bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Socioeconomic determinants of happiness of the elderly in Bhutan
Authors:   , Duba Tashi 
Published: September 2023

Elderly in Bhutan are rising steadily as a proportion of total population. In 2015, population older than 60 constituted about 7.3% of the total population compared to 6.9% in 2010. By 2030, the elderly population is estimated to reach 10.1% of total population. Along with growing numbers of elderly in Bhutan and rapid socioeconomic transformations, the individual-level of happiness decreases with age, the lowest being among the elderly (the Gross National Happiness Index surveys of 2010 and 2015 and Bhutan Living Standard Survey 2012). Nevertheless, there is limited literature exploring factors that are associated with happiness of the elderly.

This study examined the happiness status and analyzed the determinants of happiness among the elderly population aged 60 years old and over. The Bhutan Living Standard Survey 2012 was used because it provides a nationwide representative sample of 3,211 elderly population. This study showed that in 2012 only about 85% of the Bhutanese elderly were happy. Binary logistics regression was employed to examine the association between outcome variable happiness and a set of variables, including individual and demographic characteristics, living arrangement, social capital and economic factors. Findings showed that region, living arrangement, social capital, absolute and relative economic situations in the elderly’s view, and their religiosity are strongly associated with elderly happiness.

The results of this study emphasize roles for government – to develop income security for Bhutanese elderly by introducing home-based income generating programs; develop a long-term old-age policy, introduce a public pension system; and improve social environment and conditions that strengthen family relationship, based on area and region. Those policies will uplift the life, dignity and, most of all, the happiness of the entire Bhutanese elderly population.
Relationship between depression and metabolic syndrome in working age population In Bangkok
Authors:   , Sujinnapram Matthawan 
Published: September 2023

The objectives of this observational descriptive cross-sectional study were to determine the prevalences of depression and metabolic syndrome and to examine the relationship between depression and metabolic syndrome and dietary pattern in working age people in Bangkok. The samples were 446 participants (123 males and 323 females) aged 20 and over who received an annual health examination 2017. The metabolic syndrome was defined by NCEP ATP III criteria. The data on waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, depression score, and dietary pattern were collected. The relationship between depression and metabolic syndrome and dietary patterns were evaluated.

The results showed that the prevalence of depression and metabolic syndrome were 29.4% and 12.6%, respectively. There was no relationship between depression and metabolic syndrome (p = 0.423). The analysis of depression and dietary pattern showed that intakes of whole grains (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.09-3.00, p = 0.021), vegetables (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.09-2.49 p = 0.025) and fruits (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.09-2.94 p = 0.017) 3 days and below per week were significantly related to depression. This study illustrated that dietary pattern is one of the factors that influences the symptoms of depression. Increased consumption of whole grains, vegetables and fruits may help reduce risk of depression.
Effect of stapled α-helical mastermind like 1 (SAHM1) peptide conjugated with gold nanoparticles toward notch signaling pathway in human leukemia Jurkat cell
Authors:   , Subkod Chonnicha 
Published: September 2023

Currently, cancer is the top cause of death in Thailand and caused by the growth and spreading of abnormal cells in an uncontrolled manner. For T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), it was found that gene of encoding protein Notch is often mutated. In T-ALL, Notch signaling pathway is hyperactivated resulting in uncontrolled cell division. There are many types of cancer treatment such as surgery and chemotherapy but both approaches have serious side effects. Therefore, development of target drug delivery system is needed. In this study, the objective was to develop specific target drug delivery system by using gold nanoparticle (AuNP) as a vector of stapled α-helical peptide from Mastermind-like1 (SAHM1) for inhibition of Notch signaling pathway in T cell leukemia cell line (Jurkat), SAHM1 is smaller than its original protein and rapidly absorbed into cells. In cytotoxicity test by MTT assay, the 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of SAHM1 against Jurkat cell was 17.54±5.17 µM at 72 h. Conjugation of SAHM1 to AuNP linked by polyethylene glycol (SAHM1-PEG-AuNP) at the concentration of 16.25, 31.3 and 62.5 µM was characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy. The result showed the shift peak of the conjugate at 527 nm, when compared with the 523 nm peak of 40 nm AuNP. This result indicated that SAHM1 was successfully conjugated to AuNP. In the cytotoxicity test by MTT assay, the cytotoxicity of SAHM1-PEG-AuNP was increased significantly when compared with unconjugated SAHM1. Cellular uptake and localization was detected by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The result demonstrated that SAHM1-PEG-AuNP localized in the cytoplasm of Jurkat cell line, while unconjugated AuNP was found outside of Jurkat cell line. The effect of SAHM1-PEG-AuNP on Notch signaling pathway was measured by qPCR of the Notch target genes (HES1, HEY1 and MYC). The result showed that the mRNA level of Notch target genes in SAHM1-PEG-AuNP treated cells did not significantly decrease. Collectively, these results indicated that AuNP could be used as the cell-penetrating carrier of SAHM1 in order to kill cancer cell lines. This result opens a new way for drug and new cancer treatment in the future.
In vitro Effect of L-ascorbic acid on gingival fibroblast to regulate wound healing.
Authors:   , Chaitrakoonthong Tatcha 
Published: September 2023

Background and Objective: Besides closing the wound by intrinsic properties like migration and proliferation, gingival fibroblasts produce a major source of extracellular matrix especially collagen and play a major role in oral wound healing. Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid has diverse functions in the body, including an essential role in hydroxylation reactions which is necessary for collagen formation. Whether L-ascorbic acid can promote gingival wound healing through inducing proliferation of fibroblasts is of our interest. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of L-ascorbic acid on gingival fibroblasts behaviors to promote wound healing in vitro.

Materials and Methods: Primary human gingival fibroblasts isolated from gingival tissue from healthy volunteers were rinsed 3 times a day with medium containing L-ascorbic acid of various concentrations. Local effect of L-ascorbic acid rinsing on in vitro wound healing was assessed by mean of Scratch-test assay. Cell migration, cell proliferation and extracellular matrix production were analyzed by transwell-migration assay, MTT assay and real-time RT-PCR respectively.

Result: Rinsing with vitamin C at concentration of 10 and 20 µg/ml accelerated fibroblast migration in transwell-migration assay but no significant effect on cell proliferation and in vitro wound closure. However, rinsing with vitamin C at higher concentration (50 µg/ml) significantly delayed wound closure comparing with the control group (p value=0.05). This data was in accordance with cell viability assessed by MTT assay demonstrating that Vitamin C at concentration above 50 µg/ml significantly reduced fibroblasts proliferation. However, real time PCR demonstrated that vitamin C at 50 µg/ml significantly increased expression of COL1, FN, IL-6 and bFGF, molecules related to wound healing.

Conclusion: Vitamin C at various concentrations differentially affect wound healing capability of gingiva fibroblast. Vitamin C is safe and can be prescribed to patients after oral surgery. However, suitable duration and appropriate drug administration method should be adjusting to maximize it benefit and further clinical study is required.
Comparative study of in vivo bone regeneration using chitosan/dicarboxylic acid scaffold implanted with human periodontal ligament cells
Authors:   , Sukpaita Teerawat 
Published: September 2023

After tooth loss, a consequent atrophy of the alveolar process always takes place and adversely affect the reconstruction process especially by dental implant. A novel chitosan/dicarboxylic acid scaffold (CS/DA scaffold) has been developed and proven to be an excellent candidate material in bone tissue engineering. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a CS/DA scaffold with and without seeded primary human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) in mouse calvarial defect model. Eighteen mice were divided into 3 groups of 6 each. Four-millimeter calvarial defects were created on both side of parietal bone and implanted with either CS/DA scaffold or CS/DA scaffold with hPDLCs. The empty bony defects were kept as control. New bone formation was assessed using microcomputed tomography and histological analyses 6 and 12 weeks after surgery. Results showed that In vivo bone regeneration at 6 and 12 weeks was significantly enhanced by CS/DA scaffold alone and CS/DA scaffold implanted with hPDLCs (P <0.05). Histological staining confirmed these findings and impressive new bone formation was observed in CS/DA scaffold and CS/DA scaffold with hPDLCs compared with control.

Conclusion: Our study proposes CS/DA scaffold as a novel bone regenerative material with good osteoinductive/osteoconductive properties.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Catalytic ethanol dehydration to diethyl ether over palladium-modified phosphorus gamma alumina catalysts
Authors:   , Khaochartchai Chakkrit 
Published: September 2023

The gamma alumina (γ-Al2O3) catalyst was modified with phosphorous (P) by acid activation technique and palladium (Pd) by the incipient wetness impregnation technique. The obtained catalysts were characterized with various techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), N2 physisorption, ammonia temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition, these modified catalysts were tested in ethanol dehydration reaction in a fixed-bed microreactor to determine ethanol conversion and product yield at the atmospheric pressure with temperatures ranging from 200-400oC. From the results, the phosphorous modification diminished the amount of moderate to strong acid sites leading to increased amount of weak acid sites. The phosphorous modified catalyst exhibited the highest diethyl ether yield of 38.41% at the temperature of 350°C. Furthermore, the phosphorous addition on catalyst significantly decreased the amount of coke deposition on the catalyst surface. The Pd-modified catalyst likely acted as the chemical promoter of catalyst resulting in increased ethanol conversion at low temperature. Nevertheless, the presence of Pd on catalysts enhanced the dehydrogenation reaction to produce acetaldehyde as a major product at low temperature ca. 200°C.
ผลของวัตถุเจือปนประเภทคาร์โบไฮเดรตต่อสมบัติของเพสต์และเจลสตาร์ชข้าว
Authors:   , ธาราสุข ไชยพรรณ 
Published: September 2023

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาผลของวัตถุเจือปนประเภทคาร์โบไฮเดรตต่อสมบัติของเพสต์และเจลสตาร์ชข้าวเจ้า วัตถุเจือปนที่ใช้ในงานวิจัยนี้แบ่งเป็น 2 กลุ่ม กลุ่มแรกได้แก่ น้ำตาลและน้ำตาลแอลกอฮอล์ (กลูโคส ฟรุกโทส และซอร์บิทอล) และกลุ่มที่สองได้แก่ ออลิโกแซ็กคาไรด์และพอลิแซ็กคาไรด์ที่มีสมบัติเป็นพรีไบโอติก (พอลิเด็กซ์โทรส ฟรุกโทออลิโกแซ็กคาไรด์ และอินูลิน) โดยเติมวัตถุเจือปนในปริมาณ 5, 10, 20, และ 30% โดยน้ำหนักของสตาร์ช จากการติดตามพฤติกรรมการเกิดเพสต์ของสตาร์ชข้าวพบว่าเมื่อความเข้มข้นของน้ำตาลหรือน้ำตาลแอลกอฮอล์เพิ่มขึ้น อุณหภูมิการเกิดเพสต์มีแนวโน้มเพิ่มสูงขึ้น ในขณะที่ความหนืดสูงสุดมีแนวโน้มลดลง นอกจากนี้ความหนืดเบรกดาวน์และความหนืดเซ็ตแบ็กก็มีแนวโน้มลดลงด้วย ในด้านสมบัติทางความร้อนพบว่าอุณหภูมิและเอนทาลปีของการเกิดเจลาทิไนเซชันมีแนวโน้มเพิ่มสูงขึ้นตามความเข้มข้นของน้ำตาลหรือน้ำตาลแอลกอฮอล์ที่เพิ่มขึ้น โดยกลูโคสและซอร์บิทอลทำให้อุณหภูมิและเอนทาลปีของการเกิดเจลาทิไนเซชันของสตาร์ชข้าวเพิ่มขึ้นได้สูงสุด ในแง่การเกิดรีโทรเกรเดชัน พบว่าเอนทาลปีของการหลอมผลึกแอมิโลเพกทินของตัวอย่างที่เติมกลูโคสและซอร์บิทอลมีค่าต่ำกว่าตัวอย่างที่เติมฟรุกโทสที่ความเข้มข้นเท่ากัน ซึ่งชี้ให้เห็นว่ากลูโคสและซอร์บิทอลมีประสิทธิภาพในการชะลอการเกิดรีโทรเกรเดชันได้ดีกว่าฟรุกโทส นอกจากนี้จากการติดตามการเปลี่ยนแปลงของปริมาณของส่วนเสมือนของแข็งพบว่ามีแนวโน้มเพิ่มสูงขึ้นตามระยะเวลาการเก็บรักษาที่เพิ่มขึ้นในทุกตัวอย่าง โดยตัวอย่างควบคุมมีอัตราการเพิ่มขึ้นของส่วนเสมือนของแข็งสูงกว่าเจลสตาร์ชที่เติมน้ำตาลและน้ำตาลแอลกอฮอล์โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งในช่วง 14 วันแรกของการเก็บรักษา ในแง่ความสามารถในการเคลื่อนที่ของน้ำในเจลสตาร์ชพบว่ามีแนวโน้มลดลงเมื่อระยะเวลาการเก็บรักษาเพิ่มขึ้น ซึ่งอาจเป็นผลมาจากน้ำถูกจับไว้โดยองค์ประกอบอื่นภายในระบบ เช่น การเกิดไฮเดรชันกับผลึกสตาร์ช โดยตัวอย่างควบคุมมีการลดลงของ 1H NMR T1 และ T2 สูงที่สุด สำหรับผลของการเติมพรีไบโอติกพบว่าการเติมพรีไบโอติกมีผลสำคัญต่อพฤติกรรมการเกิดเพสต์ของสตาร์ชข้าว โดยเมื่อความเข้มข้นของพรีไบโอติกเพิ่มสูงขึ้น อุณหภูมิการเกิดเพสต์มีแนวโน้มเพิ่มสูงขึ้น ในขณะที่ความหนืดสูงสุดมีแนวโน้มลดลง เมื่อเปรียบเทียบที่ความเข้มข้นเท่ากัน ความหนืดสูงสุดของตัวอย่างที่เติมอินูลินมีค่าสูงกว่าตัวอย่างที่เติม พอลิเด็กซ์โทรสหรือฟรุกโทออลิโกแซ็กคาไรด์ เมื่อความเข้มข้นของพรีไบโอติกเพิ่มขึ้นพบว่าความหนืดเบรกดาวน์และความหนืดเซ็ตแบ็กมีแนวโน้มลดลง สำหรับสมบัติทางความร้อนพบว่าอุณหภูมิของการเกิดเจลาทิไนเซชันเพิ่มสูงขึ้นตามความเข้มข้นของพรีไบโอติกที่เพิ่มขึ้น ในขณะที่เอนทาลปีในการเกิดเจลาทิไนเซชันลดลงเล็กน้อย การเติมพรีไบโอติกสามารถชะลอการเกิดรีโทรเกรเดชันของสตาร์ชข้าว โดยตัวอย่างที่เติมอินูลินมีเอนทาลปีของการหลอมผลึกแอมิโลเพกทินต่ำกว่าตัวอย่างที่เติมพอลิเด็กซ์โทรสและฟรุกโทออลิโกแซ็กคาไรด์ที่ความเข้มข้นเท่ากัน ซึ่งสอดคล้องกับการเปลี่ยนแปลงของปริมาณส่วนเสมือนของแข็ง ที่พบว่าเจลสตาร์ชที่เติมพรีไบโอติกมีการเพิ่มขึ้นของส่วนเสมือนของแข็งในอัตราที่ต่ำกว่าตัวอย่างควบคุม ในด้านความสามารถในการเคลื่อนที่ของน้ำ การเติมพรีไบโอติกทำให้ 1H NMR T1 และ T2 ลดลงในอัตราที่ช้ากว่าเมื่อเทียบกับตัวอย่างควบคุม โดยสรุปพบว่าวัตถุเจือปนคาร์โบไฮเดรตที่ใช้ในงานวิจัยนี้ทำให้สตาร์ชเกิดเจลาทิไนเซชันได้ยากขึ้น ในขณะเดียวกันก็ทำให้สตาร์ชแกรนูลทนทานต่อความร้อนและแรงเฉือนมากขึ้น รวมทั้งช่วยชะลอการเกิดรีโทรเกรเดชัน