http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/19 2026-04-05T16:54:21Z http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/susl/5266 Clinico-epidemiology of diuron poisoning in Ratnapura: A cross-sectional study Rathnayaka, R.M.M.K.N.; Ranathunga, P.E.A.N.; Ranatunga, P.K.B. Intentional self-poisoning is a significant public health problem in Sri Lanka. Recently, diuron, a herbicide widely used for weed and grass control in agriculture, has emerged as a potential poisoning agent. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical features of diuron poisoning in Ratnapura. A prospective observational clinical study was conducted in the medical wards of the Teaching Hospital, Ratnapura, over two years from July 2021, taking patients with a history of diuron ingestion into account. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A total of 21 patients with diuron poisoning were identified, comprising 17 (81%) males and 4 (19%) females, with a mean age of 37.7 years (range: 17–66 years). Most patients were from Ratnapura (4; 19%), followed by Lellopitiya (3; 14%). The most affected occupational groups were labourers (5; 23.8%), gem miners (3; 14%), and three-wheel drivers (3; 14%). Eleven patients (52.4%) were direct admissions, while 10 (47.6%) were transfers from peripheral hospitals. The median hospital stay was 3 days (IQR 3–4.5; range 2–12 days). Vomiting was the most common presenting symptom (19; 90.5%), followed by nausea and dyspnoea (11; 52.4% each). Methaemoglobinaemia was detected in 11 (52.4%) patients, all of whom required intensive care due to respiratory failure. Of these, 8 (38.1%) required intubation and mechanical ventilation. Other complications included hypotension (10;47.6%) and aspiration pneumonia (3;14.3%). Methylene blue was administered to all patients with methemoglobinemia (11;52.4%). Gastrointestinal decontamination was carried out in 17 (81%) patients, including activated charcoal in 17 (81%) and gastric lavage in 12 (57%). Fourteen patients (66.7%) recovered completely, while 7 (33.3%) died. The high morbidity and mortality rate in diuron poisoning was mainly attributed to severe methaemoglobinaemia and its complications, such as subsequent hypoxemia. 2025-12-03T00:00:00Z http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/susl/5265 Formulation development and evaluation of polyherbal gel for bacterial skin infection Janith, U.I.P.; Imesha, P.D.; Nimesh, K.M.S.G.; Ganakarunyan, T.; Dilakshana, K.; Sathya, S. Bacterial skin infections are common among hospitalised patients, for which topical antibiotics are used. Antibiotic resistance, toxicity and high cost have led to the need for the development of herbal formulations that are comparatively safer and less expensive. Using herbal gel for topical application ensures faster release of active ingredients at the site of action. This study aims to formulate a topical antibacterial polyherbal gel containing leaf extracts of Atalantia ceylanica, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Azadirachta indica, and gel extract of Aloe vera and evaluate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A polyherbal gel with carbopol 940 gel base containing Aloe vera gel with 1% methanolic leaf extracts of A. ceylanica, O. tenuiflorum and A. indica in the ratio of 1:1:3 was formulated and evaluated for antibacterial activity using agar well diffusion method against Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (P. aeruginosa) bacteria using gentamicin (20 μg/mL) as the positive control. Physical parameters (organoleptic characteristics, pH, spreadability, viscosity) of the prepared gel formulations were evaluated at both room temperature (RT) and 4 oC for 21 days. A green colour gel with an initial pH of 6.94±0.01, spreadability of 38.09±0.02 g.cm/s and a viscosity of 51.7% was formulated. pH and spreadability of the gel kept in both RT and refrigerator (4 oC) remained constant throughout the study period. The gel formulation (100 mg/ml) exhibited a zone of inhibition against S. aureus (24.77±1.71 mm), but not against P. aeruginosa. Therefore, this gel formulation can be further evaluated for its antibacterial potential to formulate a promising topical antibacterial gel for S. aureus skin infections. 2025-12-03T00:00:00Z http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/susl/5264 CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of the PFK-2 and allosteric activator binding domain of PFK-1 as a novel therapeutic approach for cancer Subasinghe, N.T.; Gunasekara, J.P.; Shriganeshan, S.; Silva, G.N. Cancer is a significant health issue causing deaths worldwide, necessitating novel and efficient treatments. Modern cancer therapies primarily target the altered energy metabolism of cancer cells, which enables their accelerated proliferation. A key feature of this metabolic shift is aerobic glycolysis, also called the Warburg effect, where cancer cells convert glucose to lactate despite the presence of oxygen. This metabolic reprogramming supports the rapid proliferation and survival of cancer cells. Phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1) plays a crucial role in this process, which catalyses the rate-limiting step of glycolysis, and is allosterically activated by fructose- 2, 6-bisphosphate (F2,6BP), a metabolite produced by the PFK-2. This study presents two complementary CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches to reduce the rate of glycolysis and thereby attenuating cancer cell proliferation by targeting allosteric activation of PFK-1. The first approach involves disruption of the PFKFB3 by targeting exon 2 using a specifically designed gRNA (guide RNA) to knockout PFK-2 and thereby inhibit the synthesis of F2,6BP. In the second approach, the regulatory domain of the PFK-1 will be selectively knocked out by targeting exon 13 using a specific gRNA, disrupting F2,6BP binding while potentially preserving basal catalytic activity. This partial knock-out may significantly impair glycolysis in cancer cells while minimising adverse effects on normal cells. Suitable donor templates were designed using bioinformatic tools to repair the double stranded breaks (DSBs) via Homology Directed Repair (HDR) pathway, by incorporating an EcoRI restriction site, 6× His-tag, and a stop codon facilitate the detection of truncated protein using anti-His Western blot. The pSpCas9(BB)-2Apuro- plasmid harboring PFKFB3-gRNA, along with the corresponding donor template, were transfected into MCF-7 breast cancer cells using PEI followed by puromycin selection. The truncated PFK-2 protein with a His-tag (˜5 kDa) was detected in a Western blot analysis using anti-His antibodies indicating successful K/O of PFKFB3. Silencing PFKFB3 is expected to significantly reduce F2,6BP production, consequently lowering PFK-1 activity and glycolytic flux in cancer cells. Together, these independent approaches offer a promising strategy to disrupt cancer cell metabolism by limiting glycolytic flux, enabling safer and more selective therapies that minimise adverse effects on healthy cells. 2025-12-03T00:00:00Z http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/susl/5263 Biochemical basis for the safety of intravenous tender coconut water: A non-clinical study Malsha, V.P.; Wijayabandara, M.D.J.; Pathirana, W.; Silva, G.N. Historically, Tender Coconut Water (TCW) has been reported as a natural hydration fluid with some studies suggesting its potential for intravenous (IV) administration in both preclinical and clinical studies. Despite these claims, limited scientific evaluations exist on the biochemical safety of TCW for IV use. Therefore, this laboratory-based study was undertaken to evaluate the biochemical composition of TCW of different coconut varieties grown in Sri Lanka and to assess the suitability of their TCW for IV administration. TCW from five coconut varieties (Green/Brown Tall variety, King Coconut, Golden King Coconut, Dull King Coconut, and Green Dwarf variety), collected under uniform environmental conditions, were analysed for metal ions, glucose, protein contents, molecular weights of proteins, and other physicochemical parameters such as pH and conductivity. The microbiology test was carried out for the TCW of all five varieties. The resulting plasma[K+] following IV administration of TCW was determined using a mathematical model. Among the five tender coconut varieties, the King Coconut variety exhibited significantly higher levels of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and glucose content. Protein concentrations were low across all samples (0.02-0.08%), and SDSPAGE analysis revealed faint peptide bands with molecular weights ranging from 1 kDa to 13 kDa. The pH of all five varieties ranged from 4 to 7, and all samples were free of microbes. Calculations showed that a high potassium concentration of approximately 52 mEq/L gets diluted 6 – 9 times after IV administration. Further, the presence of adequate concentrations of hyperkalaemia antidotes such as calcium, magnesium, and glucose accounts for the non-existence of hyperkalaemia situations. Additionally, the low concentration of proteins and their low molecular weights of less than 10 kDa are possibly insufficient to qualify these as antigens, suggesting minimal risk of hypersensitivity reactions except for the TCW of Dull King Coconut variety (≈ 13 kDa). Considering all the evaluated parameters, the findings favour the potential intravenous compatibility of TCW of different coconut varieties, while limited to laboratory scale assessment. However, further preclinical and clinical studies are warranted to substantiate these findings for safe application of TCW in clinical settings. 2025-12-03T00:00:00Z