Ocular manifestation,eye protection,and COVID-19

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology -     

Feasibility of using papaya skin extract for digestion of swamp eel viscera for harvesting infective stage larva of Gnathostoma spp

In this study, we reported the feasibility of using papaya skin extract (Carica papaya L.) as an alternative to enzyme pepsin in harvesting Gnathostoma spinigerum third-stage larvae. From experimental digestion, we found that the different numbers of recovered larvae between papaya skin extract and pepsin were not statistically significant (p >0.05). When the derived larvae from pepsin and papaya skin extract digestion were cultivated in BME medium for 7 days, the survival rates were not significantly different either (p >0.05). Thus, papaya skin extract might be another choice for recovering Gnathostoma spinigerum third-stage larvae.     

Report on blood cholinesterase among vegetable growers

We report our study on serum cholinesterase in vegetable growers, a risk occupation in a rural area of Thailand. In this study, 70 subjects (35 vegetable growers and 35 controls) were studied. The mean blood cholinesterase level in vegetable growers (17.7 +/- 7.0 U/ml) was significantly lower than that of the control group (24.7 +/- 12.4 U/ml) (p=0.01).     

Rate of malarial infection among foreigners in a tertiary hospital of Thailand: change of epidemiology and importance of travel medicine (1996-2005)

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Malaria is still an important infectious disease in Thailand. The study of the incidence of malaria can provide useful data for disease prevention and control. At present, trade and travel can impact on vector-borne diseases, including malaria. Transmission of malaria from an endemic to a non-endemic area can be expected and this can affect the pattern of malaria epidemiology. METHODS: Analysis of rate of malarial infection among foreigners in a tertiary hospital of Thailand in the past decade (1996-2005) was carried out by scrutinising the available published and unpublished. RESULTS: According to this study, two main groups of travellers, the migrant workers from the nearby countries, who bring malaria from the endemic area in their countries and the naive cases as the travellers from the western countries, who expose to malaria during their travelling in Thailand, can be identified. CONCLUSION: Change of epidemiology due to high rate of infection in non-Thai patients and importance of travel on the epidemiology of malaria can be seen from this study.     

Cadaver donation: a retrospective review at the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital,Bangkok

Cadavers are a crucial resource for medical education. Currently, donation is the only means of obtaining cadavers for use in Thai medical schools. Some traditional beliefs result in an insufficient number of donated cadavers. This shortage of cadavers may affect the quality of medical training. We report on the present situation regarding the quantity and usage of donated cadavers in the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, during the eight years between 1993 and 2000. During this period, 19,674 cadavers became available (2.459.3 +/- 1,243.7 cadavers/year) as the result of advanced donation. However, only 619 cadavers (3.1%) were actually obtained. Poor preservation and delayed delivery contributed to the underutilization; furthermore, some cadavers were reclaimed. In order to increase the number of cadavers and maintain the quality of medical education, the appropriateness and importance of cadaver donation should be emphasized to the public.     

A survey of metacercariae in cyprinoid fish in Nakhon Ratchasima,northeast Thailand

Metacercariae were recovered from freshwater fish taken from a stream in Lum Cha Muak, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeast Thailand during the year 2000. Seventy-nine cyprinoid fish comprising 3 species (52 Puntius leiacanthus, 22 Cyclocheilichthys armatus, and 5 Hampla dispar) were collected. The prevalence of infection with metacercariae was 51.9%. Only two genera of metacercariae were found: Haplochinae spp and Heterophyidae spp. Haplochinae metacercariae were found in all 3 species of fish, giving rates of infection of 95.5%, 20% and 1.9% for Puntius leiacanthus, Cyclocheilichthys armatus and Hampla dispar respectively. Heterophyidae metacercariae were found only in Puntius leiacanthus, whose infection rate was 30.77%. There were fish intected at the rate of 3.8% with unclassified metacercariae. Interestingly, no fish infected with Opisthorchis viverrini metacercariae were found, which is at odds with previous reports from Thailand in which a higher infection rate was given. This is the first report of fish infected with Haplorchinae spp in Thailand.     

Bone marrow leishmaniasis: a review of situation in Thailand

Leishmaniasis is an important tropical vector-borne disease. This infection can be seen in tropical area and it is considered to be one of the most important vector-borne infections at present. The general situation of the leishmaniasis in Thailand is hereby reviewed. Although Thailand is a tropical country, the leishmaniasis is not endemic but sporadic. The imported cases are documented in some literatures. The serious form of leishmaniasis, the visceral leishmaniasis is also detectable in Thailand. Also, the author performed an in depth literature review of the reports of bone marrow leishmaniasis, a specific kind of visceral leishmaniasis, in Thailand in order to summarize the characteristics of this infection among Thai patients. According to this review, there have been at least 5 reports in the literature of 6 cases of bone marrow leishmaniasis in the Thai population, of which no case was lethal. Concerning the clinical manifestations, all except had prolonged fever with unknown origin. From physical examination, all had hepatosplenomegaly. The striking findings were active hemophagocytosis with increased proliferation of lymphoidplasma cell line in the bone marrow and amastigotes of Leishmania donovani was demonstrated. Considering the treatment, pantavalent antimony compound was used and the excellent improvement and complete recovery. Finally, the author also discussed on the importance of leishmaniasis in Thailand relating to the present globalization and good traveling system.