Pharmacy

Prevalence of leftover medicines and associated factors among patients attending different clinics at Teaching Hospital Jaffna, Northern Province

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Prevalence of leftover medicines and associated factors among patients attending different clinics at Teaching Hospital Jaffna, Northern Province Vinothini, J.; Kalki, P.; Harshya, A.; Aravinthi, Y. Introduction & Objective: Leftover medicines (LMs) are medicines that remain unused or partially used after being dispensed. LM accumulation has become a growing healthcare concern as it may lead to medication wastage, healthcare costs, and finally led to treatment failure. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of and identify the factors associated with the LMs. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 580 different clinic patients attending Teaching Hospital, Jaffna, in 2026 and stratified random sampling was adopted. Data were collected through an intervieweradministered questionnaire for patient’s information and medications information was extracted from clinical records. Results: The median participant age was 58 years (IQR: 44–68), and 59% were female. The prevalence of LMs was 82%. Tablets and capsules were the most common dosage form (83%). Among 17 therapeutic categories, antihypertensive (15%), and analgesic (12%) medicines were the most common LMs. The major reasons were cognitive-related medication non-adherence (36%), obtaining medicines beyond clinical need (23%), and reductions in prescribed doses (13%). LMs were significantly associated with age >60 years, below secondary education, unemployment, chronic disease, follow-up intervals >2 months, disease duration >4 years, and prescription of >5 medicines (p < 0.001). Adverse effects (p = 0.002) and poor understanding of medication instructions (p = 0.005) were also significantly associated. Conclusion: LMs were highly prevalent and significantly associated with several socio demographic factors. Study reveals the importance of structured medication reconciliation and patient counselling during follow-up visits.

Drinking water quality and associated risk factors among chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology patients at Nephrology clinic, Divisional hospital, Padavi Sripura

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Drinking water quality and associated risk factors among chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology patients at Nephrology clinic, Divisional hospital, Padavi Sripura Karthiga, M.; Wimalarathna, W.C.S.S.M.; Herath, G.H.M.N.T.; Rajapaksha, R.D.J.S.; Saseevan, S.; Sivasinthujah, S.; Ramesh, J. Introduction & Objectives: Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown etiology (CKDu) is a major public health concern in Sri Lanka, particularly in dry zone agricultural areas. Drinking water quality and agrochemical exposure have been reported as potential contributors. This study aimed to evaluate the drinking water quality and the associated risk factors for CKDu among patients at Nephrology clinic of Divisional Hospital Padavi Sripura. Materials & Methods: Forty-eight CKDu patients were included in this study. Clinical and and other related data were obtained from both clinic records and interviewer-administered questionnaire. Drinking water samples were analyzed for pH (pH meter), electrical conductivity (EC) (conductivity meter), total dissolved solids (TDS) (gravimetric analysis), total hardness (TH) (EDTA titrimetric method) and fluoride concentration (ion selective electrode). Data were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation, Kruskal- Wallis test, and multiple linear regression. Results: Among 48 participants, 81.25% were males. Farmers accounted for 68.75%. Well water was the primary drinking water source of participants (85.42%). Dug and tube well water showed pH, 7.01 ± 0.17 (SLS: 6.5-8.5), EC, 1007.93 ± 371.23 μS/cm (SLS: 750), TDS, 752.81 ± 253.14 mg/L (SLS: 500), TH 420.00 ± 137.18 mg/L (SLS: 250), and fluoride 0.68 ± 0.20 mg/L (SLS: 1.0). Filtration significantly reduces EC, TDS, TH, and fluoride (p < 0.05), whereas boiling produces minimal reduction in EC, TDS, and TH. Score was positively correlated with EC (ρ = 0.624, p < 0.001), TDS (ρ = 0.602, p < 0.001), TH (ρ = 0.366, p = 0.011), and fluoride (ρ = 0.474, p = 0.001). TDS was identified as the only significant predictor of Scr. Conclusions: The findings suggest poor drinking water quality, particularly high TDS and mineral content are associated with impaired kidney function among CKDu patients in Padavi Sripura. However, it needs further validation with large sample size.

In vitro evaluation of antidiabetic activity of the methanolic extract of the seed of Vateria copallifera

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

In vitro evaluation of antidiabetic activity of the methanolic extract of the seed of Vateria copallifera Athapatthu, A.W.M.A.K.; Rathnayake, G.W.S.L.; Prasadi, H.L.T.; Sivasinthujah, S. Introduction & Objectives: Vateria copallifera alston is one of the endemic plants in Sri Lanka and is reported to have larvicidal, antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Ayurveda uses the plant's seeds to treat diabetes mellitus. Because of this medicinal value and the fact that no studie investigated the antidiabetic property of the seed, this study focuses on evaluating the antidiabetic activity of the methanolic seed extract. Seeds were collected in Kalutara, Sri Lanka. Materials & Methods: Seeds were dried, powdered, and macerated in methanol to obtain the methanolic extract. The antidiabetic potential was evaluated by the α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory assay using acarbose as standard. Total phenolic content was evaluated using gallic acid as the standard. Qualitative phytochemical screening was performed on crude methanol extracts. All experiments were performed in triplicate and reported as mean ± standard deviation. Results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test (p < 0.05) in SPSS23. Results: The methanolic extraction of seeds produced an extraction yielded of 16.77%. Regarding the α-amylase inhibition, acarbose exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect (IC50: 145.3629±4.12 μg/ml), while V. copallifera seed extract exhibited moderate inhibitory activity (IC50: 3046.180 ± 1025.67 μg/mL). Regarding α-glucosidase inhibition, acarbose exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect (IC50:211.98 ± 1.16 μg/mL), while the seed extract exhibited (IC50: 318.04 ± 0.947 μg/mL). The total phenolic compound of the seeds was 59.39 ± 1.08 mg GAE/g extract. Statistical analysis showed that the IC50 values of seed extract for both α-amylase and α-glucosidase differed significantly from those of acarbose (p < 0.05). The qualitative phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, gum mucilage and glycosides. Conclusions: This study provides first evidence that V. copallifera seed extract has antidiabetic activity, supporting its Ayurvedic use. It showed potent α-glucosidase inhibition, but weaker α- amylase inhibition. This activity likely stems from high phenolic content and phytochemicals. Further isolation and in vivo studies are warranted

In-vitro antioxidant activity of the methanolic leaf extract of Jeffreycia zeylanica

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

In-vitro antioxidant activity of the methanolic leaf extract of Jeffreycia zeylanica Sulaxsan, V.; Delakshainy, V.; Weragodaarachchi, H.A.S.; Sivasinthujah, S. Introduction & Objectives: Jeffreycia zeylanica, an endemic medicinal plant of Sri Lanka, leaf of the plant is traditionally used to treat various ailments, including fractures and bone fusion, boils, eczema, asthma, food poisoning, diarrhea, dysentery, wounds, and abscesses, and are also used as an antivenom agent; however, scientific evidence supporting its antioxidant activity remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the in-vitro antioxidant activity of the methanolic leaf extract of J. zeylanica. Materials & Methods: Fresh leaves of J. zeylanica were collected during October 2025 from Kaithady, Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka, authenticated by at the National Herbarium, Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, shadedried, powdered, and extracted by methanolic maceration. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay was assessed at 200 μg/mL, with ascorbic acid as the reference standard. The total phenolic content was evaluated using the Folin–Ciocalteu method at 200 μg/mL, with gallic acid as the reference standard. DPPH activity was expressed as IC₅₀, while FRAP and TPC were expressed as mg AAE/g extract and mg GAE/g extract, respectively. All experiments were performed in triplicate and reported as mean ± standard deviation. An independent-samples t-test was used to compare DPPH IC₅₀ values between the extract and ascorbic acid at a 5% significance level (p < 0.05). Results: The methanolic extract exhibited moderate antioxidant activity, with the mean IC₅₀ value of 49.02 ± 3.58 μg/mL, whereas the mean IC₅₀ value of the ascorbic acid standard was 24.96 ± 0.51 μg/mL. Statistical analysis indicates a significant difference between the standard and the methanolic extract (p < 0.05). The FRAP of the methanolic extract was 402.85 mg AAE/g extract, and the total phenolic content was 385.455 mg GAE/g extract. Conclusions: The methanolic extract of J. zeylanica exhibits in-vitro antioxidant activity, which might be due to the presence of phenolic content. These findings support the traditional medical use of J. zeylanica and highlight its potential as a natural source of antioxidant compounds for future pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.