Awareness of human papillomavirus, cervical cancer and its prevention among primigravid antenatal clinic attendees in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional study.

Unlabelled: Background Cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer amongst Sri Lankan women. With introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to the national immunisation schedule, awareness and prevention of disease underpins vaccine uptake. Knowledge of HPV, HPV-related diseases and attitudes towards prevention and screening among urban women was assessed.

Distribution of human papillomavirus genotypes in archival cervical tissue from women with cervical cancer in urban Sri Lanka.

Objective: To identify the contributions of various human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in tissue samples from women diagnosed with cervical cancer in Sri Lanka.

Methods: In a retrospective study, archival cervical tissues samples (n=108) obtained from Sri Lankan women diagnosed with histologically proven invasive squamous cell carcinoma between 2006 and 2007 were tested for HPV. Genotyping of HPV DNA was performed using an INNO-LiPA assay.

A major cathepsin B protease from the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica has atypical active site features and a potential role in the digestive tract of newly excysted juvenile parasites.

The newly excysted juvenile (NEJ) stage of the Fasciola hepatica lifecycle occurs just prior to invasion into the wall of the gut of the host, rendering it an important target for drug development. The cathepsin B enzymes from NEJ flukes have recently been demonstrated to be crucial to invasion and migration by the parasite. Here we characterize one of the cathepsin B enzymes (recombinant FhcatB1) from NEJ flukes.

Fetal effects of environmental exposure of pregnant women to organophosphorus compounds in a rural farming community in Sri Lanka.

Background: The possible deleterious effects of low-grade, chronic environmental and occupational exposure to organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) are not well documented.

Objective: To investigate the possible effects of low-level, chronic exposure of pregnant mothers to OPCs on the fetus by measuring OPC levels, and using markers of OPC exposure, oxidative stress and oxidative tissue damage.

Methods: Toxicity was assessed by measuring (i) OPC levels in breast milk and plasma from maternal and cord blood using gas chromatography, (ii) maternal and fetal butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity using inhibition assays, (iii) antioxidant status of the fetus using superoxide dismutase activity assays, (iv) oxidative stress in the fetus by determining malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, and (v) examining for fetal DNA fragmentation using electrophoresis.