Biomedical Sciences and Clinical Medicine

High-throughput Virtual Screening- and Molecular Docking-based Prediction for Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors and Exploring its Mechanisms against Alzheimer’s Disease based on Network Pharmacology

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Objective This study aimed to identify promising ligands for inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity using virtual screening (VS).

Methods VS was used to identify potential AChE inhibitors from the PubChem database. Ligands with favorable binding pocket interactions were selected. SwissADME and pkCSM tools were used to assess drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic properties. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations provided insights into binding interactions. Network pharmacology was used to explore interactions between the target molecule and AD-related genes to determine its mechanism of action.

Results VS identified promising AChE inhibitor candidates with acridone, carbazole, and xanthone scaffolds. Docking simulations showed strong binding with AChE. These ligands displayed favorable drug-likeness and ADMET properties, with one (M5) lacking predicted hepatotoxicity. MD simulations suggested stable binding of M5 to AChE, potentially affecting both catalytic and peripheral sites, hinting at dual inhibition. M5’s interactions, especially near His440, appeared more favorable than donepezil. Network analysis implicated M5 in targeting multiple pathways in AD, with potential focus on neuroinflammation.

Conclusions This study identified promising AChE inhibitor candidates through virtual screening. Ligand M5 emerged as particularly promising due to its favorable binding characteristics, lack of predicted hepatotoxicity, and potential for targeting multiple pathways in AD. However, further in vitro and in vivo validation is essential for clinical development.

The Association of Lifestyle Factors and Attention Problems in Adolescents

Nonglak Boonchooduang, Narueporn Likhitweerawong , Orawan Louthrenoo — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Objective This study aims to explore the associations between lifestyle factors such as physical activity, sleep patterns, media usage, and diet, and attention problems in adolescents.

Methods This cross-sectional study involved 4,370 adolescents aged 13-18 years in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Lifestyle factors were assessed using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System questionnaire, while attention problems were evaluated with the Youth Self-Report (YSR) Attention Problems subscale. Associations were analyzed using univariable and multivariable regression analysis.

Results Media use exceeding two hours per day was significantly asso-ciated with clinical attention problems (aOR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.81-5.71). Additionally, increased media use (b = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.19-0.28, p < 0.01), and high soft drinks consumption (b = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.12-0.26, p < 0.01) were positively associated with higher attention problem scores. Conversely, active physical activity (b = -0.09, 95% CI: -0.13 to -0.05, p < 0.01), adequate sleep (b = -0.26, 95% CI: -0.33 to -0.19, p < 0.01), regular breakfast intake (b = -0.09, 95% CI: -0.12 to -0.05, p < 0.01), vegetable consumption (b = -0.07, 95% CI: -0.13 to -0.02, p = 0.01), and milk consumption (b = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.11 to -0.01, p = 0.03) were negatively associated with attention problems scores.

Conclusions The study highlights the significant impact of lifestyle factors on attention problems among adolescents. These findings support the integration of lifestyle modifications into the assessment and manage-ment of attention issues in this age group, particularly emphasizing the need to reduce excessive media use.

Environmental Risk Factors Associated with Behavioral Problems among Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Maternal Perceptions

Chutinart Sakarinkhul, Soontaree Srikosai — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Objective This study aims to identify environmental risk factors associated with behavioral problems in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods A case-control study was conducted in children aged 4-15 years comprising 92 children diagnosed with ADHD and 92 controls without ADHD. Stratified sampling was used to select 184 participants residing in Chiang Mai and Lamphun provinces, Thailand. Data were collected from the mothers of the participants using a self-report questionnaire between May and August 2022. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: child characteristics (gender, age, underlying diseases, past illness history), mother’s characteristics (age, income, occupational status, history of cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking), and maternal perceptions about caring for the child and the child’s behavioral problems (exposure to chemicals/toxicants, frequent punishment, excessive use of digital media and games). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, odds ratio (OR) and logistic regression using SPSS version 21.

Results Most of participants were males (86.96%) while 13.04% were females. The results showed that the ADHD cases were significantly more likely than the controls to have underlying diseases such as G6PD, allergy, and asthma (p = 0.006). There was also a statistically significant correlation with smoking history in the mothers of ADHD cases (OR = 2.64; 95% CI: 1.36-5.13 p = 0.004). In terms of maternal perceptions, the mothers of ADHD children were significantly more likely than the controls to have frequently punished the child (OR = 6.26; 95% CI: 3.24-12.07; p < 0.001), to have children who were exposed to chemicals (pesticides and fertilizer) or toxicants (passive smoking) (OR = 4.14; 95%CI: 1.76-9.73; p = 0.001), and to have allowed their child to use digital media and play video games excessively (OR = 2.82; 95% CI: 1.55-5.16; p = 0.001). After adjustment for other environmental risk factors, frequent child punishment (ORadj = 4.32; 95% CI: 2.13-8.78; p < 0.001) and exposure of the child to chemicals/toxicants (ORadj = 2.66; 95% CI: 1.00-7.02; p = 0.049) were found to be significantly related with ADHD.

Conclusions Frequent child punishment was the most significant environmental risk factor related to behavioral problems among children with ADHD. This indicates the importance of healthcare providers developing strategies and/or interventions to enhance knowledge and awareness in mothers of ADHD which can improve treatment outcomes.

Treatment Patterns and Surgical Outcomes of Stage IA1 Cervical Carcinoma

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Objective The primary objective was to determine the 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year disease-free survival rate of patients with CACx 1A1 treated at Chiang Mai University Hospital and the secondary objective was to describe treatment modalities as well as their associated complications.

Methods Patients with stage IA1 cervical cancer diagnosed from January 2001 to June 2018 at Chiang Mai University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Inclusion criteria included previously untreated patients diagnosed with stage IA1 cervical cancer (2018 FIGO staging system). Exclusion criteria were patients with recurrent cervical cancer, other gynecologic malignancies, and those in a pregnant state. The analysis included treatment patterns, surgical types, and clinicopathologic variables, i.e., nodal metastasis, parametrial involvement, positive surgical margins, deep stromal invasion (DSI), lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI), adjuvant treatment, 5-year disease-free survival, and 5-year overall survival. All pathologic slides were reviewed by gynecologic pathologists. The Kruskal-Wallis test, Fisher’s exact test, the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used for statistical analysis.

Results Of the 184 patients included in this study, simple hysterectomy was the most common treatment (57.3%), followed by modified radical hysterectomy (MRH) and radical hysterectomy (RH) (27.6% and 9.7% respectively). Conization and radiation were chosen in a few cases. At the median follow up time of 40.8 months, the 5-year disease free survival rate was 99.1% and the 5-year overall survival rate was 95.0%. Pelvic lymph node dissection was done in 62 cases (33.7%), but only one case (0.54%) had pelvic lymph node metastasis.

Conclusions The surgical and survival outcomes for women with stage IA1 cervical cancer are excellent. They can be effectively treated with less radical interventions such as simple hysterectomy and conization. Lymph node metastasis is rare at this stage (0.54%); therefore, lympha-denectomy may possibly be omitted.

Factors related to a good quality of work life for employees in a poultry processing industry in northeastern Thailand.

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Objective This study aims to analyze factors related to a good quality of work life (QoWL) for employees in the poultry processing industry in northeastern Thailand.

Methods This study was a cross-sectional analytical study. The sample size was 229 poultry processing workers with good and 458 with not-good QoWL. The Work-related Quality of Life Scale-2 Online Website (THQWL) questionnaire was used. A test of the reliability of the questionnaire found a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.899. The principal analyses used the Chi-squared test, the Fisher exact test, and binary logistic regression. Confidence intervals were set at 95% (95% CI), and a p-value of less than 0.05 (p < 0.05) was considered statistically significant.

Results Factors significantly related to employees with a good QoWL were working in departments other than slaughtering departments (AOR = 15.58, 95% CI: 7.62, 31.83, p < 0.001), having less than a bachelor’s degree education level (AOR = 6.65, 95% CI: 3.05, 14.49, p < 0.001), being a unit leader or in an upper level position (AOR = 7.26, 95% CI: 3.30, 15.98, p < 0.001) and working 40 or more hours per week (AOR= 1.92, 95% CI: 1.17, 3.16, p = 0.010).

Conclusions Not working in the slaughtering department showed the strongest association with good QoWL. Other factors significantly linked to good QoWL included an education level lower than a bachelor’s degree, holding positions as unit leaders or in upper management, and working 40 hours or more per week. The study’s findings can be applied to enhance and promote the QoWL of workers in the poultry processing and related industries as well as to help improve and reinforce the knowledge, skills, and other attributes important to the efficient performance of employees in the poultry processing industry.

Principal and Secondary Diagnoses Related to Eye Injury: Characteristics from a tertiary center in Northern Thailand

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Objective This study aimed to explore the epidemiological characteris-tics of primary and secondary diagnoses of eye injuries requiring hospitali-zation in a tertiary referral center.

Methods The medical records of 726 patients with diagnoses of eye injury who were admitted between January 2016 and December 2019 were reviewed.

Results Four hundred and thirty-six of the patients (60.1%) were hospitalized with a principal diagnosis related to eye injury, while 290 patients (39.9%) were admitted with secondary diagnoses. Over the four-year period of study, the proportion of admissions with a principal diagnosis stayed consistently in the range of 54.0% to 63.9%. Most of the patients in the principal diagnosis group were age between 41 and 60 years. Patients in the secondary diagnosis group, however, were mostly between the age of 21 and 40 years. The majority of patients in the principal diagnosis group (267 patients, 61.2%) had eye injuries which had occurred at work, whereas in the secondary diagnosis group most (230 patients, 79.3%) had eye injuries resulting from traffic accidents.

Conclusions Work-related accidents and traffic accidents were the two main types of at-risk behaviors in both the primary and secondary diagnosis categories. Initiatives for public health education related to eye injuries should pay more special attention to these two primary causes of severe eye injuries.

Stage-Affected Quality of Life in Endometrial Cancer Patients

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Objective This study aims to compare the aspects of quality of life between early and advanced-stage endometrial cancer patients.

Methods From January to February 2021, women diagnosed with endometrial cancer and treated at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital were invited to participate. Two qualities of life questionnaires, the European
Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life QLQ-C30 questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the CMU Endometrial Cancer Quality of Life (gastrointestinal, urinary, lymphatic, sexual, and hormonal domains) were used. The chi-squared test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and multivariable linear regression were used for statistical analysis.

Results A total of 103 participants were divided into two groups: 65 individuals with early-stage disease and 38 with advanced-stage disease. All participants completed the quality-of-life questionnaires. The two groups were comparable in terms of global health status/QoL for EORTC QLQ-C30. However, the early-stage group had significantly higher functional scales and quality-of-life summary scores than the advanced-stage group. As for the CMU endometrial cancer QoL, the advanced-stage group had more negative issues related to the gynecologic and hormonal system compared to the early-stage group.

Conclusions Women with endometrial cancer generally have a good quality of life. Survivors of advanced stages may have a quality of life similar to those in the early stage but with a higher incidence of gastrointestinal, sexual, and hormonal complications.