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Background: Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) account for the highest number of deaths and disability globally and within Sri Lanka. A CVD risk prediction tool is a simple means of early identification of high-risk groups which is a cost-effective preventive strategy, especially for resource-poor countries. Distribution of risk factor levels varies in different regions even within the same country, thus a common risk estimation tool for the country may give false local predictions. Since there are few published data related to Sri Lanka the aim of this study was to recalibrate the Framingham equation according to the local risk factor profile of a population in the Kurunegala region in Sri Lanka. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 1 102 persons from the Kurunegala Regional Director of Health Services area and the data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, anthropometric, blood pressure, and biochemical measurements. CVD risk was estimated using Framingham original and recalibrated CVD risk assessment methods. Current CVD mortality and morbidity data and the recalibration method conducted by the method described by Wilson and colleagues were used for calculations. Results: Original and recalibrated Framingham CVD risk scores predicted 55.5% (N = 612) and 62.3% (N = 687) to be having less than 10% CVD risk respectively. Further, the original and recalibrated CVD Risk Scores predicted 2.2% (N = 24) and 1.8% (N = 20) to be having CVD risk more than 40% respectively. Conclusion: These findings show an over prediction of the CVD risk with the original Framingham risk calculations which signifies the importance of development of a region-specific risk prediction tool using local risk factor data in Sri Lanka which will prevent unnecessary expenditure to manage people without risk of CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Technology challenges have been recognized as one of the growth retarding factors of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which further reduced their potential contribution to the national economy. Hence, this research aims to study the Sri Lankan agribusiness SMEs' overall perception of institutional support towards facing technology challenges. Research Method: A qualitative case study-based methodology was adopted, and a series of key informant interviews were held with 10 SME owners in the Agribusiness sector, using purposive sampling. An indepth thematic area analysis was used to analyze the data gathered from the interviews and identified five technology challenges faced by SMEs. Findings: SMEs repeatedly stated weak financial base, lack of technical know-how, lack of institutional support, and practical problems that arose when commercializing new products. Many respondents showed a low tendency towards adopting E-Commerce/M-Commerce/E-Marketing and database management systems. The study revealed that they had built network partnerships with other SMEs in the industry on their own. Most SMEs are currently facing difficulties in connecting with Multi-National Companies (MNCs)/Trans-National Companies (TNCs)/Large-scale companies. According to the SMEs' overall perception of institutional support, many had low satisfaction in most of the areas. Originality/value: This study is important for the government institutions and relevant policymakers to identify the requirements of SMEs, and thereby, organize customized supportive programs to overcome technology challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the staple food in Sri Lanka and phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are major nutrients for the rice plant. However, the variation of P and K contents (mg kg-1) in rice soils and rice grains as affected by agro-climatic zones (ACZs), water source used (i.e., major irrigation, minor irrigation and rain-fed) and cropping systems adopted (i.e., fallow, vegetable, perennials, other field crops) by Sri Lankan farmers are not well elucidated, and are thus investigated in the present study. A total of 200 rice soil and 230 rice grain samples across the country were collected from farmer fields, representing different ACZs, water sources used, and cropping systems adopted using a stratified random sampling approach. The total and available P and K contents in rice soil, and the P and K contents in rice grains were determined. The plant-available P contents in soil were similar among ACZs, water sources, and rice-based cropping systems. Exchangeable K content was higher in rice fields where vegetables were cultivated in the previous season. Grain P and K contents were similar among the water sources used and rice-based cropping systems. Grain P contents was the lowest in the Low country Wet zone. Soil available-P and total-P contents (r = 0.29, p < 0.0001), and grain P and K contents were positively correlated (r = 0.51, p < 0.0001). The knowledge generated in the present study is important in P and K nutrient management in rice cultivation in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric renal injury is an emerging health concern in communities affected by chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu). Early detection of susceptibilities through highly sensitive and specific biomarkers can lead to effective therapeutic and preventive interventions against renal diseases. Here, we aimed to investigate the utility of kidney injury molecule (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in early detection of renal abnormalities in selected pediatric communities in Sri Lanka. The study areas were stratified as CKDu endemic, emerging, and non-endemic based on the prevalence of CKDu, and a total of 804 school students (10–18 years of age) participated in the study. The median (IQR) urinary KIM-1 levels of the participants were 0.193 (0.026–0.338), 0.082 (0.001–0.220) and 0.040 (0.003–0.242) ng/mgCr for CKDu endemic, emerging and non-endemic regions respectively. Participants from CKDu endemic regions reported elevated (p < 0.0001) urinary KIM-1 expression compared to those from the other regions. The median (IQR) NGAL levels in participants from CKDu endemic (2.969; 1.833–5.641), emerging (3.374; 1.766–6.103), and non-endemic (3.345; 1.742–5.128 ng/mgCr) regions showed no significant difference. Also, urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) showed no significant differences across gender or residency. The prevalence of albuminuria was 1–2% in the locations irrespective of CKDu burden. Albuminuric participants reported higher (p < 0.05) urinary KIM-1 levels in comparison to normoalbuminuric participants. Significantly elevated urinary KIM-1 expression in a pediatric population from CKDu affected regions, especially in the presence of albuminuria, may indicate low-grade early renal damage supporting the utility of KIM-1 as a quantifiable biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various environmental, economic and health problems have arisen in the world due to the continuous application of N-fertilisers for crop production, especially in the third world countries. The current study was undertaken to develop effective rhizobial inoculants for three major legume crops in Sri Lanka, namely Vigna mungo, Vigna radiata and Glycine max to replace the application of nitrogen fertilisers. Rhizobial isolates were obtained from the root nodules of different cultivars of edible legumes, non-edible wild legumes and wild relatives of Vigna spp. Authentication and screening for effectiveness of the isolates were carried out, and five strains were selected as effective isolates and cross inoculated with the three legumes along with a stress tolerant strain, which was previously screened. A pot experiment was followed by a field trial in the dry zone of Sri Lanka under farmers' conditions as single and multi-strain inoculations. The results of the pot experiment indicated that the addition of rhizobial inoculants increased the growth performance in all treatments. In the field trial, both single and multi-strain inoculants gave significant increases in yield, compared to N-fertiliser application in all three crops, viz; an increase of the yield from 3 % to 39 % in V. mungo, 5 % to 14 % in V. radiata, and 4 % to 13 % in G. max. In conclusion, the current study has shown that single and multi-strain rhizobial inoculants are capable of completely replacing urea application to V. mungo, V. radiata and G. max, in Sri Lanka without any yield reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging renal biomarkers (e.g., kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinaseassociated lipocalin (NGAL)) are thought to be highly sensitive in diagnosing renal injury. However, global data on reference intervals for emerging biomarkers in younger populations are lacking. Here, we aimed to determine reference intervals for KIM-1 and NGAL across a pediatric population in Sri Lanka; a country significantly impacted by the emergence of chronic kidney disease of unexplained etiology (CKDu). Urine samples were collected from children (10-18 years) with no prior record of renal diseases from the dry climatic zone of Sri Lanka (N = 909). Urinary KIM-1 and NGAL concentrations were determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and adjusted to urinary creatinine. Biomarker levels were stratified by age and gender, and reference intervals derived with quantile regression (2.5th, 50th, and 97.5th quantiles) were expressed at 95% CI. The range of median reference intervals for urinary KIM-1 and NGAL in children were 0.081-0.426 ng/mg Cr, 2.966-4.850 ng/mg Cr for males, and 0.0780-0.5076 ng/mg Cr, 2.0850-3.4960 ng/mg Cr for females, respectively. Renal biomarkers showed weak correlations with age, gender, ACR, and BMI. Our findings provide reference intervals to facilitate screening to detect early renal damage, especially in rural communities that are impacted by CKDu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mineral detection using remote sensing techniques is important since it saves the time and effort of carrying out manual land surveys. In this paper a novel algorithm, which can be used to detect ilmenite using hyperspectral image analysis is discussed. To investigate this task, a hyperspectral image obtained from the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite's Hyperion sensor was used. In the proposed algorithm, first, principal component analysis (PCA) was used for dimensionality reduction and an Euclidean distancebased method was used to extract the pixels containing soil. Thereafter, lab spectral data of typical ilmenite deposits were considered as the reference and a correlation factor analysis was carried out to determine the soil pixels, which are most likely to contain ilmenite and most unlikely to contain ilmenite. Using these two sets of pixels, a training set was constructed to apply Fisher's discriminant analysis (FDA) in order to separate the dataset into two distinct classes - ilmenite and non-ilmenite. Based on the spectral similarity, each pixel of the image was classified under one of these classes. This paper also introduces a probability-based approach to obtain results that are more accurate. A probability density function was designed considering the spatial distribution of the mineral. Thereafter, classification was done considering the probability measure as well. Lab tests performed on the soil samples collected from the locations, which were detected by the algorithm validate that the algorithm is accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road traffic accidents claim many lives each year worldwide and cause significant disability among survivors. Resulting socioeconomic burden is severe in low- and middle-income countries. Global emphasis currently focuses on trauma education and prevention in addition to improving post-injury care. Sri Lankan government recently made compulsory legislation to improve the safety standards of imported motor vehicles. Such regulations would not directly protect vulnerable road users (VRUs) who form the main bulk of Sri Lankan and South Asian automobile trauma casualties. With the objective of reviewing the management outcome of automobile trauma in order to correlate the potential impact of new legislation on injury prevention, data of all admitted road traffic injury victims were audited for 2 months. Out of 473 eligible cases (332 (70.2%)—males; mean age 37.2 years), there were 14 (3%) fatalities. Of 459 (97%) survivors, 77 (16%) suffered major injuries. Twelve out of 14 (85.7%) fatalities, 64 of 77 (83.1%) survivors with major injuries and 263 of 382 (68.8%) cases of lesser injuries were VRUs (p value = 0.02: chi-square). VRUs had a significantly higher mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 10.96 ± 8.43 SD than non-VRUs who had a mean ISS of 8.14 ± 6.04 SD (p = 0.003: t test). Among all survivors, 33/39 (84.6%) with permanent disability, 95/110 (86.4%) with temporary disability and 199/310 (64.2%) with no residual disability were VRUs (p value < 0.0001: chi-square). Of 222 drivers/riders, 45 (20.3%) had consumed alcohol prior to the incident and 20 (9%) were driving without a valid licence. Thirty-four out of 162 (21%) motor bike travellers were not wearing a protecting helmet. Results denote that VRUs suffer significant majority of the fatalities and major injuries after road traffic trauma and to have higher residual temporary/permanent disability among survivors. Recent compulsory motor vehicle safety measures are unlikely to directly protect majority of automobile trauma victims in Sri Lanka. To obtain a higher impact on road traffic injury prevention, main emphasis has to be given to improve the safety standards of VRUs in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irrigation Water Management (IWM) being considered essential as it contributes to crop production all over the world. Nonetheless, water losses throughout the system, inefficient irrigation practices and lack of attention towards the proper maintenance of existing infrastructure were the constraining factors to achieve the benefits of sustainable use of water. Hence, this paper develops strategies to achieve sustainable water management of irrigation systems. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted for industry professionals in the IWM sector in Sri Lanka as the main data collection method in this study. The collected data were analysed using a code-based content analysis based on the directed approach. The research findings identified four main categories of strategies, namely, engineering, management, operational and regulatory. The findings are substantially beneficial for industry practitioners in the water management sector to overcome the issues in IWM practices regarding the water use efficiency, equity of water distribution, environmental integrity and economic acceptability. This study can be further extended to prioritise the issues and strategies to statistically generalise the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sri Lanka's community forestry (CF) program emerged in the early 1980s following a global trend to conserve forest resources and provide benefits to the local community. However, very little is known about the effect of CF on forest resources. We assess the impacts of CF on forest conditions of semi-mixed evergreen forest in the intermediate zone of Sri Lanka using the before-after control-impact method. The study examines tree density, regeneration, woody species diversity, and evidence of disturbance as parameters to analyze the impact of the CF program. Data are analyzed using the difference in differences approach. The results show that the CF program has increased seedling and sapling density to a significant degree and reduced human disturbances. A major contribution of the CF program is that it was found to reduce invasive species and forest fires. The program reduced the amount of invasive species up to six times less than previous. The findings revealed that the impact of CF on forests may vary depending on pre-existing forest conditions, length of period to implement, perception, and decisions by local people. Community understanding and decision-making, in tandem with government policy, will weigh heavily on its future effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two fungal strains capable of decolourisation of CI Direct Blue 201 textile dye were isolated from textile wastewater effluent sites in Sri Lanka and they were identified as Aspergillus aculeatus and Aspergillus nomius using 18s rRNA analysis. A. nomius and A. aculeatus showed 98% decolourisation of CI Direct Blue 201 textile dye (50 mg/L) at 3rd day of incubation with the supplement of modified Kirk's medium. Both fungal strains were found to be more effective for dye decolourisation at temperatures ranging from 24 °C to 36 °C. Further, it was found that the decolourisation potential increased at pH 5 and 10 under shaking condition (100 rpm) with the presence of glucose and nitrate as additional carbon and nitrogen sources. Seed germination assay showed less germination (22.2 ± 5.0% and 10.0 ± 3.3% for Oryza sativa and Vigna radiata, respectively) when seeds were exposed to the original dye in comparison to 100% seed germination observed when exposed to fungal treated dye effluent, showing the detoxification of dye by the fungal isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are a significant cause of socio-ecological change in Sri Lanka. Many studies have focused on the ecological dimensions of this problem, but few have addressed sociological factors such as the knowledge and perceptions of individuals and groups tasked with addressing IAPs. This study investigates how IAP issues are understood and perceived by professional forest and wildlife officers in Sri Lanka. The data analyzed were gathered using a questionnaire that covered three themes: the respondents' ability to identify IAPs, the impacts of IAPs and the threats they pose, and knowledge regarding control and mitigation. The questionnaire was completed by 186 field officers, and the resulting descriptive statistics and a probit regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The results show that almost all of the participating forest and wildlife officers were aware of the problems associated with IAPs but more than 75% of them lacked an accurate understanding of scientific means for controlling them and control policies established by the government of Sri Lanka. Generally, wildlife officers had a better understanding than forest officers. In addition, the analysis shows that officers' knowledge and perceptions of IAPs were positively correlated with their level of education and position within the organization. The analysis points to several recommendations for Sri Lankan officials when designing and implementing comprehensive policies and professional programs, particularly for lower-level field officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of local communities has become widely recognized as a better alternative in forest management than the traditional command-based control approach. However, several years later of implementation, most programs were failed due to a lack of community participation, imposing an uncertain future for community forestry. This paper examines rural Sri Lankans' participation intention in community forestry (CF) program by using the Probit regression model. Randomly selected 300 individuals representing both CF members and non-CF members were interviewed for the study. The study results indicate that rural residents' intention in future CF program negatively correlated with the participation status (CF membership) of individuals. Accordingly, CF members show less participation intention in future CF program than non-CF members. Socio-economic variables such as education level (p < 0.01) and the occupation of head of the household (p < 0.05) and total household income (p < 0.01) have significant influences on individuals' participation intention in CF. In addition, non-monetary benefits derived from CF and perception on the product regulation and conflict mitigation are also appeared to significantly and positively affect villagers' intention. The findings also revealed the knowledge gap on the purpose of the CF program and CF policy design. Hence, require immediate attention to improve awareness. Moreover, failure to raise local people's participation intention in CF may indicate inadequate or ineffective government policies. Therefore, the Department of Forest Conservation should take sound measures to ensure that community-based forest management policies are consistently implemented at different administrative levels across the country and its rightness should be evaluated strictly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the long-run demand for money and short-run dynamics of the long-run money demand function for Sri Lanka during the post-1977 period. While M1 is cointegrated with real income, nominal interest rate, short-term foreign interest rate, and real effective exchange rate, M2 is not. This suggests that monetary authorities should emphasize the narrow definition of money for monetary control. The one year fixed deposits rate is cointegrated with M 1, indicating the opportunity cost of holding money. Although the inflation rate is not cointegrated with M1, it seems to be an important determinant of the demand for M1 in the short-run. Results also suggest that the short-term foreign interest rate and the exchange rate can have important implications for the effectiveness of monetary policy. Monetary authorities must consider the response of domestic money demand to these external factors when formulating future monetary policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of plant community composition, aboveground biomass and carbon stock is crucial for understanding forest ecology, strengthening environmental management, and developing effective tools and policies for forest restoration. This study was conducted in nine different forest reserves in Sri Lanka from 2012 to 2018 to examine the impact of community-based forest restoration (CBFR) on stand structural attributes, aboveground biomass, and carbon stock compared to state-managed forests. In total, 180 plots (90 plots in community-managed restoration blocks (CMRBs) and 90 plots assigned to state-managed restoration blocks (SMRBs)) were sampled at the study site. To conduct an inventory of standing trees, circular plots with a radius of 12.6 m (equivalent to an area of 500 square meters) were established. The Shannon diversity index, Allometric equations and Difference in Differences (DID) estimation were used to assess the data. Our study provides evidence of the positive impact of the CBFR program on enriching trees diversity. Considering stand structural attributes of both blocks showed higher trees density in the smaller diameter at breast height (DBH) category, indicating growth in both CMRBs and SMRBs. The results showed that tree biomass and carbon density were disproportionally distributed across the nine different forest reserves. On average, tree biomass and carbon density were higher in SMRBs (79.97 Mg ha -1 , 37.58 Mg C ha -1 ) compared to CMRBs (33.51 Mg ha -1 , 15.74 Mg C ha -1 ). However, CMRBs in Madigala reserve represent the highest biomass (56.53 and 59.92 Mg ha -1 ) and carbon density (26.57 and 28.16 Mg C ha -1 ). The results of biomass and carbon estimates were higher in all SMRBs in the nine different forest reserves compared to CMRBs. The findings suggest that future forest restoration programs in Sri Lanka should enhance participatory approaches to optimize tree species diversity, density and carbon storage, particularly in community-controlled forests. Our findings could assist developing tropical nations in understanding how CBFR impacts forest restoration objectives and improves the provision of ecological services within forests., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024 Ahmad et al.)

Screening approaches with more robust biomarkers, are of the utmost importance in the characterization of renal injuries, particularly among communities with high burdens of chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu). The present study aimed to assess the utility of two emerging biomarkers: kidney injury molecule (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in predicting renal injury in different occupational groups in Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was conducted with six occupational groups ( n = 188): fisherfolk (FF), paddy farmers (PF), sugarcane farmers (SF), factory workers (FW) and plantation workers (PW) to assess the predictive performance of KIM-1 and NGAL against a CKDu patient (PT) group ( n = 40). The median KIM-1 levels of the study groups; FF, PF, SF, FW, PW and PT were 0.67, 0.59, 0.49, 1.62, 0.67 and 5.24 ng/mgCr, respectively, while the median NGAL levels were 1.16, 2.52, 1.42, 1.71, 1.06 and 22.41 ng/mgCr respectively. In ROC analysis to predict CKDu susceptibility, the area under the curve for KIM-1 ranged from 0.88 to 0.99 for the study groups, and in overall analysis, the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 96%, respectively, for a cutoff value of 2.76 ng/mgCr. Similarly, for NGAL the range of AUC was 0.78-0.94, and a cutoff value of 3.12 ng/mgCr produced 88% sensitivity and 82% specificity. Compared with conventional markers, KIM-1 was the best biomarker for the characterization of renal injury in the participants of the occupational groups. With further validations, KIM-1 may be adopted as a prognostic marker to identify early renal injury and CKDu susceptibilities in community screening.

Extensive use of herbicides is common among rural agricultural workers in Sri Lanka. Recent studies have postulated their role in the development of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu). Paraquat and glyphosate are leading herbicides used by sugarcane farmers (SF), hence occupational exposure is inevitable. This study examined the expression of urinary paraquat, glyphosate and biomarkers among residential SF in CKDu emerging regions, Warunagama (WA) and Rahathangama (RH), in the Uva Province with non-endemic Matara (MA) in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Urinary glyphosate, Paraquat, kidney injury molecule -1 (KIM-1), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and β2-microglobulin (B2M) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Urinary creatinine, microalbumin, serum creatinine (SCr), serum cystatin C, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) were also assessed. Generally, herbicide residues and kidney injury biomarkers were higher in SF compared to the non-endemic MA. Creatinine-adjusted urinary glyphosate and paraquat levels were significantly higher in WA compared to MA. ACR in RH (median 14.9; IQR 5.4-393.1 mg/g) and WA (23.7; 11.5-64.6) was significantly higher than MA (4.3; 2.2-6.7). This study reports 39 individuals with impaired kidney function among SF in Sri Lanka for the first time. Urinary NGAL levels were significantly higher in both WA (median 2.14; IQR 1.28-6.15 ng/mg Cr) and RH (3.09; 1.15-9.09) compared to MA (1.28; 0.56-2.81). However, urinary KIM-1 levels in RH (3.2; 1.29-106.1 ng/g Cr) and WA (3.6; 1.94-115.1) were not significantly higher in MA (1.74; 0.76-116.9). Urinary NGAL (r = 0.493), eGFR (r = -0.147) and ACR (r = 0.171) significantly correlated with urinary glyphosate, but not with urinary paraquat levels. Urinary KIM-1 levels did not correlate with either urinary glyphosate or paraquat, while urinary B2M and serum cystatin C levels showed significant correlation with urinary glyphosate levels. The current study reports higher urinary herbicide levels among sugarcane farmers in WA and RH, and that is potentially linked to the subsequent decline in kidney function, as indicated by ACR, eGFR, and NGAL. We posit that these indicators may serve as markers to detect renal injury among herbicide-exposed SF in Rural Sri Lanka.

Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is an emerging global concern affecting several agricultural communities in the Americas and South Asia. Environmental contaminants such as heavy metals (e.g., Cd, As, Pb, and V) and organic pesticides (e.g., glyphosate) in the drinking water have been hypothesized to play a role in childhood onset and progression of this disease. However, a comprehensive analysis of chemical contaminants in the drinking water and effects of these compounds and their mixtures on kidney development and function remains unknown. Here, we conducted targeted and non-targeted chemical analyses of sediment and drinking water in CKDu affected regions in Sri Lanka, one of the most affected countries. Using zebrafish Danio rerio, a toxicology and kidney disease model, we then examined kidney developmental effects of exposure to (i) environmentally derived samples from CKDu endemic and non-endemic regions and (ii) Cd, As, V, Pb, and glyphosate as individual compounds and in mixtures. We found that drinking water is contaminated with various organic chemicals including nephrotoxic compounds as well as heavy metals, but at levels considered safe for drinking. Histological studies and gene expression analyses examining markers of kidney development (pax2a) and kidney injury (kim1) showed novel metal and glyphosate-metal mixture specific effects on kidney development. Mitochondrial dysfunction is directly linked to kidney failure, and examination of mixture specific mitochondrial toxicity showed altered mitochondrial function following treatment with environmental samples from endemic regions. Collectively, we show that metals in drinking water, even at safe levels, can impede kidney development at an early age, potentiating increased susceptibility to other agrochemicals such as glyphosate. Drinking water contaminant effects on mitochondria can further contribute to progression of kidney dysfunction and our mitochondrial assay may help identify regions at risk of CKDu., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In a cross-sectional survey, we estimated the prevalence of coronary heart disease in a sample of 975 middle-aged males (35-59 years), from a defined population in the Central province of Sri Lanka using the London School of Hygiene cardiovascular questionnaire and a 12-lead electrocardiogram. The estimated prevalence rates were: (a) Definitive evidence of ischemic heart disease (positive symptoms and ECG changes of ischemia), 16/1000 (95% C.L., 9-27). (b) Evidence of coronary heart disease based on history alone 54/1000 (95% C.L., 40-71). (c) Estimate based on ECG changes of ischemia without symptoms 32/1000 (95% C.L., 21-46). Median values for major risk factors were: systolic blood pressure 120 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure 88 mmHg, serum cholesterol 4.99 mmol/l, high density lipoproteins 0.99 mmol/l and body-mass index 20.4 kg/m2. About half (57.9%) the subjects were current smokers, 17% had actual hypertension (systolic blood pressure > 159 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure > 94 mmHg and/or been treated for hypertension), 12.6% had hypercholesterolemia (serum cholesterol levels > 6.5 mmol/l), 18.4% had a body-mass index > 24 kg/m2 and 5.8% were diabetic. Hypercholesterolemia (> 6.5 mmol/l), a higher body-mass index (> 24 kg/m2) and diabetes were more prevalent among subjects living in an urban rather than a rural environment.