Extent and Nature of Television Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing in 9 Asian Countries: Cross-Sectional Study Using a Harmonized Approach.

Background: Rising childhood obesity rates in Asia are adding risk for the future adult burden of obesity and noncommunicable diseases. Weak policies across most Asian countries enable unrestricted marketing of obesogenic foods and beverages to children. Television is the common medium for food marketing to reach this audience.

Quantitative relationship between free sugars intake and early childhood caries among preschoolers in Sri Lanka.

Introduction: Before implementing the WHO sugar recommendations, more studies are needed concerning its application to given contexts.

Objective: To identify free sugars intake levels associated with a minimum caries risk in primary dentition METHODS: Using probability proportionate to size technique and cluster sampling, 813 children aged 4-5-years were selected from preschools in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. A 67-item quantitative food frequency questionnaire was developed and validated to evaluate free sugars intake.

Ilmenite-Grafted Graphene Oxide as an Antimicrobial Coating for Fruit Peels.

Postharvest loss is a significant global challenge that needs to be urgently addressed to sustain food systems. This study describes a simple microwave-assisted green synthesis method in developing a nanohybrid material combining natural ilmenite (FeTiO) and graphene oxide (GO) as a promising antimicrobial fruit peel coating to reduce postharvest loss. The natural ilmenite was calcined in an inert environment and was mixed with GO in a microwave reactor to obtain the nanohybrid.

Students' perceptions of online education: A session at the FAOBMB-IUBMB-CBSL virtual education symposium 2021.

The Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB) and the College of Biochemists of Sri Lanka (CBSL) organized a virtual education symposium in 2021 funded by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB). The parallel session named "Students' Perception" was attended by 188 participants from 11 countries. The main objectives of this session were to aggregate participants' viewpoints on aspects of virtual education, including innovative strategies to enhance motivation and engagement of students, improving teacher-student and student-student interactions, managing stress, and virtual learning platforms.

A home-based approach to demonstrate column and thin layer chromatography during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused several educational challenges. Conducting laboratory experiments was an uphill task during the pandemic. Here, we developed a low-cost and reliable home-based experimental setup to teach column and thin layer chromatography (TLC) using silica gel granules available at home.

Development and validation of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess free sugar intake among Sri Lankan preschool children.

The present study aims to develop a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess free sugar intake as a whole and at the food group levels, retrospectively, over the past 3 months among 4 to 5-year-old preschool children in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. Then, to assess its reliability and relative validity. In the development phase, three 24-hour dietary recalls (24 hDRs) of 518 preschool children were collected from caregivers.

Free sugar intake and associated factors among Sri Lankan preschool children.

Background: Excessive free sugar intake tends to be associated with unpleasant health consequences, such as dental caries and unhealthy weight gain in children, as well as a number of noncommunicable diseases in adults. The WHO suggests that the best method for addressing these issues is to reduce free sugar consumption throughout life, in order to be successful, these measures should be implemented as early as possible. This makes the early formative years of preschool an important point for possible intervention.

COVID-19 and future pandemics: a global systems approach and relevance to SDGs.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is adversely impacting modern human civilization. A global view using a systems science approach is necessary to recognize the close interactions between health of animals, humans and the environment.

Discussion: A model is developed initially by describing five sequential or parallel steps on how a RNA virus emerged from animals and became a pandemic: 1.

Micronutrient status and associated factors of adiposity in primary school children with normal and high body fat in Colombo municipal area, Sri Lanka.

Background: The prevalence of obesity and associated risk of chronic diseases are increasing among the paediatric population. The effectiveness of preventive measures and interventions are likely to improve when all factors which associate with obesity in a specific target group are considered. Currently such comprehensive data is unavailable for Sri Lankan children aged 8-9 years.

Baseline iron and low-grade inflammation modulate the effectiveness of iron supplementation: evidence from follow-up of pregnant Sri Lankan women.

Purpose: We evaluated the effectiveness of iron supplementation in relation to baseline iron and inflammatory status of pregnant women and their offspring in Sri Lanka.

Methods: Apparently healthy women aged 18-36 years at < 12 weeks of gestation prior to receiving any supplementation were randomly recruited at the antenatal clinics. They received 60 mg of elemental iron in combined iron-folic acid pills from 12 weeks of gestation until delivery via the National Maternal Supplementation Programme.

Renal bioaccumulation of trace elements in urban and rural Sri Lankan populations: A preliminary study based on post mortem tissue analysis.

Introduction: Environmental pollution, especially by toxic trace elements, is a global health concern. Heavy metals such as Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As) and Lead (Pb) are associated with numerous disorders and are considered by some as an aetiological factor for the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKDu) epidemic in Sri Lanka. This study explores patterns of bioaccumulation of six trace elements in kidneys obtained during forensic autopsies from urban and rural regions in Sri Lanka.

The Quality of Reporting Raises Questions on the Experimental Validity of Animal Studies Conducted in India and Sri Lanka: Preliminary Analysis of a Systematic Survey.

The quality of animal experiments in terms of appropriate reporting is a concern, particularly with regard to their validity and the recording of the measures taken to reduce various types of bias. A systematic survey of 1371 and 236 publications from India and Sri Lanka, respectively, which were published between 1905 and 2017 and indexed in NCBI-PubMed, Cinhal, MEDLINE and Scopus, was carried out. The level of detail in the descriptions of animals used and the measures taken to reduce bias were analysed in each article.

The role of haematological indices in predicting early iron deficiency among pregnant women in an urban area of Sri Lanka.

Background: Early detection and treatment of iron deficiency during pregnancy is crucial for optimum pregnancy outcomes. Anaemia is a late indictor of iron deficiency measured as Hb < 11 g/dL, and is widely used as a proxy for iron deficiency. We aimed to evaluate the role of red cell indices as a screening tool for early detection of iron deficiency among pregnant women in an urban area of Sri Lanka.

Food models for portion size estimation of Asian foods.

Background: Novel portion size estimation aids relevant to the cognitive potential of children are necessary for an improved accuracy in dietary recall. We developed graduated realistic food models for Asian foods and tested their accuracy and precision in children.

Methods: Food models were constructed for nine commonly consumed food items using a range of low cost materials.

Portion size estimation aids for Asian foods.

Background: Portion size estimation is fundamental to the accuracy of dietary recall, as well as interventions in obesity. Data on portion size estimation aids (PSEA) for Asian foods are limited. PSEA for Asian foods were developed and their accuracy and precision were tested for inclusion in a food atlas.

Low folic acid status and its association with anaemia in urban adolescent girls and women of childbearing age in Sri Lanka.

Folic acid deficiency is implicated in the aetiology of nutritional anaemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes for the fetus. Data on folic acid status among adolescent girls and non-pregnant, non-lactating young women are limited. We assessed folic acid status in a random sample of 552 subjects (277 adolescent girls aged 15-18.