bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feminization, vulnerability, and empowerment of Laotian migrant women in Thailand
Authors:   , Koh Cai
Published: September 2023

This thesis examines the feminization of large-scale, cross-border labour migration of Laotian women who migrate to Thailand for work, and aims to effect useful labour migration policy changes for all migrant women working in Thailand, using Laotian migrant women as a case study. This thesis explicates the feminization process and its gendered implications on Laotian migrant women’s vulnerability working in feminized work sectors in Thailand, using the main concepts of feminization of migration, vulnerability, and gender empowerment. This thesis focuses on qualitative research design, using structured qualitative interviews with 11 Laotian migrant women in domestic work, agricultural work, services work, and garment factory work, and semi-structured qualitative interviews with 13 key informants, namely employers, migrant network leaders, academics and experts in the field of migration. This thesis argues that Laotian migrant women are made vulnerable as they are subjected to gender discrimination in feminized work sectors. They are made more vulnerable when they work in feminized work sectors that are also informal work, in addition to their illegal migrant status, the unofficial way in which they entered Thailand, and the type of documentation which they brought to Thailand. Their vulnerability heightens when they are pregnant and lack access to maternity and childcare. This thesis concludes that Laotian migrant women in agricultural work and domestic work are the most vulnerable. Hence, Laotian migrant women in the four work sectors experience different degrees of gender empowerment, with the most vulnerable groups as being the least empowered as women. This thesis posits that it is important to further empower Laotian migrant women and reduce their vulnerability through multiple stakeholder collaboration with employers, migrant network leaders, academics, experts, and representatives of civil society and international organizations. This serves as a first step in advancing Laotian migrant women’s cross-border mobility and enables them to be better protected in terms of labour rights and policy as migrant women.
Building community resilience through community based tourism in northern Thailand: the importance of social capital
Authors:   , Young Michael
Published: September 2023

Tourism has an omnipresence of application as a development tool, especially in rural areas within lesser developed countries. However, tourism development, particularly alternative forms of tourism such as Community Based Tourism (CBT) have and continue to face a multitude of barriers. As communities globally are facing greater uncertainties and stressors to local systems, it is imperative to build resilient communities. Thus, community resilience should not be taken as an end-goal, yet an iterative process for such to absorb, adapt and ultimately transform in the face of and after change. This research aims to offer a unique insight into how these concepts can not only explain the conditions of how Mae Kampong were able to transform and enhance resilience through CBT, but how the feedback of developing CBT has reinforced (positive and negative) nodes of social capital amongst the community. Based on an exploratory case-study approach of Mae Kampong in Northern Thailand, analysis was conducted utilizing data source triangulation, whereby a thorough contextual analysis of the community’s development of CBT was derived from semi-structured interviews with experts, local resident’s, external stakeholders (n=18) and complemented by desktop literary review. Interviews were conducted remotely via multichannel and telecommunication means, performed by the author and the aid of a research assistant, with analysis utilizing deductive and inductive thematic analysis. This research brings social capital and its domains to the fore of CBT development. Hence, the coupling of social capital with resilience thinking in the context of CBT forms as valuable lens and vehicle, addressing an overlooked research gap. Thus, the findings suggest the starting point of sustainable tourism development, including CBT, must first look at the local social assets, attributes and capabilities, forming the precursor to the effective implementation of CBT as a development tool that ultimately has the ability to enhance community resilience. Mae Kampong can then be considered a model CBT community, unlike what has been presented in the past.
Empowerment of indigenous women in recovery of post-earthquake 2015 in Nepal: a feminist perspective
Authors:   , Premruethairat Mintira
Published: September 2023

Discrimination against gender and caste can be overwhelming issue to a person or a group who faces it. Similarly, indigenous women of Nepal have been facing impediments in regard to unequal power relations caused by gender, identity, as well as disaster. With the conceptualization of Feminist Political Ecology, this paper analyzes the subjectivities of a feminist perspective that highlights the lives of indigenous women pre-earthquake and their experiences on how they are affected by power relations in political ecology of Nepal. Along with the findings of the indigenous women’s lives and their experiences amid the earthquake 2015 have also been analyzed with the notion of empowerment in Nepal. In addition, the analysis on the notion of empowerment is made on political, socio-cultural, environmental governance, and economical aspects, as these dimensions are interconnected and intertwined that have consequences on indigenous women in terms of power imbalance, disaster sensitivity, and their empowerment. So, this paper finds it important to explore on such subjectivities to enlighten the stakeholder on the differences that a woman based on gender and caste is facing different forms of impediments on their lives and experiences during a disaster. Likewise, the paper is based on qualitative research with the interview of a focus group on research site named Sankhu/Shankarapur in Kathmandu district (hard-hit area by earthquake 2015), and as well on one-on-one interview with key informants, along with secondary sources for analysis. Hence, this research has been an emphasis on the dynamics of indigenous women’s lives pre-earthquake and their experiences during the earthquake 2015, with the notion of empowerment through the lens of Feminist Political Ecology.
Protection against sexual violence in the workplace: NGO programs for access to justice for female migrant workers in Thailand
Authors:   , Bano Shah
Published: September 2023

Sexual violence in the workplace amongst female migrant worker is an under-discussed issue, due to lack of reporting, that needs to be explored in more detail. This paper examined the role of NGOs in providing protection to FMW who are survivors of sexual violence, in Thailand, who want to seek justice. This study used qualitative approach by interviewing 3 people from local NGOs and 3 people from international NGOs working in Thailand that provide services to FMW who have faced sexual violence, to deal with the culturally biased and highly patriarchal criminal justice system.  The study shows that regardless of not having a specific project that focuses on providing protection to FMW who are survivors of sexual violence in the workplace with their access to justice, NGOs provide effective legal services to those FMW who visit the NGOs for help and support.
Can offshore wind electricity in Taiwan be sustainable?: the case of Taiwan's first offshore wind project, Formosa 1 in Miaoli
Authors:   , Lin Yu
Published: September 2023

While sustainability is implementing all over the world to strive to balance the development and environment, Taiwan is also committed to the transition towards renewable energy, and offshore wind electricity is one of the emerging industries with potential, therefore taking its newly operated project as a case study. The purpose of the research is to determine whether offshore wind electricity is a viable solution to achieve inclusive sustainability in Taiwan and the concept of procedural justice is involving to examine the planning and construction stages of the development while environmental justice is applied to evaluate the overall outcome from the perspective of the affected community. As a qualitative research, the thesis conducted two-month fieldwork in Miaoli County, where the coastal fishing area is the site of the country’s first and only wind farm, Formosa 1 which started commercial operations in December 2019, with interviewees including fishers, members of fishery association, government officials, and scholars. The result shows the polarized reaction of the main affected group, the fisher, to the construction owning to the difference in the degree of influence on the two main fishing methods in the area, “gillnetting” and “pole and line”. A small group of the fisher felt unjust while the other recognized the value of the offshore wind project. On the other hand, despite varying degrees, when procedural justice was sought to reduce the losses during the process and the consensus on the outcome was discussed to maximize the long-term gains, environmental justice was actively balanced in the project. Being one of the pioneer academic research to review the case after its completion, this paper concludes that, as Taiwan’s first offshore wind project, Formosa 1 did not fully convince everyone with its sustainability, but with the experiences, it did pave a relatively smooth way for the future development towards sustainability.
Augmented sensors for particulate matter concentration prediction using supervised learning models
Authors:   , Photphanloet Chadaphim
Published: September 2023

Particulate matter concentration prediction models have been researched, developed, and applied to data from various topography around the world. The characteristics of different topography make a model suitable for each specific topography. This dissertation proposes a novel method to predict particulate matter concentration with a diameter smaller than 10 microns in Nan Province of Thailand that integrates feature selection method, supervised learning model, and modified depth-first search algorithm. Unlike the traditional supervised learning models, the proposed method is able to accept multi-dimensional data as input which consist of particulate matter concentration, air pollutants, and air qualities. These features are the factors that influence particulate matter concentration prediction. The experimental results show that the proposed method performs better than other methods when predicting the concentration one hour ahead with no need of wind direction and wind speed data. The proposed method was developed with a general framework and could be applied to predict particulate matter concentration in Nan Province.
Angiogenic effect of salt-leached Thai silk fibroin scaffolds with human adipose-derived stem cells
Authors:   , Watchararot Tanapong
Published: September 2023

Angiogenesis plays important role in tissue regeneration. Biomaterials that allow and promote angiogenesis are thus beneficial. Silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds are good candidates for angiogenesis activation because of the biodegradability, biocompatibility, and interaction of extracellular matrices. Human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are also promising for tissue regeneration. This study thus aims to investigate the angiogenic potential of SF scaffolds with/without ADSCs on chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). Firstly, the SF scaffolds were fabricated with a porosity of 77.34 ± 16.96% and a pore diameter of 513.95 µm. Then, ADSCs were seeded on SF scaffolds (SF-ADSC scaffolds) and placed on CAM on an embryonic day 8 (E8) to assess the angiogenic property. The result revealed that SF-ADSC scaffolds induced a spoked wheel-pattern of the capillary network on E11. The SF scaffolds without ADSCs induced the same pattern of angiogenesis later on E14. The cytotoxicity tests and angioirritative study reconfirmed the biocompatibility of the SF scaffolds. Cryosections (30 µm) were obtained from the middle of the SF-ADSC scaffolds, and a histological study showed penetration of blood vessels into the scaffolds. In conclusion, this work highlighted the acceleration of angiogenesis from SF- ADSC scaffolds, and, therefore, they are beneficial for tissue regeneration.
Path following and obstacle avoidance for autonomous vehicle based on gnss localization
Authors:   , Kiataramgul Kanin
Published: September 2023

Nowadays, many systems, formerly operated by human beings, are now developed to minimize user control effort. One outstanding system that receives close attention is the autonomous driving system. However, several autonomous driving systems that are currently developed utilize expensive sensing devices, e.g., camera and laser scanner. Moreover, these devices cannot be solely employed but a high-performance processing unit is also required. These pricey components result in an expensive system that does not worth to be used in some practical applications. Therefore, this research intends to utilize other low-cost sensing devices so that the final price of the developed system can be reduced. Hence, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) with a Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) correction was applied to this research as a prior sensor. However, a laser scanner was still employed as a complementary sensor to detect obstacles which cannot be detected by the GNSS alone. This developed system was designed to effectively operate at a travel speed lower than 15 kilometers per hour in a GNSS-friendly environment. In this research, the micro electric vehicle was modified by installing the steering control system and the speed control system, which consists of the acceleration control system and the braking control system. These supplementary systems are controlled by the high-level control system. Next, the high-level control system software was developed. This software controls a vehicle to follow a predefined route by using the GNSS in a localization process and using a laser scanner in the obstacle avoidance algorithm which was developed in this research, i.e., the Scored Predicted Trajectory. Then, the parameters, which affect the high and low-level control system characteristic, was tuned until a satisfactory response was achieved. Next, the developed autonomous navigation system evaluation experiment was conducted in a controlled environment area by separately evaluated the path following system and the obstacle avoidance system. After the path following system experiment was launched using a travel speed of 10 and 15 kilometers per hour, it has been found that the developed system effectively performs even some portions of the test track are either covered by large trees or surrounded by buildings, i.e., the environment by which the performance of the GNSS is degraded. The result of this experiment shows the average deviation distance from the waypoint of about 10 centimeters. In the obstacle avoidance system experiment, the result shows that the developed system responds to the obstacle by evading it and safely converging to the predefined path according to the designed algorithm.
A feasibility study of diffusion weighted imaging and parametric response map analysis for treatment response prediction in nasopharyngeal cancer
Authors:   , Jirawatwanith Titiya
Published: September 2023

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is an MRI technique which provides functional information of tissue by detecting microscopic motion of water molecules. The change of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from DWI was used as an imaging biomarker for treatment response prediction in cancers. However, it was based on whole-tumor analysis which did not reflect heterogeneity within the tumor. To overcome this limitation, a new method called parametric response map (PRM) analysis was proposed to evaluate response by quantifying voxel-wise changes in ADC. Here we investigated the use of PRM analysis on ADC from DWI as an imaging biomarker for treatment response prediction in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.  We collected twenty-six patient datasets including twenty complete response (CR) patients and six partial response (PR) patients at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital where one patient dataset consisted of DWI and ADC data acquired before (i.e. pre-treatment) and at five weeks after initiation of chemoradiation therapy (i.e. mid-treatment). For each dataset, we compared pre-treatment ADC image with co-registered mid-treatment ADC image, and calculated PRM+ which was defined as the percentage of voxels with increased ADC values with respect to total voxels within the tumor ROI.  To validate the feasibility of the PRM biomarker, we computed the mean and standard deviation (SD) of percentage change in tumor volume (%ΔVol) and in ADC (%ΔADC) and PRM+ across CR and PR patients classified by RECIST1.1 guideline at 6 months. We determined if each of the three biomarker yielded difference between the two patients groups using t-test.  To evaluate outcome prediction performance for each biomarker, we constructed the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and compared with random guessing using Mann-Whitney’s U-test.  The results showed that no significant difference in %∆Vol and in %∆ADC between CR an PR groups.  In contrast, PRM+ was significantly different between CR and PR groups ( 80.5±8.5% in CR vs 70.2±7.1% in PR, p < 0.05).  In terms of prediction performance, PRM+ has higher AUC value than both %ΔADC and %ΔVol (0.817, 0.633, and 0.417 for PRM+, %ΔADC and %ΔVol, respectively).  Only PRM+ was significantly different from random guessing (p < 0.05).  Our results implied that the proposed PRM+ from ADC could be a potential biomarker for early treatment response prediction in NPC patients.
Dosimetric comparison between single and double isocenters Volumetric Arc Therapy for Stereotactic Radiotherapy with multiple targets
Authors:   , Kyaw Wai
Published: September 2023

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dosimetric effects between single isocenter (SI) and double isocenters (DI) VMAT SRT of multiple brain metastases. There are two parts of study, which were experimental for energy selection, technique comparison and clinical part to use appropriate technique. As the first part, three lesions with 3 cm distance apart and 1 cm size for all lesions were created as standard plan by varying energy. Twelve VMAT SRT plans by varying energy with 6 MV, 10 MV, 6 FFF and 10 FFF were planned on simulated three lesions of CT image. 18 VMAT SRT plans with varying lesions size, number and distance were simulated on patient CT image using Eclipse treatment planning system version 15.0. The plan consisted of 3 techniques in: 2 coplanar arcs SI (2 Arcs SI), 1 coplanar combine with 2 non-coplanar arcs SI (3 Arcs SI) and 1 coplanar and 2 non-coplanar arc DI (6 Arcs DI). The VMAT plans were generated with 21 Gy prescription dose to all lesions in 3 fractions. The plans were evaluated in terms of Conformity index (CIPaddick), Homogeneity index (HIICRU), and Gradient index (GIPaddick) for PTV and V12Gy and V6Gy for normal brain. The same dose constraints were used to optimize for all cases. The results showed that 6FFF was suitable energy to apply the technique comparison because it provides the best conformity and gradient parameters when compared to 6MV, 10MV and 10FFF energy. For the technique comparison when changing the size, number and distance between the lesions using energy 6FFF, it was found that 3 arcs SI and DI were improvement in average GI (14.79±5.83, 13.70±4.72) than the 2 arcs SI (17.56±6.15) while HI and CI values were comparable for all techniques. GIPADDICK and CIPADDICK of two techniques; 3 Arcs SI and 6 Arcs DI, were not significantly showed in results with p value while HI is slightly better in 6 Arcs DI (HIICRU p value= 0.01). For normal brain, V12Gy for 2 Arcs and 3 Arcs SI plans were comparable with DI and the volumes of normal brain receiving 6 Gy in 3 arcs SI and DI (77.40 ± 34.30 cm3, 68.94 ± 30.50 cm3) were better than 2 arcs SI (108.10 ± 57.20cm3). Moreover, the number of arcs and treatment time were increased by nearly 2-fold and inconvenience in practice in DI. In conclusion, 3 arcs non-coplanar SI VMAT technique was present the best in dosimetric evaluation in 2-5 lesions metastases SRT.
Effect of oxidative stress on microglial activation and iron accumulation
Authors:   , Suntawalimp Rattanakorn
Published: September 2023

Microglia are the glial cell in the central nervous system. They function as resident immune cells in the brain. Microglial activation was an increase in the normal aged brain and also more found in the aged brain with neurodegenerative disease. Activated microglial were found iron accumulation leading to increase ROS generation via the Fenton reaction. Therefore, the increase of microglial activation and iron accumulation is vulnerable to neuronal survival. However, the cause of iron accumulation in the activated microglia still unknown. This study hypothesized that oxidative stress which increases in the aged and neurodegenerative disease brain may cause microglial activation and also accumulate iron. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of oxidative stress to iron accumulation and microglial activation by exposing in the directly oxidative stress and the indirectly oxidative stress via astrocyte conditioned medium. These data demonstrated that the directly expose oxidative stress to microglia did not induce iron deposition while the indirectly oxidative stress via H2O2 astrocyte conditioned medium induced iron deposition and microglial activation. These microglia evidenced the marker of activated microglia as increased ferritin expression, elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α), increased ROS level, and decreased mitochondria membrane potential. In addition, iron accumulation was found in these microglia by interrupting the iron import protein (DMT1), and the iron export protein (FPN). In conclusion, iron accumulation in microglia is a consequence of indirect oxidative stress through astrocyte, not the result of direct oxidative stress.
Effect of JAK2 gene mutations on erythropoiesis using human induced pluripotent stem cells
Authors:   , Nilsri Nungruthai
Published: September 2023

Activating mutations affecting the JAK-STAT signal transduction is the genetic driver of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) which comprise polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and myelofibrosis. The JAK2p.V617F mutation can produce both erythrocytosis in PV and thrombocytosis in ET, while JAK2 exon 12 mutations cause only erythrocytosis. We hypothesized that these two mutations activated different intracellular signals. In this study, the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were used to model JAK2-mutated MPNs. Normal iPSCs underwent lentiviral transduction to overexpress JAK2p.V617F or JAK2p.N542_E543del (JAK2exon12) under a doxycycline-inducible system. The modified iPSCs were differentiated into erythroid cells. Compared with JAK2V617F-iPSCS, JAK2exon12-iPSCs yielded more total CD71+GlycophorinA+ erythroid cells (p value = 0.007), displayed more mature morphology and expressed more adult hemoglobin after doxycycline induction. Capillary Western immunoassay revealed significantly higher phospho-STAT1 but lower phospho-STAT3 and lower Phospho-AKT in JAK2exon12-iPSCs compared with those of JAK2V617F-iPSCs in response to erythropoietin. Furthermore, interferon alpha and arsenic trioxide were tested on these modified iPSCs to explore their potentials for MPN therapy. Both agents preferentially inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of the iPSCs expressing mutant JAK2 compared with those without doxycycline induction. In conclusion, the modified iPSC model can be used to investigate the mechanisms and search for new therapy of MPNs.
Qualitative and quantitative morphological study of flexor hallucis longus implicated in tendon harvesting and transfer
Authors:   , Wan-ae-loh Perin
Published: September 2023

Flexor hallucis longus (FHL) transfer is a widely used technique for reconstruction of Achilles tendinopathies, but the complications such as neurovascular injury and functional loss of toes have been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the morphology of FHL musculotendinous junction (MTJ), location of MKH in reference to the landmarks in foot, type and morphometry of tendinous interconnection between FHL and flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendons and FHL tendon length in single incision, double incision and minimally invasive techniques. The dissection was performed in 104 embalmed and 62 soft cadaveric feet. The result showed type 1 (87.3%) and type 3 (12.7%) of MTJ morphology. MKH was located proximal to interphalangeal joint of great toe (IP), under navicular tuberosity (NT) and distal to medial malleolus (MM) with medial plantar neurovascular bundle residing closely. Surface localization of MKH from medial end of plantar flexion crease at the base of great toes (MC) was 94.75 ± 8.43% of MC-NT length with a perpendicular distance of 25.11 ± 5.37 mm below MC-NT line. Three types of interconnection (I, II, V) were found. The most frequent type is type I (85.4 %) which had a slip directly from FHL and the mean distance of slip in all type was distal to MKH. In addition, a new type of connection was found in 6.1%. FHL tendon bifurcated into one tendon to the first toe and the other tendon fused with FDL tendon. Four types of slip distribution to lesser toes were defined in this study and type b with a distribution to 2nd and 3rd toes, was the majority. The length of FHL tendon in foot (in-situ) and after it was cut from the insertion (ex-vivo) was longest in minimally invasive technique (83% and 95% of foot length) and it had the moderate positive correlation to foot length. Moreover, there was a significant difference between in situ and ex vivo length in all techniques. In summary, the knowledge of this investigation might be helpful in order to enhance the clinical efficacy of foot and ankle surgery and minimize the potential complications.
Effects of moderate - intensity exercise training on cardiac angiogenic capacity and fibrosis in middle-aged and aged rats
Authors:   , Mekrungruangwong Titiporn
Published: September 2023

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of exercise training against age-induced the reduction of cardiac angiogenic capacity associated with p-Akt1, eNOS, Mdm2, p53, VEGF, and CD31 in rat hearts. Additionally, age-induced cardiac fibrosis association with TGF-β1 was also observed. Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups: Sedentary - young group (SE-Young, aged 4 months), Sedentary - middle-aged group (SE-Mid-Age, 14 months), Sedentary – aged group (SE-Age, aged 22 months), Exercise-trained middle-aged group (ET-Mid-Age, aged 14 months), and Exercise-trained -aged group (ET-Age, aged 22 months). In the SE- groups, rats were immersed individually for 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks in cylindrical tanks filled with water; depth of 5 cm, the temperature at 33-36 oC. In ET groups, rats swam individually for 60 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks in cylindrical tanks filled with water; depth of 50-55 cm, the temperature at 33-36 oC. After 8 weeks of exercise training, the rats were rest for 24 hours before the experiment. The rats were measured blood pressure and assessed the expression of p53, Mdm2, CD31, collagen accumulation by using immunohistochemistry and Masson's Trichrome Staining, respectively.  Heart homogenates were used for the assay of malondialdehyde levels (MDA) by using the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay (TBARS) and the levels of p-Akt1, eNOS, VEGF and TGF-β1 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our results showed that the SE-Age group had significantly high blood pressure when compared to the SE-Young and SE-Mid-Age. The ET-Age group showed significantly decreased blood pressure when compared to SE-Age.  The ET-Mid-Age group showed a lower blood pressure than in the SE-Mid-Age group, but not yet significant. The levels of p-Akt1, eNOS, VEGF, and CD31 were significantly increased in all ET groups when compared with SE–Mid-Age and SE-Age. Mdm2 levels were significantly increased in SE-Young when compared to SE-Mid-Age and SE-Age. Only Mdm2 levels in the ET-Age had a significant increase when compared to SE-Age, while no significant difference of p53 in all groups. The collagen accumulation and TGF-β1 levels were significantly increased in SE-Age when compared to SE-Young and exercise training could reduce these. Furthermore, tissue MDA in ET-Mid-Age and ET-Age rats were significantly reduced when compared to SE-Mid-Age and SE-Age control. Therefore, these results implied that the exercise training program used in this study prevented age-induced the reduction of angiogenic capacity and fibrosis, and these results were associated with its effects on oxidative stress, p-Akt, eNOS, Mdm2, p53, VEGF, CD31, and TGF-β1.
Association of Hypoxia Measured by Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) in OSA with Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Tests in Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Authors:   , Chokesuwattanaskul Anthipa
Published: September 2023

Objective: This study aims to study the cognitive profile, in particular, executive function, and structural changes of the brain in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with regards to the degree of hypoxia and the characteristics of hypoxia in middle-aged and older adults. Method: Newly diagnosed moderate or severe OSA patients from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand were recruited. Respiratory parameters from the polysomnography, neuropsychological test results, and MRI brain of each participant were obtained. Results: Seventeen OSA patients were included in the study, 8 (47%) men and 9 (53%) women. The median age was 57 years and the median AHI was 60.6. There was no correlation between cognitive test scores in any domain with parameters of hypoxia. There was no correlation between cortical thickness with parameters of hypoxia. Participants were then classified as having either severe or mild hypoxia based on parameters of hypoxia. Cortical thickness analysis comparing between the severe and mild group of each hypoxic feature revealed two clusters of cortical thinning at the right inferior frontal gyrus and right inferior parietal gyrus in the severe desaturation group and a cluster of cortical thinning at the superior parietal gyrus in the high oxygen desaturation index group. There was no difference in cognitive function or white matter integrity between groups. Conclusion: A higher degree of hypoxia in OSA is associated with an early change of gray matter in the frontal and parietal regions.
Enhancement of biofuel production in microalgae by genetic and physiological modification
Authors:   , Pattharaprachayakul Napisa
Published: September 2023

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms, which could be used as potential microbial cell factories by directly converting CO2 into valuable bioproducts and biofuels. This study aims to improve the target biofuel feedstocks from the isolated green alga Chlorella sp. and the engineered cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 in terms of the improvement on lipids (as precursors of FAMEs) and terpene (α-farnesene), respectively. The first part is concerned with the enhancement of lipids and the determination of FAMEs and biodiesel properties in Chlorella sp. under the phosphorus (P) limitation (0-50%) alone or in combination with heavy metals (Fe, Co, Pb) supplementation. The results showed that the highest yield of lipids was achieved under 0%P with 17 mM Co addition with 19% higher than the control. Moreover, the addition of low Pb concentrations could elevate the cell growth even under P limitation whereas the MUFAs, particularly palmitoleic acid (C16:1), was higher than PUFAs under most conditions. The overall biodiesel properties of the obtained FAMEs were of acceptable quality according to the standards (ASTM and EN). Additionally, the energy conversion from light energy to lipids was shown to be in the range of 10-16% conversion efficiency within 7 days, which corresponded to mixotrophic condition of microalgae cultures from previous studies. Hence, the physiological modification by stress treatments to cultures could offer the improvement of lipid content in microalgae although the genome database was not analyzed. Cyanobacterium S. elongatus PCC 7942 with available genomic database has advantages on genetic manipulation over the isolated Chlorella sp., thus the genetic modification was performed on S. elongatus PCC 7942 in this study. Herein, S. elongatus PCC 7942 was metabolically engineered for an enhanced production of α-farnesene by optimizing the ribosome-binding site (RBS) of the codon-optimized farnesene synthase gene. The production of α-farnesene was found to be enhanced in strains with a low translation initiation rate, resulting in α-farnesene productivity of 0.57 mg/L/day. Using the RBS variants and random mutation, the fluorescence-based analysis was done on cells grown in 96-well culture plates to screen the α-farnesene-producing strains, and the results showed no improvement in the titers by the RBS-optimized strains. However, evolutionary engineering of the RBS-optimized strains resulted in a two-fold increase in α-farnesene productivity (1.2 mg/L/day) compared to the previous study. Therefore, combining metabolic and evolutionary engineering might be helpful for enhancing the cellular fitness of cyanobacteria for the production of target chemicals.
Effect of Canagliflozin on liver steatosis in obese non diabetic patients with non-alcoholicfatty liver disease: A double blind randomized controlled trial
Authors:   , Tontivuthikul Borwonkhun
Published: September 2023

Objective: To demonstrate whether treatment with canagliflozin had an effect on liver steatosis in obese non-diabetic patients with NAFLD  compared with the control group

Methods: 82 nondiabetic patients with BMI 25-35 kg/m2 underwent 24 weeks of double blind randomized controlled trial with combined canagliflozin 100 mg daily with diet-lifestyle modification or placebo with diet-lifestyle modification (500 calories restriction and moderate intensity aerobic exercise). Primary outcome was the change in Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) representing hepatic steatosis. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) representing liver stiffness/fibrosis and other secondary outcomes including changes in body weight, fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, liver function test and FIB-4 index were also evaluated.

Results: At week 24, the Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) in the canagliflozin group showed a  decreasing trend compared with the control group (-13.8 +/- 40.6 db/m vs -0.6 +/- 42.9 db/m, P = 0.168). Significant weight loss was achieved in the canagliflozin group compared with the control group (-1.97 +/- 2.14 kg vs -0.14 +/- 2.57 kg, P = 0.001). A prespecified subgroup analysis in patients with impaired fasting plasma glucose and in those with hepatitis demonstrated significant reduction in CAP (-40.00 +/- 30.7 vs 16.36 +/- 42.60, P = 0.004 and -34.75 +/- 40.84 vs 14.86 +/- 38.36, P = 0.031, respectively).

Conclusion: Treatment with Canagliflozin resulted in a significant weight reduction and may improve hepatic steatosis  in obese non-diabetic patients with NAFLD especially in those with impaired fasting plasma glucose or hepatitis.
Serum microRNA profile and serum neuron specific enolase, S-100, and interleukin-6 level as biomarkers for differentiating acute vertigo between cerebellar or brainstem infarction and peripheral vertigo
Authors:   , Kijpaisalratana Naruchorn
Published: September 2023

Background and PurposeAcute vertigo is a common presentation of inner ear disease. However, it can also be caused by more serious conditions, especially posterior circulation stroke. Differentiation between these 2 conditions by clinical presentations and imaging studies during acute phase can be challenging. This study aims to evaluate the serum microRNA profile and serum neuron specific enolase (NSE), S-100, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) level as potential biomarkers to differentiate between patients with central vertigo due to cerebellar or brainstem infarction and peripheral vertigo.MethodsIn the discovery phase, miRNA expression profiling was performed by Nanostring nCounter Technology in serum of patients with central vertigo due to cerebellar or brainstem infarction (n=3) and peripheral vertigo (n=3) during acute phase within 72 hours after vertigo onset (day 0) and on day 90. MiRNAs that expressed only in acute phase of patients with stroke were selected as potential candidates. Subsequent validation was performed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in the serum of patients with posterior circulation stroke (n=23) and peripheral vertigo (n=35). The serum NSE, S100 and interleukin-6 (IL-6) measurements were performed by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA).ResultsIn the discovery phase, miR-342-3p, miR-376-3p, and miR-433-5p were identified by Nanostring nCounter Technology as potential biomarker candidates. In subsequent validation phase, serum miR-433-5p was the only miRNA expressed at significantly high levels in patients with central vertigo during acute phase (median (IQR) central: 92.13 (49.06-183.2) copies/µL vs. peripheral: 53.45 (35.37-102.3) copies/µL, P=0.0056). Only miR-433-5p had discriminative ability to differentiate between central and peripheral vertigo with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.71. Using a serum miR-433-5p cut off at level >46 copies/µL, the sensitivity and specificity were 87% and 49% respectively. Both S100 (central: 0.111 (0.049-0.335) µg/L vs. peripheral: 0.054 (0.039-0.082) µg/L, P=0.005),  and IL-6 central: 7.42 (4.23-14.47) pg/mL vs. peripheral: 2.44 (0.70-4.68) pg/mL, P< 0.001) had significantly higher level in patients with central vertigo.ConclusionThis is the first study to demonstrate the potential of serum miR-433-5p as a biomarker to differentiate between cerebellar or brainstem infarction and peripheral vertigo among patients with acute vertigo.
A causal model of sexual abstinence in Thai female adolescents
Authors:   , Wannarit La-ongdao
Published: September 2023

This study aimed to develop and test a causal model of sexual abstinence in Thai female adolescents guiding by the Health Promotion Model of Pender, Murdaugh and, Parsons (2015). Data were collected from 654 first-year female students studying in six higher education institutions and six high-vocational schools in Thailand. Validity and reliability of 6 existing measures and 2 newly developed measures were established prior to data collection. The causal model was analyzed using Mplus program.

It was found that the causal model of sexual abstinence fit the empirical data with Chi-square (χ2) = 434.344, p<0.05, degrees of freedom (df) = 173, χ2/df = 2.51, Comparative fit Index (CFI) = 0.967, Tucker-Lewis Fit Index (TLI) = 0.955, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.048, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) = 0.041. Sixty-eight percent of the variance in Thai female adolescents’ sexual abstinence was explained by child-rearing promoting sexual abstinence, commitment to a plan of sexual abstinence, perceived benefits, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived barriers. Among these five variables, the child-rearing promoting sexual abstinence had the largest total effect on sexual abstinence, followed by commitment to a plan of sexual abstinence, perceived benefits, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived barriers, respectively.

This model can be used by healthcare providers to promote sexual abstinence in Thai female adolescents.
Proximal caries detection on smartphone display
Authors:   , Lappanakokiat Napas
Published: September 2023

The aim of this study was to compare diagnostic accuracy in proximal caries detection between bitewing radiographs exported from PACS software and taken with a smartphone viewed in a smartphone display. A total of 200 proximal surfaces from digital bitewing radiographs were included in this study. Images of all radiographs were captured from a medical-grade and a common display by an iPhone 8 Plus and stored as JPEG files. Exported DICOM files were converted into JPEG format and transferred to the smartphone used for image capturing. Each proximal surface was rated by 7 observers with 5-point-scale. Weighted kappa test was used to determine intra- and inter-observer agreements. Three certified oral radiologists evaluated the same images on the medical-grade display. Obtained consensus was used to calculate sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and generate ROC curves. T-test and one-way ANOVA were used to compare mean AUC between dentinal and enamel caries and among three image acquiring methods.

The result showed that inter- and intra-observer agreement ranged from “moderate” to “almost perfect”. Comparison of mean AUC showed significant higher value in group of exported images. While there was no significant difference between group of images captured from a medical-grade display and images captured from a common display. Significant differences between mean AUC in detection of dentinal caries were seen in all image groups. For enamel caries, only mean AUC in group of exported images was significantly higher.

Detection of proximal caries should be done using directly exported images from PACS software. Captured images should be evaluated with caution since considerable factors can affect image quality.
Use of digital panoramic radiographs as a screening tool for diagnosis of osteoporosis in Thai postmenopausal women
Authors:   , Chongruangsri Net-nada
Published: September 2023

Purpose:  To investigate the correlation between panoramic radiographic indices and osteoporosis, and to determine whether digital panoramic radiographs could be used as a screening tool for the diagnosis of osteoporosis in Thai postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods:  A cross-sectional study of sixty Thai postmenopausal women with and without osteoporosis. The subjects were divided into three groups based on diagnosis by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA): normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis equally in each group. The panoramic radiographic indices measured were mental index (MI) and mandibular cortical index (MCI). Pearson’s correlation test was performed to analyze any correlation between MI, MCI, and BMD (Bone Mineral Density) T-scores. To determine the ability of the indices to classify disease and investigate the cut-off value of MI for diagnosis of osteoporosis, the receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed. The P value was set at 0.05. Results: The MCI  was significantly different in the 3 different groups (p<0.001). There were correlations between the panoramic radiographic indices and BMD in the regions of the hip bone and the lumbar spine. MI was positively correlated with BMDs: lumbar spine: r=0.566, femoral neck: r= 0.554, and total hip: r= 0.524 (p<0.001). The MCI was negatively correlated with BMDs: lumbar spine: r= -0.514, femoral neck: r= -0.507, total hip: r=-0.513 (p<0.001). The cut-off value of MI for the reduced skeletal bone mineral density groups (both osteopenia and osteoporosis groups) was 3.9 mm and for the diagnosis of osteoporosis was 3.8 mm.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that MI and MCI can be used as a screening tool for diagnosis of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
Comparison the accuracy of implant position between static and dynamic computer-assisted implant surgery with two-implant support fixed partial prosthesis
Authors:   , Yimarj Paweena
Published: September 2023

Objectives: To compare the accuracy of position and parallelity of two implants, using static and dynamic CAIS systems.

Materials & Methods: 30 patients received two implants randomly allocated to 2 different CAIS systems. Optimal implant position and absolute parallelity was planned based on preoperative CBCT. Implants were placed using surgical guide (static CAIS, n = 15) and real time navigation (dynamic CAIS, n = 15). Implant 3-dimentional deviation and parallelity was calculated after surgery.

Results: The mean deviation at implant platform, apex and angulation in the static and dynamic  CAIS group was 1.04 ± 0.67 mm, 1.54 ± 0.79 mm, 4.08 ± 1.69 degree and 1.24 ± 0.39 mm, 1.58 ± 0.56 mm, 3.78 ± 1.84 degree respectively. The parallelity achieved between two placed implants in static and dynamic CAIS groups were 4.32 ± 2.44 degrees and 3.55 ± 2.29 degrees respectively. There were no significant differences in all parameters between two groups.

Conclusions: Static and dynamic CAIS provides similar accuracy of the 3d implant position and parallelity between two implants.
Utilization of modified mRNA encoding bone morphogenetic protein-2 for periodontal regeneration: an in vitro study
Authors:   , Kulthanaamondhita Promphakkon
Published: September 2023

Current modalities for periodontal regeneration provide modest success, however complete periodontal regeneration is still not achievable. Recently in vitro synthesized nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (mRNA) has emerged as a novel platform in regenerative medicine. The aims of this study are to investigate the ability of human periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs), clinically relevant target cells, to produce bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), a significant protein for bone formation after transfected with modified mRNA that encode this protein. We investigated the ability of translated protein for enhancing PDLC proliferation and promotes endothelial cell tube formation, marker of angiogenesis. Isolated PDLCs from healthy periodontal tissue were transfected with N1-methylpseudouridine modified mRNA encoding BMP-2 complexed with transfecting agent, Lipofectamine 2000. Cell lysates and supernatants were collected at 24, 48 and 72 hours (h) after transfection for protein production by ELISA and cell viability by AlamarBlue assay. 

High levels of BMP-2 production were detected intracellulary and extracellulary. Secreted BMP-2 gradually increased up to 72 h. Cell viability was maintained above 90% throughout the observation period. The post-transfection supernatants were able to promote PDLC proliferation and endothelial cell tube formation. In conclusion, transfection of PDLCs with N1-methylpseudouridine modified mRNA encoding BMP-2 in lipofectamine 2000 led to high levels of functional BMP-2 protein. Using the in vitro synthesized nucleoside-modified mRNA may allow future application as novel therapeutics platform for periodontal regeneration, however further researches are required.