BackgroundPatients’ knowledge on prescribed medications play a key role in the long term management of cardiac diseases and in determining their outcome. The present study evaluates the knowledge about prescribed medication among cardiac patients and aim to identify factors influencing knowledge.MethodsA descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 adult patients attending clinics at the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Knowledge assessment focused on four different sections; drug name, dose, frequency and indication. The total score of 60 was calculated by giving each component the following weighted scores; drug name = 20, indication = 20, drug dose = 10 and frequency = 10. A binary logistic regression analysis to evaluate factors associated with ‘good knowledge’ (total score ≥ 40) was performed.ResultsAmong 200 participants 56.5% (n = 113) were males. Mean age was 59.7 ± 8.2 years and a majority (n = 170, 85.0%) were older than 50 years of age. Sinhala was the primary language of 91.5% (n = 183) of participants, while English was the primary language in only two of the study participants (1.0%). Eighty four percent of the participants were educated up to secondary education or above, while 2.5% (n = 5) had no formal education. The overall knowledge (total score-60) on prescribed medications among the study population was ‘poor’ (score ≤ 20) in 46%, ‘adequate’ (score 21–40) in 36.5% and ‘good’ (score ≥ 40) in 17.5%. The results of the binary logistic regression analysis indicates that Secondary (OR-1.53) and Tertiary levels (OR-2.79) of education, self-reported perception of illness as being Moderate (OR-1.23) or Severe (OR-1.70) and being educated by a doctor (as reported by patients) (OR-1.69) significantly increased the odds of having a ‘Good Knowledge of Drugs’. Majority of the patients were unable to read and understand the information written in English. The doctor’s contributed towards educating on drug information only in 33.0% of the patients.ConclusionIn a resource-poor setting in patients with Limited English Proficiency, lower level of education and misperception of illness severity resulted in reduced knowledge on prescribed medications. Furthermore, being educated by a doctor significantly improved knowledge. However the doctors’ contribution at present to deliver quality health information to their patients was at an unsatisfactory level.

Societal Impact Statement Weedy plants are a major constraint on agricultural productivity. Weedy rice is a weed that invades rice fields worldwide and is responsible for reductions in rice yields. Studies to date have detected multiple independent weedy rice origins in different parts of the world. We investigated the origin of weedy rice in Spain and Portugal and found that it has evolved from a cultivated rice variety group grown locally. Iberian weeds carry mutations that reverse domesticated pericarp color to its ancestral red color. Our results imply that management strategies are needed to prevent the evolution of troublesome weeds from cultivated ancestors. Summary Weedy rice, a damaging conspecific weed of cultivated rice, has arisen multiple times independently around the world. Understanding all weedy rice origins is necessary to create more effective weed management strategies. The origins of weedy rice in Spain and Portugal, where there are no native Oryza species, are unknown. In this study, we try to identify the likely ancestors of Iberian weedy rice and the mechanisms involved in the evolution of two weedy traits, seed shattering, and red pericarps. We used genotyping by sequencing to understand the origin of Iberian weedy rice and its relationship to other weedy, wild, and cultivated rice groups worldwide. We also genotyped candidate genes for shattering and pericarp color. We find that weedy rice in the Iberian Peninsula has primarily evolved through de‐domestication of temperate japonica cultivars, with minor origins from exotic weedy rice. Iberian weeds have evolved the capacity to shatter seeds via novel loci and have acquired red pericarps via compensatory mutations in the Rc domestication gene. Our results suggest the Iberian weeds have experienced selection at multiple locations in the genome to establish as weeds, likely targeting male fertility genes among other functions. Our characterization of Iberian weedy rice adds to the growing evidence that de‐domestication of cultivated rice varieties is the main source of weedy rice worldwide. Their evolutionary versatility explains why weedy rice continues to be one of the most problematic weeds of cultivated rice.

IntroductionThis study describes pathological findings of mediastinal masses among patients referred to National Hospital for Respiratory Diseases. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with mediastinal masses referred to National Hospital for Respiratory Diseases, Welisara, Sri Lanka in 2017, who underwent excision or guided biopsy followed by standard histological and immunohistochemical staining. ResultsThe population was aged 8-75[mean (SD) =42.8(17.0)] years. Of 139 patients, 80(57.6%) were males. Masses were located in anterior mediastinum in 49.6 %( n=69), superior mediastinum in 20.1 %( n=28), middle mediastinum in 15.1 %( n=21) and posterior mediastinum in 14.4 %( n=20). Majority (65.5%, n=91) were excision biopsies. The rest were core biopsies. Commonest mass was lymphoma [n=27,19.4%;Non-Hodgkin(n=20),Hodgkin(n=7)] followed b y t h y m i c t u m o u r s [ n = 2 2 , 1 5 . 8 % ; b e n i g n ( n = 1 6 ) , malignant(n=6)], germ cell tumours (11.5%,n=16), metastatic deposits (10.8%,n=15), developmental cysts (8.6%,n=12), non-neoplastic lymphadenitis (7.9%,n=11), neuroectodermal tumours (5.8%,n=8), soft tissue sarcomas (2.9%,n=4), leiomyoma (0.7%,n=1), benign spindle cell tumour (0.7%,n=1) and plasmacytoma (0.7%,n=1). Twentyone (15.1%) specimens were either normal or inconclusive. A one-way ANOVA showed significant differences in the distribution of age among different types of masses [Welch's F (df=7, n=115) =10.09, p=.000]. Post-hoc comparisons, showed that the age of patients with germ cell tumours ( m e a n = 2 9 . 7 ± 1 1 . 5 y e a r s ) , d e v e l o p m e n t a l c y s t s (mean=38.8±16.5years) and lymphomas (mean=34.0±15.7 years) were less compared to the patients with other masses. A Chi-square test indicated no significant association between gender and the type of mediastinal mass [χ2 (df=7, n=115) =6.561, p=.48]. ConclusionsLymphoma was the commonest mediastinal mass in this population. Germ cell tumours, developmental cysts and lymphomas were commonly found among the young.

IntroductionThis study describes pathological findings of lung and pleural neoplasms among a cohort of Sri Lankan patients. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with lung and pleural tumours referred to National Hospital for Respiratory Diseases in 2017. Patients who underwent biopsy under direct vision or radiological guidance were included. Contrast Enhanced Computerized Tomography (CECT) findings were correlated with the histological diagnosis. ResultsThe population was aged 8-93[mean (SD) =58.4(13.3)] years. Of 396 patients, 252(63.6%) were males. Majority (n=324, 81.4%) had lung tumours while 72(18.2%) had pleural tumours. Malignant neoplasms were found in 373(n=94.2). Of them, majority (n=180, 45.5%) were core biopsies, followed by lobectomies (n=77, 19.4%). Commonest benign lung tumour was hamartoma (n=13, 3.3%). Schwannoma was the commonest benign pleural tumour (n=3, 0.8%). Among the primary malignant lung tumours, adenocarcinoma was the commonest (n=124, 31.3%). Six (1.5%) primary malignant pleural neoplasms (mesotheliomas) were found. Among the metastatic deposits in the lung, the majority was colorectal adenocarcinomas (n=9, 2.3%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of CECT in discriminating malignant lung and pleural tumours were 94.6%, 90.9%, 99.3%, and 54.1% respectively. A one-way ANOVA showed significant differences in the distribution of age among different types of masses [F (5,396) =2.759, p=.018]. The age of patients with benign lung neoplasms (mean=51.3±17.4 years), was less compared to the malignant pleural tumours and primary malignant lung tumours.