Mineralogical, compositional and isotope characterization of human kidney stones (urolithiasis) in a Sri Lankan population.

In order to understand the processes of stone formation, compositional, spectroscopic, mineralogical and crystallographic characteristics of human urinary stones collected from patients in Sri Lanka were investigated in detail. The data showed that the majority of urinary calculi were calcium oxalate, either whewellite or weddellite. Other solid phases of stones were composed of struvite, uricite and hydroxylapatite.

Spotted fever rickettsioses causing myocarditis and ARDS: a case from Sri Lanka.

Background: Spotted fever group of rickettsial infections are emerging in Sri Lanka. We describe a patient with rapidly progressing ARDS and myocarditis secondary to spotted fever caused by Rickettsia conorii. ARDS and myocarditis are rare complications of Rickettsia conorii infections and only a few cases are reported to date.

Use of thyroglobulin as a tumour marker.

It is worthwhile to measure serum thyroglobulin (TG) level in thyroid cancer before subjecting patients to surgery for two reasons. Firstly, if the level is high, it may give a clue to the local and metastatic tumour burden at presentation; secondly, if the level is normal, it identifies the patients who are unlikely to show rising TG levels in the presence of thyroid cancer. Those who have high serum TG before surgery will show up recurrence as rising serum TG during the postoperative period.

Disseminated tuberculosis presenting as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in an immunocompetent adult patient: a case report.

Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a frequently fatal and likely underdiagnosed disease. It is a rare occurrence in adults and usually secondary to an insult such as viral infections, bacterial infections, autoimmune connective tissue disorders, malignancies and immunocompromised states, in contrast to its childhood counterpart, which is due to a genetic defect but may share some of same genetic etiologies. It is characterized by multisystem inflammation due to unregulated proliferation and infiltration of macrophages and CD8 T cells in the bone marrow, which leads to phagocytosis of red blood cells, platelets, lymphocytes and their precursors.

Ortner's syndrome presenting as thoracic aortic aneurysm mimicking thoracic malignancy: a case report.

Introduction: Ortner's syndrome is defined as left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy caused by a cardiovascular pathology. Here we report the case of a 68-year-old man who presented to our hospital with hoarseness, whose initial chest imaging mimicked a thoracic neoplastic process with left pleural effusion. The final diagnosis was Ortner's syndrome due to the silent rupture of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.

Extended abdominoperineal excision vs. standard abdominoperineal excision in rectal cancer--a systematic overview.

Background: After introduction of total mesorectal excision (TME) as the gold standard for rectal cancer surgery, oncologic results appeared to be inferior for abdominoperineal excision (APE) as compared to anterior resection. This has been attributed to the technique of standard APE creating a waist at the level of the tumor-bearing segment. This systematic review investigates outcome of both standard and extended techniques of APE regarding inadvertent bowel perforation, circumferential margin (CRM) involvement, and local recurrence.

Chryseobacterium meningosepticum infections in a dialysis unit.

Background: Chryseobacterium species are Gram-negative bacteria with an unusual antibiotic profile. Chryseobacterium meningosepticum is the species most commonly encountered as a human pathogen.

Objectives: To study the microbiological, clinical and therapeutic features of C.

Poisoning due to Abrus precatorius (jequirity bean).

The management of a patient with poisoning due to ingestion of the jequirity bean (Abrus precatorius) is presented. The clinical features of this case included pulmonary oedema and hypertension; this has not been recorded previously in the literature associated with jequirity bean poisoning.

Paper spacers coupled to metered dose inhalers in family practice.

Objectives: 1. To assess the clinical efficacy of drug delivery using paper spacer devices coupled to metered dose inhalers (MDI). 2.

The pattern of tissue damage in occupational trauma.

Objective: To study the pattern of tissue damage in occupational hand injuries.

Setting: Trauma and Orthopaedic Unit of the General Hospital, Colombo.

Patients: 190 patients with occupational hand injuries submitted to surgery by me were studied prospectively.

Habitual dislocation of the patella.

The clinical presentation of 26 knees in 25 children with habitual dislocation of the patella caused by contracture of the quadriceps muscle was studied. They had all received intramuscular injections to the thigh during infancy. The predominant symptom was sudden giving way of the knee during activity.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage in Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

A 41 year old man with cerebral malaria was found to have numerous bilateral retinal haemorrhages and very high parasitaemia. Despite intensive treatment his condition deteriorated and he died. Autopsy showed subarachnoid haemorrhage, which has not been previously described in cerebral malaria.