Aung Win Tun

• MBBS, PhD
• Head of Faculty at Faculty of Graduate Studies, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Resistance to the antimalarial drug artemisinin (ART) has emerged in Greater Mekong Subregion. The molecular marker predominantly used to identify ART resistance is the C580Y mutation in Pfkelch13 of Plasmodium falciparum. Rapid and accurate detection of ART resistance in the field is necessary to guide malaria containment and elimination intervent...

Fly ash was used as a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst to degrade methylene blue in aqueous solution. The influence off key operating parameters on the degradation efficiency, including the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and methylene blue, catalyst dosage, and the initial pH, were studied. The optimal degradation conditions were 2 mmol/L hydroge...

Highly sensitive diagnostic tools are crucial for individual screening during an epidemic of leptospirosis. To aid in developing a diagnostic tool for the sensitive detection of pathogenic strains, a new approach targeting nucleic acid amplification that combines quantitative PCR (qPCR) and strand displacement isothermal amplification was evaluated...

Erythrocytes deficient in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is more susceptible to oxidative damage from free radical derived compounds. The hemolysis triggered by oxidative agents such as primaquine (PQ) is used for the radical treatment of hypnozoites of P. vivax. Testing of G6PD screening before malaria treatment is not a common practice...

Ethidium bromide, which is commonly applied in molecular biological applications, is a mutagenic agent demanding proper treatment. In the present study, the magnetic fraction of fly ash, prepared from the ASTM class F material, was used as a catalyst for a heterogeneous Fenton process for degrading ethidium bromide in aqueous solution. The dosage o...

In the present study, the magnetic fraction of fly ash was separated from the bulk material using a conventional magnet, yielding approximately 50% w/w. As the magnetic fraction of fly ash contains a high content of aluminum oxide, which is recognized as a phosphate adsorbent, and ferromagnetic iron oxides, it is potentially useful as a magnetic so...

Artemisinin resistance (ART) has been confirmed in Greater Mekong Sub-region countries. Currently, C580Y mutation on Pfkelch13 gene is known as the molecular marker for the detection of ART. Rapid and accurate detection of ART in field study is essential to guide malaria containment and elimination interventions. A simple method for collection of m...

Fly ash, a by-product generated from coal combustion, contains a high content of metal oxides which are recognized as efficient adsorptive materials for phosphate-containing molecules. This indicates the potential application of fly ash as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent to nucleic acids, the phosphate-containing biopolymers. However, little eff...

Plasmodium vivax is usually considered morbidity in endemic areas of Asia, Central and South America, and some part of Africa. In Thailand, previous studies indicated the genetic diversity of P. vivax in malaria-endemic regions such as the western part of Thailand bordering with Myanmar. The objective of the study is to investigate the genetic dive...

Intercellular communication is a crucial process for the multicellular community in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Indole has been recognized as a new member of the signal molecules which enables the regulated control of various bacterial phenotypes. To elucidate the inter-species relationship among enteric microorganisms via indole signaling, Kl...

Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) resistance is widespread throughout the Greater Mekong Subregion. This raises concern over the antimalarial treatment in Thailand since it shares borders with Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar where high ACT failure rates were reported. It is crucial to have information about the spread of ACT resistance for ef...

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is highly prevalent in Southeast Asia especially in the area of malaria endemic regions. Primaquine is used for the radical treatment of malaria. However, it causes hemolytic anemia in G6PD deficient patients. Objectives: To characterize G6PD mutations in G6PD deficient patients around...

Purpose: Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil are the critical components of therapeutic regimen in a broad range of malignancies. Their therapeutic efficacy is limited due to the development of toxic side effects and drug resistance by the cancer cells. Cisplatin toxic side effects are usually associated with mitochondrial injury in vivo and in vitro. In...

Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is one of the commonest mitochondrial diseases. It causes total blindness, and predominantly affects young males. For the disease to develop, it is necessary for an individual to carry one of the primary mtDNA mutations 11778G>A, 14484T>C or 3460G>A. However these mutations are not sufficient to cause dise...

Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is one of the commonest mitochondrial diseases. It causes total blindness, and predominantly affects young males. For the disease to develop, it is necessary for an individual to carry one of the primary mtDNA mutations 11778G.A, 14484T.C or 3460G.A. However these mutations are not sufficient to cause dise...

Located only a short distance off the southernmost shore of the Greater Indian subcontinent, the island of Sri Lanka has long been inhabited by various ethnic populations. Mainly comprising the Vedda, Sinhalese (Up- and Low-country) and Tamil (Sri Lankan and Indian); their history of settlements on the island and the biological relationships among...

The present study explored variation in the PARL gene as one of the potential nuclear modifiers in the pathogenesis of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). Ten exons, their franking introns and 3'UTR of the PARL gene were analysed. Seventeen SNPs detected were investigated in 83 affected and 53 unaffected individuals from 47 independent Thai L...

To investigate the role of mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA) background on the expression of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in Southeast Asian carriers of the G11778A mutation. Complete mtDNA sequences were analyzed from 53 unrelated Southeast Asian G11778A LHON pedigrees in Thailand and 105 normal Thai controls, and mtDNA haplogroups were deter...

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most common mitochondrially inherited disease causing blindness, preferentially in young adult males. Most of the patients carry the G11778A mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation. However, the marked incomplete penetrance and the gender bias indicate some additional genetic and/or environmental factors t...