Estimation of body weight using anthropometric parameters in Sri Lankan hospitalized adult patients.

Body weight is an important clinical parameter for accurate dosing of drugs with a narrow therapeutic window, However, it is difficult to measure the body weight of a patient if they cannot stand on a scale. There are several anthropometrics-based equations to estimate the body weight, but most of these are derived from white Caucasian populations and are not validated for South Asians. This study aimed to validate existing anthropometrics-based weight estimation equations and develop a new equation for the same purpose for Sri Lankan adults. This prospective study was conducted at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka over a 6-month period, split into a development and a validation phase. During the development phase, estimated body weight of patients by doctors and nurses and patients themselves were noted and compared against their actual body weight. In addition, 13 anthropometric measurements were taken, which were used to validate 12 anthropometrics-based equations to estimate body weight described in literature previously. Two new gender specific regression models to estimate the body weight in the local population was also derived and validated. A total of 502 (males = 249) and 217 (males = 108) patients were recruited for the development and validation phases respectively. Both doctors and patients had comparable accuracy in predicting body weight (p>0.05). All anthropometric based equations were significantly correlated with actual body weight (correlation coefficients: 0.741-0.869), and the new equations derived from the local data performed similarly to the best performing equation identified from the literature during validation phase. However, even the best of these equations could not outperform patient/physician estimates. When the patient weight cannot be measured, an estimate by the patient or the doctor may be the best substitute.

Attitudes on euthanasia among medical students and doctors in Sri Lanka: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Euthanasia is a topic of intense ethical debate and it is illegal in most countries at present, including Sri Lanka. The aim of this descriptive cross-sectional study of medical students and practicing doctors was to explore the acceptance of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide (PAS), and factors influencing this opinion. METHODS: A customised online questionnaire which explored opinions on euthanasia was administered to first and final year medical undergraduates in University of Colombo and practicing doctors with more than 5 years of work experience at The National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Attitudes on euthanasia and PAS were also assessed with the attitudes towards euthanasia (ATE) Scale, which is a 10-item questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 425 individuals responded (males: 178, 42%, age: median - 27 years), which included 143 (33.6%) first-year medical undergraduates, 141 (33.2%) final-year medical undergraduates and 141 (33.2%) practicing doctors. More participants (200, 47.1%) favoured legalizing euthanasia than those directly opposing it (110, 25.9%), but a significant proportion (27%) remained undecided. The mean scores of ATE questionnaire from the whole sample were generally unfavourable towards euthanasia/PAS. Accepting euthanasia as an option for oneself (p = < 0.001) was the strongest predictor of favouring euthanasia/PAS or supporting its legalization. CONCLUSION: In this cross-sectional survey, more respondents supported legalisation of euthanasia in Sri Lanka than those openly opposing it. Yet, a significant minority that responded as "undecided" for legalisation, were more likely to have unfavourable ATE.

Outcomes of stroke patients undergoing thrombolysis in Sri Lanka; an observational prospective study from a low-middle income country.

BACKGROUND: Stroke related deaths are relatively higher in low- and middle-income countries where only a fraction of eligible patients undergo thrombolysis. There is also limited evidence on post-thrombolysis outcomes of patients from Asian countries in these income bands. METHODS: This is a single center prospective observational study of a patient cohort with acute ischaemic stroke, undergoing thrombolysis with alteplase (low and standard dose), over a 24-month period in 2019/2020. Modified Rankin scale (mRS) for dependency at 3 months (primary outcome), duration of hospital stay, incidence of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhages and all-cause mortality at 3 months (secondary outcomes) were recorded. Demographic, clinical and treatment related factors associated with these outcomes were explored. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients (males - 61, 69%, mean age: 60 years ±12.18) were recruited. Time from symptom onset to reperfusion was 174 min ± 56.50. Fifty-one patients were independent according to mRS, 11 (12.4%) patients died, and 11 (12.5%) developed symptomatic intracranial haemorrhages by 3 months. Functional independence at 3 months was independently associated with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission (p < 0.05). Thrombolysis with low dose alteplase did not lead to better or worse outcomes compared to standard dose. CONCLUSIONS: On admission NIHSS is predictive of functional independence at 3 months post-thrombolysis. Low dose alteplase may be as efficacious as standard dose alteplase with associated cost savings, but this needs to be confirmed by a prospective clinical trial for the Sri Lankan population.

Anterior clinoid mucocoele presenting as progressive fluctuating visual loss mimicking inflammatory optic neuropathy.

Optic nerve lesions usually produce monocular visual loss, and in compressive optic neuropathies, gradual vision loss is the more usual presentation. Mucocele in the anterior clinoid process is a rare cause of compressive optic neuropathy that can lead to monocular visual loss. A 19-year-old Sri Lankan girl presented with progressive, painless fluctuating right-sided monocular visual loss over 1-year duration. On presentation, right side visual acuity was 6/60 and fundoscopy revealed pale disk on the right side. Ocular tomography showed right-sided temporal retinal thinning. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed right anterior clinoid process mucocele causing compression and kinking of the right optic nerve. Because the right side, optic disc was already pale and retina was thinned, we decided to manage conservatively. Early imaging in compressive optic neuropathy is useful for the diagnosis and early neurosurgical intervention. Delaying the diagnosis can lead to permanent visual loss.

Elevated nitric oxide and carbon monoxide concentration in nasal-paranasal sinus air as a diagnostic tool of migraine: a case - control study.

BACKGROUND: A recent study showed that 60-s paranasal air suction results in an immediate pain relief in acute migraine. This is the study to assess the Nitric Oxide (NO) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) concentration in nasal-paranasal sinus air of migraine patients and to compare it with healthy controls. METHODOLOGY: The NO and CO levels of air sucked out from nasal-paranasal sinuses of 20 migraine adolescent and young adults among school students, aged 16 -19 years, and 22 healthy similar aged school students as controls were measured as key responses using a portable NO and a portable CO analyzer. RESULTS: Patients had comparatively high values compared to the controls for paranasal NO (both left and right sides), paranasal CO (both left and right sides), Fraction Exhaled NO (FeNO) and Fraction Exhaled CO (FeCO). Patients had median paranasal NO contents of 132.5 ppb and 154 ppb on left and right sides respectively compared to 36 ppb and 34.5 ppb corresponding values in controls (P <  0.0001). Similar pattern was observed with paranasal CO (P <  0.0001). FeNO and FeCO content were also higher in patients (P <  0.0001). Receiver characteristic operating curves of all gas measurements showed that they all could classify patients and controls effectively and NO was the most effective followed by paranasal CO. After air suction, the mean pain scores of general headache and tenderness dropped by a very large margin in migraine patients (P <  0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Suctioned out high nasal-paranasal sinus NO and CO levels can be used to distinguish migraine patients from healthy subjects. In fact, suctioned out paranasal NO measurements of both sides with a cutoff point of 50 ppb provided a perfect classification of patients and controls. Increased sinus NO and CO during acute episode of migraine is an observation we had and we agree that further studies are needed to conclude that NO and CO can be a causative molecule for migraine headache. TRAIL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Government Identification Number - 1548/2016. Ethical Clearance Granted Institute - Medical Research Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka (No 38/2016). Sri Lanka Clinical Trial Registration number: SLCTR/ 2017/018 (29/06/2017). Approval Granting Organization to use the device in the clinical trial- National Medicines Regulatory Authority Sri Lanka (16/06/2018), The device won award at Geneva international inventers exhibition in 2016 and President award in 2018 in Sri Lanka. It is a patented device in Sri Lanka and patent number was SLKP/1/18295. All methods were carried out in accordance with CONSORT 2010 guidelines.

Effectiveness of paranasal air suction on acute migraine using portable air sucker - a randomized, double blind study.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a primary headache disorder and is the most common disabling primary headache disorder that occurs in children and adolescents. A recent study showed that paranasal air suction can provide relief to migraine headache. However, in order to get the maximum benefit out of it, an easy to use effective air sucker should be available. Aiming to fulfil the above requirement, a randomized, double blind control clinical trial was conducted to investigate the efficacy of a recently developed low-pressure portable air sucker. METHODS: Eighty-six Sri Lankan school children of age 16-19 years with migraine were enrolled for the study. They were randomly allocated into two groups, and one group was subjected to six intermittent ten-second paranasal air suctions using the portable air sucker for 120 s. The other group was subjected to placebo air suction (no paranasal air suction). The effect of suction using portable air sucker was the primary objective but side of headache, type of headache, and gender were also studied as source variables. The primary response studied was severity of headache. In addition, left and right supraorbital tenderness, photophobia, phonophobia, numbness over the face and scalp, nausea and generalized tiredness/weakness of the body were studied. The measurements on all those variables were made before and after suction, and the statistical analysis was performed based on before and after differences. As a follow-up, patients were monitored for 24-h period. RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in the severity of headache pain (OR = 25.98, P < 0.0001), which was the primary outcome variable, and other migraine symptoms studied, tenderness (left) (OR = 289.69, P < 0.0001), tenderness (right) (OR > 267.17, P < 0.0001), photophobia (OR = 2115.6, P < 0.0001), phonophobia (OR > 12.62, P < 0.0001) nausea (OR > 515.59, P < 0.0001) and weakness (OR = 549.06, P < 0.0001) except for numbness (OR = 0.747, P = 0.67) in the treatment group compared to the control group 2 min after the suction. These symptoms did not recur within 24-h period and there were no significant side effects recorded during the 24-h observation period. CONCLUSION: This pilot study showed that low-pressure portable air sucker is effective in paranasal air suction, and suction for 120 s using the sucker can provide an immediate relief which can last for more than 24-h period without any side effects. TRAIL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Government Identification Number - 1548/2016. Ethical Clearance Granted Institute - Medical Research Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka (No 38/2016). Sri Lanka Clinical Trial Registration No: SLCTR/2017/018 . Date of registration = 29/ 06/2017. Approval Granting Organization to use the device in the clinical trial- National Medicines Regulatory Authority Sri Lanka (16 Jan 2018), The device won award at Geneva international inventers exhibition in 2016 and President award in 2018 in Sri Lanka. It is a patented device in Sri Lanka and patent number was SLKP/1/18295. All methods were carried out in accordance with CONSORT 2010 guidelines.

Artery of Percheron infarction presenting as nuclear third nerve palsy and transient loss of consciousness: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Thalamic blood supply consists of four major vascular territories. Out of them paramedian arteries supply ipsilateral paramedian thalami and occasionally rostral mid brain. Rarely both paramedian arteries arise from a common trunk that arise from P1 segment of one sided posterior cerebral artery (PCA). This is usually due to hypoplastic or absent other P1 and this common trunk is termed Artery of Percheron (AOP). Its prevalence is in the range of 7-11% among the general population and AOP infarcts account in an average of 0.4-0.5% of ischemic strokes. Clinical presentation of AOP infarction is characterized by impaired arousal and memory, language impairment and vertical gaze palsy. It also can present with cerebellar signs, hemi paresis and hemi sensory loss. We herein present a case of AOP infarction presenting as transient loss of consciousness and nuclear third nerve palsy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51 year old previously healthy male, was brought to us, with a Glasgow coma scale (GCS) of 7/15. GCS improved to 11/15 by the next day, however he had a persisting expressive aphasia. Right sided nuclear third nerve palsy was apparent with the improvement of GCS. He did not have pyramidal or cerebellar signs. Thrombolysis was not offered as the therapeutic window was exceeded by the time of diagnosis. Diagnosis was made using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that was done after the initial normal non-contrast computer tomography (NCCT) brain. He was enrolled in stroke rehabilitation. Aspirin and atorvastatin was started for the secondary prevention of stroke. He achieved independency of advanced daily living by 1 month, however could not achieve full recovery to be employed as a taxi driver. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the rarity and varied clinical presentation with altered levels of consciousness, AOP infarcts are easily overlooked as a stroke leading to delayed diagnosis. Timely diagnosis can prevent unnecessary investigations and the patient will be benefitted by early revascularization. As it is seldom reported, case reports remain a valuable source of improving awareness among physicians about this clinical entity.

Coexistence of mycobacterial infections - Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae - in Sri Lanka: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Leprosy is one of the oldest mycobacterial infections and tuberculosis is the most common mycobacterial infection with a higher degree of infectivity than leprosy. Although both diseases are prevalent in clusters in developing countries, simultaneous occurrence of them in an individual is a rare entity, even in an endemic setting. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe six cases of tuberculosis and leprosy coinfection: a 57-year-old Sinhalese woman, a 47-year-old Tamil woman, a 72-year-old Tamil man, a 59-year-old Sinhalese man, a 54-year-old Sinhalese man, and a 50-year-old Sinhalese man. In this case series, five patients had lepromatous leprosy and the majority of patients were men. Three patients were detected to have tuberculosis at the outset of treatment of leprosy, while two developed tuberculosis later and one had extrapulmonary tuberculosis 5 years before the diagnosis of leprosy. The latter developed pulmonary tuberculosis as a reactivation while on treatment for leprosy. A majority of our patients with pulmonary tuberculosis had positive Mantoux test, high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, radiological evidence, and acid-fast bacilli in sputum. Human immunodeficiency virus and diabetes were detected in one patient. One patient had rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis, while she was on monthly rifampicin therapy for leprosy. CONCLUSION: An immunocompromised status, such as human immunodeficiency virus infection, diabetes, and immunosuppressive drugs, are risk factors for tuberculosis infection. The use of steroids in the treatment of leprosy may increase the susceptibility to develop tuberculosis. Development of rifampicin resistance secondary to monthly rifampicin in leprosy is a major concern in treating patients coinfected with tuberculosis. Despite the paucity of reports of coinfection, it is advisable to screen for tuberculosis in patients with leprosy, especially if there are respiratory or constitutional symptoms, high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and abnormal chest X-ray. The fact is that positive Mantoux and QuantiFERON Gold tests and presence of acid-fast bacilli in sputum are misleading, chest X-ray evidence of active tuberculosis and positive tuberculosis cultures are important diagnostic clues for active tuberculosis infection in a patient with leprosy. This is important to avoid monthly rifampicin in patients with suspected coinfections, which may lead to development of drug resistance to tuberculosis treatment. Whether prolonged steroid therapy in leprosy is a risk factor for development of tuberculosis is still controversial.

Systemic lupus erythematosus presenting with status epilepticus and acute cardiomyopathy with acute heart failure: case report.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a connective tissue disorder, which causes complex multi organ involvement. Neurological and cardiac manifestations have been well noted but complications such as status epilepticus and acute myocarditis with heart failure at presentation remains uncommon. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 15-year-old, previously healthy, South Asian, Sri Lankan female presented with status epilepticus and the seizures only responded to intravenous midazolam and thiopentone sodium. On the fourth day, she developed tachycardia and shortness of breath and was found to have cardiomyopathy with heart failure with an ejection fraction 40%. Along with a positive urinary sediment, a positive ANA with a very high level of ds-DNA and low C3 and C4 levels confirmed our suspicion of systemic lupus erythematosus. DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION: Systemic lupus erythematosus presents in a variety of clinical presentations and the spectrum may range from unique to ubiquitous. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion specially when encountering atypical presentations with multi-organ involvement, especially when patients tend to be young females. Status epilepticus and myocarditis are uncommon manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus, and should be appreciated early, as if inappropriately managed would have a deleterious impact on mortality and morbidity.

Disseminated Mycobacterium simiae infection in a patient with adult-onset immunodeficiency due to anti-interferon-gamma antibodies - a case report.

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterial species other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae are generally free-living organisms and Mycobacterium simiae is one of the slowest growing Non-tuberculous mycobacteria. This is the first case report of Mycobacterium simiae infection in Sri Lanka and only very few cases with extrapulmonary manifestation reported in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 24-year-old, previously healthy Sri Lankan male presented with generalized lymphadenopathy with discharging sinuses, evening pyrexia, weight loss, poor appetite and splenomegaly. Lymph node biopsies showed sheets of macrophages packed with organisms in the absence of granulomata. Ziehl Neelsen, Wade Fite and Giemsa stains revealed numerous red coloured acid-fast bacilli within foamy histiocytes. Slit skin smear for leprosy was negative and tuberculosis, fungal and bacterial cultures of the lymph node and bone marrow did not reveal any growth. Later he developed watery diarrhea and colonoscopy revealed multiple small polyps and ulcers throughout the colon extending up to the ileum, Which was confirmed to be due to cytomegalovirus confirmed by PCR and successfully treated with ganciclovir. Positron emission tomography scan guided biopsies of the gut and lymph nodes confirmed presence of mycobacterial spindle cell pseudo-tumours and PCR assays revealed positive HSP65. The culture grew Mycobacterium Simiae. Flow cytometry analysis on patient's blood showed extremely low T and B cell counts and immunofixation revealed low immunoglobulin levels. His condition was later diagnosed as adult onset immunodeficiency due to anti- interferon - gamma autoantibodies. He was initially commenced on empirical anti-TB treatment with atypical mycobacterial coverage. He is currently on a combination of daily clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, linezolid with monthly 2 g/kg/intravenous immunoglobulin to which, he had a remarkable clinical response with complete resolution of lymphadenopathy and healing of sinuses. CONCLUSIONS: This infection is considered to be restricted to certain geographic areas such as mainly Iran, Cuba, Israel and Arizona and this is the first case report from Sri lanka. Even though the infection is mostly seen in the elderly patients, our patient was only 24 years old. In the literature pulmonary involvement was common presentation, but in this case the patient had generalized lymphadenopathy and colonic involvement without pulmonary involvement.

Paranasal sinus air suction for immediate pain relief of acute migraine - a randomized, double blind pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a primary headache disorder, which cause significant disability in adolescence. This double blind, randomized clinical trial assessed the immediate effects of suction of paranasal sinus air during an acute migraine episode. METHODS: A randomized, double blind study was conducted with 56 selected Sri Lankan school children of 16-19 years of age. Participants who met International Headache Society criteria for migraine (with or without aura) were included in the study. Subjects were randomly allocated into 2 groups where one group was subjected to three intermittent 10 sec paranasal air suctions with a ten sec suction free interval between two suctions for each nostril and the other group was subjected to placebo air suction (no paranasal air suction) in similar arrangement. Severity of headache and sub-orbital tenderness before and after suction were recorded using standard pain rating scale. RESULTS: After dropouts, treated and placebo groups consisted of 27 and 23 subjects respectively. The mean headache pain score drop in the treated group was significantly higher compared to that of the control group. Moreover, there was a difference in the treatment response between the types of headache (with or without aura). With respect to tenderness there was a statistically significant drop in the treated group compared to the control. In general, airflow rates in left and right nostrils were different in these subjects. However such difference was not seen in the tenderness on two sides. Nevertheless it was revealed that airflow rate has a slight negative correlation with the tenderness irrespective of the side. CONCLUSION: Sixty-second paranasal air suction can provide an immediate pain relief for acute migraine in adolescents. We did not assess pain outcomes beyond 60 s, but the initial responses suggests the need to further study the efficacy of paranasal suction in migraine. A further study is suggested to evaluate the acute effects, efficacy and side effects of paranasal air suction using follow up over a prolong period. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry SLCTR/2017/018 , 29 Jun 2017. Retrospectively registered.

A seven-year retrospective analysis of patch test data in a cohort of patients with contact dermatitis in Sri Lanka.

BACKGROUND: Patch testing with a baseline series is a common tool employed when the sensitizing agent in contact dermatitis is unclear. However, for Asian countries, there are no locally validated baseline series to utilize in screening. METHODS: We completed a retrospective analysis of all patients that had undergone patch testing with the European Baseline series, Shoe Series or Comprehensive International Baseline series, over 7 years from 2012 to 2018 in a tertiary care reference dermatology clinic in Sri Lanka to evaluate the suitability of these investigations to identify causes for contact dermatitis in the local study population. RESULTS: Out of 438 patients tested, 239 (54.8%) reacted to at least one substance in the series. The Shoe Series was significantly more likely to yield a positive result than the European Baseline Series (70.2% vs 46.9%, p < 0.05). The top three sensitizers identified by all series were nickel sulfate (16%, 70/438), p-phenylenediamine (12.3%, 54/438) and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole or mercapto mix (10.5%, 46/438). CONCLUSION: Shoe series has a comparatively high yield in the local population compared to European Baseline series. Since little less than half of the study population did not have any reactivity to any of the allergens tested it is important to develop or modify and validate a locally relevant, more suitable baseline series which is based on the Shoe Series in Sri Lanka. This is further evidence for the continuously changing nature of allergens in the environment and the need to modify existing patch testing standards accordingly.

Scleredema associated with immunoglobulin A-κ smoldering myeloma: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Scleredema is a rare sclerodermoid skin condition characterized by diffuse symmetrical thickening of the upper part of the body. Its association with monoclonal gammopathy and myeloma was recently described; very few cases have been reported to date. CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year-old Sri Lankan woman who had been followed in a dermatology unit for 34 years with diffuse systemic sclerosis presented with an acute exacerbation of the skin disease. Absence of Raynaud's phenomenon; sclerodactyly; characteristic lung, gastrointestinal, and cardiac involvement of systemic sclerosis; and repeatedly negative antinuclear antibodies test results led to reevaluation for the possibility of scleredema. Skin biopsies from four body sites showed normal epidermis and thickened reticular dermis with swollen collagen bundles separated from one another by clear spaces, resulting in fenestration. The skin appendages were not atrophied or bound down. Alcian blue staining showed interstitial mucin deposition. Serum protein electrophoresis demonstrated an abnormal monoclonal band in the ß-region with a paraprotein level of 8.9 g/dl. Immunofixation showed an abnormal band in the γ-region consisting of immunoglobulin A and κ. Bone marrow biopsy revealed abnormal monoclonal plasma cells (15%) with multinuclearity. There was no evidence of end organ damage, and whole-body magnetic resonance imaging did not reveal any evidence of bone involvement. The patient's diagnosis was revised as scleredema type 2 associated with IgA-κ, and she was referred to a hemato-oncologist for chemotherapy, which led to significant improvement in the skin condition. CONCLUSIONS: Scleredema is a rare disorder that has an enigmatic, rare association with monoclonal gammopathy. Dermatologists should be aware of this rare but important association.

Is there a delay in seeking medical care after the first seizure in "resource limited settings": a pilot study from Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVES: Current guidelines suggest that patients presenting with the first seizure should be assessed by a specialist, preferably with investigations such as electroencephalography and imaging to reach a definitive diagnosis. We conducted a cross sectional study among patients with confirmed epilepsy, at a tertiary level neurology clinic in Sri Lanka with the aim of assessing delays in first contact with a medical doctor and in performing key investigations after the first seizure. RESULTS: Majority had sought medical attention within 24 h of the first seizure (71.2%) and had seen a specialist within the 1st week since the seizure (61%). Also a significant proportion had completed key investigations such as electroencephalography (63.2%) and brain imaging within a month (51%) since the first medical consultation. Of many socio-demographic and illness related factors examined, only a non-generalized tonic-clonic presentation was significantly associated with delay in seeking medical help.

Effectiveness of corticosteroid in the treatment of dengue - A systemic review.

Corticosteroids are used therapeutically for a broad spectrum of diseases including autoimmune, allergic and inflammatory diseases. However in trials, the evidence for using corticosteroids in dengue is inconclusive and the quality of evidence is low. This systemic review is conducted to review clinical trials on dengue and steroid therapy to identify the current strength and weakness of evidence for the use of corticosteroids. We searched MEDLINE/PUBMED and Google scholar for publications on steroid use in dengue and the relevant authors of the study were contacted for additional information, as required. This review includes thirteen studies enrolling 1293 children and adult participants. There was no evidence of viremia and no significant side effects after the administration of low and high doses of oral corticosteroids and high doses of intravenous corticosteroids. Beneficial therapeutic effects were seen in some studies, which used high doses or multiple doses of steroids. The effectiveness of corticosteroids in dengue is depended upon sustained therapeutic blood levels of corticosteroids for an adequate duration and using a steroid with higher receptor affinity. Further clinical trials using pharmacologically and immunologically accepted standard steroid protocols are warranted to validate this conclusion.

Knowledge, attitudes and skills in melanoma diagnosis among doctors: a cross sectional study from Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and skills of non-specialist doctors on timely referral of suspicious lesions for melanoma diagnosis. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-three doctors (mean age; 30.4 years, SD ± 8.015) were enrolled. Very few (3.3%) correctly stated all four types of melanoma. Only 8.1% of the total sample had been trained to perform a total body examination for skin cancer detection and a majority (110/123) had never performed one. Almost all (95.2%) were not confident in using a dermatoscope for examination of a skin lesion. Only 17.9% of participants had discussed skin cancer/melanoma risk reduction with patients. Only 13.8% had educated at least one patient regarding skin self-examination for suspicious skin lesions. Knowledge and clinical skills regarding melanoma recognition was unsatisfactory in our sample. Urgent attention is needed to bridge the gap in knowledge and clinical skills on this topic.

A case report of giant pancreatic pseudocyst following acute pancreatitis: experience with endoscopic internal drainage.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cysts are being diagnosed more frequently because of the increasing usage of imaging techniques. A pseudocyst with the major diameter of 10 cm is termed as a giant cyst. Asymptomatic pseudo-cysts up to 6 cm in diameter can be safely observed and monitored without intervention, but larger and symptomatic pseudocysts require intervention. CASE PRESENTATION: A 27-year-old Sri Lankan male, with history of heavy alcohol use, presented with progressive abdominal distension following an episode of acute pancreatitis. Contrast enhanced CT scan of the abdomen showed a large multilocular cystic lesion almost occupying the entire abdominal cavity and displacing the liver medially and the right dome of the diaphragm superiorly. The largest locule in the right side measured as 30 cm × 15 cm × 14 cm. Endoscopic ultrasound guided drainage of the cyst was performed. The cyst was entered into with an electrocautery-assisted cystotome and a lumen-opposing metal stent was deployed under fluoroscopic vision followed by dilatation with a 10 mm controlled radial expansion balloon. Repeat endoscopic ultrasound was done a week later due to persistence of the collection and a second stent was inserted. Then 10 French gauge × 10 cm double ended pigtails were inserted through both stents. The cysts were not visualized on subsequent Ultra sound scans. Stent removal was done after 3 weeks, leaving the pigtails insitu. The patient made an uneventful recovery. CONCLUSION: Giant pancreatic pseudocysts are rare and earlier drainage is recommended before clinical deterioration. Some experts suggest that cystogastrostomy may not be appropriate for the treatment of giant pancreatic pseudocysts and in some instances external drainage of giant pancreatic pseudocysts may be safer than cystogastrostomy. Video-assisted pancreatic necrosectomy with internal drainage and laparoscopic cystogastrostomy were also tried with a good outcome. With our experience we suggest endoscopic guided internal drainage as a possible initial method of management of a giant pseudo cyst. However long-term follow up is needed with repeated imaging and endoscopy. In instances where the primary endoscopic internal drainage fails, surgical procedures may be required as a second line option.

Erythroderma and extensive poikiloderma - a rare initial presentation of dermatomyositis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Dermatomyositis is a humoral-mediated inflammatory myopathy with symmetrical proximal muscle weakness and dermatological manifestations such as Gottron's papules, heliotrope rash, periungual abnormalities, and flagellate erythema. Erythroderma is a severe and potentially life-threatening dermatological condition with diffuse erythema and scaling involving more than 90% of the skin surface area. Poikiloderma vasculare atrophicans refers to mottled hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation of the skin with in-between telangiectases and areas of atrophy and is considered a variant of mycosis fungoides. Poikilodermatomyositis is the term given to the condition with poikiloderma and inflammatory myopathy. Only a few cases are reported on erythroderma in dermatomyositis and poikilodermatomyositis. Erythrodermal pattern of dermatomyositis transforming into poikilodermatomyositis is a recognized rare manifestation of dermatomyositis and we could find only one case report in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 53-year-old Sri Lankan woman presented with intermittent fever of 5 months' duration with erythroderma. Later she developed progressive, symmetrical proximal muscle weakness. Following a short course of small dose steroids, erythroderma settled but changed to extensive poikiloderma involving more than 90% of her skin with her face being relatively spared. She had an early heliotrope rash, shawl sign, and Gottron papules. Electromyography and muscle biopsy were supportive of inflammatory myositis and skin biopsy showed evidence of dermatomyositis. Inflammatory markers and muscle enzymes were also elevated. Autoimmune antibodies and myositis-specific autoantibodies were negative. She was started on orally administered prednisolone 1 mg/kg per day with methotrexate 10 mg once a week and had a good response to treatment with resolution of the skin condition and improvement of muscle power. Imaging studies, endoscopies, and tumor markers did not reveal any malignancy. CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates a rare presentation of dermatomyositis initially presenting as fever, erythroderma, and proximal muscle weakness and later developing poikiloderma involving more than 90% of the skin. It is important to be aware of this rare presentation to avoid misdiagnosis. With the currently available literature it is not possible to conclude that erythroderma is a bad prognostic factor in dermatomyositis or a predictive factor for a malignancy. Patients have a good response to steroids with a combination of immunosuppressants.

A case of anterior spinal cord syndrome in a patient with unruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm with a mural thrombus.

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord infarction is an uncommon condition. Anterior cord syndrome present with paraparesis or quadriparesis with sparing of vibration and proprioceptive senses. The common causes of anterior cord syndrome are aortic dissection and aortic surgical interventions. Spontaneous unruptured nondissected aortic aneurysms with intramural thrombus can rarely cause anterior cord infarctions. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of anterior spinal cord syndrome due to aneurysm of the thoracic aorta with a mural thrombus. A 64 year old male presented with sudden onset paraparesis with a sensory level at T1 with preserved sense of proprioception and vibration. The MRI panspine revealed increased T2 intensity in the anterior portion of the spinal cord from C5 to T10 level with characteristic 'owl eye' appearance on axial imaging. The CT aortogram detected aneurysmal dilatation of the ascending aortic, arch and descending thoracic aorta with significant intimal irregularities, calcified atherosclerotic plaques and a small mural thrombus. CONCLUSION: The possible mechanisms postulated are occlusion of ostia of radicular arteries by the atherosclerotic plaques and mural thrombus or thromboembolism to the anterior spinal artery. Nondissected atherosclerotic aortic aneurysms should be considered in patients presenting with spinal cord infarctions especially in the presence of vascular risk factors and smoking.