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Background: Kaempferia parviflora (KP) has been used in traditional Thai medicine to cure gastrointestinal disorders since ancient times. Helicobacter pylori is an initiating factor in gastric pathogenesis via activation of massive inflammation, the cumulative effect of which leads to gastric disease progression, including gastric carcinogenesis. Accordingly, the effect of a crude ethyl acetate extract of KP (CEAE-KP) on proinflammatory cytokine production and cell chemotaxis was the focus of this study., Methods: The cytotoxicity of CEAE-KP (8-128 μg/ml) on AGS (gastric adenocarcinoma) cells was determined at 6, 12 and 24 h using an MTT assay. The effect of CEAE-KP on H. pylori-induced interleukin (IL)-8 production by AGS cells was evaluated by ELISA and RT-PCR. The effect of CEAE-KP on monocyte and neutrophil chemotaxis to H. pylori soluble protein (sHP) and IL-8, respectively, was determined using a Boyden chamber assay with THP-1 or HL-60 cells., Results: CEAE-KP reduced AGS cell viability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, but at 8-16 μg/ml, it was not cytotoxic after 6-24 h of exposure. Coculture of AGS cells with CEAE-KP at a noncytotoxic concentration of 16 μg/ml and H. pylori reduced IL-8 secretion by ~ 60% at 12 h, which was consistent with the decreased level of mRNA expression, and inhibited neutrophil chemotaxis to IL-8. sHP (100 ng/ml) induced marked monocyte chemoattraction, and this was decreased by ~ 60% by CEAE-KP., Conclusion: CEAE-KP might serve as a potent alternative medicine to ameliorate the inflammation mediated by H. pylori infection.

In July 2014, a Japanese traveller returning from Thailand was investigated for fever, headache, rash and conjunctivitis. Zika virus RNA was detected in his urine sample by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Serological tests showed cross reactivity of IgM against the dengue virus. Zika fever could be misdiagnosed or missed and should be considered in febrile patients with a rash, especially those returning from Thailand., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International society of travel medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) capacity taskforce was established to promote the autonomy, proper access to care, and dignity of persons with decision-making disabilities (DMDs) across nations. The Asia Consortium of the taskforce was established to pursue these goals in the Asia-Pacific region. This paper is part of the Asia Consortium's initiative to promote understanding and advocacy in regard to surrogate decision-making across the region., Method: The current guardianship laws are compared, and jurisdictional variations in the processes for proxy decision-making to support persons with DMDs and other health and social needs in China, Japan, Thailand, and Australia are explored., Results: The different Asia-Pacific countries have various proxy decision-making mechanisms in place for persons with DMDs, which are both formalized according to common law, civil law, and other legislation, and shaped by cultural practices. Various processes for guardianship and mechanisms for medical decision-making and asset management exist across the region. Processes that are still evolving across the region include those that facilitate advanced planning as a result of the paucity of legal structures for enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and guardianship in some regions, and the struggle to achieve consensual positions in regard to end-of-life decision-making. Formal processes for supporting decision-making are yet to be developed., Conclusions: The diverse legal approaches to guardianship and administration must be understood to meet the challenges of the rapidly ageing population in the Asia-Pacific region. Commonalities in the solutions and difficulties faced in encountering these challenges have global significance.

Historical trends of the accumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a typical tropical Asian environment were investigated using radio-dated sediment cores from Manila Bay, the Philippines and from the upper Gulf of Thailand. Vertical profiles indicated earlier usage of PCBs than of PBDEs which coincided with their industrial production. The increasing concentrations of total PBDEs and PCBs toward the surface suggested an increased consumption of PBDEs; and possible leakage of PCBs from old machineries into the aquatic environment in recent years. Current input of PCBs to the catchment of Manila Bay was supported by the analyses of air samples and plastic resin pellets. The vertical profiles of total PBDEs in the cores (i.e., rapidly increasing concentrations corresponding to the mid-1980s until mid-1990s, followed by a decrease until the early 2000s, and increasing again toward the surface) likely corresponded to the rapid economic growth in Asia in the 1990s, the Asian financial crisis in 1997, and the economic recovery since early 2000s. BDE-209 was predominant especially on the surface layers. BDEs 47 and 99 generally decreased toward the surface, reflecting the phase-out of the technical penta-PBDE products and the regulation by the Stockholm Convention in recent years. Increasing ratios of BDE-202/209, 206/209, 207/209 and decreasing % of BDE-209 down the core layers may provide evidence for the anaerobic debromination of BDE-209 in the sediment cores. Inventories in ng/cm(2) of total PCBs were higher than total PBDEs (92 vs. 34 and 47 vs. 11 in the Philippines; 47 vs. 33 in Thailand). However, the doubling times indicated faster accumulation of total PBDEs (6-7 years) and BDE-209 (6-7.5 years) than of PCBs (8-11 years). Furthermore, the temporal increase in BDE-209 was comparable to or faster than those reported in other water bodies around the world., (© 2013.)

It was recently reported that kokumi substances such as glutathione are perceived through the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR). In addition, screening by the CaSR assay and sensory evaluation revealed that γ-glutamyl-valyl-glycine (γ-Glu-Val-Gly) was a potent kokumi peptide. In this study, the quantities of γ-Glu-Val-Gly in various commercial fish sauces originating from Vietnam (Nuoc Mum), Thailand (Nampra), China (Yu-lu), Korea, Japan (Shottsuru and Ikanago-shoyu), and Italy (Garum) were investigated using a LC/MS/MS method followed by derivatization with 6-aminoquinoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl-carbamate (AQC). The analyses revealed γ-Glu-Val-Gly at concentrations ranging from 0.04 to 1.26 mg/dL, indicating that γ-Glu-Val-Gly is widely distributed among various commercial fish sauces.

Stool examination from primary schoolchildren in Chiang Mai Province, north Thailand, was performed to determine the present state of parasitic infections in this area. Out of a total of 491 children, 239 proved positive (48.7%). The most common type of parasite was found to be soil-transmitted helminths such as hookworm (26.3%) or Strongyloides stercoralis (11.2%), while Ascaris lumbricoides was not so prevalent (1.2% being positive in one school out of three). These results are in contrast to earlier reports showing higher prevalence rates, leading the authors to hypothesize that improvements in sanitary conditions and eradication projects have been effective. Opisthorchiasis is another parasitic disease with a relatively high prevalence rate of 7.5%. This disease rate increases with age and it was found in two out of three schools (8.3-15.8%) and was the most common type of helminth infection. Ascariasis was not seen in these two schools, but strongyloidiasis was found to be the second most prevalent helminthiasis, having a higher infection rate than hookworm. Therefore, eradication efforts now need to be directed toward eliminating opisthorchiasis and strongyloidiasis in addition to continuing to eradicate ascariasis and hookworm infections. The most common protozoal infection with a high pathogenicity in this region was found to be giardiasis (7.7%).