Could ochratoxin A in food commodities be the cause of chronic kidney disease in Sri Lanka?

Ochratoxin A (OA) is a naturally occurring mycotoxin with nephrotoxic properties that can contaminate plant food products. OA concentrations were assessed in commonly consumed food items in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka, where chronic kidney disease is diagnosed at epidemic proportions. Ninety-eight randomly selected food samples were analysed. Mycotoxin was detected in the extract by using a MycoMonitor Ochratoxin A ELISA assay kit (Helica Biosystems Inc., USA). The levels of OA found in these food commodities were below the recommended statutory maximum limit and are unlikely to be a potential risk factor for nephropathy in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka.     

Patient Dissatisfaction Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Background

Dissatisfaction following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is common. Approximately 20% of patients report dissatisfaction following primary TKA. This systematic literature review explores key factors affecting patient dissatisfaction following TKA.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of the impact of malaria prevention on the educational attainment of school children

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of nine months duration was carried out to investigate the impact of malaria and its prevention on the educational attainment of school children in a malaria-endemic area in southern Sri Lanka where both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax infections are prevalent. A total of 587 children attending grades 1-5 in four schools and resident in the area were randomly allocated to chloroquine (n = 295) and placebo (n = 292) arms. Language and mathematics scores of end-of-term school examinations for 1998 and 1999 and number of days absent and reasons for absenteeism during seven months pre-intervention and nine months of the intervention were recorded. The results indicate that there were no differences in language (95% confidence interval [CI] = 48.44-53.78 in chloroquine group and 50.43-55.81 in placebo group) and mathematics (95% CI = 49.24-54.38 in chloroquine group and 51.12-56.38 in placebo group) scores between the two groups prior to the intervention. During the intervention, the malaria incidence rate decreased by 55% (95% CI = 49-61%) and school absenteeism due to malaria was reduced by 62.5% (95% CI = 57-68%) in children who received chloroquine compared with the placebo group. Post-intervention, children who received chloroquine scored approximately 26% higher in both language (95% CI = 21-31%) and mathematics (95% CI = 23-33%) than children who received placebo. In a multivariate model, educational attainment was significantly associated with taking chloroquine prophylaxis and absenteeism due to malaria (P < 0.001 for both) but not due to health causes other than malaria or non-health causes. Language scores were associated with number of malaria attacks (P < 0.022). Educational attainment was significantly better among children whose compliance to chloroquine prophylaxis was higher (P < 0.001). The data suggest that malarial attacks have an adverse impact on the educational attainment of the school child and prevention of these attacks significantly improves educational attainment of children living in malaria-endemic areas.     

Synthesis,biological evaluation,and molecular docking studies of N-(α-acetamido cinnamoyl) aryl hydrazone derivatives as antiinflammatory and analgesic agents

A series of acyl hydrazone derivatives were synthesized and screened for antiinflammatory and analgesic activities. The N-acylarylhydrazone compounds described herein were designed by combining the pharmacophoric features of hydrazones and styryl ketones in order to identify the pharmacophoric contribution of the N-acylarylhydrazone moiety and to study the structure–activity relationships. In carrageenan-induced paw edema test, N′-(4-hydroxy benzylidene)-2-acetamido-3-phenyl propenohydrazide (6j) reduced edema by 74 % which is comparable to the standard reference drug, phenylbutazone at equidose. N′-(4-methoxy benzylidene)-2-acetamido-3-phenyl propenohydrazide (6g) showed analgesic activity (68 %) which is equipotent to the standard drug, aspirin (64 %). Molecular docking studies further confirmed that 6j showed better binding affinity with COX-2 and LOX-5 with reduced gastric ulcerogenic effect when compared to phenylbutazone.     

Development and Validation of Stability-Indicating UPLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of Glecaprevir and Pibrentasvir

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal - A rapid and sensitive reverse phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous estimation of glecaprevir...     

Impact of low-level exposure to organophosphates on human reproduction and survival

Despite their widespread and longstanding use for the public good, organophosphate (OP) pesticides have led to many adverse effects on human health. Environmental exposure to OPs and adverse reproductive outcomes in men and women working on or living near farms are increasingly reported worldwide. The aim of the current review is to determine whether exposure to OPs, at levels lower than that which results in clinical manifestations of acute OP poisoning, leads to an adverse impact on fertility, growth and development, and to highlight possible effects for further investigation. There is evidence of impaired fertility due to a reduction in semen quality and possibly lower testosterone levels in exposed males. There is also evidence of impairment of fetal growth and development brought about by prenatal exposure to OPs. Paraoxonase gene (PON1) activity in the fetus and during early childhood makes the fetus and child more vulnerable to OP poisoning, suggesting that OP exposure has a greater impact on fetal and infant growth and development than on adults when exposed to the same concentrations of pesticides. This review raises concerns that exposure to OP pesticides at levels currently regarded as safe adversely affect human reproductive function and survival.     

Prevalence and risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among adults in an urban Sri Lankan population

Background and Aims:  Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging problem in the Asia–Pacific region. However, its prevalence and risk factors in Asian (especially South Asian) communities is poorly studied. In this study, the aim was to determine the community prevalence and risk factors for NAFLD among adults in an urban Sri Lankan population.
Methods:  The study population consisted of 35–64-year-old adults, selected by stratified random sampling. NAFLD was diagnosed on established ultrasound criteria for fatty liver, safe alcohol consumption (< 14 units/week for men, < 7 units/week for females) and absence of hepatitis B and C markers. Blood pressure (BP) and anthropometric measurements were made, and fasting glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, serum lipids, fasting serum insulin and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined.
Results:  Of the 2985 study participants, 974 (32.6%) had NAFLD (605 [62.1%] women, mean age 52.8 years [standard deviation, 7.3]). On multivariate analysis, obesity, acanthosis nigricans, insulin resistance, elevated diastolic BP, fasting plasma glucose, plasma triglycerides, and ALT twice the upper limit of the reference range or more were independently associated with NAFLD.
Conclusion:  The prevalence of NAFLD among adults in this urban Sri Lankan community is high and is strongly associated with constituent features of the metabolic syndrome.     

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluations of novel 2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-one derivatives as a new class of anti-cancer agents

The synthesis of novel 2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-one derivatives has been carried out using trifluoroacetic anhydride/phosphoric acid mediated C-C bond forming reaction as a key step. This method does not require the use of environmentally harmful AlCl₃ or moisture sensitive acid chloride. A number of compounds containing the benzooxazinone moiety attached to a five-membered central heterocyclic ring was synthesized and tested for their anti-cancer properties in vitro against three cell lines e.g. A549 (lung), DLD-1 (colorectal adenocarcinoma) and MV4-11 (acute myeloid leukemia). Some of them showed anti-cancer activities along with a number of reference compounds tested. Few of them showed promising anti-leukemic properties. A brief Structure-Activity-Relationship study within the series is presented. An imidazole derivative 9c containing benzene ring with a para-CF₃ group at C-2 position was identified as a potent anti-leukemic agent.