Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item Approach to study the efficacy and safety of new complementary and alternative medicine formulations: Lesson during COVID-19 from Sri Lanka(Wolters Kluwer - Medknow, 2023) Pilapitiya, S.; Jayasinghe, S.; Silva, A.; Wickremasinghe, R.; Paranagama, P.; de Silva, J.; Lekamwasam, S.; Kularatne, S.A.M.; Wanigasuriya, K.; Kaluthota, S.; Sumathipala, S.; Rathnnasooriya, C.; Siribaddana, S.COVID-19 affected Sri Lanka from early 2020, a time of considerable ignorance accompanied by wide media coverage of a devastating epidemic in Italy and Europe. Many were attracted to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) or traditional medicine (TM) in this desperate situation. Several preparations were claimed to be effective against COVID-19 globally. Dammika Bandara Syrup© was one such preparation promoted for preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection. It was based on bees' honey, pericarp and mace of Myristica fragrans (nutmeg), the seed of Foeniculum vulgare and fresh rhizome of Zingiber officinale, all believed to have anti-viral properties. Following an unpublished clinical study claiming efficacy, Dammika Bandara Syrup© gained wide media publicity and political patronage. The producer claimed of Goddess Kali revealing the formula added an anthropological, cultural, and religious complexity to the issue. The demand for the product increased rapidly as a debate raged both in public and in the parliament on utilizing such products in combating COVID-19. The Department of Ayurveda, which is statutorily responsible for regulating CAM/TM had to respond to the situation. The legislation to regulate such indigenous medicinal products was weak, and the crisis deepened as thousands converged to the production facility, defying mobility restrictions introduced to control COVID-19. This led to the Ministry of Health requesting academics to form a team and conduct a clinical trial to prove its efficacy. This paper outlines the process and issues faced during the regulatory approval for the trial in a polarized political environment. Some health professionals accused the researchers of bowing to political pressure and questioned the scientific justification for the trial. However, the team considered this as an opportunity to streamline a path for research into CAM/TM therapies in situations such as COVID-19. Several processes were identified and addressed, such as the provisional registration of CAM preparations, assessing the potential efficacy of a CAM product, confirmation of authenticity and safety, standardization and supervision of production respecting cultural identities, obtaining approval for human use, choice of comparators, and ethical issues. We believe the study has helped set standards and a benchmark for CAM and TM research in Sri Lanka.Item Is there racism in academic medical publishing?(BMJ Publishing Group,, 2021) Niriella, M.A.; de Silva, A.P.; de Silva, H.J.; Jayasinghe, S.No abstract available.Item The characteristics of people with diabetes mellitus in Kalutara District(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2010) de Silva, A.P.; de Silva, S.H.P.; Rajapakse, L.C.; Jayasinghe, S.; Katulanda, P.; Wijeratne, C.N.; Wijeratne, S.INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Diabetes mellitus is on the rise. Although recent studies are available data on ethnic minorities and estate sector are scarce. Aim of this study was to describe selected socio demographic aspects of people with diabetes mellitus in Kalutara District. METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study was done. One person randomly selected from 20 randomly selected households in each gramasevaka (GS) division. There were 65 random (GS) divisions from all divisional secretariat areas. The data were collected using a pre-tested standard questionnaire. Fasting blood sugar was done to detect diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: Among 1225 screened there were 205 (16.7%) diabetics. Approximately one third was newly detected. There were 107 (52.2%) females in the diabetic group. The highest proportion was observed in the 50-54 and 55-59 age groups (44, 21.5%) and the middle income group (93, 48.9%). Those who were educated from Grade 6 to 0/L contained most of the diabetic patients (75, 39.7%). The prevalence in the urban, rural and estate sectors were 25.5%, 15.5 and 9.2% respectively. The prevalence among Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims were 19.0%, 9.0% and 22.4% respectively. A gradient can be observed when prevalence was graphed according to the unsatisfactory basic needs index of the GS divisions. The highest proportion (23%) was observed in the richest GS Division. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is high in the Kautara District. A higher prevalence was observed in urban areas, among Muslims and in rich GS divisions.