Thai Red Cross Society

BackgroundParkinson's disease (PD) remains underdiagnosed in Thailand, and its rising prevalence presents a growing challenge for the healthcare system. The previously validated CheckPD digital population screening platform has been implemented nationally in collaboration with the Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS) and the National Health Security Office (NHSO), enabling integration of digital PD risk screening into preventive health frameworks.ObjectiveTo evaluate the early phase of a national rollout of the CheckPD platform, focusing on population reach, adoption, predictive performance, exploratory usability, and implementation factors influencing scalability across diverse real-world settings.MethodsThis RE-AIM-guided implementation study in 10 Thai provinces assessed reach, adoption, completion, system performance and positive predictive value among neurologist-evaluated screen-positive participants. Preliminary usability was assessed in 30 post-screening completers using the SUS and UEQ-S. Supplementary implementation feedback was collected from Village Health Volunteers and public health officers.ResultsBetween January 2024 and October 2025, 13,381 out of 18,520 users completed screening across 10 provinces (completion rate: 72.3%). The mean SUS score was 83, with a 92% first-time task completion rate. Programme reach was achieved through multiple channels, including Village Health Volunteers (6,742 participants), community field campaigns (5,207), facilitated online training initiatives (3,448), and self-initiated app downloads (3,123). When compared with neurologists' diagnoses among 730 screen-positive participants who underwent evaluation, the screening demonstrated a positive predictive value of 81.23% (593/730; 95% CI 78.39%-84.07%). Key facilitators of implementation included TRCS endorsement and network support, community volunteer engagement, and user-centred app design. Exploratory multivariable logistic regression analysis identified educational attainment and geographic context as significant predictors of screening completion, with higher educational attainment and residence outside Bangkok associated with a higher likelihood of completing the screening workflow.ConclusionsThe CheckPD programme demonstrates that national-scale digital screening for neurological disorders is feasible in a low-to-middle-income country when embedded within trusted institutions, supported by community networks, and aligned with data protection standards. Thailand's experience provides an early, promising, and potentially scalable model for implementing population-level improvements in brain health by enabling earlier detection and assessment of individuals at risk, in alignment with the World Health Organization's Brain Health framework.

BackgroundCOVID-19 has been associated with persistent metabolic disturbances; however, the magnitude, consistency, and underlying mechanisms of post-infection alterations in glucose regulation remain incompletely characterized.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PubMed and Embase were searched on December 18, 2024, for studies published from 2020 onward. Eligible studies included observational cohort and cross-sectional designs assessing metabolic outcomes at least three months after recovery from COVID-19.ResultsSixteen studies met inclusion criteria. Pooled analysis suggested a 41% increased risk of new-onset diabetes among COVID-19 survivors compared with non-infected individuals (RR 1.41, 95% CI: 1.38–1.44); however, this estimate was predominantly driven by a single large-scale study. Quantitative synthesis demonstrated higher HbA1c (SMD 1.44, 95% CI: 0.36–2.52) and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) (SMD 0.96, 95% CI: 0.33–1.58), consistent with impaired glycemic control and increased insulin resistance. In contrast, fasting blood glucose (FBG) findings were inconsistent and highly heterogeneous (SMD 0.77, 95% CI: −0.40–1.94). Substantial heterogeneity was observed across outcomes.ConclusionCOVID-19 may be associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes and persistent metabolic dysregulation. However, the limited number of studies contributing to pooled risk estimates and the influence of large registry-based data warrant cautious interpretation. These findings support consideration of metabolic monitoring and longitudinal follow-up in post-COVID care, particularly among individuals at elevated cardiometabolic risk.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42025630971.

BACKGROUND:Detection of neutrophil antigen is not routinely performed in transfusion medicine. The gold standard for antigen detection is a serological test; nonetheless, lack of antibody to white cell antigens is one of its limitations. OBJECTIVE:This research aimed to identify human neutrophil antigen-3 (HNA-3) genotypes in Southern Thai blood donors using high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis. Allele frequencies of HNA-3 were also compared to other populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS:DNA from 443 blood donors from Southern Thailand was amplified by two-step PCR and then genotypically classified by HRM analysis. Allele frequencies of solute carrier family 44 member 2 (SLC44A2) gene and distribution of HNA-3 genotypes were compared with other populations. Forty-seven samples were subsequently sequenced to generate concordance date between HRM and Sanger sequencing. RESULTS:Frequencies of SLC44A2*01 and SLC44A2*02 were 0.812 and 0.188, respectively. HNA-3a/3a homozygous was the most common genotype at 62.3%, followed by 37.7% of HNA-3a/3b heterozygous, whereas HNA-3b/3b homozygous genotype was not observed. Distribution of genotype frequencies in the present study was significantly different from other populations worldwide including other parts of Thailand but matched to the same population reported previously by multiplex PCR. HRM genotyping was strong agreement with sequencing method (Kappa score=0.87). CONCLUSION:This report identified three genotypes of HNA-3 in Thailand using PCR-HRM. PCR-HRM is a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective genotyping tool suitable for large-scale donor screening.

BackgroundModern biomedical research excels at validating hypotheses but often struggles with conceptual discovery. The emphasis on statistical significance has fostered a culture of measurement without mechanism—abundant evidence, yet limited progress toward durable restoration of health. The Remission Therapy Inquiry-Based Research Model (RIRM) was developed to address this gap by reframing how scientists reason about the mechanisms through which biological systems achieve functional coherence and recovery.ConceptIn RIRM, True Remission is used not as a biological endpoint but as a conceptual lens for mechanistic inquiry. The framework guides researchers to identify the mechanistic origins of clinical phenomena—whether cellular, molecular, systemic, adaptive, or emergent through interacting biological systems—and to reason explicitly about how functional coherence may be restored. This process is organized through twelve self-inquiry questions and a route-based algorithmic roadmap that make early-stage scientific reasoning explicit, traceable, and open to examination.PerspectiveRIRM bridges qualitative and quantitative epistemologies by integrating the interpretive depth of grounded theory with the structural discipline of systems medicine. Rather than replacing empirical validation, it strengthens the conceptual foundations that precede experimentation. By shifting emphasis from the reproducibility of outcomes alone toward the transparency, coherence, and reproducibility of reasoning, RIRM positions mechanistic inquiry itself as a legitimate domain of scientific rigor in biomedical research. As a conceptual framework, it offers a structured approach for organizing, teaching, evaluating, and refining mechanistic hypotheses across multiple levels of biological interpretation.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in 15–20