Publications by authors named "Gamika A Prathapasinghe"

The global consumption of plant-based cosmetics has shown spectacular growth in recent years because of rising consumer awareness regarding the long-term health benefits of natural ingredients. As the global demand for herbal cosmetics increases, there are ample opportunities for Sri Lanka as a tropical Asian country to expand its productions and global exports along with its unique biodiversity and inherited traditional knowledge. Therefore, the present review attempts to give an overview of the widely used medicinal plants in the global herbal cosmetic industry and strengths, challenges, and possible solutions for the development of the herbal cosmetic industry of Sri Lanka.

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Medicinal plants have been used for therapeutic and beauty applications in Sri Lanka with documented history of over 2,500 years. This inherited knowledge, which has been handed down from generation to generation, provides a largely unexplored source for the potential development of active ingredients for cosmetic formulations. Therefore, the present comprehensive survey was conducted to identify cosmetic potential medicinal plants species in Sri Lanka.

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Although the herbal cosmetic industry has exponentially increased globally, manufacturing of herbal cosmetic products in Sri Lanka is still very limited. Therefore, objectives of the study were to recognize plants used in commercialized herbal cosmetic products and major constraints faced by herbal cosmetic manufacturers and to identify possible interventions for the development of herbal cosmetic industry of Sri Lanka. Information was gathered via a semistructured questionnaire by personal interviews with 11 large-scale multiple herbal cosmetic products manufacturers.

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The molecular epidemiology of the virus and mapping helps understand the epidemics' evolution and apply quick control measures. This study provides genomic evidence of multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) introductions into Sri Lanka and virus evolution during circulation. Whole-genome sequences of four SARS-CoV-2 strains obtained from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive patients reported in Sri Lanka during March 2020 were compared with sequences from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and North America.

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Objective: This study was conducted to determine hematological reference ranges and morphological characteristics blood cells in healthy captive Sri Lankan fresh water turtle and tortoise species.

Materials And Methods: Following turtle species, namely, ( = 06), ( = 06), and ( = 06) and a tortoise species ( = 06) were evaluated. Blood smears were stained using Leishman-Gram staining protocol.

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Our recent study (Prathapasinghe GA, Siow YL, O K. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 292: F1354-F1363, 2007) indicates that homocysteine (Hcy) plays a detrimental role in ischemia-reperfusion-induced renal injury. Elevation of renal Hcy concentration during ischemia-reperfusion is attributed to reduced activity of cystathionine-beta-synthase (CBS) that catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the transsulfuration pathway for the metabolism of the majority of Hcy in the kidney.

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Ischemia followed by reperfusion is a major cause for renal injury in both native kidney and renal allografts. Hyperhomocysteinemia, a condition of elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) level, is associated with cardiovascular diseases. Recent evidence suggests that Hcy, at higher levels, may be harmful to other organs such as the kidney.

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Hyperhomocysteinemia, a condition of elevated blood homocysteine level, is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Hyperhomocysteinemia is also found in patients with liver diseases. However, the direct effect of homocysteine on liver injury is not well known.

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