Nucleotide Sequence and Secondary Structure Variations in ITS2-rDNA Region of the Members of Anopheles culicifacies (Diptera: Culicidae) Species Complex

Anopheles culicifacies, major vector of malaria in Sri Lanka is a five member species complex. Differences of the vector competence of siblings, is still poorly delineated. Therefore, the current study was carried out to observe any relationship of the variations in vector competence to ITS2 nucleotide sequences and secondary structure characteristics of the species complex. DNA was extracted from sibling species B and E, the ITS2 region was amplified and sequenced. Sequences for A, C and D siblings were retrieved from NCBI GenBank. The complex divided into two groups, AD and BCE based on primary and secondary structure of the ITS2 sequences. Secondary structures of all species had three helices where pyrimidine-pyrimidine mismatch in Helix II and a UUUGG motif at 5‘ of Helix III were displayed only for B, C and E. Among five types of loops, interior and exterior loops were more conserved than other loop types. Results showed the major vector sibling E and poor or non vector sibling B shares identical nucleotide sequence and secondary structure. Therefore, ITS2 secondary structure is independent of the vector competence of the sibling species

The blending effect of natural polysaccharides with nano-zirconia towards the removal of fluoride and arsenate from water

Nano-zirconia (ZO) was synthesized using a microwave-assisted one-pot precipitation route. Two biopolymers, chitosan (CTS) and carboxymethyl cellulose were blended with ZO at different w/w ratios. The formulation with 30% w/w chitosan (ZO-CTS) was found to give enhanced uptake of F− and As(V). ZO and the most effective ZO-CTS system were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These confirmed the formation of a composite system containing nanoparticles of 50 nm in size, in which ZO was present in the amorphous form. It was observed that the combination of ZO with CTS improved the F− and As(V) adsorption capacity most notably at pH 5.5. Fluoride adsorption by ZO-CTS followed the Freundlich isotherm model, with an adsorption capacity of 120 mg g−1. Adsorption of As(V) by ZO-CTS could be fitted with both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models and was found to have a capacity of 14.8 mg g−1. Gravity filtration studies conducted for groundwater levels indicated the effectiveness of ZO-CTS in adsorbing As(V) and F− at a pH of 5.5. The ability of the ZO-CTS in removing Cd(II) and Pb(II) was also investigated, and no such enhancement was observed, and found the neat ZO was the most potent sorbent here

Doctors and nurses perceptions towards the introduction of clinical pharmacy service to the Sri Lankan healthcare system- Experience from a tertiary care hospital

Objectives: To evaluate the rate of acceptance of the clinical pharmacist’s (CP’s) recommendations regarding Drug Related Problems (DRPs) by healthcare team, to determine the quality and quantity of drug information queries directed to the CP and to assess the level of acceptance of clinical pharmacy service (CPS) by other members of the ward staff.Methods: This was a controlled trial conducted in a tertiary care hospital. The control group received standard care. The intervention group received a CPS in addition to the standard care. DRPs were classified according to the adapted PCNE classification system V5.01. The CP discussed the identified potential DRPs with healthcare team. All the drug related questions directed to the CP by healthcare staff were recorded. A staff survey was carried out before and after the study.Results: A total of 270 drug related recommendations were directed to the healthcare team. 83% (P < 0.001) of the recommendations were accepted by doctors and 74% (P < 0.001) were acted upon. 17 medication-related questions were directed to the CP from the team. The perceptions of doctors regarding ward-based CPS were satisfactory at baseline period. At end of study, the majority of doctors were happy to welcome a service from a competent CP. Nurses were resistant to this collaboration.Conclusions: There was high acceptance of CP’s recommendations regarding DRPs by the medical team. Doctors were satisfied with the inclusion of a ward-based pharmacist to the healthcare team. However there is a need to improve liaisons between CP and nursing staff

Impact of a ward based clinical pharmacy service on drug-related hospital re-admissions - Evidence from a controlled clinical trial in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka

Objective: To determine the impact of a ward-based clinical pharmacy service on drug related hospital re-admissions.Methods: This was a part of a controlled trial conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka to evaluate the clinical pharmacy service. The control group received the standard care whereas the intervention group received a ward-based pharmacist’s service in addition to the standard care. The pharmacist performed a prospective medications review of patients with chronic non-communicable diseases during their hospital stay and made recommendations to the health care team when appropriate. At discharge reconciliation of discharge prescription was done. Patients were educated about discharge medicines to improve knowledge and compliance. Both groups were followed up monthly for six months to identify drug-related hospital re-admissions.Results: Of 137 drug-related re-admissions, 93 (involving 87/356 patients) were from the control group, and 44 (involving 42/361 patients) were from the intervention group (P < 0.001). Non-compliance was the main reason for re-admissions in the control group and it was significantly higher in the control group (control vs. intervention: 53.8% vs. 34.1%; P = 0.013). Adverse drug reactions were the most common reason for re-admission in the intervention group (23/44; 52.3%). There was a significantly larger percentage of re-admissions in the control group due to unintentional omission of drugs on discharge prescription (control vs. intervention: 17.2% vs. 2.3%; P = 0.012).Conclusion: Ward based clinical pharmacy service was useful to reduce drug related hospital re-admissions in patients with chronic non-communicable diseases. Establishing a ward based clinical pharmacy service is recommended

HLA-DQA1*05 carriage associated with development of anti-drug antibodies to infliximab and adalimumab in patients with Crohn's Disease

Anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapies are the most widely used biologic drugs for treating immune-mediated diseases, but repeated administration can induce the formation of anti-drug antibodies. The ability to identify patients at increased risk for development of anti-drug antibodies would facilitate selection of therapy and use of preventative strategies.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on Publisher URL to access the full-text

Development of graphene oxide-based polypyrrole nanocomposite for effective removal of anionic and cationic dyes from water

The majority of toxins, including metal ions, organic wastes, particularly dyes, and other inorganic wastes, are released into the environment today as a main problem of increased industry. These pollutants primarily disrupt the balance of the environment and harm people's health. In this work, attempts were taken to develop a graphene oxide-based nanocomposite with polypyrrole (GO/PP) as a versatile adsorbent. Initially, GO/PP nanocomposites were prepared with different GO/PP ratios, and initial adsorption studies were conducted towards organic dyes, lead ions, cadmium ions, and fluoride ions to identify the best ratio. GO/PP with a 20:80 ratio was identified as the most efficient adsorbent out of all the prepared materials. This material was characterized to identify its crystallinity, morphology, functional groups, and thermal properties using the X-ray diffractometer (XRD) technique, Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), UV–visible spectrometer, and Raman spectroscopy. In this work, we report the adsorption properties of cationic rhodamine B (RhB) and anionic methyl orange (MeO) towards GO/PP 20:80 nanocomposites. The best-fitted kinetic model for both dyes was the pseudo-second-order model. The calculated dye removal efficiency for MeO and RhB was 98.40% and 99.90% within a contact time of 30 min and 10 min respectively at optimum pH of 7. The best-fitted isotherm model for RhB was the Freundlich model with 10.52 mg g−1 and the best-fitted isotherm model for MeO was the Langmuir model with 9.61 mg g−1 maximum adsorption capacities. The studies indicated that GO/PP can be used in gravity filtration and can effectively be regenerated