Protein-Losing Enteropathy as the First Presentation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a Resource-Limited Setting in Sri Lanka: A Case Report.

Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is one of the rare gastrointestinal manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which can manifest several years before the diagnosis of SLE. PLE should be suspected in patients with hypoalbuminemia in the absence of urinary protein loss and normal liver functions without any other manifestations of malnutrition. Due to the non-specificity of the imaging and histological findings, it is difficult to diagnose PLE in resource-limited settings.

Characteristics of the initial dengue outbreaks in a region without dengue prior to mid-2009 in a dengue-endemic country.

Introduction: The present study evaluated the characteristics of the initial dengue outbreaks in the Jaffna peninsula, a region without dengue prior to mid-2009 in dengue-endemic Sri Lanka, a tropical island nation.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study conducted using a total of 765 dengue patients' clinical data and samples collected from the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna during the initial dengue outbreaks. Clinical, non-specific, and specific virological laboratory characteristics including the platelet count, NS1 antigen, and anti-DENV IgM/IgG were evaluated as correlates of dengue virus (DENV) infection in the two initial outbreaks of 2009/2010 and 2011/2012 in Northern Sri Lanka.

A feasibility trial of pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with COPD in a low resource setting: Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation is recommended for most patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Accordingly, the aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of devising a pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients with COPD in a low resource setting (Jaffna, Sri Lanka) and to observe its effects.

Methods: Non-randomized controlled feasibility trial of ambulatory patients with COPD attending the pulmonary outpatient clinic of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Northern Province, Sri Lanka.

Development and validation of a set of patient reported outcome measures to assess effectiveness of asthma prophylaxis.

Background: In the local setting, asthma control is assessed by symptoms and signs elicited by clinicians because of the limited availability of spirometry. Hence, we intended to develop a patient reported outcome measure (PROM) with more holistic interpretation that could also serve as a tool to measure the asthma control in resource limited settings. Therefore, this study was carried out in Northern Sri Lanka to develop and validate the Asthma Control PROM (AC-PROM) Tamil to measure the effectiveness of asthma prophylaxis based on symptoms, exacerbation and limitation of activity which could also serve as an easy measure of asthma control to the provider.

Extensive Superior Vena Caval Territory Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism: A Rare Clinical Entity of Haemorrhagic Pancreatitis.

Acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis is a severe form of pancreatitis often encountered in ethanol abuse. Extensive venous thrombosis resulting in pulmonary embolism is a rare presenting clinical entity of acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis. Here, we report a young male with an extensive deep vein thrombosis involving superior vena caval territory associated with haemorrhagic pancreatitis presented with pulmonary embolism managed supportively.

Cardiogenic Shock: An Unusual Initial Presentation of Churg-Strauss Syndrome.

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a rare autoimmune condition, characterized by necrotizing extravascular eosinophil rich granulomatous inflammation of the tissues and disseminated small-medium sized vessel vasculitis in a patient with bronchial asthma and tissue eosinophilia. Though pulmonary involvement is the predominant feature of CSS, extra pulmonary involvement, in particular, cardiac involvement, denotes an adverse outcome. Here we report a 50-year-old female who presented with cardiogenic shock due to an acute coronary event as the initial manifestation of CSS.

Etoricoxib- induced pleural effusion: A case for rational use of analgesics.

Pleural effusion caused by drug is an uncommon event in clinical practice. Etoricoxib induced pleural effusion is an extremely rare. We describe a patient with pleural effusion as an adverse drug reaction of etoricoxib.

Microscopic haematuria: A rare presentation of typhoid fever.

Typhoid fever can cause a number of renal manifestations heretofore dubbed 'nephrotyphoid'. Haematuria in the absence of renal impairment is extremely rare among typhoid patients. We report a case of an adult who presented with a prolonged febrile illness and microscopic haematuria.

Myocardial injury following multiple bee stings.

Envenomation by the honey bee can cause multi-organ dysfunction as a result of toxic effects and may cause a severe anaphylactic reaction. Acute myocardial ischemia is an extremely rare complication of bee envenomation. We report a case of a 58-year-old woman with acute myocardial injury following massive bee envenomation.

Quantification of Epstein-Barr virus DNA load, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, transforming growth factor-beta1 and stem cell factor in plasma of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common epithelial neoplasm among the Chinese populations in Southern China and South East Asia. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is known to be an important etiologic agent of NPC and the viral gene products are frequently detected in NPC tissues along with elevated antibody titres to the viral proteins (VCA and EA) in a majority of patients. Elevated plasma EBV DNA load is regarded as an important marker for the presence of the disease and for the monitoring of disease progression.

Epidermoid anal cancer in HIV infected patients.

Anal cancer associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is an unusual clinical situation in which the appropriate management remains unclear. Experience of treatment and follow-up is presented of six patients with histologically confirmed invasive epidermoid anal cancer on a background of HIV infection. Durable complete responses with acceptable toxicity occurred in two patients with moderate immunosuppression and Stage I-II tumours treated with a combination of concomitant chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil and mitomycin-C) and pelvic radiotherapy (45 Gy in 25 fractions).