Background Hospitalizations for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations frequently occur in Thailand. National trends in hospital outcomes are essential for planning preventive strategies within the healthcare system. We examined temporal trends in in-hospital outcomes, including mortality rate, length of stay (LOS), and expenses for reimbursement in adults hospitalized for asthma and COPD exacerbations in southern Thailand.Methods A retrospective, population-based study on adults hospitalized for exacerbations of asthma and COPD was carried out using data from the National Health Security Office in southern Thailand. Baseline demographic and in-hospital outcome assessments were conducted on 19,459 and 66,457 hospitalizations for asthma and COPD, respectively, between 2017 and 2021.Results Significant reductions in hospital admissions for exacerbations of asthma and COPD were observed over time, particularly in 2020/2021. From 2017 to 2021, the in-hospital mortality rate for asthma rose from 3.2 to 3.7 deaths per 1,000 admissions (P<0.05). The rates for COPD admissions, on the other hand, reduced from 20.3 to 16.4 deaths per 1,000 admissions between 2017 and 2020, but subsequently increased to 21.8 in 2021 (P<0.05). The prominent contributor to the higher mortality rate was found to be increasing age. Nonetheless, the average LOS for both asthma and COPD decreased slightly over the study period. The total expenses for reimbursing exacerbations of asthma and COPD per hospitalisation have risen significantly each year, with a particularly notable increase in 2020/2021.Conclusion During 2017-2021, exacerbations of asthma and COPD in Thailand continued to account for significant in-hospital mortality rates and reimbursement expenses, despite the overall decrease in hospitalizations and slight fluctuations in the LOS.
Adult ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Hospital Mortality ; Thailand/epidemiology* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Asthma/epidemiology* ; Hospitals ; Disease Progression

Protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection of inactivated vaccines is not well characterized in people with comorbidities, who are at high risk of severe infection. We compared the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection after complete vaccination with Sinopharm/BBIBP in people with comorbidities (e.g., autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, and diabetes) with healthy individuals using a Cox-proportional hazard model. In July-September 2021, a total of 10 548 people (comorbidities, 2143; healthy, 8405) receiving the complete primary series of vaccination with Sinopharm/BBIBP in Bangkok, Thailand were prospectively followed for SARS-CoV-2 infection through text messaging and telephone interviewing for 6 months. A total of 295 infections from 284 participants were found. HRs (95% CI) of individuals with any comorbidities did not increase (unadjusted, 1.02 (0.77-1.36), P = 0.89; adjusted, 1.04 (0.78-1.38), P = 0.81). HRs significantly increased in the subgroup of autoimmune diseases (unadjusted, 2.64 (1.09-6.38), P = 0.032; adjusted, 4.45 (1.83-10.83), P = 0.001) but not in cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, or diabetes. The protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection of the Sinopharm vaccine was similar in participants with any comorbidities vs. healthy individuals. However, the protection appeared lower in the subgroup of autoimmune diseases, which may reflect suboptimal immune responses among these people.
Humans ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Vaccines, Inactivated ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Prospective Studies ; Thailand ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the rejuvenation mechanisms of Thai polyherbal medicines using different approaches, including in vitro methods, as well as a well-defined nematode model, Caenorhabditis elegans. METHODS: THP-R-SR012 decoction was selected from 23 polyherbal medicines, based on metal-chelating and chain-breaking antioxidant capacities. The influences of this extract on the survival and some stress biomarkers of C. elegans under paraquat-induced oxidative stress were evaluated. Furthermore, lifespan analysis and levels of lipofuscin accumulation were examined in senescent nematodes. The phytochemical profile of THP-R-SR012 was analyzed. RESULTS: Supplementation with THP-R-SR012 decoction significantly increased the mean lifespan and reduced the oxidative damage to C. elegans under oxidative stress conditions. Further, THP-R-SR012 supplementation slightly influenced the lifespan and the level of lipofuscin accumulation during adulthood. Antioxidant-related phytochemical constituents of THP-R-SR012 decoction were rutin, naringenin, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, glycyrrhizic acid, demethoxycurcumin and 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid. CONCLUSION The antioxidant potential of THP-R-SR012 was due to its scavenging properties, its enhancement of antioxidant-related enzyme activities, and the presence of the antioxidant-related compound. These results support the traditional use of THP-R-SR012 decoction as a tonic for nourishing and strengthening the whole body.
Animals ; Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolism* ; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/metabolism* ; Oxidative Stress ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Rejuvenation ; Thailand

Lancang-Mekong Cooperation is a new type of subregional cooperation mechanism initiated and built by China and other five countries of the Lancang-Mekong subregion, namely Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Countries in the Lancang-Mekong subregion are geographically and culturally connected, and they have nurtured their unique traditional medicine. By combing the history of traditional medicine exchanges between China and other Lancang-Mekong countries and their progress of modern research, this paper summarized the challenges and opportunities of traditional medicine cooperation in the Lancang-Mekong subregion. It has been found that many regional cooperation mechanisms coexist for a long time in the Lancang-Mekong subregion and the medicinal resources are abundant. However, the degree of their development and utilization varies, and modern scientific research is insufficient. Lancang-Mekong Cooperation has provided a strong support for integrating the advantageous resources in Lancang-Mekong subregion countries and making progress together. Focusing on the development and protection of medicinal resources, this paper puts forward a new path of cooperation in the intellectual property rights and characteristic seed resource protection, the compilation of universal herbal pharmacopoeia in various countries, the research and development of public health products, and the construction of traditional herbal industry bases, thus enabling the traditional medicine to better protect the public health and building a human health community.
China ; Humans ; Materia Medica ; Medicine, Traditional ; Rivers ; Thailand

Arthropod-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, have frequently beset five countries(Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand) in the tropical rainy Lancang-Mekong region, which pose a huge threat to social production and daily life. As a resort to such diseases, chemical drugs risk the resistance in plasmodium, non-availability for dengue virus, and pollution to the environment. Traditional medicinal plants have the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, which are of great potential in drug development. Exploring potential medicinals for arthropod-borne diseases from traditional medicinal plants has become a hot spot. This study summarized the epidemiological background of arthropod-borne diseases in the Lancang-Mekong region and screened effective herbs from the 350 medicinal plants recorded in CHINA-ASEAN Traditional Medicine. Based on CNKI, VIP, and PubMed, the plants for malaria and dengue fever and those for killing and repelling mosquitoes were respectively sorted out. Their pharmacological effects and mechanisms were reviewed and the material basis was analyzed. The result is expected to serve as a reference for efficient utilization of medicinal resources, development of effective and safe drugs for malaria and dengue fever, and the further cooperation between China and the other five countries in the Lancang-Mekong region.
Animals ; Culicidae ; Malaria ; Plants, Medicinal ; Plasmodium ; Thailand

Under the background of the Belt and Road Initiative, the exchange of traditional medicine has become inevitable. China and Thailand are amicable neighbors, and the cooperation between the two countries in the field of traditional medicine has become increasingly close in recent years. Nevertheless, on account of the differences in culture, region, politics, economy and so on, the two countries have common features and unique characteristics in the theoretical system of traditional medicine, quality standard control of medicinal materials, research and development and use of medicinal materials. This paper summarizes the similarities and differences as well as the development opportunities of traditional medicine between China and Thailand. The specific content involves the development history, resources, and use of medicinal resources in Thailand, the main achievements and existing problems of modern research of Thai medicine, the spread and development of Chinese medicine in Thailand, and the spread and development of Thai medicine in China. Furthermore, the paper outlines the recent situation of traditional medicine interflow and cooperation between the two countries, and predicts the prospects for cooperation and development of traditional medicine between China and Thailand in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative, especially in the joint research and development and the improvement of quality standards of important medicinal plant varieties commonly used by the two countries and circulated across the border. Through the exchange and mutual learning, we can step up the traditional medicine cooperation between China and Thailand, which will provide advantageous conditions for the safety of medicine use as well as political and social stability between the two countries.
China ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Medicine, Traditional ; Plants, Medicinal ; Research ; Thailand

BACKGROUND: The number of adults aged over 65 years is rapidly increasing in several Southeast Asian countries. Muscle mass decreases with age, leading to sarcopenia. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether differences exist in the body composition and physical strength, according to ethnicity, among community-dwelling Japanese and Thai older adults living in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. METHODS: A survey was conducted in February and March 2019. Japanese and Thai adults aged ≥ 60 years living in Chiang Mai Province were recruited through community clubs. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that enabled collection of data on age, sex, educational background, marital status, annual income, current medical conditions, smoking and alcohol consumption, and exercise habits. Measurements were collected on height, weight, body composition, blood pressure, hand grip, and walking speed for 6 m. Body composition was measured using a standing-posture 8-electrode multifrequency bioimpedance analysis analyzer. Hand grip of each hand was measured with the patient in the standing position using a digital grip dynamometer. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with skeletal muscle mass index (SMI). RESULTS: Of the total 119 participants, 47 were Japanese (26 men, 21 women) and 72 were Thai (16 men, 56 women). The prevalence of a low SMI was 3/26 (12%), 1/21 (5%), 6/16 (38%), and 5/56 (9%) among Japanese men, Japanese women, Thai men, and Thai women, respectively. The prevalence of low muscle strength was 2/26 (8%), 2/21 (10%), 3/16 (19%), and 13/56 (23%) among Japanese men, Japanese women, Thai men, and Thai women, respectively. There were significant differences between ethnic groups in body mass index for both sexes, percentage body fat in women, SMI in men, and average grip strength in men. Ethnic group, sex, age, and body mass index were independent predictors of SMI. CONCLUSIONS Ethnicity had a clinically important effect on body composition and physical strength among older Japanese and Thai adults living in a similar environment.
Aged ; Aging/physiology* ; Asians/ethnology* ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Electric Impedance ; Ethnicity ; Female ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Independent Living ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Strength ; Thailand/ethnology* ; Walking Speed

COVID-19/transmission* ; Communicable Disease Control/organization & administration* ; Humans ; Thailand/epidemiology*

Kudzu plants in the subfamily sphenoideae of Leguminosae are commonly used herbs in China, Japan, Korea, India and Thailand, with a long history of medicinal use. They are recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Japanese Pharmacopeia, Korea Pharmacopeia, Ayurveda Pharmacopoeia of India and Flora of Thailand. There are 15-20 species of Pueraria in the world, including 7 species and 2 varieties in China. At present, there are 6 species with medicinal value, such as Pueraria lobata and P. thomsonii. The main chemical components of the genus are isoflavones, flavonoids, terpenes, steroids, coumarins, puerarin glycosides and benzopyrans. A total of 240 compounds have been isolated and identified from this genus, and their pharmacological effects mainly include improvement of the cardiovascular system, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-alcoholic and estrogen-like effects. In this study, chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Pueraria at home and abroad were systematically summarized, in order to provide references for the material basis, quality control and further development of Pueraria genus.
China ; Isoflavones/pharmacology* ; Japan ; Plant Roots ; Pueraria ; Republic of Korea ; Thailand

Kaempferiae Parviflorae Rhizoma is the dried rhizome of Kaempferia parviflora in Zingiberaceae. It is originated and widely distributed in Thailand and other tropical and subtropical regions, where it has been used as food and medicine for thousands of years. K. parviflora is also planted in Yunnan and other places of China, but its traditional Chinese medicine properties are not clear, which greatly limits its compatibility with traditional Chinese medicines. In this article, the English and Chinese literatures of K. parviflora were searched from Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases for research and analysis. The medicinal properties of K. parviflora were preliminarily discussed based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine under the guidance of clinical application and research literatures. The traditional Chinese medicine properties of K. parviflora were inferred as follows: flat, acrid, sweet. The channel tropisms of K. parviflora included kidney, spleen, stomach, and liver. The function of K. parviflora included tonifying kidney to strengthen essence, tonifying Qi and invigorating spleen, soothing liver and relieving depression. K. parviflora was clinically applied for the diseases such as syndrome of kidney essence deficiency, sex apathy, deficiency of spleen Qi, lassitude and asthenia, a weary spirit, obesity, diabetes, liver Qi stagnation, depression, and restless. The equivalent of dry power is 1.5 g·d~(-1) and the equivalent of decoction is 1.5-6 g·d~(-1). The determination of traditional Chinese medicine properties of K. parviflora has indeed laid a theoretical foundation for its application in the field of traditional Chinese medicine and enriched traditional Chinese medicine resources.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Rhizome ; Thailand ; Zingiberaceae