First experience of cadaveric renal transplantation in Sri Lanka.

Objectives: To analyse the outcome of 50 consecutive cadaveric renal transplants performed in Sri Lanka.

Methods: This was a single-centre longitudinal cohort study conducted in the Nephrology and Kidney Transplant Unit, Teaching Hospital Kandy, Sri Lanka. Records of 50 Sri Lankan cadaveric renal transplant recipients from 7th December 2004 to 1st September 2013 were reviewed and categorized according to early graft function, cold ischaemia time and the duration of dialysis before surgery.

Pulsed Vincristine Therapy in Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome.

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) poses a therapeutic challenge for the paediatric nephrologist. As relentless progression to renal failure occurs with continued proteinuria, such patients will be treated with different cytotoxic medications with variable success rates and side-effects. We present here our findings on administering the anticancer drug vincristine for SRNS patients at a single centre in Sri Lanka.

Short courses of daily prednisolone during upper respiratory tract infections reduce relapse frequency in childhood nephrotic syndrome.

Background: Relapses of childhood nephrotic syndrome (NS) are frequently precipitated by viral upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). A review of the literature reveals that in patients with steroid-dependent NS on alternate day corticosteroids, a short course of daily corticosteroid therapy during the course of an URTI may reduce relapse frequency.

Objective: To assess the effect of a short course of low-dose corticosteroid therapy during the course of an URTI on relapse frequency in patients with steroid-sensitive NS who have not been taking any treatment for a minimum period of 3 months.

Efficacy of higher-dose levamisole in maintaining remission in steroid-dependant nephrotic syndrome.

Objective: Levamisole (LEV) has been used successfully on an alternate-day regime of 2.5 mg/kg in steroid-dependant nephrotic syndrome (SDNS) to maintain remission. This pilot study was carried out between 2010 and 2015 at a single center in Sri Lanka to evaluate the efficacy of LEV prescribed at 2.