Health Damage Cost of Rice Processing Industry of the North Central Province

Rice is the staple food for Sri Lankans and rice industry is the largest agro based industry in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka currently produces 3.8 million metric tons of paddy annually. The total land devoted for paddy is estimated to be about 0.70 Hectares million ha at present. Sri Lanka has around 7,000 rice mills and North Central Province has about 1,000 rice mills. Although the rice industry supplies food for the nation, it generates considerable pollution to three media (air water and soil). Rice mills generate fugitive emissions from various sections during handling of paddy, cleaning and milling of paddy, handling and storage of husk and handling, storage and disposal of boiler ash etc. During wet processing, it generates waste water. Present study attempted to estimate the health damage cost, mainly cost of air pollution from rice processing industry. An isolated rice mill located in Lankapura Divisional Secretariat Division of the Polonnaruwa District was selected to avoid impacts from other industries. The mill had a total daily production capacity of 175 Mt/d and there were total affected population of 1,599 around the mill. Present study selected 120 households, 30 households each from the distances from 250 m, 500 m, 750 m and 1000 m away from the mill. Both contingent valuation method and human capital approach was adopted for the damage cost estimation. Information on distance to rice mill, health issues due to the mill, monthly health damage costs, monthly income level and willingness to pay for an environmental improvement program to prevent health damage costs were collected using pre tested questionnaire. Twenty eight asthma patients were found in the sample and estimated number in the affected population is 88 patients. Annual health damage cost was estimated from human capital approach is LKR 2,112,000. Mean willingness to pay for an environmental improvement under the contingent valuation survey was LKR 908.00 per household. The study also discusses implications for policy, especially on providing incentives for pollution control of rice processing industry.Keywords: Health damage cost, Rice mills, Air pollutio

EVALUATION OF URBAN AIR POLLUTION COST A CASE STUDY IN THE COLOMBO CITY

Air pollution is arguably the most important. in terms of economics cost, of thevarious types of pollution caused by transport and industrial activities and itseffects have been widely studied in other countries. However, direct studies havenot been undertaken to measure the economics cost of air pollution in Sri Lanka.Concern for air pollution in Sri Lanka is focused mainly in Colombo. AlthoughColombo air pollution level is less than many Asian countries, recent monitoringresults show that air pollution from particulate matter and Sulfur is well above theWHO recommended levelThe contingent valuation method was used to estimate the air pollution cost anddata was collected from a contingent valuation survey carried out in the Fort andPettah areas. Respondents' willingness to pay values were obtained for ahypothetical market presented. The results were consistent with the economictheory. Aggregated cost of air pollution for the country was Rs.55 million peryear. This value may help cost benefit analysis of air quality managementprogrammes and other related development policy and programs in Sri Lanka.

Meningococcal septicaemia reported in an immunocompetent adult: A Case Report

Meningococcal meningitis is caused by the Gram negative diplococcus, Neisseria meningitidis. It is characterized by nonspecific symptoms of fever and constitutional symptoms followed by septic shock   and meningitis.  The characteristic rash is usually not seen in the early course of the illness which may lead to delayed diagnosis, late initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy,  delayed isolation, and chemoprophylaxis of close contacts. Here, we report a case of meningococcal septicaemia in a young male who presented with fever and features of meningitis and subsequently developed the characteristic rash. The importance of early identification of the characteristic skin lesions of meningococcaemia and timely institution of appropriate antibiotic therapy to prevent complications of meningococcal septicaemia are emphasized.</p

Burkholderia cepacia; an unusual cause of multiple splenic abscesses : A case report

Burkholderia cepacia is an uncommon, multidrug resistant pathogen. We present a patient with a history of recent malignancy and uncontrolled diabetes, who presented with bacteraemia and multiple splenic abscesses due to this organism. She was managed conservatively, and made a good recovery. A high index of suspicion is required to arrive at the microbiological diagnosis and provide effective management

Co-Amoxiclav Induced Immune Haemolytic Anaemia: A Case Report

Drug-induced immune haemolytic anaemia (DIIHA) is extremely rare. We herein report a case of DIIHA due to co-amoxiclav. A 53-year-old male being treated for left-sided pyelonephritis with intravenous co-amoxiclav developed symptoms and signs of anaemia on the third day of treatment. He was found to have evidence of haemolysis with a positive Coombs test and IgG antibodies and C3d. Co-amoxiclav was identified as the probable culprit, using the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale. Upon discontinuation of the drug and blood transfusion, the patient’s haematological parameters stabilised. Steroids were not required in the treatment. Diagnosis of DIIHA is made through a history of intake of co-amoxiclav, clinical and laboratory features of haemolysis, and a positive Coombs test. An autoantibody screen is most commonly negative. It is essential for clinicians to be aware about this rare complication caused by commonly prescribed drugs and be able to accurately diagnose and initiate treatment

A feasibility study for the establishment of a national wildlife health centre in Sri Lanka

Summary Sri Lanka is a tropical nation within a zoogeographic zone that is at high risk for infectious disease emergence. In 2010, a study was conducted on the feasibility of enhancing capacity in Sri Lanka to manage wildlife diseases through the establishment of a national wildlife health centre. The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre was assessed as a potential model for adaptation in Sri Lanka. Interviews and group meetings were conducted with potential key participants from the Sri Lankan Departments of Wildlife Conservation and Animal Production and Health, and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the University of Peradeniya. In addition, site visits were made to potentially participating facilities and the literature on best practices in building scientific capacity was consulted. With strategic enhancements in education and training, additional personnel, improvements in transportation and diagnostic facilities, and central coordination, Sri Lanka appears very well positioned to establish a sustainable wildlife health centre and programme

Self-Assembling PCL-PAMAM Linear Dendritic Block Copolymers (LDBCs) for Bioimaging and Phototherapeutic Applications

Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society. This study represents a successful approach toward employing polycaprolactone-polyamidoamine (PCL-PAMAM) linear dendritic block copolymer (LDBC) nanoparticles as small-molecule carriers in NIR imaging and photothermal therapy. A feasible and robust synthetic strategy was used to synthesize a library of amphiphilic LDBCs with well-controlled hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic weight ratios. Systems with a hydrophobic weight ratio higher than 70% formed nanoparticles in aqueous media, which show hydrodynamic diameters of 51.6 and 96.4 nm. These nanoparticles exhibited loading efficiencies up to 21% for a hydrophobic molecule and 64% for a hydrophilic molecule. Furthermore, successful cellular uptake was observed via trafficking into endosomal and lysosomal compartments with an encapsulated NIR theranostic agent (C3) without inducing cell death. A preliminary photothermal assessment resulted in cell death after treating the cells with encapsulated C3 and exposing them to NIR light. The results of this work confirm the potential of these polymeric materials as promising candidates in theranostic nanomedicine

Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Elicits Inflammatory Responses that Dysregulate Placental Amino Acid Transport

Placental malaria (PM) can lead to poor neonatal outcomes, including low birthweight due to fetal growth restriction (FGR), especially when associated with local inflammation (intervillositis or IV). The pathogenesis of PM-associated FGR is largely unknown, but in idiopathic FGR, impaired transplacental amino acid transport, especially through the system A group of amino acid transporters, has been implicated. We hypothesized that PM-associated FGR could result from impairment of transplacental amino acid transport triggered by IV. In a cohort of Malawian women and their infants, the expression and activity of system A (measured by Na+-dependent 14C-MeAIB uptake) were reduced in PM, especially when associated with IV, compared to uninfected placentas. In an in vitro model of PM with IV, placental cells exposed to monocyte/infected erythrocytes conditioned medium showed decreased system A activity. Amino acid concentrations analyzed by reversed phase ultra performance liquid chromatography in paired maternal and cord plasmas revealed specific alterations of amino acid transport by PM, especially with IV. Overall, our data suggest that the fetoplacental unit responds to PM by altering its placental amino acid transport to maintain adequate fetal growth. However, IV more profoundly compromises placental amino acid transport function, leading to FGR. Our study offers the first pathogenetic explanation for FGR in PM