Pure red cell aplasia secondary to rheumatoid arthritis: a case report.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune disease with many extra-articular manifestations. Pure red cell aplasia is a rare manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis and is sparsely documented in the literature, with a variable clinical outcome following immunosuppressive therapy.

Case Presentation: A 63-year-old Sinhalese female presented with transfusion-dependent anemia associated with deforming inflammatory arthritis.

Prediction of microalbuminuria by analysing total urine protein-to-creatinine ratio in diabetic nephropathy patients in rural Sri Lanka.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major complication of diabetes mellitus and it contributes to increased hospital mortality and morbidity. Microalbumin test is used to identify the first sign of deteriorating kidney function but it is an expensive test. Alternatively, measurement of urine total protein-to-creatinine ratio (TPCR) is a simple and inexpensive method.

Nutritional status among primary school children in rural Sri Lanka; a public health challenge for a country with high child health standards.

Background: Nutritional status of pre adolescent children is not widely studied in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this study was to determine the nutritional status among pre-adolescent school children in a rural province of Sri Lanka.

Methods: A school based cross sectional study was carried out in North Central Province in 100 rural schools, selected using multi stage cluster sampling with probability proportionate to size.

Modified dynamic gracilis neosphincter for fecal incontinence: an analysis of functional outcome at a single institution.

Background: We undertook a prospective longitudinal study of patients with end-stage fecal incontinence who were undergoing transposition of the gracilis muscle as a neo-anal sphincter with external low-frequency electrical stimulation of the nerve to the gracilis combined with biofeedback.

Methods: A total of 31 patients (21 male, 10 female: median age: 22 years; range: 4-77 years) underwent this procedure for treatment of traumatic disruption (11 patients, 35%), congenital atresia (11 patients, 35%), iatrogenic injury (6-20%), and perineal sepsis (3 patients, 10%). The gracilis muscle was transposed at operation in an alpha or gamma configuration.