Conference Papers
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This collection contains abstracts of conference papers, presented at local and international conferences by the staff of the Faculty of Medicine
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Item Correlates of serum homocysteine in a Sri Lankan population(American Association For Clinical Chemistry, 2010) Chackrewarthy, S.; Wijayasinghe, Y.S.; Gunasekera, D.; Wickremasinghe, R.; Kato, N.Correlates of total serum homocysteine concentration in a Sri Lankan population BACKGROUND: Hyperhomocysteinemia, a possible risk factor for vascular disease occurs at a higher prevalence in South Asian countries. Serum homocysteine concentrations are influenced by genetic, nutritional and lifestyle factors. Correlates of total serum homocysteine concentration (tHcy) are not well characterized in the Sri Lankan population. Such information is important in developing therapeutic and preventative strategies. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the factors potentially associated with fasting levels of serum tHcy in a Sri Lankan population. METHODS: In a cross sectional study, 177 apparently healthy volunteers (91 men and 86 women) aged 38-65 years were selected from residents in an urban health administrative area. Individuals with a history of chronic disease and with any pharmacological treatment were excluded from the study. Information on diet, lifestyle factors and medical history were recorded. Anthropometric indices and blood pressure were measured according standard protocols. Fasting serum levels of tHcy, insulin, creatinine, folate and lipids were estimated using standard protocols. RESULTS: Fasting serum tHcy levels were higher in males than in females (geometric mean +/- SD, 13.75 mumol/l +/- 1.41 Vs. 9.58 mumol/l +/- 1.43, p<0.001) and were positively associated with age (r=0.204, p< 0.01) in both sexes. 32.3% of males and 10.3% of females had mild hyperhomocysteinemia (tHcy>15mumol/l). tHcy levels were significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers (geometric mean +/- SD, 14.58 mumol/l +/- 1.44 Vs.12.71 mumol/l +/- 1.37, p<0.05) and in alcohol consumers than in non-consumers (geometric mean +/- SD, 14.53 mumol/l +/- 1.43 Vs.12.14 mumol/l +/- 1.32, p< 0.02). In males, tHcy levels were negatively related to serum insulin (r= -0.397, p<0.001) and BMI (r= -0.244, p <0.02) and positively related to serum creatinine (r=0.235, p<0.02). In females, there was a positive relationship between tHcy and systolic blood pressure (r= 0.239, p<0.02) but there was no significant correlation with serum insulin. In both sexes, serum tHcy levels strongly correlated with serum folate (r= -0.412, p<0.001). There were no significant associations between tHcy and serum lipids. Stepwise regression analysis confirmed the associations between tHcy and folate (p<0.001 in both sexes), insulin (p=0.026 in males) and creatinine (p=0.036 in males). CONCLUSION: Low intake of folate, alcohol consumption and smoking were associated with increased tHcy concentrations. Serum insulin and creatinine were independent correlates of tHcy in males, but not in females. Difference in tHcy levels between sexes may partly be attributed to differences in lean muscle mass and to a metabolic link between creatinine synthesis and homocysteine production. Insulin may regulate serum tHcy concentrations by homocysteine remethylation or by increasing homocysteine clearance.Item Vitamin D status and its association with serum parathyroid hormone in preschool children in a Sri Lankan Community(Sri Lanka Medical Assosiation, 2012) Marasinghe, E.; Chackrewarthy, S.; Abeysena, H.T.C.S.; Rajindrajith, S.INTRODUCTION: Despite increased awareness of the adverse health effects of low vitamin D status, data on serum vitamin D status of Sri Lankan preschool children is scarce. AIMS: To investigate the vitamin D status and its association with serum parathyroid hormone in preschool children in a community in the Ragama MOH area. METHODS: In a cross sectional study a total of 340 children (172 girls and 168 boys) aged 2-5 years were selected by random sampling. Fasting levels of serum vitamin D [as 25(OH)DJ and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were determined. The anthropometric characteristics of the children were measured using calibrated equipment. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 16.0. RESULTS: The mean fasting 25(OH)D and PTH concentrations were 23.47+8.9 ng/ml and 28.2±17.6 pg/ml respectively. 5.6% and 32.4% of the children had 25(OH)D concentrations indicative of vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/ml) and insufficiency (10 - 20 ng/ml) respectively. 6% of the children were stunted and prevalence of wasting and" underweight were 17% and 14% respectively. Prevalence of stunting was significantly higher in girls (p<0.05J. Linear regression analysis showed a.significant inverse association between serum levels of 25(OH)D and PTH (r = -0.226, p<0.02). Intake of milk and diary foods had a positive association with 25(OH)D levels although statistically insignificant (r = 0.224, p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the presence of sub-optimal vitamin D status in preschool children in a tropical country. Inverse changes in PTH may deleteriously affect skeletal development and growth. The need for appropriate interventions to optimise vitamin D status is emphasized.Item Effects of white coconut oil, virgin coconut oil and grated coconut on blood glucose and serum lipids in Wistar rats(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2015) Samaranayake, H.A.E.; Chackrewarthy, S.; Karunakaran, R.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effects of white coconut oil (WCO), virgin coconut oil (VCO) and grated coconut on blood glucose and serum lipids in Wistar rats. METHOD: Four groups of male Wistar rats (1-4) were maintained on four isocaloric test diets, containing WCO, VCO, WCO + grated coconut (1:1 ratio) and VCO + grated coconut (1:1 ratio) respectively. After 36 weeks of feeding blood glucose and serum lipids were assayed. Results were analysed using SPSS version 16.0. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline levels, mean blood glucose levels decreased in all four groups; -13.87, -7.22, -41.88, and -41.85 mg/dt respectively. Rats fed with mixtures of oil and grated coconut (groups 3 and 4) showed a significantly higher decrease in blood sugar (p<0.05) compared with diets containing oil only (groups 1 and 2). No significant differences (p>0.05) in blood sugar levels were observed between groups fed with diets containing oil only or between groups fed with diets containing mixtures of oii+ grated coconut. Compared with baseline levels, mean differences in serum total cholesterol (TC) were 9.05, -8.08, 6.11,1.65 mg/dl, triglycerides -31.1, -20.75, -30.5, -49.8 mg/d! and high density lipoproteins (HDL) -1.47, 8.32, 0.816, -10.82 mg/dl in groups 1-4 respectively. Although statistically not significant, lower TC and higher HDL levels were observed in rats fed with VCO containing diet. CONCLUSION: Inclusion of grated coconut in the diet results in significant hypoglyceamic action. Although statistically not significant VCO may have beneficial effects on serum lipids which warrants further investigation.Item Cardiovascular risk profile of the estate population of Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2010) Pinidiyapathirage, M.J.; Chackrewarthy, S.; Perera, P.S.; Wijayasinghe, Y.S.; Williams, S.; Williams, S.S.; Kato, N.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of biochemical and anthropometric risk markers of cardiovascular diseases in the estate population of Sri Lanka. METHODS: Using a cross sectional design, consenting adults aged 35-64 years resident in 3 selected estates in the Nuwara-Eliya District were recruited with the support of estate medical assistants and welfare officers. AH participants were subjected to an interview, blood pressure and anthropometric measurements and collection of fasting blood samples. RESULTS: Of the 401 participants recruited, 53% were females and 99% were cither Indian or Sri Lankan Tamils. The mean age of the participants was 50.3 years (SD 8.5). 47 (12%) participants had a BMI >25, 8 (2%) a BMI >30. 29 males (15%) and 29 females (14%) had a waist circumference [WC] >90cm and >80 cm, respectively. 151 (38%) participants had systolic blood pressure (SBP) > 140mmHg , 127 (32%) had diastolic blood pressure (DBF) > 90mmHg and 170 (42%) had either SBF > 140 or DBF > 90. 41(10%) participants had fasting blood glucose (FBG) >126mg/dL. In 197 (49%) participants, some form of dyslipidaemia was present. Males had a significantly higher mean BMI, FBG and triglyceride (TG) level and a significantly lower high density lipoprotein (HDL) level as compared to females. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity, as defined by BMI or WC, was low in this population as compared to other reported studies from different population groups in the country. But prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidaemia (especially high TG and low HDL levels in males) was high.Item Association between serum homocysteine and markers of insulin resistance(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2010) Chackrewarthy, S.; Wijayasinghe, Y.S.; Gunasekara, D.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Kato, N.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between serum homocysteine and markers of insulin resistance in a Sri Lankan population. Similar studies conducted in other ethnic groups have shown conflicting results. METHODS: 177 apparently healthy volunteers (91 men and 86 women) aged 35-65 years were randomly selected from residents in the Ragama MOH area. Anthropometric indices and blood pressure were measured and information on diet, lifestyle factors and medical history were recorded. Fasting plasma glucose and serum levels of homocysteine, insulin, creatinine, folate and lipid profiles were determined using standard protocols. RESULTS: Mean fasting serum homocysteine levels were higher in males compared to females (14.67 (imol/1 ± 6.02 Vs.10.16 u.mol/1 ± 4.28, p