Publications by authors named "Samarasinghe S"

A 1.5 to 3 Mb microdeletion of chromosome 22q11.2 with loss of multiple genes including histone cell cycle regulator (HIRA) causes 22q11.

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  • The study examined the causes and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in 464 patients at a tertiary care center in Sri Lanka, highlighting the influence of age, comorbidities, and severity on patient prognosis.
  • Of the patients, 56.5% were male, with a mean age of 57.04 years; by 90 days, most patients showed improvement in renal function, though mortality rates were highest in those over 60 and with more severe AKI.
  • The research identified major challenges in AKI management, including inadequate resources and infrastructure, underscoring the importance of early identification and intervention for at-risk populations.
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  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) affect millions globally, with a rising concern over Enterobacteriaceae species that produce extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), making treatment more challenging.
  • A study at a district hospital in Polonnaruwa analyzed 4386 urine specimens, revealing 200 cases with ESBL isolates, primarily E. coli, especially among patients aged 55-74 and predominantly from the In-Patient Department.
  • The research highlighted Mecillinam and Nitrofurantoin as the most effective oral antibiotics against E. coli and other species, with Nitrofurantoin showing notable effectiveness against Klebsiella spp. and other Enterobacteriaceae.
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  • Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka is unusual, as it is typically caused by Leishmania donovani, which is mainly associated with visceral disease.
  • Genome analysis of clinical isolates from Sri Lanka revealed that both L. donovani and L. tropica are present, with some L. tropica strains linked to older Indian isolates rather than recent hybrids.
  • The findings suggest that L. donovani is not the sole cause of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka, pointing to potential interspecies hybrids contributing to the disease.
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Introduction: Carotid endarterectomy is performed for patients with symptomatic carotid artery occlusions. Surgery can be performed under general and regional anesthesia. Traditionally, surgery is performed under deep cervical plexus block which is technically difficult to perform and can cause serious complications.

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Background: Sepsis claims 1 in 5 lives annually as per global statistics. Sepsis incidence in recent studies represents at least 35 % of all ICU admissions and has a high mortality rate, especially in the presence of co-existing morbidities. The challenge has been to accurately diagnose the causative organism, considering factors such as possible polymicrobial infections, commensals and environmental contaminants.

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Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only established curative option for Fanconi anemia (FA)-associated bone marrow failure (BMF)/aplastic anemia (AA) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML)/myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). We performed a retrospective multicenter study on 813 children with FA undergoing first HSCT between 2010 and 2018. Median duration of follow-up was 3.

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  • Clinical whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has the potential to improve treatment for children with cancer and has been integrated into routine testing across two medical centers.
  • In a study of 281 children, WGS altered management in about 7% of cases and provided additional clinically relevant genomic information in nearly 30% of instances.
  • The findings show that WGS not only replicates standard molecular tests but also uncovers new genomic features, highlighting its effectiveness in tailored patient care.
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Africans are extremely underrepresented in global genomic research. African populations face high burdens of communicable and non-communicable diseases and experience widespread polypharmacy. As population-specific genetic studies are crucial to understanding unique genetic profiles and optimizing treatments to reduce medication-related complications in this diverse population, the present study aims to characterize the pharmacogenomics profile of a rural Ugandan population.

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  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a leading cause of infertility due to a lack of ovulation, and obesity worsens these reproductive issues; bariatric surgery might improve fertility rates but hasn't been vigorously tested against other treatments.
  • This study involved 80 women with PCOS and obesity, who were randomly assigned to either undergo bariatric surgery (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) or receive behavioral and medical therapy to compare their impact on ovulation rates over a year.
  • The study aimed to track the number of confirmed ovulatory events through regular progesterone testing, with results pending since participants were recruited between February 2020 and February 2021, and some participants dropped out of the trial.
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CAR T-cell therapy has transformed relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) management and outcomes, but following CAR T infusion, interventions are often needed. In a UK multicentre study, we retrospectively evaluated tisagenlecleucel outcomes in all eligible patients, analysing overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) with standard and stringent definitions, the latter including measurable residual disease (MRD) emergence and further anti-leukaemic therapy. Both intention-to-treat and infused cohorts were considered.

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Pathogenic variants in the genes ( and cause bone marrow failure with characteristic syndromic features. We report a case of a previously healthy, 3-year-old boy with no dysmorphology, who presented with severe aplastic anemia and a novel variant in the gene. His father, elder brother and sister who harbored the same variant were completely healthy.

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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in reproductive-age women. This systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression aims to compare the effect of insulin sensitizer pharmacotherapy on metabolic and reproductive outcomes in women with PCOS and overweight or obesity. We searched online databases MEDLINE via OVID, EMBASE, Clinicaltrials.

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Background: Williams Beuren Syndrome (WBS) is a well-recognized and common genetic cause of congenital heart defects, developmental delay, hypercalcemia, and characteristic facial features. It is caused by a 1.5 - 1.

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Petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination is a widespread and severe environmental issue affecting many countries' resource sectors. PHCs are mixtures of hydrocarbon compounds with varying molar masses that naturally attenuate at different rates. Lighter fractions attenuate first, followed by medium-molar-mass constituents, while larger molecules remain for longer periods.

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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine condition in premenopausal women and is a common cause of anovulatory subfertility. Although obesity does not form part of the diagnostic criteria, it affects a significant proportion of women with PCOS and is strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of the disease. Both PCOS and obesity are known to impact fertility in women; obesity also reduces the success of assisted reproductive technology (ART).

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Purpose: We tested whether blinatumomab (Blina) is effective as a toxicity-sparing alternative to first-line intensive chemotherapy in children and young persons (CYP) with B-ALL who were chemotherapy-intolerant or chemotherapy-resistant.

Methods: Data were collected for consecutive CYP (age 1-24 years) with Philadelphia chromosome-positive or Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-ALL who received Blina as first-line therapy. Blina was given as replacement for postremission intensive chemotherapy to patients with chemotherapy intolerance or resistance.

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  • Population genomic studies on Indigenous peoples are scarce, comprising less than 0.5% of genetic database participants, which hinders access to personalized medicine for these communities.
  • A pharmacogenomic study on nearly 500 individuals from the Tiwi population used whole genome sequencing and found that all participants carried at least one actionable genotype, with 77% having three or more clinically significant variants.
  • Significant findings included a notably high frequency of impaired metabolism for various important pharmacogenes in the Tiwi population, which may affect the treatment and safety of several common medications, highlighting the need for tailored healthcare approaches.
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The scientists are dedicated to studying the detection of Alzheimer's disease onset to find a cure, or at the very least, medication that can slow the progression of the disease. This article explores the effectiveness of longitudinal data analysis, artificial intelligence, and machine learning approaches based on magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography neuroimaging modalities for progression estimation and the detection of Alzheimer's disease onset. The significance of feature extraction in highly complex neuroimaging data, identification of vulnerable brain regions, and the determination of the threshold values for plaques, tangles, and neurodegeneration of these regions will extensively be evaluated.

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Treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be more effective in the early stages. Although we do not completely understand the aetiology of the early stages of AD, potential pathological factors (amyloid beta [Aβ] and tau) and other co-factors have been identified as causes of AD, which may indicate some of the mechanism at work in the early stages of AD. Today, one of the primary techniques used to help delay or prevent AD in the early stages involves alleviating the unwanted effects of oxidative stress on Aβ clearance.

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Single cell dendritic spine modelling methodology has been adopted to explain structural plasticity and respective change in the neuronal volume previously. However, the single cell dendrite methodology has not been employed previously to explain one of the important aspects of memory allocation i.e.

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In biology, regeneration is a mysterious phenomenon that has inspired self-repairing systems, robots, and biobots. It is a collective computational process whereby cells communicate to achieve an anatomical set point and restore original function in regenerated tissue or the whole organism. Despite decades of research, the mechanisms involved in this process are still poorly understood.

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