Browsing by Author "Kawichai S."

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    Alcohol use, suicidality and virologic non-suppression among young adults with perinatally acquired HIV in Thailand: a cross-sectional study
    (2023-02-01) Aurpibul L.; Kosalaraksa P.; Kawichai S.; Lumbiganon P.; Ounchanum P.; Natalie Songtaweesin W.; Sudjaritruk T.; Chokephaibulkit K.; Rungmaitree S.; Suwanlerk T.; Ross J.L.; Sohn A.H.; Puthanakit T.; Mahidol University
    Introduction: Young adults with perinatally acquired HIV (YA-PHIV) are facing transitions to adult life. This study assessed health risk behaviours (including substance use), mental health, quality of life (QOL) and HIV treatment outcomes of Thai YA-PHIV. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Thai YA-PHIV aged 18–25 years who were enrolled in a prospective cohort study at five tertiary paediatric HIV care centres in Thailand. Study data were obtained through face-to-face interviews from November 2020 to July 2021. Assessments were performed for alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; AUDIT), smoking (Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence), drug/substance use (Drug Abuse Screening Test; DAST-10), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents; PHQ-A), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder; GAD-7) and QOL (World Health Organization QOL Brief-Thai). HIV treatment outcomes were extracted from the National AIDS Program database. Results: Of 355 YA-PHIV, 163 (46%) were males: their median age was 21.7 (interquartile range, IQR 20.2–23.5) years. There were 203 YA-PHIV (58%) who reported ever having sex; 141 (40%) were sexually active in the past 6 months, of whom 86 (61%) reported 100% condom use. Overall, 49 (14%) met the criteria for harmful alcohol use; 28 (7.9%) were alcohol dependent. Sixty (17%) were current smokers and 37 (11%) used drugs/substances. The frequency of moderate up to severe symptoms for depression was 18% and for anxiety was 9.7%. Their overall QOL was good in 180 (51%), moderate in 168 (47%) and poor in five (1.4%). There were 49 YA-PHIV (14%) with CD4 <200 cells/mm3 and 85 (24%) with virologic non-suppression (HIV-RNA >200 copies/ml). On multivariate analyses, the highest education at the primary to high school or vocational school levels (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.02, 95% CI 1.40–3.95, p 0.04), harmful alcohol use (aOR 2.48, 95% CI 1.24–4.99, p 0.01), alcohol dependence (aOR 3.54, 95% CI 1.51–8.31, p <0.01) and lifetime suicidal attempt (aOR 2.66, 95% CI 1.11–6.35, p 0.03) were associated with non-suppression. Conclusions: Regular screening for alcohol use and mental health, including suicidality, would be useful to identify YA-PHIV who need more intensive psychosocial support or referral services to ensure they can achieve and maintain a high QOL into adult life.
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    Association of cause-specific hospital admissions with high and low temperatures in Thailand: a nationwide time series study
    (2024-05-01) Wen B.; Kliengchuay W.; Suwanmanee S.; Aung H.W.; Sahanavin N.; Siriratruengsuk W.; Kawichai S.; Tawatsupa B.; Xu R.; Li S.; Guo Y.; Tantrakarnapa K.; Wen B.; Mahidol University
    Background: Non-optimum temperatures are associated with a considerable mortality burden. However, evidence of temperature with all-cause and cause-specific hospital admissions in tropical countries like Thailand is still limited. Methods: Daily all-cause and cause-specific hospital admissions for outpatient and inpatient visits were collected from 77 provinces in Thailand from January 2013 to August 2019. A two-stage time-series approach was applied to assess the association between non-optimum temperatures and hospital admission. We first fitted the province-specific temperature-morbidity association and then obtained the national association in the second stage using a random-effects meta-analysis regression. The attributable fraction (AF) of hospital admissions with 95% empirical confidence interval (eCI) was calculated. Findings: A total of 878,513,460 all-cause outpatient admissions and 32,616,600 all-cause inpatient admissions were included in this study. We observed a J-shaped relationship with the risk of hospital admissions increasing for both cold and hot temperatures. The overall AFs of all-cause hospital admissions due to non-optimum temperatures were 7.57% (95% eCI: 6.47%, 8.39%) for outpatient visits and 6.17% (95% eCI: 4.88%, 7.20%) for inpatient visits. Hot temperatures were responsible for most of the AFs of hospital admissions, with 6.71% (95% eCI: 5.80%, 7.41%) for outpatient visits and 4.50% (95% eCI: 3.62%, 5.19%) for inpatient visits. The burden of hospital admissions was greater in females and in children and adolescents (0–19 years). The fractions of hospital admissions attributable to non-optimum temperatures exhibited variation among disease categories and geographical areas. Interpretation: The results indicate that low and high temperature has a significant impact on hospital admissions, especially among the females, and children and adolescents (0–19 years). The current investigation could provide evidence for policymakers to develop adaptation strategies and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on public health in Thailand and other tropical countries. Funding: National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT): E-Asia Joint Research Program: Climate change impact on natural and human systems ( N33A650979).
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    Climate change and its impact on environmental health: a narrative review of tropical countries
    (2025-05-01) Kliengchuay W.; Suwanmanee S.; Worakhunpiset S.; Tawatsupa B.; Laor P.; Siriratruengsuk W.; Kawichai S.; Phosri A.; Kingkaew S.; Sahanavin N.; Kongpran J.; Guo Y.; Hashizume M.; Tantrakarnapa K.; Kliengchuay W.; Mahidol University
    This narrative review evaluates the impacts of climate change, referring to the long-term shifting of temperature that could have wide-ranging impacts on societies across the globe. Moreover, changes in climatic factors could induce changes in environmental factors and/or the related health status in several ways, especially in tropical countries where both infectious and noninfectious diseases are prevalent. This review explores the relationships between diseases in tropical regions and climate change. An examination of the overall impacts of environmental factors in these countries highlights changes in health status and disease patterns related to food-borne and water-borne diseases, vector-borne diseases and remarkable noncommunicable diseases. Adaptation and mitigation measures, such as bolstering health systems and disease surveillance, are needed to address these findings. Resilience and public awareness are key components of effective policies, and cross-sector cooperation and sustainable financial practices are essential for improving health outcomes and combating diseases connected to climate change. (Figure presented.)
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    Sources of PM2.5 Oxidative Potential during Haze and Non-haze Seasons in Chiang Mai, Thailand
    (2023-10-01) Ponsawansong P.; Prapamontol T.; Rerkasem K.; Chantara S.; Tantrakarnapa K.; Kawichai S.; Li G.; Fang C.; Pan X.; Zhang Y.; Mahidol University
    Dithiothreitol (DTT) assay is an acellular technique used to investigate the oxidative potential (OP) of chemical substances bound on PM, which may potentially lead to oxidative stress after exposure. In this study, the source contributions of 16 high priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), and 10 species of water-soluble inorganic ions bound on PM2.5 and their OP were investigated using DTT assay. The 24-hr ambient PM2.5 samples were collected throughout 2018–2019 and the analyzed OP was compared during haze episodes, which generally occurs in the dry season, and non-haze rainy season in the Chiang Mai-Lamphun basin. During haze episodes, DTTv activity was positively correlated with 4–5 rings PAHs including fluoranthene (Fla) pyrene (Pyr), benzo[a]anthracene (BaA), chrysene (Chr), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF) and benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF) with coefficient ranging from 0.327 to 0.545, p = 0.002 to 0.009 (Pearson’s correlation). Inorganic ions, particularly NH4+, SO42–, and NO3–, which are the tracers of secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA), were positively correlated with DTTv activity (r = 0.394 to 0.659. p = 0.000 to 0.047; Spearman’s correlation). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) indicated the biomass burning factor had the highest contribution (57.9%) to PM2.5 during haze episodes, followed by SIA (26.2%), and vehicle exhausts (7.8%). Furthermore, multiple linear regression (MLR) showed that biomass burning was the highest contributor to DTTv (43.0%). These results suggest that during haze episodes, higher levels of PM2.5 and its chemical compositions play a crucial role on OP, particularly DTTv activity, which may induce oxidative stress in human body.
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    The Influence of Meteorological Conditions and Seasons on Surface Ozone in Chonburi, Thailand
    (2025-03-01) Kawichai S.; Kliengchuay W.; Aung H.W.; Niampradit S.; Mingkhwan R.; Niemmanee T.; Srimanus W.; Phonphan W.; Suwanmanee S.; Tantrakarnapa K.; Kawichai S.; Mahidol University
    This study aims to examine the relationship between meteorological factors, specifically temperature, solar radiation, and ozone concentration levels. Levels of surface ozone were monitored (O3) in Chonburi, Thailand (located at 3.2017° N, 101.2524° E), from January 2010 to December 2020. Thailand’s coastal tropical environment provided a unique setting for the study. The study revealed a distinctive seasonal trend in ozone levels, with the highest concentrations occurring during the winter and the lowest in the rainy season, on average. The increase of O3 in the summer was primarily attributed to intense ground-level solar radiation and higher temperatures of around 30–35 °C, enhancing O3 concentrations ranging from 200 to 1400. During the winter, there is an increased elimination of the O3 concentration by higher levels of NO2. The study also examined the relationship between ozone levels and various meteorological factors to identify which had the most significant impact on ozone formation. The analysis showed that the ozone concentration has a strong negative correlation with relative humidity but is positively correlated with solar radiation, temperature, and wind speed.