Journal/Magazine Articles
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This collection contains original research articles, review articles and case reports published in local and international peer reviewed journals by the staff members of the Faculty of Medicine
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Item World Bank prescription for health(Ceylon Medical Association, 1996) Fonseka, C.No abstract availableItem Should Sri Lanka reconsider its rubella immunisation strategy?(Ceylon Medical Association, 1997) Gunasekara, P.C.; Gunasekara, D.P.No abstract availableItem Suicide by suffocation with a plastic bag(Ceylon Medical Association, 1998) Tennakoon, U.A.; Jayawardena, H.Death by suffocation using a plastic bag has not been recorded in Sri Lanka. We report such a case here. Findings at the scene, the history, and autopsy and laboratory investigations assisted in arriving at the conclusion of suicide.Item The treatment of ulcerative colitis: from cure to a new disease(Ceylon Medical Association, 1994) de Silva, H.J.No abstract availableItem Hemoglobin E-beta-thalassemia: Progress report from the international study group(Blackwell Publishing, 2005) Premawardhena, A.; de Silver, S.; Arambepola, M.; Olivieri, N.F.; Vichinsky, E.P.; Merson, L.; Muraco, G.; Allen, A.; Fisher, C.; Peto, T.; Weatherall, D.J.A long-term observational study of Hb E-beta-thalassemia in Sri Lanka is beginning to define some of the genetic and environmental factors that are responsible for its remarkable phenotypic variability. In this population there is a very small difference between the steady-state hemoglobin levels between the mild and severe phenotypes, and it has been possible to stop transfusion in many of those who have been on long-term treatment of this kind. These preliminary observations, made over the last 7 years, provide directions for future research into this increasingly important disease.Item Smooth muscle actin expression in primary bone tumours(Springer International, 2012) Hemingway, F.; Kashima, T.G.; Mahendra, G.; Dhongre, A.; Hogendoorn, P.C.W.; Mertens, F.; Athanasou, N.A.ABSTRACT: Alpha isoform of smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression has been reported in giant cell tumour of bone (GCTB) and other benign and malignant bone tumours, but the pattern of SMA expression and the precise nature of SMA-expressing cells in these lesions is uncertain. We determined by immunohistochemistry the expression of SMA and other muscle and vascular markers in normal bone, GCTB and a wide range of primary benign and malignant bone tumours. Cultured stromal cells of GCTB, chondroblastoma (CB), and aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) were also analysed for SMA expression. SMA was only noted in blood vessels in normal bone. SMA was expressed by mononuclear stromal cells (MSC) cultured from GCTB, ABC and CB. SMA was strongly and diffusely expressed by MSC in non-ossifying fibroma, fibrous dysplasia, and "brown tumour" of hyperparathyroidism. SMA expression was also noted in GCTB, ABC, CB, chondromyxoid fibroma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone and osteosarcoma. Little or no SMA was noted in Langerhans cell histiocytosis, simple bone cyst, Ewing's sarcoma, osteoblastoma, osteoid osteoma, enchondroma, osteochondroma, chondrosarcoma, myeloma, lymphoma, chordoma and adamantinoma. Our findings show that there is differential SMA expression in primary bone tumours and that identifying the presence or absence of SMA is useful in the differential diagnosis of these lesions. The nature of SMA-expressing cells in bone tumours is uncertain but they are negative for desmin and caldesmon and could represent either myofibroblasts or perivascular cells, such as pericytes.Item Alpha thalassaemia and extended alpha globin genes in Sri Lanka(Elsevier-Academic Press, 2013) Suresh, S.; Fisher, C.; Ayyub, H.; Premawardhena, A.; Allen, A.; Perera, A.; Bandara, D.; Olivieri, N.; Weatherall, D.The α-globin genes were studied in nine families with unexplained hypochromic anaemia and in 167 patients with HbE β thalassaemia in Sri Lanka. As well as the common deletion forms of α(+) thalassaemia three families from an ethnic minority were found to carry a novel form of α(0) thalassaemia, one family carried a previously reported form of α(0) thalassaemia, --(THAI), and five families had different forms of non-deletional thalassaemia. The patients with HbE β thalassaemia who had co-inherited α thalassaemia all showed an extremely mild phenotype and reduced levels of HbF and there was a highly significant paucity of α(+) thalassaemia in these patients compared with the normal population. Extended α gene arrangements, including ααα, αααα and ααααα, occurred at a low frequency and were commoner in the more severe phenotypes of HbE β thalassaemia. As well as emphasising the ameliorating effect of α thalassaemia on HbE β thalassaemia the finding of a novel form of α(0) thalassaemia in an ethnic minority, together with an unexpected diversity of forms of non-deletion α thalassaemia in Sri Lanka, further emphasises the critical importance of micro-mapping populations for determining the frequency of clinically important forms of the disease.Item The distribution of the anal glands and the variable regional occurrence of fistula-in-ano: is there a relationship?(Springer Nature, 2010) Abeysuriya, V.; Salgado, L.S.S.; Samarasekera, D.N.BACKGROUND: Fistula in ano is a rather common condition, but the disease process is not yet fully understood. The aim of our study was to determine how the distribution of anal glands contributes to the variable occurrence of fistula-in-ano in the perineum. METHODS: we conducted a blinded two-phase prospective study. In the first phase, the perineum of the patients with primary fistulae was anatomically divided into right upper and lower and left upper and lower quadrants in the lithotomy position. The fistulae were classified according to what quadrant the external and internal openings and the tract pathway were in. In the second phase, using 10 human cadaver specimens, full thickness tissue samples were taken from each quadrant of the anus. Samples were histologically evaluated for the volume fractions of the anal glands in each quadrant. RESULTS: The new classification system we propose revealed that the largest number of fistulae 43% (17/39) were in the right lower quadrant, and 22% (9/39), 12% (5/39) and 8% (3/39) were in the left lower, right upper and left upper quadrants, respectively. It was also observed that 14% (5/39) of fistulae were in more than one quadrant. The volume fractions of each quadrant showed that the largest volume fraction of the anal glands was in the right lower quadrant (right lower quadrant: 0.64, left lower quadrant: 0.35, right upper quadrant: 0.26 and left upper quadrant: 0.22, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that has objectively shown that the distribution of the anal glands is variable, and the highest density of anal glands is in the right lower quadrant of the anus. This variable distribution may be associated with the variable occurrence in fistula in ano.Item Current approaches to instrumental assessment of swallowing in children(Current Science, 2018) Dharmarathna, I.; Miles, A.; Allen, J.E.PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: This article reviews recent developments in the instrumental assessment of swallowing in children with a specific focus on research published between January 2017 and June 2018. RECENT FINDINGS: Instrumental swallowing assessments reported in the time period included: videofluoroscopic study of swallowing, digital cervical auscultation, dynamic ultrasound, high-resolution impedance manometry, nasal airflow thermistry and respiratory inductance plethysmography. Several studies were found exploring tools to objectively quantify videofluoroscopic study of swallowing data; swallowing from the mouth through to stomach was addressed including approaches to analysing mastication as well as evaluating oesophageal motility disorders. SUMMARY: Even though a vast range of instrumentation were studied, lack of clarity on clinical feasibility and objective measures that facilitate medical decision-making in practice mean further research is required to provide guidance on implementation. Promising novel approaches to aid the quantification of swallowing physiology from the mouth, pharynx and through to the oesophagus are emerging.Item Long distance travel prior to major surgical procedure: Does it have an impact on post operative pulmonary embolism(Springer Nature, 2009) Wijesuriya, S.R.E.; Delriviere, L.D.; Mitchell, A.W.BACKGROUND: Long distance travel is a known risk factor for venous thrombo-embolism. In our hospital approximately 15% of surgical procedures are performed on patients from the country, needing prolong travel. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether prolong travel prior to a surgical procedure increases the risk for post operative pulmonary embolism (PE). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty patients with post operative pulmonary embolism confirmed by Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiogram (CTPA), perfusion scan or by post-mortem, diagnosed during the same hospital admission were evaluated. Patients were categorised in to two groups, who travelled from the country or from metropolitan area in view of hospital admission. RESULTS: Operations in 25 metropolitan patients (12 males, 13 females, median age:71years, range:25-97, median distance:26km, range:5-55), and in five country patients (four males, one female, median age:65, range:33-73, median distance:183km, range:133-425) were complicated by post operative PE. Whilst 17 of 25 metropolitan patients (68%) received peri-operative prophylaxis against DVT/PE (pre-operatively or within 24hours of procedure), four of five patients (80%) from the country received prophylaxis. CONCLUSIONS: Long-distance travel prior to hospital admission seems to have no impact on the incidence of postoperative PE, as the proportion of country patients with postoperative PE (15%) is comparable to the proportion of country patients operated in a metropolitan hospital. Therefore the current policy of perioperative prophylaxis is adequate. Extended prophylaxis prior to initiation of travel seems unnecessary. © 2009 Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons. AUTHOR KEYWORDS: Computed tomography; Pulmonary embolism; Surgery