The Physician King Buddhadasa: A Mine of Virtues, as the Sea is of Jewels.

King Buddhadasa was a monarch of the Kingdom of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, in the 4th century A.D. He was a unique king with sound knowledge and skill in medicine according to the traditional medical system.

Determining bad actors: A linear mixed effects model approach to elucidate behavioral toxicity of metal mixtures in drinking water.

Mixtures of chemical contaminants can pose a significant health risk to humans and wildlife, even at levels considered safe for each individual chemical. There is a critical need to develop statistical methods to evaluate the drivers of toxic effects in chemical mixtures (i.e.

Integrating palliative care into primary healthcare systems: Advocacy efforts, milestones and challenges in Asia.

Palliative care is a vital component of primary healthcare systems, especially in Asia, where the ageing population is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. Integrating palliative care into primary healthcare systems is a crucial strategy for achieving universal access to palliative care. It is necessary to take concurrent actions to achieve this integration, including integrating palliative care into public health policies, educating primary healthcare workers, establishing appropriate service structures and ensuring the availability of controlled medications.

Prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in Malaysia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The incidence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide. National surveys in Malaysia have shown similar trends. This review aimed to increase our understanding of the prevalence and associated factors of childhood overweight, obesity, and excess weight in Malaysia.

Diagnostic potential of salivary IL-1β, IL-8, SAT, S100P, and OAZ1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma, oral submucous fibrosis, and oral lichen planus based on findings from a Sri Lankan cohort.

The research examined the salivary concentrations of various biomarkers, such as OAZ1, SAT, S100P, IL-1β, and IL-8 aiming to detect early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). These biomarkers show potential as indicators for detecting both pre-cancerous and cancerous states within the oral cavity. Analyzing these specific molecules in saliva could help clinicians enhance diagnostic accuracy and refine early detection methods for OSCC.

Are viral loads in the febrile phase a predictive factor of dengue disease severity?

Background: As many studies have shown conflicting results regarding the extent of viraemia and clinical disease severity, we sought to investigate if viraemia during early dengue illness is associated with subsequent clinical disease severity.

Methods: Realtime PCR was carried out to identify the dengue virus (DENV serotype), in 362 patients, presenting within the first 4 days of illness, from 2017 to 2022, in Colombo Sri Lanka. To characterize subsequent clinical disease severity, all patients were followed throughout their illness daily and disease severity classified according to WHO 1997 and 2009 disease classification.

Misidentifications in ayurvedic medicinal plants: Convolutional neural network (CNN) to overcome identification confusions.

Plants are a vital ingredient of traditional medicine in Sri Lanka, and the quantity of medicinal plants used as a number differs in literature. Field identification of medicinal plants is carried out based on various plant characteristics. Conventional identification keys are available for plant identification, but it is a complex and time-consuming process that relies on manual observation, introducing inherent errors, particularly among individuals lacking extensive botanical expertise.

Prevalence of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in a Non-Diabetic Young Female Population and Its Impact on Diabetes and Cardiometabolic Risk.

Background: We evaluated the influence of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) on insulin resistance (IR), cardiometabolic risk, and obesity in childbearing-age women without diabetes.

Methods: This cross-sectional investigation included 282 women, aged 18 to 35 years, from rural and suburban Sri Lanka. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters, including IR and lipid/thyroid profiles, were recorded.

Early Sri Lankan coastal site tracks technological change and estuarine resource exploitation over the last ca. 25,000 years.

The island of Sri Lanka was part of the South Asian mainland for the majority of the past 115,000 years, and connected most recently during the Last Glacial Maximum via the now submerged Palk Strait. The degree to which rising sea levels shaped past human adaptations from the Pleistocene and into the mid to late Holocene in Sri Lanka has remained unclear, in part because the earliest reliable records of human occupation come from the island's interior, where cave sites have revealed occupation of tropical forest ecosystems extending back to 48 thousand years (ka). The island's earliest known open-air sites are all much younger in date, with ages beginning at 15 ka and extending across the Holocene.

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Sinhala version of the spiritual needs assessment for patients (S-SNAP) questionnaire.

Background: Spiritual support for patients and caregivers of critically ill patients is associated with improved quality of life. This aspect, however, is not incorporated into the current care pathways in Sri Lanka. The Spiritual Needs Assessment for Patients (SNAP) questionnaire, comprised of 3 domains: psychosocial, spiritual and religious, gives a platform for clinicians to assess the spiritual needs of those patients.

Sri Lanka Child Growth Cohort (SLCGC): a population-based study on growth faltering of children.

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the study design and baseline characteristics of the Sri Lanka Child Growth Cohort (SLCGC), which was established to assess the timing, pattern and determinants of growth faltering in infants and young children in Sri Lanka.

Participants: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among term-born babies (≥37-week gestation), currently aged between 12 and 24 months. A sample of 1875 mother-child pairs were recruited using two-stage stratified cluster sampling method.

Synergistic antimicrobial nanofiber membranes based on metal incorporated silica nanoparticles as advanced antimicrobial layers.

In this post-new-normal era, the public prioritizes preventive measures over curing, which is a constructive approach to staying healthy. In this study, an innovative antimicrobial membrane material has been developed, showcasing the promising potential for various applications. The metal-doped silica nanoparticles (Ag, Cu, and Co) were incorporated into a cellulose acetate (CA) polymer-based nanofiber membrane using the electrospinning technique.

Undetected falls among older adults attending medical clinics in four tertiary care centres in Sri Lanka; the need of a comprehensive geriatric assessment.

Objective: Falls take a high priority among the prevalent medical conditions in old age. Despite this, a history of falls or the risk of future falls is not routinely assessed or properly managed in medical clinics in Sri Lanka. This study was done to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with falls and recurrent falls among older adults attending medical clinics in four selected tertiary care centres in the country.

Identification of the best plant ratios for a polyherbal tea mix to obtain optimum antioxidant, antidiabetic, and β-glucuronidase inhibition activities.

Background: The influence of plant types and their ratios on the effectiveness of polyherbal formulations is a crucial yet underexplored area of research.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the optimal ratios of Phylanthus debilis (PW), Osbeckia octrandra (HB), and Artrocarpus heterophyllus (WR) leaf powders for a polyherbal tea to achieve the best functional properties.

Material And Methods: A three-level factorial design was used to examine the combined effect of three independent variables (PW, WR, and HB) on antioxidant, antidiabetic, and β-glucuronidase inhibitory activities.

Biofilms and microbiome profiles in chronic wounds: links to antibiotic use and wound severity in a Sri Lankan cohort.

Aims: We have characterized the microbiome of infected chronic diabetic wounds (CDWs), exploring associations with antibiotic use and wound severity in a Sri Lankan cohort.

Methods And Results: Fifty CDW patients were enrolled, 38 of whom received antibiotics. Tissue biopsies were analysed by microbiome profiling, and wounds were graded using the University of Texas Wound Grading System.

Risk factors for antenatal anxiety: a cross-sectional study in field antenatal clinics in Sri Lanka.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors affecting antenatal anxiety (AA) among Sri Lankan women.

Design: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of first trimester data from a population-based cohort of antenatal women.

Setting: Field antenatal clinics of four field health areas in Colombo District, Sri Lanka.

Plasticizers: distribution and impact in aquatic and terrestrial environments.

Plasticizers, essential additives for enhancing plastic properties, have emerged as significant environmental and health concerns due to their persistence and widespread use. This study provides an in-depth exploration of plasticizers, focusing on their types, structures, properties, production methods, environmental distribution, and associated risks. The findings reveal that petroleum-based phthalates, particularly di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), are prevalent in aquatic and terrestrial environments, primarily due to the gradual degradation of plastic polymers.

Simultaneous co-circulation of two genotypes of dengue virus serotype 3 causing a large outbreak in Sri Lanka in year 2023.

Background: We observed a discrepancy between dengue NS1 antigen test and molecular diagnostics, with the emergence of (DENV) serotype 3 in Sri Lanka and sought to understand the cause for the rise in cases and high failure rates of molecular diagnostics.

Methods: Whole genomic sequencing was carried out in 22 DENV-3 samples. Phylogenetic and molecular clock analysis were done for genotype assignment and to understand the rate of evolution.

Comprehensive needs assessment tool for informal cancer caregivers (CNAT-ICs): Instrument development and cross-sectional validation study.

Background: Growing cancer incidence and its subsequent burden is a worldwide concern. Needs assessment for caregivers has recently received growing attention, as it identifies specific unmet needs. The remaining tools have been established within the healthcare context of Western countries and have been studied only in some Asian populations; it seems appropriate to develop needs assessment tools that apply to a wider ethnic and socio-cultural context.