectively. All developed electrochemical sensors were highly sensitive and selective, inexpensive and portable which are suitable for use as alternative sensors for pharmaceutical, environmental and other analyses.
FeCu/SiO2 catalysts prepared by autocombustion method for fischer-tropsch synthesis
Authors:   , Pengnarapat Suthasinee
Published: September 2023

The purpose of this study was to prepare iron-based catalysts supported on silica by autocombustion method for directly using for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) without a reduction step. The effect of different citric acid (CA):iron nitrate (N) molar ratios (CA:N), acid types and SiO2 supports on the FTS performance of catalysts were investigated. The CA:N had an important influence on the formation of iron active phases (FexC) and FTS activity. Increasing the CA:N molar ratios up to 0.1 increased CO conversion of catalyst to 86.5%, which was then decreased markedly at higher CA:N molar ratios. An excess of CA resulted in carbon residues covering the catalyst surface and declined FTS activity. The optimal catalyst (CA:N molar ratio = 0.1) achieved the highest CO conversion when compared with other autocombustion catalysts as well as reference catalyst prepared by impregnation method, followed by a reduction step. More interestingly, iron-based FTS catalysts need induction duration at the initial stage of FTS reaction even after reduction, because metallic iron species need time to be transformed to FexC. But here, even if without reduction, FexC was formed directly by autocombustion and induction period was eliminated during FTS reaction. The catalyst prepared using CA and Q-50 type of SiO2 gave a maximum CO conversion when compared with other catalysts. The autocombustion method had the advantage to synthesize more efficient catalysts without a reduction step for FTS.
Clinical efficacy of biocellulose wound dressing containing silk sericin and polyhexamethylene biguanide for split-thickness skin graft donor sites
Authors:   , Napavichayanun Supamas
Published: September 2023

A biocellulose wound dressing composed of silk sericin as an accelerative wound healing component and polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) as an antimicrobial agent which showed effective and safe wound treatment. A prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled matched-pair study was designed to evaluate the safety and the clinical efficacy of the biocellulose wound dressing containing silk sericin and PHMB compared with Bactigras® in healthy volunteers (phase I clinical study) and in split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor site wound treatment (phase II clinical study). There were 105 healthy volunteers in phase I clinical study. The results showed that the erythema and melanin levels of skin covered with both dressings were not significantly different. In the phase II clinical study, 21 patients with 32 STSG donor site wounds were included in the study. The wound healing time was not significantly different between dressings. The melanin levels, erythema levels, and TEWL levels of the group treated with the biocellulose wound dressing were significantly lower than the control group. No signs of infection and adverse effect were observed in wounds covered with either dressing. The pain scores of wounds covered with the biocellulose wound dressing were significantly lower than Bactigras® at days 1 to 5. In conclusion, the biocellulose wound dressing containing silk sericin and PHMB exhibits safety and many benefits including high scar quality, pain reduction, infection protection without adverse events. It is appropriate for use as an alternative treatment for STSG donor site wounds.
Probiotic properties and anti-helicobacter pylori activity of lactic acid bacteria from plant and fermented food products
Authors:   , Techo Sujitra
Published: September 2023

Two hundred and thirty-eight strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from several plant-materials and fermented food products collected in Thailand were screening for antibacterial activity. Fifty-three strains which exhibited antimicrobial activity against Helicobacter pylori clinical strains, were selected and identified based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. They were identified as Lactobacillus (Lb.) plantarum subsp. plantarum (3 strains), Lb. pentosus (10 starins), Pediococcus (P.) pentosaceus (2 strains), Lb. paracasei subsp. tolerans (1 strain), Lb. fermentum (5 strains), Enterococcus (En.) faecium (2 strains), En. casseliflavus (1 strain), Lactococcus (Lc.) garvieae subsp. garvieae (1 strain), Lc. lactis subsp. lactis (3 strains), Leuconostoc (Ln.) lactis (2 strains), Ln. citreum (2 strains), Ln. pseudomesenteroides (2 strains), Weissella (W.) paramesenteroides (1 strain), W. cibaria (6 strains) and W. confusa (11 strains). Strain Ru20-1T isolated from West-Indian jasmine (Ixora coccinea L.) was closely related to Lb. lindneri LMG 14528T (96.8 %) and Lb. sanfranciscensis NRIC 1548T (92.0 %) based on 16S rRNA gene sequence and pheS gene sequence similarity, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain Ru20-1T was clearly separated from related species of the genus Lactobacillus. On the basis of polyphasic taxonomy, strain Ru20-1T was proposed as Lactobacillus ixorae sp. nov.

The adherence abilities assay of selected strains on AGS cell lines, Ln. pseudomesenteroides strain BGM-S4 showed the highest adhesion ability (20.4%) followed by Ln. pseudomesenteroides strain FM-S16 (12.9%). While the other strains exhibited the adherence lower than 5%. Lb. fermentum P43-01 exhibited antimicrobial activity against H. pylori MS83 and BK364, was selected for evaluate the acid and bile tolerance. This strain had constant viability at pH 3 (7.6 log10 cfu/ml) and the numbers were approximately decreased 2 log cycles after incubation at pH 2 for 3 h. After exposure to bile acids for 6 h at 0.3% and 0.5%, a strain was slightly increased 1.5 and 1 log cycles, respectively.

The treatment of proteinaceous compounds, bacteriocin-like substances (BLS), produced by strain FM-S16 and P43-01 using protease, revealed that BLS of strain FM-S16 was sensitive to proteinase K while the BLS of strain P43-01 was sensitive to a-chymotrypsin and pepsin. These indicated that BLS of the selected strains might be the significant mechanism that exerted the inhibition on H. pylori. According to the highest anti-H. pylori activity of strain FM-S16, it was chosen for partial purification through the hydrophobic interaction, cation-exchange and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography with 380-fold of purity. The molecular mass of partially purified bacteriocin was in the range of 1094-1316 Da.
DEVELOPMENT OF SUNSCREEN CREAM CONTAINING MANGOSTEEN PERICARP EXTRACT ENCAPSULATED IN SOLID LIPID NANOPARTICLES
Authors:   , Diniyanti Siti
Published: September 2023

The aim of this study was to develop cream containing mangosteen pericarp extract (MPE) encapsulated in solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) in order to achieve enhanced photoprotection and to be an alternative for synthetic sunscreens in the market. The MPE was prepared by maceration method and evaluated for SPF value by UV-Vis spectrophotometer. SLNs were prepared by ultrasonication method. Blank SLNs were formulated using stearic acid (SA) or palmitic acid (PA) as a solid lipid at a concentration of 3%. Tween® 80 or PVA was employed as a surfactant with concentrations ranging from 1 to 2%. The obtained blank-SLNs were investigated for its physical characteristics, i.e., morphology, particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential value. The blank SLNs with suitable physical characteristics were selected to encapsulate MPE and evaluated for the physical characteristics. Finally, the cream containing MPE encapsulated in SLNs (MPE-SLNs) were formulated and evaluated for their physical properties, chemical stabilities, and SPF values during storage at 4-8oC for 3 months. The obtained MPE was a dark brown powder with an SPF value ranged from 3.09±0.01 to 27.20±0.05 at concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 0.1 mg/ml. Based on the physical characteristics, the blank SLNs employing PA or SA with 1% of PVA were selected. MPE-SLNs were successfully loaded into cream at the MPE concentration of 3%. The SLNs enhanced the SPF values of cream containing MPE-SLNs by two-fold compared with cream containing 3% MPE. The cream containing MPE-PA-SLNs and MPE-SA-SLNs displayed good physical appearances, and was chemically stable, without any significant difference of SPF values after storage at 4-8 oC for 3 months. The results indicated that the cream containing MPE-SLNs had a promising potential to be used as an alternative UVB photoprotector to the synthetic sunscreens.
Tyrosinase inhibitors from bark of talawrinta (Manilkara Kauki (L.) dubard
Authors:   , Srisupap Sirinada
Published: September 2023

Melanin is essential for protecting human skin from ultraviolet radiation. However, its overproduction in the basal epithelial layer leads to hyperpigmentary disorders of the skin such as melasma, blemish and age spots. Tyrosinase is one of key enzymes in melanogenesis. Manilkara kauki (L.) Dubard or Talawrinta is one of the plants in genus Manilkara of Sapotaceae family. This study attempted to investigate in vitro total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of crude extract of different parts of M. kauki and purify tyrosinase inhibitors from stem barks of M. kauki. Methanol and aqueous crude extracts of fruits, leaves, seeds, stem barks and woods of M. kauki evaluated on their total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Stem barks of M. kauki showed high amount of total phenolic and flavonoid contents and strong antioxidant activity. Methanol crude extracts of stem barks exhibited the highest tyrosinase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ value of 0.26 ± 0.05 mg/mL). Thus, stem barks of M. kauki was extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water, respectively. Both of ethyl acetate and methanol crude extracts of stem barks exhibited high amount of phenolic compounds and flavonoids and strong antioxidant activity. Furthermore, ethyl acetate crude extract of stem bark exhibited higher tyrosinase inhibitory activity than n-hexane, methanol and aqueous crude extracts with IC₅₀ values of 0.24 ± 0.02 and 0.28 ± 0.04 mg/mL for L-tyrosine and L-DOPA as substrates, respectively. Thus, ethyl acetate crude extract was further isolated and purified to afford compound I as taraxerol and compound II as dihydrokaempferol. Compound I exhibited tyrosinase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 2.32 ± 0.06 and 2.65 ± 0.03 mM for L-tyrosine and L-DOPA as substrates, respectively. Compound II exhibited tyrosinase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 1.15 ± 0.06 and 1.74 ± 0.05 mM for L-tyrosine and L-DOPA as substrates, respectively. Compounds I and II showed lower tyrosinase inhibitory activity than kojic acid but they were exhibited higher tyrosinase inhibitory activity than α-arbutin. These results suggested that ethyl acetate crude extract of stem barks of M. kauki should be further investigated for others biological activities including anti-allergic, cytotoxicity and in vivo tyrosinase inhibitory activities to evaluate it before using as a potential ingredient in whitening cosmetics.
Development of PEDOT-PSS/Zeolite composite as a Gas Sensor
Authors:   , Chanthaanont Pojjawan
Published: September 2023

Composites with Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulfonic acid), PEDOT-PSS, as the matrix containing zeolites of various Si/Al ratios in the range of 23-280 were fabricated to investigate the effect of Si/Al ratios on electrical conductivity sensitivity responses towards the target gas. The electrical conductivity responses of PEDOT-PSS/Zeolite composites were altered due to the available adsorption sites for gas molecules. The addition of zeolites to the pristine PEDOT-PSS improves the electrical conductivity sensitivity of the composites by enhancing the interaction between PEDOT-PSS and target gas. Composites with PEDOT-PSS matrix containing faujasite zeolites type Y were fabricated to investigate the effects of cation type of faujasite zeolite type Y on the electrical conductivity response when exposed to the target gas. The types of cation in zeolite Y micropores can tuning adsorption-desorption properties of zeolite Y, which influence the electrical sensitivity of the composite. Responses and the interaction mechanism of conductive polymer/zeolite composites sensor were investigated. The results obtained can be attributed to the electronegativity of the transition metal cations exchanged into the zeolite Y micropores, which critically affects the adsorption properties of the zeolite Y, and which in turn influences the electrical sensitivity of the composites. The effect of metal exchanged zeolite Y cover layer and the thickness of cover layers on electrical conductivity response of PEDOT-PSS and their sulfur dioxide sensing properties have been investigated. Their gas sensing response; sensitivity, response time, recovering time and complication of fabrication were compared with PEDOT-PSS/MY zeolite composites in powder mixing compress form.
Hiring discrimination against highly-competent candidates: an investigation of competence and warmth stereotypes, and cooperative/competitive mindsets
Authors:   , Puttaravuttiporn Vipavee
Published: September 2023

This study applies the continuum model of impression formation and the stereotype content model to investigate the effect of warmth and competence stereotype on blatant and subtle hiring discrimination against highly-competent candidates. Study 1 (N = 220) used hypothetical countries and Study 2 (N = 512) used four ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) countries to manipulate the competence and warmth stereotypes.

The results offer a theoretical extension to the stereotype content model where warmth and competence stereotypes have differentiating effects on hiring discrimination against highly-competent candidates. Results from both studies showed that competence stereotype had a significant positive direct effect on blatant hiring discrimination when controlling for participants’ prejudice level. Highly-competent candidates from low-competent stereotyped countries were rated significantly lower in hireability and salary assignment. Study 1 results showed that highly-competent candidates from low-warmth stereotyped countries were perceived poorly on career related items. Warmth stereotype had a significant positive total effect on subtle hiring discrimination via prejudice. However, Study 2 did not replicate this result possibly due to a limitation in selecting an actual country in AEC to represent the high competence-low warmth stereotype.

Drawing on past evidence in intergroup studies, Study 2 tested the effect of evaluators’ cooperative/competitive mindsets on hiring discrimination. Study 2 revealed that the evaluators’ cooperative or competitive mindset regarding the AEC did not affect their hiring decisions against highly-competent candidates in any of the hiring measures, which did not support this study hypothesis. Results offer practical implications for Thai decision-makers in preparation for AEC hiring.
FACTORS INFLUENCING QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG ELDERLY POPULATION WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A CLINIC BASED CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY IN KATHMANDU VALLEY
Authors:   , Adhikari Kriti
Published: September 2023

Background: Diabetes is one of the four priority non communicable disease whose worldwide prevalence is at an increasing trend and is accompanied by deterioration of quality of life especially that of the elderly population. Several factors contribute to influence quality of life among the elderly; therefore, this study aims to identify the factors that influence quality of life among elderly population of Kathmandu valley, Nepal Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among random sample of 310 elderly diabetic patients visiting diabetic clinic of Kathmandu Diabetes and Thyroid center in Kathmandu valley, Nepal. Translated Nepali version of WHOQOL BREF was administered through face to face interview in order to obtain the data. Association of independent and dependent variables were assessed in bivariate analysis using Independent sample t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation and Multivariate analysis was done using multiple linear regression analysis with estimation of five models. Results: Descriptive analysis showed that more than half of the respondents had moderate quality of life and analytical statistics showed that factors such as age, sex, marital status, income, educational level, lifestyle, diabetes self-management, fasting blood sugar level, complications, convenient hours of operation to be significantly associated with total score of quality of life. Conclusion: Several factors contributed to influence quality of life and in addition to health attention should be paid to other aspects of their life also. Among several factors diabetes self-management is one critical factor among diabetic population which is essential to enhance wellbeing, better glycemic control, fewer complication and hence improve quality of life. Therefore, self-management training with an effort to enhance coping skills should be incorporated and effective strategies should be formulated in order to deal with several aspects of life of elderly population that could influence their quality of life.
Intelligent pill box to improve medical adherence in elderly with hypertension : a randomized controlled trial
Authors:   , Woodham Nanthakan
Published: September 2023

Background: Antihypertension medical adherence is important for controlling blood pressure in hypertension patients. Adherence to antihypertension medication among elderly Thai persons in the rural area is low, which contributes to uncontrolled blood pressure. 

Objective: To examine whether an intreated education program and innovative pill box improves adherence to medications and to improve controlling blood pressure among Thai elderly persons with hypertension.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial. 200 elderly persons with hypertension who received at least one hypertension medication, at least once daily, were randomized into two groups.  One group received the usual education program (control group) and the second group (intervention group) received education program and a Thai Intelligent Pill Box.  Intervention continued for three months. The perception and satisfaction of using this pillbox was explored and reported in this study. Intention to treat analyses using t- test and repeat ANOVA to compare the difference between two groups.

Result: Antihypertension medication adherence after three months was statistically significant different between the intervention and control group. Intervention group showed adherence higher than in the control group; mean difference 4.72 (95% CI ;0.61 to 8.85), p-value <0.025). Systolic blood pressure was no different between two groups while diastolic blood pressure was statistically significant different between two group at three months post intervention. Participant’s perception and satisfaction on functionality and features, as well as the design and size, were positive among participants.

Conclusion: This randomized controlled trial demonstrates that the integration of program to improve medical adherence and Thai- intelligent pill box improved medical adherence among Thai elderly hypertension patients in rural area.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A DIABETES MELLITUS PICTORIAL DIARY HANDBOOK PROGRAM FOR MIDDLE AGED AND ELDERLY TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS PATIENTS: A QUASI EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AT HEALTH PROMOTING HOSPITALS TALADNOI SARABURI PROVINCE THAILAND
Authors:   , Eknithiset Rapat
Published: September 2023

The Pictorial Diary Handbook Program is a nonpharmacological treatment, designed for diabetes mellitus type 2 aged 50-70-year-old in Taladnoi, Horathep, and Khokyai Primary Care Unit which was based on Protection Motivation Theory. The general objective of this quasi-experimental study was to develop the Pictorial Diary Handbook Program for diabetes mellitus type 2 aged 50-70-year-old in Saraburi, Thailand. The specific objectives of this research were to 1) To compare the Biomarkers (Hba1c, FBS, BMI) between diabetes mellitus type II patients in the intervention group and the control group 2) To compare knowledge, perceived, and practice regarding self-care behavior on diet control, oral hypoglycemic drug taking/ other drug, self-health care, weight management and blood sugar control in the intervention group and the control group 3) To compare the Biomarkers (Hba1c, FBS, BMI) of diabetes mellitus type II patients within groups before and after implementation of the Diabetes Mellitus Pictorial Diary Handbook Program 4) To compare knowledge, perceived, and practice regarding self-care behavior on diet control, oral hypoglycemic drug taking/ other drug, self-health care, weight management and blood sugar control within group before and after implementation of the Diabetes Mellitus Pictorial Diary Handbook Program. The sample of this study was 140 participants, aged 50-70 years, were assigned to the intervention group (n=70) and the control group (n=70). The study examinations included Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c), Body Mass Index (BMI), knowledge, perceive, practice regarding self-care behavior on diet control, oral hypoglycemic drug taking/ other drug, self-health care, weight management and blood sugar control. The concept of Protection Motivation Theory in the intervention group receiving Pictorial Diary Handbook Program consisted of group health education every month for 3 months. Also, individual home visits for answering the questions were utilized to remind each participant of the scheduled Pictorial Diary Handbook Program. The measurements of dependent variables were conducted three times: at baseline, after the intervention (three months), and the follow-up period (6 months). Data were analyzed using Chi-square, t-test, and repeated measure ANOVA. The findings showed a significant different (p value<5) improvement in Bio-Markers measurements (BMI, FBS, HbA1c) including KPP (knowledge, perceive, and practice regarding self-care behavior on diet control, oral hypoglycemic drug taking/ another drug, self-health care, weight management and blood sugar control. Conclusion, the Pictorial Diary Handbook Program could enable blood sugar level control (FBS, HbA1c), and weight management (BMI), increase knowledge, promote positive perception, and enhance their practice to control blood sugar level in diabetes mellitus type 2.
ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE REGARDING MALARIA PREVENTION TOWARDS INTERNAL MIGRANT POPULATION IN KAWTHOUNG TOWNSHIP, KAWTHOUNG DISTRICT, TANINTHARYI REGION, MYANMAR: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY
Authors:   , Hein Sa
Published: September 2023

Since malaria is preventable disease, early diagnosis and effective treatment of malaria is necessary for optimal outcome. For people living in high transmission of malaria areas such as in Kawthoung Township, it is crucial for them to have good knowledge, attitude and practice toward malaria prevention. This study was aimed to assess and describe the socio-demographic factors, knowledge, attitude and practice towards malaria prevention in internal migrant people, Kawthoung Township, Kawthoung District, Myanmar. Research design was cross-sectional study which Three hundred and sixteen respondents who age range from 18 to 65 years old were interviewed face to face with structure questionnaire and collected the data. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to analyze association between dependent and independent variable. From the results, it showed that 65.5% had good knowledge, 17.4% had good attitude and 49.1% had good practice for malaria prevention. Practice level was strongly associated with knowledge level and attitude level (P-value <0.001). Factors associated with good practice were respondents with age group 45 to 54 years (P-value = 0.004, AOR = 7.478, 95% CI: 1.930-28.978, high school or higher education (P = 0.021, AOR = 11.363, 95% CI: 1.454- 88.814) income more than 200000 kyats per month (P-value <0.001, AOR = 14.242, 95% CI: 3.240-62.608), less than 3 family members (P-value = 0.005, AOR = 4.670, 95% CI: 1.576- 13.834), accessibility to health facility with less than 30 minutes (P-value <0.001, AOR = 122.092, 95% CI: 20.339-732.915), source of information by government health staffs (P-value = 0.010, AOR = 8.293, 95% CI:1.669-41.211) and good attitude level (P-value = 0.017, AOR = 6.089, 95% CI:1.387-26.739). Community mobilization activities regarding malaria prevention through Volunteer Malaria Workers and government health staff were necessary in order to improve knowledge, attitude and practice regarding malaria prevention practice.
EFFECTS OF THE "SEX MUST SAFE" PROGRAM ON HEALTH LITERACY INTENTION AND PRACTICE REGARDING CONDOM AND EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE PILL USES AMONG FEMALE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS INCHON BURI PROVINCE, THAILAND
Authors:   , Thongnopakun Saowanee
Published: September 2023

Unintended pregnancies are found in university students with insufficient health literacy on preventing pregnancy. Thus, the objective of the current two-phase study was to analyze the situation of health literacy concerning contraception among female university students and to evaluate the effects of the “Sex Must Safe” program on health literacy intention and practice regarding condom and emergency contraceptive pill uses among female university students in Chon Buri province, Thailand. A cross-sectional study design was used in phase 1. Data was collected between February and May 2017. A self-administered questionnaire, developed by the Ministry of Public Health based on evolving concept of health literacy, was used to collect data from 418 university students. Descriptive statistical analysis was used for the data analysis. A quasi-experimental study design was used in phase 2. Multistage sampling was conducted to collect data from 73 selected university students (36 intervention group and 37 comparison group) between September 2017 and January 2018. The intervention group participated in an 8 week “Sex Must Safe” program and follow up period at week 20. Once again, a self-administered questionnaire was used. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, paired samples t-test, independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and generalized estimating equations were used for the data analysis. The results showed that majority of the students did not have sufficient knowledge related to health (78.2%), mainly knowledge on health and health services, knowledge and understanding about health and communicating to improve expertise. The data collected were used to improve the ‘Sex Must Safe’ program. Whereas, the results indicated the health literacy mean scores of the intervention group were found significantly higher than the control group (p-value = 0.002, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.43–15.47) following the intervention, a mean difference between the two groups for intentions regarding condom and emergency contraceptive pill use was not statistically significant (p-value = 0.111, 95% CI = -2.22–2.15). Analysis of the practice scores was only conducted on university students who had sexual intercourse. The reported mean difference, is in favor of the intervention group, which was statistically significant (p-value = 0.004, 95% CI = 0.27– 1.45). The intervention was demonstrated to increase health literacy and practice among the female university students. The finding of this study would be able to offer a new practical program to prevent unintended pregnancy. .
Model of No-Tobacco-Use-in School (NTUIS) on tobacco use knowledge, attitude and behaviour among adolescents in Bhutan: A quasi-experimental study
Authors:   , Rinchen Sonam
Published: September 2023

Introduction: Tobacco use among the 13–15 year olds is a major concern in Bhutan. The prevalence of tobacco use is higher in adolescents than in adults. It had been reported that 28.6% of boys and 11.1% of girls are current smokers. There has not been a single study conducted to this point on the tobacco use prevention in schools. This study attempted to explore a school-based peer-led health education model called ‘No-Tobacco-Use in Schools’ (NTUIS) to evaluate changes in the student’s tobacco use knowledge, attitudes towards tobacco use, intentions to use tobacco in the future and maintenance of non-user status. Method: A total of 378 eighth grade-students from four secondary schools in Wangdue Phodrang district, Bhutan took part in a quasi-experimental study in 2016. The schools and study subjects were selected using a multi-stage sampling. The intervention schools had 186 participants and the control had 192. The model was implemented in three phases by the peer educators in the intervention schools for five weeks. The data on the study variables were collected at the baseline, posttest, 3-month follow-up and 6-month follow assessments using a self-administered questionnaire. The overall effect of the model was evaluated using a repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: Of the 378 students enrolled, 363 completed the study. Their mean age was 14.9 years. Implementation of the NTUIS model had improved the knowledge scores of students, and there was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups (F=645.64, p<0.001, d=0.64). Although the attitudes of the participants were significantly different between the groups (χ2 =6.890, p=0.009), their attitudes turned negative. The intention of participants in the intervention group to remain tobacco free was significant both for five years (F=284.603, p <0.001, d=0.446) and for lifetime (F=331.590, p <0.001, d= 0.484). However, the model had no significant effect either on the student’s use of cigarettes/bidi (χ2 =0.771, p = 0.380) nor on the use of smokeless tobacco products (χ2 =0.834, p=0.361). Conclusion: The NTUIS model had a positive effect on the student’s knowledge and their intentions to remain tobacco free in the future. But the model did not determine the student’s use of tobacco products. Nevertheless, the study findings will provide basis for strengthening the existing tobacco education programs for youth in schools.
Effectiveness of healthy e-elderly people intervention (HEPI) application for reduction health effects from mobile communication device and application usages among elderly people in Thailand
Authors:   , Wilaiwan Wachiraporn
Published: September 2023

The trend of using mobile devices amongst the elderly population is continuously increasing. This study consisted of three phases. The first phase aimed to survey the situation of mobile communication device and application usages among elderly users in Thailand through the use a questionnaire survey as well as face-to-face interviews was used for data collection. The number of the participants in first phase was 448 elderly people. The participants mostly used mobile communication devices and applications in the morning and in the evening. The information in first phase was used to develop mobile applications in this study. The second phase was a cross-sectional descriptive study to assess health risks from mobile communication device and application usages among 490 elderly people in Thailand via Healthy e-Elderly People Assessment (HEPA) application. Most participants (65.9%) fell into moderate risk level of physical health and 10.0% of them fell into severe risk level of physical health. The third phase was a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the Healthy e-Elderly People Intervention (HEPI) Application in terms of improved knowledge, attitude, and practices, and reduce the physical health effects from mobile communication device and application usages. The HEPI application in Thai context was developed by a questionnaire and information from phase I and II. The number of the participants were 66 including 33 in the intervention group and 33 in the control group. The results shown that the mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practices levels were significantly different between the intervention and the control groups at follow-up 1 (p=0.041, p=0.006, and p<0.001 respectively). The mean scores of physical health risk in both the intervention and the control groups were similar which radically decreased from baseline to follow-up 1, then increased at follow-up 2 (p=0.899). Whether the elderly people in Thailand increase the length of time use on mobile communication devices and applications, it may result in risk for several serious health conditions. The HEPI application can be used for improving knowledge, attitude, and practices, and reduce the health effects of excessive use of mobile communication devices and applications.
Development of a competency assessment system for clinical reasoningthrough self-reflection in the community pharmacy practice of 6th-year pharmacy students
Authors:   , Yotsombut Kitiyot
Published: September 2023

This study aimed to develop the rubric system for assessment of clinical reasoning competency in community pharmacy practice through self-reflection of 6th-year pharmacy students. There were 3 phases of this study with different research methodology. The first phase was focus group discussion of experts to identify components of the competency. The item-objective congruence (IOC) index and the expert discussion were used to judge the content validity of the identified components. In the second phase, the identified components were transformed into a rubric. The rubric was tested for its intra-rater reliability and revised. In the third phase, the inter-rater reliability, and concurrent validity were tested, using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Spearman's correlation coefficient, respectively. The instruction for the self-reflection and SOAP note was also revised in the second phase according to the survey of the student opinions. 

Nine components of clinical reasoning competency were identified. Each construct was transformed into a rubric item with 4 competency levels. The content validity of the rubric was substantially high (IOC of rubric items were between 0.88 to 1). The ICCs for intra-rater reliability of each rubric item were from 0.76 to 0.92, which were considered almost perfectly reliable. The ICCs for inter-rater reliability of each rubric item were from 0.52 to 0.69, which were moderately to substantially reliable. However, the assessment scores given by the rubric were not statistically correlated with the scores of SOAP presentation that was the current assessment method (the correlation coefficient = -0.176, p = 0.26). In conclusion, the validated rubric system for assessment of clinical reasoning competency in community pharmacy practice through self-reflection was developed. This rubric was shown to have good reliability and content validity, but limited concurrent validity.
Spelling errors in Thai made by Chinese and Lao students speaking Thai as a foreign language
Authors:   , Hou Peng
Published: September 2023

When learning a foreign language, it is important to learn how to accurately spell as it is crucial for communication. To accurately spell in the Thai language is challenging for both native and foreign learners of Thai. However, there are few studies that address the spelling errors made by foreign learners of Thai. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the patterns and causes of spelling errors made by Chinese and Lao students speaking Thai as a foreign language. In order to gather data for this analysis, thirty Chinese students and thirty Lao students took part in a composition writing and dictation exercise. A group of Thai students was also involved in the study as a basic group for comparison. The results suggest that the main spelling problem for Chinese students is spelling Thai vowels, whereas Lao students tend to misspell more Thai initial consonants. For Chinese students, the complexity of the Thai writing system and the interference from Chinese phonology are found to be the main causes of their spelling errors. As for the Lao students, apart from a few idiosyncratic errors, most of the errors are found to result from complexity of the Thai writing system, interference from Lao phonology, and differences between the Lao and Thai writing systems. The findings of this study imply that foreign learners of Thai made more intralingual errors than interlingual errors in spelling.
Hydrogen sulfide removal by nitrate reducing and sulfide oxidizing bacteria in anoxic bioreactors
Authors:   , Watsuntorn Wannapawn
Published: September 2023

The  strain MAL 1HM19, a nitrate reducing and sulfur oxidizing bacteria (NR-SOB) was successfully isolated from Mae Um Long Luang hot spring from Mae Hong Son province (Thailand) using hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitrate (NO3-) as an electron donor and acceptor, respectively. Among the isolates of NR-SOB from different sources, the strain MAL 1HM19 was the most promising novel strain of NR-SOB because of its ability to yield ~100% H2S removal, under anoxic conditions, within 5.5 h at an initial H2S concentration of 650 ppmv. The identification of strain MAL 1HM19 based on the 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence suggests that this strain is closely related to Paracoccus versutus and is the member of Alphaproteobateria with 99.93% sequence similarity. The P. versutus strain MAL 1HM19 was also able to grow at various NaCl concentrations (0.03-7%), in a pH range of 7.0-9.0 and at temperatures of 20-50°C. The ability of H2S removal by the P. versutus strain MAL 1HM19 under the influence of different initial NO3--N concentrations (60, 120 and 240 mg NO3--N/L), at 35°C, was investigated for 96 h. The results showed that 100% of H2S oxidation was attained within 10 h, irrespective of the different initial NO3--N concentrations. The final end product [sulfate (SO42-) or elemental sulfur (S°)] depended on the concentrations of NO3--N. In the long-term experiments, i.e. in a biotrickling filter (BTF), biological H2S removal was investigated by inoculating the pure cultures of P. versutus strain MAL 1HM19 in anoxic BTF for 188 d. The BTF was packed with polyurethane foams (PUFs) cubes and the reactor was operated under anoxic conditions in both fed-batch and continuous modes. The H2S inlet concentrations were varied between 100 and 500 ppmv during steady-state experiments, while during H2S shock load tests, the concentrations were increased to 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 ppmv, respectively. The removal efficiency (RE) of H2S varied between 17 and 100% depending on operational mode of the BTF and the addition of the C source. The maximum elimination capacity (ECmax) was achieved at 121.83 ± 0.1 g S/m3 h (RE - 96.5 %) during H2S shock load experiments at 4000 ppmv. The results from this study demonstrated that both free and immobilized cells of P. versutus strain MAL 1HM19 can be efficiently used in industrial situations to remove H2S and NO3- under a wide range of operating conditions.
The Development of the English Content-Based Reading Materials for Buddhist Student Monks
Authors:   , Supphipat Phatchareporn
Published: September 2023

The objectives of this study are 1) to develop the English content-based reading materials for Buddhist student monks, 2) to examine the attitude of student monks towards the quality of the English content-based reading materials, and 3) to examine the attitude of teachers towards the quality of the English content-based reading materials. The study was conducted in 6 stages starting from the identification of needs to create materials to the evaluation of the effectiveness of the developed materials. The participants of 42 student monks and 3 English teachers were purposefully selected from the Education Department of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in academic year 2017. Instruments used were semi-structured interview, needs analysis questionnaires, and evaluation questionnaires. The qualitative data was analyzed by the content analysis. The statistics used to analyze the quantitative data were frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The findings revealed that the English content-based reading materials for Buddhist monks were effectively developed by using material development framework of Tomlinson (2011) embedded with Six-T’s approach of Stoller and Grabe (2017), and the quality was the academic and physical aspects and the effectiveness in enhancing reading comprehension. In terms of the quality of academic and physical aspects, student monks had positive attitude towards 6 criteria including content, organization of content, presentation of content, language use, activities applied, and layout and design, and teachers had positive attitude towards 7 criteria 6 of which were exactly the same as those of student monks plus the criterion of teachers’ manual. This study clearly demonstrated theoretical processes of developing instructional materials of good quality and could be an example research to illustrate the connection between instructional materials developing and English language learning research for teachers, materials developers, and researchers in the field.
Effects of direct vocabulary and vocabulary learning strategies instruction on Indonesian prospective english teachers’ vocabulary size
Authors:   , - Sudarman
Published: September 2023

The objectives of the study were: 1) to explore the effects of direct vocabulary and vocabulary learning strategies instruction on Indonesian prospective English teachers’ vocabulary size, and 2) to investigate the students’ opinions towards the treatment of direct vocabulary and vocabulary learning strategies instruction. The study was one-group pretest-posttest, pre-experimental design. The instruments employed in this study were the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) and a semi-structured interview. The samples were the 33 first-year students majoring in English education at University of Kutai Kartanegara, Indonesia for the Academic Year 2017/2018. The findings of the study showed that there was a significant difference between the students’ mean scores in the pretest and the posttest at the significant level of 0.05. The results indicated that the implementation of direct vocabulary and vocabulary learning strategies improved the students’ vocabulary size. The results of the interview reported that the implementation of the treatment had positive effects on the students’ vocabulary learning in terms of learning motivation, vocabulary improvement, and improvement in using the vocabulary learning strategies. The finding also reported that the students applied the strategies to learn vocabulary at home and most of them preferred to use memory strategies.
Bioactive compounds from ventilago denticulata willd.
Authors:   , Molee Wannapha
Published: September 2023

New naphthalene derivatives (1 and 2) and a new isomer of ventilagolin (3), together with three known anthraquinones, including chrysophanol (4), physcin or emodin 3-methyl ether (5), and emodin (6), were isolated from vines of Ventilago denticulata. The isolated compounds exhibited cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines (HuCCA-1, A549, HepG-2, MOLT-3) with IC50 values of 1.15-40.54 µg/mL. Compounds 1-3 exhibited weak antibacterial activity (MIC 200.0-400.0 µg/mL), while emodin (6) displayed moderate antibacterial activity with MIC 25.0 µg/mL. Compounds 1-3, 5, and 6 exhibited nitric oxide radical scavenging activities with IC50 232.0-604.3 µM and compounds 1 and 2 exhibited DPPH radical scavenging activities with IC50 values of 44.1 µM and 85.7 µM, respectively. Compounds 1-3 and 6 exhibited weak xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity, while emodin (6) acted as an aromatase inhibitor with the IC50 value of 10.1 µM. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 8.28 µM and 6.48 µM, respectively.