Papers by Benjaluck Phonrat
The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2014
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International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research
The vitamin B1, B2 and B6 status was investigated in a group of rural and urban pregnant women in... more The vitamin B1, B2 and B6 status was investigated in a group of rural and urban pregnant women in the northeast of Thailand during the course of pregnancy. The vitamin status of all three vitamins did not change during the course of pregnancy even for the group of rural women. Differences between the group of village women and those females from a high socio-economic urban fraction of the population were only observed for the vitamin B2 status. The B2-dependent enzyme activation coefficient varies between 46.5 up to 56.7% for the rural and between 8.9 to 18.5% for the urban women. Vitamin B6 deficiencies as measured by the activation coefficient varied above 30% up to 40% and more for both groups of women. A functional significance could only be established for vitamin B2 deficiency. The increase of the activation coefficient correlated with an increase in the serum concentration levels of transferrin. Transferrin in turn was inversely correlated with haemoglobin.
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International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research
An investigation was undertaken in Northeast Thailand, a country undergoing rapid health transiti... more An investigation was undertaken in Northeast Thailand, a country undergoing rapid health transition, to find out whether there is a likelihood that the nutritional and lipid pattern of an adult population in Northeast Thailand is related to coronary heart disease in the same way as in western countries. In a cross-sectional study, the body mass index (BMI) and the waist-hip ratio as well as the important plasma lipids were determined. The nutritional status and the lipid profile of the predominantly middle-aged population is characterised by a generally favourable nutritional status and lipid concentrations, where the distribution, indicated by the medians, of the relevant variables over the total population is concerned. A rather high proportion of individuals was found to be overnourished and to have high triglyceride levels. Individuals with high triglyceride levels run a risk of developing coronary heart disease only when the LDL-HDL fraction is above 5. Only 3% of the total population investigated had a LDL-HDL ratio above that value. Since hypertriglyceridaemia is also linked to the insulin-resistant syndrome, it is concluded that, if the mortality of coronary heart disease increases in future, then this must be accounted probably more to the after-effects of the insulin-resistant syndrome than to the direct effect of an atherogenic lipid pattern. This view is supported by a high prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in the population under survey. Preventive measures in the area should concentrate among others on reducing overnutrition, especially among women, and increasing physical activity and screening for NIDDM.
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The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health
ABSTRACT
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Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
Three hundred and fifty-five individuals, 152 males and 203 females, aged between 30 and 74 years... more Three hundred and fifty-five individuals, 152 males and 203 females, aged between 30 and 74 years, were randomly selected in a two stage selection process from rural communities in three districts of Khon Kaen Province, Northeast Thailand. The prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in the rural area of Northeast Thailand were measured. In addition, the validity of the urine stick and fasting blood sugar as screening tools against the two hours glucose loading test as golden standard were determined. The survey was conducted in July 1995. The glucose loading test was performed on 277 individuals. IGT and NIDDM were classified according to current World Health Organization suggestions. Prevalence rates for IGT were 18.1 per cent and for NIDDM 11.9 per cent. No difference was found between males and females, also when controlled for age. NIDDM prevalence increased with age but IGT rates already were high in the younger age groups. This finding suggests that IGT precedes NIDDM in Thailand. The validity of the urine stick as a screening tool in communities was insufficient, with a sensitivity of less than 20 per cent. When using fasting blood sugar as a screening test, the sensitivity was close to 44 per cent and the specificity 90 per cent. It is concluded that the urine stick is not a useful screening tool and the method of using blood sugar concentrations for screening have to be improved before it can be applied within communities.
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The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health
The nutritional and health status of road sweepers in Bangkok was investigated. Fifty-seven males... more The nutritional and health status of road sweepers in Bangkok was investigated. Fifty-seven males and one hundred thirty-four females from 10 districts were selected for the study. The districts were sampled as cluster at random. From each district selected about 50% of road sweepers volunteered to participate in the investigation. Through questionnaires the age, marital status, place of origin, drinking and smoking habits were assessed. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure and the lipid profile of these subjects were determined. According to a physical check-up and X-rays taken, all individuals investigated were apparently healthy. The age of the study group varied between 26 and 57 years. The median for the males was 47 years and for the females 37.5 years. Almost all the road sweepers were married. Smoking and alcohol drinking was widespread. Over- and undernutrition was found among the group investigated. 26.3% of the males and 1.5% of the females were undernourished. According to their systolic values, 15.8% of the males and 6.7% of the females were suffering from hypertension, and 38.6% of the males and 15.7% of the females had hypertension according to their diastolic values. 58.2% of the females and 29.3% of the males were overnourished. 57.9% of the males and 59.7% of the females had cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dl. Pathological values of LDL cholesterol were determined in 26.3% of the males and 28.4% of the females. The habit of consuming tonic drinks was widespread among the workers. The study concluded that behavior risk factors are highly prevalent in the group of workers belonging to the lower socio-economic class. Further investigations are presently being undertaken to study the after-effects of air pollution among this group of workers. The results will be subsequently reported in future publications.
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Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
ABSTRACT
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Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
ABSTRACT
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The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health
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The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health
Socio-demographic and health status of 205 elderly aged 60-90 years who attended a special clinic... more Socio-demographic and health status of 205 elderly aged 60-90 years who attended a special clinic for the elderly at Rajvithi Hospital were investigated. All of the subjects had no major complaints and seemed to be apparently healthy. Socio-economic situation, life-style pattern and other health related information was assessed. Nearly all of the elderly lived with their relatives. Quite a high number of the females had never attended school. Almost 60% of the elderly had no regular income. The health situation of the individuals under investigation seemed to be satisfactory. The majority did not smoke and did not drink alcohol. There are indications that in the future more of the elderly population will stay alone and will face economical problems because of the absence of general social security scheme for Thailand.
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Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
The Understanding of volunteers in vaccine trials about their role as study participants and thei... more The Understanding of volunteers in vaccine trials about their role as study participants and their voluntary commitment during the study are always one of the important concerns apart from evaluation of safety and efficacy of vaccine trials, especially in HIV prophylactic vaccine trials. The apprehension of indirectly risky behavior encouragement and deviated expectations among volunteers should be of concern. The current prospective cohort study aimed to assess and monitor the changes of risk behaviors, attitude and expectations among 164 volunteers from 2 studies of different prophylactic HIV vaccines, the Chiron HIV Thai E gp 120/MF59 +/- the Chiron HIV SF52 gp120 and Aventis Pasteur Live Recombinant ALVAC HIV (vCP1521) priming with VaxGen gp120B/E (AIDSVAX B/E) boosting. 113 males and 51 females with a mean age (+/- SD) of 28.82 +/- 7.97 years old were enrolled from October 1997 to December 1998 and February 2000 to April 2001. Education and risk reduction counseling were regularly performed at every visit and questionnaires about risk behaviors, knowledge, attitudes, social influences and expectations were asked at baseline, 4 months and 12 months. No change of potentially HIV transmission related risk behavior was observed during the studies. There was a statistically significant decrease of risk sexual practices from the beginning of the trials (42.2% vs 1%, p < 0.0001). While 35.2 per cent from 62.2 per cent of the volunteers at the beginning of the study continued sexual practice with an identified single sexual partner at the end of the study (p < 0.0001). All of the volunteers expressed the beneficial expectations as knowledge gain, social contribution, feelings of having gained merit and self-benefits from health check-ups.
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Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
OPC is a common opportunistic infection in HIV-infected patients. Although some patients are asym... more OPC is a common opportunistic infection in HIV-infected patients. Although some patients are asymptomatic, progression of the disease may occur leading to esophageal candidiasis. Fluconazole resistant candidiasis has been reported in several international studies. This study aimed to test the MICs (minimal inhibitory concentrations) to fluconazole of Candida species isolated from mouthwash specimens of 54 HIV positive patients with oral candidiasis. Clinical and mycological responses to fluconazole were also assessed in 16 patients. This was a prospective study. Mouthwash specimens were cultured on sabouraud dextrose agar twice. Candida species identification was performed and MICs for fluconazole were obtained using NCCLS guidelines. Clinical and mycological responses were assessed on day 14 and 42 in 16 patients who received a 14-day course of fluconazole. 48/54 patients (88.89%) were found to carry pure C. albicans. The other 6 patients (11.11%) had mixed Candida species on cultures. Among these 6 patients, 5 patients had mixed C. albicans and C. glabrata, and 1 patient had C. albicans and C. krusei. Fluconazole MICs of C. albicans, C. glabrata, and C. krusei ranged from 0.125-32 (median=0.250), 4-64 (median=2), and 8 g/L respectively. This study showed that the MICs to fluconazole of oropharyngeal Candida was a good predictor of the therapeutic responses.
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Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
The dynamic changes of socio-economics leading to the industrialisation of countries are known to... more The dynamic changes of socio-economics leading to the industrialisation of countries are known to affect lifestyle and nutritional behaviours of the population. Review of the literature on the prevalence of obesity showed increasing numbers of the overweight and obese during the past decade. However, information on health and nutritional status of the obese in Thailand has not been widely publicized. This study reveals the vitamin status and hematological picture in 270 overweight and obese Thais in Bangkok, Thailand, compared with 175 normal subjects. No statistically significant differences in haemoglobin and hematocrit were observed in the overweight compared with the control subjects. The prevalence of anaemia was 9.8 per cent among male and 17.2 per cent among female overweight and obese subjects compared with 2.6 per cent and 21.2 per cent in male and female normal controls using the cut-off point of haemoglobin concentration as an indicator of anaemia. Prevalence of hypertension was exhibited in both male and female overweight and obese subjects. Even if there were no statistically significant differences in vitamin B1, B2 and B6 in overweight and obese subjects compared with the controls, high percentages of vitamin C and vitamin B2 deficiencies were observed. Vitamin B2 deficiency was detected in 19.7 per cent of overweight and obese males as well as in 28.7 per cent of overweight and obese females using glutathione reductase activity coefficient (alpha EGR) < 1.5 as the cut-off point. However, clinical signs of vitamin B2 deficiencies were rare. There was also a high percentage of vitamin C (antioxidant vitamin) deficiency in 51.5 per cent of the overweight and obese subjects and 41.7 per cent of the controls, respectively. The results suggest more attention should be paid to health study and nutritional problems for the overweight and obese population, especially concerning vitamins and oxidative stress. Further research is still needed in these aspects.
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The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health
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ABSTRACT
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Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
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Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
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The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health
The specific activities of antioxidant enzymes, [eg superoxide dismutases (SOD), glutathione pero... more The specific activities of antioxidant enzymes, [eg superoxide dismutases (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT)], anthropometric measurements, including waist/hip ratio of 48 male and 167 female overweight persons (body mass index (BMI) > or = 25.0 kg/m2) compared with a 26 male and 80 female control group (BMI = 18.5-24.9 kg/m2) of Thai volunteers who attended the Out-patient Department, General Practice Section, Rajvithi Hospital, Bangkok, for a physical check-up during March-October, 1998, were investigated. There was a slightly significant difference between the median age of the sexes. The medians of height, weight, and waist/hip ratio in males were significantly higher than those in female overweight and obese subjects. The median of arm circumference (AC), mid arm muscle circumference (MAMC) in males was significantly higher than those in female overweight and obese subjects (p < 0.05). The prevalences of hypertension based on systolic and diastolic blood pressure of > or = 160/> or = 95 mmHg, were 8.3% and 37.5% for males and 5.4% and 18.6% for females, respectively. There was no significant difference between the median of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPX and CAT) between the sexes. No significant differences in the antioxidant enzymes in male overweight/obese persons and normal controls were presented, whereas antioxidant enzymes in female overweight/obese persons were statistically lower than in control females (p < 0.05). A significantly higher SOD, GPX, and CAT status was observed in normal subjects compared with overweight/obese subjects (p < 0.01). A higher prevalence of SOD < or = 2,866 U/gHb, GPX (< or = 15.96 U/gHb in females was found, compared with males. A high percentage of lower catalase (CAT < or = 19.2x10(4) IU/gHb) was found in both sexes (64.5% in males and 64.5% in females). In obese subjects (BMI > or = 30.0 kg/m2), there were significantly positive relationships between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure and waist/hip ratio, and SOD could be related to weight, BMI as well as GPX and CAT, whereas the opposite result was observed for age and SOD.
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The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health
The weight, height and body mass index (BMI), including waist/hip ratio, serum leptin and hematol... more The weight, height and body mass index (BMI), including waist/hip ratio, serum leptin and hematological parameters of 48 male and 166 female overweight (BMI > or = 25.00) Thai volunteers who came for a physical check-up at the Out-patient Department, General Practice Section, Rajvithi Hospital, Bangkok during the period March-October 1998, were investigated. There were statistically significantly higher levels of serum leptin, mean corpuscular mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in the overweight than in the control subjects. The median serum leptin concentration in overweight subjects was 19.6 (2.0-60.0 ng/ml) compared with 9.0 (range 1.0-30.0 ng/ml) in the control subjects (p < 0.001). The medians of leptin in overweight and obese males were significantly higher than those of overweight and obese females. 66.7% (32 out of 48) of overweight and obese males were found to have elevated leptin levels, while 87.3% (145 out of 166) were found in overweight and obese females. Anemia was found in 18.7% of female overweight and obese subjects, using hemoglobin as an indicator. Significant associations were found between weight, height, BMI, waist, hip, waist/hip ratio, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and serum leptin in both male and female overweight subjects. A negative correlation was found between serum leptin and hemoglobin, and hematocrit in both overweight and obese subjects.
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Papers by Benjaluck Phonrat