Publications by authors named "Gamage B"

Background: The gut microbiome is thought to play an important role in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, as the gut microbiome varies widely based on diet, we sought to investigate the gut microbiome changes in patients with CRC in a South Asian population.

Methods: The gut microbiome was assessed by 16s metagenomic sequencing targeting the V4 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16S rRNA in stool samples (n = 112) and colonic tissue (n = 36) in 112 individuals.

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Successful transplastron coeliotomy via a temporary cranial plastron osteotomy can be conducted in turtles to remove foreign bodies lodged in the stomach, using basic equipment. A year later, the turtle was returned to the wild indicating that major surgeries with complete recovery can be achieved in this species.

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Background: The colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence is increasing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as part of an ongoing epidemiological transition. Surgery is the main treatment and surgical services are scaled up to meet the need. This warrants the establishment of frugal systems to measure safety and quality of surgical care that are tailored for low-resource settings.

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Objective: Published literature so far has supported the fact that patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography and sphincterotomy (ERCPS) had a difficult perioperative course after subsequent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Through a retrospective study, this original report mentions statistics in a Southeast Asian population comparing the effect on conversion to open surgery in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy after ERCPS in a university hospital in Sri Lanka.

Methods: The results of 205 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 85 patients who were converted to open surgery between 2016 and 2018 were analyzed to find out whether ERCPS is a risk factor for conversion or subsequent perioperative morbidity.

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Road traffic accidents claim many lives each year worldwide and cause significant disability among survivors. Resulting socioeconomic burden is severe in low- and middle-income countries. Global emphasis currently focuses on trauma education and prevention in addition to improving post-injury care.

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We studied the causal variation, prognosis and risk factors of parvo viral enteritis using both molecular and statistical analysis. A multivariate factor analysis was performed to see the effect of the breed, age, vaccination status and the leukocyte counts on disease severity and survival. Twenty PCR amplicons (partial VP2 gene) from vaccinated dogs were sequenced to identify the variants.

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Objective: Ultrasonography remains the initial imaging modality in the management of biliary disease. This study is designed to evaluate the accuracy of transabdominal ultrasonography in diagnosing biliary pathology in patients with choledocholithiasis.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of a continuous sample of patients over a period of 3 years ending in January 2016; these patients were referred for endoscopic management of choledocholithiasis to a tertiary care hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

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Backgrounds/aims: Published data on choledocholithiasis in Sri Lanka is scarce. This study was conducted to determine epidemiological, clinical and endoscopic characteristics of choledocholithiasis in Sri Lanka.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of consecutive patients for a period of three years until April 2016.

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Background: A growing body of research shows links between poor teamwork and preventable surgical errors. Similar work has received little attention in the Global South, and in South Asia, in particular. This paper describes surgeons' perception of teamwork, team members' roles, and the team processes in a teaching hospital in Sri Lanka to highlight the nature of interprofessional teamwork and the factors that influence teamwork in this setting.

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Background: Duodenal Peutz-Jeghers polyp is a rare cause of duodenal or biliary obstruction. However, a sporadic Peutz-Jeghers polyp leading to simultaneous biliary and duodenal obstruction has not been reported.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 25-year-old Sri Lankan woman presenting with features of recurrent upper small intestinal obstruction and biliary obstruction.

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Background. Clostridium difficile is a major cause of gastrointestinal illness. Epidemic NAP1 strains contain toxins A and B, a deletion in repressor tcdC, and a binary toxin.

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Background: The efficacies of disinfection by sodium hypochlorite, accelerated hydrogen peroxide (AHP), and quaternary ammonium compound (QUAT) commonly used in health care facilities were determined using the surrogate viruses murine norovirus (MNV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV).

Methods: A virus suspension of known concentration (with or without a soil load) was deposited onto stainless steel discs under wet or dry load conditions and exposed to defined concentrations of the disinfectant/cleaning agent for 1-, 5-, or 10-minute contact time using the quantitative carrier test (QCT-2) method. Virus inactivation was determined by plaque assay.

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Background: The British Columbia Provincial Hand Hygiene Working Group was formed in September 2010 and tasked with the development and implementation of a provincial hand hygiene (HH) program for health care.

Methods: As part of an evaluation of the provincial HH program, qualitative key informant interviews of program developers, senior administrators, and field workers were performed from December 2011 to March 2012 (phase 1) and again in April to June 2013 (phase 2).

Results: The following 5 broad themes were identified: (1) the provincial HH program became a platform for cooperation; (2) standardization (of HH audits and program components) strengthened and provided credibility to the provincial HH program; (3) quality results and good communication enabled a learning process that resulted in positive change management; (4) with ownership came pride and program success; and (5) management support and infrastructure is needed to sustain a positive culture change.

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Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a critical, although often neglected, part of long-term care (LTC) management. Little is known about what IPC resources are available for LTC and how that impacts patient care and safety.

Methods: One hundred eighty-eight LTC facilities were randomly selected out of all British Columbia facilities and surveyed using a validated survey tool.

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Background: To determine the gaps in infection prevention and control (IPAC) resources and the disparities between rural and urban areas, the Provincial Infection Control Network surveyed the current resources in British Columbia (BC).

Methods: Acute care facilities (ACF) in six health authorities (HA) were surveyed for IPAC staff; distribution of work; infection prevention and control professional (ICP) to bed ratios; and teaching activities. HAs were designated as either urban or rural.

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This article discusses the extent of resource allocation to Occupational Health (OH) to prevent infectious disease exposure and transmission in British Columbia (B.C.).

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We used observational evaluation to assess the ability of an online learning course to effectively transfer knowledge on personal protective equipment (PPE) selection and removal. During orientations for new hospital staff, 117 participants applied either airborne, droplet, or contact precautions in mock scenarios. Postcourse, all 3 scenarios demonstrated improvement in PPE sequence scores (P = .

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Background: This paper reports on an infection prevention and control surveillance survey of acute care facilities (ACFs) performed by the Provincial Infection Control Network of British Columbia.

Methods: A surveillance questionnaire was sent to all health care facilities that had access to an infection control professional. The questionnaire incorporated questions on organism-specific, disease-specific, and general surveillance activities.

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Few studies have audited the resources available to infection control (IC) and occupational health (OH) to promote safe work behaviour, whilst comparing audited findings with perceptions by healthcare workers (HCWs). We aimed to determine the IC and OH resources available and compare this with HCWs' perception of resources, following an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). A survey of IC and OH resources and a questionnaire completed by HCWs were compared with on-site observational audits.

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Background: In spite of the advent of pre- and per-operative imaging techniques, the problem of residual bile duct stones following laparoscopic or open cholecystectomy still exists with a reported frequency of 2-10%. Endoscopic stone extraction is a minimally invasive technique which is fast becoming popular in the management of residual ductal stones.

Objective: To review the experience in our unit with regard to clinical presentation and the outcome following endoscopic management of residual bile duct stones.

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This article outlines the steps taken to deliver standardized infection control and occupational health training to all healthcare workers across a Canadian health authority, using an online module developed by a multidisciplinary team. The course had to meet a diverse variety of learner needs, be relevant to day-to-day practice, be accessible, as well as fulfill healthcare guidelines for both infection control and occupational health. The course was designed to be interactive and uses a wide variety of techniques to engage the learner such as video clips describing use of personal protective equipment, and drop-and-drag technology.

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The purpose of this study was to assess determinants of healthcare worker (HCW) self-reported compliance with infection control procedures. A survey was conducted of HCWs in 16 healthcare facilities. A strong correlation was found between both environmental and organizational factors and self-reported compliance.

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