Microplastic pollution status in the coral reef ecosystems on the Southern and Western coasts of Sri Lanka during the Southwest monsoon.

We investigated the microplastics (MP) abundance, characteristics and pollution severity in the six coral reef ecosystems along the southern and western coasts of Sri Lanka during the southwest monsoon. The small blue-coloured fibres dominated within coral reefs and reef environments. The average coral, surface water and surface sediment MP concentration were 806.

transcriptome analysis of to unravel the biosynthesis of pharmaceutically relevant specialized metabolites.

The tropical tree, , is a prominent source of chromone alkaloid rohitukine, which is used in the semi-syntheses of anticancer molecules such as flavopiridol and P-276-00. The biosynthetic pathway of rohitukine or its derivatives is currently unknown in plants. Here, we explored chromone alkaloid biosynthesis in through targeted transcriptome sequencing.

Impact of Different Combinations of Processing Steps on Product Quality and Proximate Composition of : A Case Study from Sri Lanka.

(dried sea cucumbers) is considered as one of the most luxurious seafood in the world. The market demand for mainly depends on species and product quality. This study is aimed at assessing the effect of different processing methods on the product quality and nutritional composition of .

F18 a new source of camptothecin-producing endophytic fungus from growing in Sri Lanka.

An endophytic fungus producing camptothecin (CPT) was isolated from the leaf of (Sri Lanka), and culture conditions were optimised to enhance the yield of CPT. The TLC, HPLC-PDA, LC-MS/MS and spectroscopic data were used to identify and quantify CPT. Solvent extraction (chloroform: methanol 4:1 v/v) of submerged cultures in Sabouraud Dextrose Broth (SDB) detected CPT in the mycelial extract but not in the culture broth.

Microplastic pollution in Marine Protected Areas of Southern Sri Lanka.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in marine environment. The prevalence of MPs in coastal and lagoon sediments, and water were studied in two Marine Protected Areas (MPAs); Bundala National Park (BNP) and Hikkaduwa Marine National Park (HNP) in Sri Lanka. Both areas are important for turtles, birds and coral ecosystems, all of which are particularly threatened by MPs.

Health related quality of life in chronic kidney disease; a descriptive study in a rural Sri Lankan community affected by chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: The current epidemic of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Sri Lanka is ascribed to the exponential increase in the number of CKD patients, which cannot be attributed to any known etiology (CKDu). The aim of this study is to describe the health related quality of life (HRQOL) and the associated factors among CKD/CKDu patients in a rural district in Sri Lanka.

Methods: A community based cross-sectional study included 1174 CKD/CKDu patients.

Radiative Double-Electron Capture by Bare and One-Electron Ions on Gas Targets.

Radiative double-electron capture (RDEC) involves the transfer of two electrons with the simultaneous emission of a single photon. This process, which can be viewed as the inverse of double photoionzation, has been studied for 2.11  MeV/u F^{9+} and F^{8+} ions striking gas targets of N_{2} and Ne.

Depression and psychological distress in patients with chronic renal failure: Prevalence and associated factors in a rural district in Sri Lanka.

Objective: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is known to adversely affect mental health. The study was aimed at estimating the prevalence of depression and psychological distress and the associated factors among CKD patients living in Anuradhapura, a rural district in Sri Lanka.

Method: A community-based, cross-sectional study included a representative sample of 1174 CKD patients, drawn proportionately from all registered patients in all 19 Medical Officer of Health areas in the district of Anuradhapura.

Effects of processing on proximate and fatty acid compositions of six commercial sea cucumber species of Sri Lanka.

Processing and its impacts on proximate composition and fatty acid profile of six sea cucumber species; and sp. 1 collected from the northwest coast of Sri Lanka were analyzed. Sea cucumbers are processed into -- by both domestic and industrial level processors following the similar steps of cleaning, evisceration, first boiling, salting, second boiling and drying.

Symptom burden in chronic kidney disease; a population based cross sectional study.

Background: Physical and psychological symptoms are among main manifestations of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). This study aimed to assess the symptom burden and self-perceived severity of symptoms among CKD patients living in a district in Sri Lanka.

Method: A community based cross-sectional study included a sample of randomly selected 1174 CKD patients from all 19 Medical Officer of Health areas in the district of Anuradhapura.

An endophytic fungus, Gibberella moniliformis from Lawsonia inermis L. produces lawsone, an orange-red pigment.

Lawsone (2-hydroxy-1, 4-napthoquinone), also known as hennotannic acid, is an orange red dye used as a popular skin and hair colorant. The dye is produced in the leaves of Lawsonia inermis L, often referred to as the "henna" tree. In this study, we report the production of lawsone by an endophytic fungus, Gibberella moniliformis isolated from the leaf tissues of Lawsonia inermis.

Restoration of camptothecine production in attenuated endophytic fungus on re-inoculation into host plant and treatment with DNA methyltransferase inhibitor.

Fungal endophytes inhabit living tissues of plants without any apparent symptoms and in many cases are known to produce secondary metabolites similar to those produced by their respective host plants. However on sub-culture, the endophytic fungi gradually attenuate their ability to produce the metabolites. Attenuation has been a major constraint in realizing the potential of endophytic fungi as an alternative source of plant secondary metabolites.

Pyrenacantha volubilis Wight, (Icacinaceae) a rich source of camptothecine and its derivatives, from the Coromandel Coast forests of India.

Camptothecine, a potent eukaryotic topoisomerase inhibitor, is an important anticancer compound. The global demand for this compound was estimated to be $1 billion in 2003 and is only further expected to increase. Partly to meet the expected increase in demand, in the recent past, several efforts have been made to discover newer and alternative plant and fungal sources of camptothecine.

Rohitukine, a chromone alkaloid and a precursor of flavopiridol, is produced by endophytic fungi isolated from Dysoxylum binectariferum Hook.f and Amoora rohituka (Roxb).Wight & Arn.

Rohitukine, a chromone alkaloid, has gained considerable international attention in recent years because of its novel semi-synthetic derivative, flavopiridol and P-276-00. Both these molecules are in advanced stages of clinical development and trial for cancer treatment. Recently, flavopiridol was approved as an orphan drug for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cancer.

Isolation of endophytic bacteria producing the anti-cancer alkaloid camptothecine from Miquelia dentata Bedd. (Icacinaceae).

Camptothecine (CPT), a quinoline alkaloid, is a potent inhibitor of eukaryotic topoisomerase I. Because of this activity, several semi-synthetic derivatives of CPT are in clinical use against ovarian and small lung cancers. Together with its derivatives, CPT is the third largest anti-cancer drug in the world market.