Overcoming taxonomic challenges in DNA barcoding for improvement of identification and preservation of clariid catfish species

DNA barcoding without assessing reliability and validity causes taxonomic errors of species identification, which is responsible for disruptions of their conservation and aquaculture industry. Although DNA barcoding facilitates molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of species, its availability in clariid catfish lineage remains uncertain. In this study, DNA barcoding was developed and validated for clariid catfish. 2,970 barcode sequences from mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb) genes and D-loop sequences were analyzed for 37 clariid catfish species. The highest intraspecific nearest neighbor distances were 85.47%, 98.03%, and 89.10% for COI, Cytb, and D-loop sequences, respectively. This suggests that the Cytb gene is the most appropriate for identifying clariid catfish and can serve as a standard region for DNA barcoding. A positive barcoding gap between interspecific and intraspecific sequence divergence was observed in the Cytb dataset but not in the COI and D-loop datasets. Intraspecific variation was typically less than 4.4%, whereas interspecific variation was generally more than 66.9%. However, a species complex was detected in walking catfish and significant intraspecific sequence divergence was observed in North African catfish. These findings suggest the need to focus on developing a DNA barcoding system for classifying clariid catfish properly and to validate its efficacy for a wider range of clariid catfish. With an enriched database of multiple sequences from a target species and its genus, species identification can be more accurate and biodiversity assessment of the species can be facilitated.

Development and validation of the dizziness symptoms questionnaire in Thai-outpatients / Desenvolvimento e validação do questionário de sintomas de tontura em pacientes tailandeses

Abstract Introduction "Dizziness" is a common complaint in clinical practice that can occur with anyone. However, since the symptom is caused by a wide range of disorders, a general clinician usually faces some difficulty to detect the cause. Objective This study aimed to formulate and validate a simple instrument that can be used to screen and predict the most likely cause of dizziness in Thai outpatients. Methods This study was divided into two phases. Phase I included 41 patients diagnosed with common causes of dizziness to determine the algorithm and construct the "structural algorithm questionnaire version 1". In addition, to test and retest its content validity and reliability until the instrument had an acceptable level of both. Phase II of the study pertained to evaluating its accuracy in clinical trials, 150 patients with dizziness had a face-to-face interview while they were waiting for their medical appointment. Results The degree of agreement between the algorithm results and clinical diagnoses was within an acceptable level (κ = 0.69). Therefore, this algorithm was used to construct the structural algorithm questionnaire version 1. The content validity of the structural algorithm questionnaire version 1 evaluated by seven experts. The content validity index values of the questionnaire ranged from 0.71 to 1.0. The Cohen's kappa coefficient (κ) of intra-rater reliability of the structural algorithm questionnaire version 1 was 0.71. In clinical trials, 150 patients with dizziness had a face-to-face interview while they were waiting for their appointment. The overall agreement between their questionnaire responses and final diagnoses by specialists showed a moderate degree of clinical accuracy (κ = 0.55). Conclusions The structural algorithm questionnaire version 1 had a well-developed design and acceptable quality pertaining to both validity and reliability. It might be used to differentiate the cause of dizziness between vestibular and non-vestibular disorders, especially of outpatients with dizziness symptoms.

Resumo Introdução "Tontura' é uma queixa comum na prática clínica que pode ocorrer com qualquer pessoa. No entanto, como o sintoma pode ser causado por uma grande quantidade de distúrbios, o clínico geral normalmente enfrenta alguma dificuldade em detectar sua causa. Objetivo Formular e validar um instrumento simples que pode ser usado para rastrear e predizer a causa mais provável de tontura em pacientes ambulatoriais tailandeses. Método Este estudo foi dividido em duas fases. A fase I consistiu em determinar o algoritmo, usaram‐se 41 pacientes com diagnóstico de causa comum de tontura, depois construir o questionário de algoritmo estrutural versão 1 (structural algorithm questionnaire version 1) e testar e retestar a validade de seu conteúdo e sua confiabilidade até que o instrumento apresentasse um nível aceitável de ambos. A fase II do estudo consistiu em avaliar a precisão do instrumento em ensaios clínicos, 150 pacientes com tontura foram pessoalmente entrevistados enquanto aguardavam o atendimento médico. Resultados O grau de concordância entre os resultados do algoritmo e os diagnósticos clínicos ficou dentro de um nível aceitável (κ = 0,69). Portanto, esse algoritmo foi usado para construir o questionário de algoritmo estrutural versão 1. A validade de conteúdo do questionário foi avaliada por sete especialistas. Os valores do índice de validade de conteúdo do questionário variaram de 0,71 a 1,0. O coeficiente kappa de Cohen (κ) de confiabilidade intraexaminador foi de 0,71. Em estudos clínicos, 150 pacientes com tontura foram pessoalmente entrevistados enquanto aguardavam a consulta com o médico. A concordância geral entre as respostas ao questionário e os diagnósticos finais dos especialistas mostrou um grau moderado de acurácia clínica (κ = 0,55). Conclusões O questionário de algoritmo estrutural versão 1teve um desenho bem desenvolvido e qualidade aceitável no que diz respeito à validade e confiabilidade. Pode ser usado para diferenciar a causa da tontura entre distúrbios vestibulares e não vestibulares, especialmente em pacientes ambulatoriais com sintomas de tontura.

Antibiotic resistant Vibrio harveyi isolated from shrimp pond and anti-Vibrio activity of Combretum quadrangulare Kurz. and Mimosa pudica extracts

Aims@#The occurrence of bacterial disease in shrimp ponds is a major problem faced in shrimp farming. Thus, the aims of this study were to isolate and evaluate antibiotic resistant profile of Vibrio harveyi strain isolated from shrimp pond water, as well as to study the potential anti-Vibrio activity of Combretum quadrangulare Kurz. (CQ) and Mimosa pudica (MP) leaves extracts.@*Methodology and results@#Vibrio harveyi WSC103 was isolated from water in white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) culture pond and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. This strain showed characteristics of multidrug-resistant (7 antibiotics). It had become more sensitive to antibiotics (9 out of 10 antibiotics) after plasmid curing. It is showed CQ and MP leaves extracts contain potent bioactive compounds (tannins, flavonoids, steroids, cardiac glycosides and alkaloids) against V. harveyi WSC103. The aqueous, 95% ethanolic and 75% acetone extracts of CQ (MIC value of 3.13-12.50 mg/mL) and MP (MIC value of 3.13-25.00 mg/mL) leaves revealed strong vibriostatic activity, but aqueous and 95% ethanolic extracts in both plants showed vibriocidal activity. The 95% ethanolic extract of both CQ and MP leaves displayed the excellent vibriocidal property with MBC value of 100 mg/mL with zone of inhibition at 11.44 ± 1.01 and 11.78 ± 1.01 mm by agar disc diffusion.@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#The isolated Vibrio harveyi WSC103 was successfully characterized as a novel multidrug-resistant strain. The ethanolic C. quadrangulare Kurz. and M. pudica extracts exhibited prominent vibriostatic and vibriocidal capacities. These finding is proven that C. quadrangulare Kurz. and M. pudica extracts would be an alternative anti-Vibrio agent for aquaculture infectious treatment.

QTL identification for downy mildew resistance in cucumber using genetic linkage map based on SSR markers

Fourteen cucumber lines were tested for genetic homozygosity and performed pairwise comparison to identify a pair with the highest DNA polymorphic level. Cucumber accessions CSL0067 and CSL0139 were selected to generate 315 F2 populations. The genetic linkage map based on 66 polymorphic SSR markers was constructed. It composed of eight linkage groups (LGs) spanning 474.4 cM. Downy mildew disease reaction was evaluated in cotyledons, first and second true leaf on 7, 10, and 14 day after inoculation. The results showed that downy mildew resistance was controlled by multiple recessive genes. The susceptible to resistant ratio of F2 progenies fit 9:7 susceptible/resistant segregation types corresponding to duplicate recessive epistasis. Fourteen QTLs were detected. The phenotypic variance ranged from 5.0 to 12.5%, while LOD values ranged from 3.538 to 9.165. Two major QTLs and two QTL hotspots were identified. Moreover, the additive effects data explained that these QTL reduced downy mildew susceptibility

High nucleotide sequence variation of avirulent gene, AVR-Pita1, in Thai rice blast fungus population

Rice blast disease, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most importance diseases of rice production worldwide. The key role of defense mechanism to combat this fungus in rice follows the gene-for-gene concept, which a plant resistant (R) gene product recognizes a fungal avirulent (AVR) effector and triggers the hypersensitive response. However, the AVR genes have been shown to be rapidly evolving resulting in high level of genetic diversity. The aims of this study were to examine the nucleotide sequence variation of AVR-Pita1 gene in Thai rice blast isolates and to identify the severity of blast disease using isogenic line of Pita gene. Seventy-six rice blast isolates collected from different parts of Thailand were used. Gene specific primers for AVR-Pita1 gene coding sequence were designed and used for identifying the genetic diversity of AVR-Pita1 gene by PCR amplification and sequencing. The obtained sequences were analysed for genetic variation and genetic relationship. Our results revealed the association between the sequence variations of AVR-Pita1 and selective forces from Pita gene. This phenomenon demonstrated the coevolution between rice blast resistant gene in rice and avirulent gene in blast fungus. The information about variation and evolutionary mechanisms of AVR gene obtained from this study can be used in rice blast resistant breeding programme

Genetic diversity of Indo-China rice varieties using ISSR, SRAP and InDel markers

Rice is believed to have originated from Indo-China, area between China and India, and then spread throughout the world. The Indochina region mainly includes countries like Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, which are the world’s major rice exporters. Rice varieties grown in this area are highly diverse due to their different environment, ecosystem and climatic conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic relationship of Indochina rice varieties using intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR), sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) and insertion–deletion (InDel) markers. Forty-six rice varieties, including 16, 4,11 and 15 from Thailand, China, Laos and Vietnam, respectively were used in this study. Seventeen of the 20 ISSR primers showed 82.96% polymorphism. At the same time, 17 of the 30 primer pairs of SRAP marker showed clearDNA amplification, which resulted in 84.79% polymorphism. Ninety-seven of 133 InDel markers have about 99.47% polymorphism. Three markers showed average PIC score ranging from 0.20 to 0.26. When the analysis was conducted using UPGMA clustering method, it was found that the combined data from three markers gave a better result than each marker separately. The results from clustering analysis showed that all accessions can be grouped based on their location and can be categorized into two major groups. Useful results from this study could bring substantial benefits and ultimately help the rice breeders to develop elite rice varieties in future.

Movement Disorders in Non-Wilsonian Hepatic Cirrhotic Patients: The Subgroup Analysis of Various Phenotypes and Associated Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this subgroup analysis was to identify the risk factors associated with the development of various movement disorder phenotypes. METHODS: Eighty-three non-Wilsonian cirrhotic patients with abnormal movements were allocated into the following groups: intention tremor, bradykinesia, Parkinsonism, and abnormal ocular movements. These movement types were considered the primary outcomes as there was a sufficient sample size. Researchers took into consideration the gender, etiologies of cirrhosis, cirrhosis-related complications, hepatic encephalopathy, medical illness, and some neurological deficits as potential factors associated with these movement disorders. RESULTS: The male gender (p = 0.002) and alcoholic cirrhosis (p = 0.005) were significant factors for the prevalence of intention tremors. In bradykinesia, hepatic encephalopathy was highly statistically significant (p < 0.001), and females more commonly developed bradykinesia (p = 0.04). The Parkinsonism features in this study were confounded by hyperlipidemia (p = 0.04) and motor or sensory deficits (p = 0.02). Jerky pursuits and a horizontal nystagmus were detected. Jerky pursuits were significantly related to hepatic encephalopathy (p = 0.003) and bradykinesia, but there were no factors associated with the prevalence of nystagmus other than an intention tremor. CONCLUSIONS: The association of alcoholic cirrhosis with the development of intention tremor indicates that the persistent cerebellar malfunction in cirrhotic patients is due to alcohol toxicity. The slowness of finger tapping and jerky pursuit eye movements are significantly associated with hepatic encephalopathy. Thus, further studies are needed to evaluate the diagnostic value of these two signs for an early detection of mild hepatic encephalopathy.

Movement Disorders in Non-Wilsonian Cirrhotic Patients: A Report of the Prevalence and Risk Factors from a Study Done in a Medical School in an Agricultural-Based Community

OBJECTIVE: Parkinsonism and other movement disorders have previously been reported in the acquired hepatocerebral degeneration associated with portosystemic shunting. However, there is no study to date about their prevalence as has been noted in general practice. METHODS: One hundred and forty-three patients with hepatic cirrhosis from the gastroenterology clinic and internal medicine wards were enrolled. Liver data included the diagnoses, etiologies, assessments of complications, and treatments for cirrhosis. Hepatic encephalopathy was classified with regard to the West Haven criteria for semi-quantitative grading for mental status. Neurological examination results and abnormal involuntary movements were recorded as primary outcomes. Neuro-radiology was used for the detection of severe brain lesions. RESULTS: Alcoholism was the most common cause of liver cirrhosis. Eighty-three patients (58%) presented with movement disorders. Asterixis was found in one of the cases. The most common movement disorder seen was an intentional tremor at 37.1%, which was followed by bradykinesia, Parkinsonism, and postural tremors at 29.4%, 10.5%, and 6.3%, respectively. The prevalence of movement disorders simultaneously increased with a high Child-Turcotte-Pugh score. The hepatic encephalopathy was grade 1 and 2. With the inclusion of age-range adjustments, we found that alcoholic cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy are statistically significant factors [p < 0.05, odds ratio (OR) = 6.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38-29.71 and p < 0.001, OR = 13.65, 95% CI 4.71-39.54] for the development of movement disorders in non-Wilsonian cirrhotic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Intentional tremor is a common abnormal movement. Alcoholic cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy are significant risk factors in the development of movement disorders in non-Wilsonian cirrhotic patients.

Home-made rapid urease test compared with histopathologic examination for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection (Home-made rapid urease test เทียบกับการตรวจทางพยาธิวิทยาสำหรับการวินิจฉัยการติดเชื้อ Helicobacter pylori)

Helicobacter pylori is well established as the causative agent of gastric and duodenal ulcer gastritis gastric cancer and iron deficiency anemia. The detection of Helicobacter pylori infection can be performed easily by the rapid urease test (RUT) which has high sensitivity and specificity. However most commercial kits available in the market \ are expensive. To reduce the cost, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center has produced the RUT kit for using in our own clinical laboratory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of home-made RUT compared with histopathologic examination. Cross sectional study of patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and gastric biopsy was performed during June 2008 to May 2009. One-hundred and ninety-seven patients were included in the study. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy of home-made RUT were 91.8%, 100%, 100%, 96.5% and 97.5%, respectively. Furthermore, 62% of the test showed positive results within 1 hour. In brief, our home-made RUT has good sensitivity and specificity for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Validation of the Srithanya stress scale in adolescents

Objective  To  study the validity of Srithanya stress scale and analyze the appropriate cut off scores in adolescents.Material and methods  Purposive samples in judge correction youths were recruited to complete the questionnaire consisted of personal data, ST-5, Hospital-Anxiety-Depression scale (HAD).  Data were collected from May to June 2009.Results  Adequate questionnaires for analysis were 566 copies. An average age was 16.4 yrs (SD = 1.3). Most were boys (74.3%), had academic level at primary school (45.8%).   The concurrent validity of ST-5 was moderately to well correlated to HAD. The cut off scores of ST-5 were 0-4, 5-7 and ≥ 8 for both depressed and stress related cases while  the scores of HAD subscales were different between gender. Conclusion  The ST-5 scores of 4-8 were appropriated to screen stress and depressed related in adolescents and the scores of  HAD were different between gender. Key words  :  adolescent, Srithanya stress scale, validity

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Low Back Pain in Pregnant Women who delivered at Srinagarind Hospital

Background: Low back pain is a common problem during pregnancy. One of two pregnant women usually experience backache during pregnaszncy. This problem lowers the quality of life for many women.Objective: To determine prevalence and risk factors  of low back pain during pregnancy in women who delivered at Srinagarind Hospital.Design: Descriptive studySetting: post-partum wards, Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen UniversitySubjects: Three hundred twenty pregnant women were interviewed within 24 – 48 hours after giving birth.Measurement: Demographic data, medical records related to back pain, previous pregnancy were collected by an interviewer using structural Questionnaires. Percentages of back pain and other variables were calculated. Association between back pain and studied factors were determined using Chi  square test.Results: There were 320 pregnant women. The pregnant women’s mean age and standard deviation were 21.41 and 4.20 years. It was found that 77.2% of pregnant women suffered from low back pain during pregnancy (95% CI = 72.6, 81.8%). Fifty  five point nine percent of the  pregnant women experienced some degree of low back pain. Twenty one point three percept of the pregnant women were unable to continue their  work because of moderate or severe low back pain. Factors which was found to be significantly associated with an increased risk to develop low back pain during pregnancy was the women’s height. Even though a history of epidural anesthesia during a previous lab our and weight were not found to be risk factors in low back pain significantly but there was a tendency.Conclustion: The prevalence of low back pain during pregnancy from this study was 77.2% (95% CI = 72.6, 81.8%). Maternal height was fond to be a significant risk factor.   

Postero-anterior Pressure Technique for Lubar Intervertebral Disc Herniation

Background : Physical therapy treatment is one of the treatment used for the management of lumbar disc herniation and become more popular during resent years. Loss of function of lumbar spine is an essential problem for the back pain patient. Manual therapists sometimes select the technique of postero-anterior pressure (PA) to gain range in lumbar movements.Objectives : To measure the effect of postero-anterior pressure technique on lumbar spine movement in lumbar disc herniationDesign : An experimental studySetting : Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen UniversitySubjects and Methods : Forty patients who were diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation by Orthopaedics and Radiologists. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to a gold standard for diagnoses. Subjects were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. The treatment group received both the lumbar traction and the postero-anterior pressures technique. The control group received only the lumbar traction.Measurements : The measurements consists of pain scale using the visual analogue, trunk movement and straight leg raising (SLR) using the inclinometer.Results : A Mann-Whitney U-test and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) revealed no significant difference between groups in the pain level. A repeated measure ANOVA no showed no significant difference between groups both trunk movements and SLR degrees. Even though, the results of the pain scale, the trunk movements and the SLR in the treatment group were not found to be significant difference from the control group but there were a tendency.Conclusion : This study is the first study providing support for the use of postero-anterior

A pilot study on the immediate effects of modified facial massage on blood flow, temperature, and elasticity of facial skin

In recent days, aesthetic treatments for facial wrinkle reduction and increase elasticity or rejuvenation are very popular. Facial massage may be one of the good choices to achieve such results. This study was Quasi-experimental research (one group) with objectives to compare blood flow, temperature and elasticity of facial skin before and after having been treated with modified facial massage. The subjects of the study were 21 healthy volunteer women aged between 30 - 50 years.   Finger kneading and acupressure techniques of facial massage for 20 minutes were applied. The results showed that after the facial massage, facial skin blood flow of the volunteers increased for 14.02 + 8.83 perfusion unit (95 % CI = 10.18 -17.86 perfusion unit,  P \< 0.001).  Temperature (0.29 + 0.20 °C) and elasticity (9.90 + 4.90 % on right and 10.98 + 10.51 % on left) of the facial skin were also observed to improve. Ninety five percents of the volunteers attained high to the highest levels of overall satisfaction. In conclusion, modified facial massage resulted in increasing facial blood flow, skin temperature and elasticity. It is suggested that this type of facial massage could be one of the suitable alternatives for facial health care. 

Quality culture survey in mental hospital

Objective: To survey the quality culture of Srithanya Hospital prior to the hospital re-accreditation on 29th may 2009. Materials and methods: Subjects were divided into 2 groups. The first group was personnel from all units. They were specific selected by role as a head or a sub-head or an ordinary staff. The second group was members of the leading team. Personnel completed 2 questionnaires, i.e., a safety climate and a quality culture of the organization. The leading team completed only the quality culture of the organization questionnaire. The survey was done during 9-16 April 2009. Descriptive statistics was analysis. The frequency of quality culture of the organization perception between 2 groups was analyzed. The mean scores of safety climate and quality culture of the organization of personnel’s perception according to their role were compared by ANOVA. Results: The highest score of the safety climate of personnel’s perception was on the item of ‘patient’s safety is constantly reinforced as the priority in the unit” (89%). The agreement of quality culture of the organization of both groups were on items of leadership (\> 80%) and on items of sustainable process of quality culture of people and all level of leaders (about 40%). The enthusiasm and system integration items were different between groups ranged from 60-80%. Conclusion: The strength of organization culture of Srithanya Hospital was on the leadership and the opportunity for improvement focused on the system integration, effective ways of communication between teams and all level of leaders should be trained to initiate or create quality by themselves. Personnel were highly aware of the policy of patient’s safety. The guidelines should be revised and consistent monitoring in order to improve the safety culture.

The effect of modified Thai therapeutic massage on pain reduction and knee function in individuals with primary knee osteoarthritis: a randomized control trial

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Suppression of tumor neocapillarization induced by HepG₂ cells in nude mice supplemented with curcumin or tetrahydrocurcumin: an in vivo comparative study

Background: The family of curcumin has biological functions, such as anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory action. Recently, its inhibitory effect on angiogenesis in tumor has been suggested. However, it is not clear how curcumin (CUR) or its derivatives have such in vivo effects. Objective: To quantitatively examine the in vivo effects of CUR or its reduced derivative, tetrahydrocurcumin (THC), on neocapillarization in nude mouse tumors induced by hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Methods: In male BALB/c nude mice (20-25g b.w.), a dorsal skin-fold chamber was implanted, and 30 ml of 2 x 10⁶ human HepG2 cells were inoculated onto the upper layer. The mice were divided into 4 groups: control (CON) supplemented with 0.1% DMSO, HepG2-implanted mice supplemented with DMSO, CUR or THC groups supplemented with CUR or THC (3,000 mg/kg bw), respectively. On the day of the experiment, days 7 and 14, the microcirculation within the chamber was observed using fluorescence videomicroscopy. Based on the recorded video images, capillary vascularity (CV) was measured on the tumor surface. Results: The CV increased in tumors on days 7 and 14 in the HepG2-implanted mice. In the CUR and THC groups, the CV levels were lower than the control level. Furthermore, on day 14, the CV level of THC group was lower than the CV level of the age-matched group. This indicates that HepG2-induced neocapilllaries were reduced markedly by supplementation of THC. Conclusion: THC is potent for suppression of neocapillarization involved in tumor progression.

Utility of plasma fluorometric emission scanning for diagnosis of the first 2 cases reports of variegate porphyria: a very rare type of porphyrias in Thai.

Two Thai women who are siblings presented with a history of recurrent pruritic vesicles on dorsum of both hands and extensor surface of forearms where the sun-exposed areas are. The excoriated vesicles were healed with depressed scars. They had no previous history of intense abdominal pain, seizure, or psychiatric disorder Urinary porphyrins were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The level of coproporphyrin III was detected to be higher than the uroporphyrin level. Fluorescence emission scanning of both patients' plasma was performed and demonstrated typical emission peak at 626 nm, that confirmed the diagnosis of variegate porphyria.

Cross-cultural validation and inter-rater reliability of the Personal and Social Performance scale, Thai version.

OBJECTIVE: To cross-culturally validate and examine the inter-rater reliability of the Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP), Thai version (Thai-PSP). MATERIAL AND METHOD: The authors translated, back translated, and conducted a panel review on the source, translated, and back translated version of the PSP. After nine psychiatrists, who were new to the PSP or the Thai-PSP had received a three-hour session of training, they jointly watched four tape-recorded interviews and used the Thai-PSP for independent rating of the patients' functioning. RESULTS: The score ranges for items 1 (socially useful activities), 2 (personal/social relationships), and 3 (self-care) were between 0 (absent) and 4 (severe). The score range was between 0 (absent) and 3 (marked) for item 4 (disturbing/aggressive behavior). The total scores of four patients were rated between 2 (21-30 points) and 8 (81-90 points). The intraclass correlation coefficients (95% confidence intervals) of each item and total score were as follows: 0.63 (0.28-0.96) for item 1, 0.75 (0.42-0.98) for item 2, 0.69 (0.35-0.97) for item 3, 0.52 (0.17-0.94) for item 4, and 0.75 (0.41-0.98) for the total score. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study confirm the reliability of PSP and Thai-PSP as well as the ease of training.

Reliability and validity of the Thai version of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (hoNOS).

BACKGROUND: Measurement in psychiatric services is important for the development of a psychiatric tool for budget allocation. OBJECTIVE: To translate the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) into Thai and to assess its psychometric properties. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The HoNOS was translated into Thai, by using the standard of "forward-backward" translation procedure. Two psychiatric nurses interviewed subjects together but independently rated their scores. The subjects were 23 acute inpatients and 23 sub-acute inpatients. The reliability and validity was assessed. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the Thai HoNOS was 0.68. It had a high correlation (r > 0.80) with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI). It suggested high concurrent validity. It had a satisfactory power (p < 0.05) in discriminating overall clinical outcomes between acute and sub-acute psychiatric inpatients. CONCLUSION: The Thai HoNOS fulfils the requirements of a psychiatric outcome scale for routine use in inpatient service.

A comparison study of cognitive impairment screening tools: CDT, IQCODE VS MMSE.

Objective: To compare the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), and the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) in dementia patients. Methods: The prospective study was carried out in Srithanya hospital from April 2005 to July 2006. There were 106 patients interviewed by one psychiatric nurse. CDT developed by Royall et al (CLOX1) was selected in this study. The Thai version of MMSE was MMSE-Thai 2002. IQCODE was a 1-5 rating scale on 16 items. Pearson’s correlation and cut- off point were analyzed. Results: The age range was 53-85 years and the average age was 67.43 ± 8.2 years. Females were 60.4%. Most had a primary level of education (38.6%). There were 27 demented, 11 physical illness, 8 depression and Parkinson and 60 normal elderly cases. Means of MMSE, CLOX1 and IQCODE were 24.70 ± 4.85, 9.59 ± 4.01, 3.34 ± 0.44 respectively. Both questionnaires were significantly correlated with MMSE. The optimal cut-off point (sensitivity, specificity) of CLOX1 and IQCODE for dementia were < 8 ( 79.7, 85.2%) and ≥ 3.25 (83.5, 81.5%) respectively. Conclusion: These instruments could be used for screening cognitive impairment in clinical practice. Each tool had a different superior aspect regarding context.