In vitro investigation of anti-inflammatory activity and evaluation of phytochemical profile of Syzygium caryophyllatum

This study examined the anti-inflammatory potential of an aquous root extract of Syzygium caryophyllatum (Family: Myrtaceae) and reference drug Declofenac sodium, invitro using heat induced egg albumin denaturation bio assay technique. The concentrations of the root extract used were 781.25, 1562.5, 3125, 6250 and 12500 μg/mL. While diclofenac sodum were 78.12, 156.25, 312.5, 625, 1250 and 2500 μg/mL. Both the extract (r2 = 0.97; P<0.05) and Diclofenac sodium (r2 = 0.87; P<0.05) displayed marked and concentration dependent inhibition of heat-induced protein denaturation with IC50 value of 6.229 *103 μ g/ml and ~1.704*108 μg/mL respectively. Phytochemical analysis of the extract revealed the presence of the flavanoids, phenols, tanins, alkaloids, saponins and amino acids. It is concluded that the aquous root extract of Sri Lankan grown Syzygium caryophyllatum possess marked in vitro antiinflammatory activity which is mediated possibly by flavanoids, tanins and alkaloids. This is a novel finding. Further the results scientifically justify the use of roots of Syzygium caryophyllatum in Sri Lankan traditional medicine to treat inflammation

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF VIOLENCE AND ABUSE IN THE LIVES OF STREET CHILDREN IN SRI LANKA

Crianças de rua do Sri Lanka, entre as idades de 5 e 11 anos, foram avaliadas psicologicamente quanto ao impacto da violência e de abuso, testando-se a quantidade de: agressão percebida; habilidades de enfrentamento; e impacto do abuso. Os resultados indicaram que as crianças mais novas manifestaram mais agressão do que as mais velhas e que os meninos eram mais agressivos do que as meninas. Esta agressão ocorreu principalmente ante a condição de abuso sexual. As crianças mais velhas pareceram ser capazes de um enfrentamento melhor do que as menores sendo que, as meninas, em geral, estavam mais capacitadas para o enfrentamento do que os meninos. O impacto psicológico do abuso pareceu ser mais grave quando sob as formas de depressão e de pensamentos suicidas. Muitas crianças sentiam que o abusado se tornaria um abusador ou um criminoso. Estes dados tem conseqüências de grande alcance em um país menos industrializado, como o Sri Lanka, embora esta influência seja principalmente um resultado da industrialização urbana.Serões children firam sri Lanka be^tween ^the ages of 5 Ad I I years were assessed for ^the psychological impac^t of violence and abuse, by testing for ^the amount of perceived aggression, ^their coping sãos amd impact of abuse. Results indica^te tha^t the youmger children displayed moreaggression than the older children amd the boys were more aggressive than the girls. Aggression was foremos^t for sexual abuse. The older children s«med to be able to cope better and the grils on the whole were more skilled in copmg tham the boys. The psychological impac^t of abuse seemed ^to bemore severe m the forms of depression amd snicidal thoughts. Mamy children felt that the abnsed would become an abuser or a criminal. I his has reaching consequences m a lesser imdustrialized country like sri ^Lanka, ^though ^the in^fluence is mainly ~m on^tcome of nrbam industriaíization

Association of selected inflammatory markers and risk factors with pain in patients undergoing cervical or lumbar disc herniation

Introduction Studies have suggested that radicular pain following disc herniation may be associated with local or systemic inflammatory responses produced in the vicinity of the herniated disc rather than compression of the nerve. Present study assessed the association of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and related risk factors in patients undergoing discectomy following cervical disc herniation (CDH) or lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Methods Study recruited 77 patients undergoing discectomy for LDH and CDH. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic, behavioral and occupational data. IL-6 and hs-CRP levels were measured in each individual. IL-6 was analyzed by ELISA method and hs-CRP was determined using auto analyzer. Results were analyzed by using SPSS version 25.0. &nbsp; Results Significant correlation was not found with serum IL-6 and hs-CRP levels (r=0.02, p˃0.05) for acute and chronic CDH and LDH. Patients with chronic neck or back pain showed significantly (p=0.043) higher IL-6 level compared to patients with acute neck or back pain. Serum hs-CRP level was significantly higher (p=0.048) in patients with acute neck or back pain compared to patients with chronic neck or back pain. Significant association was not observed between; level of physically demanding nature of occupation (p=0.542), duration of occupation (p=0.446), type of exercise (p=0.371), type of sports (p=0.339) and CDH or LDH. Conclusion Though significant correlation was not observed between inflammatory markers IL-6, hs-CRP and CDH or LDH. The mean IL-6 was higher in chronic back pain and neck pain patients with LDH and CDH whereas mean hs-CRP mean was higher in acute back pain and neck pain patients. Significant association was not reported between selected known risk factors (behavioral, occupational) and CDH or LDH

\u3ci\u3eCandida albicans ISW2 Regulates\u3c/i\u3e Chlamydospore Suspensor Cell Formation and Virulence \u3ci\u3eIn Vivo\u3c/i\u3e in a Mouse Model of Disseminated Candidiasis

Formation of chlamydospores by Candida albicans was an established medical diagnostic test to confirm candidiasis before the molecular era. However, the functional role and pathological relevance of this in vitro morphological transition to pathogenesis in vivo remain unclear. We compared the physical properties of in vitro-induced chlamydospores with those of large C. albicans cells purified by density gradient centrifugation from Candida infected mouse kidneys. The morphological and physical properties of these cells in kidneys of mice infected intravenously with wild type C. albicans confirmed that chlamydospores can form in infected kidneys. A previously reported chlamydospore-null Δisw2/ Δisw2 mutant was used to investigate its role in virulence and chlamydospore induction. Virulence of the Δisw2/Δisw2 mutant strain was reduced 3.4-fold compared to wild type C. albicans or the ISW2 reconstituted strain. Altered host inflammatory reactions to the null mutant further indicate that ISW2 is a virulence factor in C. albicans. ISW2 deletion abolished chlamydospore formation within infected mouse kidneys, whereas the reconstituted strain restored chlamydospore formation in kidneys. Under chlamydospore inducing conditions in vitro, deletion of ISW2 significantly delayed chlamydospore formation, and those late induced chlamydospores lacked associated suspensor cells while attaching laterally to hyphae via novel spore-hypha septa. Our findings establish the induction of chlamydospores by C. albicans during mouse kidney colonization. Our results indicate that ISW2 is not strictly required for chlamydospores formation but is necessary for suspensor cell formation. The importance of ISW2 in chlamydospore morphogenesis and virulence may lead to additional insights into morphological differentiation and pathogenesis of C. albicans in the host microenvironment

\u3ci\u3eCandida albicans ISW2 Regulates\u3c/i\u3e Chlamydospore Suspensor Cell Formation and Virulence \u3ci\u3eIn Vivo\u3c/i\u3e in a Mouse Model of Disseminated Candidiasis

Formation of chlamydospores by Candida albicans was an established medical diagnostic test to confirm candidiasis before the molecular era. However, the functional role and pathological relevance of this in vitro morphological transition to pathogenesis in vivo remain unclear. We compared the physical properties of in vitro-induced chlamydospores with those of large C. albicans cells purified by density gradient centrifugation from Candida infected mouse kidneys. The morphological and physical properties of these cells in kidneys of mice infected intravenously with wild type C. albicans confirmed that chlamydospores can form in infected kidneys. A previously reported chlamydospore-null Δisw2/ Δisw2 mutant was used to investigate its role in virulence and chlamydospore induction. Virulence of the Δisw2/Δisw2 mutant strain was reduced 3.4-fold compared to wild type C. albicans or the ISW2 reconstituted strain. Altered host inflammatory reactions to the null mutant further indicate that ISW2 is a virulence factor in C. albicans. ISW2 deletion abolished chlamydospore formation within infected mouse kidneys, whereas the reconstituted strain restored chlamydospore formation in kidneys. Under chlamydospore inducing conditions in vitro, deletion of ISW2 significantly delayed chlamydospore formation, and those late induced chlamydospores lacked associated suspensor cells while attaching laterally to hyphae via novel spore-hypha septa. Our findings establish the induction of chlamydospores by C. albicans during mouse kidney colonization. Our results indicate that ISW2 is not strictly required for chlamydospores formation but is necessary for suspensor cell formation. The importance of ISW2 in chlamydospore morphogenesis and virulence may lead to additional insights into morphological differentiation and pathogenesis of C. albicans in the host microenvironment

Household willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a better waste management system An empirical investigation in the. Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha region

The Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha in the Kegalle district that serves to a population of 100,280 hasintroduced a novel approach to manage its waste under its "Increased Public Awareness &amp; LocalGovernment Capacity Building Program" in 2004. The key feature of this program was, educatingand encouraging households to collect and sort waste at its source, which was facilitated by distributionof plastic bags and waste bins with different colour codes designed for the purpose, and subsequently,treat the waste at specific dumping sites using the principles of recycling to produce marketableproducts. This study assesses the progress of this program, and in particular how much the householdsare WTP for continuation and advancement of the program, because the regulatory authorities insistthat it cannot run the program with taxpayers money for any longer time. A survey was conductedwith a help of a structured questionnaire with 120 households selected randomly to represent 31 %households joined to the pilot program in 2004. The WTP of each household was modeled with anumber of variables, includ ing age, income and education level, amount of waste production, distanceto waste collection centre etc. The Contingent Valuation techniques were employed to estimate thecoefficients of model. The results suggest that all variables, except the level of education. have apositive and significant impact on households' WTP for a better system. it was estimated that ahousehold, in general, would like to pay Rs. 39.05 per month to continue the program. The officialsfrom the Pradheshiya Sabha indicated that this is a rational estimate as it can cover the net operatingcost of about Rs. 25-30 per month per household, and the rest can be used to improve the system

Small–footprint LiDAR Estimation of Structural Properties of Woody Plant Communities in Complex Terrain, North-eastern Australia

LiDAR remote sensing can be considered a key instrument for studies related to quantifyingthe vegetation structure. We utilised LiDAR metrics to estimate plot-scale structuralparameters of subtropical rainforest and eucalyptus dominated open forest in topographicallydissected landscape, in North-eastern Australia. This study is considered an extremeapplication of LiDAR technology for structurally complex subtropical forests in complexterrain. Thirty-one LiDAR metrics of vegetation functional parameters were examined.Multiple linear regression models were able to explain 62% of the variability associated withbasal area, 66% for mean dbh, 61% for dominant height and 60% for foliage projective coverin subtropical rainforest. In contrast, mean height (adjusted R2 = 0.90) and dominant height(adjusted R2 = 0.81) were predicted with highest accuracy in the eucalyptus dominated opencanopy forest. Nevertheless, the magnitude of error for predicting structural parameters ofvegetation was much higher in subtropical rainforest than those documented in the literature.Our findings reinforced that obtaining accurate LiDAR estimates of vegetation structure is afunction of the complexity of horizontal and vertical structural diversity of vegetation