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General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
Sri Lanka
ABSTRACTS
“Implemenng Muldisciplinary Research for Interdisciplinary Health Care’’
This book contains the abstracts of papers presented at the 11th International
Research Conference of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University,
Ratmalana, Sri Lanka held on 13th - 14th September 2018. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form, without prior permission of General Sir John Kotelawala
Defence University, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka
Published by
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
Ratmalana 10390
Sri Lanka
Tel : +94113370105
E-mail : chair.irc2018@kdu.ac.lk
Website : www.kdu.ac.lk/irc2018
ISBN978-955-0301-56-0
Date of Publication
13th September 2018
Designed and Printed by
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
2
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
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CONFERENCE CHAIR
Dr Upali Rajapaksha
CONFERENCE SECRETARY
Ms Bhagya Senaratne
ASSISTANT CONFERENCE SECRETARIES
Dr Danushi Gunasekara
Ms Nirupa Ranasinghe
Capt Madhura Rathnayake
STEERING COMMITTEE
Maj Gen IP Ranasinghe RWP RSP ndu psc - President
Brig RGU Rajapakshe RSP psc Professor MHJ Ariyarathne
Col JMC Jayaweera psc Senior Professor JR Lucas
Capt (S) UG Jayalath Senior Professor ND Warnasuriya
Capt JU Gunaseela psc Senior Professor RN Pathirana
Lt Col PSS Sanjeewa RSP psc Senior Professor Amal Jayawardane
Lt Col WMNKD Bandara RWP RSP Dr (Mrs) WCDK Fernando
Lt Col AK Peiris RSP Dr KMG Prasanna Premadasa
Capt MP Rathnayake Dr CC Jayasundara
Ms WB Senaratne
Dr (Ms) ADM Gunasekara
Ms ND Ranasinghe
SESSION PRESIDENT
Lt Col (Dr) MDAS Gunatilleke
SESSION CO ORDINATORS
Dr R Vijitha
Ms RDUP Sugathapala
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
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Dr R Vijitha
Ms RDUP Sugathapala
Ms HS Niroshani
Ms NA Sanjeewani
Mr P Sathyathas
Ms ADP Perera
Ms SD Medis
Mr WGC Kumara
Ms BLC Samanmali
FACULTY EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
SENIOR EDITORIAL BOARD
Mr WAAK Amaratunga: President
Col JMC Jayaweera psc
Capt JU Gunaseela USP psc
Capt (E) KMD Senevirathne
Lt Col RA Samaranayke USP psc
Lt Col (Dr) MDAS Gunatilleke
Senior Professor WD Ratnasooriya
Senior Professor JR Lucas
Senior Professor ND Warnasuriya
Senior Professor (Mrs) SR De A Seneviratne
Senior Professor Amal Jayawandane
Senior Professor (Mrs) BMR Fernandopulle
Senior Professor MHR Sheri
Senior Professor ALS Mendis
Senior Professor RN Pathirana
Senior Professor TR Weerasooriya
Senior Professor (Mrs) N De Silva
Senior Professor PR Fernando
Professor SS Wickramasuriya
Professor W Abeywickrame
Professor J Welihinda
Professor E C S Vidyasekara
Professor (Mrs) IJ Dayawansa
Professor (Mrs) CL Goonasekara
Professor KN Pulasinghe
Dr (Mrs) RMNT Sirisoma
Dr (Mrs) LS Liyanage
Ms JADUN Jayasuriya
Ms DDL Willarachchi
Mr V Alagaratnam
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
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Content
Page
Message from the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence
Message from the Vice Chancellor
Message from the Conference Chair
Message from the Session President
Plenary Session Abstracts
Mul-Modal Neuroimaging with MRI
Dr Gordon Waiter
Restraining Mul-Drug Resistant Bacteria through Medicinal Plants
Prof BMR Bandara
Current Trends in Medical Educaon
Prof Madawa Chandratilake
Developing Muldisciplinary Research for Diabec Care: Lessons Learned
Dr AATD Amarasekara
A Journey of Internaonal Collaboraons to Understand Dengue Infecons
Dr Aruna Dharshan De Silva
Technical Session Abstracts
Risk Factors for Road Trac Accidents among Drivers Admied to Teaching
Hospitals Kandy and Kurunegala in 2017
NWM Madhumali, HMT Bandaranayaka, GC Hashari, HKB Ayesha,
RMKP Rathnayaka, IUM Vithana, PL Weerawardhana and
JMKB Jayasekara
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ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
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Validity and Reliability of the Muldimensional Scale of Perceived Social
Support (MSPSS) in Cancer Paents
EB Weeratunga, C Senadheera, M Hettiarchichi, U Ekanayaka, and B Perera
Exposure to Paent Related Violence against Nursing Ocers in Dierent Units,
in Teaching Hospital Karapiya (THK)
GD Punchihewa, NHDP Fonseka and SMRG Godawita
Knowledge, Atude and Pracces of Dietary Management among Ischemic
Heart Disease (IHD) Paents
ACH Perera and MB Samarawickrama
Awareness Regarding Early Detecon Techniques of Breast Cancer and
Knowledge Regarding Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer: Comparave Study
between Breast Cancer Paents of Apeksha Hospital and Women Who Aended
Clinics, Piliyandala MOH
PMC Dinesha, RAND Ranaweera, PWDN Weerasinghe, CAK Pathirage,
KMDN Senarathna, GAGMS Ariyasena, HSMSK Wijesiri and KASJ Balawardane
Knowledge and Understanding of the Weight for Age Chart in the Child Health
Development Record among Mothers of Infants over Six Months in Piliyandala
MOH Area
MDVC Lakshan, RMIN Rathnayake, SCJ Wijewardhana, WMKS Bandara,
AKDC Wijesinghe, MN Priyadarshanie and GDI Rodrigo
Physical Acvity and Prevalence of Obesity among Adolescents in
Kurunegala District
JASD Bandara, AMGCP Adikari and S Weerasinghe
Government Bankers Lead a Sedentary Life Style with Tendency for
Physical Inacvity: Myth or a Fact
KMD Nadeeshani, WS Kaushalya, ARC arindulatha, MDDM Munasinghe,
J Nadeeshani, NB Kalpage, PTR Makuloluwa and HMP Herath
Nurses’ Perspecve on Leadership Qualies of Nurse Managers
NAS Nishshanka, EAC Gayathri , SAMP Kumari, RPGSS Lakmali,
KA Sriyani and ASPL Senadheera
Evaluaon of Axillary Dose of the Cardiologist during the Coronary
Angiography (CA) and Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)
Procedures: A Cath Lab Study
AL Abeyweera, HMTD Herath, WHNH Indralal, P Sathyathas and
J Jeyasugiththan
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ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
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Evaluaon of Average Glandular Dose in Relaon to Body Mass Index and
Menopausal Status in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis
SHDM Wickramarathna, DMSW Dissanayake, HS Niroshani and
G Senanayake
Establishment of Diagnosc Reference Level (DRL) for Computed
Tomography (CT) Examinaons from Selected Hospitals in Sri Lanka
WAD Gunathilake, HK enuwara, HMSS Wijebandara, P Sathyathas
and UC Samarasinghe
Esmaon of Radionuclide Acvity of Bladder for Paents Undergoing Bone
Scan
MPGH Gunathilaka, NH Gunawardane, VGVI Gamage, LHMIM Herath
and JMC Udugama
Assessment of Student Percepons of the BSc Radiagraphy Degree Programme
at Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
DGSR Karunarathna, BS Weerakoon and MAJC Marasinghe
Metallothionein Responses in Relaon to Disease Progression in CKD Aected
People of Padaviya, Sri Lanka
ARN Silva, KBS Gunawickrama, JMKB Jayasekara, GWGP Kumara,
RH Karunarathna, AV Ranasingha, PGCL Nanayakkara,
KIG Hewavitharana and SHNP Gunawickrama
An-Bacterial Acvity of Aqueous and Methanolic Root Extracts of Medicinal
Plant Heteropogon contortus
RNN Gamage, KB Hasanthi, ARN Silva, WD Ratnasooriya, RN Pathirana and SK
Hettihewa
Development of Meormin Hydrochloride Sustained Release Tablet
V Ajeethan, DN Karunaratne, R Fernandopulle and S Fernando
In-Vitro Assessment of Phyllanthus Debilis for Hepataoprotecve Acvity against
Damage Included by Paracetamol on HepG2 Cells
D Perera, P Soysa and S Wijerathne
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ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
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Page
Formulaon and Stability Evaluaon of Tween® 20 Consisng Neem Oil Based
Emulsion
HHVKN De Silva, YNL Abeywardana, NA Sanjeewani, RN Pathirana and WD
Ratnasooriya
Comparison of Hip Range of Moon (ROM) in Individuals with and
without Low Back Pain (LBP) in Naonal Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL)
DUK Liyanaarachchi, DDTI Karunarathne, DAA Gamage, WL Dabarera, SADCS
Senevirathna and N Kumarasinghe
Postural Control and Sensorimotor Funcons in Older Adults with Diabec
Peripheral Neuropathy
AH Wettasinghe, DWN Dissanayake, L Allet, MAHP Kumarasiri, P Katulanda and
SR Lord
A Study on the Relaonship between Collecve Ecacy and Coaching Behaviour
of Elite Female Volleyball Players in Sri Lanka
UPN Kumari and KC Gunasekara
Current Respiratory Physiotherapy Pracces among Physiotherapists for
Paents Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graing (CABG) in Sri Lanka
MDC Silva, P Atapattu, S Fernando and RANK Wijesinghe
Prevalence of Flaoot and its Correlaon with Age, Gender and BMI among
Undergraduates at the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, General Sir John
Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
KA Jayabandara, SADK Rodrigo, HKS Nadeeshan, C Wanniarachchi,
RMAPI Rajathewa, PTR Makuloluwa and ADP Perera
The Impact of Physical, Lifestyle and Occupaonal Factors for the Generaon
of Poor Semen Parameters of Males Aending Inferlity Clinic, Castle Street
Hospital, Colombo
YL Gamage, HOTO Perera, UCP Ranasinghe, JMKB Jayasekara,
WAC Karunarathna and M Batcha
Study of Inial Lysis to Invesgate Osmoc Fragility in Erythrocytes of Chronic
Myeloid Leukemia Paents Associated with Anemia
N Wijayasiri, S Bandara, D Kottahachchi and Y Costa
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ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
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Content
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Correlates of Heat Stress in CKD-Aected Regions of Sri Lanka
DS Dulshika, ED Rajapakse, KB Jayasekara, PN Kulasooriya, KN Wijayasiri,
P Bandara, LF Fried, A De Silva and SM Albert
Hematological Variaons along Disease Progression in CKD Aected People of
Girandurukoe and Mahiyanganaya, Sri Lanka
KIG Hewavitharana, ARN Silva, GWGP Kumara, RH Karunarathna,
AV Ranasingha, JMKB Jayasekara, PGCL Nanayakkara, KBS Gunawickrama
and SHNP Gunawickrama
Interference of Bilirubin in Serum Creanine Esmaon by Jae Reacon and
Creanase Method
RK Dissanayake, KKPT Ranaweera, AMB Priyadarshani and P Dias
Eect of Thermoduric Bacteria on Shelf-Life of Milk and Improvement of
Pasteurizaon Process
WPCG Weerasinghe, S Hettiarachi and MPK Jayarathna
Poster Presentations
Evaluaon of In-Vitro Anbacterial Eect of Lawsonia inermis L. Plant Against
Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
RARS Ranasinghe, KAU Jayawardena, ARN Silva, V Nawarathne and RGWDB
Rajapaksha
Eecveness of Ushnodhakadhārā in the Management of Psychological Stress
RP Liyanage, P Vitharana and SS Hettige
Knowledge and Pracces Regarding Self-Medicaon of Anbiocs and its
Eects among School Teachers in Biyagama Educaonal Division
D Punchihewa, H Madushanthi and J Nanayakkara
An-Inammatory Acvity of Aqueous Extracts of Flowers and Stalks of
Aponogeton crispus and Aponogeton rigidifolius
R. Sarveswaran, WJABN Jayasuriya and TS Suresh
The Relaonship between Hip Abductor Muscle Strength and Iliobial Band
Tightness in Paents with Chronic Low Back Pain Aending the
Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitaon of the Naonal
Hospital, Sri Lanka
NNH Gamage, MPH Wickrama, YP Satharasinghe, LBKM Silva, SA enuwara,
SADCS Senavirathna , SHM De Silva and JMKB Jayasekara
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ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
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The Relaonship between Cognive Funcon and Dual Task Gait Performance in
People with a Vesbular Disorder vs Adult Healthy Controls
APS Rathnayake and M Pavlov
Eects of Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT) on Respiratory Funcons and
Rowing Performances in Sri Lankan Rowers: A Randomized Control Study
ADP Perera, A Ariyasinghe, and A Kariyawasam
Awareness, Knowledge and Beliefs of Antenatal Exercises in Second Trimester
Pregnant Women Aending Castle Street Hospital for Woman, Colombo 8, Sri
Lanka
DMAK Dissanayake, HG Kaushika , MTN Madurapperuma ,
PDS Senarathne, P ulasithasan , SP Sukirthan and UDP Ratnasiri
The Eect of Storage Time of Citrated Whole Blood Specimens before
Centrifugaon on the Results of Coagulaon Tesng
MBVU Perera, GS Suranga, GUS Wijesekara and KS Pathirage
Isolaon of Bacteriophage from Starter Cultures of Yoghurt and Formulaon of
a Phage-Resistant Starter Culture
WPCG Weerasinghe, S Hettiarachi and MPK Jayarathne
Is Laboratory Waste Handling Safe? A Local Study on Waste Management
Pracces in Five Histopathology Laboratories
A U Kiriwandeniya
Comparison Eecveness of Five ‘A’ Plan for Quit Smoking of Sailors in Two
Populaon Samples in Sri Lanka Navy
HDI Samarawickrama and SP Samarathunge
Prevalence of Immediate Acute and Chronic Diseases aer Flood in May 2016 at
Western Province, Sri Lanka
HDI Samarawickrama
An Assessment of Dierent Coping Strategies Used by Mothers of Children with
Cancer in Apeksha Hospital Maharagama
WMRN Padeniya, JPG ushari, NBADH Nishshanka, KAC Shashika,
MDH Munasinghe, DM Aberathne, PL Weerawardena, GLC Galgamuwa,
N Kumarasinghe and L Liyanage
Incidence and Risk Factors of Injuries
HAKS Gunawardana, T Abegunasekara and RSJ Lenora
Awareness on Wound Cleaning and Dressing among Nursing Undergraduates in
University of Peradeniya
TN Haththotuwa and WMCC Wijesundara
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GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
11
Prevalence of Memory Impairment among Older Adult Paents Who are
Aending University Medical Clinics in Teaching Hospital Karapiya and its
Eect on Treatment Adherence in Long-Term Follow-up
PGJ Priyadarshani, KD Pathirana and M Gamage
Relaonship between Body Mass Index, Waist to Hip Rao and Blood Pressure
among Peradeniya University Students
WNI Kularathne, EMIA Bandara, S Humsavathani, KAI Jayamali,
N Jeevanantham, G Jigashalija, KMSA Konara and BMHSK Banneheka
Study of Dysmenorrhoea and its Eects on Daily Acvies and Self-Managing
Techniques among Female Factory Workers in Piliyandala MOH Area, Sri Lanka
2017
TGMI Madhuwanthi, MKK Kumari, KN Vithanagama, UGG Yashodha, DMSS
Dissanayake, HSMSK Wijesiri and A Balasuriya
Knowledge, Atudes and Pracces towards Oral Hygiene among a Cohort of
2nd Year Undergraduates Aached to Non-Medical Facules in University of Sri
Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
KID Fernando and AU Kiriwandeniya
Knowledge, Beliefs and Pracces Regarding Pap Smear Screening Test among
School Teachers in Sri Jayewardenepura Educaonal Zone in Western Province,
Sri Lanka
HUC Nuwansala, WN Priyanthi, KAGW Kumarapperuma, WJT Kokila, KMPK
Weerakoon and HAADA Jayarathne
Prevalence of Menstrual Irregularies among Sri Lankan Naonal Level Female
Athletes and Factors Associated with Menstrual Irregularies
KTTK Wijithasena, DA Jayakody and S Weerasinghe
Knowledge, Atudes and Pracce Regarding Contracepve Methods among the
Female Garment Factory Workers in Katunayake Free Trade Zone
PDAC Perera , AHI Priyadarshani , EGB Sachinee, KWC Nuwanthika , OGTC
Nisanka, MN Priyadarshani and BMR Fernandopulle
Awareness and Pracces Regarding Rabies and Animal Bite Management among
Animal Bite Vicms
KKTP Abeyrathna, J Jawad, HPN Subashini, H Vithanarachchi and AR Jayamaha
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GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
12
MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY TO THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
It is with great pleasure that I am issuing this
message to the International Research Conference
2018 of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence
University (KDU) as the Secretary to the Ministry
of Defence and the ex-ocio Chairman of the
Board of Management, KDU.
I wish to place on record my sincere appreciation
to KDU for playing a leading role in molding the
future of the military as well as civilian youth who
are in pursuit of high quality tertiary education
in Sri Lanka. Today, KDU has gained recognition
as an excellent seat of learning and disseminating
knowledge that empowers attitudes and develops
skills of the young graduates. It also contributes
immensely to the much needed research and
innovation.
KDU IRC is an annual event in its calendar eagerly
anticipated by many due to the signicance it
holds in providing a platform for both local and
international intelligentsia to congregate, confer
and disseminate knowledge. I am sure that,
under this year’s theme, securing professional
excellence through collaboration, the conference
will encompass a wide range of topics that are of
utmost benet for potential scientic and socio
economic advancement in Sri Lanka.
While expecting to see great minds from all over
the world meet and share their thoughts and
knowledge at this event, once again I express my
sincere appreciation to the Vice Chancellor and
KDU sta for the enthusiasm and commitment
shown towards making this scholarly experience
a memorable one for its participants.
I wish that this international research conference
would be highly productive for all participants
– a conference that enriches the much needed
research culture to ensure the nation’s growth
enabling to face its future challenges.
Kapila Waidyaratne
President’s Counsel
Secretary
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
13
MESSAGE FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR
I am delighted that we have been able to organize
the 11th International Research Conference of
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Univeresity
(KDU IRC – 2018) conducted on the overarching
theme, “Securing Professional Excellence through
Collaboration” and convened over two days,
13th and 14th September 2018 at the university
premises. Hence, it is with great pride that I pen
down my thoughts on this Abstract Book of KDU
IRC-2018.
KDU IRC-2018 is a world class forum that
brings professionals and researchers of various
disciplines to a common platform to disseminate
their valuable research ndings. They are able
to present, discuss and deliberate their research
ndings with peers and experts, both local
and international, as well as engage in lively
discussions on contemporary matters. The
resource personnel of the conference are eminent
Sri Lankan and foreign researchers, academics
and professionals with international recognition
including those of our own sta at KDU.
We are proud to have internationally eminent,
Sri Lankan born scientists, such as, Prof. Mohan
Munasinghe and Dr. Sarath D. Gunapala, as guest
speakers at the inauguration of the conference.
They have made our motherland proud in the
international arena as renowned experts and
intellectuals in their respective elds. Further,
this conference is enriched with the participation
of many local and foreign academics in varied
disciplines; along with personnel from the
tri-services and the police, thus making our
conference the only research conference in Sri
Lanka that brings together civilian professionals
and their counterparts in security forces.
What is special about this conference is that the
research papers are automatically uploaded to
Google Scholar with H-Index Citations. The
best papers are published in journals and others
as proceedings. In addition, provision is given
for live telecast of oral presentations through
YouTube, and presentations on Skype, for
international authors. The plenary sessions,
pre/post-conference workshops and oral and
poster presentations, would no doubt generate
productive discussion and constructive criticism
which would in return instigate thoughts for
development in future.
I wish to record our gratitude to the Ministry
of Science, Technology and Research and the
National Science Foundation, not forgetting the
Ministry of Defence, for their consistent support
in co-organizing our conference, and my sincere
appreciation of the academic and administrative
sta of KDU together with our well-wishers for
their invaluable contribution towards the success
of this mammoth event.
Finally, I wish you, the presenters, good luck with
your scholarly presentations at KDU IRC-2018
and the participants a memorable and thought
provoking experience.
JJ Ranasinghe VSV, USP, psc, MSc (DS) Mgt
Rear Admiral
Vice Chancellor
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
14
MESSAGE FROM THE CONFERENCE CHAIR
On behalf of the Executive Committee, I am
honoured and delighted to welcome you to
the 11th International Research Conference of
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
(KDU IRC-2018); bearing the theme, Securing
Professional Excellence through Collaboration.
Over the past 11 years, KDU IRC has grown to
be a major international research conference,
continuing with its tradition of high-quality and
broad international participation in all areas
of research. Hence, it is a pride and honour to
preside over this prestigious research conference
in Sri Lanka.
I am very pleased to welcome you to KDU IRC-
2018 which is based on fundamental concerns to all
scientists and non-scientists alike. This conference
also enables the exchange and dissemination of
useful information on multilateral initiatives.
Therefore in bringing us together, KDU IRC -2018
allows to seek out and forge new partnerships,
and to engage relevant sectors in advancing the
social and economic well-being of mankind.
KDU is gratied to have a line-up of highly
renowned keynote and plenary speakers
consisting of experts who would shed light
on research and issues. In addition, this is an
opportunity for undergraduates, researchers
and practitioners to share their research
and contribution towards the success of the
respective professions, through oral and poster
presentations.
The successful organization of KDU IRC -2018
required the talents, dedication and invaluable
time of many academic and administrative sta
of KDU, volunteers and strong support from our
sponsors; the Ministry of Science, Technology and
Research, and the Ministry of Telecommunication,
Digital Infrastructure & Foreign Employment.
Special gratitude and appreciation goes to the
Presidents, Coordinators and the members of the
numerous committees of the faculties. Without
their wise advices and suggestions; outstanding
organization, planning and performance, we
would not have had such an excellent conference.
I hope KDU IRC -2018 would oer the participants
a platform to exchange ideas, discover novel
opportunities, reacquaint with colleagues, meet
new friends and broaden their knowledge.
Dr Upali Rajapaksha
Conference Chair
11th International Research Conference
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
15
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE SESSION
The faculty of Allied Health Sciences Session of
11th annual International Research Conference
(IRC) of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence
University, Sri Lanka has been organized
to suite the main theme of “Implementing
Multidisciplinary research for interdisciplinary
health care”. This session comprises of ve
plenary speeches delivered by distinguished
national and international scientists. It provides
a forum for the discussion of advances in recent
research in the eld of Allied Health Sciences
which will cover the areas such as Nursing
and Midwifery, Radiography & Radiotherapy,
Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Medical Laboratory
Sciences. During this session the students and
young researchers will get the good opportunity
to meet the leading specialists in the above areas.
Plenary session of Allied Health Sciences will
feature speeches in ve emerging scientic topics
which will be; “Multi-Modal Neuroimaging
with MRI “, “Restraining Multi-Drug Resistant
Bacteria Through Medicinal Plants”, “Current
trends in Medical Education”, “Developing
Multidisciplinary Research for Diabetic Care:
Lessons Learned”, and “A Journey of International
Collaborations to understand Dengue Infections”.
The call for papers had an overwhelming
response. Researchers from all over the country
submitted about hundred papers for this
session and the specialists in the relevant elds
reviewed them and selected the best into oral
and poster presentations. The oral presentations
are conducted in two parallel sessions and from
ve areas including Nursing and Midwifery,
Radiography & Radiotherapy, Pharmacy,
Physiotherapy, Medical Laboratory Sciences. It
is expected that the conference proceedings will
serve as a comprehensive compilation of the
present knowledge and experience and will be
used by researchers who are concerned with the
subjects presented at the faculty of Allied Health
Session of 11th annual IRC of General Sir John
Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka.
On behalf of the Committee of the Allied Health
Sciences Session of IRC, I wish to thank all the
authors, invited plenary speakers, abstract
reviewers, chairpersons of the sessions, judges
of the session, session coordinators, members of
the abstract reviewing committee, and numerous
others who helped to shape the content of this
session.
Lt Col (Dr) MDAS Gunatilleke
President
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences
Plenary
Session
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
17
MULTIMODAL NEUROIMAGING WITH MRI
Gordon Waiter
Department of Radiology, Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Center,
Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
g.waiter@abdn.ac.uk
Advances in medical imaging have had a huge
impact on patent wellbeing, with neuroimaging
arguably having the most. The ability to see inside
and “read” a living human brain is becoming
increasingly sophisticated.
A neuroimaging method could be dened as
any technique that allows human (or animal)
brain structure, function or metabolism to be
studied, preferably in vivo. The most widely
used methods are computed tomography (CT),
electroencephalography (EEG), positron emission
tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI). Of these four methods, MRI is the
only one to allow assessment of brain structure,
function and metabolism in a minimally invasive,
patient friendly way.
MRI can be used to diagnose stroke and is
especially useful in diagnosing ischemic strokes,
and combined with angiography, or MRA, can be
useful in diagnosing brain aneurysms. It can often
be used to help diagnose abnormalities in brain
structure, such as birth defects, developmental
deformities or cerebral palsy, revealing both
macroscopic and microscopic changes.
MRI can be useful in diagnosing brain cysts and
tumours, especially very small ones or those that
are in areas that other imaging techniques like CT
scan cannot visualize well. Sometimes a special
dye may be injected into the brain before the MRI
to help view dierences in the adjacent areas of
brain tissue. This allows physicians to locate
hard-to-nd brain tumours and cysts that cannot
be located by other means.
MRI is superior to other forms of imaging for
diagnosing certain brain infections or conditions
that result in inammation of the blood vessels
called vasculitis. MRI is also very important in the
diagnosis of multiple sclerosis where it can detect
the condition in up to 95 percent of the people
who have it. While MRI scans alone cannot be
used to diagnose conditions such as Alzheimer
disease or Parkinson disease, they are useful in
visualizing the brain changes in these disorders
and assisting in their diagnosis.
Over the last few years, neuroimaging techniques
have also contributed greatly to the identication
of the structural, functional and metabolic
neuroanatomy of psychiatric disorders. A network
of brain regions, including the dorsal prefrontal
cortex, ventral prefrontal cortex, anterior
cingulate gyrus, amygdala, hippocampus,
striatum, and thalamus has been revealed in the
pathophysiology of depression.
The move towards personalised medicine is likely
to become a reality through the use of a holistic,
multi-modal, approach to neuroimaging.
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
18
RESTRAINING MULTIDRUG RESISTANT BACTERIA
THROUGH MEDICINAL PLANTS
BMR Bandara
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya,
Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
bmrbandara@gmail.com
Antibiotics kill bacteria or prevent them from
multiplying. Antibiotic resistance among bacteria
occurs when an antibiotic loses its ability to
control and kill bacterial growth. Antibiotic
resistance is a survival trait of bacteria. Some
bacteria develop resistance to many antibiotics
becoming multidrug resistant (MDR) strains.
New antibiotics are required to treat infections
caused by MDR bacteria. The World Health
Organization has recently announced the urgent
need to develop new antibiotics to combat 12
MDR bacterial pathogens. However, many
pharmaceutical companies are terminating their
research and development endeavours on new
antibiotics. Combination therapy using more
than one antibiotic is a viable option to manage
drug-resistant bacteria. Other approaches such
as vaccines and bacteriophages will also be
useful to maintain the ecacy of current and
new antibiotics. Another strategy is to restore
or enhance the activity of antibiotics against
drug-resistant bacteria by using the antibiotics
together with compounds that inhibit resistance
mechanisms. Some plant compounds have shown
considerable resistance-modifying activities in
vitro. Crude extracts of some medicinal plants have
also been eective in potentiating the activity of
commonly used antibiotics against drug-resistant
bacteria. The use of plant compounds and their
combinations, together with common antibiotics,
is a powerful strategy to mitigate the problem of
antibiotic resistance. The potent combinations
of plant compounds and antibiotics determined
from in vitro experiments could be assessed by in
vivo studies to determine the clinical relevance of
such combinations.
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
19
CURRENT TRENDS IN MEDICAL EDUCATION
Madawa Chandratilake
Department of Medical Education,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
madawachandratilake@gmail.com
Health professions education is a dynamic
process which should response positively to
cater the changing needs of the healthcare and
the expectations for the public. On the other
hand, it should evolve with growing evidence
on educational theory. Around the world, the
transformation of curricula, assessment and
teaching learning methods are taking place and
certain trends have been emerged as a result.
In the past, the focus of health professions
education was to provide knowledge and skills
for professional practice. Even the development
of attitudes was a by-product. However, today,
the focus of healthcare professions education is
fostering a professional with clinical and moral
reasoning skills for decision making, and intrinsic
motivation for reective practice and life-long
learning.
Accordingly, curricula are designed to improve
students’ ability to deal with uncertainty and their
intrinsic motivation. Expanding the opportunities
of providing feedback to students and engagement
of students in the learning process have become
the primary drivers of curriculum planning. In
the delivery of the curriculum, learning methods
are increasingly used and teaching methods
are made more student centred. Teaching and
learning methods attempt to highlight the
relevance of learning and, therefore, they take
place in more authentic learning environments.
Technology is use for many purposes including
the individualization of learning to students with
dierent learning styles. Assessments are focused
on promoting higher order-thinking and not the
ability to retrieve knowledge. While appreciating
the importance of ‘assessment of learning’, the
gap between learning and assessment has been
bridged by integrating ‘assessments for learning’.
Overall, ‘what professionals can do’ more than
‘what they know’ has become the emphasis of
the educational process with the objective of
‘formation of professional identity’ rather than
‘producing a professional’.
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
20
DEVELOPING MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH FOR DIABETIC CARE:
LESSONS LEARNED
AATD Amarasekara
Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
thamaraamarasekara@yahoo.com
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among adults is
increasing worldwide. Multi-disciplinary research
is becoming increasingly commonplace in diabetic
research. In many healthcare systems globally,
diabetic care is driven by multidisciplinary
diabetic teams. A large number of studies in the
past few years and across dierent countries have
been performed to better understand how these
teams work and how they manage diabetic patient
care. In order to curb the rising epidemic, novel
disease management strategies are needed with a
focus on care organization, delivery and patient
and family behavioural modication. These
challenges are best approached by an organized,
multidisciplinary health care team focused on
delivering high-quality patient care.
The aim of this presentation is to provide
an evidence-based summary of the use of
multidisciplinary research in diabetic care in a
developing country. The presentation discusses
appropriate use of multidisciplinary research
involving clinicians, nurses, complementary
medicine practitioners’, patients and family
members in diabetes care. In particular, how
multi-disciplinary health research teams can be
used to improve diabetic care. A range of factors
pertaining to teamwork, perspectives of dierent
disciplines, availability of patient information,
can aect how well multidisciplinary diabetic
teams are implemented within diabetic patient
care. This presentation concludes with practical
possibilities of conducting multidisciplinary
research to provide better patient care in Sri
Lanka.
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
21
A JOURNEY OF INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS TO
UNDERSTAND DENGUE INFECTIONS
Aruna Dharshan De Silva
Director - KDU CARE, Department of Paraclinical Sciences,
Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
dslv90@yahoo.com
Dengue infections have been common in Sri
Lankan since 1989 when the rst epidemic of
>1200 cases, was reported by the Ministry of
Health (MoH). My work in dengue began after
I returned to Sri Lanka in 2007 and oversaw the
laboratory component of the Pediatric Dengue
Surveillance project in collaboration with the
MoH. Then in collaboration with Prof Alex
Sette and Prof Aravinda de Silva of the US, a
National Institutes of Health (NIH)- USA, funded
project was initiated to expand the knowledge
of the human T cell response against dengue
in the context of the larger immune response.
Lymphocytes being discarded from blood donors
at the National Blood Bank, Sri Lanka, were used
after ethical review committee and MoH approvals
to identify possible new epitopes in the context
of the Sri Lankan population. The lymphocytes
were screened for past dengue infections and
used to validate the 8000+ potential peptide
pool generated using bioinformatics. Validating
the peptides by testing lymphocytes from past
dengue infected blood donors added ~300 new
dengue T cell epitope peptides to the literature.
One major discovery highlighted the importance
of the dengue non-structural proteins in the T
cell immune response against dengue infections.
This new pool of peptides has been used to study
the immune responses being generated by new
dengue vaccines. Our data suggest that the non-
structural (NS) proteins of dengue are largely
responsible for the human T cell response and this
may explain the lack of protection in the recently
WHO approved Dengvaxia dengue vaccine,
which lacks the dengue NS proteins. Furthermore,
our data show that the immune response from
the yet to be approved NIH/Butantan vaccine is
similar to the natural infection and may provide
better protection. In addition, this international
project has helped understand the role of T
cells in the overall human immune response in
controlling a dengue infection.
Technical
Sessions
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
23
RISK FACTORS FOR ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AMONG DRIVERS ADMITTED TO
TEACHING HOSPITALS KANDY AND KURUNEGALA IN 2017
NWM Madhumali1#, HMT Bandaranayaka1,
GC Hashari1, HKB Ayesha1, RMKP Rathnayaka1,
IUM Vithana1, PL Weerawardhana1 and JMKB Jayasekara2
1Department of Nursing and Midwifery,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
#madhumalimaheshika@gmail.com
Road Trac Accidents (RTA) highly contribute to
morbidity and mortality worldwide. RTAs are one
of the main causes of sudden deaths in Sri Lanka.
Therefore, the objective of this descriptive cross-
sectional study was to identify the risk factors
for RTA among drivers admitted to Teaching
Hospitals in Kurunegala and Kandy in 2017. The
study considered 360 drivers (Kurunegala = 242,
Kandy =118) admitted to the accident wards due
to RTAs. Information related to the demographic,
occupational, vehicle, road and environment,
nature of injury were collected from all individuals
using an interviewer administered questionnaire.
Male drivers (97%) aged between 26-35 years
(28.9%) were mainly aected and motorcycles
contributed to over 79% of total accidents.
47.8% of drivers had less than 10 years driving
experience and 32.5% aected RTA were while
travelling at a speed between 31 and 45 km/h,
27.8% in 46-60 km/h. The majority occurred
between 6pm-12pm (31.11%) in the day and 23%
of RTAs occurred on Fridays of the week. Limited
contribution occurred while driving with alcohol
(6.9%) and with technical faults (8.0%). Over 54%
of the drivers had slept less than 8 hours in the
previous day of the accident. Condition of the
road was not reported as a reason for accidents
and 61% had RTAs on carpet roads. Lower limbs
were commonly injured (40%) and nearly 60% of
the drivers who had faced motorcycle accidents
had injuries in legs, hands or head. Signicant
associations showed between speed of the vehicle
and driving experience of drivers (p< 0.05), type
of the vehicle and the site of the injury (p< 0.05),
type of the vehicle and age of the driver (p< 0.05),
speed of the vehicle and type of the road (p< 0.05)
at the time of the accident. The study concluded
that the high risk of RTAs was among young
male drivers in the 26–35 years age range and
motorcycles was the most contributed vehicle in
the study population. Rush hours with low day
light (evening to midnight) were more vulnerable
for RTAs mainly on Friday. However, a number
of drivers with serious injuries or deaths were
excluded from the data collection. Further studies
on RTA are suggested and a proper education
program should be implemented by addressing
identied risk factors to minimize RTA related
injuries.
Keywords: Road Trac Accidents, Risk Factors,
Drivers, Injuries
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
24
VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALE OF PERCEIVED
SOCIAL SUPPORT (MSPSS) IN CANCER PATIENTS
EB Weeratunga1, C Senadheera2, M Hettiarchichi3,
U Ekanayaka4 and B Perera5
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
2Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
3 Nuclear Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
4Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya, Galle, Sri Lanka
5Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
#eranthiweeratunga@yahoo.com
Social support (SS) is considered an important
component in cancer patients’ quality of life.
The measurement and evaluation of SS in cancer
patients is not well understood in the Sri Lankan
context. This study examined the Sinhala version
of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social
Support (MSPSS) for its psychometric properties.
The scale has 3 dimensions; family (FA), friends
(FR), and signicant others (SO) support. The
research was approved by the Ethics Review
Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Galle. A total
of 40 cancer patients at the Radiotherapy unit,
Oncology ward, Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya in
Southern, Sri Lanka were enrolled on ‘rst come-
rst serve’ basis using their appointment register
in 2013. Participants were asked to complete three
scales; the MSPSS, the Centre for Epidemiological
Studies – Depression scale (CES-D) and the
World Health Organization-Quality of Life-
Brief scale (WHOQOL-BREF). In addition, their
socio-demographic data were recorded. To test-
retest reliability of the scale, the same group of
participants were asked to ll the same scales two
weeks later. Results were regarded as statistically
signicant if p< 0.05. Mean (±SD) age of the
sample was 61(±12) years. Mean score (±SD) for
overall SS was 65(±7). The Sinhala-MSPSS was
found to have a negative correlation with the
CES-D (divergent validity), but was positively
correlated with the WHOQOL-BREF (convergent
validity). The internal consistency of the overall
scale was good (Cronbach’s alpha - 0.75). FA and
SO showed high Cronbach’s alpha (0.983 and
0.996). The test-retest reliability was found to be
0.86. The study concludes that the Sinhala version
of MSPSS is a valid and reliable tool to assess SS
of cancer patients.
Keywords: Social Support, Multidimensional
Scale of Perceived Social Support, Validity
-Reliability
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
25
EXPOSURE TO PATIENT RELATED VIOLENCE AGAINST NURSING OFFICERS IN
DIFFERENT UNITS, IN TEACHING HOSPITAL KARAPITIYA (THK)
GD Punchihewa1, NHDP Fonseka2 and
SMRG Godawita3
1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
2,3 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
3rivindig@gmail.com
The healthcare industry has been identied
as one of the work places where violence is
most prevalent and nursing has been identied
as the occupation at highest risk of patient-
related violence. Patient-related violence in the
health care system is increasing, and it strongly
inuences recruitment and retention of nurses.
The objectives of this study were to determine
the exposure to patient related-violence against
nursing ocers working in THK and to
compare the prevalence of patient-related
violence against nursing ocers in dierent
units of THK. A descriptive survey design was
used. Setting was Teaching Hospital Karapitiya.
Study sample was selected from all units in THK
using systematic random sampling method. Data
was collected using interviewer-administered
questionnaire. Of 136 respondents, 88 (64.7%) were
exposed to some kind of violence with (n=34) 25%
to physical assault, (n=77) 56.6% to verbal abuse,
(n=12) 8.8% to verbal threat, (n=13) 9.6% to sexual
harassment. There was a signicant relationship
(p> 0.026) between the exposure to violence and
the type of wards in THK, the highest rate 85.2%
(n=115 nurses) being in special units with surgical
and medical units having rates of 65.9% (n=89)
and 55.9% (n=76) respectively. Only 33.8% (n=46)
of participants were aware of the availability of
violence reporting procedures in their workplace.
The rates of exposure to violence among nurses
in THK are fairly high. There is a direct need to
create awareness regarding the availability of
reporting procedures and a regular program for
training in violent patient management.
Keywords: Violence, Nurses, Physical Assault,
Sexual Harassment, Verbal Abuse, Verbal Threat
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
26
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUTE AND PRACTICES OF DIETARY MANAGEMENT AMONG
ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASES (IHD) PATIENTS
ACH Perera1 and MB Samarawickrama2
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, KIU, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
1chamilyaperera@gmail.com
Ischemic heart disease (IHD) has become a major
cause of deaths in the world. Unhealthy dietary
pattern is an indirect risk factor which causes
obesity, hyperlipidemia and high blood pressure.
Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices
related to dietary management is important to
prevent unnecessary deaths due to IHD. Therefore
a cross sectional study was conducted to evaluate
the knowledge, attitude and practices in dietary
management among IHD patients using 150
patients who attended medical and cardiology
clinics in Teaching Hospital Karapitiya by using
an interviewer administered questionnaire.
Considering their knowledge about the disease
condition, nearly 40% of them had good
knowledge about IHD. Similarly, 45.3% had good
knowledge about dietary management. Fifty one
percent of the sample was willing to have dietary
management but only 27% in salt and 50% in fat
like to reduce them. Knowledge and attitude about
dietary management have signicant relationship
between level of education (know. - r = 0.48, p
< 0.001, Atti. – r = 0.44, p < 0.001) and monthly
income (know. – r = 0.35, p < 0.001, Atti. – r = 0.27,
p < 0.001). Nearly 70% did not like to reduce
salt intake while 50% did not like to reduce
fat. Nearly 75% agreed to increase vegetable and
fruits intake. There was a signicant relationship
between fruits and vegetables usage and level of
education ( r = 0.64, p < 0.001) , monthly income
(r = 0.31, p < 0.001) and nationality ( r = - 0.25,
p = 0.002). Even after diagnosis of the disease a
62% in salt, 43% in fat and 87% in fruits and
vegetable did not change the dietary pattern.
Keywords: Dietary Management, Ischemic Heart
Disease Patients, Knowledge
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
27
AWARENESS REGARDING EARLY DETECTION TECHNIQUES OF BREAST CANCER
AND KNOWLEDGE REGARDING SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER:
COMPARATIVE STUDTY BETWEEN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS OF APEKSHA
HOSPITAL AND WOMEN WHO ATTENDED CLINICS, PILIYANDALA MOH
PMC Dinesha1, RAND Ranaweera2, PWDN Weerasinghe3,
CAK Pathirage4, KMDN Senarathna5,
GAGMS Ariyasena6, HSMSK Wijesiri7 and
KASJ Balawardane8
1,2,3,4,5,6,7 Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
8Department of Radiography and Radiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
1chamari2020@gmail.com
Breast cancer is a type of cancer that develops
from breast tissue and is considered the most
common cancer among Sri Lankan women. The
objectives of this research were to assess the
awareness regarding early detection techniques of
breast cancer and the knowledge regarding signs
and symptoms between two dierent groups. A
descriptive cross sectional comparative study was
conducted between two groups and the study
was carried out in the clinics of Apeksha Hospital
Maharagama and at well woman clinics in MOH
area Piliyandala. Each cohort consisted of 317
participants within the age range of 30-65. They
were selected randomly and data collection was
done using a self-administered questionnaire.
Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23.
Among the women in Apeksha hospital, the
most known early detection technique (EDT)
was clinical breast examination (CBE)
(91.80%).
The least known EDT was magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) which was found to be 62.80%.
In the MOH, the most known EDT was breast
self-examination (BSE). It was 80.10% and least
known EDT was Mammography (32.80%).
Most identied sign and symptom for both
study samples was lump or thickening in the
breast. It was 93.40% for Apeksha cohort and
79.50% for MOH cohort. When comparing the
study samples, the sample of Apeksha Hospital,
Maharagama had fairly good knowledge about
signs, symptoms and early detection techniques.
Therefore, the knowledge regarding signs and
symptoms should be improved among the women
in MOH areas. Throughout the entire study the
average practice and knowledge of women with
breast cancer was maintained at a precise level
than the women who attending MOH clinics.
The awareness of women participating MOH
clinics must be improved by introducing health
education programs at the clinics.
Keywords: Awareness, Breast Cancer,
Comparative Study, Early Detection Techniques
(EDT), Signs and Symptoms
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
28
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WEIGHT FOR AGE CHART IN THE
CHILD HEALTH DEVELOPMENT RECORD AMONG MOTHERS OF INFANTS OVER
SIX MONTHS IN PILIYANDALA MOH AREA
MDVC Lakshan1, RMIN Rathnayake2, SCJ Wijewardhana3,
WMKS Bandara4, AKDC Wijesinghe5,
MN Priyadarshanie6 and GDI Rodrigo7
1,2,3,4,5,6 Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
7 Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
1virajakshan91@gmail.com
Child Health Development Record (CHDR) is a
document which records growth and development
details of a child from birth to adolescence. It is
a tool which makes parents actively participate
in and develop a greater understanding of their
child’s growth. Growth charts in CHDR are
important in monitoring the growth of children.
In the current CHDR, growth charts are color
coded for easy parental understanding and
interpretation. There are separate charts for
weight, length/height and head circumference
for boys and girls. In children, weight is the most
common measured indicator for assessment
of growth. Hence, accurate understanding of
the weight for age chart and growth patterns is
necessary for parents to understand the child’s
growth and detect problems early. The objective
was to assess knowledge and understanding of
the weight for age chart and growth patterns in
CHDR among mothers of infants in Piliyandala
MOH area. A descriptive cross-sectional study
was conducted at seven randomly selected child
welfare clinics in Piliyandala MOH area. Study
population comprised of mothers of infants over
6 months. A pre-tested interviewer administered
questionnaire and a series of marked and
unmarked weight for age charts were used as
tools. Out of the total number of mothers (n=189)
interviewed, approximately half (52.4%) (n=99)
had average knowledge and 14.3% (n=27) of
mothers had poor knowledge on weight for age
chart in CHDR. Nearly half the population (46.6%)
identied the colour zones of the weight for age
chart in CHDR correctly. Two thirds (67.7%) of
mothers identied growth patterns parallel to the
median line as healthy growth. However, only
21.2% identied weight gain of a low birth weight
baby parallel to the median but at the -2SD line
as an acceptable growth pattern in weight for age
chart. About 1/3 of mothers misinterpreted rapid
weight gain of a low-birth weight as a healthy
pattern. Majority of mothers had satisfactory
knowledge and understanding of the weight for
age chart in CHDR. However, their interpretation
was not optimal with a preference for upward
moving growth patterns indicating their desire
for a “fat” baby rather than a “thin” baby.
Keywords: Child Health Development Record
(CHDR), Infants
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
29
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND PREVALENCE OF OBESITY AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN
KURUNEGALA DISTRICT
JASD Bandara1, AMGCP Adikari2 and S Weerasinghe3
Department of Sports Science, Faculty of Applied Sciences,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
1shalinidbandara@gmail.com
Many studies have identied the relationship
between Body Mass Index (BMI) and physical
activity level. The purpose of this study was
to identify the prevalence of underweight,
overweight and obesity and to examine the
relationship between BMI and physical activity
level of 16-18 year old adolescents in Kurunegala
district. A cross-sectional study was conducted.
Four hundred and twenty students (205 males and
215 females) were selected using stratied random
sampling technique. Data was gathered using
the physical activity questionnaire to measure
the physical activity level. BMI categories of
overweight, obesity, normal weight, thinness and
severe thinness were determined based on WHO
growth reference. Descriptive statistics, Mann
Whitney U test and Spearman correlation tests
were used to analyze data. The results revealed
that the percentages of students in normal,
underweight, over-weight and obese categories
were 62.1%, 31.9%, 4.5% and 1.4%, respectively.
Also, a signicant dierence (P<0.05) of physical
activity level was observed between children in
urban and rural areas. There was no correlation
between BMI and physical activity level of
students in Kurunegala district (r=0.015, p=0.766).
It can be concluded that there is no relationship
between BMI and physical activity level of
students in Kurunegala district and there were
more underweight students than overweight and
obese students. Also, underweight adolescents
can be found in both urban and rural areas and
prevalence of obesity was higher in urban areas.
Keywords: Physical Activity Level, BMI
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
30
GOVERNMENT BANKERS LEAD A SEDENTARY LIFE STYLE WITH TENDENCY
FOR PHYSICAL INACTIVITY: MYTH OR A FACT?
KMD Nadeeshani1, WS Kaushalya2, ARC Tharindulatha3,
MDDM Munasinghe4, J Nadeeshani5,
NB Kalpage6, PTR Makuloluwa7 and HMP Herath8
1,2,3,4,5,6,8 Department of Nursing and Midwifery,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
7Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
7ptr_makuloluwa@hotmail.com
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the foremost
cause of deaths globally. Over three quarters of
CVD deaths occur in low and middle-income
countries. Bankers are known to have a sedentary
lifestyle with physical inactivity which is a
known risk factor for CVDs. The objective of the
study was to assess the level of physical activity
of government bankers. A descriptive cross-
sectional study was carried out in 25 selected
branches of a government bank in Western
Province, Sri Lanka. Managerial and ocer
grade participants were recruited through simple
random sampling. Level of physical activity was
assessed using an interviewer - administered
structured questionnaire. Physical activities were
categorized as strenuous (brisk walking, jogging)
and mild to moderate (house work, walking,
gardening). Strenuous exercise of more than 2
hours per week and mild to moderate exercise of
more than 18 hours per week were considered as
satisfactory. Data were collected from 403 bankers,
males (n=113; 28%) and females (n=290; 72.0%)
belonging to 25-45 age group. Only 212 (52.6%)
have engaged in satisfactory level of physical
activity. Among them, 49 have been involved in
strenuous physical activity but have failed to show
any statistically signicant association with age
(p=0.446), gender (p=0.519) or with occupational
status (p=0.156). 163 (40.4%) were involved in
mild to moderate physical activity, the majority
were females (n=127) and statistically signicant
association was shown with gender (p=0.028).
In conclusion, there is a need to implement life
style changes in government bankers in Western
Province to sustain a satisfactory level of physical
activity.
Keywords: Cardiovascular Diseases, Risk of
CVDs, Government Bankers, Physical Inactivity,
Western Province
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
31
NURSES’ PERSPECTIVE ON LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF NURSE MANAGERS
NAS Nishshanka1, EAC Gayathri2, SAMP Kumari3,
RPGSS Lakmali4, KA Sriyani5 and ASPL Senadheera6
1,4Teaching Hospital, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka
2National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka
3District Base Hospital, Kuliyapitiya, Sri Lanka
5,6Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences,
The Open University of Sri Lanka
5kasri@ou.ac.lk
Nurse managers’ decision making ability,
communication skills and commitment to the
profession directly and indirectly aect nurses’
job satisfaction and thereby the quality of patient
care. The aim of the study was to explore nurses’
perception on leadership qualities of their nurse
managers. This was a descriptive cross-sectional
study conducted among purposively recruited
nurses from both medical and surgical wards in
the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in early 2017.
Data were collected from 251 nurses using a pre-
tested self-administered questionnaire. Ethical
approval was obtained for the study. According to
their perception, only 65.3% nurses believed that
the nurse managers use eective communication
skills in their management, while 64.6% agreed
that their decision making ability is good.
Among participants, 69.8% positively responded
regarding their job satisfaction and 67.3% nurses
thought that their nurse managers were committed
to the profession. Further, nurses responded at
moderate levels on their nurse managers’ qualities
including equality (61%), appreciation (66%) and
exibility in duty arrangements (73%). According
to nurses’ perception, nurse managers’ leadership
qualities including eective communication
skills, decision making ability and commitment to
the nursing profession were at moderate level. As
nurse managers’ qualities inuence both patients
and sta, it is essential to organize educational
programmes for the nurse managers to improve
their leadership qualities, and thereby to improve
the quality of patient care and outcome.
Keywords: Nurses‘ Perspective, Nurse Manager,
Leadership Qualities
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
32
EVALUATION OF AXILLARY DOSE OF CARDIOLOGIST DURING CORONARY
ANGIOGRAPHY (CA) AND PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL CORONARY
ANGIOPLASTY (PTCA) PROCEDURES: A CATH LAB STUDY
AL Abeyweera1#, HMTD Herath1, WHNH Indralal1,
P Sathyathas1 and J Jeyasugiththan2
1Department of Radiography and Radiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Nuclear Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
#amila92@gmail.com
Coronary Angiography (CA) and Percutaneous
Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) are
catheterization imaging procedures involving
high radiation doses. The aim of this study was to
measure the absorbed dose receives in the axillary
region among cardiologists who wear a lead apron
with inappropriate size. This was a quantitative
cross-sectional study, which includes the date from
40 PTCAs and 80 CAs. The data were collected
from National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL). Two
electronic pocket dosimeters were placed in the
axillary area (inside and outside the lead apron)
of the cardiologist, which was used to measure
scattered and leakage radiation during imaging
procedures. PTCA and CA median axillary dose
without and with shielding was 25.84 µSv, 0.64
µSv and 9.37 µSv, 0.64 µSv. A signicant dierence
was observed between with and without
shielding. First operator will receive annum dose
with respect to the without and with shielding to
axilla 13.88 mSv and 0.85 mSv respectively, 93.9%
of reduction was observed. Among PTCA and CA
procedures, a signicant association was found
between exposure time and axillary dose, DAP
and axillary dose with and without shielding
and also between DAP and BMI. No signicant
association was observed among PTCA and CA
procedures between BMI and axillary dose with
or without shielding.Shielding of the axillary area
will reduce the radiation dose signicantly to the
rst operator and furthermore the DAP, exposure
time and patient’s BMI are the main factors that
contribute to the radiation dose to the axillary
region.
Keywords: Axillary Dose, Interventional
Radiology, Lead Aprons
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
33
EVALUATION OF AVERAGE GLANDULAR DOSE IN RELATION TO BODY MASS INDEX
AND MENOPAUSAL STATUS IN DIGITAL BREAST TOMOSYNTHESIS
SHDM Wickramarathna1#, DMSW Dissanayake1,
HS Niroshani1 and G Senanayake2
1Department of Radiography and Radiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Pre Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
#shdmanishi@gmail.com
Mammographic quality control involves
estimation of average dose to the glandular tissues
of the breast. Present study was conducted at the
Nawaloka Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka with
the 109 women who attended mammographic
screening. Main objective was to investigate the
relationship between AGD (Average Glandular
Dose) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in Digital
Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT). Data on participants
were collected by incorporating a structured
questionnaire. Height (cm) and weight (kg) of
each participant was used to estimate the BMI.
Average dose to the glandular tissues (mGy) of
the breasts was recorded from the DBT computer
system. Majority of participants belonged to
overweight and obese BMI categories while
none belonged to lean category. Premenopausal
women allotted to normal, overweight and obese
BMI categories had their mean BMI of 21.27 kg/
m2, 25.63 kg/m2 and 30.84 kg/m2 respectively. The
counterpart postmenopausal women had mean
BMI of 21.85 kg/m2, 25.17kg/m2 and 31.12kg/
m2 respectively. Relationship between AGD
and BMI during MLO (Mediolateral oblique)
views in both the pre and post-menopausal
categories was signicant (r=0.64, 0.53, 0.40, 0.30
and P=0.00 to 0.03). The study did not reveal
a signicant correlation of BMI to AGD at right
craniocaudal views (RCC) in both categories
(P=0.19 and 0.45). However, the correlation was
signicant during left craniocaudalview (LCC)
in premenopausal women (r=0.33 and P=0.01).
In contrast, relationship could not be established
during LCC view in post-menopausal category
(P=0.15). It is concluded that relationship of
AGD and BMI holds a signicant and positive
relationship (r=0.64 to 0.30 and P=0.00 to 0.03)
during MLO views in both the pre and post-
menopausal women categories and LCC view in
pre-menopausal category. But this matter has to
be veried with higher population.
Keywords: Breast Cancer, Digital Breast
Tomosynthesis, BMI, Menopausal State
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
34
ESTABLISHMENT OF DIAGNOSTIC REFERENCE LEVEL (DRL) FOR COMPUTED
TOMOGRAPHY (CT) EXAMINATIONS FROM SELECTED HOSPITALS IN SRI LANKA
WAD Gunathilake1#, HK Thenuwara1, HMSS Wijebandara1,
P Sathyathas1 and UC Samarasinghe2
1Department of Radiography and Radiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Consultant Radiologist, Nawaloka Hospitals PLC, Colombo, Sri Lanka
#achinigunathilake@gmail.com
Computed Tomography (CT) examinations
deliver higher patient dose in comparison
with other conventional x-ray examinations.
The aim of this study was to establish local
diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for selected CT
examinations. This was a cross-sectional study
investigating local DRL in selected hospitals from
16 and 640 slice CT scanners in Sri Lanka. Three
hundred and fty adult patients who underwent
CT scans of non-contrast and contrast brain,
contrast enhanced chest, HRCT chest, KUB,
contrast enhanced abdomen and chest-abdomen
examinations were included. Patients’ parameters
(height, weight, age and sex) and CT scan
parameters (kVp, eective mAs, total scan time,
slice thickness, CTDI (vol) and DLP) were collected.
The mean age of the patients was 53.25(±16) years
and the age range was 19 - 89 years. Local DRLs
were proposed to establish as the 75th percentile
of CTDI(vol) and the DLP values of NC- brain,
CE-brain, KUB, CE-chest, HRCT, CE-abdomen
and Chest-abdomen obtained from the 16 slice
CT machine. LDRLs for adult examinations
determined for NC- brain, CE-brain, KUB, CE-
chest, HRCT, CE-abdomen and Chest-abdomen
in terms of CTDI(vol) were 70.90 mGy, 141.8 mGy,
11.80 mGy, 17.70 mGy, 12.80 mGy, 45.27 mGy
and 27.02 mGy respectively. Eective doses for
the examinations NC-brain, CE-chest and CE-
abdomen were 2.60 mSv, 7.65 mSv and 20.7
mSv respectively and they were higher than
the AAPM reference levels. The study’s DRLs
values were generally higher than the ICRP 2007
recommended values. Moreover according to
the research, DRLs values of the commonest CT
examinations were generally higher than the
DRLs values of some other countries, requiring
further optimization process for these determined
DRLs.
Keywords: Computed Tomography (CT),
Volumetric Computed Tomography Dose Index
(CTDI(vol)), Dose Length Product (DLP), Diagnostic
Reference Level (DRL)
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
35
ESTIMATION OF RADIONUCLIDE ACTIVITY OF BLADDER FOR PATIENTS
UNDERGOING BONE SCAN
MPGH Gunathilaka1#, NH Gunawardane1, VGVI Gamage1,
LHMIM Herath1 and JMC Udugama2
1Department of Radiography and Radiotherapy,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Nuclear Medicine, Lanka Hospitals (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka
#ghgunathilaka.92@gmail.com
Among variety of medical imaging modalities,
nuclear imaging method is a safe, has less side
eects and is a painless technique to image the
body and diagnose diseases. The objective of this
study was to determine the amount of radionuclide
activity in bladder during bone scan and to
estimate the percentage of radionuclide activity
in the bladder compared to injected dose. Results
of the study were used to nd out the correlation
between Body Mass Index (BMI) and amount of
activity in bladder and the correlation between
gender and radionuclide activity in bladder in the
bone scan. A cross-sectional study was conducted
among patients referred to Tc99m Methylene
Di-Phosphanate (MDP) whole-body bone scans
to estimate the radionuclide activity in bladder
by using dual head Single Positron Emission
Computed Tomography (SPECT) machine. One
hundred (100) patients were selected for study.
After two hours of injection of Tc99mMDP, scan
was performed. The total counts were taken
by drawing region of interest (ROI) around the
bladder in each image. Conjugate view method
was used to convert count into activity. The mean
value of bladder activity fraction was 0.075%
(ranged from 0.39% to 0.012%) with Standard
Deviation (SD) of 0.076. According to the Kruskal
Wallis test, there was no correlation between BMI
and bladder activity with P = 0.923 (P > 0.05) and
according to the Mann-Whitney test, there was a
correlation between gender and bladder activity
with P = 0.002 (P < 0.05). Bladder receives very
less amount than 0.5% of activity as a non-imaging
organ during bone scan and the estimation of
bladder activity is worth because the patients can
be encouraged to be well-hydrated after injection
to eliminate radiopharmaceuticals from body.
Keywords: Body Mass Index, Single Positron
Emission Computed Tomography, Methylene Di-
Phosphanate
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
36
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT’S PERCEPTIONS OF THE BS
c
. RADIOGRAPHY
DEGREE PROGRAMME AT FACULTY OF ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES,
UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA, SRI LANKA
DGSR Karunarathna1#, BS Weerakoon1
and MAJC Marasinghe1
1Department of Radiography/Radiotherapy,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
#dgsadhani@gmail.com
Radiography education in Sri Lanka has
expanded up to the degree level during the past
decade. University of Peradeniya is the only
state university oering free education for the
radiography profession in Sri Lanka. Objectives
of this study were to assess the factors inuencing
students to choose undergraduate radiography
programme and carrier aspirations related
to the degree. Total of 109 students following
the radiography undergraduate program in
Department of Radiography/ Radiotherapy,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University
of Peradeniya were taken as the study sample
for this questionnaire-based study. The sample
consisted of rst year (38), second year (22),
third year (29) and fourth year (20) students.
The questionnaire was divided into two parts:
Part A contained the demographic data while
part B involved information related to student’s
perception on radiography degree and their
employment plans. Results demonstrated that
majority of students (59.6%) have chosen to follow
the radiography degree depending on the Z-score
obtained at G.C.E Advanced Level examination.
Only 78.9% of students were aware about the
risk of radiation associated with the radiography
eld before enrolling in degree. Most students
(45.9%) expected to work as radiographers in
the government sector after the graduation. The
study concluded that students have selected the
radiography eld mainly depending on their
Z-scores rather than on their interest in the subject
or health sector. Therefore, it is recommended to
provide proper information regarding the degree
programme and associated radiation risk to
potential candidates prior to the selection of the
degree programme.
Keywords: Career Aspiration, Radiography
Degree, Undergraduates
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
37
METALLOTHINEIN RESPONSES IN RELATION TO DISEASE PROGRESSION IN
CKD AFFECTED PEOPLE OF PADAVIYA, SRI LANKA
ARN Silva1, KBS Gunawickrama2, JMKB Jayasekara3,
GWGP Kumara4, RH Karunarathna4, AV Ranasingha4,
PGCL Nanayakkara5, KIG Hewavitharana6 and
SHNP Gunawickrama6#
1Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka
2Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka
3Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka
4Renal Disease Prevention and Research Unit (RDPRU), Ministry of Health,
Nutrition and Endogenous Medicine, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka
5Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ruhuna, Karapitiya, Sri Lanka
6Institute for Combinatorial Advanced Research and Education,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka
#nandana.gunawickrama@gmail.com
Metallothioneins (MT) are metal detoxifying
proteins that sequester metals. MT expression is
induced by metals such as As, Cd, and Zn. In a
cross sectional study, metallothionein expression
was followed in chronic kidney disease (CKD)
aected people in Padaviya area to investigate
whether the disease is etiologically linked to
metal exposure. Male subjects between 35-75
years of age volunteered for the study (n=202)
at CKD clinic, Base Hospital, Padaviya. Samples
were collected similarly at Padalangala for
a non-endemic control. Questionnaire based
information, whole blood and spot urine
samples were collected from each subject serum
Creatinine and Cystatin C and urine Albumin to
Creatinine ratio (UACR mg/g) were determined
by standard analytical procedures. eGFR (ml/
min-1.722m2) was calculated using MDRD and
EPI equations. Protein expression levels of MT-
1A and MT-2A genes were measured by enzyme
linked immunosorbent assay using polyclonal
mouse anti-human MT1A and monoclonal
mouse anti-human MT2A antibodies respectively.
Results showed that MT1A protein level of CKD
stage II was statistically dierent (p<0.05, one
way ANOVA followed by Tukey HSD) from both
stages III (p<0.002) and IV (p<0.004) whereas
MT2A protein levels were similar (p>0.05) among
all stages and control. Simple linear correlation
(Pearson’s) analyses reveled that MT1A protein
levels positively associated (p<0.05) with disease
progression in terms of serum Cystatin C based
(EPI) eGFR (r, 0.163) and serum Creatinine and
Cystatin C combined equation based (EPI) eGFR
(r, 0.171). Intra-stage analyses showed that MT1A
protein level was positively correlated (p<0.05)
to MDRD eGFR in stage II (r, 0.391), Cystatin C
based EPI eGFR in stage III (r, 0.381) and UACR
of 0-30 mg/g group (r, 0.284). In conclusion, MT-
1A expression appears to be modulated with the
disease progression in CKD patients in Padaviya
area. The study continues.
Keywords: Metallothionein, Chronic Kidney
Disease, Padaviya
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
38
ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS AND METHANALIC ROOT EXTRACTS OF
MEDICINAL PLANT HETEROPOGON CONTORTUS
RNN Gamage1#, KB Hasanthi2, ARN Silva2,
WD Ratnasooriya2, RN Pathirana2 and SK Hettihewa3
1National Science Foundation, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka
2Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Science,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka
3Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ruhuna, Karapitiya, Sri Lanka
#rnngamage@gmail.com
Synthetic drugs available for the treatment of
chronic and infectious diseases are very expensive
and some of them have become less eective
due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
As such, research is now focused on natural
sources, including plants and plant parts for the
development of novel therapeutic agents. This
study evaluated the in vitro anti-bacterial activity
of aqueous and methanolic root extracts of Sri
Lankan medicinal plant Heteropogon contortus
against two clinically signicant pathogenic
strains, Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and
Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). Agar well
diusion method was performed separately in
triplicates (N=3) for both microbial suspensions
to evaluate the anti-bacterial eect. Additionally,
phytochemical compositions of aqueous and
methanolic root extracts were also examined
by performing standard chemical tests. Results
revealed that each crude root extract exhibited
anti-bacterial activity against both E. coli and S.
aureus. The largest zones of inhibition against
both E. coli and S. aureus were detected from the
methanolic root extract at a concentration of 200
mg/ml and this is a novel nding. Phytochemical
analysis of roots revealed the presence of
bioactive constituents such as alkaloids, phenols
and avonoids that account for the anti-bacterial
potential. Therefore, root of H. contortus is a
reliable source to develop potent, cheap and
natural anti-bacterial agents. Future research
focusing on high concentrations of dierent root
extracts is recommended to further understand
the anti-bacterial capability of H. contortus.
Keywords: Heteropogon Contortus, Medicinal
Plant, Root, Anti-Bacterial Activity
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
39
DEVELOPMENT OF METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE SUSTAINED RELEASE TABLET
V Ajeethan1,2#, DN Karunaratne1,3, R Fernandopulle4 and
S Fernando2
1Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
2Astron (Ltd) Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company, Sri Lanka
3Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
4Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John KotelawalaDefence University, Sri Lanka
#vajee92@gmail.com
Metformin hydrochloride (MH) is a binguanide,
used to treat type 2 diabetes by oral administration
as rst line drug choice. MH is a hydrophilic
drug, which facilitates glucose utilization by
peripheral tissue and reduces glucose production
in the liver. Objective of the study was to develop
the formulation of MH sustained released tablet
locally. Eight dierent formulations of MH
sustained release tablet were developed one by
one, according to the drug releasing property
of previous formulation with MH, hydrophilic
drug releasing polymers, maize starch and
magnesium stearate through wet granulation
method. Twenty tablets from each formulation
were tested for uniformity of weight, friability,
hardness, thickness and diameter according to
British Pharmacopeia (BP) standard. In-vitro
drug release studies were carried out according
to United State Pharmacopeia (USP) standard.
The sample was withdrawn at end of 1st, 2nd,
4th, 6th, 8th and 10th hours from medium of
phosphate buer (pH 6.8) in vessel of dissolution
tester and released amount of drug measured
through UV-visible spectrophotometer. Tablet
assay was done through High Performance
Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) according USP
standard. The physical testing and tablet assay
of all developed formulations complied with BP
and USP standard. Drug releasing prole of four
formulations out of eight complied USP standard
limits. One formulation was the best formulation
out of eight. All formulations had same amount of
MH and they were manufactured according to the
same procedure. However, drug releasing prole
defers in each formulation due to combination
and ratio of hydrophilic polymers. Finally,
MH sustained release tablet was developed
successfully through a series of trials. The
combination and ratio of drug releasing polymers
in formulation aect the drug releasing property
of the tablet.
Keywords: Metformin Hydrochloride Sustained
Release Tablet, United State Pharmacopeia, British
Pharmacopeia
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
40
INVITRO ASSESSMENT OF PHYLLANTHUS DEBILIS FOR HEPATOPROTECTIVE
ACTIVITY AGAINST DAMAGE INDUCED BY PARACETAMOL ON HEPG2 CELLS
D Perera1#, P Soysa1 and S Wijerathne2
1Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
2Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
#bdrperera@gmail.com
Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is used as an
analgesic and antipyretic drug globally and is
considered an intentional self-poisoning drug.
Paracetamol (PCM) overdose causes deaths and
liver failure. P.debilis is an herbal plant to treat
liver diseases. Porridge of the P.debilis plant
is used in traditional medicine to treat liver
diseases. The present investigation was focused
on the hepatoprotective eect of aerial and root
parts of P.debilis plant in paracetamol induced
toxicity. Aerial (PAP) and root (PRP) parts of
P.debilis plants were reuxed (50g) separately for
3hrs with deionized water. Pre evaluated non-
toxic concentrations of plant extracts (<100 µg/
ml) were co-treated with a lethal dose of PCM
(30mM) on HepG2 cells for 24 hours. Cell viability
was determined using total protein contentin
the cell lysate after 24 hour incubation time.
Percentage leakage of lactate dehydrogenase
(LDH) and alanine aminotransferase
(ALT)
activity in the spent medium was also evaluated
after 24 hour co-exposure of plant extracts with
PCM (30mM). Ethidium bromide and acridine
orange staining were carried out to determine
the mode of cell death and examined under
the uorescent microscope. Cell viability was
increased with the co-treatment of PRP and PAP
with PCM (30mM) in concentration dependent
manner which initially declined with the
treatment of PCM (30mM). LDH is a cytoplasmic
enzyme present in almost all eukaryotic cells
which is a sensitive assay for the evaluation
of cytotoxicity. Percentage LDH leakage to the
medium was reduced with the treatment of PRP
and PAP which was initially induced by PCM
(30mM). Cell damage associated with PCM was
assayed by the measurement of ALT levels in the
medium. Signicant dose dependent reduction
of cytotoxicity was observed with the treatment
of PRP and PAP (p<0.05). Ethidium bromide and
acridine orange dual stain results demonstrated
that red to orange colour dead cells with PCM
treatment was reduced and turned to green
colour live cells with the co-treatment of PRP and
PAP (84 µg/ml). PCM induced hepatotoxicity is
reduced with the co-treatment of PRP and PAP in
a concentration dependent manner.
Keywords: Hepato protective, HepG2, P.debilis.
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
41
FORMULATION AND STABILITY EVALUATION OF TWEEN 20® CONSISTING
NEEM OIL BASED EMULSION
HHVKN De Silva1, YNL Abeywardana1, NA Sanjeewani1#,
RN Pathirana2 and WD Ratnasooriya2
1Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
#ashokasanjeewani@yahoo.com
Process parameters and stability evaluation
are important to develop a new formulation.
Since Neem oil and Tween 20® are cheap,
less toxic, highly available and aordable,
these were chosen to formulate the emulsion.
Objectives of the study were to formulate a
stable emulsion consisting of Neem oil and
Tween 20® and to evaluate the stability of the
optimized formulations. Primary emulsions were
formulated in dierent ratios of oil, water and
surfactant by using the magnetic stirrer (300 rpm).
Respective secondary emulsions were obtained
by high shear homogenization (10,000 rpm) of
optimized formulations of primary emulsions.
Samples were subjected to centrifugation (1200
rpm) to determine the accelerated stability. All
the optimized formulations of primary and
secondary emulsions were subjected to observe
short-term stability, accelerated stability for 14
days and long-term stability for 90 days. Most of
the samples of primary and secondary emulsions
were stable throughout the short-term stability
evaluation period except one primary and two
secondary emulsions. Most of the secondary
emulsions showed greater stability period than
that of respective primary emulsions. Creaming
and phase separation were the main unstable
conditions that occurred during the long-
term stability evaluation period. Two primary
emulsions and one secondary emulsion showed
instability during the accelerated stability
evaluation period. The best formula consisted of
45% Neem oil, 35% water and 20% Tween 20®.
Secondary homogenization led to enhance the
stability of the formulations..
Keywords: High Shear Homogenization,
Creaming, Phase Separation
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
42
COMPARISION OF HIP RANGE OF MOTION (ROM) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH AND
WITHOUT LOW BACK PAIN (LBP) IN NATIONAL HOSPITAL OF SRI LANKA (NHSL)
DUK Liyanaarachchi1#, DDTI Karunarathne1, DAA Gamage1,
WL Dabarera1, SADCS Senevirathna1 and N Kumarasinghe2
1Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
#udarakashun@gmail.com
LBP is a leading cause of disability among
people worldwide. Due to the close anatomical
proximity of the hip joint with the lumbopelvic
region, it is believed that the hip joint function is
related to low back pain. Comparing hip ROM in
individuals with and without LBP, with gender
and age in Non-LBP individuals were study
objectives. Observational case control study
was carried out between two groups of 50 LBP
and 50 Non-LBP individuals in NHSL. Socio-
demographic characteristics were gathered using
an interviewer-administered questionnaire and
hip active ROM in all 3 anatomical planes was
measured by the universal goniometer in both
groups. BMI was taken by measuring Height
and Weight. A signicant dierence was found
between the two groups in all hip ROM (p=0.000).
Mean hip ROM in each plane was higher in non-
LBP individuals. Means of hip ROM values were
higher in the group aged between 25-32 years
than the 32-60 years aged group. There was a
signicant association and correlation between
hip exion, extension, abduction and adduction
with age (P value < 0.05). Mean of hip ROM in
females are higher than males except in hip
abduction and extension. There was a signicant
dierence between means of hip exion, hip
abduction, hip internal rotation and external
rotation with gender (p<0.05). In LBP group,
every hip ROM value was decreased. Age and
gender had an association with the hip ROM in
Non-LBP individuals. Further studies should be
carried out to see the relevance of this study to
whole Sri Lankan population.
Keywords: Low Back Pain, Hip Range of Motion,
Age, Gender
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
43
POSTURAL CONTROL AND SENSORIMOTOR FUNCTIONS IN OLDER ADULTS
WITH DIABETIC PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
AH Wettasinghe1#, DWN Dissanayake2, L Allet3,4,
MAHP Kumarasiri5, P Katulanda6 and SR Lord7
1Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
2,5Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
3Department of Community Medicine, University Hospitals and
University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
4Department of Physiotherapy, School for Health Sciences,
HES-SO, University of Applied Sciences and
Arts of Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland
5Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
6Neuroscience Research Australia, UNSW, Randwick, Sydney, Australia
#asha@med.cmb.ac.lk
Older adults with diabetic peripheral neuropathy
(DPN) have a higher incidence of falls compared
to type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients without
DPN(NDPN). The study aim was to compare
postural control and sensorimotor functions
of DPN patients with NDPN and healthy DM
patients were recruited from diabetic clinics
via purposive sampling. DPN was assessed
by validated symptom and examination
score and vibration perception thresholds
(Biothesiometer;VPT). Proprioception was
measured by a lower-limb matching task used in
Physiological Prole Assessment (PPA). Tactile
sensitivity was assessed by Semmes-Weinstein
pressure aesthesiometer. Knee extension strength
was measured isometrically by a tool in PPA
and ve-time sit to stand test. Balance abilities
were measured by sway measures. The sample
comprised 65 participants-(42.4% males and
57.6% females); DPN-(n=29; age=61.3±5. 4 years;
DM duration=17.5±6.2 years) and NDPN-(n=25;
age=60.7±6.2 years; DM duration=13.4±6. 9 years)
and healthy-(n=11; age=55.0±3. 4 years). There
was a signicant dierence between groups for
proprioception-(F(2,63)=4.52,p=0.015) and tactile
sensitivity-(F(2,61)=14.83, p=0.000). Signicantly
lower proprioception in DPN-(2.9±1.6, p=0.02)
compared to healthy(0.6±1.02) was detected.
Signicantly lower tactile sensitivity in DPN-
(4.6±1.1) compared to healthy-(3.1± 0.5, p=0.000)
and NDPN-(3.7±0.5, p=0.001) were detected. The
DPN showed, compared to healthy controls, an
increased ve-time sit to stand time (p=0.009),
reduced knee extension strength (p=0.001) and
increased antero-posterior sway (p=0.03) on foam
with eyes opened condition. The DPN showed,
compared to the NDPN, reduced knee extension
strength(p=0.006), increased medio-lateral sway
(p=0.03) on foam with eyes opened condition.
DPN patients have signicantly impaired balance,
LL proprioception and tactile sensitivity which
causes postural imbalances leading to increased
risk of falling. Fall risk screening should be
performed in DPN using a tool including postural
and sensorimotor functions.
Keywords: Postural Control, Sensorimotor
Functions, Diabetic Neuropathy
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
44
A STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COLLECTIVE EFFICACY AND
COACHING BEHAVIOUR OF ELITE FEMALE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS IN SRI LANKA
UPN Kumari1 and KC Gunasekara1#
1Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
#gunasekara.kalpani@gmail.com
Collective ecacy plays an important role in the
successful performance of team sports. The main
objective of this survey study was to investigate
the relationship between collective ecacy and
coaching behavior of elite club level female
volleyball players in Sri Lanka. Further, the eect
of coaching behavior on performance, collective
ecacy level of the teams according to their level
of success and dierences among the subscales
of the collective ecacy were also identied.
The Collective Ecacy Questionnaire (CEQ)
and Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS) were used
as instruments for data gathering. A sample of
144 players from 12 volleyball teams completed
the CEQ and LSS at the end of the competition
season (November 2017). Results revealed
that coaching behaviors such as democratic
leadership, positive feedback, social support, and
training and instruction had a positive correlation
with collective ecacy. With respect to coaching
behavior, coaches show higher training and
instruction and lower autocratic behavior. The
scores for training and instruction, social support,
autocratic and democratic leadership were higher
(P<0.05) in coaches of successful teams compared
to those of coaches in less successful and
unsuccessful teams. The highest (P<0.05) collective
ecacy scores were recorded in successful teams
followed by less successful and unsuccessful
teams. There were signicant dierences among
the subscales of collective ecacy. The major
contributing factors for collective ecacy were
the preparation and the unity of players. Overall,
the ndings suggest that coaching behavior and
collective ecacy contribute to the success of a
team’s performance. Further, players’ mental and
physical preparation and the team unity play a
vital role in team ecacy.
Keywords: Collective Ecacy, Coaching
Behavior, Volleyball
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
45
CURRENT RESPIRATORY PHYSIOTHERAPY PRACTICES AMONG
PHYSIOTHERAPISTS FOR PATIENTS UNDERGOING CORONARY
ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING (CABG) IN SRI LANKA
MDC Silva1#, P Atapattu2, S Fernando3 and
RANK Wijesinghe4
1Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
3Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
4 Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
#denkach@gmail.com
Several respiratory physiotherapy techniques
such as deep breathing exercises, positive
expiratory pressure (PEP) exercises and
incentive spirometry are practiced worldwide
by patients undergoing coronary artery
bypass grafting (CABG). This study aimed to
determine the current practice of respiratory
physiotherapy among physiotherapists for
patients undergoing CABG in Sri Lanka. It was
conducted among physiotherapists participating
in CABG management in cardiothoracic units
in all government and private hospitals in Sri
Lanka. Ethics clearance was obtained from
Ethics Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Colombo. Data was collected using
an expert-validated, pretested self-administered
questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version
21. Twenty nine physiotherapists participated
(response rate-50.87%). Majority (51.7%) were
males. Mean (+/-SD) age was 39.17+/-11.6 years.
Mean (+/-SD) work experience and duration of
practice as a physiotherapist in cardiothoracic
unitswere 13.88+/-11.22 and 5.48+/-5.4 years
respectively. All physiotherapists practiced
the following on all patients: commenced
physiotherapy pre-operatively, commenced
physiotherapy post-operatively on 1st post-
operative day, treated patients in intensive care
units (ICUs) and wards daily, practiced deep
breathing exercises and incentive spirometrypre-
operatively until discharged, prescribed home
exercises for at least 3 weeks and provided
incentive spirometer for home use. Majority
(65.5%) advised patients to practice incentive
spirometry for one month after CABG.
However, no physiotherapist practiced PEP
techniques. The study concludes that for patients
undergoing CABG in Sri Lanka, despite lack of
a uniform protocol and variations in frequency
and duration, all physiotherapists commence
respiratory physiotherapy preoperatively, treat
patients in ICU and wards regularly, and arrange
home physiotherapy, using incentive spirometry
as the rst choice.
Keywords: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
(CABG), Respiratory Physiotherapy Techniques,
Sri Lanka
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
46
PREVALENCE OF FLATFOOT AND ITS CORRELATION WITH AGE, GENDER AND
BMI AMONG UNDERGRADUATES AT THE FACULTY OF ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES,
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY, SRI LANKA
KA Jayabandara1, SADK Rodrigo1, HKS Nadeeshan1,
C Wanniarachchi1#, RMAPI Rajathewa1, PTR Makuloluwa2 and
ADP Perera1
1Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
#chathusupathmi@gmail.com
Flatfoot, also known as pes planus is a postural
deformity, congenital or pathological due to
collapse of foot arches. It leads to entire sole of foot
to contact ground completely or near-completely.
The objectives of this study were to determine
the prevalence of at foot among Allied Health
undergraduates and its correlation with age,
gender and BMI (Body Mass Index). A cross-
sectional study was conducted among 533 male
(n=131) and female (n=402) participants (mean
age 23.009) enrolled through convenient sampling.
Interviewer-administered questionnaire was used
to collect demographic data. Height and weight
measurements were obtained to calculate BMI.
Footprints were obtained using Modied Harris
Mat. Arch index ratio was used to determine the
foot type. The data were analyzed using SPSS
version 23. P<0.05 was considered statistically
signicant. The overall prevalence of at foot in
the age group studied (19-26 years) was 34.7%
(n=185), the majority (73.5%) with bilateral at
foot. Though a notably higher percent of females
(74.1%; n=137) compared to males (25.9%; n=48)
had at foot, the study failed to nd a statistically
proven correlation with gender (p=0.069) and
with age (p=0.540). However, atfoot showed
a statistically signicant association with BMI
(p=0.000) with relatively higher prevalence
(n=164, 52.4%) among overweight and obese
categories of BMI (23–24.9). The prevalence of
atfoot among Allied Health undergraduates
was notably high requiring screening for early
detection and appropriate referral for corrective
measures.
Keywords: Flatfoot, Gender, Body Mass Index
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
47
THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL, LIFESTYLE AND OCCUPATIONAL FACTORS FOR THE
GENERATION OF POOR SEMEN PARAMETERS OF MALES ATTENDING INFERTILITY
CLINIC, CASTLE STREET HOSPITAL, COLOMBO
YL Gamage1#, HOTO Perera1,UCP Ranasinghe1,
JMKB Jayasekara1, WAC Karunarathna1 and M Batcha2
¹Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Castle Street Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka
# yehangamage109@gmail.com
Infertility is a major health problem around the
world. Male infertility contributes generally 50%
to this matter and it is also a major reproductive
health related issue related to the Sri Lankan
population as well. Lifestyle habits, environmental
and occupational hazards, physical status of
individuals can be recognized as major risk
factors which may aect male infertility. A cross
sectional study was conducted on 299 individuals
at Castle Street Hospital infertility clinic from
13th July 2017 to 30th September 2017. Socio-
demographic, lifestyle and occupational risk
factors of each individual were collected using
interviewer administered questionnaire and BMI
(Body Mass Index) was measured as a physical
parameter. After 2-5 days of abstinence, samples
were collected for laboratory investigations.
Sperm concentration, motility, morphology and
semen volume were measured. Data analysis was
performed by using SPSS and SAS. Signicant
associations were found for abnormal sperm
concentration (≤15×106) with smokers and tight
underwear users (p < 0.05) and abnormal sperm
motility (≤32%) with tight underwear users (p <
0.05). Tight underwear users and smokers have
shown signicant relationships with semen
parameters whilst age, a socio-demographic
factor also has shown a signicant relationship
with few of the semen parameters. Age, smoking
and wearing tight underwear has shown a great
risk for the generation of poor semen parameters,
which can lead to male infertility. However, BMI
did not express a signicant relationship with any
of the semen parameters (p > 0.05). Furthermore,
it is very important to carry out large scale studies
regarding this problem to establish the eect of
above mentioned factors.
Keywords : Male Infertility, Semen Parameters,
Risk Factors
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
48
STUDY OF INITIAL LYSIS TO INVESTIGATE OSMOTIC FRAGILITY IN
ERYTHROCYTES OF CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA PATIENTS
ASSOCIATED WITH ANEMIA
N Wijayasiri1#, S Bandara1, D Kottahachchi1 and
Y Costa2
1 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
2Consultant Hematologists, Department of Hematology,
Colombo North Teaching Hospital
#aero447@gmail.com>
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a
hematological malignancy. Some studies
have reported structural abnormalities in the
erythrocyte membrane in CML which may
contribute to its anemia. This study was performed
to determine the erythrocyte membrane fragility
of CML patients associated with anemia using
Osmotic Fragility (OF) test. An experimental
study was carried out between 20 voluntary
Philadelphia chromosome positive anemic CML
patients and 25 voluntary healthy controls. OF
test was performed; median corpuscular fragility
(MCF) and initial lysis were obtained. The data
were analyzed by SPSS software version 20.0. The
MCF of controls were within the reference range
(Mean 4.23, SD 0.11) and for the patient group, the
MCF values were ranged in 3.67-4.60 g/l (Mean
4.22, SD 0.38). The initial lysis values of the control
group were within the range of 5.0-6.0 g/l with
mean value of 5.36 g/l (SD 0.42) and the patients’
initial lysis values were within 6.00-8.00 g/l with
mean value of 7.07 g/l (SD0.69), representing a
signicant dierence between the control and
the patient group (Non parametric test; P=0.000<
0.05). However, the MCF of the control and the
patient group did not provide a signicant
dierence. Initial lysis plays an important role
in the OF test as it could detect hemolysis in
advance. The signicant increase in initial lysis
values in the patients group compared to controls
may have been resulted from a sub population of
erythrocytes with defected membranes.
Keywords: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia,
Erythrocyte Membrane Fragility, Initial Lysis
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
49
CORRELATES OF HEAT STRESS IN CKDAFFECTED REGIONS OF SRI LANKA
DS Dulshika1#, ED Rajapakse1, KB Jayasekara1,
PN Kulasooriya1, KN Wijayasiri1, P Bandara2,
LF Fried3, A De Silva4 and Steven M Albert4
1Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Provincial Director’s Ofce of Health,
North Central Province, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
3Division of Renal-Electrolyte, School of Medicine,
University of Pittsburgh and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, USA
4Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences,
Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, USA
#gallagesachini@gmail.com
‘The potential associations between kidney
function parameters derived from urinalysis
and symptoms of heat stress among Sri Lanka
agricultural workers were examined. Participants
in four villages (n=261) covering high- and low-
prevalence chronic kidney disease (CKD) areas
completed a questionnaire to elicit symptoms
of heat stress and also provided urine samples.
Among 216 agricultural workers without diabetes
or kidney disease, the mean age of the sample was
46.6 and 37% were males. Among the heat stress
and dehydration symptoms, headache and dry
mouth were reported 3+ days/week by over 30%
of the population, and exhaustion, dizziness and
heart racing by over 20%. Participants in the three
villages from the high-prevalence CKD area were
more likely to show evidence of kidney damage
(ACR > 30, 72.2% vs. 55.6%, p < .05) and greater
heat stress-dehydration symptoms (8.4 vs. 6.1, p
< .001). In a circumscribed region of Sri Lanka,
villagers experiencing higher temperatures and
higher prevalence of CKDu overall had greater
evidence of kidney damage by standard urine
parameters, such as ACR, even after exclusion
of people with diabetes or CKD. Since the entire
sample consisted of agricultural workers using
similar farming practices, higher temperatures
may be a factor in the increased incidence of
kidney disease. Participants in the higher
temperature villages reported more symptoms
of dehydration and heat stress, consistent with
exposure to this environmental stress.
Keywords: Chronic Kidney Disease, Heat Stress,
Agricultural Workers
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
50
HEMATOLOGICAL VARIATIONS ALONG DISEASE PROGRESSION IN
CKD AFFECTED PEOPLE OF GIRANDURUKOTTE AND
MAHIYANGANAYA, SRI LANKA
KIG Hewavitharana1#, ARN Silva2, GWGP Kumara3,
RH Karunarathna3, AV Ranasingha3, JMKB Jayasekara4,
PGCL Nanayakkara5, KBS Gunawickrama6 and
SHNP Gunawickrama1
1Institute for Combinatorial Advanced Research and Education,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
3Renal Disease Prevention and Research Unit (RDPRU),
Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Endogenous Medicine, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka
4Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
5Department of Anatomy,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Karapitiya, Sri Lanka
6Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science,
University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka
#kanchana.hewavitharana@yahoo.com
Hematological parameters of patients with
chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Girandurukotte
and Mahiyanganaya areas were followed in
a cross-sectional study that comprised 175
volunteer subjects. Whole blood, urine and
background information were collected from
each under informed consent. The study spanned
all ve stages of CKD progression and a control
(estimated glomerular ltration rate, eGFR>120
ml/min/1.73m2). Erythrocyte, leukocyte (total
and dierential) and platelet counts, hemoglobin
and hematocrit levels were obtained from an
automated hematology analyzer. In addition,
total and dierential leukocyte counts were
made from Giemsa stained blood smears. Disease
progression was followed in terms of kidney
dysfunction markers; serum creatinine based
eGFR (MDRD equation) and urine albumin to
creatinine ratio (UACR, mg/g). Results showed
inter stage dierences in hemoglobin levels,
erythrocyte, lymphocyte, monocyte and basophil
numbers of automated counts, and in lymphocytes
and monocytes in blood smears (p>0.001, one-
way ANOVA with Tukey HSD). Pearson’s linear
correlation of hematology parameters with disease
progression revealed signicant associations
(p<0.001) of eGFR with the automated counts
of erythrocytes (r<0.001), hemoglobin (r<0.001),
hematocrit (r=0.001), total leukocytes (r=0.002),
lymphocytes (r<0.001), monocytes (r<0.001), and
basophils (r=-0.012). Platelets showed a positive
correlation (r=0.015, p<0.05). UACR signicantly
(p<0.001) associated with erythrocytes (r=-0.006),
hemoglobin (r=-0.005), hematocrit (r=-0.009),
lymphocytes (r<0.001), monocytes (r=-0.004) and
basophils (r=0.008). Counts from blood smears
showed correlation (p<0.001) of eGFR to total
leukocytes (r=0.005), lymphocytes (r<0.001) and
monocytes (r<0.001) while UACR associated with
lymphocytes (r<-0.001) and monocytes (r=-0.001).
Results collectively revealed that the blood cell
counts change with CKD disease progression.
Keywords: Hematology, Chronic Kidney Disease,
Sri Lanka
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
51
INTERFERENCE OF BILIRUBIN IN SERUM CREATININE ESTIMATION
BY JAFFE REACTION AND CREATINASE METHOD
RK Dissanayake1, KKPT Ranaweera1,
AMB Priyadarshani1# and P Dias2
1Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
2Department of Statistics, Faculty of Applied Sciences,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
#priyadarshani@sjp.ac.lk
Serum creatinine determination is crucialin
assessing renal functions. Jae reaction is used
world-wide in serum creatinine estimation. It has
been reported that bilirubin aects Jae reaction
causing underestimation. However, Creatinase
method has little interference but is comparatively
more expensive. The objective of this study
was to compare the creatinine concentrations of
serum with dierent bilirubin levels using Jae
reaction and Creatinase method. Three serum
pools were placed in an infant phototherapy
incubator for 18 hours to photolysis the bilirubin.
Serum creatinine concentration of each pool was
measured by Creatinase method and the values
were 0.51, 2.41 and 7.33mg/dL. Each serum pool
was then spiked with eleven dierent bilirubin
concentrations.The bilirubin concentrations of
the spiked serum were 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24,
27 and 30mg/dL. The total bilirubin, creatinine
by Jae reaction and Creatinase method were
measured by Indiko TM clinical and specialty
chemistry system. Results were analyzed by
linear regression analysis. According to the
Creatinase method, there was no signicant
underestimation in serum with 0.51mg/dL of
creatinine but Jae reaction showed a signicant
underestimationfrom bilirubin concentration
of 7.18mg/dL. In serum with 2.41mg/dL of
creatinine, Creatinase method and Jae reaction
were given signicant underestimations by
bilirubin concentrations of 9.05 and 5.64mg/dL,
respectively. In serum of 7.33mg/dL creatinine,
signicant underestimations were given from
bilirubin levels of 3.6 and 8.18mg/dL by Creatinase
method and Jae reaction, respectively. According
to the present study, Creatinase method is reliable
in estimation of serum creatinine of ≤0.51mg/dL.
Keywords: Jae Reaction, Creatinase Method,
Serum Bilirubin
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
52
EFFECT OF THERMODURIC BACTERIA ON SHELFLIFE OF MILK AND
IMPROVEMENT OF PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
WPCG Weerasinghe1, S Hettiarachi1# and MPK Jayarathna2
1Department of Biological Sciences,
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale, Sri Lanka
2MILCO Dairy Factory, Narahenpita, Sri Lanka
#sanath.hetti@gmail.com
Pasteurization is a means of increasing the shelf-
life of milk. This study focused on identifying
thermoduric bacteria that decrease the shelf-life
of pasteurized milk and nding a solution to
minimize their presence in pasteurized milk. The
study was carried on site of MILCO dairy factory
in Sri Lanka. Aseptically collected milk samples
were used for the determination of total colony
count of bacteria in silo, balance tank where milk
was sampled just before pasteurization and just
after passing pasteurization unit at dierent
times of the day to check the possibility of
process line contaminations between silo tanks
and pasteurization unit and the eect on the
eciency of pasteurization. Staphylococcus aureus,
Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus cereus were
identied as resistant bacteria to pasteurization.
Since bacteria under stress are more tolerant to
harsh environmental conditions, it was assumed
that providing bacteria with more favourable
conditions would make them more vulnerable to
pasteurization. Based on this assumption, a new
pasteurization process is proposed where milk is
held at 300 C for 17-20 min prior to pasteurization.
The shelf-life of milk, pasteurized by simulating
these conditions in the laboratory, was increased
up to eight days in comparison to ve days with
regular process. This process is yet to be tested
for its practicability, by setting a plate system
for heating the raw milk up to 300 C after the silo
and store milk at 300 C in the balance tank for the
desired time.
Keywords: Pre-Heat-Treatment, Staphylococcus,
Bacillus Cereus
Poster
Sessions
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
54
EVALUATION OF INVITRO ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECT OF LAWSONIAINERMIS L.
PLANT AGAINST ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII AND
PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA
RARS Ranasinghe1, KAU Jayawardena1#, ARN Silva2,
V Nawarathne3 and RGWDB Rajapaksha4
1Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
3Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
4Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), Sri Lanka
#ashini.jayawardena@gmail.com
Globally there is a massive increase in the
prevalence of Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) strains
of Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa. Hence it is considered one of the
biggest threats in the health care sector in the 21st
century. Nosocomial infections known as hospital
acquired infections (HAI) are associated with a
great deal of morbidity, mortality and increased
nancial burden. The misappropriations of
antimicrobial agents create the emergence of
prominent MDR strains. This study has been
evaluated to fulll the gaps by the antimicrobial
eects against Acinetobacter baumannii (ATCC®
19606 ™) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC®
27853 ™) using the aqueous extracts of owers,
seeds, leaves, bark and root of Lawsoniainermis
L. plant. The antibacterial activity of the extracts
was evaluated using the cylinder plate method,
and Gentamycin was used as the positive control
while distilled water used as negative control.
A series of concentrations was made with all six
plant parts (owers, seeds, leaves, bark, rootand
combination). The concentrations used were 250
µg/ml, 500 µg/ml, 750 µg/ml and 1000 µg/ml.
Results revealed that all aqueous extractions
exhibit marked antibacterial activity zones of
inhibition values ranging between 12.94 mm
to 19.72 mm and 12.87 mm to 19.66 mm against
A.baumannii and P.aeruginosa respectively. The
result is statistically signicant (p< 0.05). It is
concluded that Aqueous extraction of the ower
of Lawsoniainermis L. plant showed the highest
antibacterial activity while aqueous extraction
of combination showed the second highest
antibacterial activity against both Acinetobacter
baumannii (ATCC 19606) and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) respectively. This is
a discovery of novel antibiotic for nosocomial
infections in future.
Keywords: Lawsoniainermis L., Multi Drug
Resistance, Antibacterial Activity
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
55
EFFECTIVENESS OF USHNODHAKADHĀRĀ IN THE MANAGEMENT OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS
RP Liyanage1#, P Vitharana2 and SS Hettige3
1Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Institute,
University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
2Department of Cikitsa, Gampaha Wickramarachchi
Ayurveda Institute, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
3Director, Manasa Ayurveda Psychiatry Hospital, Neelammahara,
Boralesgamuwa, Sri Lanka
#liyanr20@gmail.com
According to Ayurveda, Pragnāparādha
(intellectual error), Parināma (time factor),
Asātmēndriyārtasamyōga (unwholesome contact
of senses with its objects) cause all physical
and mental diseases. At the chronic decline
of Satvaguna in the manas leads to the mind
becoming stressed. Imbalances in, Rajas and
Thamas Guna also leads to psychological stress.
Dhārā karma at the Agnyā Chakra is known as
eective in mental disturbances. The current
research has been designed to study the ecacy
of Ushnodhakadhārā against psychological stress
with reference to Ayurveda Manōbhāva concepts.
Ninety individuals with psychological stress
were randomly selected and grouped in to 2. The
study was conducted for 21 consecutive days
with 45 minutes of Dhārā Karma and 30 minutes of
supportive psychotherapy (SPT).
Follow up period
was 60 days. Study group (SG) were subjected to
Ushnodhakadhārā and SPT. The control group was
subjected only to SPT. The assessment was carried
out before and at the end of treatment which was
based on the relief of clinical signs and symptoms
of psychological stress and manōbhāva according
to a grading system. Data were statistically
analyzed. SG was found highly signicant in each
manōbhāva, p<0.001. Ushnodhakadhārā elaborated
better results in Manobhāva. Pacication of
provoked Dōsha using Ushnodhakadhārā promoted
the Mēdhya, Sthairya Mana, Harsha, Shraddhā and
Smruti.
Keywords: Manōbhāva, Ushnodhakadhārā, Stress,
Dhārā
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
56
KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES REGARDING SELFMEDICATION OF
ANTIBIOTICS AND ITS EFFECTS AMONG SCHOOL TEACHERS IN
BIYAGAMA EDUCATIONAL DIVISION
D Punchihewa1#, H Madushanthi1 and J Nanayakkara3
1Allied Health Degree Programme, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
2Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
#damodhanipunchihewa@gmail.com
Misuse of antibiotics is becoming a serious issue
in Sri Lanka which leads to a global public health
problem. Antibiotics can cause severe reactions
which require signicant amount of cost of care.
Literature indicates high rate of inappropriate
usage of antibiotics. This study aimed to
assess knowledge and practices regarding self-
medication of antibiotic among school teachers in
Biyagama educational division. A cross-sectional
study was conducted in type 1AB schools in
Biyagama educational division where 150 teachers
(34 male and 116 female) got involved. Data
was collected using interviewer-administered
questionnaire to assess knowledge and practices
concerning self-medication of antibiotics and
after eects. Prevalence of self-medication with
antibiotics was 53.3% (n=80). It was identied
that the most commonly used oral antibiotic was
Amoxicillin (n=123, 82%). Further, majority of
participants (n=102, 68%) were unaware of proper
antibiotic usage. Participants obtaining antibiotics
directly from the pharmacy without a prescription
were most commonly for cold (n=112, 74.7%),
fever (n=75, 50%) and cough (n=89, 59.3%).
Previous experience using antibiotics without
prescription had been (n=58, 38.7%), whereas
participants show an act of reusing antibiotics
without instructions when similar symptoms
appear (n=52, 34.7%) and stopping antibiotics
when feeling better from symptoms (n= 37, 25.3%).
Healthcare professionals’ assistance is required
in reducing self-medication of antibiotics. In
conclusion, actions or intervention programs are
mandatory to promote the appropriate usage of
drugs.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Self-Medication
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
57
ANTIINFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF FLOWERS AND
STALKS OF APONOGETON CRISPUS AND APONOGETON RIGIDIFOLIUS
R Sarveswaran1, WJABN Jayasuriya1# and TS Suresh2
1Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
#banukie@sjp.ac.lk
Aponogeton crispus and Aponogeton rigidifolius
are native Aponogeton plants in Sri Lanka. These
are widely used in folkloric medicine. Recent
pharmacological studies have established anti-
diabetic, anti-inammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-
cancer and thrombolytic activities of Aponogeton
species. Aim of this study was to evaluate the
eect of A. crispus and A. rigidifolius on acute
inammatory response. A. crispus and A.
rigidifolius owers and their stalks were collected
and the extract was prepared by standard
ayurvedic method. Carrageenan (1%, 0.1 ml)
induced paw oedema in Wistar rats model was
used to evaluate the acute anti- inammatory
activity. One hour before the carrageenan
injection, positive control 15 mg/kg dichlofenac
sodium, negative control – distilled water and
test samples (A. crispus- 90 mg/kg; A. rigidifolius-
90 mg/kg) were administered orally. Digital
plethysmometer was used to measure the anti-
inammatory eects at every hour interval
for 5 hours to see the paw oedema percentage
inhibition and the eect was also compared
with extract, control and standard. Carrageenan
injection into the left hind paw induced oedema
progressively and maximum oedema reached
at 3rd hour. Dichlofenac sodium, A. rigidifolius
showed the maximum inhibition of 61.3% and
62% respectively at the 3rd hour. Aponogeton
crispus showed the maximum inhibition of 65.9%
at the 4th hour and 60% at the 3rd hour. Aqueous
extract of two plant species of Aponogeton showed
a signicant percentage inhibition of oedema in
the hind paw and anti-inammatory activities
compared to control demonstrate that it will
be useful for the management of acute anti-
inammatory disorders.
Keywords: Anti- Inammatory, Aponogeton
Crispus, Aponogeton Rigidifolius
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
58
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIP ABDUCTOR MUSCLE STRENGTH AND
ILIOTIBIAL BAND TIGHTNESS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN
ATTENDING DEPARTMENT OF RHEUMATOLOGY AND REHABILITATION OF
THE NATIONAL HOSPITAL, SRI LANKA
NNH Gamage1#, MPH Wickrama1, YP Satharasinghe1,
LBKM Silva1, SA Thenuwara1, SADCS Senavirathna1,
SHM De Silva2 and JMKB Jayasekara3
1Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation-General,
National Hospital, Sri Lanka
3Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
#nnhgam@gmail.com
Low back pain (LBP) causes disability and
hinders daily activities of general population.
Despite extensive research, the exact cause of
chronic mechanical LBP remains uncertain.
There is inadequate evidence related to hip
abductor muscle strength and iliotibial band
(ITB) tightness among subjects with LBP. A
descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted
at National Hospital, Sri Lanka, between 103
individuals with chronic mechanical LBP, aged
between 20-65 years. Oswestry Disability Index
(ODI) was used to gauge the severity of LBP. Hip
abductor muscle strength and ITB tightness was
measured in all subjects. Mean age of the sample
was 50.09 ± 11.163 comprising, 34% male and 66%
female patients. Pearson’s correlation revealed
signicant correlations in right ITB tightness and
ODI (p=0.003, r=0.289), Left ITB tightness and ODI
(p=0.005, r=0.275). Signicant relationships were
also present between right hip abductor muscle
strength and ODI (p=0.030, r=-0.213) and left
hip abductor muscle strength and ODI (p=0.050,
r=-0.192). However, there were no correlation
between hip abductor muscle strength and ITB
tightness in the current study. Even though ITB
tightness and hip abductor muscle strength
were correlated to LBP, the relationship between
hip abductor muscle strength and ITB tightness
was not detected in the current study. However,
it is recommended to incorporate exercises to
minimize ITB tightness and to improve hip
abductor muscle strength, in the interventions for
patients with LBP. Extensive studies should be
carried out to assess hip abductor weakness and
ITB tightness.
Keywords: Low Back Pain, Hip Abductor
Muscles, Iliotibial Band
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
59
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND DUAL TASK GAIT
PERFORMANCE IN PEOPLE WITH A VESTIBULAR DISORDER
VS ADULT HEALTHY CONTROLS
APS Rathnayake1,2# and M Pavlov2
1Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, UK
#akushla85@gmail.com
The purpose of the current study was to
investigate the relationship between the dual
task gait performance and the cognitive function
domain in patients with clinically diagnosed
vestibular disorders. Authors hypothesized that
cognitive type of tasks would have more impact
on Functional Gait Assessment (FGA) than motor
tasks and poorer cognitive function scores would
aect single and dual FGA performance. In order
to investigate these hypotheses, 40 persons with
a vestibular disorder were tested and compared
with 40 healthy controls for single and dual task
gait and their cognitive function. Both groups
performed the single FGA and repeated the FGA
further three times with concurrently performed
numeracy (FGAN), literacy (FGAL) and motor
tasks (FGAM). The cognitive skills were tested
using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test
Automated Battery (CANTAB) software. Mann-
Whitney U test analysis showed a signicantly
poor performance in the patient group for all
four tests (p=0.000) with lower means scores. The
addition of a dual task led to a marked reduction
in FGA performance in both groups (p = 0.000) but
had no signicant dierence in the dual task cost.
Further, signicant correlations were identied
between cognitive function scores and both
single and dual task FGA performances in the
patient group. Results indicate that the addition
of a cognitive type of dual-task can aect more
on the functional performance than a motor task
in both vestibular patients and healthy persons.
But the vestibular patients have signicantly
poorer performance in both single and dual task
performances compared to the healthy. Moreover,
these poor single and dual-task performances are
related to poor skills in the cognitive function
domain.
Keywords : Vestibular, Dual-Task, Cognitive
Function
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
60
EFFECTS OF RESPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING (RMT) ON RESPIRATORY
FUNCTIONS AND ROWING PERFORMANCES IN
SRI LANKAN ROWERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY
ADP Perera1#, A Ariyasinghe2 and A Kariyawasam2
1Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
#dperera85@yahoo.com
Respiratory muscle training is known to improve
respiratory functions and performance in
sportsmen. The aim of this study was to determine
eects of a 12-week specic respiratory muscle
training program on the rowing performance and
respiratory functions in elite Sri Lankan rowers. A
case controlled randomized study was conducted
on 20 male rowers (test group n=11; control group
n=9) aged 20-35 years during the competitive
period. At the beginning of the study, assessment
of lung volumes and capacities namely; peak
inspiratory ows (PIF), peak expiratory ows
(PEF), vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity
(FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second
(FEV1) and FVC/ FEV1 were done using a
portable spirometer while respiratory muscle
strength (RMS), maximal inspiratory (PImax) and
expiratory pressures (PEmax) were measured
using a mouth pressure meter in all rowers.
Performance was assessed by the 2000 m and 5000
m rowing ergometer. Subsequently, rowers in the
test group were prescribed a respiratory muscle
strengthening exercise program consisting of a
warm up session, exibility training, inspiratory
and expiratory muscle strengthening while the
control group was prescribed a “general exercise
program” for non-respiratory muscles for a
12 week period after which the all respiratory
parameters and performance were assessed. The
mean ergometer time trial for test and control
groups were 2000 m (6.3+ 0.2, 7.2+ 0.2 minutes) and
5000 m (18.2 + 0.7, 19.5+ 0.3 minutes) respectively.
The mean lung parameters for the test and control
groups were PIF: (2.5+ 0.6, 3.3+ 0.9), PEF: (14.5+
1.2, 14.8+ 1.5), VC: (8.3+ 1.4, 7.9+ 1.5), FVC: (7.0+
0.8, 6.4+ 1.4), FEV1:(6.0+ 0.9, 5.7+ 1.4) and FVC,/
FEV1: (1.2+ 0.1, 1.1+ 0.1) respectively, while the
means for RMS and RMF were IMS: (134.4+ 36.8,
136.8+ 26.1), EMS: (187.4+ 45.4, 180.1+ 36.9), IMF:
(25.4+ 14.9, 20.6+ 20.5) and EMF: (31.8+ 14.4, 29.0+
28.4) respectively. The ergometer performance,
PIF and PEF were signicantly higher in the test
group (p<0.05) while no signicant dierence
was identied in inspiratory, expiratory muscle
strength and fatigue between the two groups
(p>0.05). Results suggest that respiratory muscle
training has a benecial eect on exercise
performance and rowers’ respiratory functions.
Keywords: Respiratory Muscle Strength, Lung
Volumes, Exercise Performance
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
61
AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEFS OF ANTENATAL EXERCISES IN
SECOND TRIMESTER PREGNANT WOMEN ATTENDING CASTLE
STEET HOSPITAL FOR WOMAN, COLOMBO 8, SRI LANKA
DMAK Dissanayake1, HG Kaushika1#,
MTN Madurapperuma1, PDS Senarathne1,
P Thulasithasan1, SP Sukirthan1 and UDP Ratnasiri2
1Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Castle Street Hospital for Women, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka
#kaushigamage7@gmail.com
Second trimester of pregnancy is an important
period during fetus growth and health of
pregnant women. Antenatal exercises during
pregnancy are designed to minimize impairments
and to promote health while a woman prepares
for childbirth. This study was designed to
analyze awareness, knowledge and beliefs
regarding antenatal exercises in second trimester
of pregnant women. A descriptive cross-sectional
study was conducted among 250 second trimester
pregnant women at Castle Street hospital for
women, Colombo. Sociodemographic data,
antenatal exercise awareness, knowledge and
beliefs were assessed using an interviewer-
administered questionnaire. Among 250
participants, 82.4% were aware of the existence
of antenatal exercises. Advanced knowledge
levels in antenatal exercises were ‘poor’ (52.4%)
compared to general knowledge (22.8%). General
knowledge levels had a signicant relationship
with religion (p=0.007), income level (p=0.002)
and parity (p=0.003). Advanced knowledge
was signicantly associated with age (p=0.034),
educational level (p=0.003), parity (p=0.009) and
income level (p=0.028). 40.8% of participants had
‘favorable’ beliefs regarding antenatal exercises.
Factors signicantly associated with beliefs were
income level (p=0.000), religion (p=0.024) and
parity (p=0.041). Majority of participants had a
satisfactory awareness level and a good general
knowledge level regarding antenatal exercises.
Advanced knowledge regarding each type of
antenatal exercises and engagement in antenatal
exercises has not reached a satisfactory level. As
educational level, number of pregnancies and
age had a signicant association with advanced
knowledge in antenatal exercises, adequate
knowledge may landll erroneous beliefs.
Keywords: Antenatal Exercises, Second Trimester,
Pregnant Women, Awareness, Knowledge, Beliefs
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
62
THE EFFECT OF STORAGE TIME OF CITRATED WHOLE BLOOD SPECIMENS
BEFORE CENTRIFUGATION ON RESULTS OF COAGULATION TESTING
MBVU Perera1#, GS Suranga1, GUS Wijesekara1 and
KS Pathirage2
1Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
2District General Hospital, Kalutara, Sri Lanka
#vuperera@gmail.com
Citrated blood specimens received in some
laboratories for coagulation testing such as
prothrombin time (PT), Activated Partial
Thromboplastin Time (APTT), and Thrombin
Time (TT) are stored for long periods due to
many reasons. The objective of this randomized
complete block design study was to describe the
eect of storage time of uncentrifuged citrated
blood specimens on results of testing. Blood
samples were collected from 40 selected patients
coming to General Hospital, Kalutara. PT, APTT
and TT tests were performed after phlebotomy at
specied times up to 8hours (0-2 hours baseline,
4 hour and 8 hours at room temperature) using
coagulation analyzer. The results were evaluated
using paired t-test and P ≤ 0.05 was considered to
be statistically signicant. Mean PT, APTT and TT
values of samples stored for 4 hours and 8 hours
before centrifugation were compared with the
mean values obtained at 0-2 hours. When samples
were stored for 0-2 hours, 4 hours and 8 hours the
mean(SD) PT were 20.96 (8.17), 21.85 (8.96) and
24.06 (10.17) respectively and the mean(SD) APTT
were 42.77 (13.69), 48.27(16.29) and 54.03 (18.12)
respectively while mean(SD) TT values were 16.16
(4.31), 18.04 (3.82)and 18.78 (4.04) respectively.
When samples were stored for 4 hours and 8 hours
at room temperature, signicant dierences were
found in mean PT (p=0.001), APTT (p=0.001) and
TT (p=0.001) compared to mean of samples stored
for 0-2 hours. Storage of blood after collection for
a longer period elicited a statistically signicant
increase in the normal PT, APTT and TT results
and abnormal PT, APTT and TT results. Therefore,
above tests should be determined within 2 hours
of blood collection.
Keywords: Prothrombin Time, Activated Partial
Thromboplastin Time, Thrombin Time
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
63
ISOLATION OF BACTERIOPHAGE FROM STARTER CULTURES OF YOGHURT
AND FORMULATION OF A PHAGERESISTANT STARTER CULTURE
WPCG Weerasinghe1#, S Hettiarachi1 and MPK Jayarathne2
1Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences,
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale, Sri Lanka
2MILCO Dairy Factory, Narahenpita, Sri Lanka
#gayani260@yahoo.com
Yoghurt is the best known of all cultured-milk
products and is very popular all over the world.
To manufacture yoghurt, bacterial cultures known
as starters are used. Bacteriophage attacks on milk
fermenting bacteria during yoghurt production
process causes loss of entire batches of yoghurt
resulting in economic losses to the company.
Culture bacteria (Streptococcus thermophilus and
Lactobacillus bulgaricus) in starter cultures (Direct
Vat Set-DVS) were isolated using Eliker medium.
Bacteriophage was isolated from aected yoghurt
using host bacteria grown on M-17 medium.
The bacteriophage attacked Lb.bulgaricus but
not St.thermophilus. After further conrmation of
phage attack using the setting delay of yoghurt,
starter cultures used in MILCO Company were
tested to nd out resistant bacterial strains. Using
bacteriophage resistant strain of St.thermophilus
and Lb.bulgaricus, new starter culture was
prepared and yoghurt samples were reset with
dierent concentrations of culture bacteria at
1:1 ratio. Each yoghurt sample was tested for
its setting time, rate of acidity increase and pH
decrease to investigate the suitable concentration
of culture bacteria to be used in the process. The
optimum amount found was 1.5 ml from each of
culture bacteria at 107 CFU/ml per 80 ml of milk.
Keywords: Eliker Medium, M-17 Medium,
Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
64
IS LABORATORY WASTE HANDLING SAFE? A LOCAL STUDY ON WASTE
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN FIVE HISTOPATHOLOGY LABORATORIES
A U Kiriwandeniya
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medical Sciences,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Colombo, Sri Lanka
udanikiriwandeniya@yahoo.com
Waste generated in histopathology laboratory
is unique and proper disposal is mandatory to
avoid harmful eects on people and environment.
The objective of this project was to study current
waste management practices in randomly selected
ve histopathology laboratories in Colombo
district. Data was collected using semi structured
questionnaires, observations and interviews.
The study identied waste generated in
histopathology laboratories under ve categories:
pathological waste, chemical waste, sharps and
glass slides, paran blocks and general waste.
The process of waste management in each centre
was studied in the steps of segregation, handling,
storage and disposal. Especially in the step of
disposal of waste, each waste category was
studied separately. Fixed specimens and body
uids were included under pathological waste.
Fixatives, dehydrating agents, clearing agents
and stains were the major components that were
studied under chemical waste. Sixty percent of
centres had universally accepted practices with
regard to disposal of pathological waste, sharps
and glass slides and general waste. Management
of chemical waste and paran blocks were
not satisfactory in majority of the ve centres
assessed. The study also revealed that most of
the laboratories were aware of signicant steps of
managing waste generated within the pathology
laboratory, although improper management
practices are evident throughout the process.
Finally, as workers of histopathology laboratories,
one needs to aim to join the nation in protecting a
green globe for the next generation.
Keywords: Histopathology Lab Waste,
Management of Lab Waste, Global Standards
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
65
COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FIVE ‘A’ PLAN TO QUIT SMOKING BY
SAILORS IN TWO POPULATION SAMPLES IN SRI LANKA NAVY
HDI Samarawickrama# and SP Samarathunga
Navy Hospital, Kankasanthurai, Jaffna
#Indunilduminda1974@gmail.com
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have
become the leading cause of morbidity and
mortality, and tobacco use is a recognized causal
factor in the genesis of NCDs. The current smoking
prevalence is 39% among males and 2.6% among
females. Sri Lanka was the fth country in the
region to sign the WHO Framework Convention
on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the rst country
in the region to ratify it. Hence quitting smoking
is very important health intervention and 5 A’s
(US-public health clinical practice guideline)
is a recommended psychological intervention
method for persons willing to quit smoking. A
non-random purposive rst sample of forty-
seven sailors who were in the habit of smoking,
diagnosed with non-chronic disease (NCD) in
northwestern naval area in year 2013 was selected
for study. A number of thirty smokers with 87%
NCD patients were included in the second study
sample in 2016 at northern naval area. 19.8%
were in 20-29 age group, 66.6% in 30-39, 66.6%
and 13.2% in 40-49 year age groups. Only 17%
had advanced educational qualications and 83%
were junior sailors. Both samples were directed
to brief intervention and 5 A’s method (ask,
awareness, assess, arrange, award) and follow-up
for a 3-month period by naval nurses, counseling
ocers and public health inspectors. 72.34%
of rst study sample and 100% of second study
sample quit/reduced smoking after 3 months,
after commencing brief intervention and 5A
method. Brief intervention and 5A’s method can
be used as an eective low-cost method to quit
smoking. Age, educational status, discipline and
seniority may have an eect on the outcome.
Keywords: Non-Communicable Diseases, Five
‘A’s Method
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
66
PREVALENCE OF IMMEDIATE ACUTE AND CHRONIC DISEASES AFTER FLOOD IN
MAY 2016 IN WESTERN PROVINCE, SRI LANKA
HDI Samarawickrama
Navy Hospital, Kankasanthurai, Jaffna
indunilduminda1974@gmail.com
Storm Roanu that struck Sri Lanka on 15 May
2016 caused severe ooding and numerous
landslides, particularly in the west of the country.
Sri Lanka Navy deployed immediate disaster
management teams including medical teams with
other sister forces. This study was conducted to
identify acute medical needs of medical disaster
management at natural disaster situations
and immediate relief actions with a proactive
approach. Analysis data was done based on 2153
prescriptions out of a total 2490 cases treated at
Western Province immediately after ood on
basis of drug classication of British national
formula-2014 according to biological systems.
Study revealed that 24.9% prescriptions consisted
central nerve system medicines indications of
muscular skeleton/soft tissue pain and joints
pain 21.1% drug preparations consisted of
infectious diseases and 17.5% prescriptions
consisted gastrointestinal system medicines.
12.7% of prescriptions of nutrition preparations
were used as placebo for somatoform conditions.
12% of prescriptions included respiratory system
medicines, while 10.74% prescriptions were for
skin diseases, eye, ear and pharynx indications.
Total of 2.4% prescriptions included medicines for
hypertension, ischemic in heart disease medicines
of endocrine system. The study suggests providing
an outline of the risk factors for outbreaks after
a disaster, reviewing the communicable diseases
and care of non-communicable diseases likely
to be important, and establishing priorities to
address acute health needs in disaster settings.
This approach may improve quality of care with
minimal resources.
Keywords: Diseases, Flood, Western Province
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
67
AN ASSESSMENT OF DIFFERENT COPING STRATEGIES USED BY MOTHERS OF
CHILDREN WITH CANCER IN APEKSHA HOSPITAL MAHARAGAMA
WMRN Padeniya1#, JPG Thushari1, NBADH Nishshanka1,
KAC Shashika1, MDH Munasinghe1, DM Aberathne1,
PL Weerawardena2, GLC Galgamuwa3,
N Kumarasinghe3 and L Liyanage4
1Department of Nursing and Midwifery,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawela Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Clinical Medicine and Research,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
3Department of Pre Clinical Sciences,
Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawela Defence University, Sri Lanka
4Faculty of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities,
General Sir John Kotelawela Defence University, Sri Lanka
#ruwani.padeniya@gmail.com
The purpose of this study was to assess the
dierent coping strategies used by mothers of
children with cancer admitted to the national
cancer hospital, Sri Lanka.
This study was conducted with 200 mothers of
children who had cancers. Self-administered
questionnaire was used to get information about
their coping strategies. Data was analysed using
SPSS version 23. Majority of mothers (56.5%) were
in the age between 31 – 40 years and 58% of them
were educated up to Ordinary Level. More than
75% children were diagnosed as having cancer
for more than 6 months. ‘Doing things with my
children’ (100%), ‘Believing the religion / Gods
(90%) and ‘Investing myself in my children’
(85%) were the most helpful coping strategies
for mothers, while ‘Over sleeping’ (74%), ‘Over
eating’ (71%) and ‘Allowing myself to get angry’
(67%) coping strategies were used as less helpful
coping patterns. Doing things with their children
and believing in religion has been the two main
coping strategies used by the mothers of children
with cancer. Relaxation and counselling programs
to modify less desirable coping strategies such as
over sleeping and over eating is also emphasized.
Keywords: Coping Strategies, Mothers, Children,
Cancer
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
68
INCIDENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF INJURIES
HAKS Gunawardana1# T Abegunasekara1 and RSJ Lenora2
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
2Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
#ksrikghs@gmail.com
Injuries due to Road Trac Accident (RTA),
domestic accidents, work place injuries and
intentional injuries lead to a large number of
hospital admissions and cause a huge social and
hospital burden. Possible preventive measures
could lead to reduce these injuries. Presence
ofknowledge gaps in these areas restricts
the ecacy of interventions. The study was
conducted to assess the incidence of dierent
types of injuries, the risk factors on RTA, and
evaluate the incidence and the risk factors
for RTA injuries with the individual’s socio-
demographic characteristics. Patients admitted
with injuries to the Base Hospital Kuliyapitiya
over a period of month (n=210) were considered
in this descriptive cross-sectional study. An
interviewer-administered questionnaire was
used to collect data. Data was analyzed using
descriptive analysis. Number of admissions due
to injuries during period of one month was 210.
There were 87.6% (n=184) admissions due to
unintentional injuries. Majority 76.2% (n =140)
out of them were males. Most common age group
that has undergone any type of injury was 31-40
years 21.9% (n=46). Unintentional injuries include
RTA, work place accidents, leisure time accidents,
injuries caused by violence and domestic accidents
which represent by 52. 4% (n=110) 11% (n=23),
9.5% (n=20) 12. 4% (n=26) and 14. 8% (n=31)
respectively. When considering RTA, motor
bike accidents 58.2% (n=64) have led to most
admissions. Risk factors that represent RTA were
without driving license (42.9%), without helmet
(26.7%), drowsiness (12.5%), alcohol inuence
(32.1%), dark or rainy day (53.6%), defective road
(51.8%) and technical problems (10.7%). Most
pedestrians (37.6%) have undergone RTAs while
crossing the road. In this study the most common
age group that has undergone any type of injury
is 31-40 years. Motor bike is the most common
vehicle for RTA and majority have not got driving
license, and a considerable sample is under the
inuence of alcohol at the moment. Males have
been subjected to injuries 3 times than females.
Keywords: Incidence, Risk Factors, Injuries, RTA,
Alcohol Inuence
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
69
AWARENESS ON WOUND CLEANING AND DRESSING AMONG NURSING
UNDERGRADUATES IN UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA
TN Haththotuwa1# and WMCC Wijesundara2
1Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
2Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
#nethmini.haththotuwa@gmail.com
Wound cleaning and dressing is one of the
main responsibilities of nurses and nursing
undergraduates. Better awareness on wound
cleaning and dressing minimizes wound
infections, healing time, pain during the
procedure, as well as duration of hospital
stay. Indirectly this will minimize government
expenditure on wound management and will
enhance patient’s quality of life. According to
literature, there is a paucity of research on nurses’
awareness on wound cleaning and dressing.
Published data regarding this aspect in Sri Lanka
is also scarce. This study aims to assess current
awareness among student nurses of Faculty of
Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya.
A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried
out collecting data from one hundred and fty-
one (151) student nurses using a self-administered
questionnaire. The study revealed that nursing
students of the faculty have sound knowledge
in most aspects related to wound cleaning and
dressing. Overall, their average knowledge score
was 68 % and there was a signicant positive
correlation between the duration of clinical
exposure and the mean score of the knowledge (
= .83, p < .01). There are gaps in their knowledge
with respect to dierent wound cleaning
solutions and techniques, management of special
wounds such as burn wounds, venous/diabetic
ulcers, neonatal/infant wounds as well as on
newly available dressing products in the market.
Therefore, it is imperative to develop an eective
educational program to enhance awareness
and supervise undergraduates closely while
performing rather than rely on self-reported data.
Keywords: Awareness, Wound Cleaning, Wound
Dressing, Nursing Undergraduates
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
70
PREVALENCE OF MEMORY IMPAIRMENT AMONG OLDER ADULT PATIENTS
ATTENDING UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CLINICS IN TEACHING HOSPITAL
KARAPITIYA AND ITS EFFECT ON TREATMENT ADHERENCE IN
LONGTERM FOLLOWUP
PGJ Priyadarshani1#, KD Pathirana2 and M Gamage1
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
2Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
#jeewanigamage88@gmail.com
Memory impairment is a major complaint
among older adults. With aging, older people
have to take more medications as they faced
more medical conditions. Memory impairment
can aect treatment adherence. Adherence to
treatment is important to patients as well as to
reduce the cost of health care system. This study
was conducted in university medical clinics in
Teaching Hospital Karapitiya (THK). Subjects
were older adult patients (age over 60 years) who
got treatments from university medical clinics in
THK. Using descriptive cross sectional survey
and interviewer administered questionnaire, data
were collected from 300 patients, were analyzed
using descriptive statistics including mean and
standard deviations (SD) and presented by
percentages, charts and tables. Pearson Chi Square
test was used to test association between memory
impairment and treatment adherence and also to
test associations between memory components
and treatment adherence. A total of 300 patients,
218 (72.7%) had no memory impairment and
82 (27.3%) had memory impairment. 14.6% of
impaired memory patients had unsatisfactory
level of treatment adherence and 73.2% of
impaired memory patients had satisfactory level
of treatment adherence. Results showed that there
was no signicant relationship between memory
impairment and treatment adherence. Although
the study has 27.3% of impaired memory patients,
results suggest that there was no relationship
between memory impairment and treatment
adherence among older adults. Considering the
impaired memory group their family support,
monthly income and living situation were in good
condition.
Keywords: Memory Impairment, Treatment
Adherence
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
71
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY MASS INDEX, WAIST TO HIP RATIO AND
BLOOD PRESSURE AMONG PERADENIYA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
WNI Kularathne1, EMIA Bandara1#, S Humsavathani1,
KAI Jayamali1, N Jeevanantham1, G Jigashalija1,
KMSA Konara1 and BMHSK Banneheka2
1Department of Physiotherapy,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya
2Department of Basic Sciences,
Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya
#bandaraanuradhi@gmail.com
The growing prevalence of obesity is recognized
as one of the most important risk factors for
development of hypertension. This study was
done to identify the relationship between body
mass index, waist to hip ratio and blood pressure
among rst year students in University of
Peradeniya. Although there had been studies that
have assessed these parameters and its risk factors
for older adults and the elderly, there is a paucity
of such data among young adults. Knowledge
about these parameters and predisposing risk
factors is vital in the modication of lifestyle and
to enhance quality of life. The study was cross-
sectional, carried out among 646 rst year students
in University of Peradeniya. A predesigned and
pretested questionnaire was used to collect data.
Body weight, height, waist and hip circumference
and blood pressure were measured using standard
equipment and procedures. BMI had signicant
positive correlation with systolic blood pressure
(SBP) (r=0.383) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP)
(r=0.336) for all subjects (p=0.01). Waist to hip
ratio had positive correlation with SBP (r=0.273)
and DBP (0.175) for males (p=0.01) and positive
correlation with SBP (r=0.109) and DBP (0.118)
for females (0p=0.05). Prevalence of hypertension
among males was 3.15% and 1.41% among
females. Family history of obesity and other
chronic diseases, dietary habits, routine exercise
and sports, sleeping pattern, smoking and alcohol
habits were recognized as associated factors with
obesity and hypertension. BMI and waist to hip
ratio had a signicant positive correlation with
systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Biological
and environmental factors were associated with
obesity and hypertension.
Keywords: Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure,
Waist to Hip Ratio
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
72
STUDY OF DYSMENORRHOEA AND ITS EFFECTS ON DAILY ACTIVITIES AND
SELFMANAGING TECHNIQUES AMONG FEMALE FACTORY WORKERS IN
PILIYANDALA MOH AREA, SRI LANKA 2017
TGMI Madhuwanthi1#, MKK Kumari1,
KN Vithanagama1, UGG Yashodha1, DMSS Dissanayake1,
HSMSK Wijesiri1 and A Balasuriya2
1Department of Nursing and Midwifery,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
#ishamali00@gmail.com
Dysmenorrhea is a common health problem among
females because it has eects on physical, mental
and social activities. This study was conducted
among female factory workers in Piliyandala
MOH area, Colombo, Sri Lanka aiming to identify
the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and to determine
self-managing techniques and association
with daily activities. A community based,
descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted.
Convenience sampling method was used and
data collection was conducted using a pre-tested
self-administered structured questionnaire. Data
were analysed using SPSS 23 version. Majority
(95.2%) experienced painful menstruation.
Dysmenorrhea was mild, moderate and severe
in 40.6%, 29.5%, 28.1% respectively. From the
pain experienced participants, majority used self-
managing techniques but 19.4% have not used
any technique. Paracetamol (53%) was the drug
of choice for pain relief. Other commonly used
methods were coee (28.1%), hot water treatment
(17.5%), rest (10.1%) and coriander water (7.4%).
Mefenemic acid and Ibuprofen were used only by
2.3% and 2.2%. Majority stated poor knowledge
and fear on pain killers as the reason for not
using pain killers and responded that taking
pain killers may cause infertility. Shyness (13.8%)
was the common reason for not seeking health
advices. Most of the participants reduced their
activity level during menstrual period (75.6%).
Majority answered “no absenteeism” (64.5%)
due to menstrual pain and had bath during
menstruation. Majority with dysmenorrhea
did not visit doctors to have medical advices or
medications and shyness was the common reason
for it. Current ndings indicate that there was an
association between dysmenorrhea and working
ability but there were no signicant eects on
absenteeism. Educating female factory workers
on pain-relieving methods is extremely important
toimprove their productivity,working capacity
and quality of life.
Keywords: Dysmenorrhea, Self-Managing
Techniques, Female Factory Workers
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
73
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES TOWARDS ORAL HYGIENE AMONG A
COHORT OF 2ND YEAR UNDERGRADUATES ATTACHED TO NONMEDICAL
FACULTIES IN UNIVERSITY OF SRI JAYEWARDENEPURA
KID Fernando1# and AU Kiriwandeniya2
1Department of Allied Health Sciences,
Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
2Department of Pathology,
Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
#fernandokid91@gmail.com
Oral health is a state of being free from chronic
mouth and facial pain, oral sores, oral and
throat cancers, birth defects, periodontal (gum)
diseases, tooth decay, tooth loss and other
disorders that aect the oral cavity. Unhealthy
diet, use of tobacco and alcohol, poor oral
hygiene, specic infections are among the many
causes aecting oral health. Young adults are a
risk group of people for oral diseases since most
of them are known to engage in tobacco smoking,
alcohol use and have the risk behavior of getting
exposed to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This
study assesses the knowledge, attitudes/beliefs
and practices towards oral hygiene among a
selected group of undergraduates attached
to non-medical faculties in University of Sri
Jayawardenepura. A quantitative cross-sectional
descriptive study was conducted using a self-
administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed
using Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) version 21. Total sample number was 341.
Majority (78.9%) showed adequate knowledge.
Almost all (97.5%) participants had positive
attitude towards oral hygiene. 74.8% in both sexes
had moderate practices towards oral hygiene. It
also showed that there is a signicant correlation
(Correlation is signicant at the 0.01 level)
between knowledge and attitude while there is
no signicant correlation between knowledge
and practices and the attitudes and practices.
Although knowledge was adequate and their
attitudes were positive towards the oral hygiene,
most of them showed only moderate practices
which could aect oral health leading to oral
diseases. Gum bleeding, presence of white sticky
deposits on teeth, presence of bad breath was seen
in more than half of the participants.
Keywords: Oral Hygiene, Knowledge, Practices
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
74
KNOWLEDGE, BELIEFS AND PRACTICES REGARDING PAP SMEAR SCREENING
TEST AMONG SCHOOL TEACHERS IN SRI JAYEWARDENEPURA EDUCATIONAL
ZONE IN WESTERN PROVINCE, SRI LANKA
HUC Nuwansala1#, WN Priyanthi2,
KAGW Kumarapperuma2, WJT Kokila2,
KMPK Weerakoon2 and HAADA Jayarathne2
1Department of Allied Health Sciences,
Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
2Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Open University of Sri Lanka
#cnuwansala@gmail.com
Cervical cancer is a female genital cancer, the
fourth most frequent one in women. Primary
cause of cervical cancers is recurrent infection
with one or more of the oncogenic types of
Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Cervical cancer
is easily preventable with regular screening tests
and follow-up. Even though Pap smear test is
freely available, attendance for screening is very
less. The objective of the study was to assess
knowledge, beliefs and practices regarding Pap
smear screening test among school teachers in Sri
Jayewardenepura Educational Zone in Western
Province, Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross- sectional
quantitative study was conducted among 300
teachers aged over 30 years from ve selected
government schools. A validated self-administered
questionnaire was used for data collection. Data
analysis was done using SPSS Version 16.0. Total
sample comprised of 40% of participants between
age 30-39 years, 40% between age 40-49 years and
20% over 50 years of age. Out of 300 participants
96.6% had awareness about cervical cancer and
93.3% had awareness about Pap test. Majority
have known about free availability of the Pap
test. Findings reveal that participants possessed
good knowledge regarding Pap smear test.
Majority (60%) believed that Pap test is a good
investment for health. Results showed that 33.3%
of participants have undergone a Pap test at least
once and majority of 66.7% have never undergone
the test. From participants who have undergone
Pap test at least once, 90% believed that the
procedure is painful and 10% did not believe
so. Some participants (39.9%) identied shyness
as a reason for low participation of Pap test. The
study concluded that even though participants
possessed good knowledge regarding Pap smear
test, majority have never undergone one. Some
beliefs lead to low participation for Pap test such
as feelings of shyness and pain, false condence
of never having cervical cancer, fear of tolerability
of the results and myth-related concepts of Pap
smear as a test for Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Keywords: Knowledge, Beliefs, Practices, Pap
smear test, School Teachers
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
75
PREVALENCE OF MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITIES AMONG SRI LANKAN
NATIONAL LEVEL FEMALE ATHLETES AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH
MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITIES
KTTK Wijithasena1#, DA Jayakody1 and S Weerasinghe1
1Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
#thiliwijithasena@gmail.com
Menstrual irregularities aect the health and
performance of female athletes. The purpose
of this study was to identify the prevalence
of menstrual irregularities and to identify the
factors aecting menstrual irregularities among
Sri Lankan national-level female athletes. The
objective of this research was to identify the
associations among menstrual irregularities and
several factors; body weight, body fat, diet, eating
disorders (ED), psychological stress and Resting
Metabolic Rate (RMR) of athletes. A sample of 205
national-level female athletes between 18-25 years
was selected from 20 competitive sports. “EAT-26”
and “Perceived Stress Scale” questionnaires were
used to identify ED and stress level of subjects,
respectively. A three-day dietary record was
used to determine nutrient intake. Body weight,
body fat and RMR of subjects were also recorded.
Spearman’s rho correlation and binary logistic
regression were conducted to analyse data. Body
weight, ED, stress level, RMR, energy intake and
sodium intake were associated with menstrual
irregularities (p<0.05). Additional analysis
indicated that body weight had relationships
(p<0.05) with body fat, RMR and diet (water,
sodium, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B6 and
folic acid). Further, signicant relationships were
observed between body fat and RMR, body fat
and diet (water, sodium), ED and psychological
stress, psychological stress and diet (calcium,
vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc, fat and vitamin B6), and
RMR and diet (carbohydrate and iron). It can be
concluded that factors such as body weight, ED,
stress level, RMR, energy intake and sodium
intake are associated with menstrual irregularities
in Sri Lankan national-level female athletes and
the associated factors are related to each other.
Keywords: Menstrual Irregularities, Eating
Disorders, National Level Athletes
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
76
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES REGARDING CONTRACEPTIVE
METHODS AMONG FEMALE GARMENT FACTORY WORKERS IN
KATUNAYAKE FREE TRADE ZONE
PDAC Perera1#, AHI Priyadarshani1, EGB Sachinee1,
KWC Nuwanthika1, OGTC Nisanka1, MN Priyadarshani1 and
BMR Fernandopulle2
1Department of Nursing and Midwifery,
Faculty of Allied health Sciences,
General Sir John Kotelawela Defence University, Sri Lanka
2Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine,
General Sir John Kotelawela Defence University, Sri Lanka
#anjaniperera@gmail.com
Contraception is the prevention of pregnancy
by interfering with the process of conception.
Information on knowledge, attitude and practice
regarding contraceptive methods are scanty.
Therefore, it is vital to study this aspect among
female garment factory workers as an attempt
to reduce abortion-related maternal deaths and
unintended pregnancies of garment factory
workers. A descriptive cross-sectional study
was carried out in Free Trade Zone, Katunayake
in Gampaha district and included 426 female
garment factory workers aged between 15-45
years. Data was collected using a pre-tested self-
administered questionnaire. The majority of the
study population was Sinhala (90.4%), Buddhist
(86.5%). More than half of the participants
(52.5%) were married. The overall knowledge
on contraceptive methods was poor (57.7%).
Participants had good knowledge on oral
contraceptive pills (OCP) and condoms relative to
other methods of contraception. The knowledge
on implants, LRT and vasectomy was very poor. It
was revealed that 53% of participants had neutral
attitudes on contraceptives while OCP was the
most common (37.6%) method and the next
preferred method was male condoms (26.2%).
There was a signicant association between age
and marital status with knowledge and attitude
on contraceptive methods. Signicant association
was not found between level of education,
religion and nationality with knowledge, attitude
and practice of contraceptive methods. It was
identied that the health care professionals were
the source of information for many participants of
the study (73%) followed by books, magazines and
leaets (15%). Reproductive health educational
programs are highly recommended to address the
inadequate knowledge.
Keywords: Contraception, Garment Factory
Workers, Health Educational Programs
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
77
AWARENESS AND PRACTICES REGARDING RABIES AND ANIMAL BITE
MANAGEMENT AMONG ANIMAL BITE VICTIMS
KKTP Abeyrathna, J Jawad, HPN Subashini#,
H Vithanarachchi and AR Jayamaha
Department of Nursing, KIU, Sri Lanka
#nisansi1988@gmail.com
Animal bite is dened as injury caused by
animal mouth and teeth, resulting in direct
tissue damage, deep anatomical structure
disruption, introduction of infectious agents
and envenomation. Rabies is one of the most
dangerous viral diseases transmitted through
animal bites. In Sri Lanka, 26 cases were detected
in 2015, while 24 died out of them and dogs were
responsible for 75% of human rabies deaths.
Management of bite wounds is essential in the
management and prevention of complications of
animal bites. Lack of public awareness towards
animal bites is a major problem in prevention
and control of rabies. Objective of the study
was to assess awareness and practices regarding
rabies and animal bite management among
animal bite victims. Descriptive cross-sectional
study was conducted among randomly selected
187 victims of animal bites who attended the
OPD services of Awissawella Base Hospital. A
pre-tested interviewer-administered structured
questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive
statistics and chi square test were used for data
analysis and SPSS 23 was used as the statistical
analysis tool. Age of respondents ranged from
15-60 years. Among the participants, 59% were
males while 41% females. Among the victims
70.1% occurred due to dogs, 28.3% due to cats
and 1.6% due to rats. 95.7% of the victims have
washed the wound site with soap and water and
90.4% sought hospital treatment on the day of the
bite. Only 17 (9.1%) of study participants knew
microorganism as the cause of rabies. Knowledge
was unsatisfactory regarding other animals that
could transmit rabies and modes of transmission
other than bites (39.8%). Moreover, excessive
salivation was identied by majority (41.6%)
as a clinical manifestation of rabies in animals,
while knowledge of other signs such as altered
personality (24.0%), fear to drink water (19.5%),
ts (14.9%) were poor. Awareness and practices
regarding rabies and animal bite management
among the victims were not satisfactory. Public
awareness programs on animal reservoir of rabies,
modes of transmission and initial management of
the wound must be conducted in order to prevent
rabies and animal bites.
Keywords: Awareness, Practices, Rabies, Animal
Bite, Victims
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
78
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
79
ABSTRACTS
GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
11th INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE
80