Aging and obesity are associated with undiagnosed hypertension in a cohort of males in the Central Province of Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle factors associated with hypertension (HT) in South Asian populations are relatively unknown. The objective of the current study was to investigate the prevalence rates of undiagnosed HT and factors associated with it in a cohort of males from the Central Province of Sri Lanka. METHODS: The study group consisted of 2462 males (mean age 31 years, range: 16-72 years) who underwent a routine medical examination at the National Transport Medical Institute, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Participants with previously diagnosed heart disease, diabetes, hypertension or other chronic illnesses were excluded from this study. Dietary and other lifestyle factors were studied using validated self-administered questionnaires. Body Mass Index (BMI) cut-off values for Asians were used to categorize the subjects according to weight status. The association of individual dietary and lifestyle patterns with HT was assessed by fitting into binary logistic regression models. RESULTS: The mean systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) of the individuals were 125.9 mmHg and 80.5 mmHg, respectively. The prevalence rate of undiagnosed HT was 31.7%. Both SBP and DBP showed significant positive correlations with age, weight, BMI and waist circumference. After adjusting for potential confounders, HT was associated with older age (p = 0.001) and increased weight status (p < 0.001) with trends of association for level of education (p = 0.058). Level of income, alcohol consumption, sleeping hours, smoking, physical activity level, ethnic difference, consumption of fruits, fish, meat, dairy, sweets or fried snacks were not significantly associated with HT. Obese males were 92.1% [odds ratio: 1.9 (1.4-2.7)] more likely to be hypertensive compared to normal weight males. CONCLUSIONS: Undiagnosed HT is prevalent at an alarming rate among adult males in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Its association with age and BMI (weight status) highlights the importance of routine screening for HT as well as interventions targeted at reducing obesity to curb the rise of this modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factor.

Lifestyle factors associated with obesity in a cohort of males in the central province of Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity has become a global epidemic. The prevalence of obesity has also increased in the South Asian region in the last decade. However, dietary and lifestyle factors associated with obesity in Sri Lankan adults are unclear. The objective of the current study was to investigate the association of dietary and lifestyle patterns with overweight and obesity in a cohort of males from the Central Province of Sri Lanka. METHODS: A total of 2469 males aged between 16 and 72 years ([Formula: see text]) were included in the study. The sample comprised individuals who presented for a routine medical examination at the National Transport Medical Institute, Kandy, Sri Lanka. The Body Mass Index (BMI) cutoff values for Asians were used to categorize the participants into four groups as underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese. The data on dietary and lifestyle patterns such as level of physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleeping hours and other socio demographic data were obtained using validated self-administered questionnaires. Multinomial logistic regression model was fitted to assess the associations of individual lifestyle patterns with overweight and obesity. RESULTS: The mean BMI of the study group was 22.7 kg m-2 and prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 31.8 and 12.3%, respectively. Mean waist circumference of the participants was 78.6 cm with 17.1% of them being centrally obese. After adjusting for potential confounders, weight status was associated with older age (P < 0.0001), ethnicity (P = 0.0033) and higher income (P = 0.0006). While higher physical activity showed a trend for being associated with lower odds of being obese (odds ratio: 0.898 - confidence interval: 0.744-1.084), alcohol intake, consumption of fruits, level of education, sleeping hours, smoking, consumption of fish, meat, dairy, sweets or fried snacks were not significantly associated with the weight status. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in working-age males is a threatening sign for Sri Lanka. Since the prevalence rate is higher in certain ethnic groups and higher-income groups, targeted interventions for these groups may be necessary.

Concentration levels of major and trace elements in rice from Sri Lanka as determined by the k0 standardization method.

Instrumental neutron activation (INAA) with k0 standardization has been used to determine the concentration levels of a variety of major and trace elements (Al, As, Br, Cd, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, Sc, Se, and Zn) in rice grains (raw and parboiled) and in rice flour collected from local markets in Sri Lanka. In addition, the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis has been used to determine the three elements Ca, P, and S in powdered samples. To evaluate and assure the accuracy and precision of the k0 standardization method, the IAEA standard reference material V-8 rye flour was analyzed. The results obtained in the present investigation were compared with the results reported from other countries. All of the elements detected in the rice matrices from Sri Lanka were very low in concentration or within normal limits for food plants. Approximate daily dietary intakes of the individual elements supplied through rice were calculated and compared with the available literature values of daily allowances.

Female karyotype (XX) in patients with ambiguous genitalia does not guarantee the absence of intra-abdominal testes.

We report three patients with ambiguous genitalia and 46 XX karyotype who had intra-abdominal testes. The mechanism for the development of testes in such patients, the risk of malignancy and value of histological assessment of intra-abdominal testes are discussed.

Large scale air monitoring: lichen vs. air particulate matter analysis.

Biological indicator organisms have been widely used for monitoring and banking purposes for many years. Although the complexity of the interactions between organisms and their environment is generally not easily comprehensible, environmental quality assessment using the bioindicator approach offers some convincing advantages compared to direct analysis of soil, water, or air. Measurement of air particulates is restricted to experienced laboratories with access to expensive sampling equipment. Additionally, the amount of material collected generally is just enough for one determination per sampling and no multidimensional characterization might be possible. Further, fluctuations in air masses have a pronounced effect on the results from air filter sampling. Combining the integrating property of bioindicators with the world wide availability and particular matrix characteristics of air particulate matter as a prerequisite for global monitoring of air pollution is discussed. A new approach for sampling urban dust using large volume filtering devices installed in air conditioners of large hotel buildings is assessed. A first experiment was initiated to collect air particulates (300-500 g each) from a number of hotels during a period of 3-4 months by successive vacuum cleaning of used inlet filters from high volume air conditioning installations reflecting average concentrations per 3 months in different large cities. This approach is expected to be upgraded and applied for global monitoring. Highly positive correlated elements were found in lichens such as K/S, Zn/P, the rare earth elements (REE) and a significant negative correlation between Hg and Cu was observed in these samples. The ratio of concentrations of elements in dust and Usnea spp. is highest for Cz, Zn and Fe (400-200) and lowest for elements such as Ca, Rb, and Sr (20-10).

Air pollution monitoring at the Environmental Specimen Bank of Germany: spruce and pine shoots as bioindicators.

An investigation has been carried out to study the pattern of heavy metal abundance in buds, needles, twigs and cones from single trees and to compare the results with the integrated (composite, homogenized) ESB material of the same origin. It has been evident that (i) pine and spruce shoots are comparable in terms of the pattern of trace element abundance with the exception of Ni, Ba, Sr and Pb, (ii) twigs contribute substantially to the overall concentration of the homogeneous material, and (iii) heavy metal concentrations are remarkably different in samples from remote and industrialized sampling sites. To distinguish the influence of soil at different sampling sites on the overall concentration levels, an extensive investigation using chemometrical data evaluation has still to be carried out.

Background levels of heavy metals in plants of different taxonomic groups from a montane rain forest in Sri Lanka.

An undisturbed natural reserve area iocated in a tropical montane rain forest at about 1800 m altitude in Sri Lanka served as a study site to investigate and assess the natural background concentration levels of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in plants representing different taxonomic groups (divisions) in the plant kingdom. The plants selected were: the lichen,Usnea barbata (old man's beard);Pogonatum sp. (a moss);Lycopodium selago (epiphytic lycopod);Polypodium lanceolatum (epiphytic fern);Bulbophyllum elliae (epiphytic orchid) andActinodaphne ambigua (dicotyledonous large tree). Degree of homogeneity with respect to Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in homogenised materials of all samples were within acceptable limits, whereasPogonatum sp. showed the highest degree of homogeneity for Pb. In addition to confirming extremely low levels of heavy metals in all plant species, the survey also found that generally the primitive plants,Usnea andPogonatum appear to have a greater tendency to accumulate As, Cd, Co and Pb; in particular,U. barbata appears to be an efficient accumulator for those heavy metals, suggesting its potential use in environmental studies.Actinodaphne ambigua was found to have a specific accumulating ability for nickel. Surface cleaning of theA. ambigua leaves resulted in a substantial decrease in the foliar contents of Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn. Variations in heavy metal contents observed in different plant genera are discussed in terms of their habits and place of growth in the forest. It is anticipated that the background levels presented in this paper from a remote, unpolluted tropical ecosystem will provide useful reference data for comparative environmental studies.

Use of seaweeds for monitoring trace elements in coastal waters.

Concentrations of a wide range of trace elements: arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, hafnium, nickel, thorium, uranium, zinc and the rare earth elements, cerium, europium, samarium, terbium and ytterbium were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis in the brown alga,Fucus vesiculosus from Eckwarder Hörne, North Sea and from Rügen, Baltic Sea. Another brown alga,Sargassum filipendula from Sri Lanka, Indian ocean (representing an unpolluted control station) was similarly investigated. Cobalt, chromium and nickel concentrations were highest inF. vesiculosus from the North Sea while zinc was highest in samples from the Baltic Sea, reflecting high levels of these elements in coastal waters of the North and the Baltic sea. Cadmium, cobalt, nickel and zinc levels were lowest inS. filipendula from Sri Lanka, probably demonstrating lower levels of those elements in coastal waters. Concentration levels of hafnium, thorium, uranium, and the rare earth elements were highest inS. filipendula. Two years later in 1994,S. filipendula along withUlva sp. (green alga) was resampled from the same sampling site, and in addition to the above elements, six other trace elements (Ag, Ba, Br, Rb, Se and Sr) were determined.Sargassium filipendula showed a particular affinity for Ag, As, Br and Sr. For the other elements, marginal concentration differences were observed betweenS. filipendula andUlva sp., probably reflecting the regional background levels. Substantially higher concentrations of Hf, Th, U, and the rare earths were found again in the 1994Sargassum andUlva samples, reflecting the effect of a substrate rich in rare earth elements. The brown algae used in this study may be used to monitor trace elements in coastal waters.

Pattern of distribution of selected trace elements in the marine brown alga, Sargassum filipendula Ag. from Sri Lanka.

Baseline concentrations together with biological variations of 29 trace elements (Ag, As, Au, Ba, Br, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, I, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sr, Tb, Th, Yb, Zn and Zr) were investigated in the brown alga, Sargassum filipendula collected from the western coast of Sri Lanka. Several elements (Co, Cr, Fe, Hf, Ni, Sc, Se, Th, Zr and the rare earth elements) were found to be enriched in S. filipendula compared to NIES No. 9 Sargasso reference material. Concentration of strontium in S. filipendula was highest at all sites. Chemical abundance of the rare earth elements decreased approximately linearly with increasing atomic numbers. The pattern of elemental distribution appears to be due to the fact that S. filipendula seems capable of concentrating high levels of trace elements under conditions of their very low availability in sea water. Concentration factors for elements in S. filipendula lie in a higher range compared with those reported in the literaure for brown algae.

Implementation of specimen banking concepts in developing countries. First trial--Sri Lanka.

The necessity to establish a small scale Environmental Specimen Bank projects in tropical countries is stressed. An example from Sri Lanka demonstrates the needs, the benefits and the prospects of such an integrated research project.

δ13C-variations of leaves in forests as an indication of reassimilated CO2 from the soil.

An attempt has been made to evaluate the contribution of soil respired CO2 to the total assimilation of a forest tree, by heeding the 13C-concentrations of CO2 from the free atmosphere and from mineralization processes within the soil respectively. An expression has been derived, according to which the assimilated fraction of CO2 from the soil at a particular height of a tree is given by the δ13C-value of the corresponding leaves, δ13C of atmospheric CO2, δ13C of soil respired CO2 and the physiological state of the leaves expressed as the ratio of total respiration over gross photosynthesis and internal over external CO2-concentration. In the particular case investigated, a δ13C-difference of 5‰ has been determined from bottom to top of a beech tree which results in a CO2 contribution from the soil of about 22% for the lower forest strata, while the total contribution of soil respired CO2 accounts for about 5% of the overall assimilation.

The effect of thiouracil on the viability of eggs and embryogeny in Pteridium aquilinum.

Gametophytes of Pteridium aquilinum fed for six days with 50 and 75 p.p.m. thiouracil ceased to produce archegonia, but archegonia already initiated completed their development. Eggs produced in the presence of 50 p.p.m. thiouracil were viable, but embryogenesis was retarded. Gametophytes fed with 75 p.p.m. thiouracil mostly remained barren after insemination, the eggs being inviable, but others produced outgrowths from the archegoniate region which were either gametophytic, or sporophytic with a tendency to revert morphologically and functionally to gametophytic tissue.Thiouracil administered after fertilization either prevented embryogenesis, or retarded it, the sporophytes then being deformed and often showing a tendency to produce gametophytic tissue. The embryo became less sensitive to short periods of thiouracil as it developed, possibly because of the appearance of relatively quiescent regions, serving as reservoirs of unaffected cells.The results are held to support the view that the genes responsible for sporophytic growth become activated during oogenesis, and that the cytoplasm of the mature egg already contains the information leading to this kind of growth.

The synthesis and distribution of ribonucleic acid in developing archegonia of Pteridium aquilinum.

SUMMAY: Feeding gametophytes of Pteridium aquilinum with tritiated uridine, followed by autoradiography, revealed two waves of incorporation of the nucleoside into nuclei during oognesis. The first, affecting the nucleus of the primary cell of the archegonium, is interpreted as indicating the activation of the genes initiating oogenesis. The second, seen in the nucleus of the maturing egg, is believed to be concerned with the differentiation of the egg itself.The results of the autoradiography, corroborated by enzyme digestion and fluorescence microscopy, also demonstrated a high concentration of ribonucleic acid towards the periphery of the mature egg, some possibly located in nucleolus-like bodies found only in this region of the cytoplasm. It is suggested that part of this cytoplasmic ribonucleic acid may represent genetic information remaining untranslated until after fertilization.No evidence was found of any asymmetry in the distribution of the ribonucleic acid in mature eggs which might account for the polarity of developing zygotes.