Rationale and Background: Risk factors associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) may differ between population groups and ethnicities. In Lao PDR (Laos), no studies have been conducted to investigate the potential risk factors for Type 2 DM. Methodology: A case-control study was conducted among 150 patients with Type 2 DM who were matched for age and sex with 300 patients presenting at OPD with non-DM diseases, at Setthathirath Hospital between November 30, 2007 and April 30, 2008. Results: Most of the study patients (97.5%) were Lao Loom with an overall mean (95%CI) age of 57.6 (56.6- 58.5) years. The mean (95%CI) daily expense (Lao Kip) was significantly higher in cases [38,700 (35,213- 42,186)] compared to controls [31,400 (29,667-33,132)] (P<0.001). The median (range) number of bottles or cans or glasses of sweet soft drink drunk by the study subjects per week (Pepsi or fruit juice or sugar cane juice) were significantly higher in the cases compared to the controls (P<0.001). Although the proportion of the patients who previously drank alcohol was similar between two groups, the mean (95%CI) number of glasses of whisky drunk by the patients per week was significantly higher in the cases [4.1 (2.8-5.4)] compared to the controls [1.8 (1.4-2.3)] (P<0.001). The percentage of patients with history of cigarette smoking and the mean (95%CI) number of cigarettes smoked per day were not significantly different between the groups (P>0.05). Although the frequency of the patients who did regular physical exercise was not statistically different between the cases (31%) and the controls (27%) (P=0.48), the mean (95%CI) body mass index was significantly higher in the cases [28.3 (27.7-28.9)] compared with the controls [24.9 (24.5-25.4)] (P<0.001). A history of family members with DM was significantly higher among the type 2 DM cases (31%) compared with the controls (16%) (P<0.001), [OR= 2.3; 95%CI = 1.4 - 3.7)]. The history of NSAID/Steroid and traditional-herbal use was associated with type 2 DM [OR = 2.6; 95%CI = 1.3 - 5.0) and OR = 2.7; 95%CI = 1.7 - 4.6), respectively]. Conclusion: Higher expenditure, sweet soft drink consumption, BMI, a history of family members with DM, and history of NSAID/steroid or traditional herb use were risk factors associated with type II DM among Lao patients. Further studies are required in order to confirm the findings of this study especially in different hospitals and parts of Laos. Copyright: ! 2012 Xaysanavong et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Rational and Background: The University of Health Sciences (UHS) is the only health institution training medical doctors in the Lao PDR. The curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine has been developed and improved but no formal evaluation has been performed. Feedbacks on the current learning-teaching situation by medical students are essential and important as they are directly exposed to the real learning-teaching situation. Methodology: This was a descriptive study of feedback from the sixth year medical students (academic year 2010-2011) on the current learning-teaching situation of the Faculty of Medicine, UHS, using a pre-designed, pre-tested and self-administered questionnaire between January – February 2011. Results: Of a total of 162 students, 161 participated in the survey. Only 50% of the respondents reported that they ‘really like’ to study medicine at enrollment. This figure was consistent with the proportion of the students who said that they had successfully passed the entrance examination (56%). However, 86% of the interviewees stated that they ‘like medicine’ after six years of study. Only 44% of the students reported that they had regularly paid attention to the lectures. Approximately half of them mentioned that the basic sciences they had learnt at the beginning of their medical training were useful for medicine and 94% suggested adding anatomy and physiology to the first year class. The majority (78%) of students complained that they had had too little practical experience in the laboratories and hospitals. Forty-two and 54 % suggested that the students should have worked in the hospitals from the second and third years of their training, respectively. More than half (60%) said that the number of lecturers was insufficient, 36% stated that the lecturers are sufficiently knowledgeable, 20% stated that the lecturers were knowledgeable and adequately passed on their knowledge to the students, and 63% of them reported that the lectures were not always updated. Most of the respondents (84%) said that the number of the students in the class was too big and crowded and this negatively affected the learning-teaching atmosphere. Two third of the interviewers said that educational materials and equipment were not adequate, 86% mentioned that textbooks in the University library were not sufficient and lacking while the internet room did not respond to the need of the students (94% said that the internet room opened late in the morning but closed too early, there are not enough computers, and internet speed was too slow). Eighty-three percent of the students complained that the laboratories and hospitals were too small and did not respond to the need of the students. Conclusion: This study clearly demonstrated that the current learning-teaching of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Health Sciences needs to be evaluated, revised, and improved urgently in order to ensure that the newly graduated doctors are fully knowledgeable and qualified. Copyright: ! 2012 Hang et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Rational and Background: Advertisements are forms of communication used to encourage or persuade an audience to continue or to take some new action, usually to purchase. Product and service adverts on Lao television have significantly increased recently. However, very little is known about the frequency of health- related adverts on Lao television and whether they are containing Lao appropriate public health messages. Study of the frequency and potential impact of health-related adverts might help us to better understand the situation and contribute to solving health-related problems of Lao people. Methodology: This was a descriptive study to describe the adverts on Lao television during three months (February – April 2011). All Lao television adverts broadcasted during three months were tape-recorded and information was extracted on a pre-designed form. All adverts were analyzed and classified as health-related and non health-related. The time of adverts was also calculated. Data were entered into excel sheet and analyzed using STATA 10.0. Results: During three months, 34 adverts were observed on all three Lao television channels. Of these, 28 (82%) were health-related and 6 (18%) were not. Of 28 health-related adverts, 10 (36%) were classified as good for Lao public health, 3 (11%) were considered as dangerous to health, and 15 (53%) were of uncertain classification. All three adverts regarded as ‘bad’ to health were advertising beverages containing alcohol or caffeine. The average advert durations were 1.5 minutes and 1 minute for those advertising alcohol- and caffeine- containing beverage. Over three months, 3,702 spots of these three adverts were on air with an average total exposure time of 82.5 hours, which was longer than those considered as ‘good’ for health (2,068 spots over 32.9 hours). Some products were exaggeratedly advertized which might mislead the audience and negatively affect their health. Conclusion: More than 80% of all Lao TV adverts were health-related, but 2/3 were classified as potentially harmful to health. The frequency and total duration of health-related adverts, which were considered to be harmful to health, were higher and longer, respectively, when compared to those considered to be good for health. This study suggests that Lao people are exposed to adverts that are contrary to the interests of Lao public health. Strict measures to ensure that advertisements are accurate and do not mislead people, persuading them to buy things that are not in the interests of Lao public health, are required.