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Lactic acid bacteria inoculants are employed to accelerate forage ensiling ensuring silage quality. Inoculants for ensiling are not produced locally and are restricted for importation in Sri Lanka. This study evaluated the potential of locally produced, freeze-dried Lactobacillus inoculants containing Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus oris, on ensiling of guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) forage. The experiment was conducted as a complete randomized design (CRD). Guinea grass forage harvested at the 10 % flowering stage were chopped and inoculated with each Lactobacillus (i.e. treatments) species (i.e. 106 CFU/g fresh forage) or sprayed with deionized water (i.e. control). Six laboratory silos were prepared with each inoculant and one silo was the control. Silage samples were taken from 3 silos opened at 2 weeks and from the remaining 3 silos at 52 weeks post-ensiling. All samples were assessed for pH value and lactic acid content. In addition, the samples taken at 52 weeks were analyzed for organic matter digestibility (OMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) content. Guinea grass ensiled with Lactobacillus exhibited significantly (P<0.05) high lactic acid content and low pH value compared to the control as early as 2 weeks ensiling. At 52 weeks, guinea grass inoculated with L. rhamnosus recorded, significantly (P<0.05) higher lactic acid content compared to that inoculated with L. plantarum. Nevertheless, at 52 weeks guinea grass ensiled with, both L. rhamnosus and L. oris recorded significantly lower (P<0.05) pH values than those inoculated with L. plantarum. Inoculation of guinea grass with Lactobacillus significantly (P<0.05) increased the OMD and ME content of silage. This study concluded that locally produced, freeze-dried L. rhamnosus, and L. oris inoculants have the potential to enhance the ensiling guinea grass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A data management system is crucial to businesses as it efficiently organizes, secures, and leverages data, enabling informed decision-making, streamlined operations, and improved competitiveness. Machine learning enhances data management by automating insights extraction, predictive analytics, and pattern recognition, optimizing data utilization and driving informed business strategies. DOCU SAFE is a web base secure data management system that uses machine learning and NLP to enable organizations to store, manage, and analyze their data securely. The system addresses the challenges associated with data uploading, moving, and processing, including size/storage/volume of data, inconsistency and variety of data, formatting of data, security of data, analyzing and mapping of data, and cost management issues. DOCU SAFE provides a scalable solution for data management, enabling organizations to handle large volumes of data efficiently. The system uses machine learning algorithms to ensure that data is consistent, accurate, and secure, providing organizations with insights that can be used to make informed decisions. The data we enter here can be directed to four categories of classification, hidden and highlight, encryption, and hygiene solutions according to our needs. They currently have many tools in this regard, but there are problems with them. In addition, there are separate tools for data classification, data hidden and highlight, data encryption, data hygiene solutions, and there is no possibility to do everything with one tool/system. Here, all the above issues are the provided by same tool. Overall, DOCU SAFE is an effective solution for organizations that handle sensitive data and need a secure and efficient data management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial yield losses have been reported during the storage of Allium cepa L., and effective methods to minimize postharvest losses are currently lacking. Therefore the objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of pre-treatment with Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma virens on post-harvest losses during storage and to evaluate factors associated with these losses. The storage behaviors of Allium cepa L. bulbs after different field treatments with Trichoderma spp. were examined using a complete randomized design. The common onion bulb diseases encountered during storage were basal rot and black mould diseases, with Fusarium sp., Mucor sp., Penicillium sp., Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus being associated with diseased bulbs. The results regarding the percentage of diseased bulbs showed that pre-harvest treatments with Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma virens did not have a significant effect on disease control during storage. Furthermore, storage losses of onions were attributed to sprouting, rooting and wilting, which were exacerbated by the prevailing temperature (~30-32°C) and relative humidity (~77%-79%) during the storage period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viruses are responsible for a variety of human pathogenesis. Owing to the enhancement of the world population, global travel, and rapid urbanization, and infectious outbreaks, a critical threat has been generated to public health, as preventive vaccines and antiviral therapy are not available. Herbal medicines and refined natural products have resources for the development of novel antiviral drugs. These natural agents have shed light on preventive vaccine development and antiviral therapies. This review intends to discuss the antiviral activities of plant extracts and some isolated plant natural products based on mainly preclinical (in vitro and in vivo) studies. Twenty medicinal herbs were selected for the discussion, and those are commonly recognized antiviral medicinal plants in Ayurveda (Zingiber officinale, Caesalpinia bonducella, Allium sativum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Ferula assafoetida, Gymnema sylvestre, Gossypium herbaceum, Phyllanthus niruri, Trachyspermum ammi, Withania somnifera, Andrographis paniculata, Centella asiatica, Curcuma longa, Woodfordia fruticose, Phyllanthus emblica, Terminalia chebula, Tamarindus indica, Terminalia arjuna, Azadirachta indica, and Ficus religiosa). However, many viruses remain without successful immunization and only a few antiviral drugs have been approved for clinical use. Hence, the development of novel antiviral drugs is much significant and natural products are excellent sources for such drug developments. In this review, we summarize the antiviral actions of selected plant extracts and some isolated natural products of the medicinal herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Speech and language therapists use developmental norms established for consonant acquisition to determine whether a child has age-appropriate, delayed or disordered speech skills. There are currently no established norms for the acquisition of Sinhala consonants, which have implications for accurate diagnosis. The aim of this study was to document preliminary trends observed in the trajectory of consonant sound development in Sinhala-speaking young children so as to form a set of 'working norms'. Method: A picture-based articulation assessment was administered to 70 typically developing children who were between 3 years and 6 years 11 months of age. Results: Regarding the rate of acquisition and order of acquisition, the fi ndings displayed trends comparable to general patt erns of consonant mastery reported within cross-linguistic studies. In addition, a diff erent rate of acquisition and order of mastery was observed for both uncommon Sinhala language-specifi c speech sounds showing ambient language eff ects and for a few common sounds occurring in Sinhala and other languages. Conclusion & Implications: The convergence and divergence in the rate and order of Sinhala consonant acquisition compared to the cross-linguistic literature has important clinical implications for assessment, early identifi cation of speech diffi culties and intervention within speech and language therapy practice in Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of heavy metal addition on total, bacterial, and fungal activities is studied in a laboratory experiment using forest soil contaminated with different concentrations of Zn or Cu. The different responses of bacteria and fungi to heavy metals are reflected in an increase in the relative fungal/bacterial ratio with increased metal load.

Bamboo is a natural vegetable fibre originated from the tropical and sub-tropical countries. In this research, alkaline-bio scoured raw bamboo fibre powder was subjected to alkaline one step pyrolysis activation by using KOH. The bamboo carbon powder was fed into a tube furnace with a ramping rate of 10°C min-1 until the temperature reached at 360°C and dwell time 15 min for N2 atmosphere. Subsequently they were cooled to room temperature. A thin film of n-Cu2O was fabricated by boiling a well cleaned Copper sheet in a 5x10-3M CuSO4 solution inside an ultrasonic bath at 60°C for 50 min. There after thin layer of colloidal CuI was deposited on the n-Cu2O layer. BAC was placed on n-Cu2O/p-CuI and ITO conductive glass plate was placed to fabricate Cu/ Cu2O/BAC/ITO solid state photovoltaic cell. BAC acts as an upper electrode; separate photo generated charge carriers and enhanced photocurrent. Mean Particle size distribution curves, Absorption spectra, Photocurrent action spectra and time development of photocurrent were used from this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pavetta indica Linn. (Family: Rubiaceae; Sanskrit name: Papata) is 2-5 m tall, shrub or small tree with opposite branches and grows in the Asia - Pacific region including Sri Lanka. Purishaja Krimi is one of the worm infestations described in Ayurveda. Enterobius vermicularis is among the most common of worms affecting children and adults. E. vermicularis is considered as one type of Purishaja Krimi. Sri Lankan traditional and ayurvedic physicians use P. indica to treat different ailments including Purishaja Krimi (E. vermicularis) infestations successfully. Since no scientific studies have been undertaken to study these effects so far, the present clinical study was carried out to evaluate the effect of P. indica in treatment of E. vermicularis infestation. Fifty patients between age of 5 and 12 years (Group A and B) and 50 patients between 13 and 65 years (Group C and D) with symptoms of E. vermicularis infestations such as itching in the anal region, impaired appetite, abdominal pain, eructation, diarrhea or constipation and presence of ova in stools were selected. Two decoction of the trail drug with different concentration was prepared. Group A and Group B were treated with 60 ml of decoction 1 and 60 ml of placebo respectively, twice daily for 14 days. Group C and Group D were treated with 120 ml of decoction 2 and 120 ml of placebo respectively, twice daily for 14 days. Groups A and C showed complete or partial reduction of symptoms, that is; itching in the anal region, impaired appetite, abdominal pain, eructation, diarrhea and also ova of E. vermicularis were absent in stools after treatment with P. indica. Decoction of P. indica can be recommended as an effective treatment for Purishaja Krimi (E. vermicularis infestation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response of lettuce and rhizosphere biota to successive addition of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) was assessed in a pot experiment using limed and unlimed tropical Entisol. Cadmium (2.5 mg kg-1 soil) and Zn (50 mg kg-1 soil) were spiked to soil 1 month after germination, and successive applications were superimposed as 5 and 10 times the first dose. Plants were analyzed for metal uptake and mycorrhizal colonization 1 week after each metal application. Rhizosphere soils were assessed for extractable Zn and Cd as well as populations of bacteria, fungi, and metal-tolerant fungi. The greatest metal doses resulted in 84-88 mg Zn and 8-10 mg Cd kg-1 soil and 5-7.5 mg Cd and 70-72 mg Zn kg-1 dry matter. Metal-tolerant fungi population increased from 9-13% to 26-63%, but mycorrhizal colonization and bacterial population were inhibited by 88% and 96%, respectively. Liming had relieved metal stress on rhizosphere biota but did not affect metal uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pot and field studies were undertaken to assess the substitutability of triple superphosphate (TSP) by a phosphorus (P) fertilizer mixture (PFM) comprising TSP, rock phosphate (RP), and P-solubilizing bacterial inoculants for wetland rice. Six single and two dual inoculants were formulated with Enterobactor gegovie and five Bacillus species and tested in pot and field experiments. Soil-available P and tissue P contents were analyzed, and yield data were recorded. In the pot experiment, the dual inoculant containing E. gegovie + B. mycoides and the single inoculant B. subtilis increased yields by 32% and 25%, respectively, over the TSP control. Under field conditions, E. gegovie + B. subtilis, and E. gegovie + B. pumilus increased grain yield by 22-27% over the TSP control (574 g m-2). Results revealed that 50% of TSP could be substituted with RP along with seed inoculants formulated with E. gegovie, B. pumilus, and B. subtilis under tested conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus is a vector of dengue worldwide. Knowledge of the behavior of dengue vectors facilitates effective vector control. This is the first comprehensive analysis of selected vertebrate excreta of goat, cow and pig to identify the oviposition attraction and growth performance of Ae. albopictus in Sri Lanka. The current study revealed that Ae. albopictus gravid females are significantly attracted to goat excreta but are repelled by pig excreta. The oviposition preference was highest for the cow excreta and lowest for the pig excreta. For excreta combinations, the Cow+Goat combination increased the oviposition while the Pig+Goat combination reduced the oviposition. The oviposition preference of Ae. albopictus increased with the rate of fermentation. The pig excreta increased the Ae. albopictus larval mortality, larval and pupal duration and reduced adult fecundity, whereas the cow excreta positively affected all these aspects. Additionally, our findings suggest that a high abundance of Ae. albopictus in rural areas of Sri Lanka is possibly due to its oviposition attraction and the growth performance of the vertebrate excreta. Aedes albopictus is an important vector of dengue worldwide. Eliminating dengue in Sri Lanka depends entirely on controlling the vector and human-vector contact. Thus, studying the bionomics and behavior of Ae. albopictus is paramount. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the excreta of cow, goat and pig on the attraction, oviposition and development of Ae. albopictus. Bioassay chambers determined the mosquito stimulatory response. Ovitraps determined Ae. albopictus oviposition preference to excreta singly, in combination and on fermentation. The excreta effect on larval development was also determined. The results revealed that Ae. albopictus gravid females were significantly attracted to goat excreta but were repelled by pig excreta. The oviposition preference was highest for cow excreta and lowest for pig excreta. For excreta combinations, the Cow+Goat combination increased the oviposition while the Pig+Goat combination reduced the oviposition. The oviposition preference of Ae. albopictus increased with the rate of fermentation. The pig excreta increased the Ae. albopictus larval mortality, larval and pupal duration and reduced adult fecundity, whereas the cow excreta positively affected all these aspects. Our findings additionally suggest that a high abundance of Ae. albopictus in rural areas of Sri Lanka may be due to its oviposition attraction and growth performance for vertebrate excreta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) account for more than 1500 mortalities every year in Sri Lanka (SL). Although pedestrian fatalities have decreased, a recent increase in driver and passenger fatalities has been observed. The SL jurisdiction is exploring the possibility of implementing legislations to necessitate the use of seat belts. Methodology This is a cross sectional observational study carried out in Kandy, the second capital of SL. Vehicles entering the city from all the major entrances from 06:00 to 12:00 h were surveyed. The observations were recorded by two independent observers and analysed using SPSS version 13. Results A total of 20 066 Vehicles were included in the study. The overall prevalence of seatbelt use is 10.87%. The vehicle type significantly (p<0.001) affected seatbelt use, with highest prevalence seen in passengers in cars (17.62%) and lowest in vans (1.84%). Seatbelt use was significantly high during rush hours (p<0.05). Statistically there was an influence on the usage of SB by one front seat passenger on the other (p<0.001). Discussion When compared to developed countries seatbelt use is minimal in SL. Thus seatbelt use needs to be made more popular. More research is needed to identify patterns of seatbelt use and to determine what makes people not to use seatbelts. We suggest implementation of new legislations as well as launching public awareness programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The last decade has seen a tremendous expansion of the field of heterogenized molecular catalysis, especially with the growing interest in metal-organic frameworks and related porous hybrid solids. With successful achievements in the transfer from molecular homogeneous catalysis to heterogenized processes come the necessary discussions on methodologies used and a critical assessment on the advantages of heterogenizing molecular catalysis. Here we use the example of nickel-catalyzed ethylene oligomerization, a reaction of both fundamental and applied interest, to review heterogenization methodologies of well-defined molecular catalysts within porous solids while addressing the biases in the comparison between original molecular systems and heterogenized counterparts.

Wastewater-based epidemiology has emerged as a viable tool for monitoring disease prevalence in a population. This paper details a time series machine learning (TSML) method for predicting COVID-19 cases from wastewater and environmental variables. The TSML method utilizes a number of techniques to create an interpretable, hypothesis-driven framework for machine learning that can handle different nowcast and forecast lengths. Some of the techniques employed include:•Feature engineering to construct interpretable features, like site-specific lead times, hypothesized to be potential predictors of COVID-19 cases.•Feature selection to identify features with the best predictive performance for the tasks of nowcasting and forecasting.•Prequential evaluation to prevent data leakage while evaluating the performance of the machine learning algorithm., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Bean rust is a devastating disease of snap beans in Sri Lanka. Our study endeavored to develop snap beans with resistance to Uromyces appendiculatus , the bean rust pathogen reported to have numerous virulent races. Accordingly, we needed a detailed understanding of the virulence of U . appendiculatus and to identify genes conferring effective rust resistance. To investigate the virulence, we collected leaves of snap bean with rust symptoms from four snap bean producing districts of Sri Lanka. From these samples we established 57 single pustule isolates. Each isolate was inoculated on a set of 12 differential cultivars, six from the Andean and six from the Middle American gene pools of common bean. The virulence of the isolates segregated into four distinct groups that comprised the first four reported races of U. appendiculatus in Sri Lanka, 23-5, 31-1, 31-11, and 63-21. All races were significantly more virulent on the Andean than on the Middle American differential cultivars. PI 1819966, a Middle American differential cultivar containing the Ur-11 gene, conferred resistance to all four races. Three other Middle American cultivars were resistant to three races. Conversely, five Andean differential cultivars were susceptible to all four races. PI 160418 was the only Andean differential cultivar with resistance to three races. The results suggested that rust resistance genes from the Middle American differential cultivars could be combined in different ways with the resistance of Andean PI 260418 to develop snap bean varieties with broad resistance to all races of U. appendiculatus in Sri Lanka., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

Introduction: Health systems resilience is the ability to prepare, manage and learn from a sudden and unpredictable extreme change that impacts health systems. Health systems globally have recently been affected by a number of catastrophic events, including natural disasters and infectious disease epidemics. Understanding health systems resilience has never been more essential until emerging global pandemics. Therefore, the application of resilience-enhancing strategies needs to be assessed to identify the management gaps and give valuable recommendations from the lessons learnt from the global pandemic., Methods: The systematic review will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA-P) protocols guideline. Reporting data on World Health Organization (WHO) health system building blocks and systematic searches on resilience enhancing strategies for the management of Public Health Emergencies of International Concerns (PHEIC) after the establishment of International Health Regulations (IHR) in 2007 will be included. The search will be conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval and safety considerations are not applicable. Pre-print of the protocol is available online, and the screening of the articles will be done using Rayyan software in a transparent manner. The findings will be presented at conferences and the final review's findings will be published in a peer-reviewed international journal and will be disseminated to global communities for the application of successful management strategies for the management of future pandemics., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42022352612; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display&#95;record.php?ID=CRD42022352612., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Heterogenization of molecular catalysts via their immobilization within extended structures often results in a lowering of their catalytic properties due to a change in their coordination sphere. Metal-organic polyhedra (MOP) are an emerging class of well-defined hybrid compounds with a high number of accessible metal sites organized around an inner cavity, making them appealing candidates for catalytic applications. Here, we demonstrate a design strategy that enhances the catalytic properties of dirhodium paddlewheels heterogenized within MOP (Rh-MOP) and their three-dimensional assembled supramolecular structures, which proved to be very efficient catalysts for the selective photochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid. Surprisingly, the catalytic activity per Rh atom is higher in the supramolecular structures than in its molecular sub-unit Rh-MOP or in the Rh-metal-organic framework (Rh-MOF) and yields turnover frequencies of up to 60 h -1 and production rates of approx. 76 mmole formic acid per gram of the catalyst per hour, unprecedented in heterogeneous photocatalysis. The enhanced catalytic activity is investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical characterization, showing that self-assembly into supramolecular polymers increases the electron density on the active site, making the overall reaction thermodynamically more favorable. The catalyst can be recycled without loss of activity and with no change of its molecular structure as shown by pair distribution function analysis. These results demonstrate the high potential of MOP as catalysts for the photoreduction of CO 2 and open a new perspective for the electronic design of discrete molecular architectures with accessible metal sites for the production of solar fuels.

Hypnale hypnale, Hypnale zara and Hypnale nepa are the three species of Hump nosed pit vipers that are implicated in human bites in Sri Lanka. H. zara and H. nepa are two endemic species to the country. The objective of the study was to characterize epidemiology and clinical features after different Hump nosed pit viper species bites. A prospective observational study was conducted in Base Hospital Deniyaya from 2013 to 2015. Hump nosed pit viper as the offending snake was identified when the victims brought live or dead specimens. Species identification of dead specimen was done by a herpetologist. Clinical details were recorded during the hospital stay. 83 Hump nosed pit viper bite patients (19-81 years) were studied. Fifty two dead specimens were identified as 39 of H. zara and 13 of H. hypnale by the herpetologist. No H. nepa was identified. Thirty one live snakes were identified as Hump nosed pit vipers and released in to the wild. Envenoming was reported throughout the year. Eighty (96.4%) were daytime bites. Hands (43.4%), feet (55.4%) and arms (1.2%) were affected sites. Sixty two (74.7%) were bitten in tea plantations. All had pain over bite site. Overall, sixty nine (83.1%) had local swelling, seven (8.4%) extensive limb swelling, nineteen (22.9%) haemorrhagic blisters, and seven (8.4%) regional lymphadenopathy. Four (4.8%) patients had incoagulable blood by 20WBCT. H. zara bites had 28.2% haemorrhagic blisters, 7.7% extensive limb swelling and 2.6% coagulopathy. H. hypnale bites had 7.7% each extensive limb swelling and coagulopathy and 23.1% haemorrhagic blisters. None developed elevated serum creatinine. Neurotoxicity was not noted. Hump nosed pit viper bites caused substantial morbidity. Risk factors included day time outdoor activities and occupation. Pain, extensive limb swelling, bite site swelling, haemorrhagic blisters, regional lymphadenopathy and coagulopathy were prominent clinical features. Nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity were notably absent. Clinical features varied depending on the species implicated., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Green pit viper (Trimeresurus trigonocephalus) is endemic to Sri Lanka and bites are reported from tropical rain forest and plantation areas. As scant data exists on clinico-epidemiological features of Sri Lankan green pit viper bite, objective of this study was to address this knowledge gap. A prospective observational study was conducted in Base Hospital Deniyaya from October 2013 to September 2015. Green pit viper as the offending snake was identified when the victims brought live or dead specimens. When the specimen was not available, green pit viper was identified by the victim pointing to preserved specimens and photographs of green pit viper and different similar appearing snakes. Clinical details were recorded during the hospital stay. Twenty four green pit viper bite patients (17-68 years) were studied. All cases were daytime bites despite green pit viper being a nocturnally active snake. Sixteen patients (67%) were bitten while they were working in tea plantation. Hands (42%), feet, (33%), forearms (8%), legs (8%), thighs (4%) and shoulders (4%) were the sites of bites. Thirteen (54%) had extensive limb swelling. Nine (38%) had local swelling and two had no swelling. Three (12.5%) developed haemorrhagic blisters. Four (17%) had regional lymphadenopathy. Two (8%) developed non clotting blood by the TWBCT. Green pit viper bites caused substantial morbidity. Risk factors included day time outdoor activities in bordering villages of tropical rain forests and occupation. Pain, extensive limb swelling and bite site swelling were prominent clinical features. However haemorrhagic blisters, regional lymphadenopathy and coagulopathy were reported. Nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity were notably absent., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The accumulation of beneficial biochemical compounds in different parts of pomegranate ( Punica granatum L.) fruit determines fruit quality and highly depends on environmental conditions. We investigated the effects of agro-climatic conditions on major biochemical compounds and on the expression of major anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in the peels and arils of a yellow-peeled and pink-ariled pomegranate cultivar in three agro-climatologically different locations in Sri Lanka. Drier and warmer climates promoted the accumulation of the measured biochemical compounds, i.e. total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity (AOX), and α, β, and total punicalagin, in both peels and arils compared to wetter and cooler climates. Pomegranate DFR, F3H, and ANS transcripts in both peels and arils showed higher relative expression in hotter and drier regions, compared to those grown in cooler and wetter conditions. Therefore, growing pomegranates in drier and warmer environments maximizes the production of beneficial biochemical compounds and associated gene expression in pomegranate fruit.

Autophagy plays a crucial role in the metabolic process. So far, conventional methods are incapable of rapid, precise, and real-time monitoring of autophagy in living objects. Herein, we describe an in situ intracellular self-assembly strategy for quantitative and temporal determination of autophagy in living objectives. The intelligent building blocks (DPBP) are composed by a bulky dendrimer as a carrier, a bis(pyrene) derivative (BP) as a signal molecule, and a peptide linker as a responsive unit that can be cleaved by an autophagy-specific enzyme, i.e., ATG4B. DPBP maintains the quenched fluorescence with monomeric BP. However, the responsive peptide is specifically tailored upon activation of autophagy, resulting in self-aggregation of BP residues which emit a 30-fold enhanced fluorescence. By measuring the intensity of fluorescent signal, we are able to quantitatively evaluate the autophagic level. In comparison with traditional techniques, such as TEM, Western blot, and GFP-LC3, the reliability and accuracy of this method are finally validated. We believe this in situ intracellular self-assembly strategy provides a rapid, effective, real-time, and quantitative method for monitoring autophagy in living objects, and it will be a useful tool for autophagy-related fundamental and clinical research.

Immunotherapy has shown promising treatment effects for a variety of cancers. However, the immune treatment efficiency for solid tumors is limited owing to insufficient infiltration of immune cells into solid tumors. The conversion of tumor-supportive macrophages to tumor-suppressive macrophages, inducing the functional reversal of macrophages, is an effective method and contributes to a subsequent antitumor response. The current challenge in the field is the poor distribution and systemic side effects associated with the use of cytokines. As a solution to this issue, we designed and synthesized microenvironment-responsive nanoparticles (P) with IL-12 payload (IL-12⊂P1). These nanoparticles could promote the systemic administration and release of IL-12 in the tumor microenvironment, and the locally responsive property of IL-12⊂P1 could subsequently re-educate tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). In particular, our results illustrated the great therapeutic effects derived from the functional conversion of macrophages. Our strategy was to design a microenvironment-responsive material for local macrophage modification to overcome the physiological barrier of solid tumors. The shifting of macrophage phenotypes via IL-12⊂P1 achieved immunomodulation in the microenvironment for cancer therapy, with negligible cytotoxicity. We expect that the functional regulation of TAMs by pH-responsive nanomaterials is a promising therapeutic approach for cancer immunotherapy., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) is an important plant virus on one of the economically most important vegetable crops; tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). This had not been molecularly detected before, in Sri Lanka. TYLCV-GN-SL was isolated from apparently infected tomato plants using modified Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) method in Gannoruwa. Associated Begomoviruses were detected using Deng 541/Deng 540 and AV 494/AC 1048 primer pairs. TYLCV was detected for the first time in tomato in Sri Lanka using P1V/P4C, TYLCV specific primer pair. Nucleotide sequence of coat protein of isolated TYLCV-GN-SL proved that the Indian strain of ToLC virus was closely related to Tomato Leaf Curl Sri Lanka Virus (TLCV-SL: 97%) and Tomato leaf curl Geminivirus (TLCGV: 93%) through direct sequencing data. TLCV-SL was confirmed as TYLCV isolate. TYLCV was molecularly detected from major tomato growing districts like Badulla, Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy and Matale in Sri Lanka.

Introduction: Medical students undertake clinical procedures which carry a risk of sharps injuries exposing them to bloodborne infections., Objectives: To study the prevalence and correlates of sharps injuries among 4th-year medical students in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka., Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted among 4th-year medical students to find out the incidence of injuries during high-risk procedures, associated factors and practice and perceptions regarding standard precautions. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to a batch of 197 4th-year medical students., Results: A total of 168 medical students responded. One or more injury was experienced by 95% (N = 159) of the students. The majority (89%) occurred during suturing; 23% during venipuncture and 14% while assisting in deliveries. Most of the incidents (49%) occurred during Obstetrics and Gynecology attachments. Recapping needles led to 8.6% of the injuries. Thirty-five percent of students believed they were inadequately protected. In this group, adequate protection was not available in 21% of the incidences and 24% thought protection was not needed. Following the injury, 47% completely ignored the event and only 5.7% followed the accepted post-exposure management. Only 34% of the students knew about post-exposure management at the time of the incident. Only 15% stated that their knowledge regarding prevention and management was adequate. The majority (97%) believed that curriculum should put more emphasis on improving the knowledge and practice regarding sharps injuries., Conclusions: The incidence of sharps injuries was high in this setting. Safer methods of suturing should be taught and practiced. The practice of standard precautions and post-injury management should be taught.

The clear cell odontogenic carcinoma (CCOC) is a rare, locally infiltrative neoplasm with a marked tendency for local recurrence and regional lymph node metastasis. The first description in 1985 included three cases of destructive jaw lesions. The entity was described as a clear cell odontogenic tumour in the previous WHO classification due to the fact that rarity of the lesion restricting pathologists to understand the spectrum of the degree of malignancy. These tumours have a peak incidence in the 5th-7th decades. CCOC tends to occur more frequently in the mandible, with a female predilection. The most striking histological feature is of large islands and strands of uniform cells with round or ovoid nuclei and clear cytoplasm. Presently we describe a case of clear cell odontogenic carcinoma in a 52-year-old female who presented with a bony-hard lump in the left body of the mandible. The patient is free of any recurrence after 2 years of follow-up.