Genotypic Spectrum in a Cohort of Sri Lankan Patients With Homocystinuria.

Homocystinuria due to cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) deficiency is a rare metabolic disorder inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. Spectrum of genetic variants in gene and their correlation with the phenotypes of homocystinuria in Sri Lankan patients have not been reported to date. The objective of this study was to identify the genotypes and genotype-phenotype correlations in a cohort of Sri Lankan patients with homocystinuria due to CBS deficiency.

Parallel evolution of multiple mechanisms for demethylase inhibitor fungicide resistance in the barley pathogen Pyrenophora teres f. sp. maculata.

The fungal pathogen Pyrenophora teres f. sp. maculata (Ptm), responsible for spot-form of net blotch (SFNB), is currently the most significant disease of barley in Australia and a major disease worldwide.

Chemical composition and ecotoxicity of plastic and car tire rubber leachates to aquatic organisms.

Synthetic polymer-based materials are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, where weathering processes lead to their progressive fragmentation and the leaching of additive chemicals. The current study assessed the chemical content of freshwater and marine leachates produced from car tire rubber (CTR), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics, and their adverse effects on the microalgae Raphidocelis subcapitata (freshwater) and Skeletonema costatum (marine) and the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. A combination of non-target and target chemical analysis revealed a number of organic and metal compounds in the leachates, including representing plasticizers, antioxidants, antimicrobials, lubricants, and vulcanizers.

Analysis of mutations in West Australian populations of Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei CYP51 conferring resistance to DMI fungicides.

Background: Powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh) is a constant threat to barley production but is generally well controlled through combinations of host genetics and fungicides.

Many pitfalls in diagnosis of acute intermittent porphyria: a case report.

Background: Acute intermittent porphyria is a rare autosomal dominant disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme, hydroxymethylbilane synthase. Recognition of acute neurovisceral attacks can be difficult due to the nonspecific nature of symptoms.

Case Presentation: We report a case of 33-year-old male patient who presented with recurrent episodes of severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation and numbness of bilateral lower limb extremities.

Uric acid, an important screening tool to detect inborn errors of metabolism: a case series.

Background: Uric acid is the metabolic end product of purine metabolism in humans. Altered serum and urine uric acid level (both above and below the reference ranges) is an indispensable marker in detecting rare inborn errors of metabolism. We describe different case scenarios of 4 Sri Lankan patients related to abnormal uric acid levels in blood and urine.

Mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp. associated with Fusarium head blight of wheat in Western Australia.

An isolated occurrence of Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat was detected in the south-west region of Western Australia during the 2003 harvest season. The molecular identity of 23 isolates of Fusarium spp. collected from this region during the FHB outbreak confirmed the associated pathogens to be F.

A short insert in the leader sequence of RNA 3L, a long variant of Alfalfa mosaic virus RNA3, introduces two unidentified reading frames.

N20-RNA 3L, a large form of RNA 3 associated with Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) strain N20 comprises 2281 nt and has approximately 97% overall sequence similarity to the longest previously described RNA 3 of AMV strain YSMV (YSMV-RNA 3; 2188 nt). Compared with YSMV-RNA 3, N20-RNA 3L contains an additional 97 nt in the 5' leader upstream of the open reading frames for movement protein (MP) and coat protein (CP). Two overlapping unidentified reading frames (URF1 and URF2) result from this modification, each of which code for putative translation products of 21 amino acids.

Pregnancy terminating effect of Jatropha curcas in rats.

The fertility regulatory effect of the fruit of Jatropha curcas was investigated by oral administration of different extracts to pregnant rats for varying periods of time. Foetal resorption was observed with methanol, petroleum ether and dichloromethane extracts indicating the abortifacient properties of the fruit. The results also suggest that the interruption of pregnancy occurred at an early stage after implantation.

An analysis of internship training in Sri Lanka.

The internship period is a critical phase in the continuum of training provided to medical students. An analysis was made of the tasks the intern medical officers in Sri Lanka are engaged in during their period of training in different clinical disciplines. Data was collected by direct observations by trained observers for a continuous period of 10 days and self-reporting by the interns at the two teaching hospitals and four of the provincial hospitals where interns are posted.

The distribution of proteins that bind neurohypophysial hormones.

1. Protein fractions were prepared from serum and various organs of pigs following the methods used to extract and purify neurophysin from posterior pituitaries.2.

The occurrence of antigen reacting with antibody to porcine neurophysin.

1. Antiserum was raised in rabbits to neurophysin prepared from posterior pituitaries of pigs. The presence of antibody reacting with porcine neurophysin was demonstrated in precipitation, gel diffusion and immunoelectrophoretic tests.

The preparation and properties of porcine neurophysin and the influence of calcium on the hormone-neurophysin complex.

1. The preparation of a hormone-binding protein fraction (neurophysin) from porcine neurohypophyses is described.2.