An impact of dietary intervention on blood pressures among diabetic and/or hypertensive patients with high cardiovascular disorders risk in northern Thailand by cluster randomized trial.

Background: Global sodium intake remains above the recommended levels to control blood pressure (BP). We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a dietary intervention on BP through salt reduction among community-dwelling participants with high risk of cardiovascular disorders (CVD).

Methods: This cluster randomized trial (February 2012 to January 2013) included cooking instruction using the pocket salt meter among patients with diabetes and/or hypertension who were treated at health center in Thailand.

Factors associated with access to HIV testing among international students in Japanese language schools in Tokyo.

Japan has been recognized for its excellent universal health coverage system. However, the migrant population faces many barriers in accessing health services in Japan. Japan hosts around 260,000 international students, mostly from developing countries.

Patient and National Economic Burden of Dengue in Japan: Results from Japanese National Claims Database.

Dengue fever is a predominantly imported infectious disease in Japan. However, domestic dengue infections were found in 2014. The economic burden of dengue is informative to formulate a policy toward its control.

Clinical Management of Patients with Dengue Infection in Japan: Results from National Database of Health Insurance Claims.

Dengue guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control (WHO, 2011) recommend acetaminophen and isotonic fluid for patients with dengue infection but do not recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and hypotonic fluid. Other research showed no evidence of efficacy of platelet infusion in prophylactic. This research aims to clarify to what extent dengue patients were managed in accordance with the guidelines in Japan.

Effectiveness of a new multi-component smoking cessation service package for patients with hypertension and diabetes in northern Thailand: a randomized controlled trial (ESCAPE study).

Background: Smoking cessation is an achievable behavioral change, which reduces the risks of cardiovascular diseases, cancers and tobacco-related diseases. There is a need for an effective smoking cessation service for low and middle income country settings where the smoking rate is generally very high whilst a cessation service is not usually accessible. This study devised a new smoking cessation service package and assessed its effectiveness in the primary health care setting of northern Thailand.

Perceived stigma of HIV patients receiving task-shifted primary care service and its relation to satisfaction with health service.

Introduction: HIV stigma is the remaining challenge to end the global epidemics of HIV. Whether stigma may form a barrier to the provision of ART within the community-based, primary care setting was not studied yet. Therefore, this study intended (1) to compare the levels of 'perceived stigma' in PLHIV attending district hospital and primary care units (PCUs), and (2) to measure the relation between HIV stigma and the satisfaction of patients with their health service.

Daily salt intake estimated by overnight urine collections indicates a high cardiovascular disease risk in Thailand.

This cross-sectional study (February 2012 to March 2013) was conducted to estimate daily salt intake and basic characteristics among 793 community-dwelling participants at high risk of cardiovascular disease (Framingham risk score >15%), who had visited diabetes or hypertension clinics at health centres in the Muang district, Chiang Rai, Thailand. We performed descriptive analysis of baseline data and used an automated analyser to estimate the average of 24-hour salt intake estimated from 3 days overnight urine collection. Participants were divided into two groups based on median estimated daily salt intake.

Satisfaction of HIV patients with task-shifted primary care service versus routine hospital service in northern Thailand.

Introduction: Shifting the task of HIV care to primary care providers is an important strategy to sustain expanding access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in high HIV burden countries like Thailand. In a pilot project, the task of following up ART-receiving patients was shifted from a physician-led HIV clinic team based at district level community hospital, to a nurse-led primary healthcare team of seven primary care centers, based at sub-district level in a district of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. This study aimed to evaluate the task-shifted ART service in a patient-centered approach.

Evidence-based new service package vs. routine service package for smoking cessation to prevent high risk patients from cardiovascular diseases (CVD): study protocol for randomized controlled trial.

Background: Smoking cessation is a high-priority intervention to prevent CVD events and deaths in developing countries. While several interventions to stop smoking have been proved successful, the question of how to increase their effectiveness and practicality in developing countries remains. In this study, a newly devised evidence-based smoking cessation service package will be compared with the existing service in a randomized controlled trial within the community setting of Thailand.

Reducing salt intake for prevention of cardiovascular diseases in high-risk patients by advanced health education intervention (RESIP-CVD study), Northern Thailand: study protocol for a cluster randomized trial.

Background: Decreasing salt consumption can prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Practically, it is difficult to promote people's awareness of daily salt intake and to change their eating habits in terms of reducing salt intake for better cardiovascular health. Health education programs visualizing daily dietary salt content and intake may promote lifestyle changes in patients at high risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Costs of medical services for patients with HIV/AIDS in Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Objective: To estimate the savings and cost of providing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to adult patients with AIDS under Universal Coverage (UC) in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand.

Design: Micro-costing of outpatient and inpatient services of two referral hospitals, and cost modelling.

Setting: Khon Kaen Regional Hospital and Northeast Regional Infectious Hospital.