Nintita Sripaiboonkij

Breast cancer in the Thai Cohort Study: An exploratory case-control analysis

Breast cancer incidence may be increasing in Thailand but very little research has assessed core breast cancer risk factors in this country. We used baseline questionnaire data from a national cohort study of Thai Open University students in an exploratory case-control study of breast cancer. The study included 43 female cases and 860 age-matched controls selected from the remaining 47,271 female cohort participants. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using conditional logistic regression. The women were predominantly premenopausal. Taller women had an increased risk of breast cancer (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.1–4.8, for height ≥160 cm vs ≤154 cm) as did women with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (OR = 8.4, 95% CI 1.7–41). Women with older siblings had a reduced risk of breast cancer compared to those firstborn (OR = 0.3, 95% CI0.2–0.7). Although limited by small case numbers, our findings suggest substantial increases in breast cancer rates in Thailand could be expected in the future.

Cost utility analysis of reduced intensity hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in adolescence and young adult with severe thalassemia compared to hypertransfusion and iron chelation program

BackgroundHematopoieticic stem cell transplantation is the only therapeutic option that can cure thalassemia disease. Reduced intensity hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (RI-HSCT) has demonstrated a high cure rate with minimal complications compared to other options. Because RI-HSCT is very costly, economic justification for its value is needed. This study aimed to estimate the cost-utility of RI-HSCT compared with blood transfusions combined with iron chelating therapy (BT-ICT) for adolescent and young adult with severe thalassemia in Thailand.MethodsA Markov model was used to estimate the relevant costs and health outcomes over the patients’ lifetimes using a societal perspective. All future costs and outcomes were discounted at a rate of 3% per annum. The efficacy of RI-HSCT was based a clinical trial including a total of 18 thalassemia patients. Utility values were derived directly from all patients using EQ-5D and SF-6D. Primary outcomes of interest were lifetime costs, quality adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in US (

Respiratory and skin health among glass microfiber production workers: a cross-sectional study

) per QALY gained. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) were conducted to investigate the effect of parameter uncertainty.ResultsIn base case analysis, the RI-HSCT group had a better clinical outcomes and higher lifetime costs. The incremental cost per QALY gained was US

Childhood Cancer Incidence and Survival 2003-2005, Thailand: Study from the Thai Pediatric Oncology Group

3,236 per QALY. The acceptability curve showed that the probability of RI-HSCT being cost-effective was 71% at the willingness to pay of 1 time of Thai Gross domestic product per capita (GDP per capita), approximately US

Prevalence and associating factors of atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertension: a nation-wide study

4,210 per QALY gained. The most sensitive parameter was utility of severe thalassemia patients without cardiac complication patients.ConclusionAt a societal willingness to pay of 1 GDP per capita, RI-HSCT was a cost-effective treatment for adolescent and young adult with severe thalassemia in Thailand compared to BT-ICT.

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease associated with cardiac and vascular complications in hypertensive patients: a multicenter, nation-wide study in Thailand

Objectives A few studies have investigated non-malignant respiratory effects of glass microfibers and these have provided inconsistent results. Our objective was to assess the effects of exposure to glass microfibers on respiratory and skin symptoms, asthma and lung function. Methods A cross-sectional study of 102 workers from a microfiber factory (response rate 100%) and 76 office workers (73%) from four factories in Thailand was conducted. They answered a questionnaire on respiratory health, occupational exposures, and lifestyle factors, and performed spirometry. Measurements of respirable dust were available from 2004 and 2005. Results Workers exposed to glass microfibers experienced increased risk of cough (adjusted OR 2.04), wheezing (adjOR 2.20), breathlessness (adjOR 4.46), nasal (adjOR 2.13) and skin symptoms (adjOR 3.89) and ever asthma (adjOR 3.51), the risks of breathlessness (95% CI 1.68 to 11.86) and skin symptoms (1.70 to –8.90) remaining statistically significant after adjustment for confounders. There was an exposure-response relation between the risk of breathlessness and skin symptoms and increasing level of microfiber exposure. Workers exposed to sensitising chemicals, including phenol-formaldehyde resin, experienced increased risk of cough (3.43, 1.20 to 9.87) and nasal symptoms (3.07, 1.05 to 9.00). Conclusions This study provides evidence that exposure to glass microfibers increases the risk of respiratory and skin symptoms, and has an exposure-response relation with breathlessness and skin symptoms. Exposure to sensitising chemicals increased the risk of cough and nasal symptoms. The results suggest that occupational exposure to glass microfibers is related to non-malignant adverse health effects, and that implementing exposure control measures in these industries could protect the health of employees.