Prevalence and predictors of antibiotic prescription among patients hospitalized with viral lower respiratory tract infections in Southern Province, Sri Lanka.

Background: Antimicrobial overprescription is common for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), as viral and bacterial infections generally present with similar clinical features. Overprescription is associated with downstream antimicrobial resistance. This study aims to identify the prevalence and predictors of antibiotic prescription among patients hospitalized with viral LRTI.

Pulmonary haemorrhage as a frequent cause of death among patients with severe complicated Leptospirosis in Southern Sri Lanka.

Background: Leptospirosis is a tropical disease associated with life threatening complications. Identifying clinical and investigation-based parameters that predict mortality and morbidity is vital to provide optimal supportive care.

Methods: We conducted an observational study in an endemic setting, in the southern Sri Lanka.

Influenza Vaccination Implementation in Sri Lanka: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

Influenza causes an estimated 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness annually, along with substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Currently, Sri Lanka has no influenza vaccination policies and does not offer vaccination within the public healthcare sector. Therefore, we performed a cost-effectiveness analysis of influenza vaccine implementation for the Sri Lankan population.

Correction: Outcomes among children and adults at risk of severe dengue in Sri Lanka: Opportunity for outpatient case management in countries with high disease burden.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.

: A Rich Source of Secondary Metabolites with Antimicrobial, Disinfectant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities.

Benth is used in Sri Lankan folk medicine as a remedy for inflammatory conditions and microbial infections. Our previous investigations revealed potent 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) inhibitory activity in lipophilic extracts of this plant, supporting its anti-inflammatory potential. In-depth studies on the antimicrobial activity have not been conducted and the bioactive ingredients remained elusive.

Outcomes among children and adults at risk of severe dengue in Sri Lanka: Opportunity for outpatient case management in countries with high disease burden.

Background: Healthcare systems in dengue-endemic countries are often overburdened due to the high number of patients hospitalized according to dengue management guidelines. We systematically evaluated clinical outcomes in a large cohort of patients hospitalized with acute dengue to support triaging of patients to ambulatory versus inpatient management in the future.

Methods/principal Findings: From June 2017- December 2018, we conducted surveillance among children and adults with fever within the prior 7 days who were hospitalized at the largest tertiary-care (1,800 bed) hospital in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka.

Knowledge, Perceptions, and Attitudes Regarding Antibiotic Use for Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: Insights from Patients in Sri Lanka.

Antibiotic resistance is an emerging global public health threat. One of the main drivers of this threat is the inappropriate use of antibiotics. In Sri Lanka, antibiotic consumption is increasing, but little is known locally about how patients perceive antibiotics.

Point-prevalence survey of outpatient antibiotic prescription at a tertiary medical center in Sri Lanka: opportunities to improve prescribing practices for respiratory illnesses.

Background: Inappropriate antibiotic use is linked to the spread of antimicrobial resistance worldwide, but there are limited systemic data on antibiotic utilization in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and patterns of antibiotic prescription in an ambulatory care setting in Sri Lanka.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Outpatient Department of a public tertiary medical center in Southern Province, Sri Lanka from February to April 2019.

Outbreak of severe acute respiratory infection in Southern Province, Sri Lanka in 2018: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To determine aetiology of illness among children and adults presenting during outbreak of severe respiratory illness in Southern Province, Sri Lanka, in 2018.

Design: Prospective, cross-sectional study.

Setting: 1600-bed, public, tertiary care hospital in Southern Province, Sri Lanka.

The Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Potential of Selected Ethnomedicinal Plants from Sri Lanka.

Traditional folk medicine in Sri Lanka is mostly based on plants and plant-derived products, however, many of these medicinal plant species are scientifically unexplored. Here, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial potency of 28 different extracts prepared from seven popular medicinal plant species employed in Sri Lanka. The extracts were subjected to cell-based and cell-free assays of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), microsomal prostaglandin E synthase (mPGES)-1, and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging activity.

Point-prevalence study of antimicrobial use in public hospitals in southern Sri Lanka identifies opportunities for improving prescribing practices.

A point-prevalence study of antimicrobial use among inpatients at 5 public hospitals in Sri Lanka revealed that 54.6% were receiving antimicrobials: 43.1% in medical wards, 68.

Elevated pre-surgical CA15-3: does it predict the short-term disease-free survival of breast cancer patients without distant metastasis?

Background: CA15-3 is the most commonly used tumor marker in breast cancer. Its prognostic role has been described in the metastatic setting, but the role of pre-surgical CA15-3 in the assessment of patients with breast cancer without metastasis has not been substantiated yet.

Methodology: From February 2014 for a 2-year period, this prospective study included all patients who were diagnosed with primary breast cancer and underwent surgery at a tertiary care hospital.

Lipophilic extracts of Leucas zeylanica, a multi-purpose medicinal plant in the tropics, inhibit key enzymes involved in inflammation and gout.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Leucas zeylanica (L.) W.T.