Sex and Stature Estimation from Adult Lumbar Vertebrae in a Thai Population Based on Image Analysis

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Mortality Rate due to Malaria in Thailand

Malaria has been a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Thailand for many decades. The purpose of this study was to model and forecast malaria mortality rate in Thailand using death certificate reports. A retrospective analysis of the malaria mortality rate was conducted. Data were obtained from the national vital registration database for the 10-year period from 2000 to 2009, provided by the Ministry of the Interior and coded as cause-of-death using ICD-10 by the Ministry of Public Health. Multivariate regression was used for modeling and forecasting age-specific malaria mortality rates in Thailand. Malaria mortality increased with increasing age for each sex and was also higher in the Central and Northern provinces. The trends of malaria mortality remained stable in most age groups with decreases in others and decreases during ten-year period (2000 to 2009). Malaria mortality was higher in males and increase with increasing age. There is need of malaria control measures to remain on a sustained and long-term basis for the high malaria burden rate of Thailand

Acquired Immune Defi ciency Syndrome mortality rate in Thailand

Objective Acquired Immune Defi ciency Syndrome (AIDS) has been a leading cause of morbidity in Thailand for many years. The objective of this study was to model and forecast the AIDS mortality rate in Thailand using data from death certifi cate reports. Methods A retrospective analysis of the AIDS mortality rate was conducted. The data were obtained from the national vital registration database for a 10-year period, from 2000 to 2009, provided by the Ministry of the Interior, and coded as cause-of-death using ICD-10 by the Ministry of Public Health. Multivariate linear regression was used for modeling and forecasting age-specifi c AIDS mortality rates in Thailand. Results AIDS mortality increased with increasing age in each gender and it also was higher in the northern and southern provinces. The trend of AIDS mortality remained stable in most age groups, but decreased in others after 2003. AIDS mortality was highest in males aged 30-39 years. Conclusion The multivariate linear regression model was suitable for modeling and forcasting AIDS mortality in Thailand. There is a need for a sustained and long-term AIDS control measures to deal with a high AIDS burden rate in Thailand. Chiang Mai Medical Journal 2012;51(3):79-86

Electricity consumption characteristics in Thailand residential sector and its saving potential

The actual state of electricity consumption characteristics in the residential sector in Thailand was presented. They were an essential information for the total energy usage estimation. They were used for investigating the feasibility of energy conservation. A questionnaire interview survey of 7,192 households for 41 kinds of appliances usage was conducted covering the whole part of Thailand in 2018. The characteristics of household electricity consumption was identified for both rural and urban areas. The whole country electricity consumption was estimated from the survey results extrapolation. The energy model, used in extrapolation, implies the majority of household electricity consumption in the area level. The result shows that overall electricity consumption in the household was 35,624.37 GWh in the year 2018. It comprised of air conditioner (26.50 %), refrigerator (19.33 %), light bulb indoor (14.93 %), rice cooker (6.82 %), television (6.10 %), fan (5.75 %), Electric bottle (3.35 %), light bulb outdoor (3.30 %), automatic pump (2.61 %), water heater (1.86 %), computer (1.67%), iron (1.55%), and other appliances (6.23 %). Around 13.97 % of electricity consumption, i.e. 4,975.89 GWh or 2.39 MtCO2, could be reduced by means of replacement with higher efficiency appliances

Age Estimation Methods in Forensic Odontology

Forensically, age estimation is a crucial step for biological identification. Currently, there are many methods with variable accuracy to predict the age for dead or living persons such as a physical examination, radiographs of the left hand, and dental assessment. Age estimation using radiographic tooth development has been found to be an accurate method because it is mainly genetically influenced and less affected by nutritional and environmental factors. The Demirjian et al. method has long been the most commonly used for dental age estimation using radiological technique in many populations. This method, based on tooth developmental changes, is an easy-to-apply method since different stages of tooth development is clearly defined. The aim of this article is to elaborate age estimation by using tooth development with a focus on the Demirjian et al. method

Relationship between Height-Weight Difference Index and Body-Fat Percentage Estimated by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in Thai Adults

Introduction. The height-weight difference index (HWDI) is a new indicator for evaluating obesity status. While body-fat percentage (BF%) is considered to be the most accurate obesity evaluation tool, it is a more expensive method and more difficult to measure than the others. Objective. Our objectives were to find the relationship between HWDI and BF% and to find a BF% prediction model from HWDI in relation to age and gender. Method. Bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to measure BF% in 2,771 healthy adult Thais. HWDI was calculated as the difference between height and weight. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between HWDI and BF%. Multiple linear and nonlinear regression analysis were used to construct the BF% prediction model. Results. HWDI and BF% were found to be inverse which related to a tendency toward a linear relationship. Results of a multivariate linear regression analysis, which included HWDI and age as variables in the model, predicted BF% to be 34.508 − 0.159 (HWDI) + 0.161 (age) for men and 53.35 − 0.265 (HWDI) + 0.132 (age) for women. Conclusions. The prediction model provides an easy-to-use obesity evaluation tool that should help awareness of underweight and obesity conditions

Age estimation using aorta image analysis in the Thai population

The current technology used in imaging has an increasing role in medical education. The concept of using an image analysis programme to help in estimating the age of the aorta, the largest artery, can be clearly seen to be of use, especially in establishing age changes for the identification of individuals. The purposes of the study were to investigate gross morphology, morphometric parameters, and the correlation between parameters with age of the aorta in human cadavers by using an image analysis programme. A total of 244 specimens were dissected from 4 locations of 61 human aortas from donour and autopsy cadavers with an age range of 20 to 90 years. The morphometric parameters included outer circumference, inner circumference, aortic diameter, and average thickness of all locations of the aorta. These were defined and measured by using the image analysis programme. The results of this study showed that the outer circumference (r=0.808-0.739), inner circumference (r=0.763-0.682), vertical diameter of the aorta (r=0.628-0.524) and horizontal diameter of the aorta (r=0.808-0.396) showed a significant correlation with age in all areas of the aorta. In the ascending aorta, the correlation between the outer circumference, horizontal diameter and age were higher than other variables and areas. The age equation established pertinent to the outer circumference (OC) in the ascending aorta was age = -61.648+ (1.141(OC)) with a standard error of ± 12.45 years. The age prediction equation for the horizontal diameter (HD) in the ascending aorta was age = -35.799+ (4.134(HD)) and a standard error of ± 12.43 years. In conclusion, knowledge of the structural changes associated with age can be used for age estimation in forensic anthropology

Factor Structures in the Depressive Symptoms Domains in the 9Q for Northern Thai Adults and Their Association with Chronic Diseases

Most of the common models to examine depression are one-factor models; however, previous studies provided several-factor structure models on each depressive symptom using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The Nine-Questions Depression-Rating Scale (9Q) is an alternative assessment tool that was developed for assessing the severity of depressive symptoms in Thai adults. This study aimed to examine the factor structure of this tool based on the factor structure models for the PHQ-9 provided in previous studies using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We also examined the association of chronic diseases and depressive symptoms using the Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes model among 1346 participants aged 19 years old or more without psychiatric disorders. The results show that the two-factor CFA model with six items in the cognitive-affective domain and three items in the somatic domain provided the best fit for depressive symptoms in the study population (RMSEA = 0.077, CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.936). Dyslipidemia was positively associated with both cognitive-affective symptoms (β = 0.120) and somatic depressive symptoms (β = 0.080). Allergies were associated with a higher level of cognitive-affective depressive symptoms (β = 0.087), while migraine (β = 0.114) and peptic ulcer disease (β = 0.062) were associated with a higher level of somatic symptoms. Increased age was associated with a lower level of somatic symptoms (β = −0.088). Our findings suggested that considering depressive symptoms as two dimensions yields a better fit for depressive symptoms. The co-occurrence of chronic diseases associated with depressive symptoms should be monitored

Discrimination against and Associated Stigma Experienced by Transgender Women with Intersectional Identities in Thailand

Although Thailand is overtly open to diversity and promotes equality, discrimination of minorities based on gender, ethnicity, and/or certain occupations is unfortunately still prevalent. Society either obstructs their inclusion or accepts them but only under certain conditions. The objective of this study is to examine the discrimination of TGWs with intersectional identities within Thai society. A total of 19 TGW participants were recruited and underwent in-depth thematic interviews about their experiences of discrimination. Rechecking of the extracted information from the interview transcripts and the subsequent encoding process were conducted using the NVivo program. The results show that the median age was 30 years old, and the majority of the individuals with intersectional identities were ethnic minority TGWs (47%). The in-depth interviews were divided into four main themes, including discrimination at an educational institution, discrimination in the workplace, discrimination in daily life, and discrimination at a healthcare facility. Our findings reflect problems associated with multiple sources of discrimination aimed at transgender women with an intersectional identity in Thailand in every aspect, including harsh speech or physical abuse; occupational, social, and legal inequality; and healthcare provision disparity. Raising awareness about gender diversity and intersectionality, as well as enforcing anti-bullying legislation and anti-discrimination laws, should be continually pursued in order to protect the rights and improve the quality of life of transgender individuals with an intersectional identity