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Month: February 2022

Thammasat’s Faculty of Public Health participate in Thailand Global Health Action Plan

Posted on by Thammasat University

Professor Dr. Surasak Soonthorn, the representative from Global Health Program (International Programs), Faculty of Public Health, Thammasat University had been invited to participate in the 2021 Thailand Global Health Action Plan 2021-2027 seminar organized by the International Affairs Division, Ministry of Public Health to exchange knowledge and experience in global health operations and prepared an annual action plan for the year 2021 under the Global Health Action Plan 2021-2027. A total of 27 agencies attended the meeting and qualified speakers from both within and outside the Ministry of Public Health.

As a result of the meeting, the role of educational institutions with global health courses (Global Health) had been revealed. In the future, these educational institutions will play a role as academic supporters in the field of human resource development in both short-term and long-term courses. The exchange of experts in global health knowledge in the form of network partners, both within and outside the Ministry of Public Health. The exchange of experiences on the 8 Key Global Health operations, including the results of the analysis of the process of developing “Pandemic treaty” and the results of the “COP26” meeting, which will directly and indirectly affect Thailand’s global health operations. In addition, a goal has been proposed for Thailand to become “Global Health 5.0” to drive solving health problems beyond conventional health, along with the guidelines for striving to achieve such goals.

A breakthrough in probiotic therapy

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

Based on the research “Comparative Microbiome Analysis for the Probiotics Development” with the support of the Thailand Research Fund (TRF), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit Pongpirul, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University discovered several probiotics that help reduce blood lipids, liver fat, and skin fat, and was inspired to create the Personalized Probiotics (Dispensing) Machine (PPM) so that each person receives the correct dose and strains as needed.

“This device can dispense probiotics to people with poor microbial homeostasis, and people who lack certain beneficial microorganisms, including those with unknown illnesses, to boost and maintain the balance of microorganisms within the body,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit.

Microbial balance for good health
In our body reside hundreds of intestinal microorganisms, on which humans rely to maintain bodily balance.

“The right amounts of good microbes in the body help optimize the metabolic system, especially for fat and sugar, and prevent or reduce allergy, fight against pathogens and some forms of cancer,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit said, adding that he is currently conducting research to compare the microorganisms in various cancer patients, e.g. cervical cancer1-2, colon cancer3-4, breast cancer5-6, and prostate cancer, etc.

Symptoms of dysbiosis
When the body lacks certain beneficial microorganisms, it will suffer an imbalance of microorganisms or dysbiosis with symptoms such as frequent bloating, diarrheas, bad breath, chronic allergies, rough skin, excessively oily skin, insomnia, stress, and premature aging, and so on.

“For example, some patients come to the doctor with several ‘minor’ symptoms such as insomnia, rashes, sneezing, obesity, and mood swings. From a general examination, these symptoms are unexplained health problems, and the doctor will just treat the symptoms. Many are found to suffer from dysbiosis, and when treated with tailored probiotics, their conditions gradually improve,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit said.

Microbial Test Kit
Everybody needs different types of probiotics, and each day, those in the body fluctuate, both in quantity and diversity. Consumption of generic probiotics available in the market may not always be beneficial. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit suggested checking for your microorganism deficiency and just replenishing those the body lacks.

“Currently, hospitals have labs to test for microbial imbalances and often use the “16s rRNA sequencing” technology. Yet, tests are quite pricey and take two to three weeks to produce the results. By then, the body microorganisms would have already changed, and the results, obsolete.”

Such problems motivated Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit to develop a “portable microbial test kit” (2,500 baht per set) that can be done at home.

“Currently, one kit contains five tests that can be done by dissolving feces in buffer solution and drop into each of the five tests. Wait 15 minutes to read and record the results to forward to the doctor who makes the diagnosis, and order personalized dose and types of probiotics.”

Targeted Probiotic Therapy
Once the deficiency is detected, the prescription requires specificity, hence the Personalized Probiotics (Dispensing) Machine that keeps the products fresh and nearly 100% alive.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit went on to explain that “once the patients have their test results, the doctor will make the diagnosis for further treatment done in three steps.”

  1. Information intake and patients’ touchpoint: patients’ test data entry into the system to calculate the appropriate dose and variety of the probiotics;
  2. Compartmentalized probiotics harvest: preparation of probiotics under temperature and humidity control;
  3. Dispensing of personalized probiotics using the dispenser.

“The dispenser will provide liquid probiotics that patients can drink instantly for freshness while the microorganisms are still alive. All 23 types of the microorganisms match the FDA’s s Announcement,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit confirmed.

“The probiotic supplements in the market may only be about 50 percent live, thus their ability to balance the bodily systems are drastically inferior.”

Moreover, the personalized probiotics dispenser can dispense both single-strain and multi-strain probiotics, as well as desired types, and quantities.

A Breakthrough in Probiotic Therapy for Balanced Bodily Systems
Currently, the personalized probiotics dispenser has been petty patented, and the units are being manufactured. However, their use needs to be kept under the supervision of trained medical practitioners for the utmost safety and benefit of the patients.

“Those interested in microbial homeostasis are welcome to come for a consultation at Phor Por Ror Building, 16th Floor, Preventive Medicine, every Wednesday morning. The treatment should be done five consecutive times (1 course). In the beginning, the doctor will make appointments for an overall checkup, and bi-weekly probiotic drinks. Once the body is balanced, patients can increase the intervals between visits. Each course of treatment costs about 10,000 baht.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit expects that both the portable test kit, and the personalized probiotics dispenser will be available in the market, hospitals, and health centers in early 2022. He also mentioned a joint investment with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), and the private sector to develop ready-to-drink probiotics for lipid metabolism.

A balanced diet to increase probiotics in your body
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit said that 96% of good health is from preventive care. Adding beneficial microorganisms into the body is one way to maintain its biological balance. Eating yogurt, kimchi, and fermented foods in daily life is a start.

“Choosing the right yogurt for your body can be done by observation. Each brand has different types of probiotics, so you should try consuming the same brand for seven days. Then switch, and observe if you become bloated, or have diarrhea. Jot down daily notes on how you feel to analyze the response of the body. You will find the right microorganisms that the body needs at that time,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krit concluded.

Those interested in microbial homeostasis can come for a consultation at Phor Por Ror Building, 16th Floor, Preventive Medicine, every Wednesday morning, or contact Tel. 0-2256-5425.

Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM and Rhazes ink MoU

Posted on by Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM Editorial Team

Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA and Rhazes Consultancy Services Sdn. Bhd signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in pharmaceutical healthcare focusing on collaboration to develop and enhance quality education and expertise in tele-pharmacy and digital health. The signing ceremony was held on the 24 December 2021 at UiTM Puncak Alam Campus, Selangor, Malaysia.

The MoU was signed by the Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM, Associate Professor Dr Shariza Sahudin, and Chief Executive Officer, Rhazes Consultancy Services Sdn. Bhd., Mr Munaver Ahmad b Nazir Ahmad. The signing ceremony was also attended by the Chief Operating Officer of Rhazes Consultancy Services, Pn. Noorasmah bt Mohamed Noordin and UiTM’s Faculty of Pharmacy’s Deputy Dean (Industry, Community, Alumni & Network), Dr Muhamad Faiz Othman, and the Head of Department (Pharmacy Practice), Dr Mahmathi Karuppannan.

According to Associate Professor Dr Shariza Sahudin, the collaborative partnership with Rhazes Consultancy Services, a leading organization providing tele-pharmacy services, aligns with the Faculty of Pharmacy’s objective to pioneer tele-pharmacy development in Malaysia. “I believe through this collaboration, the tele-pharmacy expertise led by Rhazes Consultancy Services can be further developed”, she said. Associate Professor Dr Shariza Sahudin added that future collaborative work between Rhazes Consultancy Services and the Faculty of Pharmacy UiTM is expected to address the pressing demand to develop and enhance the skills and knowledge in digital pharmaceutical healthcare among pharmacy graduates given the shift to online platforms mainly due to IR4.0 and the Covid19 pandemic.

Rhazes Consultancy Services is a digital pharmacy technology service provider that connects the public with consultants, specialists, and subject matter experts in pharmaceutical healthcare. Coming from various fields of pharmaceutical practice, experts from Rhazers can provide unbiased, accurate, reliable, and quality advice and guidance on health, diseases, medication, and current health issues to future practitioners. Currently, the organisation provides digital pharmaceutical healthcare services such as medication management, quit-smoking programme, asthma disease management, and diabetic medication therapy adherence clinic.

The collaborative effort between both parties following the MoU signing is anticipated to produce substantial engagement initiatives towards providing high-quality and up-to-date pharmacy educational programmes and ensuring excellence in the profession of pharmacy.

‘Vacuum Packed Crispy Fermented Fish’ created TU student wins first prize

Posted on by Thammasat University

When the world changes, the world food trends are then changing accordingly.

The goal of becoming the “Kitchen of the World” were simply to have fertile food production sources, a variety of raw materials or driven by traditional wisdom which are considerably no longer enough. A big turning point is therefore, relying on initiating food innovations that meet the needs of consumers with changing lifestyles, especially in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ra-Zabb, Vacuum Packed Crispy Fermented Fish”, the work of the “Ra-Zabb” team, which won the first prize from the Food Innopolis Contest 2021 in the Heavy Weights category, under the topic of Food Heritage Innovation. It is regarded as another food innovation that is responding effectively to the New Normal lifestyle. From regular “Fried Fermented Fish”, the heritage of traditional food wisdom of Korat people, then add value using science and technology processes to become “Ra-Zabb, Vacuum Crispy Fermented Fish”. Even though the appearance has been altered, yet retains the delicious taste of the Northeastern style, and as well can be kept for longer, easy to carry and can be eaten anywhere, by simply opening the envelope and it’s ready to taste.

The unique selling point of “Ra-Zabb, Vacuum Crispy Fermented Fish” are bite-sized, easy-to-eat fish meats that contain protein, calcium, vitamin B and iron. One sachet is equivalent to one whole tilapia fish, which can be stored up to 12 months, from sanitized sources and production processes that are safe and consumer-friendly.

In addition to “Ra-Zabb, Vacuum Crispy Fermented Fish”, there are also other food innovations initiated by TU students that have received awards from the Food Innopolis Contest 2021, of a total of 5 teams, 7 awards, such as “Trumpkin vegan cheese”, “Vegan cheese product” made from pumpkins, the work of the Trumpkin team which won the first prize and Popular Vote award in the Heavy Weights category, under the topic of Future Lifestyle Food Innovation.

“Gojuedrink”, “Carrageenan Jelly in Centella Asiatica Juice with Honey Lemon” product from the Gojuedrink team which received the first runner-up award in the Light Weight category under the topic of Food Heritage Innovation.

“Hody Cheese”, a new alternative cheese product from hemp seeds nourished with high protein, from the 3HC team which won the 2nd runner-up award in the Light Weight category under the topic of Future Lifestyle Food Innovation.

“Dè Blong” instant glutinous rice with coconut cream roasted in bamboo joints using Luem Pua Glutinous Rice, the work of the Crewmate TU team that won the Popular Vote award and the Honorable Mention Award in the Light Weight category under the topic of Food Heritage Innovation.

Innovations of COVID-19 Detection Tools by IPB University

Posted on by Editorial Team

The ongoing battle against COVID-19 is inducing researchers to come up with new innovations to increase the efficiency of the virus’ detection, including the detection of antibody titer post-exposure. Researchers of IPB University are not excluded in this effort and has successfully invented two unique innovations for this exact purpose. The innovations are called the Inventpro Reverse Transcriptase (RT) Enzyme and the IPB ELISA Kit: COVID-19 Antibody. These innovations were created with the aim of increasing awareness of vaccination against the COVID-19 virus by providing affordable methods of evaluating the vaccines’ efficacy using the antibody detection method of ELISA as well as RT-PCR.

Before the creation of these innovations, Indonesia has depended on imports of COVID-19 detection toolkits which are relatively expensive. The IPB ELISA Kit and Inventpro RT Enzyme enable Indonesia to lower the cost of these detection tools and reach independence in the fight against the virus. The team of the IPB ELISA kit researchers were led by Dr Huda S Darusman, DVM who is the Head Researcher of IPB University’s Primate Research Center under the Institute of Research and Community Empowerment. Dr Huda explained that the detection kit was made using biological material from two virus components which are Protein N and Antigen Recombinant Protein N (nucleocapsid), as well as the RCD (Receptor-binding domain) Recombinant Protein from the SARS-COV-2 virus. The development of a COVID-19 antibody kit prototype was then carried out.

The Inventpro RT Enzyme were created by Dr Joko Pamungkas DVM, MSc, Dr Uus Saepuloh, SSi, Mbiomed, and Dr Diah Iskandriati DVM, in partnership with PT Biomedical Tehcnology Indonesia. The product synthesizes DNA chains from RNA chains and enables researchers to use the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique which multiplicate DNA to a detectable amount, also known as Reverse Transcriptase – Polymerase Chain Reaction. Both inventions would be used for patients after vaccination and post-exposure of COVID-19 to clearly evaluate the response of the patients towards the vaccine or natural exposure in Indonesia. The data collected from these detection tests could be considered in formulating a better national vaccination strategy.

The Rector of IPB University, Prof Arif Satria, stated that with the launch of these innovations, IPB University is further expanding its efforts from the field of agriculture to the health and biomedical field. To facilitate the demands of society, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is transforming to become the School of Veterinary and Biomedicine. Prof Arif instated that the health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment are interconnected and cannot be separated from each other, and that this transformation is part of IPB University’s efforts to connect the health field to local resources.

The Secretary of Indonesia’s Directorate General of Higher Education, Dr Paristiyanti Nurwardani, welcomes IPB University’s innovations and appreciates the university’s recent achievement of winning the KEDAIREKA matching fund from the Ministry of Education and Culture. KEDAIREKA funds collaboration between higher education in research and innovations with related industries. This funding would allow IPB University to expand its innovations with industry collaborations.

Spreading the word: new podcast series brings the joys of classical Chinese poetry to the English-speaking world

Posted on by Editorial Team

Digital technology not only opens up exciting possibilities for the future but also allows us to better understand, and enjoy, cultural treasures from the past. In a podcast series launched this month (February 2022), Professor Cai Zong Qi, Lingnan University’s Lee Wing Tat Chair Professor of Chinese Literature and Director of the Advanced Institute for Global Chinese Studies, aims to give a wide listenership the chance to appreciate classical Chinese poetry.

Since his student days, Prof Cai has harboured the desire to share the profound beauty of this art form with Western readers. Having already seen Columbia University Press publish the first six books in his ten-volume series How To Read Chinese Literature, he is now reaching out, via the podcast series, to engage an educated, English-speaking audience, that has little prior knowledge of these works.

An audio journey through genres and dynasties

In each episode, outstanding poems will be read and discussed, and their cultural milieu explored, in English. Each of the poems will also be recited, by professional readers, in Mandarin, and for Tang and Song poetry in Cantonese as well, over a background of classical Chinese qin music.

“We want to help the listener go beyond pure translation,” Prof Cai explains. “You do not really get the same aesthetic pleasure [from a translated text,] as you would get from the original, particularly for some hyper-condensed type of poetry.”

From February 1st, a new 15-minute podcast will be available each week on popular platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Ximalaya (in Mainland China). The full 52-episode series will cover the major poetic genres that have emerged and evolved over a period of almost three millennia, stretching from the early Zhou all the way to the Qing, the last of China’s dynasties, which ended in 1911. A team of experts will guide listeners through the rich heritage of Chinese poetry, poem by poem, genre by genre, and dynasty by dynasty.

Many classical Chinese poems originated as folk songs or tales about the founding father of the Zhou dynasty, Prof Cai points out. Later they came to be used by diplomats and courtiers to convey messages in the form of an indirect expression of the state’s intent. “Poetic talent became a key criterium for selection for promotion to high government office during the Tang dynasty, from around 600 to 900 AD.”

Reaching out to a global audience

Prof Cai’s bi-cultural outlook has been shaped by his experiences in his native China and while studying and teaching in the United States. In his writing, he has used Western theoretical approaches to examine the nation’s classical literature in fresh and original ways. He believes that knowledge of the Chinese literary tradition can also help people in other countries understand the cultural values that shape thinking within China. And interest in this field does seem to be growing, with sales of the published books in his How To Read Chinese Literature series far exceeding initial expectations.

How to Read Chinese Poetry Podcast website