Dissections or prosections: Which method has a better impact on sustainable gross anatomy knowledge?

Background Assessing the level of knowledge of anatomy of undergraduate students four years after their primary anatomy training will give a better indication as to which system of teaching is more effective. We aimed to ascertain which method was more effective at establishing a core of anatomy knowledge that could be recalled after a considerable amount of time. Methods We tested two groups of medical students in their final year on the key concepts of gross anatomy using a question paper that included true-false type questions and identification of anatomical line diagrams.

Donor-type bone marrow aplasia following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a child with a novel variant.

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.

The use of rotational thromboelastometry parameters in understanding the coagulopathy following hump-nosed viper (Hypnale spp) bites: a preliminary study.

Background: Hump-nosed vipers (HNV; Hypnale spp) are one of the medically important venomous snakes in Sri Lanka and South-Western regions of India. The haemostatic dysfunction due to HNV bites is poorly characterized by standard diagnostic tests performed to identify coagulopathy. We aimed to determine the usefulness of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) parameters compared to 20-minute whole blood clotting test (WBCT20) and prothrombin time (PT) in understanding the coagulopathy of HNV bites.

Comparison of rotational thromboelastometry parameters with 20-minute whole blood clotting test as a predictor of envenoming in Russell's viper bite patients.

Background: Coagulopathy is an important and common systemic clinical syndrome caused by snake envenoming. The major clinical effect of Russell's viper (RV) envenoming is haematotoxicity. The 20-min whole blood clotting test (WBCT20) is the standard test for identification of envenoming in resource-limited settings.

An open-source, expert-designed decision tree application to support accurate diagnosis of myeloid malignancies.

Accurate, reproducible diagnoses can be difficult to make in haemato-oncology due to multi-parameter clinical data, complex diagnostic criteria and time-pressured environments. We have designed a decision tree application (DTA) that reflects WHO diagnostic criteria to support accurate diagnoses of myeloid malignancies. The DTA returned the correct diagnoses in 94% of clinical cases tested.

Immunophenotypic characterization of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a flowcytometry reference centre in Sri Lanka.

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), is a biologically heterogeneous disease where diagnosis, treatment and prognosis is heavily dependent on the correct characterization of the immunophenotype of each case.

Objectives: To describe the immunophenotypic and laboratory features of a cohort of Sri Lankan children and adults with ALL and to compare them with those reported in other series.

Methods: Records of 229 patients who were suspected of having acute leukaemia and referred for flow cytometry to the Asiri Hospital Sri Lanka, between August 2009 and October 2013 were reviewed.

Awareness of clinical trial registration among healthcare professionals: An observational study.

Aim: Prospective registration in a freely accessible public platform is a key step in the ethical conduct of clinical trials. Little is known of the awareness of clinical trial registration among the scientific community. This study aimed to assess awareness of clinical trial registration among participants attending a medical congress in Sri Lanka.

Ten years of clinical trial registration in a resource-limited setting: Experience of the Sri Lanka clinical trials registry.

Aim: We describe our experience of the first 10 years at the Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry (SLCTR).

Methods: We analyzed all trial records of the SLCTR over the study period. We collected information regarding trial characteristics and completeness of data entry in the SLCTR data set.

Slow platelet recovery pattern during the 2011 dengue outbreak: a preliminary report.

During the 2011 dengue outbreak, health care providers in Colombo, Sri Lanka noticed a slow rise in platelet counts in patients recovering from dengue fever when compared to the 2010 outbreak. This study was carried out to confirm this observation. The platelet recovery rates of two groups of patients from 2010 and 2011 (n=28 and n=25 respectively) were computed and compared.