CONTEXT The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), created by the Edmonton Group in 1991, is an instrument assessing symptom control that is commonly used in palliative care. It asks patients to rate nine items on 11-point numeric rating scales. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to translate the ESAS to Thai and validate its final version with transcultural adaptation for Thai palliativ...

The availability of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) has revolutionized the treatment of anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease. However, maintaining patients at haemoglobin (Hb) levels that are both safe and provide maximal benefit is a continuing challenge in the field. Based on emerging data on the potential risks of Hb treatment targets >13 g/dL, treatment targets have rece...

PURPOSE Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are recommended for treating chemotherapy-induced anemia in breast cancer patients. Reduced survival rates in ESAs-treated patients have been reported, possibly due to thromboembolic complications, however the exact mechanism remains obscure. The principal activator of blood coagulation in cancer is tissue factor (TF). There are data that erythro...

Erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) have been reported to activate erythropoietin receptors (EpoR) on cell types, including endothelial, neuronal, renal tubule, and cardiac cells. ESAs have also been reported to promote angiogenesis. However, those findings are controversial and confounded by methodologic issues. We show that EpoR mRNA was detected in essentially all cell types examined, i...

Evolutionary search algorithms (ESAs from now on) are iterative problem solvers developed with inspiration from neo-Darwinian survival of the fittest genes. This thesis looks at the core issues surrounding ESAs and is a step towards building a rational methodology for their effective use. Currently there is no such method of best practice rather the whole process of designing and using ESAs is ...