A Preliminary study on cadmium levels in selected imported sugars obtained in the Batticaloa town

Since the detection of toxic levels of cadmium in imported sugar in Sri Lanka, foodstuffs including sugar have been subjected to meticulous analytical testing. Cadmium is a detrimental heavy metal that primarily causes kidney damage in humans. In order to investigate the cadmium contamination in sugar, three imported sugar samples were collected from groceries in the Batticaloa town area, and the cadmium levels in the sugar samples were assessed by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS).The results of the research conducted in the Eastern University Sri Lanka, revealed that the sugar samples displayed varied levels of cadmium present in them. The highest and the lowest Cd levels were reported in two different Brazilian sugars namely sugar B (0.123 mg kg'1) and sugar A (0.022 mg kg'1). However, the contents of Cd in the analyzed sugars were well below the recommended maximum acceptable level proposed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and thus can be concluded safe for consumption

A preliminary investigation on some selected drinking water quality parameters at three locations around Batticaloa

A preliminary analysis was done to determine the Sodium, Potassium, Nitrate, Phosphate and the pH content in well water in Kalady, Sittandy and Sathurukondan areas in Batticaloa district after heavy flooding in last wet season, 2012. Thirty drinking water wells have been selected from three divisional secretariat (DS) areas to be analyzed. Sodium and Potassium were assessed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and Nitrate, Phosphate, pH were analyzed using HANNA portable low range Nitrate meter, Phosphate meter & pH meter respectively. The sodium (Na) and Potassium (K) contents in the well waters analyzed were within the recommended maximum acceptable level. Among the nitrate content analysis most of the wells (86 %) showed safe levels according to the WHO drinking water quality level (5mg/l) and lowest level of pH (<6.5) were observed in Sittandy and Sathurukondan areas. Therefore the analysis suggested the purity and management of affected wells water are important for Sittandy and Sathurukondan areas after heavy flooding

Qualitative Phytochemical Screening, Anti-Bacterial Activity and TLC Profiling of Different Parts of Three Medicinal Plants

The aim of this study was to carry out phytochemical screening Anti-bacterial activity and TLC profiling of sequentially extracted petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of leaf and barks of the Nerium oleander, Leaf, bark and seeds of Cascabela thevetia and Cerbera odollum. The phytochemical analysis of the extracts obtained from different solvents was carried and Ant-bacterial activity was carried out for all the extractions at 25 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml test concentration against E.coli and S.aureus bacteria by well diffusion method. All the tested extractions showed low activity against both bacteria at 25mg/ml compared with 50mg/ml. Results were subjected to one way (ANOVA) and followed by Tukey’s test (P &lt; 0.05). All the extractions of all plant materials showed in bioactivity against E.coli and S.aureus bacteria at 50 mg/ml among them. The statistical analysis revealed that anti-bacterial activity of the ethyl acetate extracts of C.thevetia leaves and N.oleander barks against E.coli bacteria and Methanol extract of Nerium oleander leaves and ethyl acetate extracts of C.thevetia bark against S.aureus bacteria were comparable with the positive control Amoxicillin. TLC profiling was carried out using a various solvent system of varying polarity for all sequential extractions and obtained different retention factor (Rf) values of different phytochemicals. KEYWORDS: Phytochemical analysis, Antibacterial activity, Thin-layer chromatographic profiling, Sequential extractions, Cascabela thevetia and Cerbera odollu

Results of a United Kingdom real-world study of polatuzumab vedotin, bendamustine, and rituximab for relapsed/refractory DLBCL

The addition of polatuzumab vedotin to bendamustine and rituximab (Pola-BR) has been shown to improve overall survival (OS) in stem cell transplant (SCT)-ineligible patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). It is also increasingly used as bridging to CAR T-cell therapy (CAR-T). We retrospectively analysed the efficacy of Pola-BR in 133 patients at 28 UK institutions. Treatment intent was bridging to CAR-T for N=40, re-induction with planned SCT for N=13 and stand-alone treatment for N=78. The overall response rate (ORR) was 57.0% (complete response (CR) 32.8%). After median 7.7 months follow-up, median PFS and OS were 4.8 months and 8.2 months respectively. For stand-alone treatment shortened PFS was associated with bulk disease (>7.5cm) (HR 2.32 (95% CI 1.23-4.38), p=0.009), >1 prior treatment (HR 2.17 (95% CI 1.19-3.95), p=0.01) and refractoriness to the last treatment (HR 3.48 (95% CI 1.79-6.76), p<0.001). For CAR-T bridging the ORR was 42.1% (CR 18.4%) and for treatment after CAR-T failure the ORR was 43.8% (CR 18.8%). These data demonstrate efficacy for Pola-BR as a treatment for SCT-ineligible patients with R/R DLBCL, help to delineate which patients may benefit most, and provide preliminary evidence of efficacy as bridging to CAR-T and after CAR-T failure

Modification of tannin extracted from the bark of Acacia auriculiformis for the antibacterial activity and application of metal adsorption

Tannins offer capability as a bio-derived chemical feedstock. Their current application is limited primarily to leather browning and wood board adhesives. However, proper derivatization may change both chemical and physical properties and thereby permit further utilization of polyphenols. This study focused on modification of tannin to obtain green polymeric materials. Tannin extracted from Acacia auriculiformis (Kaththi Karuvel) bark was modified by reacting with different aliphatic alkyl carboxylic acid (C4 and C18) to produce esterified tannin. Various weight percentage of alkyl chain lengths were introduced into the tannin by esterification. The resulted modified tannins were characterized by FT-IR and ATR spectroscopic techniques. Bivalent cations (Mg2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+) were used to evaluate the adsorption properties of both short and long chain fatty acid tannin esters. The esterified tannins were used to determine the inhibition effect against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli aerobically using nutrient agar medium. Vulnerabilities were determined using standard agar well-diffusion method. Esterified tannins showed effectual ion exchange and antibacterial ability compared to that of virgin tannin. Partially esterified products showed higher exchange capacity compared to fully esterified tannin where C18-carboxylic acid-ester product has shown the highest value of ion adsorption compared to C4 carboxylic acid-ester product. The highest ion adsorption capacity was shown by the tannin stearates (1:1) for Cd2+ (0.020 mg/l), Mg2+ (13.852 mg/l) and Cu2+ (15.650 mg/l). In case of antibacterial activity, tannin stearates (1:6) possessed the highest inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus at 2.5 mg/ml concentration (LD50:1.2mg/ml), and S. aureus was more susceptible to this extract compared to E. coli

Studies on the kinetics of epoxidation of soybean oil using synthetic cationic exchange resin

Epoxides of all kinds of plant oils are well known commercially since they can undergo many important reactions. Epoxidation of long chain olefins, and unsaturated fatty acid derivatives such as soybean oil and other plant oils have been carried out on an industrial scale. Nowadays, one of the most important epoxidized vegetable oils is the epoxidized soybean oil (ESO). Fatty epoxides are used directly as plasticizers that are compatible with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and as stabilizers for PVC resins to improve flexibility, elasticity, and toughness. It also imparts stability of polymer towards heat and UV radiation. As the demands of energy increase and fossil fuel reserves are limited, there has been a growing interest in the utilization of renewable resources as an alternative to petroleum based polymers. Consequently, much attention has been focused on the development of polymeric materials from vegetable oils as a sustainable resource. Therefore, there is a necessity of a comprehensive method of epoxidation, which is easy, simple and  cost effective, if epoxidised vegetable oils are to be employed in industrial applications as such. In this study an attempt was made to ascertain an unfailing experimental procedure, which is economically viable for the enpoxidation of vegetable oils for industrial uses. The kinetics of epoxidation of soybean oil (SBO) by peroxyacetic acid (PAA) in the presence of synthetic cationic exchange resin (sulfonated tannin- phenol-formaldehyde resin) as catalyst were investigated at 45 oC, 50 oC,  60 oC and 70 oC by determining oxirane ring content using a titrimetric method. Epoxidation with higher conversion of unsaturated carbon and lower oxirane cleavage could be attained by the in situ technique. The rate constant for epoxidation of SBO was found to be of the order of 10-6 mol-1s-1 and activation energy of epoxidation of 33.62 kJmol-1. The enthalpy, entropy and free energy activation were 22.29 kJmol-1, -273.53 Jmol-1K-1 and -68.79 kJmol-1, respectively. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of epoxidation obtained from this study indicate that an increase in the process temperature would increase the rate of epoxide formation

Nutritional and mineral composition of selected green leafy vegetables

Green Leafy Vegetables (GLV) is essential for healthy life. The analysis of nutritional composition and some essential major elements such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium of the leaves of Cardiospermum halicacabum, Premna latifolia, Delonix elata, Argyreia pomacea, Mollugo pentaphylla and Pisonia grandis were carried out using standard methods. The results ranged as follows; moisture (62.86 ±2.55 - 77.80 ±3.27%), ash (7.33 ± 0.38 - 12.49 ±0.22 %), fat (2.18 ±0.09 - 4.75 ±0.22 %), fiber (7.88 ±0.61 - 15.30 ±0.59 %), protein (0.53 ±0.04 -3.52 ±0.06 %) and carbohydrate (0.89 ±0.09 - 5.65 ±0.11%). Vitamin C content was determined using a well-established 2, 4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine method (DNPH). Vitamin C content of GLVs ranged from 134.50 ±2.61 mg/100g for D. elata to 12.43 ±3.44 mg/100g for A. pomacea. Total phenolic content was in the range of 4.28 ±1.2mg GAE/100g for M. pentaphylla and 46.07 ±3.42 mg GAE/100g for D. elata. The mineral elements were ranged as follows: Sodium (116.4 ±3.8 - 190.2 ±2.6 mg/100g), potassium (94.5 ±2.9 - 127.3 ±2.4 mg/100g), calcium (84.9 ±2.2 - 272.6 ±2.8mg/100g) and magnesium (28.3 ±2.5 - 103.6 ±4.2 mg/100g). The results suggest that the green leafy vegetables contain considerable amount of essential micronutrients in addition to the presence of high amounts of vitamin C. The results also indicate that the high intake of GLVs could provide nutritional requirements necessary for the normal growth thus giving adequate protection against diseases arising from malnutrition

Synthesis of Nitrate Doped Polypyrrole Conducting Polymer Membrane and Fabrication of Passive Sampler to Determine Diffusion of Nitrate and Chloride Through Membrane in Aquatic Ecosystem

Nitrate is the most considerable substance in the hydrosphere and high concentration of nitrate can be harmful to the healthy life of creatures and human being. The removal of nitrate from the water is very essential. Therefore this study was focused to synthesis the nitrate doped polypyrrole polymer membrane (PPy-N) and the diffusion of nitrate in the presence of high chloride concentration through the membrane for samples obtained in 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th days in synthetic freshwater was also studied. Passive samplers have been developed in order to assess water quality over the period of time they have been deployed&nbsp; and also to simplify sampling and sample preparation processes. Nitrate doped polypyrrole film was synthesized through&nbsp; chemical polymerization process using Pyrrole and HNO3. The characterization of the membrane was performed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The amount of nitrate and chloride diffused through a nitrate doped polypyrrole films (PPy-N1) were determined using cadmium reduction method and chloride ion selective electrode technique respectively. In order to improve the diffusion of nitrate through the membrane, the laboratory filter paper was used to prepare another nitrate doped&nbsp; polypyrrole films (PPy-N2). The same techniques that used for PPy-N1 were used to determine diffused nitrate and chloride&nbsp; through PPy-N2 membrane. The results revealed that, membrane PPy-N2 has exhibited 13.102 ± 0.469 %, 42.969 ± 5.107 %, 55.932 ± 1.579 %, 64.096 ± 2.171 %, and 77.826 ± 1.752 % diffusion of nitrate and 36.989 ± 3.177 %, 43.922 ± 1.823 %, 46.223 ± 0.817 %,&nbsp; 49.042 ± 0.908 %, and 49.679 ± 0.119 % diffusion of chloride through the membrane after 5 days, 7 days, 9 days, 11 days and 13 days respectively. Whereas membrane PPy-N1 exhibited that 11.497 ± 0.715 %, 14.899 ± 1.431 %, 33.932 ± 0.469 %, 35.066 ± 0.592 %, and 42.917 ± 1.875 % diffusion of nitrate and 25.612 ± 1.683 %, 38.959 ± 1.201 %, 36.075 ± 2.151 %, 37.004 ± 2.989 %, and 38.495 ± 1.341 % diffusion of chloride after those days respectively

Synthesis, Characterization, and Metal Adsorption Properties of Formaldehyde-Based Terpolymeric Resins Derived from Anthranilic Acid, Salicylic Acid, and Catechol

Two formaldehyde-based terpolymeric resins (anthranilic acid-catechol-formaldehyde (ACF) and salicylic acid-catechol-formaldehyde (SCF)) have been synthesized by condensing anthranilic acid with catechol and salicylic acid with catechol at 80 ± 5°C using dimethylformamide as a solvent. The resins were characterized by spectral analysis using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The physical-chemical properties of the resins have been studied. The exchange behavior of various metal ions, namely, Cd2+, Cr3+, Ca2+, and Mg2+, towards the synthesized resins has been studied depending on contact time and pH. Chelating properties of two resins were pH dependent, and with an increase in pH value from 1 to 5, the exchange capacity of metal ions was increased. The increasing rate of ion-exchange capacity was greater in ACF than that in SCF. Cd2+ showed higher rate of exchange at different time intervals in both cases, ACF and SCF. Cr3+ had higher exchange capacity with pH variation in both resins

Assessment of Open well Water Quality around Puttalam District, Sri Lanka

This study focused upon the determination of physicochemical parameters, in drinking water samples of different areas in Puttalam district, Sri Lanka. The purpose was to evaluate the quality of water from these bases. Twenty well water samples were collected from different areas of Puttalam district and analyzed for physiochemical parameters including BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), Total Hardness, Chloride content, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) and pH. Some Anions (NO3 − and Cl− ) were analyzed for the collected samples. All twenty samples were analyzed separately and were compared with the water quality standard prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). It was found that the mean pH values were generally almost the same for the investigated drinking water samples ranged from 6.20 ± 0.0707-7.26 ± 0.007. The well water samples were shown wide variations in other physicochemical parameters. The data showed variations of the investigated parameters in samples are BOD: 1.28 ± 0.0070-5.08 ± 0.0141 ppm, COD: 2.88± 0.0212-24.96 ± 0.070 ppm, Total hardness: 20 ± 1.41241-800 ± 1.414 ppm, Chloride content: 35.45 ± 0.9404-602.65 ± 0.169 ppm, nitrate, 0.0010 ± 0.03-78.4965 ± 0.67 ppm, TDS: 100 ± 2.8284-2000 ± 2.828 mg/L. The concentrations of most of the investigated parameters in the selected drinking water samples from different areas in Puttalam district were not within the permissible limits of the World Health Organization drinking water quality guidelines