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Gunawardena SA, Siriwardana TDDD, Wickramasinghe DP, Senadhipathi SMHD, Ewaduge NV, Abeyratne MADPK. Maternal Death Due to Mesenteric Infarction Following Portal Vein Thrombosis in Pregnancy: A case report. J Obstet Gynaecol India 2023; 73:271-274. [PMID: 38143993 PMCID: PMC10746690 DOI: 10.1007/s13224-023-01803-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sameera A. Gunawardena
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, International Medical University, 126, Jln Jalil Perkasa 19, Bukit Jalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | | | | | | | - N. Vindula Ewaduge
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Gunawardena SA, Abeyratne P, Jayasena A, Rajapaksha S, Senadhipathi H, Siriwardana D, Vindula N, Perera C, Peiris D. Retrospective analysis of factors affecting rate of skeletonization within a tropical climate. Sci Justice 2023; 63:638-650. [PMID: 37718011 DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Estimating the post mortem interval (PMI) in skeletonized cases is an extremely challenging exercise. Sri Lanka lacks adequate taphonomic research which is a serious limitation when assessing PMI in forensic death investigations. Methods that have been proposed to estimate PMI using the total body score (TBS) and accumulated degree days (ADD) are mainly based on data from continental and temperate climates and have shown less reliability in tropical climates. With the intention of developing a region-specific, evidence-based guide which would be applicable to tropical climates like Sri Lanka, we selected thirteen skeletonized remains with known PMIs from forensic case records and analysed their taphonomy in relation to selected weather data. We also compared the ADD values within our dataset with reference ranges calculated using published formula. All except one were found from outdoor locations. The TBS ranged from 24 to 32 and had a weak positive correlation with the PMI. The earliest appearance of skeletonization was 15 days in a body found indoors. The highest rate of skeletonization was seen in a body with a TBS of 32 and a PMI of 23 days. The average daily temperature and relative humidity were similar across all the cases however, the amount of rainfall varied. Bodies exposed to monsoon rains (n = 6) had a lower mean rate of skeletonization compared to those that were not exposed (n = 4) suggesting lower rates of decomposition during periods of heavy rainfall. No correlation was found between ADD and TBS. In 9 (69.2%) cases, the actual ADD was much lower than reference ADD ranges for TBS values, indicating poor applicability of TBS and ADD based formulae in estimating PMI within the Sri Lankan climate. Our study shows a strong need for taphonomic and entomological research in tropical climates to further explore the impact of monsoons on biotic and abiotic factors affecting skeletonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sameera A Gunawardena
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka; Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Pravini Abeyratne
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | | | | | - Hashan Senadhipathi
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Dulanka Siriwardana
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Nimath Vindula
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Clifford Perera
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
| | - Dinesh Peiris
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Gunawardena SA, Cordeiro C, Di Vella G, Fernando D, Rajapaksha S, Samaranayake R, Sapino A, Tennakoon A, Waduge S, Woodford N, Wijeratne S, Zoja R. Survey on postmortem screening and management of COVID-19 related deaths. Pathologica 2022; 113:413-420. [PMID: 34974546 PMCID: PMC8720393 DOI: 10.32074/1591-951x-254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a high case fatality rate in some countries even thought the majority of cases are asymptomatic. Scientific studies on this novel virus is limited and there is uncertainty regarding the best practices for death investigations both in terms of detection of the disease as well as autopsy safety. An online survey was conducted to identify how different institutions responded to the screening and management of dead bodies during the early phase of the pandemic from January to May. A questionnaire was developed using Google Forms and data was collected from 14 different forensic and pathological institutions in 9 countries. None of the institutions had performed any screening prior to March. Four institutions stated that screening was done routinely. In total, 322 cases had been screened using RT-PCR, out of which 40 positive cases were detected among four institutions. The commonest types of samples obtained were nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs which also had the highest rates of positivity followed by tracheal swab. Blood, swabs from cut surfaces of lung and lung tissue also gave positive results in some cases. Majority of the positive cases were > 65 years with a history suggestive of respiratory infection and were clinically suspected to have COVID-19 before death. Except for one institution which performed limited dissections, standard autopsies were conducted on all positive cases. Disposal of bodies involved the use of sealed body bags and labelling as COVID positive. Funeral rites were restricted and none of the institutions advocated cremation. There were no reports of disease transmission to those who handled COVID positive bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sameera A Gunawardena
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Cristina Cordeiro
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses, Coimbra, Portugal
| | | | - Dinesh Fernando
- Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Ravindra Samaranayake
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Anna Sapino
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Italy on behalf of SIAPEC-IAP
| | - Ajith Tennakoon
- Institute of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Noel Woodford
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University & Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Southbank, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Riccardo Zoja
- Institute of Legal and Forensic Medicine, University of Milan, Italy
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Gunawardena SA, Ranasinghe M, Ranchamali T, Dileka P, Gunawardana JW. Kidney Cadmium Concentrations in an Urban Sri Lankan Population: an Autopsy Study. Biol Trace Elem Res 2021; 199:4045-4054. [PMID: 33409914 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-020-02541-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Contamination and bioaccumulation of toxic heavy metals in our geo-environment is a growing public health concern. Human biomonitoring is an essential step in assessing the population risk of chronic exposure to environmental contaminants. Whole kidneys collected from a cohort of 92 deceased individuals undergoing forensic autopsies in Colombo, Sri Lanka, were analysed for cadmium (Cd) bioaccumulation using ICP-MS. Mean age of the population was 55.4 ± 15.4 years. Mean and median renal Cd concentrations of the total population were 4.38 and 2.60 μg g-1 w/w, respectively, which were below estimated toxic ranges. Males accumulated higher levels of Cd than females (p = 0.377). Cd concentrations were higher in the < 60 age group than the > 60 age group (p = 0.92), while the highest levels were reported in 51-60 age group. However, no significant correlation was found between renal Cd concentration and age (Ʈb = - 0.005, p = 0.94). Individuals who smoked, chewed betel or consumed alcohol were found to have elevated renal Cd concentrations in comparison to those who did not use these substances. This is the largest autopsy study on renal Cd bioaccumulation in Sri Lanka, and the findings do not indicate a high exposure risk to environmental Cd contamination at present.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Gunawardena
- Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 00800, Sri Lanka.
| | - M Ranasinghe
- Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 00800, Sri Lanka
| | - T Ranchamali
- Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 00800, Sri Lanka
| | - P Dileka
- Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 00800, Sri Lanka
| | - J W Gunawardana
- Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 00800, Sri Lanka
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Gunawardena SA, Gunawardana JW, Chandrajith R, Thoradeniya T, Jayasinghe S. Renal bioaccumulation of trace elements in urban and rural Sri Lankan populations: A preliminary study based on post mortem tissue analysis. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2020; 61:126565. [PMID: 32502790 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2020.126565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Environmental pollution, especially by toxic trace elements, is a global health concern. Heavy metals such as Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As) and Lead (Pb) are associated with numerous disorders and are considered by some as an aetiological factor for the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKDu1) epidemic in Sri Lanka. This study explores patterns of bioaccumulation of six trace elements in kidneys obtained during forensic autopsies from urban and rural regions in Sri Lanka. METHODS Kidney samples obtained from one urban district (n = 13) and three rural districts (n = 18) were lyophilized, microwave digested and profiled by ICP-MS techniques. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The mean age of the sampled population was 47.9 ± 11.3 yrs. Median (IQR) for Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Zn and Se were, 14.67(8.04-22.47) μg/g, 0.44(0.29-0.56) μg/g, 0.11(0.07-0.30) μg/g, 0.15(0.1096-0.3274), 25.55(17.24-39.35) μg/g and 0.52(0.37-0.84) μg/g, respectively. Cd, Zn and Se levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) among the urban samples compared to that of the rural group. Zn and Se levels were higher among younger age groups. As, Pb and Cr did not show any significant differences between the two cohorts nor any correlations with age. CONCLUSION This population-specific baseline study provides an insight into the differences in exposure to toxic trace elements and essential elements between urban and rural populations. Residents in CKDu affected rural districts did not appear to be at risk of toxic heavy metal exposure, however their renal bioaccumulation of nephroprotective essential elements was lower than urban residents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sameera A Gunawardena
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Kynsey Road, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka.
| | - Jayani Wathsala Gunawardana
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Kynsey Road, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka
| | - Rohana Chandrajith
- Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | - Tharanga Thoradeniya
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Kynsey Road, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka
| | - Saroj Jayasinghe
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Kynsey Road, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka
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Gunawardena SA, Samaranayake R, Dias V, Pranavan S, Mendis A, Perera J. Challenges in implementing best practice DVI guidelines in low resource settings: lessons learnt from the Meethotamulla garbage dump mass disaster. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2018; 15:125-130. [PMID: 30306346 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-018-0033-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The management of mass fatalities following disasters is a complex process which requires the involvement of multiple stakeholders and resources. A garbage dump at Meethotamulla in Sri Lanka suddenly collapsed, resulting in the death of 32 individuals. Efforts to implement best practice guidelines in Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) during this disaster revealed several important aspects that need to be considered by the forensic community. Delays in initiating the legal processes to investigate and manage the incident resulted in public dissatisfaction towards the post-disaster management process. Body recovery by Police and military personnel without the involvement of medical teams had numerous shortcomings including the lack of proper tagging and photography, commingling of body parts, and non-preservation of personal items. Public expectation and demand for early release of the bodies conflicted with the necessity to undergo a stringent DVI process according to best practice guidelines. Many adaptations and alternate strategies were necessary to ensure that DVI could be done scientifically. The use of primary identification markers including odontology and DNA had many limitations including non-availability of antemortem data, resource availability and cost. Identification was established using a combination of secondary identification markers including clothing, jewelry, scars, tattoos, morphological descriptions and circumstantial evidence. In two cases, odontological features further supported positive identification. Samples for DNA were obtained and preserved but were not utilized in establishing the identities. This paper highlights the need for better public awareness and multidisciplinary commitment in managing mass fatalities and also reflects on the challenges of implementing best practice DVI guidelines in low-resource settings with different legal and socio-cultural expectations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sameera A Gunawardena
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
| | - Ravindra Samaranayake
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Vianney Dias
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Selliah Pranavan
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Asela Mendis
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Jean Perera
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Gunawardena SA, Siriwardana HPP, Wickramasinghe SYLS, Madurawe MN, Fernando R. Primary endodermal sinus (yolk sac) tumour of the liver. Eur J Surg Oncol 2002. [PMID: 11869022 DOI: 10.1053/ejso.2001.1187.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary endodermal sinus tumour of the liver is an extremely rare neoplasm. A 37-year-old man presented with a mass in the left lobe of the liver and a raised serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration. A left hepatic lobectomy was performed. Histological examination revealed an endodermal sinus tumour of the liver. There was no evidence of an extrahepatic primary source.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Gunawardena
- Department of Surgery, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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Abstract
Primary endodermal sinus tumour of the liver is an extremely rare neoplasm. A 37-year-old man presented with a mass in the left lobe of the liver and a raised serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration. A left hepatic lobectomy was performed. Histological examination revealed an endodermal sinus tumour of the liver. There was no evidence of an extrahepatic primary source.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Gunawardena
- Department of Surgery, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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