Information Resources on Anatomy

Bony landmarks to identify the Stylomastoid foramen in humans - A preliminary study.

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Bony landmarks to identify the Stylomastoid foramen in humans - A preliminary study. Dissanayake, S; Edirisinghe, E.A.S.T; Dissanayake, M.H.P; Tennakoon, V; Dissanayake, P.H; Yasawardene, S.G

Vascular Contributions in Alzheimer’s Disease-Related N europathological Changes: First Autopsy Evidence from a South Asian Aging Population

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Vascular Contributions in Alzheimer’s Disease-Related N europathological Changes: First Autopsy Evidence from a South Asian Aging Population Wijesinghe, P.; Shankar, S.K.; Yasha, T.C.; Gorrie, C.; Amaratunga, D.; Hulathduwa, S.; Kumara, K.S.; Samarasinghe, K.; Suh, Y.; Steinbusch, H.W.M.; De Silva, K.R.D. Background: Evidence from various consortia on vascular contributions has been inconsistent in determining the etiology of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objective: To investigate vascular risk factors and cerebrovascular pathologies associated in manifestation of AD-related neuropathological changes of an elderly population. Methods: Postmortem brain samples from 76 elderly subjects (>50 years) were used to study genetic polymorphisms, intracranial atherosclerosis of the circle of Willis (IASCW), and microscopic infarcts in deep white matters. From this cohort, 50 brains (>60 years) were subjected to neuropathological diagnosis using immunohistopathological techniques.Results: Besides the association with age, the apolipoprotein E e4 allele was significantly and strongly associated with Thai amyloid-p phases >1 [odds ratio (OR) = 6.76, 95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.37-33.45] and inversely with Braak neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) stages >111 (0.02,0.0-0.47). Illiterates showed a significant positive association for Braak NFT stages >IV (14.62, 1.21-176.73) and a significant negative association for microscopic infarcts (0.15, 0.03-0.71) in deep white matters. With respect to cerebrovascular pathologies, cerebral small vessel lesions (white matter hyperintensities and cerebral amyloid angiopathy) showed a higher degree of associations among them and with AD-related neuropathological changes (p < 0.05) compared to large vessel pathology (IASCW), which showed a significant association only with Braak NFT stages >1 (p = 0.050). Conclusion: These findings suggest that besides age, education, and genetic factors, other vascular risk factors were not associated with AD-related neuropathological changes and urge prompt actions be taken against cerebral small vessel diseases since evidence for effective prevention is still lacking.

Transportation Challenges and Potential Solutions from the Perspectives of Older People and Persons Living with Disability in Sri Lanka

Wed, 29 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Transportation Challenges and Potential Solutions from the Perspectives of Older People and Persons Living with Disability in Sri Lanka Tennekoon, V.; Wickramasinghe, R.; Ameratunga, S.; Peiris-John, R.; Daskon, L.; Attanayaka, S.; Bandara, S. Widespread barriers to the participation of people (of all ages) living with physical, sensory and mobility impairments as well as older people more generally are commonly reflected in the physical barriers of the built environment. With improvement in transportation systems in the country, Moneragala district in Sri Lanka provides a unique opportunity to evaluate problems faced by vulnerable road users through the existing initiative of developing an age- and disability-friendly community. The objective of this study was to identify the individual and environmental risks and barriers related to transportation among the elderly (60 years and over) and people living with disabilities (five years and older) in the Moneragala district. This community based participatory research project was conducted among vulnerable road users (elderly and disabled) and key informants. Key informants were com m unity stakeholders such as transport and road service providers, traffic police, healthcare personnel, social workers and care givers. Eight focus group discussions (8-10 in each group) were conducted with elderly and disabled to identify the local and regional destinations that were most important to access and the perceived risks and barriers related to transportation among the participants. Focus groups were randomly selected from the registers maintained by the department of social services. A total of eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants to explore their perception of barriers and facilitators for transportation and needs and suggestions on road safety. The frequently visited places identified by older people were the government hospital/medical centre, the temple, the Sunday fair, the community hall and the bank. While the places visited most frequently by people living with disability varied by age, the vocational training centre, the special needs school and the community hall were common sites identified. The mostly used travel modes were the public bus, three wheeled-vehicles or walking. The transportation barriers for the elderly were identified as poor road conditions, lack o f a disability-friendly transportation system, financial constraints and negative human factors. People living with disabilities found accessibility to public places a major barrier. Suggestions for improvement included programmes to raise awareness among people involved in transportation, introduction of cost effective modes of transportation, mass media campaigns acknowledging the rights of elderly and disabled people, targeted group training/education, more effective legislation and improved engineering designs and maintenance of road infrastructure. It is evident that there is an urgent need for improving road conditions, modification of modes of transportation, rigorous law enforcement alongside fostering favourable societal attitudes towards the elderly and persons living with disabilities.

Travel Patterns and Transportational Challenges Perceived By Older People and People Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka

Fri, 04 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Travel Patterns and Transportational Challenges Perceived By Older People and People Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka Tennekoon, V.; Wickramasinghe, R.; Peiris-John, R.; Daskon, L.; Attanayake, S.; Bandara, S.; Ameratunga, S. Introduction - Transportation is one of the most complex and hazardous challenges faced by older people and disabled individuals that can limit their opportunities for meaningful participation in society. These vulnerable groups are also at increased risk of road traffic injuries, a public health problem disproportionately borne by people living in low and middle income countries. The objective of this study was to identify travel patterns and road traffic injury risks among older and disabled people in the Moneragala district of Sri Lanka. Moneragala, one of the largest districts in the country, is undergoing several changes designed to make the community age- and disable-friendly. Methods - Utilising a sampling frame of lists maintained by the social services department, a random household travel survey (180 households) was conducted to recruit 90 people aged over 60 years (defined as 'older people' for this study) and 90 disabled people aged five years or older (with a variety of physical and sensory impairments). All participants completed an interviewer administered questionnaire designed to identify travel patterns, perceived risks and barriers to travelling in the community. Results - The commonest modes of transportation used by older people were the public bus, walking and hired three-wheeled vehicles. Places frequently visited by older people were the hospital, temple, Sunday fair, community hall and bank. Key barriers to travel were reported as poor road conditions, lack of a disability-friendly transportation system, reckless driving and negative attitudes of the wider community. Disabled people found accessibility to public places a major barrier. Conclusions - Based on experiences reported by older people in this middle-income country, opportunities to enhance their social participation and foster their resilience would require greater attention to improving road conditions, providing accessible modes of transportation, strategies reducing risky driving by motorists, and nurturing positive societal attitudes towards more vulnerable communities.