Forensic and genetic characterizations of diverse southern Thai populations based on 15 autosomal STRs

Southern Thailand is home to various populations; the Moklen, Moken and Urak Lawoi’ sea nomads and Maniq negrito are the minority, while the southern Thai groups (Buddhist and Muslim) are the majority. Although previous studies have generated forensic STR dataset for major groups, such data of the southern Thai minority have not been included; here we generated a regional forensic database of southern Thailand. We newly genotyped common 15 autosomal STRs in 184 unrelated southern Thais, including all minorities and majorities. When combined with previously published data of major southern Thais, this provides a total of 334 southern Thai samples. The forensic parameter results show appropriate values for personal identification and paternity testing; the probability of excluding paternity is 0.99999622, and the combined discrimination power is 0.999999999999999. Probably driven by genetic drift and/or isolation with small census size, we found genetic distinction of the Maniq and sea nomads from the major groups, which were closer to the Malay and central Thais than the other Thai groups. The allelic frequency results can strength the regional forensic database in southern Thailand and also provide useful information for anthropological perspective.

Two new species of Metacyclops Kiefer, 1927 (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) from Thailand and an up-to-date key to the species recorded in Asia

Metacyclops sakaeratensis sp. nov. and M. brancelji sp. nov. are described as being present in the mountainous areas of Northeastern and Southern Thailand, respectively. Two new species resemble M. woni in both sexes, but they are easily distinguished from their Cambodian relative by having: 1) transverse suture on the dorsal surface of the genital double-somite, 2) serrated hyaline frill on the posterior margin of third pedigerous somite, 3) different length / width ratio of caudal ramus, and 4) a row of spinule on caudal surface of intercoxal sclerite of the third swimming legs. The significant differences between M. sakaeratensis sp. nov. and M. brancelji sp. nov. are present in both sexes, including the body size, integumental ornamentation of the body surface, length / width ratio of caudal ramus, armature of the fifth swimming leg, and the male sixth swimming leg. In addition, an up-to-date key to the female of all fifteen species of Metacyclops recorded in Asia is provided.

Acanthosaura meridiona sp. nov. (Squamata: Agamidae), a new short-horned lizard from southern Thailand

A new short – horned lizard species of the genus Acanthosaura from southern Thailand, is described herein. The species was previously recognised as Acanthosaura crucigera and has been reported to present a wide distribution across mainland south-east Asia. The combination of modern morphological studies of Acanthosaura meridiona sp. nov. allows its separation from closely related species A. crucigera, on the basis of presenting more nuchal scales, more scales between diastema, more scales bordering rostral scales and more midline ventral scales. Mitochondrial DNA analysis also indicated a sister relationship between A. meridiona sp. nov. and A. crucigera with a 100 % probability according to Bayesian and maximum – likelihood analyses. The pairwise distance between A. meridiona sp. nov. and A. crucigera ranges from 9.9 – 11.1 %, while the distance between A. meridiona populations ranges from 0 – 0.9 %. This new discovery contributes to the redescription of the distribution of A. crucigera under Kra Isthmus and its replacement by A. meridiona sp. nov.

The Correlation Between Self-Care Behavior with Application of Eastern Wisdom and Resilience Among Village Health Volunteers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Thailand

The job of village health volunteers (VHVs) is to coordinate between Thai government departments and the public. Such work can lead to boredom, discouragement, and physical and mental exhaustion. Therefore, strengthening the positive ability of VHVs can help them cope with fatigue. It is essential to continue supporting VHVs; consequently, it is necessary to incorporate Eastern wisdom into healthcare provided for village health volunteers. Purposive sampling was used in this descriptive research to study the relationship between self-care behaviors by applying Eastern wisdom to support and enhance the mental strength of the VHVs. The sample consisted of 77 VHVs in Southern Thailand. Demographic data questionnaire, self-care behavior questionnaire by applying Eastern wisdom, and resilience questionnaire were used to collect data. Pearson’s correlation was used to analyze data. The relationship between self-care behavior by applying Eastern wisdom and resilience was found to have a statistically significant positive correlation (r = .246, p < .05). The relationship between self-care behavior by applying Eastern wisdom and resilience in this study was weak, but there was a positive correlation. Thus, health care providers should promote and integrate Eastern wisdom into self-care activities with VHVs.

Status of the name Bactrocera papayae Drew & Hancock.

This chapter discusses the status of the name Bactrocera papayae. It considers the synonymy proposed by Schutze et al. (2015a) to be incorrect and unjustified, and continue to regard B. papayae as the valid name for populations occurring from southern Thailand to Papua New Guinea.

Usability of Video Observed Therapy with a Notification System to Improve Monitoring of Tuberculosis Treatment in Thailand (Preprint)

BACKGROUND In Thailand, the healthcare system has struggled to cope with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting in directly observed therapy (DOT) for tuberculosis (TB) being de-emphasized. Video observed therapy (VOT) or, more specifically, the Thai VOT “TH VOT” system, was then developed to replace DOT. According to the pilot study, the system needed a notification to improve usability and user compliance. The updated version of the TH VOT system thus enabled LINE notifications. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to reassess the user compliance and usability of the updated TH VOT system. METHODS This study was conducted in Hat Yai and Meuang Songkhla districts in Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand. The system was used by not only TB patients but also TB staff as observers in primary health care settings. Some of the observers used the simulated VOT system instead of the actual system due to the lack of participating patients in their jurisdiction. After 30-day usage, VOT session records were analyzed to determine the compliance of the patients and observers. The User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) was administered to reassess the usability of the system and compare the ratings of the participants with the general benchmark scores of the UEQ. The results were summarized to reveal the user compliance and usability based on three groups: the patient, actual VOT observer, and simulated VOT observer. RESULTS Of the 19 observers, 10 were used the actual VOT, and the remaining 9 used the simulated VOT; there were also 10 TB patients. The patients, actual VOT observers, and simulated observers had about 80%, 65%, and 50% compliance, respectively, in terms of following the standard operating procedures every day. The scores of all groups on all dimensions were well above the average scores. There was no significant difference in any of the dimensional scores among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS The updated version of the TH VOT was deemed usable by both the patients and the healthcare staff. Compliance to use the system was high among the patients but moderate among the observers.