Efficacy of dietary modification following the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) recommendation on lipid profiles among hyperlipidemia subjects.

Background: Hyperlipidemia has adverse effects on atherosclerosis, causing it to develop into cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of hyperlipidemia has been increasing among those in the working-age group and may be caused by inappropriate dietary patterns. Dietary modification should form the basis of lipid management.

Determinants of adherence to iron/folate supplementation during pregnancy in two provinces in Cambodia.

Iron supplementation can effectively control and prevent anemia in pregnancy. However, limited adherence is thought to be a major reason for the low effectiveness of iron supplementation programs.This research describes the factors influencing the adherence to iron/folate supplementation during pregnancy in Siem Reap and Kampong Cham provinces in Cambodia.

Self discipline and obesity in Bangkok school children.

Background: Childhood obesity has become an important public health problem in Thailand. This study aimed to determine the relationship between self discipline and obesity in Bangkok school children.

Methods: A case control study was conducted.

Dietary sodium intake by semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire among undergraduate students of Mahidol University.

Objective: To assess sodium intake and identify its sources among undergraduate students aged 17 to 20 years who lived in the dormitory of Mahidol University, Salaya Campus.

Material And Method: A cross sectional study was conducted among 170 students in July 2007. Data were collected using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.

The optimal cut-off points of body mass index which reflect the risk factors of cardiovascular disease in the urban Thai male population.

Objective: To examine the optimal cut-off points of body mass index (BMI) which reflect the risk-level of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in urban Thai males.

Material And Method: A cross-sectional research was conducted on Thai males, aged 35-50 who worked and lived in Bangkok. Four hundred and thirteen government officers were selected for blood pressure, weight and height measurements.

Antimutagenic effects of piperine on cyclophosphamide-induced chromosome aberrations in rat bone marrow cells.

Piperine is a major pungent substance and active component of black pepper (Piper nigrum Linn.) and long pepper (Piper longum Linn.).

Birth weight doubling time of Thai infants.

Background: For decades, birth weight doubling time (BWDT) has been used as an indicator for the assessment of physical growth of infants. However, the relevant data in the literature were obtained mainly from western subjects and no similar studies have been carried out for South EastAsian or otherAsian countries.

Objective: To determine BWDT and related variables forThai infants.

A longitudinal causal relationship among cardiovascular risk factors in the employees of the government savings bank.

A longitudinal structural causal model was generated to examine the causal relationship among determinants which were composed of four personal factors, stress, four health behaviors, and BMI on five physiological risks for cardiovascular disease: SBP, DBP, FBS, TC and HDL-C in 1,019 bank employees, within a five-year interval. A fourteen-item food frequency questionnaire for assessing eating habits and the Health Opinion Survey for the stress test were included in the self-administered questionnaires. Weight, height and blood pressure were measured and blood samples were collected for blood chemical analysis.

Evaluation of the effect of steviol on chromosomal damage using micronucleus test in three laboratory animal species.

The chromosomal damage activity of steviol, a product of enzymatic alteration of stevioside, a natural non-caloric sweetener was reevaluated by using a bone marrow micronucleus test in both male and female hamsters, rats and mice. The micronucleus test is used widely as a rapid and efficient alternative in chromosome analysis for detecting in vivo cytogenetic damage. Steviol at the dose of 4 g/kg body weight for hamsters and 8 g/kg body weight for rats and mice showed no effect on the frequencies of micronucleus formation in bone marrow erythrocytes of both male and female hamsters, rats and mice.

Developmental toxicity of steviol, a metabolite of stevioside, in the hamster.

The developmental toxicity of steviol, a metabolite of stevioside, was studied in hamsters. Pregnant hamsters were intubated with steviol at dose levels of 0, 0.25, 0.

Lack of mutagenicity of stevioside and steviol in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100.

Stevioside, a sweet-tasting diterpene glycoside derived from Stevia rebaudiana, and steviol, a product from enzymatic hydrolysis of stevioside, were tested for mutagenic activity by the in vitro Ames test, a preincubation method, using Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100 as the tester strains, either in the presence or absence of metabolic activating system derived from the sodium phenobarbital and 5,6-benzoflavone pretreated liver S9 fractions from various animal species including rat, mouse, hamster and guinea pig. Stevioside and steviol at the concentrations up to 50 mg and 2 mg per plate, respectively showed no mutagenic effect on both tester strains either in the presence or absence of metabolic activating system. However, at the high concentration both stevioside and steviol showed some toxic effects on both tester strains.

Acute toxicity of stevioside, a natural sweetener, and its metabolite, steviol, in several animal species.

The acute toxicity of stevioside and steviol (a product of enzymatic hydrolysis of stevioside) was investigated in three animal species including rat, mouse and hamster. The susceptibility to stevioside and steviol acute toxicity in both sexes of these animal species was compared. The animals were treated intragastrically with stevioside or steviol and general signs and symptoms were observed.

Mutagenic activity of newly synthesized sulfa drugs to Salmonella typhimurium.

The mutagenic activity of seven newly synthesized sulfa drugs was studied in Salmonella typhimurium, using forward mutation to 8-azaguanine (8-AG) resistance and reversion mutation assays (Ames test) both in the absence and presence of Aroclor induced rat liver S9. In forward mutation assays, N1-methylsulfanilamide, N4-acetyl-N1-methylsulfanilamide and N4-acetyl-N1-diethylsulfanilamide were mutagenic to S. typhimurium TM677 both in the presence and absence of metabolic activation while N4-acetylsulfanilamide, N1-diethylsulfanilamide and 4-nitro-N-2-pyridinylbenzenesulfonamide [2-(p-nitrobenzenesulfonamido)pyridine] were mutagenic only in the presence of metabolic activation.

Comparative horizontal starch gel isoenzyme electrophoresis of Lymnaea (Bullastra) cumingiana (Pulmonata: Lymnaeidae) and related taxa in the Indo-Pacific region.

Foot muscle tissue extracts from six lymnaeid species of the Indo-Pacific region [Lymnaea (Bullastra) cumingiana and L. (Radix) quadrasi from the Philippines, L. (R.

Ecological observations on Lymnaea (Bullastra) cumingiana.

Field surveys conducted at Echague, Isabela and San Pablo, Laguna revealed that Lymnaea (Bullastra) cumingiana, the natural second snail intermediate host of Echinostoma malayanum in the Philippines, exhibits a moderate degree of diversity in its choice of habitats. Rice fields of all stages of development, stagnant shallow streams and springs are the main areas where the snail can be collected from at Echague, Isabela. However, they were absent in rice fields that had been extensively sprayed with molluscicides to control the "golden apple snail" (Ampullarius canaliculatus).

Comparative shell morphology of Lymnaea (Bullastra) cumingiana (Pulmonata: Lymnaeidae) and related taxa in the Indo-Pacific region.

Comparative shell morphology using both quantitative and qualitative parameters was employed to investigate the taxonomic relationship between the endemic Philippine species, Lymnaea (Bullastra) cumingiana and five other lymnaeid "species" in the Indo-Pacific region, namely: L. (Radix) quadrasi (Philippines). L.

Comparative radular morphology of Lymnaea (Bullastra) cumingiana (Pulmonata: Lymnaeidae) and related taxa in the Indo-Pacific region.

The radular morphology of Lymnaea (Bullastra) cumingiana was compared to that of five other Indo-Pacific lymnaeid "species", namely: L. (Radix) quadrasi (Philippines), L. (R.

Malacological survey in the Sirikit reservoir, the largest earthfilled dam in Thailand.

Ten species of freshwater molluscs were found in a malacological survey in the Sirikit reservoir in 1985. Among these species, Tricula aperta or Neotricula aperta, intermediate host of human schistosomes, Bithynia (Digoniostoma) siamensis goniomphalos and B. (D.

Malacological survey in the Bhumibol Reservoir, the first dam constructed in Thailand.

Twenty-five species of molluscs were found in a malacological survey in the Bhumibol Reservoir and in the Ping River in front of the Bhumibol Dam and its tributaries in April and August 1985. Among these species, Tricula aperta or Neotricula aperta, intermediate host of human schistosomes and Bithynia (Digoniostoma) siamensis goniomphalos and B. (D.

Induction of sister-chromatid exchange in human blood lymphocytes by aqueous extract of palmyrah (Borassus flabellifer) flour.

pPalmyrah palm (Borassus flabellifer) is widely consumed by people in certain tropical countries. The incidence of human malignant lymphomas, mutagenicity and toxicity in rats and bacteria encouraged us to study the potency of palmyrah crude aqueous extracts in inducing sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in human blood lymphocytes in vitro. The extracts induced SCEs in a dose-related manner in both females and males.

Intestinal parasitoses among the workers and their families at three electricity generating dams in Thailand.

During September 17, 1980 - May 29, 1981 a total of 986 single stool specimens were collected from workers and their families at three electricity generating dams under the administration of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). Parasitological surveys were carried out at the dam sites, namely the Khoa Laem Project, the Srinakarin Dam and the Ubolratana Dam. The overall prevalence at all three sites are moderately high (62.

Toxic and mutagenic effects of formaldehyde in Salmonella typhimurium.

Toxic and mutagenic activities of formaldehyde were studied in Salmonella typhimurium strain TM677, using forward mutation to 8-azaguanine (8-AG) resistance both in the absence and in the presence of Aroclor-induced rat-liver postmitochondrial supernatant (PMS). The results showed that formaldehyde was toxic and mutagenic to the bacteria in both systems, but toxicity and mutagenicity were reduced in the presence of PMS. The minimum concentration required to induce toxicity and mutagenicity was 0.

Freshwater snails survey in and around the Cambodian refugee camp, Sakaeo District, Prachinburi Province, Thailand.

The freshwater snails surveys were carried out during September 15, 1981 to December 15, 1981, especially for the intermediate or possible intermediate host of Schistosoma mekongi in and around the Cambodian refugee camp at Ban Kaeng Holding Centre, Sakaeo District, Prachinburi Province. A total of 30 localities were visited and 15 species of freshwater snails were collected. The snails did not shed any cercaria of S.