A survey on lifestyle restrictions in children with asthma: A comparison with Quality of Life (QoL)

Objectives: To describe the Quality of Life and the restrictions imposed by parents and caregivers of asthmatic children aged 7-15 years.Methods: This comparative cross sectional study was conducted at outpatient clinics of two hospitals in Colombo. Children with physician diagnosed bronchial asthma, aged 7-15 years were recruited by systematic random sampling. The QoL was assessed using Mini Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MPAQoLQ). QoL was categorized as good (score=1.00-3.00) moderate (3.01-5.00) and poor (5.01-7.00).Results: A total of 254 completed questionnaires were returned. The mean MPAQoLQ score was 4.9. Six (2.4%) had poor, 116(45.7%) had moderate and 132(52%) had good scores. There were significant restrictions to food items, such as cold/chilled food (n=202; 79.5%), eggs (n=159; 62.6%), fresh milk (n=159; 62.6%) and soya bean products (n=127; 50.0%). Furthermore physical activity (n=23; 9.1%) and playing with pets (n=197; 77.6%) were restricted. There was a statistically significant association between MPAQoLQ score and restrictions on cold/chilled food (p=0.000), soya bean products (p=0.001), physical activity (p=0.000) and bathing (p=0.001).Conclusions: Quality of life of children with asthma is affected and it is in par with statistics of developed countries. However, dietary restrictions were highly prevalent (93.3%). These restrictions may be related to myths and beliefs in our society. Caregiver education on diet and lifestyle should be an integral part of out-patient management

Species diversity and forage value of herbage in a neglected coconut land proposed for livestock integration

The proposed coconut land is situated in the southern province. belongs to the land suitability class S4which is moderately suitable for coconut. Therefore, managing coconut as rnonoculture is unprofitableand steps have been taken to optimize the land use through livestock integration. Therefore, objectiveof this study was to investigate the species diversity and forage value of understory vegetation in thecoconut land before introducing cattle. Stratified quadrate sampling technique was adopted and 4samples each from 6 paddocks (approx 0.4 ha) were randomly taken. Each stratum contained morethan 80% of edible species while the non edible species found in all strata were common uplandweeds Axonopus affinus (carpet grass), Axonopus compressus (narrow carpet grass) andDesmodium trifolium were dominant prostate grass and legume species found in 0-5 em strataabove ground level. In addition to above species Pueraria phasioloides (Centro) was found to bedominant in 5-15 em strata. Crysopogen ariculatus and Pueraria phasioloides were dominant in15-25 cm strata while Seteria anceps (fox tail grass) found to be dominant above 25 em height. Thecommon non-edible species found in the lower two strata's were Urena lobota, Hemidcsmus indicumand Ocimum tenuiflorum while Lantana camara and Ocimum tenuiflorum were dominant in uppertwo strata's. The dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) content of edible herbage increased frombottom to top layers ranged from 390 gkg' to 480 gkg' and 75 gkg' to 100 gkg' respectively.The results of this study reveal that the species diversity and forage value are in an acceptablestandard to initiate cattle grazing. However, crop and cattle management strategies are important inorder to improve coconut and livestock performance.

Weak charge form factor and radius of 208Pb through parity violation in electron scattering

We use distorted wave electron scattering calculations to extract the weak charge form factor F_W(q), the weak charge radius R_W, and the point neutron radius R_n, of 208Pb from the PREX parity violating asymmetry measurement. The form factor is the Fourier transform of the weak charge density at the average momentum transfer q=0.475 fm$^{-1}$. We find F_W(q) =0.204 \pm 0.028 (exp) \pm 0.001 (model). We use the Helm model to infer the weak radius from F_W(q). We find R_W= 5.826 \pm 0.181 (exp) \pm 0.027 (model) fm. Here the exp error includes PREX statistical and systematic errors, while the model error describes the uncertainty in R_W from uncertainties in the surface thickness \sigma of the weak charge density. The weak radius is larger than the charge radius, implying a "weak charge skin" where the surface region is relatively enriched in weak charges compared to (electromagnetic) charges. We extract the point neutron radius R_n=5.751 \pm 0.175 (exp) \pm 0.026 (model) \pm 0.005 (strange) fm$, from R_W. Here there is only a very small error (strange) from possible strange quark contributions. We find R_n to be slightly smaller than R_W because of the nucleon's size. Finally, we find a neutron skin thickness of R_n-R_p=0.302\pm 0.175 (exp) \pm 0.026 (model) \pm 0.005 (strange) fm, where R_p is the point proton radius.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, published in Phys Rev. C. Only one change in this version: we have added one author, also to metadat

Pathological Angiogenesis Requires Syndecan-4 for Efficient VEGFA-Induced VE-Cadherin Internalization

Objective: VEGFA (Vascular endothelial growth factor A) and its receptor VEGFR2 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2) drive angiogenesis in several pathologies, including diabetic retinopathy, wet age-related macular degeneration, and cancer. Studies suggest roles for HSPGs (heparan sulfate proteoglycans) in this process, although the nature of this involvement remains elusive. Here, we set to establish the role of the HSPG SDC4 (syndecan-4) in pathological angiogenesis. Approach and Results: We report that angiogenesis is impaired in mice null for SDC4 in models of neovascular eye disease and tumor development. Our work demonstrates that SDC4 is the only SDC whose gene expression is upregulated during pathological angiogenesis and is selectively enriched on immature vessels in retinas from diabetic retinopathy patients. Combining in vivo and tissue culture models, we identified SDC4 as a downstream mediator of functional angiogenic responses to VEGFA. We found that SDC4 resides at endothelial cell junctions, interacts with vascular endothelial cadherin, and is required for its internalization in response to VEGFA. Finally, we show that pathological angiogenic responses are inhibited in a model of wet age-related macular degeneration by targeting SDC4. Conclusions: We show that SDC4 is a downstream mediator of VEGFA-induced vascular endothelial cadherin internalization during pathological angiogenesis and a potential target for antiangiogenic therapies

Pathological Angiogenesis Requires Syndecan-4 for Efficient VEGFA-Induced VE-Cadherin Internalization.

Objective: VEGFA (Vascular endothelial growth factor A) and its receptor VEGFR2 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2) drive angiogenesis in several pathologies, including diabetic retinopathy, wet age-related macular degeneration, and cancer. Studies suggest roles for HSPGs (heparan sulfate proteoglycans) in this process, although the nature of this involvement remains elusive. Here, we set to establish the role of the HSPG SDC4 (syndecan-4) in pathological angiogenesis. / Approach and Results: We report that angiogenesis is impaired in mice null for SDC4 in models of neovascular eye disease and tumor development. Our work demonstrates that SDC4 is the only SDC whose gene expression is upregulated during pathological angiogenesis and is selectively enriched on immature vessels in retinas from diabetic retinopathy patients. Combining in vivo and tissue culture models, we identified SDC4 as a downstream mediator of functional angiogenic responses to VEGFA. We found that SDC4 resides at endothelial cell junctions, interacts with vascular endothelial cadherin, and is required for its internalization in response to VEGFA. Finally, we show that pathological angiogenic responses are inhibited in a model of wet age-related macular degeneration by targeting SDC4. / Conclusions: We show that SDC4 is a downstream mediator of VEGFA-induced vascular endothelial cadherin internalization during pathological angiogenesis and a potential target for antiangiogenic therapies

Immunohistochemical detection of Claudin low breast cancer; which subcellular level to be assessed?

Objectives: Claudin low breast cancers are often high grade, triple negative tumours with poor prognosis.  They are identified at genetic level and are not diagnosed routinely by immunohistochemistry. The objective was to determine the best subcellular level to detect Claudin low breast cancer by immunohistochemistry, in terms of their histopathological prognostic features.Methods: This cross sectional study included all archival breast cancer tissue collected up to December 2015 in our unit. Tissue microarrays (TMA) were constructed using 23 breast cancer cores with a diameter of 2mm, in each TMA. TMAs were immunohistochemically stained for Claudin 3 expression and was scored as; no staining=0, weak staining=1, moderate staining=2 and strong staining=3, separately for membrane, cytoplasmic and nuclear staining. A score <2 was considered Claudin low and analysed against the histopathological prognostic features of the breast cancer.Results: A total of 546 breast cancers were assessed. Claudin low expression was identified at cytoplasmic, membrane and nuclear level in 74.9%, 74.5% and 42% of breast cancers respectively. Low nuclear expression of Claudin 3 was associated with high grade (p=0.028), Nottingham Prognostic Index of >3.4 (p=0.028), ER and PR negative (p<0.001) and HER 2 negative (p=0.013) tumours while low membrane staining was associated with low grade (p=0.038), HER 2 negative (p<0.001) breast cancers. Low cytoplasmic staining was associated with HER 2 negative breast cancer only (p=0.002).Conclusions: Nuclear staining for Claudin should be assessed to identify Claudin low breast cancer by immunohistochemistry as it significantly associates with most of the Claudin low breast cancer characteristics

Comparison of psychological wellbeing among undergraduates of University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Objectives: Psychological distress is an increasingly important public health problem and 12.3% of the population suffers from some form of mental illness. It is experienced as sadness, anxiety, fear and in extreme cases as psychotic symptoms. Psychological distress among university students is more compared to general population. This study was conducted to determine psychological distress and predictive factors in medical undergraduates and to compare them with two other main streams of undergraduate education, in University of Sri Jayewardenepura.Methods: A surveying method was adapted to select 408 final year students from all three faculties using the General Health Questionnaire 30 (GHQ - 30), an internationally accepted, nationally validated to determine psychological distress. Frequency tabulation and Chi-squared tests were used for analysis by SPSS (15). GHQ score of six (6) or more indicated distress.Results: Among the undergraduates, 240 (58.8%) had a score more than 6. The prevalence of stress was higher among medical students 95(62.5%), than Applied Sciences 69(60%) and Management students 76(53.5%). Age of students (p=0.015), effect of studies on personal life (p=0.025), responsibilities as a group leader (p=0.05) and transport and meals (p=0.006) were found as independent significant risk factors for distress. Student’s gender (p=0.10), oral presentations (p=0.36) and continuous assessments (p=0.35) were not significantly associated with psychological distress.  Specific tasks during clinical appointments were identified as stressful by majority of medical students. Conclusions: High prevalence of psychological distress in undergraduates, especially among medical students is identified. The need for detailed assessment of stressors and coping strategies is highlighted and emphasizes the necessity of early interventions to prevent, long term psychological sequelae

Need of strong university-industry partnerships: a case study in Sri Lanka

University-Industry Partnerships (UIPs) in the field of DRR have produced several innovative tools, services, and advancements in industrial applications globally. However, from the Sri Lankan perspective, the level of UIPs appear to be significantly lower compared to the global context. In Sri Lanka, a country that has suffered a lot from natural disasters such as landslides and floods especially over the past few years, DRR activities are undertaken by the governmental and private sector organizations and volunteers, mostly as separate entities. This could lead to inefficiencies, overlapping of efforts, and also to the reinvention of the wheel. The Universities as Higher Education Institutions have a key role to play in bringing the aforementioned stakeholders together not only to strengthen the work they do by effective partnerships but also to come up with innovative solutions through research and development. The purpose of this paper is to explore how effective UIPs can be created in Sri Lanka to achieve the above by exploring; 1) current status of UIPs in Sri Lanka; 2) barriers to creating UIPs; 3) needs and opportunities for creating UIPs; 4) identifying best practices in creating strong and sustainable UIPs. The purpose will be fulfilled with the use of a literature review and by gathering stakeholder opinions. The research findings revealed that there is a need to develop a policy that addresses the aspects of knowledge diffusion, production, engagement, increasing the exposure of the academia for the industry and capacity building in universities. This is in order to tackle key barriers to creating UIPs. There is also a need for strong and effective leadership initiatives from universities to ensure sustainability of UIPs in Sri Lanka