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Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a major global health concern, responsible for 71% of annual deaths, particularly impacting low- and middle-income countries. Medication nonadherence is a significant contributor to poor NCD control. This study, conducted at Divisional Hospital Thalangama in Sri Lanka with 400 NCD patients, reveals barriers to adherence and access to medical services. Participants were primarily female, elderly, and had limited education and income. Prevalent NCDs included type II diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Adherence to dietary guidelines and health-promoting practices was suboptimal. Addressing these barriers is essential for improving NCD management and reducing health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was focused on explaining food selectivity in endemic Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill Ocyceros gingalensis to fill the gaps in the behavioral ecology of this endemic species. The study was conducted within Mihintale Sanctuary for five months from December 2015 to April 2016. Ringed hornbills were used to monitor the number of food items that were consumed from within the Food Abundance Index (FAI) and quantify the distribution and availability of resources to examine the potential of fruit selectivity. Thirteen fruiting plant families were recorded as preferred food. Food consumption and FAI values are not significantly correlated (r = 0.60, p = 0.285). The dietary composition increased in the breeding season due to a higher requirement for nutrients by the nestlings. Nutrient analysis results revealed that moisture (H = 7.50, p = 0.006), fiber (H = 6.53, p = 0.011), and ash (H = 6.07, p = 0.013) components were significant between eaten and non-eaten fruits. The amount of all the nutrients available in the fruits as well as FAI does not directly affect the fruit selectivity of the Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill in the Mihintale Sanctuary. This fruit selection and the seed dispersal ability of the Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill contributes to maintaining the ecosystem diversity and forest regeneration, especially in the Dry Zone in Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although the impostor phenomenon is attributed to childhood experiences, theory on achievement motivation indicates that achievement-related fears can also be elicited by the context. Using achievement goal theory as a base, the authors investigate the effect of context-dependent predictors, job-fit, career stage and organisational tenure, on impostor fears. The authors also examined gender and the achievement-related traits, self-efficacy and locus of control, as predictors of impostor fears to advance knowledge on antecedents to impostor fears. Design/methodology/approach: Two studies were conducted with 270 and 280 participants, each. In Study 1, a subset of 12 respondents participated in follow-up interviews. Findings: Impostor fears tended to be predicted by organisational tenure and career stage in both studies and job-fit in Study 1. Self-efficacy and locus of control predicted impostor fears. Men and women reported similar levels of impostor fears. Practical implications: The authors demonstrate the importance of context in eliciting impostor fears and partially support initial descriptions of antecedents to impostor fears. The findings contribute to the development of targeted managerial practices that can help with the development of interventions, such as orientation programmes, that will enhance socialisation processes and mitigate impostor fears. Originality/value: The literature on imposter fears has not addressed their situational predictors, which the authors argue are important elements in the genesis and maintenance of impostor fears. The authors draw on achievement goal theory to explain the pattern of findings related to key situational characteristics and their influence on imposter fears. The findings for Sri Lanka, on personality predictors, are similar to those reported in studies focused on North America providing evidence of cross-cultural applicability of the concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of green adaptive reuse (GAR) is considered to be difficult and lacks the attention in the field of research. The potential of implementing GAR has become uncertain since the way of implementing specific practices is still unknown when the context is different. In Sri Lanka, building professionals are reluctant to use GAR approach due to various obstacles. Specially, due to the scarcity of land, high energy consumption and costs, most of the existing abandoned buildings in Sri Lanka are demolished despite the significant benefits of GAR of buildings. Thus, this research is aimed to develop a framework that could facilitate the implemention of GAR for existing buildings in Sri Lanka. A qualitative research approach was followed for this research with semi-structured interviews. The findings were analyzed using the content analysis method. Significant factors for the implementation of GAR approach were identified mainly under seven criteria including physical, economical, functional, technological, social, legal and political. Further, barriers and strategies for the implementation of GAR for existing buildings in Sri Lanka were revealed. Based on the findings, a framework was developed as a guidance for the implementation of GAR for existing buildings in Sri Lanka which was the key outcome of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study integrates the resource demand and social exchange perspectives and assesses if employer brand, organizational politics, self‐efficacy, and family‐work conflict predict employee engagement. Furthermore, this paper examines the impact of boundary conditions of employee engagement by focusing on exchange ideology and gender. Data were collected using questionnaires from 411 managerial employees working in licensed commercial banks in Sri Lanka. The results revealed that employer brand, perceived organizational politics, and self‐efficacy were significantly related to employee engagement. The results, however, did not support the negative relationship between family‐work conflict and employee engagement or the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between family‐work conflict and employee engagement. But, exchange ideology moderated the relationship between employer brand and employee engagement albeit contrary to the hypothesized directions. The implications of this research, possible limitations and directions for future research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being the dietary staple in most Asian countries, the concentrations of toxic and essential element content in rice is an important aspect in terms of both toxicological and nutritional standpoints. This study aimed to analyse trace elements (As, Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, and Mo) in improved, traditional, and imported rice varieties consumed in Colombo district, Sri Lanka during 2018 and 2019. Further, the potential health risks were assessed in terms of maximum levels and provisional tolerable daily intake. Among the toxic elements analysed, As, Cd, Cr, and Pb were detected in certain rice varieties. Arsenic was detected in all three rice categories and the number of As detected samples were higher compared to other toxic elements in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, 4.2% of traditional rice exceeded As maximum level (0.2 mg/kg) whereas 2.1% of improved and 4.2% of traditional rice exceeded Pb maximum level (0.2 mg/kg). However, none of the toxic elements in rice exceeded the respective maximum levels in 2019. Only mean estimated daily intake of Pb through Kaluheenati exceeded the provisional tolerable daily intake value (0.0015 mg/kg bw/d) in 2018. Rice varieties that reported the highest toxic elements were Basmathi (imported), Samba (improved), and Kaluheenati, Madathawalu, Pachchaperuman, and Suwadel (traditional). With regard to essential elements, concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Mo in rice were positively correlated (p < 0.05) to each other, and the highest essential element concentration were found in traditional rice with red pericarp (i.e., Kaluheenati, Madathawalu, and Pachchaperuman). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to develop a framework for the implementation of Green BIM technology for existing buildings in Sri Lankan context. A multiple case study was conducted under a qualitative research approach. Two existing buildings were selected for the cases. Autodesk Revit was used to design the BIM models of the cases. As Green BIM techniques solar analysis and energy analysis were conducted using Green Building Studio simulation software. Solar simulation results included cumulative insolation as 463,825 and 480,538 kwh, PV energy production as 231,659 and 111,024 kwh/year, energy savings as $34,749 and $16,654 and pay pack periods as 18.5 and 15 years for case 01 and 02, respectively. Further, research revealed the challenges during the application of Green BIM for existing buildings when building data are not adequately available. Moreover, this study proposed the solutions that are taken during the study to overcome the challenges. This study justifies the potential of Green BIM implementation for existing buildings through an in-depth analysis of challenges and possible solutions with a framework that can be used. This encourages building owners and facility managers towards using Green BIM for existing buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floods can be identified as one of the devastating natural phenomena, which resulted in a considerable amount of social, economic and environmental impacts. Sri Lanka is a country that is highly vulnerable to floods due to its unique geographical location and topography. Many flood management measures, which mainly include structural and non-structural have implemented to reduce the impact of floods. Among them, structural measures play a vital role in flood management. However, the failures in achieving the expected performance of these existing structural measures urge the need to identify issues with them and overcome those issues to enhance the flood management process in Sri Lanka. Hence, this study focused to investigate the issues related to structural flood management measures in Sri Lanka to bridge this knowledge gap. Initially, a literature review was conducted to gain a theoretical understanding of the research area. The research approach was qualitative, which was followed by two in-depth case studies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 industry experts to gather data. Collected data were analysed via content analysis. Empirical research findings revealed that structural measures play a prominent role in flood management. However, significant issues such as ageing of structural measures, leakages, construction faults, inadequate capacity, blocking of water flow and possibility of collapsing were identified in these existing structural flood management measures, which negatively impact the effectiveness of the overall flood management process within the country. The findings of this study will lead to gain a proper understanding of gaps and weaknesses in structural flood management measures in Sri Lanka and would influence the policymakers and other respective practitioners in disaster management to enhance structural flood management by using their novel ideas and concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity rates are rising rapidly in low-middle-income-countries (LMICs). School-based interventions have shown moderate efficacy in improving diet and lifestyle associated with obesity in high-income countries. However, there is little data available on effective interventions suitable for LMICs. We devised a novel program for primary school children including a simple storybook and sticker-based food-diary (FD) and conducted a pilot study to evaluate the acceptability and short-term effectiveness of the program.Methods: This pre-post intervention study included grade 1 and 2 students from four public schools in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Weight and height were assessed, and participating children self-monitored their diet using sticker-based FDs for one week at baseline (pre-test). The following week, class teachers discussed the storybook, which incorporated the benefits/disadvantages of a healthy/unhealthy diet and lifestyle in classrooms. At the end of the intervention, participating children were self-monitoring their diet again for a week (post-test). A simple scoring system was used to derive a weekly score based on the healthiness of the meals consumed each week (FD-score). The primary outcome of the study was change in eating habits following the story book discussion (post-test FD score - pre-test FD score). Acceptability and effectiveness were also assessed by anonymized feedback questionnaires for parents and teachers.Results: One thousand and forty-two students completed the program. There was an improvement in eating habits of participating children, with FD scores improving by 12% from 51 ± 23 at baseline to 63 ± 24 following the intervention (p < 0.001). Further, when considering BMI category of participants: 69.1% were normal weight (NW), 18.3% underweight (UW), 7.4% overweight (OW) and 5.2% obese (OB). Improvement in eating habits were seen among children of all BMI categories (change in FD-score: UW 13.2%, NW 12.3%, OW 10.4% and OB 12.4% (p < 0.001)). Furthermore,> 90% parents(n = 1028) and > 95% teachers(n = 39) strongly agreed/agreed that the intervention was easy to implement, motivated children and led to an observable improvement in healthy eating.Conclusion: This novel program led to an immediate improvement in eating habits and was well accepted by parents and teachers making it a potentially suitable intervention for wider implementation in primary schools in urban Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The decision-making styles of human resource professionals (HRPs) in resolving complaints of sexual harassment are extremely important as they form the backbone of effectiveness in the resolution of a complaint. The purpose of this paper is to explore these decision-making styles and gauge their effectiveness in resolving such complaints. Design/methodology/approach: Employing a qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 HRPs of 30 companies in Sri Lanka. Findings: We found eight decision-making styles used by HRPs in resolving complaints of sexual harassment: (1) analytical, (2) behavioural, (3) directive, (4) conceptual, (5) avoidant, (6) dependent, (7) intuitive and judgemental, and (8) manipulative and persuasive. HRPs were found to generally adopt combinations of these styles, with one or two styles being dominant while one or two were used as back-up styles. In resolving complaints of sexual harassment, certain combinations of these styles were found to be more effective than others because they led to procedural, distributive and interactional justice. Practical implications: The implications of these findings for self-reflection and in training for the HRPs are also discussed. Originality/value: The findings of this study assist us in understanding how and why HRPs make different decisions when resolving seemingly similar complaints and the effectiveness of such decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Objective Methods Results Conclusion Assess longer‐term changes in food habits and anthropometry among Grades 1–2 primary school students from four public schools in Colombo, Sri Lanka, following a 3‐week programme including a classroom‐based motivational storybook discussion and self‐monitoring food diary (FD).This follow‐up study assessed changes from baseline (pre‐intervention) BMI z‐scores and food habits (increased healthy food‐item consumption/decreased unhealthy food‐item consumption reflected by an increase in FD score) and parental perceptions (anonymous questionnaires) among 863 students (aged 6–8 years), between 9 and 12 months after completing the programme (November 2019–February 2020).Food habits showed sustained improvement from baseline mean FD score (baseline vs. follow‐up: 51 ± 23% vs. 67 ± 22%, p < 0.001), with children from all BMI subgroups (underweight [UW], normal weight [NW], overweight [OW] and obesity [OB]) showing a significant increase in FD scores (ranging from 14.1% to 17.2%, p < 0.001). BMI z‐scores increased in children living with UW (−2.85 to −2.21, p < 0.00) and NW (−0.70 to −0.57, p < 0.001), but did not change in children with OW (+1.5 to +1.49, p = 0.83) and OB (+2.85 to +2.21, p = 0.19). Most parents (n = 497, 97.8%) reported satisfaction with programme outcomes.This programme led to sustained improvement in food habits among young primary school children from all BMI categories, increase in BMI towards the median among children living with UW and NW, and stabilization of BMI in children with OW and OB, suggesting it as a useful tool for improving nutritional status of young children in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC) facing the double burden of under‐ and overnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Competent end-of-life care is an essential component of total health care provision, but evidence suggests that it is often deficient. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes about key end-of-life issues and principles of good death among doctors in clinical settings.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among allopathic medical doctors working in in-ward clinical settings of tertiary care hospitals in Sri Lanka using a self-administered questionnaire with open- and close-ended questions as well as hypothetical clinical scenarios. Univariate and logistic regression analysis were used to identify the independent factors associated with knowledge and attitudes.Results: Of the responders who had not been a caregiver for a terminally ill relative (n = 390), 57.9% were men with a mean age of 36.5 years (SD = 8.2). Compared to undergraduate (65.6%; n = 256), only 27.4% (n = 107) had received end-of-life care training at postgraduate level. Only 65.9% of doctors favoured disclosing terminal prognosis to patients; 27.7% of doctors were aware of advance directives; 14.6% were aware of the correct time of death when certifying brain death; 70.3% felt more comfortable in withholding than withdrawing life-sustaining treatment; 61.3% were aware of do-not-attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions while 26.7% felt reluctant to administer it; 15.1% thought that all life-sustaining therapy should be withdrawn with a DNACPR decision; and only17.9% were able to name the four principles of medical ethics while 57.9% could not name a single. Participants scored a mean of 9.2 (SD = 3.9) of a maximum 14 points when tested on principles of a 'good death'. Doctors who had pursued postgraduate studies were more likely to be aware of breaking bad news (adjusted-Odds-Ratio:1.99; 95%CI = 1.19-3.32), advance directives (adjusted-OR: 4.15; 95%CI = 2.49-6.94), aware of certifying the correct time of death (adjusted-OR:2.37; 95%CI = 1.33-4.2) and less reluctant to make DNACPR decisions (adjusted-OR:1.74; 95%CI = 1.13-2.68). Doctors who had worked in ICU were more comfortable withholding than withdrawing treatment (adjusted-OR:1.99; 95%CI = 1.2-3.31).Conclusions: Knowledge and attitudes about end-of-life care, good death and principles of medical ethics among doctors in Sri Lanka were suboptimal. Structured training of end-of-life care needs to be integrated within curricula and in-service training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacterium tuberculosis belonging to Beijing sublineage (BL) is associated with high tuberculosis (TB) transmission, multidrug resistance, and adverse treatment outcomes. Sri Lanka experiences an increase in the number of travellers/workers to and from high TB-burden countries, and there is risk of getting BL strains imported into the country. In this context, a cohort study was conducted to assess the prevalence of BL strains among pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients in the Kandy district of Sri Lanka (a popular tourist destination) and its association with patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. The study population included sputum smear-positive PTB patients diagnosed from February 2018–July 2019. Fresh sputum samples were collected for culturing and conducted polymerase chain reaction using BL-specific primers. Among the 101 patients recruited, presence of BL strains could be ascertained in 94 patients of which 24 (26%; 95% CI: 18%–35%) had BL strains. Prevalence of BL strains was higher among those with high sputum smear grades (2+ and 3+) (P < 0.05) and those who had travelled abroad (P < 0.05). The prevalence was also higher among young people (aged <35 years). Treatment success rates were similar in patients with (83%) and without BL strains (83% vs. 81%; P value = 0.8375). The prevalence of BL strains in Kandy, Sri Lanka, was high compared to previously reported figures in Sri Lanka, and the percentage drives closer to the countries in South East Asia. International travel raises itself as an emerging issue in BL transmission urging the need of policies and practices in immigration/emigration strategies. The study findings have the potential to alter the TB epidemiology in the country and might represent the situation in other underexplored countries as well. Therefore, it is important to monitor the trends and factors related to the prevalence of Beijing strains globally and make decisions as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the chemical composition and gross energy content of currently available feedstuff used for animal feeding in Sri Lanka. A total of 35 feedstuff including 10 energy supplements, 11 plant protein supplements, 3 animal protein supplements, 2 mineral supplements, 3 grasses, and leaves of 6 tree species was evaluated. Proximate composition, van Soest fiber content, in vitro dry matter digestibility, gross energy (GE) and mineral content of the feedstuff were measured using standard protocols. Values were expressed as percentage dry matter (DM) for proximate constituents and van Soest constituents, and kcalg-1 DM for gross energy content. The crude protein (CP) content of plant protein supplements varied from 24.4% DM [black gram (Vigna mungo) husk] to 61.3% DM (corn gluten meal); however animal protein supplements had less variation in CP content [varied from 50.3% DM (meat & bone meal) to 69.2% DM (fish meal)]. Portia (Thespesia populnea) leaves had more CP (15.9% DM) and ether extract (EE) content (9.9% DM) than all other roughages except manilkara leaves (Manilkara hexandra), which had 15.4% DM EE. Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) husk contained the highest crude fibre content (38.3% DM) when compared to all the other evaluated ingredients. GE content was highest in brewery waste (4.78 kcalg-1 DM) and lowest in coconut distillery waste (2.97 kcalg-1 DM). Mineral content of animal protein supplements was higher than in the other concentrates and roughages. In vitro dry matter digestibility of the concentrates was higher than that of roughages. The same trend was observed in organic matter digestibility. The data collected from the current study will be useful for balanced ration formulation for animals living under farm conditions in Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay meets the spatial turn in postcolonial studies in examining the representations of the contested space of the nation during and after the war in Sri Lanka in the work of Ambalavaner Sivanandan and Romesh Gunesekera. In their realist novels that portray the ethnic conflict and its ramifications, these writers approach the topography of Sri Lanka as the overlapping material and discursive sites of meaning shaped by the overdetermined forces of colonialism, class and ethnic strife, and postcolonial nation-building projects, postwar reconstruction and neoliberal policies. Their novels represent the erasure and recalibration of the contested space of the nation during and after the war – the dialectical effects of which can be seen in the discursive production of the North as “dangerous geographies”, an inhospitable terrain of death, disease, scarcity and violence, enabling both the erasure of landscape by war and its reconstitution after “peace”. Drawing on Achille Mbembe’s discussion of the influential role colonial and postcolonial rule have played in the co-production of space and ethnic identity, and Aihwa Ong’s theorization of “neoliberalism as exception” in Asian contexts, this essay explores the ways in which these novelists represent postcolonial space as an anomaly riven with contradictions between the fixity of territorial discourse and the dislocations of war and neoliberal forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to examine the tensions amongst the audit firms operating in Sri Lanka with the introduction of open economic policies in early 1980s and its impact to the auditing profession.Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative approach, this study consists of in-depth interviews, documentary review and critical interpretation supported by the perspectives of globalisation, digitalisation and neo-liberalism.Findings The findings indicate that the main reasons for the tension between audit firms (local and international) have been the conflict of interests on the market share. While global pressures on International Standards of Auditing created more opportunities for international audit firms to capture a wider market with the support of the state, the local audit firms apparently lost their market and experienced tension created by staff. Evidence shows the negative impact of globalisation on the open economic policies and the local audit market.Research limitations/implications The findings of this research will be useful for policymakers in revising auditing practices to ensure healthy corporate governance. Only 25 interviews were conducted; hence, the results may not be a holistic representation of the audit environment in Sri Lanka.Originality/value This study is significant, as the business capital has surged into Sri Lankan market as a result of the ongoing international agencies-led economic reforms. Such reforms have emphasised the transparency and accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue causes considerable morbidity and mortality in Sri Lanka. Inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, contribute to its evolution from an asymptotic infection to severe forms of dengue. The majority of previous studies have analysed the association of individual cytokines with clinical disease severity. In contrast, we view evolution to Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever as the behaviour of a complex dynamic system. We therefore, analyse the combined effect of multiple cytokines that interact dynamically with each other in order to generate a mathematical model to predict occurrence of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever. We expect this to have predictive value in detecting severe cases and improve outcomes. Platelet activating factor (PAF), Sphingosine 1- Phosphate (S1P), IL-1β, TNFα and IL-10 are used as the parameters for the model. Hierarchical clustering is used to detect factors that correlated with each other. Their interactions are mapped using Fuzzy Logic mechanisms with the combination of modified Hamacher and OWA operators. Trapezoidal membership functions are developed for each of the cytokine parameters and the degree of unfavourability to attain Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever is measured. Results: The accuracy of this model in predicting severity level of dengue is 71.43% at 96 h from the onset of illness, 85.00% at 108 h and 76.92% at 120 h. A region of ambiguity is detected in the model for the value range 0.36 to 0.51. Sensitivity analysis indicates that this is a robust mathematical model. Conclusions: The results show a robust mathematical model that explains the evolution from dengue to its serious forms in individual patients with high accuracy. However, this model would have to be further improved by including additional parameters and should be validated on other data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to characterize and investigate antimicrobial susceptibility and presence of integrons in 161 Aeromonas spp. isolated from ornamental freshwater fish farming environment, apparently healthy and diseased fish. Phylogenetic analyses of the gyrB gene sequences identified Aeromonas veronii as the most abundant species (75.8%) followed by Aeromonashydrophila (9.3%), Aeromonas caviae (5%), Aeromonas jandaei (4.3%), Aeromonas dhakensis (3.7%), Aeromonas sobria (0.6%), Aeromonas media (0.6%), and Aeromonas popoffii (0.6%). Susceptibility to thirteen antimicrobials was determined and antimicrobial resistance frequencies were: amoxicillin (92.5%), enrofloxacin (67.1%), nalidixic acid (63.4%), erythromycin (26.1%), tetracycline (23.6%), imipenem (18%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (16.8%), and gentamicin (16.8%). Multi-drug resistance (MDR) was widespread among the isolates (51.6%, 83/161) with 51.6% (63/122) A. veronii isolates being MDR. In addition, 68.3% of isolates had multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indexes higher than 0.2, suggesting that they originated from a high-risk source of contamination where antimicrobials are often used. In all, 21.7% isolates carried class 1 integrons, with 97.1% having gene cassettes, while there were 12 isolates carrying class 2 integron gene cassettes. Our findings highlight that the aquatic environment and ornamental fish act as reservoirs of multidrug resistant Aeromonas spp. and underline the need for a judicious use of antimicrobials and timely surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is a global pandemic where alternative means of combating the disease have been the focus of research in recent years. Herbal remedies for diabetes have proven to be a valuable alternative therapy given the fact that many of the existing synthetic drugs are incapable of curbing the disease progression. This review article serves as an appraisal of highlighting the variety and diversity of herbal remedies that are present around the world by looking at only 2 countries-Croatia and Sri Lanka-located in Europe and Asia, respectively. The following herbs were selected for review: from Croatia: (1) Cichorium intybus, (2) Olea europaea, (3) Taraxacum campylodes, (4) Urtica dioica, and (5) Vaccinium myrtillus; and from Sri Lanka: (1) Acacia catechu, (2) Allium sativum, (3) Aloe vera, (4) Cinnamomum zeylanicum, (5) Gymnema sylvestre, and (6) Zingiber officinale. The botanical origins, bioactive compounds, evidence-based studies on antidiabetic properties, as well as uses and applications of these herbs in various ailments, are included herein. A plethora of scientific evidence on the antidiabetic potency of these herbs exists to date, through which it is apparent that they could be promoted as alternative therapies for diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]