P. Mangala C.S De Silva

University of Ruhuna · Department of Zoology

Prolonged heat exposure during outdoor physical exertion can result in adverse renal health outcomes, and it is supposed to be a driver of chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) in tropical regions. School students are more likely to experience high heat exposure during outdoor sports practices, and the current knowledge on potential r...

Chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) is a global health concern affecting tropical farming communities. CKDu is not associated with typical risk factors (e.g., diabetes) and strongly correlates with environmental drivers. To gain potential insights into disease etiology and diagnosis, here we report the first urinary proteome compari...

Unhealthy bodyweight is associated with multiple clinical complications that serve as potential risk factors for kidney diseases. However, pediatric renal outcomes associated with the bodyweight status are not properly understood in many communities. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess potential associations of bodyweight status with renal h...

Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is a global health concern primarily impacting socioeconomically disadvantaged rural farming communities in Mesoamerica and South Asia. CKDu is a chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis and is linked to environmental drivers such as heat stress and chemical exposure. The prevalence of the disease in th...

Despite the centrality of staple grains for human well-being, both as a source of nutrients and of toxic ions, there is little understanding of where and how elements vary, and if there are particular elements that correlate. Here, for shop bought polished (white) rice, we comprehensively characterized trace (arsenic species, cadmium, copper, iron,...

Utility of NGAL as a biomarker for early detection of renal injury in pediatric communities.

As a tropical island nation, Sri Lanka has a 1740 km coastal strip, dominated by mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows i.e., blue carbon ecosystems, that play a vital role in ecosystem functioning and services. These ecosystems have a high capacity for storing carbon within their ecosystem pools by capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)...

Aim Chronic kidney disease of uncertain aetiology (CKDu) is an emerging health concern in tropical farming communities. The role ofoccupational heat exposure as a potential driver of CKDu remains debated. Our study examines occupational heat exposure kidney health in three occupational groups in Sri Lanka. Methodology We recruited participants fro...

Pediatric renal injury is an emerging health concern in communities affected by chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu). Early detection of susceptibilities through highly sensitive and specific biomarkers can lead to effective therapeutic and preventive interventions against renal diseases. Here, we aimed to investigate the utility of...

Rice is a major source for micro-elements for the Sri Lankan population, across all agro-climatic zones. This current study was conducted to investigate the variation of the metal(loid)s and As speciation in rice grains collected from wet, intermediate and dry zones of Sri Lanka. Field rice (brown rice) and market rice (polished rice) samples were...

Screening approaches with more robust biomarkers, are of the utmost importance in the characterization of renal injuries, particularly among communities with high burdens of chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu). The present study aimed to assess the utility of two emerging biomarkers: kidney injury molecule (KIM-1) and neutrophil gel...

Background: Cystatin C is an emerging biomarker with enhanced sensitivity over conventional biomarkers in the characterization of early renal injury. However, the diagnostic efficacy of Cys-C is not well studied among pediatric populations, particularly in the regions with high burden of Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown aetiology (CKDu). Objective...

Paediatric renal injury is an emergent health concern, particularly in the regions with high burden of Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) in global hotspots. Kidney injury molecule (KIM-1) appears more sensitive and specific particularly at early diagnosis of renal injury. Hence, the aim of the present study was to assess the utili...

The chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is a global health concern primarily impacting tropical farming communities. Although the precise etiology is debated, CKDu is associated with environmental exposures including heat stress and chemical contaminants such as fluoride, heavy metals, and herbicide glyphosate. However, a comprehensiv...

Despite the centrality of staple grains for human well-being, both as a source of nutrients and of toxic ions, there is little understanding of where and how elements vary, and if there are particular elements that correlate. Here, for shop bought polished (white) rice we comprehensively characterize trace (arsenic species, cadmium, copper, iron, m...

Background: Cystatin C (Cys-C) is an emerging biomarker of renal diseases and its clinical use, particularly for screening the communities affected by chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu), is hindered due to the lack of reference intervals (RIs) for diverse ethnic and age groups. The present study aimed to define RIs for urinary Cys-C...

This study aimed to assess the heavy metal (HM) profile of the main upland tributaries of three major rivers, the Mahaweli, the Deduru and the Gin Rivers, which are commonly used for urban water supply in Sri Lanka. The HM profiles of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) were investigated by ICP-MS. Land-use classification was per...

Present study was undertaken to validate anti-cancer property of Alpinia calcarata and Solanum surattense in immunosuppressed mice, rats and human cell lines. Rat xenograft model of HeLa cells (human) was established. Rats were orally fed with both plant extracts at doses of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg for three weeks as generally described in literatur...

Coastal and offshore fisheries in Sri Lanka are mainly dependent on wild fish stocks, which may have been contaminated with microplastics (MPs) that have a potential risk to transfer subsequently to consumers. However, studies on MPs in commercial fish species are limited, and therefore, we estimated the MPs abundance and composition in three speci...

Pediatric renal injury is an emergent health concern in communities affected by Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu). Early detection of susceptibilities through highly sensitive and specific biomarkers can lead to effective therapeutic and preventive interventions against renal diseases. Here, we aimed to investigate the utility of...

Heavy metal (HM) pollution has become a serious threat to coastal aquatic ecosystems. This study, therefore, aimed at assessing the spatial distribution of selected heavy metals/metalloids including Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb), and Mercury (Hg) in surface sediment (0–15 cm) samples collected across Kalametiya Lagoon in sout...

The continuous increase in synthetic plastic production, combined with poor plastic waste management, has resulted in an increased dumping of plastics into our aqueous environment. As a result, microplastics, which are defined as plastic particles of less than 5 mm in size, are produced and persist in both seawater and freshwater environments. Micr...

Emerging renal biomarkers (e.g., kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL)) are thought to be highly sensitive in diagnosing renal injury. However, global data on reference intervals for emerging biomarkers in younger populations are lacking. Here, we aimed to determine reference intervals for KIM-1 and...

Extensive use of herbicides is common among rural agricultural workers in Sri Lanka. Recent studies have postulated their role in the development of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu). Paraquat and glyphosate are leading herbicides used by sugarcane farmers (SF), hence occupational exposure is inevitable. This study examined the expr...

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a globally prevalent non-communicable disease with significant mortality and morbidity. It is typically associated with diabetes and hypertension; however, over the last two decades, an emergence of CKD of unknown etiology (CKDu) has claimed thousands of lives in several tropical agricultural communities. CKDu is ass...

The last column in Table 1, “As air conc.” is not used in the text and was included by mistake.

One of cadmium’s major exposure routes to humans is through rice consumption. The concentrations of cadmium in the global polished (white), market rice supply-chain were assessed in 2270 samples, purchased from retailers across 32 countries, encompassing 6 continents. It was found on a global basis that East Africa had the lowest cadmium with a med...

Rice is frequently reported to be contaminated with heavy metals (HMs); thus, the human health risks from its consumption have received increasing attention. A total of 165 commercial rice samples from Sri Lanka were collected to determine their cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and lead (Pb) concentrations. The exposure risk for Sri Lankans from the est...

Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is an emerging global concern affecting several agricultural communities in the Americas and South Asia. Environmental contaminants such as heavy metals (e.g., Cd, As, Pb, and V) and organic pesticides (e.g., glyphosate) in the drinking water have been hypothesized to play a role in childhood onset...

Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is an emerging epidemiological concern primarily associated with rural agricultural communities across the globe. Despite adults as the main focus of research, children in affected areas share the same potential risk factors. Therefore, we hypothesized that screening for early renal abnormalities am...

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a globally prevalent non-communicable disease with significant mortality and morbidity. It is typically associated with diabetes and hypertension; however, over the last two decades, an emergence of CKD of unknown etiology (CKDu) has claimed thousands of lives in several tropical agricultural communities. CKDu is ass...

Methylmercury (MeHg) in rice has attracted growing health concern over the past decade, due to the accumulation of high MeHg levels, which may pose potential health risk to humans. Rice is the staple food in Sri Lanka; nevertheless, the presence of micro pollutants, such as MeHg has been not investigated. Therefore, commercial rice samples from the...

Despite the increasing use of pesticides in tropical countries, research and legislative efforts have focused on their temperate counterparts. This paper presents a review of the literature on environmental risk assessment of pesticides for tropical terrestrial agroecosystems. It aims at evaluating potential differences in pesticide risk between te...

Ecotoxicity tests provide a reliable measure of the bioavailability of toxicants and establish further links between site contamination and adverse ecological effects. In this study, the effects of Ricestar® (Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl 69 g/l + Ethoxysulfuron 20 g/l) on survival, growth, reproduction and avoidance of the epigeic earthworm species Eisenia a...

Tillergold (fenoxaprop-p-ethyl 69g/l + ethoxysulfuron 20 g/l) a phenoxy and sulfonylurea herbicide, widely used by Sri Lankan farmers. However the toxicity of Tillergold for beneficial soil organisms is not known. A Study was conducted to determine the acute and chronic toxicity of Tillergold on three agricultural areas in Sri Lanka using an earthw...

Extensive use of herbicides is common among agriculture workers in Sri Lanka (SL). Recent studies hypothesized the role of agrochemicals in the development of mysterious chronic kidney disease termed as CKDu. Paraquat and Glyphosate were leading herbicides among sugarcane farmers (SF) hence occupational exposure is inevitable. This study reports de...

Arsenic speciation, their inputs, for wet deposition are not well understood. Here we demonstrate that trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) and inorganic arsenic are the dominant species in summer, Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh, monsoonal, wet deposition, with inorganic arsenic dominating, accounting for ~80% of total arsenic in this medium. Lower concen...

The beginning of the 21st century has seen the emergence of a new chronic tubulo-interstitial kidney disease of uncertain cause among agricultural communities in Central America and Sri Lanka. Despite many similarities in demography, presentation, clinical features, and renal histopathology in affected individuals in these regions, a toxic etiology...

Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) is an emerging epidemic among farming communities in rural Sri Lanka. Victims do not exhibit common causative factors, however , histopathological studies revealed that CKDu is a tubulointerstitial disease. Urine albumin or albumin-creatinine ratio is still being used as a traditional diagnostic t...

STROBE statement. (DOC)

Herbicides are very important group of pesticides widely used and applied directly to the soil. Few studies have only dealt with herbicide side effects in the soil ecosystem and little information is available on potential effects on soil organisms under tropical conditions. Direct application of herbicides to soil may affect structure and function...

Glyphosate (GLY) is a non-selective weedicide widely used by vegetable farmers in Nuwara Eliya (NE), Sri Lanka. It has been recently declared as carcinogenic and induces nephrotoxicity in rat models. Poor weedicide handling and management are common among farmers and it may increase the risks of exposure to the weedicides. Therefore we conducted a...

Paraquat (1, 1 – dimethyl-4, 4-bipyridylium dichloride) is a contact herbicide, predominantly used in Sri Lanka. Despite the imposed ban in agriculture sector, Paraquat usage was seen among sugarcane farmers in Pelawatta compared to vegetable farmers in Nuwara Eliya. Therefore the level of Paraquat exposure was studied among sugarcane farmers compa...

Arsenic (As) is ubiquitous in nature and humans being exposed to arsenic via atmospheric air, ground water and food sources are certain. Major sources of arsenic contamination could be either through geological or via anthropogenic activities. In physiological individuals, organ system is described as group of organs that transact collectively and...

Biflex ® TC is termiticidal concentrated formulation containing the active ingredient Bifenthrin. It has been widely used as a public health pesticide for the control of termites in tropical soils. Direct application of the Biflex ® TC into the soil may affect beneficial soil organisms such as earthworms. Therefore toxicity of Biflex ® TC on surviv...

Biflex®TC is a termiticidal concentrated formulation containing the active ingredient Bifenthrin. It has been widely used as a public health pesticide to control termites in tropical soils. Direct application of the Biflex®TC into the soil may affect beneficial soil organisms such as earthworms. Therefore toxicity of Biflex®TC on survival, growth a...

Bioremediation is the most effective innovative technology that uses biological systems for treatment of contaminants. Vermicomposting has been identified as a potential tool for bioremediation nevertheless it has not been previously used in Sri Lanka. Therefore two selected vermicomposts were assessed for using them as a possible bioremediation to...

In a large scale survey of rice grains from markets (13 countries) and fields (6 countries), a total of 1578 rice grain samples were analysed for lead. From the market collected samples, only 0.6% of the samples exceeded the Chinese and EU limit of 0.2 μg g− 1 lead in rice (when excluding samples collected from known contaminated/mine impacted regi...

Cereal grains are the dominant source of cadmium to the human diet, with rice being to the fore. Here we explore the effect of geographic, genetic and processing (milling) factors on rice grain cadmium and rice consumption rates that lead to dietary variance in cadmium intake. From a survey of 12 countries on four continents, cadmium levels in rice...

Effects of pesticides on structural and functional properties of ecosystems are rarely studied under tropical conditions. In this study litterbag and earthworm field tests were performed simultaneously at the same tropical field site sprayed with chlorpyrifos (CPF). The recommended dose of CPF (0.6 kg a.i. ha(-1)) and two higher doses (4.4-8.8 kg a...

SummaryPCR-RFLP analysis of mitochondrial DNA (NADH-3/4 gene and the control region) of the Benguelan bearded goby Sufflogobius bibarbatus revealed weak, but significant genetic differentiation (overall FST = 0.137) that could not be predicted by hydrodynamics alone, thus warranting further investigations to understand the forces behind population...

Effects of chlorpyrifos, carbofuran, mancozeb and their formulated products on survival, growth and reproduction of the tropical earthworm Perionyx excavatus were investigated in standard artificial soil. The toxicity of the three chemicals decreased in the order carbofuran>chlorpyrifos>mancozeb. In general, formulations were more toxic than the ac...

The standard soil invertebrate toxicity tests developed by OECD and ISO use an artificial soil as the test substrate, which contains sphagnum peat as a component. This type of peat is not widely available. Investigation of possible alternative substrates using locally available materials therefore is vital for performing such ecotoxicity tests, par...

Terrestrial avoidance behavior is proposed as a fast and cost-effective method for assessing effects of pesticides on earthworms. Tropical species however, have rarely been used in avoidance tests. Avoidance tests were performed with Perionyx excavatus, a tropical species, and Eisenia andrei as the standard species, using chlorpyrifos and carbofura...