Aedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue globally. The variables that influence the abundance of dengue vectors are numerous and complex. This has generated a need to focus on areas at risk of disease transmission, the spatial-temporal distribution of vectors, and the factors that modulate vector abundance. To help guide and improve vector-control efforts, this study identified the ecological, social, and other environmental risk factors that affect the abundance of adult female and immature Ae. aegypti in households in urban and rural areas of northeastern Thailand. A one-year entomological study was conducted in four villages of northeastern Thailand between January and December 2019. Socio-demographic; self-reported prior dengue infections; housing conditions; durable asset ownership; water management; characteristics of water containers; knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding climate change and dengue; and climate data were collected. Household crowding index (HCI), premise condition index (PCI), socio-economic status (SES), and entomological indices (HI, CI, BI, and PI) were calculated. Negative binomial generalized linear models (GLMs) were fitted to identify the risk factors associated with the abundance of adult females and immature Ae. aegypti. Urban sites had higher entomological indices and numbers of adult Ae. aegypti mosquitoes than rural sites. Overall, participants’ KAP about climate change and dengue were low in both settings. The fitted GLM showed that a higher abundance of adult female Ae. aegypti was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with many factors, such as a low education level of household respondents, crowded households, poor premise conditions, surrounding house density, bathrooms located indoors, unscreened windows, high numbers of wet containers, a lack of adult control, prior dengue infections, poor climate change adaptation, dengue, and vector-related practices. Many of the above were also significantly associated with a high abundance of immature mosquito stages. The GLM model also showed that maximum and mean temperature with four-and one-to-two weeks of lag were significant predictors (p < 0.05) of the abundance of adult and immature mosquitoes, respectively, in northeastern Thailand. The low KAP regarding climate change and dengue highlights the engagement needs for vector-borne disease prevention in this region. The identified risk factors are important for the critical first step toward developing routine Aedes surveillance and reliable early warning systems for effective dengue and other mosquito-borne disease prevention and control strategies at the household and community levels in this region and similar settings elsewhere.

Dengue, a viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, is an important public health concern throughout Thailand. Climate variables are potential predictors of dengue transmission. Associations between climate variables and dengue have usually been performed on large-scale first-level national administrative divisions, i.e. provinces. Here we analyze data on a finer spatial resolution in one province, which is often more relevant for effective disease control design. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of seasonal variations, monthly climate variability, and to identify local clusters of symptomatic disease at the sub-district level based on reported dengue cases. Data on dengue cases were retrieved from the national communicable disease surveillance system in Thailand. Between 2006 and 2016, 15,167 cases were recorded in 199 sub-districts of Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand. Descriptive analyses included demographic characteristics and temporal patterns of disease and climate variables. The association between monthly disease incidence and climate variations was analyzed at the sub-district level using Bayesian Poisson spatial regression. A hotspot analysis was used to assess the spatial patterns (clustered/dispersed/random) of dengue incidence. Dengue was predominant in the 5–14 year-old age group (51.1%). However, over time, dengue incidence in the older age groups (> 15 years) gradually increased and was the most affected group in 2013. Dengue outbreaks coincide with the rainy season. In the spatial regression model, maximum temperature was associated with higher incidence. The hotspot analysis showed clustering of cases around the urbanized area of Khon Kaen city and in rural areas in the southwestern portion of the province. There was an increase in the number of reported dengue cases in older age groups over the study period. Dengue incidence was highly seasonal and positively associated with maximum ambient temperature. However, climatic variables did not explain all the spatial variation of dengue in the province. Further analyses are needed to clarify the detailed effects of urbanization and other potential environmental risk factors. These results provide useful information for ongoing prediction modeling and developing of dengue early warning systems to guide vector control operations.

Dengue is linked with climate change in tropical and sub-tropical countries including the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) and Thailand. Knowledge about these issues and preventive measures can affect the incidence and outbreak risk of dengue. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among urban and rural communities and government officials about climate change and dengue in Laos and Thailand. A cross-sectional KAP survey about climate change and dengue were conducted in 360 households in Laos (180 urban and 180 rural), 359 households in Thailand (179 urban and 180 rural), and 20 government officials (10 in each country) using structured questionnaires. Data analysis was undertaken using descriptive methods, principal component analysis (PCA), Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test (as appropriate), and logistic regression. Significant differences among the selected communities in both countries were found in terms of household participant's age, level of education, socioeconomic status, attitude level of climate change and KAP level of dengue (P < 0.05; 95% CI). Overall, participants' KAP about climate change and dengue were low except the attitude level for dengue in both countries. The level of awareness among government officials regarding the climatic relationship with dengue was also low. In Lao households, participants' knowledge about climate change and dengue was significantly associated with the level of education and socioeconomic status (SES) (P < 0.01). Their attitudes towards climate change and dengue were associated with educational level and internet use (P < 0.05). Householders' climate change related practices were associated with SES (P < 0.01) and dengue related practices were associated with educational level, SES, previous dengue experience and internet use (P < 0.01). In Thailand, participants' knowledge about climate change was associated with the level of education and SES (P < 0.01). Their attitudes towards climate change were associated with residence status (urban/rural) and internet use (P < 0.05); climate change related practices were associated with educational level and SES (P < 0.05). Dengue related knowledge of participants was associated with SES and previous dengue experience (P < 0.05); participants' dengue related attitudes and practices were associated with educational level (P < 0.01). The findings call for urgently needed integrated awareness programs to increase KAP levels regarding climate change adaptation, mitigation and dengue prevention to improve the health and welfare of people in these two countries, and similar dengue-endemic countries.

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is recognized as an oncomir and shows up-regulation in many types of human malignancy. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of miR-21 expression associated with HPV infection in normal and abnormal cervical tissues. Cervical tissue samples with different cytological or histopathological grades were investigated for HPV by PCR and for miR-21 and programmed cell death, protein 4 (PDCD4) expression using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Laser capture microdissection (LCM) of stromal and epithelial tissues and in situ hybridization (ISH) using locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes were performed on a subset of fixed specimens. Cell line experiments were conducted on fibroblasts stimulated in culture media from HeLa cells, which were then assessed for miR-21, PDCD4, IL-6 and α-SMA expression by qRT-PCR. Twenty normal cervical cell, 12 cervicitis, 14 cervical intraepithelial neoplastic I (CIN I), 22 CIN II-III and 43 cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) specimens were investigated. miR-21 levels were significantly lower in normal than in abnormal tissues. The expression of miR-21 in HPV negative normal cytology was significantly lower than in HPV positive samples in abnormal tissue and SCC. The miR-21 expression was significantly higher in HPV negative cervicitis than HPV negative normal cells. LCM and ISH data showed that miR-21 is primarily expressed in the tumor-associated stromal cell microenvironment. Fibroblasts treated with HeLa cell culture media showed up-regulated expression of miR-21, which correlated with increased expression of α-SMA and IL-6 and with down-regulation of PDCD4. These results demonstrate that miR-21 is associated with HPV infection and involved in cervical lesions as well as cervicitis and its up-regulation in tumor-stroma might be involved in the inflammation process and cervical cancer progression.

Arecoline, the major alkaloid of areca nut, is known to induce oral carcinogenesis, however, its mechanism is still needed to elucidate. This study investigated the effects of arecoline on cell viability and cell-cycle progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells as well as a relevant cellular gene expression. The results showed that a low concentration of arecoline (0.025 μg/ml) increased OSCC cell viability, proportion of cells in G2/M phase and cell proliferation. Simultaneously, it induced IL-6, STAT3 and c-Myc expression. Interestingly, c-myc promoter activity was also induced by arecoline. MiR-22 expression in arecoline-treated OSCC cells was suppressed and comparable to an upregulated c-Myc expression. In arecoline-treated OSCC cells, oncostatin M (OSM) expression was significantly upregulated and inversely correlated with miR-22 expression. Likewise, OSM expression and its post-transcriptional activity were significantly decreased in miR-22-transfected OSCC and 293FT cells. This result demonstrated that miR-22 directly targeted OSM. Interestingly, miR-22 played an important role as a tumor suppresser on suppressing cell proliferation, migration and cell-cycle progression of OSCC cells. This result suggested the effect of arecoline to promote cell proliferation and cell-cycle progression of OSCC cells might be involved in induction of c-Myc expression and reduction of miR-22 resulting in OSM upregulation.