Chamindri Witharana

• BSc (Hons) (Col) , Mphil(Wales), PhD (Giessen)
• Professor at University of Colombo

Abstract Background: The induction of antiproliferative and apoptotic activities of various parts of the Punica granatum L. fruit (Nimali variety) on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were not investigated yet. The analysis of the effect on gene regulation and detection of apoptotic proteins compared to different extraction methods were carried out h...

Currently, there are several protocols to extract bacterial DNA based on different principles. However, the quantity and the quality of the DNA obtained by each method are highly variable and microorganism dependent. In most of these classical crude methods, highly toxic and hazardous organic solvents such as phenol and chloroform are used for depr...

Characterized by the overproduction of differentiated cells of the myeloid lineage, polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) are Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Found in 95% of PV patients and 50-60% of ET and PMF patients, the JAK2V617F mutation is the most common...

A thermostable α-amylase producing Gram-negative, aerobic bacterium was isolated from Maha Oya hot water springs in Sri Lanka. 16S rRNA analysis revealed the organism belonged to 󠆾 Comamonadaceae family of β-proteobacteria. The organism was named Caldimonas manganoxidans MS1 and the partial sequence of 16S rRNA gene was submitted to NCBI GenBank. F...

Objective: Pomegranate ,a polyphenol-rich fruit, has been considered as one of the ancient fruits with anticancer effect. Cell cycle arrest is considered as an ordinary factor in human cancer, and apoptosis is the frequent drug target. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Nimali variety of Sri Lankan Punica granatum L. fruit extra...

Background Recently, a surge of COVID 19 was observed globally, regionally and nationally. With increasing numbers of cases, the frequency of long COVID is on the rise. Management and control of long COVID depend on changes in respect of human behaviors and requires an understanding of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding health thre...

ABSTRACT Background: Recently, a surge of COVID 19 was observed globally, regionally, and nationally. With increasing numbers of cases, the frequency of long COVID is on the rise. Management and control of long COVID depend on changes in respect of human behaviours and require an understanding of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) regarding...

Referred to as third generation vaccines by researchers, DNA vaccines are the most promising vaccines in combating the pathogenesis of many infectious pathogens. DNA vaccines involve the insertion of gene encoded plasmid DNA which is purified directly into the host in order to induce an immune response. In addition to traditional intradermal, oral...

The Green Revolution has fuelled an exponential growth in human population since the mid- 20th century. Due to population growth, food and energy demands will soon surpass supply capabilities. Plant genetic engineering has the potential to overcome some of these challenges. As an example, bioenergy crops can be genetically improved for producing mo...

Despite extraordinary advances, Cancer poses as a yet unmet threat to global public health with the number of cases surging drastically each year. At a time when conventional diagnostic and therapeutic modalities are challenged by the lack of target specificity, multi-drug resistance, tradeoff between safety and efficacy, Cancer nanotechnology is a...

Obesity and diabetes mellitus are documented major risk factors for maternal and fetal health complications. Maternal lipid metabolism is greatly changed when pregnancy is complicated with obesity and diabetes mellitus. The effects of maternal obesity on placental lipid metabolism are not fully understood and thereby needs to be elucidated. Our...

Cancer as a cause of frequent illness and death possess a significant threat for the global public health. At a time where the existing conventional therapies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and monoclonal antibodies demand modifications due to their limitations such as toxicity and acquisition of resistance, microbial peptides have rev...

The complexity of learning Medicine keeps increasing with time, due to expansion of knowledge and novel changes in practice. This has led to increased content burden on students, with extensive information and details to memorise. Biochemistry is one area where there is an extensive amount of information to process and memorise; so much so that it...

The antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anti-cancer potential of aqueous root and rhizome extract (ARRE) of Smilax zeylanica was investigated against human liver carcinoma cells. The phytochemical composition was evaluated by standard methods, and confirmed by thin-layer chromatography. Free radical scavenging activity was determined by DPPH assay, cytotox...

Plant genetic engineering involves the processes of modification of plants using genetic mechanisms in order to produce varieties of plants that have a commercial advantage over the traditional crops. This is often utilized in bringing about solutions to problems in the quality of the food matter, strongly related to increasing the photosynthetic p...

The word infection stands for invasion and multiplication of one or more pathogens. They cause infectious diseases in humans after establishing an entry into the human body through routes such as skin, mouth, nose, and genitourinary tract. These infections can escalate into a level of a pandemic such as the current COVID-19 pandemic resulting in se...

Cancer is the world's second leading cause of death in humans. Conventional anticancer therapies are often associated with lack of tumor specificity, failure to detect small metastases, increased resistance of tumors to anticancer drugs, and unintended adverse effects. Numerous alternative and better strategies in cancer treatment have been develop...

Effective communication is a key essential in clinical practice. The practice of good communication skills is of utmost importance for the development of a trustworthy relationship between the doctor and the patient. It also results in benefits such as reduction in errors and better compliance leading to cost effectiveness. Since many litigation ca...

The most prevalent form of cancer in females is breast cancer. Roughly 5%-10% of breast cancers are hereditary, and they are associated with Germline gene mutations, inherited from parents. Germline gene mutations increase the risk of developing cancer earlier in life compared to noninherited cases (sporadic cancer). BRCA1 and BRCA2 are well-studie...

Abstract Alteration of radical scavenging capacity (RSC), phenol (TPC) and flavonoid contents (FC) of pomegranate fruit parts were extracted using Boiling, Sonication, Microwave, Sonication followed by microwave and compared. RSC was determined by DPPH activity and FRAP assay while TPC and FC were measured by Folin-Ciocalteu method and Aluminium ch...

Introduction Multicopy Associated Filamentation (MAF) proteins represent a large family of conserved proteins. These are found in all kingdoms of life, including bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. MAF protein is a nucleic acid binding, intra-cellular protein. The Maf protein of B. subtilis is composed of 189 amino acids and a 6-residue N-terminal hi...

Cancer is one of the leading causes of human death worldwide. Conventional anticancer therapies are ineffective in treating cancer patients due to various reasons. Thus, more effective and accessible alternative anticancer strategies have been evolved with time with high specificity towards tumor cells and with less or no adverse effects to normal...

Currently there are several protocols to extract bacterial genomic DNA based on different principles. However, most of these methods use hazardous organic solvents, including phenol and chloroform, whereas certain protocols use expensive enzymes including RNases and proteinases. This study was designed to introduce a simple, rapid, non-toxic, inexp...

DNA polymerase, catalyze template directed synthesis of DNA from nucleotide triphosphate. Thermostable DNA polymerase-ǀ (DNAP1) has been a common reagent in molecular biology because of its use in DNA amplification and DNA sequencing by PCR. DNAP-1 produced in moderate thermophiles such as Bacillus species may not be suitable for PCR, However, mode...

Extended Abstract Background DNA analysis is a process which is of utmost significance. The initial and the most crucial step in DNA analysis is the extraction of genomic DNA from organisms. Bacterial DNA analysis is important for genetic characterization and genetic engineering programmes and to determine the evolutionary history and the genetic d...

Abstract Background Currently there are several protocols to extract bacterial genomic DNA based on different principles. However, in most of these methods, hazardous organic solvents, including phenol and chloroform are used for deproteinization, whereas in certain protocols, expensive enzymes including RNases and proteinases are used. Most of the...

Pomegranate fruits are used for cancer management in Ayurveda, Sri Lanka. Antioxidant potential of natural products are associated with prevention of many diseases, as well as for the treatment. All parts of the fruit were screened for their antioxidant activity. The method of extraction is a crucial step in screening biological activities, the stu...

Abstract— Pomegranate fruits are used in cancer treatment in Ayurveda, Sri Lanka. Due to prevailing therapeutic effects of phytochemicals, this study was focus on anti-cancer properties of the constituents in the parts of Pomegranate fruit. Furthermore, the method of extraction, plays a crucial step of the phytochemical analysis. Therefore, this st...

Alkaline proteases(APR) are industrially important enzymes, with a significant role in detergent, pharmaceutical, leather and textiles industry. B. licheniformis NWMF1 was isolated from soil near a hot water spring at Polonnaruwa district, Sri Lanka. The complete APR gene from B. licheniformis NWMF1 was cloned into pET28a+ vector and over expressed...

Alkaline proteases(APR) are industrially important enzymes, with a significant role in detergent, pharmaceutical, leather and textiles industry. B. licheniformis NWMF1 was isolated from soil near a hot water spring at Polonnaruwa district, Sri Lanka. The complete APR gene from B. licheniformis NWMF1 was cloned into pET28a+ vector and over expressed...

Breast cancer is a leading malignancy causing mortality and morbidity among women worldwide. Therefore, finding effective treatment modalities for Breast cancers is of utmost importance. There is a growing interest to search for herbal remedies for breast cancers due to serious side effects caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Fruits and vegeta...

Epigenetic inactivation of tumor suppressor genes (TSG) is a fundamental event in the pathogenesis of human cancer. This silencing is accomplished by aberrant chromatin modifications including DNA hypermethylation of the gene promoter. One of the most frequently hypermethylated TSG in human cancer is the Ras Association Domain Family 1A (RASSF1A) g...

Nano-technology is a recent advancement in science, defined as "Science, engineering, and technology conducted at the Nano scale" (National nanotechnology initiatives in USA). Applications of Nano-technology cover a vast range from basic material science, personal care applications, agriculture, and medicine. Nano-technology is used in field of med...

Nanotechnology is a recent advancement in science, defined as “Science, engineering, and technology conducted at the Nano Scale”. Applications of Nanotechnology cover a vast range from basic material science, personal care applications, agriculture and medicine. Nanotechnology is used in the field of medicine for treatment, diagnostics, monitoring,...

Medical education should cater to the health needs of a country. This should include an understanding of the cadre requirements of doctors per population.

DNA polymerase (DNAP), catalyze template directed synthesis of DNA from nucleotide triphosphate. Thermostable DNA polymerase-1(DNAP-1) has been a common reagent in molecular biology because of its use in DNA amplification and DNA sequencing by PCR. DNAP-1 produced in moderate thermophiles such as Bacillus species may not be suitable for PCR, Howeve...

A gene encoding alkaline protease (Apr) has been cloned from the thermophilic bacterium Bacillus licheniformis into an E.coli expression system. Scale-up of the system has the potential for large scale production of thermostable alkaline protease for industrial applications. Proteases are an important group of industrial enzymes, accounting for nea...

Nanotechnological application is greatly important in the field of drug delivery because of its high specificity towards the target site, so it is able to reduce toxic side effects of drugs to normal cells. Reduce plasma fluctuation of drugs, high solubility, efficiency, reduces cost of products and enhancement of patience comfort are reasons that...

Background: The incidences of breast, cervical and uterine malignancies continue to increase in Sri Lanka. It is important to explore the awareness of both women and their male partners regarding these malignancies and available screening services as it would determine the health seeking behaviours of females. Methods: This was a cross sectional...

The archaeal exosome is a protein complex involved in the degradation and the posttranscriptional tailing of RNA. The proteins Rrp41, Rrp42, Rrp4, Csl4 and DnaG are major subunits of the exosome in Sulfolobus solfataricus. In vitro, Rrp41 and Rrp42 form a catalytically active hexamer, to which an RNA-binding cap of Rrp4 and/or Csl4 is attached. Rrp...

Growth phase dependent changes of the RNA degrading exosome in Sulfolobus solfataricus *Chamindri Witharana , Linlin Hou , Christian Lassek , Verena Roppelt , Gabriele Klug , Elena Evguenieva-Hackenberg Abstract-Text (incl. References) : We are investigating the exosome of the hyperthermophilic and acidophilic archaeonSulfolobus solfataricus(1).T...