Plastics and plastic-bound toxic metals in municipal solid waste compost from Sri Lanka.

This study examined plastics and toxic metals in municipal solid waste compost from various regions in Sri Lanka. Plastics were extracted using density separation, digested using wet peroxidation, and identified using Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy in Attenuated Total Reflection mode. Compost and plastics were acid-digested to quantify total Cd, Cu, Co, Cr, Pb, and Zn concentrations and analyzed for the bioavailable fraction using 0.

Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of the Sinhala version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool: an instrument for measuring chronic ankle instability in Sri Lanka.

Purpose: To develop the Sinhala version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT-Sin) and evaluate its validity and reliability in native Sinhala speakers.

Methods: The CAIT was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Sinhala, using a forward-backward translation method. CAIT-Sin, Karlsson score, and visual analog scale (VAS) were filled out by 156 university athletes and students with and without ankle instabilities, in order to test internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion validity, floor and ceiling effect, and discriminative ability of the CAIT-Sin.

NMR spectroscopy as a characterization tool enabling biologics formulation development.

This review highlights recent advancements in using high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as a characterization tool to expedite biologics formulation development, meeting a current need in the biopharmaceutical industry. Conformational changes of protein therapeutics during formulation development can result in various protein-protein and protein-excipient interactions, which can lead to physical aggregation and/or chemical degradation. Innovative analytical techniques that allow studying protein integrity with high specificity during formulation development are urgently needed in order to assess protein formulation stability and mitigate product quality risks.

Biosorption of heavy metals: Transferability between batch and column studies.

The design of an industrial water treatment system using sorption is based on laboratory column tests. To verify the applicability of a column sorption system at industrial scale, it is necessary to determine the system's breakthrough time (BT) in a laboratory setting. In a laboratory column set-up, BT is referred to as the time taken by the adsorbate to appear at column outlet for the first time.

Scalable Asymmetric Synthesis of the All Triamino Cyclohexane Core of BMS-813160.

BMS-813160 is a pharmaceutical entity currently in development at Bristol Myers Squibb. Its defining structural feature is a unique chiral all triamino cyclohexane core. Medicinal and process chemistry groups at BMS have previously published synthesis strategies for chemotypes similar to the target molecule, but a streamlined approach amenable for longer-term supply was necessary.

Assessment of the elite accessions of bael [Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr.] in Sri Lanka based on morphometric, organoleptic, and elemental properties of the fruits and phylogenetic relationships.

Aegle marmelos L. (Bael) is a native tree fruit species in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Bael is a popular fruit because of its significant nutritional and medicinal properties.

Mathematical modelling of the influence of physico-chemical properties on heavy metal adsorption by biosorbents.

Adsorption rate is a critical parameter in the design of effective biosorbent treatment systems for heavy metals removal. Though numerous studies have identified the physico-chemical properties of biosorbents that exert influence on the adsorption rate, such influence has not been mathematically defined, limiting the effective design of adsorption systems. This study quantifies the influence of biosorbent physico-chemical properties including, specific surface area, surface functional groups, pore size, pore volume and zeta potential on the adsorption rate in relation to three divalent metal cations.

Quantifying the influence of surface physico-chemical properties of biosorbents on heavy metal adsorption.

Heavy metals present in industrial wastewater contribute to human and ecosystem health risk when discharged without proper treatment. Low-cost biosorbents with high metal-binding capacity are increasingly being utilized for the removal of heavy metals. Inherent physico-chemical properties of biosorbents significantly influence their adsorption capacity.

Corrigendum to " Roxb. (Family: Verbenaceae) Extract Upregulates the -Cell Regeneration in STZ Induced Diabetic Rats".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/4513871.].

Enantioselective Synthesis of a γ-Secretase Modulator via Vinylogous Dynamic Kinetic Resolution.

Two efficient asymmetric routes to γ-secretase modulator BMS-932481, under investigation for Alzheimer's disease, have been developed. The key step for the first route involves a challenging enantioselective hydrogenation of an unfunctionalized trisubstituted alkene to establish the benzylic stereocenter, representing a very rare case of achieving high selectivity on a complex substrate. The second route demonstrates the first example of a vinylogous dynamic kinetic resolution (VDKR) ketone reduction, where the carbonyl and the racemizable stereocenter are not contiguous, but are conjugated through a pyrimidine ring.

β-cell Regenerative Potential of Selected Herbal Extracts in Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rats.

Background: Effective β-cell regeneration is a recognized therapeutic strategy in the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus. Regeneration of β-cells could be achieved via exogenous natural sources as medicinal plant extracts. Medicinal plants selected for the investigation were Spondias pinnata (Linn.

Gmelina arborea Roxb. (Family: Verbenaceae) Extract Upregulates the β-Cell Regeneration in STZ Induced Diabetic Rats.

Gmelina arborea Roxb. (common name: Et-demata, Family: Verbenaceae) has been used traditionally in Sri Lanka as a remedy against diabetes mellitus. The objective of the present study was to evaluate antidiabetic mechanisms of the aqueous bark extract of G.

Investigation of Air-Liquid Interface Rings in Buffer Preparation Vessels: the Role of Slip Agents.

Unlabelled: Air-liquid interface rings were observed on the side walls of stainless steel buffer vessels after certain downstream buffer preparations. Those rings were resistant to regular cleaning-in-place procedures but could be removed by manual means. To investigate the root cause of this issue, multiple analytical techniques, including liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS/MS), high-resolution accurate mass liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy have been employed to characterize the chemical composition of air-liquid interface rings.

Association of metabolic syndrome with testosterone and inflammation in men.

Objective: There is limited data on the assessment of relationship between sex hormones, metabolic syndrome (MS) and inflammation. Therefore, our objective was to examine the relationship between metabolic syndrome, testosterone and inflammation.

Patients And Methods: It was a cross-sectional study which included 309 subjects in the age range of 30-70years.

Laparoscopically detected and nonsurgically managed ileal perforation by an ingested fish bone: a case report.

Introduction: Ileal perforation due to fish bone is a rare event. The condition is difficult to diagnose due to lack of specific clinical features and low sensitivity of imaging techniques. We report a case of ileal perforation by a fish bone that was detected laparoscopically and managed nonsurgically.

Testosterone and high-sensitive C-reactive protein in coronary artery disease patients awaiting coronary artery bypass graft.

Natural androgens inhibit atherosclerosis in men. This study aimed to examine whether testosterone and high-sensitive C-reactive protein differ between patients with coronary artery disease and those without coronary artery disease and to determine the association with the severity of coronary artery disease. Two hundred and six male subjects were recruited.

Association of serum testosterone with lipid abnormalities in patients with angiographically proven coronary artery disease.

Context: Low testosterone levels are associated with an atherogenic lipid profile and may contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Aims: Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum total testosterone (TT) levels and lipid profile in angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease (CAD) in men.

Settings And Design: This is a case-control hospital-based study at Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya, Galle, Sri Lanka.

Semi-preparative LC-SPE-cryoflow NMR for impurity identifications: use of mother liquor as a better source of impurities.

Unambiguous structural elucidation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) impurities is a particularly challenging necessity of pharmaceutical development, particularly if the impurities are low level (0.1% level). In many cases, this requires acquiring high-quality NMR data on a pure sample of each impurity.

Study of antihyperglycaemic activity of medicinal plant extracts in alloxan induced diabetic rats.

Background: Diabetes mellitus, for a long time, has been treated with plant derived medicines in Sri Lanka.

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy and dose response of oral antihyperglycaemic activity of eight Sri Lankan medicinal plant extracts, which are used to treat diabetes in traditional medicine in diabetic rats.

Materials And Methods: Medicinal plants selected for the study on the basis of documented effectiveness and wide use among traditional Ayurveda physicians in the Southern region of Sri Lanka for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

N-N migration of a carbamoyl group in a pyrazole derivative revealed by NMR.

During a synthesis of 5-amino-4-(6-methoxy-2-methylpyridin-3-yl)-3-methyl-1H-pyrazole-1-carboxamide (see Scheme 1), a side-reaction produced 3-amino-4-(6-methoxy-2-methylpyridin-3-yl)-5-methyl-1H-pyrazole-1-carboxamide as a by-product that forms an equilibrium with the target-compound. The structure of the by-product was elucidated by the interpretation of 1D and 2D (HMQC, HMBC) NMR data where (1)H-(15)N HMBC correlations revealed the position of carbamoyl group attachment on the pyrazole. Comparison of structures of the target-compound and the by-product showed that the latter resulted from N-N migration of the carbamoyl group in the target-compound.

Effect of Asparagus falcatus on acetaminophen toxicity in mice: a comparison of antioxidative effect with N-acetyl cysteine.

Objective: In this study, the effect of Asparagus falcatus extract on acetaminophen-induced liver injury was investigated in vivo.

Method: Six arms of study. ICR mice (n = 20) were treated with acetaminophen at a single dose of 300 mg/kg (in saline, after a 16-hr fast) to induce hepatotoxicity.

Hepatoprotective effect of Epaltes divaricata extract on carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity in mice.

Background & Objectives: Epaltes divaricata is widely used in Sri Lanka as an Ayurvedic medicine. In the present study the hepatoprotective and antioxidative effects of an aqueous extract of E. divaricata plant (Family-Compositae) were investigated against carbon tetrachloride induced hepatocellular injury in mice.