Browsing by Author "Perera, G.A.D."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

The correlation between pulmonary function and quadriceps muscle strength of patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presented to two major respiratory clinics in Sri Lanka.
(Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Malsri, D.G.S.; Gordon, L.A.; Wijesiriwardane, V.R.; Perera, G.A.D.
Introduction: A patient with COPD usually indicates a decreased value in Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC). For the diagnosis purpose and to identify the severity stage of patients with COPD, a clear cut off points of spirometry values are used. Skeletal muscle dysfunction is one of the main extra-pulmonary manifestations found in patients with COPD. Reduced muscle strength in lower limb muscles, especially quadriceps muscle group would affect the quality of life of the patient. Objectives: To evaluate the correlation among the pulmonary function and quadriceps muscle strength of Patients with COPD. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 35 COPD patients (27 Male, 08 Female) between age category of 40-60 years recruited from chest clinics. Convenient sampling method was used to collect the sample for the study. The spirometry test results were used to measure the lung function while the One Repetition Strength Test (1RM) was conducted to measure bilateral quadriceps strength. Results: The test results indicated a statistically significant positive moderate linear correlation (p=0.004, r=0.469) between respiratory function, and right 1RM and left 1RM (p=0.006, r=0.451). Conclusions: The results of this COPD population clearly show that with the increase in severity of the disease from moderate, severe to very severe stage of COPD, there is a profound weakness of the bilateral quadriceps muscle strength in COPD patients.
Effectiveness of early stretching exercises for range of motion of the shoulder joint, state of axillary scar and quality of recovery in burnt patients admitted to the Burns unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Perera, G.A.D.; Perera, C.; Karunanayake, A.L.
Background: Burn injuries can result in long term impairment, limitation and activity participation restrictions in a patient‘s life. The majority of burns occur in low- and middleincome countries. In axillary or shoulder burns scar contracture is common and leads to loss of shoulder movements and function. Purpose: This study aim was to compare outcomes of an early stretching exercise programme on the range of motion of the shoulder joint, state of axillary scar and quality of recovery for patients with upper limb burn with a control group. This study has not been discussed in the previous literature. Methods: A randomized controlled study was conducted in National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Patients from 15 to 55 years of age with a total burn surface area (TBSA) of 10% to 45% involving the shoulder joint and axilla were eligible. Participants were randomized into intervention and a usual care (control) groups. There were 110 patihhents in each group. The study protocol lasted 14 days for each participant in the intervention group, whilst the controls had usual care. Range of Motion (ROM) was measured with a Universal Goniometer. Functional recovery (FR) and state of the axillary scar was assessed with the Quick DASH questionnaire and Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS). Data were obtained before and after the intervention phase and at 3, 6 and 12 months of post burn. Results: Age, intervention group mean [SD] 29.76[9.81] vs control group mean [SD] 30.31 [9.45] and TBSA%, intervention group mean [SD] 26.15[9.45] vs control group mean [SD] 24.60[9.56] were not significantly different. There were highly significant differences (p>0.0001) in ROM, FR and the state of the axillary scar in favour of the intervention group. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that early stretching exercise regime significantly improved the ROM and functional recovery of the shoulder joint and scar condition of the axilla for adults with burns involving the upper arm.
Soil carbon sequestration capacity in paddy soils of Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka with respect to its agro climatic regions
(Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Lakmali, H.K.M.; Paranavithana, T.M.; Perera, G.A.D.; Ratnayake, R.R.
Paddy field ecosystems are considered as one of the major carbon pools as they store a significant amount of carbon under water-logged conditions. Hence, it is essential to understand the carbon storage capacity in paddy fields as this would help to identify the processes related to soil carbon sequestration potential in such ecosystems. However, the soil carbon content may vary with the prevailing climatic conditions of the site. Kurunegala is one of the districts in Sri Lanka with heavy paddy cultivation and also it experiences three different agro climatic conditions (Dry, Intermediate and Wet). This study aims to assess, how the soil carbon sequestration capacity in paddy soils would vary concerning three different agro climatic conditions in Kurunegala district. Adopting the conditional Latin hypercube sampling (cLHS) design, 200 soil samples were collected from two depths, surface soil layer (0 – 15 cm) and sub-surface soil layer (15 – 30 cm) so as to represent the agro climatic regions. Soil Moisture Content (MC), Soil pH and Electrical Conductivity (EC), Bulk Density (BD), Total Carbon (TC), Microbial Biomass Carbon (MBC), Labile Carbon (LC), Water-Soluble Carbon (WSC), Total Nitrogen (TN) were analyzed using standard protocols. Results showed that the total C and MBC contents were higher in the paddy soils collected from the wet zone climatic region and low soil pH (5.5-6.5) and anaerobic conditions prevailed could be contributing to this situation. Further, the Soil C stock (70.54 Mg ha-1) was higher in the wet zone climatic region compared to dry and intermediate climates. Increased TC content in paddy soils will cause to increase in the soil TN content too. Available P and NO3 - contents in the paddy soil were higher in the Intermediate zone but the pH and the EC were higher in the soils from the dry zone. In conclusion, the paddy soils under the wet zone climatic conditions showed a higher carbon stock and a high potential to retain soil carbon than those in the other two agro climatic regions.