Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder that exerts a substantial influence on people all over the world. Levothyroxine (LT-4) is the drug of choice for the treatment of hypothyroidism and the ...starting oral dose is typically ranging from 1.5 to 1.7 µg/kg/day. The target is to achieve an optimum serum TSH level of 0.4-4.0 mIU/L; hence, the dose is titrated accordingly. Once the LT-4 dose is adjusted to obtain the target TSH level, it usually remains stable for a long period of time in most cases. However, some of the patients require frequent dose adjustments and some of them require unusually high doses. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the association of pharmacogenomic, clinical and behavioural factors with the oral levothyroxine (LT-4) dose requirement of hypothyroid patients in Sri Lanka.
This study will be conducted as a matched case-control study and will involve primary hypothyroid patients who visit the diabetes and endocrinology clinic at the National Hospital, Kandy, Sri Lanka. We will recruit a total of 292 cases and select 292 controls from the clinic who are matched in terms of age, sex and Body Mass Index (BMI). An interviewer-administered questionnaire will be used to collect data from the participants (n = 584). Of the 584 patients, blood samples will be collected from a sub-sample (n = 150) for DNA extraction. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) will be performed for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) analysis.
Frequent dose adjustments of levothyroxine cause a serious economic burden to the healthcare system. By identifying the root causes of the variations in LT-4 dosage, a more comprehensive comprehension of hypothyroidism and its management can be attained in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, upon identification of a positive association/correlation between genetic polymorphisms and the LT-4 dose, SNP profiles can be used as a possible genetic marker for dose adjustment determination in future patients.
•A review of a history of non-timber forest product use within tropical forests.•A set of ecological principles for categorizing the ecology and growth of NTFP’s.•A framework for incorporating ...non-timber products into forest restoration.•A synthesis on the ecology and silviculture of non-timber forest products.
Rural communities have traditionally valued forests for a diversity of products and services, with timber serving a minor role. No-where has this diversity been greater than in tropical South Asia, and in particular south India and Sri Lanka. As economies advance towards full development and populations become increasingly urbanized, forests become increasingly valued for their services. National development generally occurs at differing rates in different regions, with rural forest dependent communities falling behind and pockets of poverty long remaining. The demand for ‘non-timber forest products’ (NTFPs) therefore changes from subsistence to monetary based values. Overall, though, forests have suffered an unprecedented decline with development in the tropics, especially in Asia. This necessitates restoration which takes account of the enrichment of economy, wellbeing and culture which forest products provide. Methods for such restoration, and the fundamental principles upon which these must rest, are presented for species yielding NTFP’s. In this paper we first review the history of NTFP species use within south India and Sri Lanka. Second we provide a description of the broad regional characterizations of the forest formations within this region in relation to their affiliated patterns of NTFP use and exploitation. We consider seven guilds as a way to categorize NTFP’s into autecological groups for application in restoration silviculture, and use it as a framework to suggest restoration protocols for South Asian forests. We use examples of scenarios based on experimental studies of NTFP’s in reforestation trials which take account of different social values and land tenures. We conclude with a call for further research.
The comparison of proteomes between genetically heterogeneous bacterial strains may offer valuable insights into physiological diversity and function, particularly where such variation aids in the ...survival and virulence of clinically-relevant strains. However, reports of such comparisons frequently fail to account for underlying genetic variance. As a consequence, the current knowledge regarding bacterial physiological diversity at the protein level may be incomplete or inaccurate. To address this, greater consideration must be given to the impact of genetic heterogeneity on proteome comparisons. This may be possible through the use of pan-proteomics, an analytical concept that permits the ability to qualitatively and quantitatively compare the proteomes of genetically heterogeneous organisms. Limited examples of this emerging technology highlight currently unmet analytical challenges. In this article we define pan-proteomics, where its value lies in microbiology, and discuss the technical considerations critical to its successful execution and potential future application.
Background: Smoking, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity are behavioural risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. These risk factors can be easily changed or modified.
...Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of behavioural risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and identify their correlates.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among adults aged between 30-60 years in Sabaragamuwa province, Sri Lanka. Three stage random sampling method was used to select the participants. WHO STEPS wise interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Chi square test was used to assess the associations between risk factors and their correlates. P value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: A total of 366 adults participated. Among males 28.4% and 34.3% were current smokers and alcohol users, respectively. Females neither smoked nor consumed alcohol. Only 16.9% of the participants met the WHO recommendations of fruit and vegetable consumption. Approximately two third were physically inactive (63.4%). Women were significantly physically inactive than men (p=<0.001). Men in younger age group smoked than men in older age group (p=0.012).
Conclusion: Higher prevalence of behavioural risk factors reported in this study emphasizes the urgent need of adopting healthy lifestyle in this population.
We measured parameters of photosynthetic capacity, instantaneous gas exchange and leaf mineral contents of tropical mistletoe Dendrophthoe curvata parasitising three hosts, viz, Andira inermis ...(Fabaceae), Mangifera (Anacardiaceae) and Vitex pinnata (Verbenaceae) in a secondary tropical heath (Kerangas) forest patch in Brunei Darussalam in response to changes in light intensity, leaf temperature and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. The response patterns of maximum photosynthesis, maximum carboxylation rate of rubisco, electron transport rate for ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate regeneration and CO₂ assimilation rate of D. curvata revealed that its photosynthesis was co-limited by both light and temperature and did not saturate at natural CO₂ concentrations (380 ppm). The effects of CO₂ elevation on D. curvata photosynthesis was long term due to the partial dependence of obligate hemiparasitic mistletoe on host-derived carbon. Stomatal conductance of D. curvata was moderately sensitive to CO₂ elevation under the natural conditions that the measurements were made. Notably, ecophysiological responses of D. curvata including potential photosynthesis, gas exchange parameters and leaf mineral profiles were significantly different when the mistletoe parasitised three different host species.
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