MyMedR

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 143 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Small circular single stranded DNA viral genomes in unexplained cases of human encephalitis, diarrhea, and in untreated sewage

Phan TG, Mori D, Deng X, Rajindrajith S, Ranawaka U, Fan Ng TF, et al.

Virology, 2015 Aug;482:98-104.
PMID: 25839169 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.03.011

Viruses with small circular ssDNA genomes encoding a replication initiator protein can infect a wide range of eukaryotic organisms ranging from mammals to fungi. The genomes of two such viruses, a cyclovirus (CyCV-SL) and gemycircularvirus (GemyCV-SL) were detected by deep sequencing of the cerebrospinal fluids of Sri Lankan patients with unexplained encephalitis. One and three out of 201 CSF samples (1.5%) from unexplained encephalitis patients tested by PCR were CyCV-SL and GemyCV-SL DNA positive respectively. Nucleotide similarity searches of pre-existing metagenomics datasets revealed closely related genomes in feces from unexplained cases of diarrhea from Nicaragua and Brazil and in untreated sewage from Nepal. Whether the tropism of the cyclovirus and gemycircularvirus reported here include humans or other cellular sources in or on the human body remains to be determined.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
The age structure of selected countries in the ESCAP region

Hong S

Popul Res Leads, 1982.
PMID: 12264851
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
An invisible benefit: integrated project on family planning and parasite control has expanded operations multi-dimensionally

Taniguchi H

JOICFP News, 1985 Nov;?(137):1-5.
PMID: 12280293

PIP: Resolutions adopted by the 12th Annual Asian Parasite Control/Family Planning (APCO/FP) Conference held in Colombo, Sri Lanka urge the incorporation of quality of life issues of all dimensions in projects of all participating countries. 1 study discussed during the conference concerned health volunteers of the integrated project in Sri Lanka, which analyzes motivating factors which make community young people work on a voluntary basis. Another topic covered was the role of women in the achievement of primary health care. Video reports were presented by Bangladesh on family planning and parasite control activities, Brazil on utilization of existing organizations to improve successful integrated projects, China on making twin concerns of family planning and primary health care, Indonesia on strengthening urban FP/MCH clinics, Korea on health promotion through the integrated project, Malaysia on the NADI program, the Philippines on the Cebu model of integrated health care, and Thailand on fee charging urban programs.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
The influence of infant and child mortality on fertility in selected countries of the Asian and Pacific region

United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ESCAP. Population Division. Fertility and Family Planning Section

Popul Res Leads, 1985.
PMID: 12314064
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Endemic goiter in Southeast Asia. New clothes on an old body

Ramalingaswami V

Ann Intern Med, 1973 Feb;78(2):277-83.
PMID: 4265088
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
The pill in figures and facts

Von Keep PA

Adv Fertil Control, 1967;2:1-5.
PMID: 12275322
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Reaching out to adolescents

JOICFP News, 1997 Oct.
PMID: 12292743
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Population change and educational development

Jayasuriya JE

Bull Unesco Reg Off Educ Asia Pac, 1982 Jun.
PMID: 12265642
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
ESCAP/POPIN Working Group on Development of Population Information Centres and Network: report on the meeting held from 20 to 23 June 1984

United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ESCAP. Population Division, United Nations. Department of International Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division. International Population Information Network POPIN

POPIN Bull, 1984 Dec.
PMID: 12267292
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
The use of contraception in the Asian and Pacific region

United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ESCAP. Population Division. Fertility and Family Planning Section

Popul Res Leads, 1985;?(21):1-31.
PMID: 12340713

PIP:
This paper presents data on contraceptive prevalence from 26 national sample surveys conducted in the Asian and Pacific region during the 1966-84 period. The basic data presented are: contraceptive prevalence rates, cross-classified by age where possible; the percentage of couples using each contraceptive method, also cross-classified by age where possible. To facilitate comparison between countries and across time, the data are presented in a standardized form, both numerically and graphically. Contraceptive prevalence rates range from 1-85% (the highest and lowest ever reported). In the Asian and Pacific region as a whole, the prevalence rate was around 40%, which was about the same level as in the Latin American region. In Africa the prevalence rate was around 12%, and in developed countries around 70%. In the late 1960s, prevalence rates in the Asian and Pacific region were less than 20%. By the early 1980s, contraception had spread throughout all parts of society so that the rates in many countries were over 50%, and in some over 60%. Most of the countries with high prevalence rates were in East and Southeast Asia, and most of those with low prevalence in South Asia. Displayed graphically with the age of wife (from 15-49 years) on the x axis, contraceptive prevalence rates appear as an inverted U, low at both ends of the age range and high in the middle. Curves skewed to the left generally have stronger effects on fertility than those skewed to the right. This is due to the fact that most births occur among younger couples and contraception used by younger couples prevents more births than contraception used by older couples. The curves of countries relying primarily on sterilization are generally skewed to the right. The data show a wide variation in the mix of contraceptives used in each country. The use of various contraceptives by age is similar throughout the region. Young couples generally use oral contraceptives (OCs), those in the middle of the reproductive ages the IUD, and those near the end of the childbearing ages sterilization. Rhythm and withdrawal methods appear to be preferred both by couples in the youngest and oldest age groups. Contraceptive needs change as couples progress through the life cycle. Consequently, family planning programs must work to provide a broad mix of contraceptives. The tables show that Thailand and the Republic of Korea, 2 countries which are thought to have excellent family planning programs, have provided well-balanced mixes of contraceptives. Other countries in the region have depended on only 1 or 2 methods.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Summary of regional response to the fourth inquiry

United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ESCAP. Population and Social Affairs Division

Asian Pac Popul Programme News, 1979;8(3):8-12.
PMID: 12278305
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Reducing maternal mortality: can we derive policy guidance from developing country experiences?

Liljestrand J, Pathmanathan I

J Public Health Policy, 2004;25(3-4):299-314.
PMID: 15683067 DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jphp.3190030

Developing countries are floundering in their efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal mortality by 75% by 2015. Two issues are being debated. Is it doable within this time frame? And is it affordable? Malaysia and Sri Lanka have in the past 50 years repeatedly halved their maternal mortality ratio (MMR) every 7-10 years to reduce MMR from over 500 to below 50. Experience from four other developing countries--Bolivia, Yunan in China, Egypt, and Jamaica-confirms that each was able to halve MMR in less than 10 years beginning from levels of 200-300. Malaysia and Sri Lanka, invested modestly (but wisely)--less than 0.4% of GDP--on maternal health throughout the period of decline, although the large majority of women depended on publicly funded maternal health care. Analysis of their experience suggests that provision of access to and removal of barriers for the use of skilled birth attendance has been the key. This included professionalization of midwifery and phasing out of traditional birth attendants; monitoring births and maternal deaths and use of such information for high profile advocacy on the importance of reducing maternal death; and addressing critical gaps in the health system; and reducing disparities between different groups through special attention to the poor and disadvantaged populations.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
A summary analysis of the 3rd inquiry

Asian Popul Programme News, 1977;6(3):4-7.
PMID: 12260392
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Fulltext Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) as Potential Biomarkers for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Sri Lankan Study

Edirisinghe ST, Weerasekera M, De Silva DK, Devmini MT, Pathmaperuma S, Wijesinghe GK, et al.

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2023 Jan 01;24(1):267-274.
PMID: 36708576 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2023.24.1.267

BACKGROUND: The incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is very high in South Asia and Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the key factors essential for cancer growth. The importance of VEGF-A and VEGF Receptor 2(VEGFR-2) in oral cancer pathophysiology is yet to be decided. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A) is the main factor concerned in angiogenesis in tumors, but its role in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is still debatable. Our study aimed to determine the role of VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 in OSCC.
METHODS: Blood from 30 patients with primary OSCC and 1:1 age-sex-matched controls was subjected to qPCR and ELISA to detect VEGF-A gene expression and serum level. Tumors of the 30 patients were investigated for VEGF Receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) expression and were analyzed using Image J software version 1.52 for DAB percentage (DAB-P) area and optical density (OD).
RESULTS: VEGF-A relative gene expression among patients was 2.43-fold higher compared to the healthy control group. Well-differentiated had a 1.98-fold increment, while poorly differentiated had a 3.58-fold increment. Serum VEGF-A was significantly elevated among the patients compared to controls (458.7 vs 253.2, p=0.0225). Poorly differentiated had a higher serum VEGF concentration (1262.0±354.7pg/ml) compared with other two. Mean VEGFR-2 DAB-P level in OSCC was 42.41±5.61(p=0.15). Well-differentiated had a DAB-P of 41.20±5.32 while poorly differentiated had DAB-P 46.21±3.78. The mean OD in OSCC was 0.54±0.16. VEGFR-2 OD in well and poorly differentiated OSCC were 0.48±0.12 and 0.68±0.17, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: VEGF-A gene expression, serum levels, and tissue VEGFR-2 levels correlated linearly with the stage and grade of the tumor. This study justifies the value of VEGF-A as a potential biomarker in OSCC in early detection of OSCC. More studies are needed to accept the use of VEGF-A.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Immunological properties of Hypnale hypnale (hump-nosed pit viper) venom: antibody production with diagnostic and therapeutic potentials

Tan CH, Tan NH, Sim SM, Fung SY, Gnanathasan CA

Acta Trop, 2012 Jun;122(3):267-75.
PMID: 22322247 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2012.01.016

Envenomation by hump-nosed pit viper (Hypnale hypnale, Hh) in Sri Lanka has caused significant morbidity and mortality, attributed to 35% of total venomous snakebites. In Southwestern India (Kerala), H. hypnale was increasingly identified as a dangerous and common source of envenomation, second to the Russell's viper but ahead of the cobra bites. Unfortunately, there is still no specific antivenom to date. This study aims to investigate the immunological properties of the venom and to assess the feasibility of specific Hh antivenom production as well as the development of a diagnostic assay. Hh venom elicited satisfactory titers of anti-Hh IgG in rabbits after 3rd immunization. The anti-Hh IgG, isolated with caprylic acid precipitation method, was effective in neutralizing the venom lethality (potency=48 LD(50) per ml IgG) as well as its procoagulant, hemorrhagic and necrotic effects, indicating the possibility to produce the specific antivenom using the common immunization regime. Cross-reactivity studies using indirect ELISA showed that anti-Hh IgG cross-reacted extensively with several Asiatic crotalid venoms, particularly that of Calloselasma rhodostoma (73.6%), presumably due to the presence of venom antigens common to both snakes. Levels of immunological cross-reactivity were vastly reduced with double-sandwich ELISA. Further work demonstrated that the assay was able to distinguish and quantify venoms of H. hypnale, Daboia russelii and Echis carinatus sinhaleyus (three common local viperid) used to spike human sera at various concentrations. The assay hence may be a useful investigating tool for diagnosing biting species and studying the time course profile of venom concentrations in blood.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Fulltext Co-distribution and co-infection of chikungunya and dengue viruses

Furuya-Kanamori L, Liang S, Milinovich G, Soares Magalhaes RJ, Clements AC, Hu W, et al.

BMC Infect Dis, 2016;16:84.
PMID: 26936191 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-016-1417-2

BACKGROUND: Chikungunya and dengue infections are spatio-temporally related. The current review aims to determine the geographic limits of chikungunya, dengue and the principal mosquito vectors for both viruses and to synthesise current epidemiological understanding of their co-distribution.
METHODS: Three biomedical databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched from their inception until May 2015 for studies that reported concurrent detection of chikungunya and dengue viruses in the same patient. Additionally, data from WHO, CDC and Healthmap alerts were extracted to create up-to-date global distribution maps for both dengue and chikungunya.
RESULTS: Evidence for chikungunya-dengue co-infection has been found in Angola, Gabon, India, Madagascar, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Saint Martin, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and Yemen; these constitute only 13 out of the 98 countries/territories where both chikungunya and dengue epidemic/endemic transmission have been reported.
CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the true extent of chikungunya-dengue co-infection is hampered by current diagnosis largely based on their similar symptoms. Heightened awareness of chikungunya among the public and public health practitioners in the advent of the ongoing outbreak in the Americas can be expected to improve diagnostic rigour. Maps generated from the newly compiled lists of the geographic distribution of both pathogens and vectors represent the current geographical limits of chikungunya and dengue, as well as the countries/territories at risk of future incursion by both viruses. These describe regions of co-endemicity in which lab-based diagnosis of suspected cases is of higher priority.
Erratum: Furuya-Kanamori L, Liang S, Milinovich G, Magalhaes RJ, Clements AC, Hu W, Brasil P, Frentiu FD, Dunning R, Yakob L. Erratum to: Co-distribution and co-infection of chikungunya and dengue viruses. BMC Infect Dis. 2016 Apr 29;16:188. doi: 10.1186/s12879-016-1519-x. PubMed PMID: 27129475; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4851825.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Characterization of Sri Lanka rabies virus isolates using nucleotide sequence analysis of nucleoprotein gene

Arai YT, Takahashi H, Kameoka Y, Shiino T, Wimalaratne O, Lodmell DL

Acta Virol., 2001;45(5-6):327-33.
PMID: 12083333

Thirty-four suspected rabid brain samples from 2 humans, 24 dogs, 4 cats, 2 mongooses, I jackal and I water buffalo were collected in 1995-1996 in Sri Lanka. Total RNA was extracted directly from brain suspensions and examined using a one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the rabies virus nucleoprotein (N) gene. Twenty-eight samples were found positive for the virus N gene by RT-PCR and also for the virus antigens by fluorescent antibody (FA) test. Rabies virus isolates obtained from different animal species in different regions of Sri Lanka were genetically homogenous. Sequences of 203 nucleotides (nt)-long RT-PCR products obtained from 16 of 27 samples were found identical. Sequences of 1350 nt of N genes of 14 RT-PCR products were determined. The Sri Lanka isolates under study formed a specific cluster that included also an earlier isolate from India but did not include the known isolates from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Israel, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Nepal, Philippines, Japan and from several other countries. These results suggest that one type of rabies virus is circulating among human, dog, cat, mongoose, jackal and water buffalo living near Colombo City and in other five remote regions in Sri Lanka.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Genetic diversity of Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis): mitochondrial DNA D-loop and cytochrome b sequence variation

Lau CH, Drinkwater RD, Yusoff K, Tan SG, Hetzel DJ, Barker JS

Anim. Genet., 1998 Aug;29(4):253-64.
PMID: 9745663

Swamp and river buffalo mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was sequenced for 303 bp of the cytochrome b gene for 54 animals from 14 populations, and for 158 bp of the D-loop region for 80 animals from 11 populations. Only one cytochrome b haplotype was found in river buffalo. Of the four haplotypes identified in swamp buffalo, one found in all populations is apparently ancestral both to the other swamp haplotypes and to the river haplotype. The phylogenetic relationships among the 33 D-loop haplotypes, with a cluster of 11 found in swamp buffalo only, also support the evolution of domesticated swamp and river buffalo from an ancestral swamp-like animal, most likely represented today by the wild Asian buffalo (Bubalus arnee). The time of divergence of the swamp and river types, estimated from the D-loop data, is 28,000 to 87,000 years ago. We hypothesise that the species originated in mainland south-east Asia, and that it spread north to China and west to the Indian subcontinent, where the rive type evolved and was domesticated. Following domestication in China, the domesticated swamp buffalo spread through two separate routes, through Taiwan and the Philippines to the eastern islands of Borneo and Sulawesi, and south through mainland south-east Asia and then to the western islands of Indonesia.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Age at first marital union and fertility: evidence from some Asian and Pacific countries

Kanjanapan W

Ingu munje nonjip, 1986 Jun.
PMID: 12222504
Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka
Breast-feeding in some developing countries

Ahmad M

Egypt Popul Fam Plann Rev, 1979;13(1-2):168-86.
PMID: 12312263

PIP: Responses to questions relating to breastfeeding in the World Fertility Surveys of South Korea, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Bangladesh are analyzed. Of these countries, the percentage of ever-married women who had breastfed in the last closed interval was between 94-99%, except for Malaysia (81%) and average number of months breastfeeding took place was from 16.5-19.2, except for Malaysia (7.3). The infant mortality rate in these countries was 33/1000 live births for South Korea, 45/1000 for Malaysia, 51/1000 for Sri Lanka, 137/1000 for Indonesia, 150/1000 for Bangladesh, and 152/1000 for Nepal. Responses, however, might vary according to different interview situations. Assuming that the reporting errors are of similar magnitude and direction, the relationship between duration of breastfeeding and the birth interval can be studied. But it is possible that breastfeeding was prolonged due to other reasons for which conception was delayed; thus the regression of breastfeeding duration on the birth interval is not as logical as the regression of the birth interval on the breastfeeding is, especially when habitual breastfeeding can be avoided. The negative relationship between breastfeeding and infant mortality does exist, assuming that a woman breastfeeds all her children for similar durations. Some breastfeeding differentials are place of residence (less for rural areas), education (reduces duration), and religion (Christians have shorter duration than Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists). In South Korea the mean length of breastfeeding of women aged 25-34 and 35-44 are 17.5 and 20.5, and women using contraceptives are 26% for 25-34 and 20% for 35-44. South Korea also has the highest level of breastfeeding, highest incidence of ever use of contraceptives, and a very low level of fertility. Nepal and Bangladesh have a high level of breastfeeding but since their contraceptive incidence is low, their fertility level remains high. Some areas of further research include influence of breastfeeding on infant and child mortality.

Matched MeSH terms: Sri Lanka

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links