Journal of Medical Bioscience

Healthy 90’s as Ultimate Goal to Achieve

Sek Aksaranugraha — 2024-12-23

“Everything in moderation” is something we may have heard as The Lord Buddha’s Enlightenment. “Have good food, enough exercise, and worklife balance” is something we may have heard from medical recommendation. The above two have blended together turning out to be “eat in moderation” and “exercise in moderation”.

Efficacy of online cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator training for lay people

Dhanadol Rojanasarntikul — 2024-12-23

Background: Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death outside of hospitals with myocardial infarction accounting for most cases. In out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), bystanders are often the closest to the patient. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can increase survival rates if provided promptly. The American heart association 2020 guideline recommends basic life support (BLS) training and automated external defibrillators (AED) training for lay rescuers. An effective learning method for teaching CPR to the public is through electronic learning (e-learning).

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of online BLS training for laypeople by recruiting employees of a Thai bank.

Methods: The research involved a one group pretest-posttest design, with subjects taking a pre-test, a post-test, and practicing on a simulated CPR mannequin. Pre and post-test scores were compared and the test scores were compared with CPR simulation scores to assess efficacy of e-learning for BLS training.

Results: The post-test showed an average score of 14.0, which was significantly higher than the average score of 10.8 on the pretest (P = 0.0001). The use of an AED was significantly associated with higher post-test scores (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Online CPR and AED training for laypeople is effective and has a moderately positive relationship with simulated practice scores.

Stress, quality of life, and related factors of registered nurses providing nursing care to cancer patients at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital

Phattareeya Kaenkratoke — 2024-12-23

Background: Previous studies found that from the nature of work responsibility, the risks from the work of registered nurse (RN) providing nursing care to cancer patients affect stress and the quality of life of registered nurses. Studying stress, quality of life, and factors related to stress and quality of life may be used as a guideline for prevention and reduction of stress and to promote the quality of life of registered nurses who provide nursing care to cancer patients.

Objective: To examine the level of stress, the level of quality of life and related factors of registered nurses providing nursing care to cancer patients at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH).

Methods: Data were collected from 119 nurses who providing nursing care to cancer patients at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. Self-report questionnaires included: 1) general background, 2) job description, 3) factors associated with the stress of work, 4) stress, and 5) World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief - Thai (WHOQOL- BREF-THAI).

Results: About half of the subjects had moderate level of work stress, and half of the subjects had normal/mild level of stress and half of the subjects had moderate level of quality of life. The factors related to work stress were age, hours of sleep, adequacy of sleep, affiliated department, and palliative nursing care. The factors related to stress were age, adequacy of sleep, underlying diseases, department, work experience, registered nurse level, target therapy nursing care, and palliative nursing care. The factors related to quality of life were marital status, income, adequacy of income, hours of sleep, adequacy of sleep, underlying disease, department, work experience, shifting, chemotherapy nursing care, and palliative nursing care.

Conclusion: Most registered nurses providing nursing care to cancer patients had moderate level of work stress, and normal/mild level of stress and moderate level of quality of life. This study revealed factors related to stress and quality of life. This will help healthcare administrators to be aware and use it as a guideline for stress prevention, to reduce stress and promote registered nurses to have a better quality of life, and work happily and efficiently. Getting adequate sleep and designing work schedules are important to focus for maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Immediate effect of attentional focus on muscle activity during knee extension and imagined knee extension using ultrasound doppler: Quasiexperimental research

Kanokwan Srisupornkornkool — 2024-12-23

Background: Attentional focus and motor imagery affect muscle activity. However, there are no studies that use visualization technique of ultrasound doppler to monitor muscle activity while focusing on the actual and imagined movement.

Objective: To compare the effect of attentional focus on muscle activity during knee extension and determine knee extension using ultrasound doppler.

Methods: Twenty-four participations, age ranged from 20 - 30 years old, were asked to perform three types of muscle contraction, including active knee extension, eccentric contraction of knee extensor, and isometric knee extension. In addition, all subjects were asked to perform three attentional focus, namely no attentional focus, internal focus, and external focus during perform each type of muscle contraction.

Results: The muscle size was monitored while perform knee extension and imagined knee extension. The muscle size of knee extensor during actual knee extension was significantly greater than imagined knee extension in all type of muscle contraction. There were no statistically significant differences in knee extensor muscle size during actual movement among attentional conditions, whereas knee extensor muscle size while imagining knee extension with external focus was greater than internal focus and no attentional focus.

Conclusion: Both actual and imagined movement could alter muscle size. Interestingly, attentional focus had effect on the alteration of muscle size only during perform imagined knee extension.

Prevalence and associated factors of addictive behaviors in patients with depressive symptoms

Nutnicha Kamontaypa — 2024-12-23

Background: Addictive behavior is a chronic problem. Addictive behaviors do not only occur in the general population, but have a greater impact in people with psychiatric conditions.

Objectives: The purpose of this descriptive study was to study the prevalence of addictive behaviors in patients with depressive symptoms and correlation between depression/personality and addictive behaviors in substance abuse, gambling and gaming.

Methods: Data from 107 patients with depressive symptoms were collected at the Psychiatric Out-patient Department of the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, between November 2022 - March 2023 by using the demographic and health questionnaire, the Big five personality scale, the 9 Questions Depression Rating Scale revised for Thai Central Dialect (9Q), and the alcohol, tobacco, substance, gambling, and gaming sections of the International Consortium of the Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test, and binary logistic regression.

Results: Of 107 subjects 28.0% had abnormal use of alcohol, 0.9% had abnormal use of cigarettes/tobacco, 0.9% and 1.9% had high and low- risk of drug use, 1.9%, 0.9%, and 3.7% had high, moderate, and low risk of gambling behavior, and 5.6% had abnormal gaming behavior. Factors significantly related to alcohol use disorder were the time of diagnosis of depression, 9Q score (P < 0.05) and having history of mania-psychotic symptoms (P < 0.01). Factors significantly related to gaming disorder were religious (P < 0.05) and income (P < 0.01).

Conclusion: Nearly one-third of patients with depressive disorder had abnormal alcohol use, followed by problems with gaming and gambling. These results can be used to make a suitable treatment plan for increasing the efficiency of treating depression and addiction and as a base for further study.

Correlations between body size, left ventricular mass index, wall thickness, and left ventricular internal dimension in diastole of normal Thai children aged 10 - 15 years by echocardiography

Uthen Bunmee — 2024-12-23

Background: In terms of the left ventricular internal dimension in diastole (LVIDd), wall thickness and left ventricular mass index (LV mass index), the researcher was investigated to determine whether the parameter is correlated to the body size or the body surface area (BSA).

Objective: This study aimed to study the correlation of BSA, LVIDd, wall thickness (IVSd, PWd), and LV mass index, also including comparison of four parameters in group body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 and group > 18.5 kg/m²

Methods: Retrospective review of the echocardiographic report of Thai children 10 - 15 years old. The spearman correlation was used to determine correlation and Mann - Whitney U test was used to analyze in four parameters in group BMI < 18.5 and group > 18.5 kg/m²

Results: The spearman correlation coefficient value described moderately significant correlation in BSA vs. LVIDd were (r_s= 0.5, P < 0.05) and BSA vs. LV mass index (r_s= 0.6, P < 0.05) were similar. However, the wall thickness consisting of BSA vs. PWd (r_s= 0.3, P = 0.14) and BSA vs. IVSd were not correlated (r_s= - 0.7, P = 0.68). In the comparison between groups, i.e., BMI < 18.5 and group > 18.5 kg/m², this study showed two parameters with significant differences consisting of LV mass index (86.8 ± 14.9 vs. 102.0 ± 17.7 g/m²) and LVIDd only (4.0 ± 0.3 vs. 4.2 ± 0.2) (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Both the left ventricular dimension and mass index were significantly correlated with body size or body surface area.

Substance use in the conscripts affiliated with the fort Ratchaburi Province

Jirawan Nimphae — 2024-12-23

Background: Substance use problems impact both physical and mental health, spreading to many areas, including military forts, which represent the strength and stability of the nation.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, behavior, attitudes, and factors related to substance use among the conscripts affiliated with the Fort Ratchaburi Province.

Methods: A cross-sectional study collected data from 400 conscripts between July - September 2023 using questionnaires through individual interviews. The questionnaires included: 1) demographic information; 2) attitudes towards substance use; 3) The alcohol, smoking and substance involvement screening test; 4) The Thai substance use disorder screening test. A urine toxicology test was conducted for cannabis, opioid, and methamphetamine. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The prevalence of substance use, at least once in the lifetime and in the past three months, was 86.7% (n = 347) and 71.5% (n = 286), respectively. The five substances with the highest usage in the past three months were alcohol (54.0%), tobacco (53.3%), kratom leaves (33.3%), cannabis (30.8%), and mixtures of kratom leaf decoction (22.0%). Of 254 conscripts who used tobacco, 210 (82.7%) and 6 (2.4%) were found to be at moderate and high risk, respectively, of having tobacco problem. Substance use disorder (SUD) was found in 76.8%, 37.4%, 37.4%, 34.1%, 27.3, 26.7% of conscripts who used tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, kratom leaves, mixtures of kratom leaf decoction and amphetamine-type stimulants, respectively. The attitudes of the conscripts are mostly not aligned with substance use. Low educational level and income sufficiency were identified as factors associated with and predictors of substance use (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Most conscripts used substances. Although the majority of substances used in this study are legal, high prevalence of SUD was found, especially tobacco use disorder in conscripts who smoked cigarettes. Factors related to substance use include low level of education and income sufficiency.

A retrospective study on drug regimens for Helicobacter Pylori treatment King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society

Suwitcha Sawekkulchol — 2024-12-23

Background: Currently, each country has clinical guidelines for treating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Therefore, analysis and follow-up of treatment results of each drug regimen are extremely important, since they could lead to selection of effective drug regimens that have high eradication rate and excellent safety profile. However, since most regimens contain at least two antibiotics, Helicobacter pylori treatment may cause development of antibiotic resistance and imbalance of bacteria in the gut. The latter situation can also lead to further gastrointestinal disease.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate drug regimens for treatment of H. pylori.

Methods: Retrospective data on patients who were diagnosed by ICD-10 criteria for H. pylori infection and received a prescription for treatment, between 1st January 2022 and 31stDecember 2022, by the researchers. The data from the electronic database, which was created specifically for research purpose, were screened and confidential.

Results: There were 340 patients diagnosed with H. pylori infection. One hundred thirty - three (39.1%) were male, while 207 (60.9%) were female. The first regimens that doctors prescribed were standard triple therapy, bismuth quadruple therapy, levofloxacin-based triple therapy, sequential triple therapy, and vonoprazan-based therapy. Standard triple therapy was the most commonly prescribed first regimen. Regimens that doctors prescribed after failure of the first regimen were levofloxacin-based triple therapy and bismuth quadruple therapy. This study found that the eradication rates for the first and second regimens were 81.2% and 81.8%, respectively. The eradication rate of H. pylori was calculated from patients who came to their follow-up visits. There were 63 and 11 patients who did not come to the first and second post-treatment follow-up visits, respectively.

Conclusion: Standard triple therapy remained the mainstay of treatment H. pylori. The main problem found in this study was patients’ unawareness of the importance of follow-up visits to confirm eradication of H. pylori. Therefore, pharmacists play an important role in giving advice on taking medicine continuously and emphasizing the importance of post-treatment follow-up visits.

Anxiety and social experience stressors of LGBT in Thailand

Bunatta Aritatpokin — 2024-12-23

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) experiences mean the triggers and stressors for mental health are unique, even without considering cultural factors. This study uses data from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and a survey on LGBT-specific social experiences in order to determine which factors would be the most significant stressors for LGBT people in Thailand.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether LGBT in Thailand have a significant level of anxiety from social experience stressors, using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and what the community believes are their most negative experiences.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from 100 LGBT Thai people (age 18 - 60 years) during August 2022 to March 2023. The sample group was asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire, which was separated into three sections: 1) personal information; 2) LGBT specific stressors from LGBT-centric experiences; and 3) state and trait anxiety determined by STAI. The data was then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: Over half of the sample group of Thai LGBT people were determined to have a level of state or trait anxiety (62.0% and 65.0% respectively). Demographic variables had almost no impact on LGBT anxiety at all. According to the logistic regression analysis, the main contributing factor to state anxiety was the acceptance of siblings and other family members, of the survey taker’s status as a LGBT person (P = 0.003), excluding parental figures. For trait anxiety, the most prevalent factors included the repercussions from coming out (P = 0.001) and general negative experiences with medical providers, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation (P = 0.004).

Conclusion: The LGBT population in Thailand appears to have significant levels of anxiety which have been affected by specific social experience stressors, and supports the theory in which members of the LGBT community may face less stress with the appropriate support systems.

Laboratory diagnosis of anaerobic infections in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital

Mayuree Khantipong — 2024-12-23

Laboratory testing of anaerobic infections has exploded with molecular techniques and high technology. New species of anaerobic bacteria are increasing. However, laboratory diagnosis of anaero-bic bacteria is not routinely performed because of special culture requirement, difficulty to isolate, time consumption, the expense, and experienced technicians. This article aimed to share an experience in anaerobic laboratory diagnosis and literature review for guidance to other clinical laboratories about specimen collection and transportation, selection of suitable culture media and incubation techniques including the use of anaerobic chamber, anaerobic jar, and anaerobic pouch bag. Currently, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has proved to be rapid and reliable for the identification of anaerobic bacteria in routine laboratory. Epsilometer test (E-test) which has been developed for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determinations of antibi otics has proved to be easy with reduced workload, compared to the standard agar dilution or broth microdilution method, and appropriate for use in routine laboratory.