• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.373-376
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• 2016

The Mini Parasep SF fecal parasite concentrator (MPSFC) is a new modification of the closed concentration system, which can easily be adopted in any routine clinical pathology laboratory. Here we describe our experience with the system in diagnosing Opisthorchis viverrini. A total of 199 fecal samples was submitted for routine examination in the clinical pathology laboratory of Suranaree University of Technology hospital, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, during August to October 2015. Out of all samples examined, 10 (5.03%) were positive with intestinal parasites including O. viverrini (2.01%), followed by Strongyloided stercoralis (1.51%), Hookworm (0.5%), Taenia spp. (0.5%), and Entamoeba coli (0.5%). Regarding the distribution of intestinal parasites in relation to the methods used, and found that 4 samples (2.01%) were positive using the direct wet smear method while 10 (5.03%) were positive with the Mini Parasep SF method; the difference was statistically significant ($X^2$-test = 116.506, p-value =0.001). Mean time for processing using the Parasep system was 6.03 min/sample, the conventional direct wet smear method at 0.3 min/sample. Cost per test, conventional direct wet smear method costing less than the Parasep method at USD 0.74/sample versus USD 1.47/sample. This first report of O. viverrini detection using MPSFC indicates that Parasep concentration test is useful in the routine laboratory, increasing the yield of parasites as compared to direct microscopy, but with greater processing time and cost. Further comparisons between the Parasep concentration test and common methods for O. viverrini detection are required, particularly concerning use in epidemiological surveys.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.2853-2856
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• 2016

Background: Many studies have pointed to strategies to cope with patient anxiety in colposcopy. Evidence shows that patients experienced considerable distress with the large loop excision of transformation zone (LLETZ) procedure and suitable interventions should be introduced to reduce anxiety. This study aimed to investigate the effects of music therapy in patients undergoing LLETZ. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with patients undergoing LLETZ performed under local anesthesia in an out patient setting at Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, from February 2015 to January 2016. After informed consent and demographic data were obtained, we assessed the anxiety level using State Anxiety Inventory pre and post procedures. Music group patients listened to classical songs through headphones, while the control group received the standard care. Pain score was evaluated with a visual analog scale (VAS). Statistical analysis was conducted using Pearson Chi-square, Fisher's Exact test and T-Test and p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 73 patients were enrolled and randomized, resulting in 36 women in the music group and 37 women in the non-music control group. The preoperative mean anxiety score was higher in the music group (46.8 VS 45.8 points). The postoperative mean anxiety scores in the music and the non-music groups were 38.7 and 41.3 points, respectively. VAS was lower in music group (2.55 VS 3.33). The percent change of anxiety was greater in the music group, although there was no significant difference between two groups. Conclusions: Music therapy did not significantly reduce anxiety in patients undergoing the LLETZ procedure. However, different interventions should be developed to ease the patients' apprehension during this procedure.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권24호
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• pp.10837-10840
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• 2015

To assess survival outcomes in a retrospective study, recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer patients were divided into three groups according to the platinum free interval as follows: platinum refractory that included the patients with tumor progression during treatment; platinum resistant and platinum sensitive that included the patients with tumor progression less than or more than six months, respectively. Clinical data for tumor progression in epithelial ovarian cancer patients treated at Chiang Mai University Hospital between January, 2006 and December, 2010 were reviewed. Thirty-nine patients were in the platinum refractory group while 27 were in the platinum resistant group and 75 in the platinum sensitive group. The mean age, the parity, the administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the serous type did not significantly different across groups while the mean total number of chemotherapy regimens, the early stage patients, the patients with complete surgery and the surviving patients were significant more frequent in the platinum sensitive group. Regarding subsequent treatment after tumor recurrence, 87.2% underwent chemotherapy. With the median follow up time at 29 months, the median overall survival rates were 20 months, 14 months and 42 months in platinum refractory, platinum resistant and platinum sensitive groups, respectively (p<0.001). In addition, when the platinum sensitive patients developed the next episode of tumor progression, the median progression free interval time was only three to four months. In conclusion, the outcomes for platinum refractory the and platinum resistant groups was poorer than the platinum sensitive group. However, subsequent progression in the platinum sensitive group was also associated with a poor outcome.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.127-132
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• 2015

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are persistent environmental pollutants, extremely stable, and possibly adversely affect human health. They are widely used in many industries and consumer goods, including sunscreen products. These substances are stable chemicals made of long carbon chains, having both lipid- and water-repellent qualities. The research objectives are (1) to find the most effective method for the preparation of semi-liquid samples by comparing solid phase extraction (SPE) and centrifugation after Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), and (2) to determine the contamination levels of PFOS and PFOA in waterproof sunscreen samples. All sunscreen samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Sunscreen samples were purchased from domestic and international brands sold in Thailand. Special chemical properties were considered for the selection of samples, e.g., those found in waterproof, sweat resistant, water resistant, and non-stick products. Considering the factors of physical properties, e.g., operation time, chemical consumption, and recovery percentage for selecting methods to develop, the centrifugation method using 2 mL of extracted sample with the conditions of 12,000 rpm and $5^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour after PLE was chosen. The highest concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were detected at 0.0671 ng/g and 21.0644 ng/g, respectively. Even though present concentrations are found at ng/g levels, the daily use of sunscreen products is normally several grams. Therefore, a risk assessment of PFOS and PFOA contamination in sunscreen products is an important concern, and more attention needs to be paid to the long-term effects on human health.

• Asia Pacific Journal of Business Review
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.67-88
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• 2016

This study aims to help address concerns about the growing demand of wider bandwidth Internet connection in the Philippines. Using articles and research of international organizations and content from official websites of the Philippine government, this paper has carefully examined the slow Internet connectivity and the high cost that the end-users pay for it. This paper suggests that this inefficiency hampers the motivation of users to innovate in a way that could contribute to inclusive growth and the development of an inclusive information society. Through a comparison of the current global ICT situation with the current situation in the Philippines, this paper shows that the country's Internet infrastructure lags behind among those of contemporary developing countries in Asia, particularly in terms of Internet connectivity. In 2015, Thailand had an average Internet speed of 7.4 Mbps, Sri Lanka 7.4, and Malaysia 4.3. Meanwhile, the Philippines had a meager average Internet speed of 2.8 Mbps, placing the country at 104 among 160 countries, with developed countries in Asia such as South Korea (23.6 Mbps) and Singapore (12.9 Mbps) ranking 1 and 12, respectively. Findings show that the lack of competition in the Internet connectivity market, among other reasons, is at the root of the dilemma of slow and costly Internet connection. Assessing the accomplishments of the Republic of Korea and other broadband-leading countries has provided practical insights and recommendations that can promote competitiveness. Furthermore, related literature argues how ISP practices may affect Internet speed and cost. This study offers an approach in improving Internet connectivity in the Philippines by bridging the gap between the Internet infrastructure market and government policies.

• 한국수자원학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국수자원학회 2015년도 학술발표회
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• pp.232-232
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• 2015

Land use and climate changes are the important factors to determine the runoff and sediment loads from the watershed. The changes also affected to runoff volume/pattern to the dam operation and may cause flood and drought situations in the downstream area. Sirikit Dam is one of the biggest dams in Thailand which cover about 25 % of the runoff into the Central Plain where the Bangkok Capital is located. The study aims to determine the effect of land use change to the runoff/sediment volume pattern and the rainfall-runoff-sediment relationship in the different land use type. Field measurements of the actual rainfall, runoff and sediment in the selected four sub-basins with different type of land use in the Upper Nan Basin were conducted and the runoff ratio coefficients and sediment yield were estimated for each sub-basin. The effect of the land use change (deforestation) towards runoff/sediment will be investigated. The study of the climate change impact on the runoff in the future scenarios was conducted to project the change of runoff volume/pattern into the Sirikit Dam. The improvement of the Sirikit Dam operation rule was conducted to reduce the weakness of the existing operation rules after Floods 2011. The newly proposed dam operation rule improvement will then be evaluated from the water shortage situations in the downstream of Sirikit Dam under various conditions of changes of both land use and climate when compared with the situations based on the existing reservoir operation rules.

• 한국수자원학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국수자원학회 2017년도 학술발표회
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• pp.188-188
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• 2017

Rainfall is an important input to hydrological models. The accuracy of hydrological studies for water resources and floods management depend primarily on the estimation of rainfall. Thailand is among the countries that have regularly affected by floods. Flood forecasting and warning are necessary to prevent or mitigate loss and damage. Merging near real time satellite-based precipitation estimation with relatively high spatial and temporal resolutions to ground gauged precipitation data could contribute to reducing uncertainty and increasing efficiency for flood forecasting application. This study tested the applicability of satellite-based rainfall for water resources management and flood forecasting. The objectives of the study are to assess uncertainty associated with satellite-based rainfall estimation, to perform bias correction for satellite-based rainfall products, and to evaluate the performance of the bias-corrected rainfall data for the prediction of flood events. This study was conducted using a case study of Thai catchments including the Chao Phraya, northeastern (Chi and Mun catchments), and the eastern catchments for the period of 2006-2015. Data used in the study included daily rainfall from ground gauges, telegauges, and near real time satellite-based rainfall products from TRMM, GSMaP and PERSIANN CCS. Uncertainty in satellite-based precipitation estimation was assessed using a set of indicators describing the capability to detect rainfall event and efficiency to capture rainfall pattern and amount. The results suggested that TRMM, GSMaP and PERSIANN CCS are potentially able to improve flood forecast especially after the process of bias correction. Recommendations for further study include extending the scope of the study from regional to national level, testing the model at finer spatial and temporal resolutions and assessing other bias correction methods.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.15-19
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• 2021

Senecavirus A (SVA), previously known as Seneca Valley virus, can cause vesicular disease and neonatal losses in pigs that is clinically indistinguishable from foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). After the first case report in Canada in 2007, it had been restrictively identified in North America including United States. But, since 2015, SVA emerged outside North America in Brazil, and also in several the Asian countries including China, Thailand, and Vietnam. Considering the SVA occurrence in neighboring countries, there has been a high risk that Korea can be introduced at any time. In particular, it is very important in terms of differential diagnosis in the suspected case of vesicular diseases in countries where FMD is occurring. So far, several different molecular detection methods for SVV have been published but not validated as the reference method, yet. In this study, seven different molecular methods for detecting SVA were evaluated. Among them, the method by Flowler et al, (2017) targeted to 3D gene region with the highest sensitivity and no cross reaction with other vesicular disease agents including FMDV, VSV and SVD, was selected and applied further to antigen surveillance of SVA. A total of 245 samples of 157 pigs from 61 farms submitted for animal disease diagnose nationwide during 2018 were tested all negative. In 2018, no sign of SVA occurrence have been confirmed in Korea, but the results of the surveillance for SVA needs to be continued and accumulated at a high risk of SVA in neighboring countries.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권16호
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• pp.7315-7319
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• 2015

Objectives: The study analyzed and compared the long term outcome in locally advanced rectal cancer treated with preoperative and postoperative concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT). Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of 105 patients with stage T3-T4 or regional lymph node positive adenocarcinoma of rectum treated with preoperative or postoperative CCRT at Ramathibodi Hospital during 2005 to 2010 was performed. The results of treatment were reported with 5-year overall survival (OS), 5-year locoregional recurrence free survival (LRFS), and toxicity according to preoperative versus postoperative concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) groups. Results: Among 105 patients, 34 (32%) were treated with preoperative CCRT and 71 (68%) with postoperative CCRT. At the median follow-up time of 50.5 months (range 2-114 months), five-year OS and LRFS of all patients were 87% and 91.6%, respectively. The study found no difference in 5-year OS (81.7% vs 89.2 %) or LRFS (83.4% vs 95.1%) between preoperative versus postoperative CCRT. Seven cases of loco-regional recurrence were diagnosed, 4 (11.8%) after preoperative CCRT and 3 (4.2%) after postoperative CCRT. The recurrent sites were anastomosis in all patients. There was no significant factor associated with outcome after univariate and multivariate testing. Grade 3 or 4 acute and late complications were low in both preoperative and postoperative CCRT groups. Conclusions: Locally advanced rectum cancer patients experience good results with surgery and adjuvant concurrent chemoradiation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권15호
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• pp.6705-6709
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• 2015

Background: Venous thromboembolisms (VTEs) constitute a group of diseases including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). They regarded as the second leading cause of death in cancer patients and several studies have confirmed that VTEs have a negative impact on survival and recurrent rate in both ovarian and endometrial cancer cases. The incidence of VTEs differs worldwide and depends on several risk factors including race, underlying disease, lifestyle, body weight, BMI and genetic risk factors. There is heterogeneity of DVT rates between Asian and Western countries. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the character and incidence of VTEs in gynecologic oncology patients in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital over a 10 year period. Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed with VTEs defined as objective diagnosis of acute DVT or PE with typical symptoms and signs. Diagnoses were approved byan internist and/or confirmed with imaging studies. Data from both outpatient and inpatient sessions of the affected cases from January 2004 to December 2013 were extracted. General characteristics of the patients were collected with details of the diseases, types of cancer, stage, date of diagnosis of cancer, operative data, treatment outcome, progression free survival and overall survival. Results: Thirty cases of VTEs were identified in a total 2,316 gynecologic oncology cases. The incidence of symptomatic VTEs in total gynecologic oncology patients in our institution is 1.295%. The incidence of VTEs in ovarian cancer patients in our institution was 5.9%. Duration for VTE detection ranged from 13 months before diagnosis of cancer to 33 months after diagnosis of cancer. Most of the VTE cases were detected in ovarian cancer patients (60%). The most common cell type was adenocarcinoma (moderately to poorly differentiated) which accounted for 26.7% of the cases. The second most common cell type was clear cell carcinoma with 23.3% of the cases. Thirty percent of VTE cases developed before cancer was diagnosed, 20% were diagnosed at the same time as cancer detection and fifty percent developed after cancer was diagnosed. Median disease free survival of the gynecologic oncology patients with VTE was 7.5 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 12 months. Median progession free survivals of DVT and PE groups were 11.5 and 5.5 months, respectively. OS of DVT and PE was 12.0 and 11.5 months respectively. Conclusions: The incidence of VTE in Asian countries is believed to be lower than in European or Western countries. From our retrospective review, the incidence of VTEs in all types of gynecologic oncology was 1.295%, much lower than reported in the West. The reason for the lower incidence may genetic differences. Another factor is that VTE in this review was symptomatic, which is less than asymptomatic VTE. More than half of VTEs in this study developed in ovarian cancer patients. The results are compatible with earlier reports that among gynecologic malignancies, the incidence of VTE is highest in ovarian cancer.