Sri Lanka's early success in the containment of COVID-19 through its rapid response: Clinical & epidemiological evidence from the initial case series.

Background: Despite the rising global burden, Sri Lanka reported a relatively low caseload and mortality (13 deaths as of 20 October 2020) for COVID-19. This warrants exploration of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the case series during the initial passive case detection phase in Sri Lanka, in order to understand the success in containment of the disease for more than nine months in the country through its initial early and rapid pandemic response.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using secondary data (hospital records and investigation reports) extracted from all laboratory-confirmed patients admitted to the three main state-sector hospitals in Sri Lanka from 11 March to 7 April 2020.

Value-Added Roles of Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessment of Medical Students' Perceptions and Willingness in Sri Lanka.

Purpose: Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an opportune time to introduce the value-added roles of medical students, this study assessed medical students' perceptions and willingness to assist in COVID-19 health sector preparedness and response via value-added roles in Sri Lanka.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among all medical students studying in six batches of the Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, in June 2020. A Google form in English with 10 statements about individual perceptions of medical students' roles and their willingness to assist in the COVID-19 health sector response via value-added roles was used to collect data.

Epidemiology of wheeze among preschool children: a population-based cross-sectional study from rural Sri Lanka.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of wheeze and factors associated with its severity among 3-6 years old children.

Methodology: DESIGN: A population-based, cross-sectional study using the WHO 30 cluster methodology with probability proportionate to size sampling.

Setting: 36 preschools registered at the divisional secretariat offices of Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka.

The hidden burden of adolescent pregnancies in rural Sri Lanka; findings of the Rajarata Pregnancy Cohort.

Background: Adolescent fertility is a main indicator of the Sustainable Developmental Goal (SGD) three. Although Sri Lanka is exemplary in maternal health, the utilization of Sexual and Reproductive Health services (SRH) by adolescents is less documented. We describe the hidden burden, associated biological and psychosocial factors and utilization patterns of pre-conceptional services among pregnant adolescents in rural Sri Lanka.

Diversity and Function of Appressoria.

Endophytic, saprobic, and pathogenic fungi have evolved elaborate strategies to obtain nutrients from plants. Among the diverse plant-fungi interactions, the most crucial event is the attachment and penetration of the plant surface. Appressoria, specialized infection structures, have been evolved to facilitate this purpose.

Optimizing the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) panel for the diagnosis of Leptospirosis in a low resource, hyper-endemic setting with varied microgeographic variation in reactivity.

The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) is the standard serological reference test for the diagnosis of leptospirosis, despite being a technically demanding and laborious procedure. The use of a locally optimised MAT panel is considered essential for proper performance and interpretation of results. This paper describes the procedure of selecting such an optimised panel for Sri Lanka, a country hyper-endemic for leptospirosis.

Improving the leptospirosis disease burden assessment by including ambulatory patients from outpatient departments: a cross-sectional study.

In Sri Lanka, the disease burden of leptospirosis is estimated based on a routine notification system, which is predominated by patients ill enough to be hospitalized. The notification system does not function well with ambulatory patients in outpatient departments (OPDs). The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of leptospirosis in an OPD setting in a regional public hospital in Sri Lanka to provide further estimation of disease burden.

Influence of Cooking Methods on Antioxidant Activities of Selected Leafy Vegetables , , and in Sri Lanka.

Green leafy vegetables (GLVs) are abundant in bioactive compounds and constitute a crucial part of a balanced diet. Sri Lankan green leafy vegetables which are edible and available for consumption have not been thoroughly investigated, whilst their consumption can deflate the risk of arising several degenerative diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The present study was aimed at evaluating the antioxidant capacities of the leafy vegetables, (Kurignan), (Aguna), and (Girithilla), with different thermal treatments (70°C, 120°C, and 170°C) which are used in domestic cooking processes.

Time series models for prediction of leptospirosis in different climate zones in Sri Lanka.

In tropical countries such as Sri Lanka, where leptospirosis-a deadly disease with a high mortality rate-is endemic, prediction is required for public health planning and resource allocation. Routinely collected meteorological data may offer an effective means of making such predictions. This study included monthly leptospirosis and meteorological data from January 2007 to April 2019 from Sri Lanka.

Infected tricuspid valve myxoma with Kodamaea ohmeri: Case report.

A 46-year-old male was having un-resolving fever for six weeks. Trans-esophageal echocardiography showed tricuspid valve myxoma (TVM). Kodamaea ohmeri was identified in 2 blood cultures and confirmed by 28S rDNA sequencing.

Perceptions on respectful maternity care in Sri Lanka: Study protocol for a mixed-methods study of patients and providers.

Background: Over the past few decades, interest in providing and measuring Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) has increased markedly. Sri Lanka is reportedly shown to have better maternal health statistics and studies on quality improvement are lacking in this unique population. We aim to describe healthcare providers' perceptions and women's expectations, perceptions and their gaps in service provision regarding RMC in Sri Lanka.

Geochemical variation between surface and subsurface soils and relationship to chronic kidney disease in North Central Province, Sri Lanka.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the North Central Province (NCP), Sri Lanka, is becoming a major cause of national burden with high mortality and morbidity. The origins of these kidney diseases are unknown, and the exact aetiology is not yet understood. Therefore, as an attempt to understand the effect of soil characteristics towards the disease, soil of surface (n = 25) and subsurface (50 cm depth, n = 25 of each) was collected from Horowpothana (HWP n = 50), Kabithigollawa (KBG n = 50), Medawachchiya (MWC n = 50) and Padaviya (PDW n = 50) of the NCP, where the highest number of patients is recorded.

Effect of Indian Polyvalent Antivenom in the Prevention and Reversal of Local Myotoxicity Induced by Common Cobra () Venom from Sri Lanka In Vitro.

Bites by many Asiatic and African cobras (Genus: ) cause severe local dermonecrosis and myonecrosis, resulting in permanent disabilities. We studied the time scale in which two Indian polyvalent antivenoms, VINS and Bharat, remain capable of preventing or reversing in vitro myotoxicity induced by common cobra () venom from Sri Lanka using the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle preparation. VINS fully prevented while Bharat partially prevented (both in manufacturer recommended concentrations) the myotoxicity induced by venom (10 µg/mL) when added to the organ baths before the venom.

Fisetin inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response by activating β-catenin, leading to a decrease in endotoxic shock.

Fisetin is a naturally occurring flavonoid that possesses several pharmacological benefits including anti-inflammatory activity. However, its precise anti-inflammatory mechanism is not clear. In the present study, we found that fisetin significantly inhibited the expression of proinflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E (PGE), and cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.

Prevalence and predictors of new onset depression in the acute phase of stroke.

Introduction: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is known to be associated with poor functional outcome and high mortality. There is limited data on the prevalence and associated factors of depression in the acute phase after stroke.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of PSD in the acute phase and its correlates among patients with stroke in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka.

Barriers for early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding up to six months in predominantly rural Sri Lanka: a need to strengthen policy implementation.

Background: Sri Lanka was named as the first-ever 'Green' breastfeeding nation status by the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) in January 2020. However, improvements are still needed. This study aims to identify barriers and facilitators for early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months in rural Sri Lanka.

Measuring Responsive Feeding in Sri Lanka: Development of the Responsive Feeding Practices Assessment Tool.

Objective: To develop and validate a tool focusing on responsive feeding (RF) practices among mothers and infants aged between 6 and 12 months in Sri Lanka.

Design: A comprehensive review, an in-depth qualitative study, and a cross-sectional study were carried out.

Setting: Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka.

Milk urea nitrogen variation explained by differences in urea transport into the gastrointestinal tract in lactating dairy cows.

Milk urea nitrogen (MUN) and blood urea nitrogen are correlated with nitrogen balance and nitrogen excretion; however, there is also a genetic component to MUN concentrations that could be associated with differences in urea transport. It was hypothesized that a portion of the variation in MUN concentrations among cows is caused by variation in gastrointestinal and kidney urea clearance rates. Eight lactating cows with varying MUN concentrations while fed a common diet were infused with [NN]urea to determine urea N entry rate (UER), gastrointestinal entry rate, returned to ornithine cycle, urea N used for anabolism, urea N excretion in feces and urine.