Publications by authors named "Balraj"

Context: A survey was conducted in line with the World Dental Federation's (FDI) vision for comprehensive, evidence-based oral healthcare by 2030. The study aims to collect standardised national data on the population's oral health needs, care-seeking behaviours, and oral health-related quality of life.

Materials And Methods: This analytical cross-sectional survey included dentists from urban and rural India and the patients visiting their facilities.

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Thiocolchicoside (TCS), a colchicine derivative, was analyzed using experimental and theoretical spectroscopic methods. The bond angle C-C-C showed a simulated value of 136.0° and an observed value of 132.

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A five-year-old female came with a history of frequent rubbing of the right eye and noticed prolonged elevation of her head since birth, informed by her mother. On ocular examination, the best corrected visual acuity shown in the right eye was 1/60, and the left eye was 6/6, with proptosis in both eyes. Fundus examination showed both eyes having pale discs.

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Background: In asthma, sex-steroids signaling is recognized as a critical regulator of disease pathophysiology. However, the paradoxical role of sex-steroids, especially estrogen, suggests that an upstream mechanism or even independent of estrogen plays an important role in regulating asthma pathophysiology. In this context, in our previous studies, we explored kisspeptin (Kp) and its receptor Kiss1R's signaling in regulating human airway smooth muscle cell remodeling in vitro and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in vivo in a mouse (wild-type, WT) model of asthma.

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Introduction: Early detection of pancreatic cancer continues to be a challenge due to the difficulty in accurately identifying specific signs or symptoms that might correlate with the onset of pancreatic cancer. Unlike breast or colon or prostate cancer where screening tests are often useful in identifying cancerous development, there are no tests to diagnose pancreatic cancers. As a result, most pancreatic cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage, where treatment options, whether systemic therapy, radiation, or surgical interventions, offer limited efficacy.

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Background: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a common kidney disease in children. While Steroid-Sensitive Nephrotic Syndrome (SSNS) is frequently observed, Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome (SRNS) has a poor prognosis and often leads to chronic kidney disease. The pathogenesis of SRNS is complex, with immunological modulation of T helper subtypes 1 and 2 cytokines increasing susceptibility to the disease.

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Medical image segmentation has made a significant contribution towards delivering affordable healthcare by facilitating the automatic identification of anatomical structures and other regions of interest. Although convolution neural networks have become prominent in the field of medical image segmentation, they suffer from certain limitations. In this study, we present a reliable framework for producing performant outcomes for the segmentation of pathological structures of 2D medical images.

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Objective: To investigate if predictors of wound complications differed between patients undergoing excision and primary anastomosis urethroplasty (EPA) and augmented urethroplasty.

Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2006 to 2018 was queried for male patients undergoing urethroplasty. Thirty-day wound complications were identified and categorized (superficial/deep/organ-space surgical site infections and dehiscence).

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Multidrug-resistant sepsis (MDR) is a pressing concern in intensive care unit (ICU) settings, specifically among geriatric patients who experience age-related immune system changes and comorbidities. The aim of this review is to explore the clinical impact of MDR sepsis in geriatric ICU patients and shed light on healthcare challenges associated with its management. We conducted a comprehensive literature search using the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and Google Scholar search engines.

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Cell culture media play a critical role in cell growth and propagation by providing a substrate; media components can also modulate the critical quality attributes (CQAs). However, the inherent complexity of the cell culture media makes unraveling the impact of the various media components on cell growth and CQAs non-trivial. In this study, we demonstrate an end-to-end machine learning framework for media component selection and prediction of CQAs.

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Airway remodeling is a cardinal feature of asthma, associated with increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell mass and upregulation of extracellular matrix deposition. Exaggerated ASM cell migration contributes to excessive ASM mass. Previously, we demonstrated the alleviating role of Kp (kisspeptin) receptor (KISS1R) activation by Kp-10 in mitogen (PDGF [platelet-derived growth factor])-induced human ASM cell proliferation and airway remodeling in a mouse model of asthma.

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Sepsis globally accounts for an alarming annual toll of 48.9 million cases, resulting in 11 million deaths, and inflicts an economic burden of approximately USD 38 billion on the United States healthcare system. The rise of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) has elevated the urgency surrounding the management of multidrug-resistant (MDR) sepsis, evolving into a critical global health concern.

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Background: Prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) is a common cancer diagnosis among men globally, yet large gaps in our knowledge persist with respect to the molecular bases of its progression and aggression. It is mostly indolent and slow-growing, but aggressive prostate cancers need to be recognized early for optimising treatment, with a view to reducing mortality.

Methods: Based on TCGA transcriptomic data pertaining to PRAD and the associated clinical metadata, we determined the sample Gleason grade, and used it to execute: (i) Gleason-grade wise linear modeling, followed by five contrasts against controls and ten contrasts between grades; and (ii) Gleason-grade wise network modeling via weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA).

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The corticotropin-releasing factor neuropeptides (CRH and UCN-1,2,3), as well as spexin, contribute to the control of energy balance and limit food intake in mammals. However, the role of these neuropeptides in chronic variable stress remains unknown. The effect of chronic varied stress on circulating corticosterone levels and urocortin expression levels in the brains of experimental rats was studied in this study.

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In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) nano particle immobilized recombinant whole cell biocatalyst (rWCB) was used for bioconversion of waste fish oil in to biodiesel in a lab scale packed bed reactor (PBR). Central composite design and hybrid artificial neural network (ANN) models were explored to optimize the production of biodiesel. Developed rWCB exhibited maximum lipase activity at 15 % (v/v) of glutaraldehyde concentration and 6 % (w/v) of ZnO nanoparticles at pH of 7.

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Sex-steroid signaling, especially estrogen, has a paradoxical impact on regulating airway remodeling. In our previous studies, we demonstrated differential effects of 17β-estradiol (E) towards estrogen receptors (ERs: α and β) in regulating airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) production. However, the role of ERs and their signaling on ASM migration is still unexplored.

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Skeletal muscle is where the majority of insulin-stimulated whole-body glucose elimination takes place under normal circumstances. A significant risk factor for metabolic diseases is high dietary fat consumption, which also increases stored fat mass. Natural solutions with anti-diabetic effectiveness and fewer side effects are becoming more popular as a result of the conventional pharmacological treatments' numerous negative side effects and high rates of secondary failure.

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It is of interest to investigate that the phytochemical analysis, antioxidant potential and glycosidase inhibitory potential of a polyherbal formulation. is a classical Ayurvedic polyherbal formulation, markedly used for alleviation of and , which correlates in many ways with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus (madhumeha). The phytochemical constituents, total phenolic, total flavonoids, total tannin content, total antioxidant capacity, total reducing power, and free radical scavenging activity of the polyherbal formulation extracts were determined.

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Skeletal muscle is responsible for the majority of insulin-stimulated whole-body glucose elimination, under normal circumstances. High dietary fat consumption increases stored fat mass and is a major risk factor for metabolic disorders. The conventional pharmacological treatments are associated with many adverse side effects and high rates of secondary failure which lead to an increasing demand for natural products with anti-diabetic activity and lesser side effects.

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The myelin sheath facilitates signal conduction along axons in white matter tracts, and when disrupted, can result in significant functional deficits. Demyelination, observed in diseases like multiple sclerosis and optic neuritis, are associated with neural degeneration, however the extent of this damage on upstream circuitry is not well understood. Here we use the MBP-iCP9 mouse model to induce selective oligodendrocyte ablation in the optic nerve at P14 via a chemical inducer of dimerization (CID), resulting in partial demyelination of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons with minimal inflammation after two weeks.

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Asthma is a multifactorial disease of origin characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and airway remodeling. Several pieces of evidence from other pathologies suggest that Kisspeptins (Kp) regulate cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, mechanisms that are highly relevant to asthma. Our recent in vitro studies show Kp-10 (active peptide of Kp), via its receptor, KISS1R, inhibits human airway smooth muscle cell proliferation.

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The non-enzymatic glucose sensing response of pure and Ag-decorated vertically aligned ZnO nanorods grown on Si substrates was investigated. The simple low-temperature hydrothermal method was employed to synthesize the ZnO NRs on the Si substrates, and then Ag decoration was achieved by sputtering. The crystal structure and surface morphologies were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

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As triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks a specific target, exploration of abnormally expressed genes during the progression of TNBC is important for a better understanding of tumorigenesis and to find a specific target. We intended to figure out genes associated with TNBC, which can provide unique insights into gene dysregulation in TNBC while also pointing to new possible therapeutic targets for TNBC. A meta-analysis of multiple TNBC mRNA profiles was performed to identify consistently differentially expressed genes (CDGs).

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The aim of this study was the modification of lovastatin by microbes to improve its potential. Actinobacteria exhibit staggering diversity in terms of their biosynthetic capability for specialized metabolites which has been traced back to the presence of specialized gene clusters. The objective of the study is to exploit the potential of Actinobacteria strain(s), which can biotransform lovastatin to simvastatin, which might be a more potent therapeutic agent than lovastatin.

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