Browsing by Author "de Silva, G."

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Caregiver Adherence to Speech and Language Therapists’ Advice on Management of Dysphagia in Children with Neuro-disabilities
(Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, 2014) de Silva, G.; de Silva, H.
Majority of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) have feeding difficulties that affects not only their quality of life but also their caregivers and family. As caregivers carry out most feeding interventions, it is important to design an intervention that caregivers find it possible to integrate in to their daily life. The study aimed to determine the care-giver adherence to speech and language therapists’ advice on six selected strategies, in the management of dysphagia in children with neuro-disabilities. Fifteen caregivers of 1 to 10 year old children with moderate to severe CP and feeding difficulties, and whose current feeding methods required interventions were selected as participants. Caregivers were video-recorded while feeding their child pre-intervention and then introduced and demonstrated the six management strategies i.e., head position, trunk position, utensils, food consistency, bolus size, and pacing. They were video-recorded after 4-6 weeks post-intervention. A score was given for the six selected strategies both pre- and post-intervention. Results showed a significant difference between pre- and post-intervention for all six strategies (p<0.005). All care-givers were able to adhere to all six strategies post-intervention. However, some strategies were adhered to better than others; utensils, food consistency, and bolus size. Least adherence was seen for head position. Thus, the current study is expected to help speech and language therapists prioritize their goals in the management of pediatric dysphagia in children with neuro-disabilities.
Efficacy of a new rapid diagnostic test kit to diagnose Sri Lankan cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani
(Public Library of Science, 2017) de Silva, G.; Somaratne, V.; Senaratne, S.; Vipuladasa, M.; Wickremasinghe, R.; Wickremasinghe, R.; Ranasinghe, S.
BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Sri Lanka is caused by Leishmania donovani. This study assessed the diagnostic value of a new rapid diagnostic immunochromatographic strip (CL-Detect™ IC-RDT), that captures the peroxidoxin antigen of Leishmania amastigotes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We sampled 74 clinically suspected CL lesions, of which 59 (79.7%) were positive by PCR, 43 (58.1%) by Giemsa stained slit skin smear (SSS) and 21 (28.4%) by the new IC-RDT. All samples which were positive either by SSS or IC-RDT or both were positive by PCR. The sensitivities of the IC-RDT and SSS compared to PCR were 36% and 73%, respectively. Fifteen patients from this endemic region were negative by all three tests. Twenty two clinically non-CL skin lesions from a CL non-endemic region were also negative by all three methods. Specificity and PPV of both IC-RDT and SSS compared to PCR were 100%; the NPVs of IC-RDT and SSS were 37% and 58%, respectively. The median parasite grading of the 59 PCR positive samples was 2+ (1-10 parasites/100 HPFs) and IC-RDT positive lesions was 3+ (1-10 parasites /10HPFs). The duration of the lesion was not associated with IC-RDT positivity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The median parasite grade of Sri Lankan CL lesions is low. The low sensitivities of SSS and CL Detect™ IC-RDT may be due to low parasite counts or low expression of peroxidoxin antigen in amastigotes of the Sri Lankan L. donovani strain. Our results indicate that negative SSS has to be combined with PCR for confirmation of CL in Sri Lanka. The current commercially available IC-RDT is not suitable to diagnose CL in Sri Lanka; an IC-RDT with improved sensitivity to detect L. donovani would be a valuable addition in the diagnostic tool kit for Sri Lanka.
Response of Xyleborus fornicates eichhoff to some volatile compounds identified from tea bark
(Sri Lanka Journal of Tea Science, 2006) Amarasinghe, L.D.; Sivanesan, M.; de Silva, G.; de Silva, M.J.; Abeysinghe, I.; Sarath, B.
A Study on the Factors for Motivation of University Librarians of Sri Lanka in Continuing their Professional Education
(Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Samarakoon, M.; de Silva, G.
The present electronic environment has demanded a change of skills for library and information science professionals such as technical skills, IT skills, and managerial skills etc., Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is a lifelong process to develop and maintain knowledge, skills, values, ethics and attitudes relevant to professionals to achieve professional goals and to succeed in their respective careers. CPE is an important platform for professionals in terms of updating of professional knowledge and improvement of professional competence of their working lives. Objectives of this study were to identify motivational factors for the CPE, to decide on the librarians’ needs and performance of CPE, different methods to motivate librarians towards CPE. The research methodology used in this study is survey method. Questionnaires, observations and interviews were used as principle techniques. The research methods are used for obtaining qualitative and quantitative data for the analysis. Data were presented using charts, tables, graphs etc. The sample taken for this study consists of 100 personnel. Also 54 professionals filled the questionnaires and returned for the purpose of this study. Samples of hundred professionals from 15 prominent, reputed and recognized universities have been selected. It was revealed that the female library professionals outnumber the males in the university libraries. They are engaged in research and publication activities. But there is no strong relationship between work experience and research and publications. Professionals are highly motivated to the need of updating of knowledge and skills, to widen experience and practical knowledge in the practice of librarianship, better service to others, new and creative ideas, ability to study effectively. They require CPE programs for ICT, information literacy and awareness of new library trends. A program in CPE should be provided for all library professionals according to their interests and involvement. Establishment of an association for CPE and performance reviews are suggested to develop high standards in CPE at university libraries.
Success and challenges of health systems resilience-enhancing strategies for managing Public Health Emergencies of International Concerns (PHEIC): A systematic review protocol
(BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, 2022) Rajapaksha, R.M.N.U.; Khatri, R.B.; Abeysena, C.; Wijesinghe, M.S.D.; Endalamaw, A.; Thomas, T.K.; Perera, N.; Rambukwella, R.; de Silva, G.; Fernando, M.; Alemu, Y.A.
Introduction: Health systems resilience is the ability to prepare, manage and learn from a sudden and unpredictable extreme change that impacts health systems. Health systems globally have recently been affected by a number of catastrophic events, including natural disasters and infectious disease epidemics. Understanding health systems resilience has never been more essential until emerging global pandemics. Therefore, the application of resilience-enhancing strategies needs to be assessed to identify the management gaps and give valuable recommendations from the lessons learnt from the global pandemic. Methods: The systematic review will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA-P) protocols guideline. Reporting data on World Health Organization (WHO) health system building blocks and systematic searches on resilience enhancing strategies for the management of Public Health Emergencies of International Concerns (PHEIC) after the establishment of International Health Regulations (IHR) in 2007 will be included. The search will be conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval and safety considerations are not applicable. Pre-print of the protocol is available online, and the screening of the articles will be done using Rayyan software in a transparent manner. The findings will be presented at conferences and the final review's findings will be published in a peer-reviewed international journal and will be disseminated to global communities for the application of successful management strategies for the management of future pandemics.
Two-a-pack cigarette packet in Sri Lanka: an affordability experiment by the tobacco industry?
(BMJ, 2019) Wijesuriya, H.; Perera, M.N.; de Silva, G.; Vithanage, P.R.; Dineshkumar, P.; Lakmal, S.; Fernando, I. B.; Rajasuriya, M.; Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) Sri Lanka
Abstract not available