• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권12호
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• pp.4885-4890
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• 2015

Background: Helicobacter pylori plays an important role in gastric cancer and typical eradication regimens are no longer effective in many countries, including Thailand. The aim of our study was to compare the effect of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Streptococcus thermophillus on tailored triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication. Materials and Methods: This prospective single-center study was conducted in Thailand. Helicobacter pylori associated gastritis patients were randomized to 2 groups: group 1 (n=100) was tailored triple therapy with placebo (esomeprazole 20 mg bid, clarithromycin 500 mg bid or metronidazole 400 mg tid if clarithromycin resistance and amoxicillin 1000 mg bid), and group 2 was tailored triple therapy plus pretreatment with probiotic containing yogurt. Successful eradication was defined as both negative histology and negative rapid urease test at four weeks after treatment. Results: A total of 200 infected patients were enrolled. PP analysis involved 194 patients: 96 in the tailored triple therapy with placebo group (group 1) and 98 the in tailored triple therapy plus pretreatment with probiotic containing yogurt group (group 2). Successful eradication was observed in 170 (87.6%) patients; by PP analysis, the eradication rate was significantly higher in group 2 (P = 0.04, 95%CI; 0.02-0.13) than in group 1. ITT analysis also showed that the value was significantly higher in the tailored triple threapy plus pretreatment with probiotic containing yogurt group (group 2) (89/100; 89%) than in the tailored triple therapy with placebo group (group 1) (P= 0.01, 95%CI; 0.04-0.15). In terms of adverse events, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions: Pretreatment with probiotic containing yogurt can improve Helicobacter pylori eradication rates with tailored triple therapy. Adding probiotics does not reduce adverse effects of the medication.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.259-263
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• 2015

Background: In the field of cancer, the ICD-10 coding convention is based on the site of a neoplasm in the body and usually ignores the morphology, thus the same code may be assigned to tumors of different morphologic types in an organ. Nowadays, all general (provincial) and center hospitals in Thailand are equipped with the hospital information system (HIS) database. Objective: This study aimed to find the characteristics and magnitude of agreement represented by the positive predictive value (PPV) of provisional cancer diagnoses in the HIS database in Pattani Hospital in Thailand in comparison with the final cancer diagnosis of the ICD-10 codes generated from a well established cancer registry in Songklanagarind Hospital, the medical school hospital of Prince of Songkla University. Materials and Methods: Data on cancer patients residing in Pattani province who visited Pattani Hospital from January 2007 to May 2011 were obtained from the HIS database. The ICD-10 codes of the HIS computer database of Pattani Hospital were compared against the ICD-10 codes of the same person recorded in the hospital-based cancer registry of Songklanagarind Hospital. The degree of agreement or positive predictive value (PPV) was calculated for each sex and for both sexes combined. Results: A total of 313 cases (15.9%) could be matched in the two databases. Some 222 cases, 109 males and 113 females, fulfilled the criteria of referral from Pattani to Songklanagarind Hospitals. Of 109 male cancer cases, 76 had the same ICD-10 codes in both hospitals, thus, the PPV was 69.7% (95%CI: 60.2-78.2%). Agreement in 76 out of 113 females gave a PPV of 67.3% (95%CI: 57.8-75.8%). The two percentages were found non-significant with Fisher's exact p-value of 0.773. The PPV for combined cases of both sexes was 68.5% (95%CI: 61.9-74.5%). Conclusions: Changes in final diagnosis in the referral system are common, thus the summary statistics of a hospital without full investigation facilities must be used with care, as the statistics are biased towards simple diseases able to be investigated by available facilities. A systematic feedback of patient information from a tertiary to a referring hospital should be considered to increase the accuracy of statistics and to improve the comprehensive care of cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권11호
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• pp.4981-4984
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• 2016

Background: Adnexal torsion results in ischemia of structures distal to twisted pedicle and acute onset of pain is responsible for about 3% of all gynecologic emergencies. Ovarian torsion classically occurs in a pathological enlarged ovary, as with cancer, but diagnosis remains a challenge. Objective: Our purpose was to evaluate clinical risk factors predictive of torsion with gangrenous adnexa. Material and methods: A retrospective descriptive study and chart review of surgically proven ovarian torsion/adnexal torsion cases at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Prapokklao Hospital, Chanthaburi, Thailand between January 2011 and December 2015 was conducted. Result: Seventy-eight cases were identified. Mean age at presentation was 35.5 years. The average maximum diameter of the ovarian tumors was 10.8 cm. The percentage of gangrenous ovarian cysts in this study was 46.2 (36/78). The precision to determine the pathological site by patient, physician and ultrasonography was 8.5, 24.2 and 83.3 percent, respectively with statistically significant variation. Conclusion: Ovarian/adnexal torsion remains a challenge condition especially in young nulliparous women. Sophisticated investigation does not guarantee ovary preservation. Combining clinical acumen, appropriate tests and detailed consideration may be the best practice at the present time.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.313-331
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• 2017

This paper exhibits the concept of Triple Helix model to explain and link university-industry-government (Triple Helix) connections to national innovation systems theory. The driver of this paper is to test the dynamics of Triple Helix concept under national innovation system in the Association of South East Asian Countries (ASEAN)-5 economies. Panel econometric analysis with cross-sectional dependence (CD) test is applied to investigate the relationship amongst Triple Helix variables. The empirical analysis employs innovation indicators of five founding ASEAN countries namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand for the period of 2000-2015 from an existing WDI and WCY database. Econometric results support the two research questions of this study; firstly, there is a significant relationship between innovation outcome and its key drivers under Triple Helix context of National Innovation System in ASEAN-5 economies; secondly, the extent of the relationship among government R&D expenditure with high-tech productions are positive and significant while new ideas coming from universities as scientific publications and high-tech production have positive relationship but not significant yet in ASEAN-5 countries. Overall labor productivity is positive and significant with innovation outcomes in ASEAN-5.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권18호
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• pp.8605-8611
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• 2016

The reliability of using diagnostic binary ratios of particulate carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as chemical tracers for source characterisation was assessed by collecting PM10 samples from various air quality observatory sites in Thailand. The major objectives of this research were to evaluate the effects of day and night on the alterations of six different PAH diagnostic binary ratios: An/(An + Phe), Fluo/(Fluo + Pyr), B[a]A/(B[a]A + Chry), B[a]P/(B[a]P + B[e]P), Ind/(Ind + B[g,h,i]P), and B[k]F/Ind, and to investigate the impacts of site-specific conditions on the alterations of PAH diagnostic binary ratios by applying the concept of the coefficient of divergence (COD). No significant differences between day and night were found for any of the diagnostic binary ratios of PAHs, which indicates that the photodecomposition process is of minor importance in terms of PAH reduction. Interestingly, comparatively high values of COD for An/(An + Phe) in PM10 collected from sites with heavy traffic and in residential zones underline the influence of heterogeneous reactions triggered by oxidising gaseous species from vehicular exhausts. Therefore, special attention must be paid when interpreting the data of these diagnostic binary ratios, particularly for cases of low-molecular-weight PAHs.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제7권9호
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• pp.95-104
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• 2020

In financial economics studies, the autoregressive model has been a workhorse for a long time. However, the model has a fixed value on every parameter and requires the stationarity assumptions. Time-varying coefficient autoregressive model that we use in this paper offers some desirable benefits over the traditional model such as the parameters are allowed to be varied over-time and can be applies to non-stationary financial data. This paper provides the Monte Carlo simulation studies which show that the model can capture the dynamic movement of parameters very well, even though, there are some sudden changes or jumps. For the daily data from January 1, 2015 to February 12, 2020, our paper provides the empirical studies that Thailand, Taiwan and Tokyo Stock market Index can be explained very well by the time-varying coefficient autoregressive model with lag order one while South Korea's stock index can be explained by the model with lag order three. We show that the model can unveil the non-linear shape of the estimated mean. We employ GJR-GARCH in the condition variance equation and found the evidences that the negative shocks have more impact on market's volatility than the positive shock in the case of South Korea and Tokyo.

• 한국수자원학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국수자원학회 2015년도 학술발표회
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• pp.211-211
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• 2015

Mekong River is the world's $10^{th}$ longest river and runs through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. And Tonle Sap Lake, the largest fresh water body in Southeast Asia and the heart of Mekong River system, covers an area $2,500-3,000Km^2$ in dry season and $10,000-16,000Km^2$ in wet season. As previously noted, the water within Sap river flows from the Mekong River to Tonle Sap Lake in flood season (between June and October) and backward to Mekong River in dry season. Recently the flow regime of Sap River might be significantly affected by the development of large dams in upstream region of Mekong River. This paper aims at basic study about the large scale flood inundation of Cambodia using by CAESAR-Lisflood. CAESAR-Lisflood is a geomorphologic / Landscape evolution model that combines the Lisflood-FP 2d hydrodynamic flow model (Bates et al, 2010) with the CAESAR geomorphic model to simulate flow hydrograph and erosion/deposition in river catchments and reaches over time scales from hours to 1000's of years. This model is based on the simplified full Saint-Venant Equation so that it can simulate the interacted flow of between Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake especially focusing on the flow direction change of Sap River by season.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.861-872
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• 2021

This study examines the relationship between board characteristics and capital structure. Data was collected from the annual reports of listed companies in the Stock Exchange of Thailand, from 2015 to 2017, which totaled 1,264 firm-year observations. The study uses multiple regression analysis to analyses the data by using independent variables, including board size, outside directors, managerial ownership, CEO duality, frequency of board meetings, board experience, and gender to measure board characteristics and the total debt ratio for capital structure. Research findings show that the more independent the directors are, the lower the cost of debt financing is, as they control the management team more strictly about debt financing than directors with less independence do. Additionally, the results reveal that the higher the percentage of managerial ownership, the higher the level of leverage and debt financing, whereas board size and board meetings have a negative relationship to capital structure. Further research showed that firm size, growth opportunities and corporate governance rating all had a positive significant impact on capital structure. The findings of this study suggest that the presence of proper corporate governance leads to better funding mechanisms as it ensures that the company is in a better position to obtain external funding.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.383-390
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• 2021

This study investigates the effect of shareholders' rights, disclosure, and transparency on firm value. This study also investigates whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) is pure moderation or quasi moderation in the effect of shareholders' rights, disclosure, and transparency on firm value. This study's novelty is building a model framework to increase firm value and the role of CSR in increasing firm value. This study used secondary data provided by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand Stock Exchanges. The sample of this study is 142 companies with four years of observations from 2012-2015. Firm value is measured by Tobin's Q. While shareholder's rights, disclosure, and transparency are measured using the ASEAN scorecard. The analysis method used in this study is a fixed effect model using a panel data approach. The result of this study shows that shareholders' rights have a significant positive effect on firm value. However, disclosure and transparency do not affect firm value significantly. In comparison, the CSR disclosure has a moderation effect on the relationship between shareholders' rights and firm value. The CSR disclosure does not have a moderation effect on the relationship between disclosure and transparency and firm value.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.191-199
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• 2021

The study examines the causal relationship between financial development and economic growth through trade openness for the leading ASEAN countries (Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). The study employs a panel data for the period of 25 years spanning from 1995 to 2015 for the six countries, yielding a balanced panel of 150 observations. Fixed effect model (FEM) and random effect model (REM) are used for the panel data, following the Hausman test performed for model selection. The trivariate Granger causality test is also used to check for possible relationship between the variables. The results show that REM is chosen based on the Hausman test result, suggesting that the trade openness has a positive association with growth whereas the financial development is positively, but insignificantly associated with growth. The reason for this is that the financial development and economic growth may be related to each other. The results are, then, further explored and confirmed by the causality test. That is, the financial development and the economic growth, through the trade openness, are found to have bidirectional positive relationships. This implies that there would be shortcomings when ignoring the presence of trade openness, which positively impacts the relationship between finance and growth.