Publications by authors named "Ajay Jain"
The Indian Society of Gastroenterology has developed an evidence-based practice guideline for the management of caustic ingestion-related gastrointestinal (GI) injuries. A modified Delphi process was used to arrive at this consensus containing 41 statements. These statements were generated after two rounds of electronic voting, one round of physical meeting, and extensive review of the available literature.
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- Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) was evaluated as an alternative to intravascular imaging techniques for assessing plaque pathology in patients with chronic coronary syndrome.
- The study involved 70 patients and compared CCTA with near-infrared spectroscopy-intravascular ultrasound (NIRS-IVUS) to analyze atheroma burden and composition, focusing on the accuracy of detecting lipid-rich plaques.
- Results showed that CCTA had limitations in accurately measuring plaque dimensions and composition, leading to potential issues in planning for coronary interventions.
Article Synopsis
- Thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms have different genetic and clinical characteristics, which can be better understood using single-cell RNA sequencing rather than traditional bulk RNA methods that average gene expression across all cells.* -
- Analysis of single-cell datasets identified three distinct populations of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in aortic tissues, with a significantly higher proportion of a unique SMC group in TAA compared to AAA.* -
- Certain genes linked to extracellular matrix organization and insulin-like growth factor transport were found to be upregulated in TAA SMCs, suggesting these may play a role in the development of TAAs; further studies are needed to explore these pathways.*
Background: Coronary angioplasty and stent insertion is a first line treatment for patients with coronary artery disease, however it is complicated in the long-term by in-stent restenosis (ISR) in a proportion of patients with an associated morbidity. Despite this, currently there are no effective treatments available for the prevention of ISR. Repeat percutaneous revascularisation carries increased risks of major adverse cardiovascular events and a higher incidence of stent failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStructure-based pose prediction: Non-cognate docking extended to macrocyclic ligands.
J Comput Aided Mol Des
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- Cross-docking involves predicting how new small-molecule ligands will bind to a protein when these ligands are different from the known binding partners, which is a more complex task than re-docking the original ligands.
- The updated PINC benchmark uses temporal segregation to evaluate cross-docking accuracy, including predictions for 846 future ligands across ten protein targets and an extension for 128 macrocyclic ligands based on data from previously known non-macrocyclic ligands.
- Overall, using methods like Surflex-Dock and ForceGen, the study achieved impressive success rates, with 68% accuracy for the best poses and 92% for any correct poses, outperforming alternative methods like AutoDock Vina and
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of short (<120 days) versus long (>180 days) antiviral prophylaxis for preventing cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in pediatric liver transplant recipients by analyzing data from the Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation registry between 2015 and 2019.
- - Among the 199 enrolled participants, shorter prophylaxis resulted in higher occurrences of CMV DNAemia (26.8% vs. 13.8%) and CMV syndrome (18.8% vs. 6.9%) compared to longer prophylaxis, while end-organ disease rates were similar between the two groups.
- - Long prophylaxis was associated with a significantly higher incidence of neutropenia (55
Article Synopsis
- Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) occurs when blood flow returns to previously deprived liver tissues, causing significant cellular damage that may lead to liver dysfunction or failure.
- While restoring blood flow is critical for healing, the process can paradoxically cause additional harm through a complex series of events.
- The review discusses various laboratory models for studying hepatic IRI mechanisms, including animal models (like mice and pigs), cell lines, and machine perfusion setups.
Objectives: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is common in children. We hypothesized environmental toxins could drive progression to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and assayed serum toxins and metabolites in children with histologically characterized MASLD/MASH.
Methods: Environmental chemicals, common in household items, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polybrominated flame retardants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers [PBDEs]), and metabolic profiles were assayed in children enrolled in the multicenter NASH Clinical Research Network Pediatric Database 2.
Article Synopsis
- - The study analyzed how calcific (Ca) burden affects the accuracy of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in assessing plaque burden and composition, using near-infrared spectroscopy-intravascular ultrasound (NIRS-IVUS) as a comparison standard.
- - Involving 64 patients and 186 vessels, results indicated that while Ca did not significantly alter correlations between NIRS-IVUS and CTA at the segment and lesion levels, it did affect their agreement at the cross-sectional level, specifically regarding lipid and Ca components.
- - Ultimately, the presence of Ca burden influenced measurements and predictions of plaque volume and composition between NIRS-IVUS and CTA, highlighting the importance of considering coronary calcification in clinical evaluations.
Intraduodenal fecal microbiota transplantation ameliorates gut atrophy and cholestasis in a novel parenteral nutrition piglet model.
Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is a lifesaving IV feeding method but can cause serious side effects like gut microbial changes and liver injury.
- A study involving 31 piglets tested the effects of transferring fecal microbiota from healthy pigs to those on TPN, with various groups including a control, TPN alone, TPN with antibiotics, and TPN with fecal transplant.
- The results showed that fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) helped prevent gut atrophy, liver injury, and harmful microbial changes seen in TPN, suggesting that gut microbes could be critical for developing new treatments.
Theranostic nanoparticles for detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Nanomed Nanobiotechnol
August 2024
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most recalcitrant cancers due to its late diagnosis, poor therapeutic response, and highly heterogeneous microenvironment. Nanotechnology has the potential to overcome some of the challenges to improve diagnostics and tumor-specific drug delivery but they have not been plausibly viable in clinical settings. The review focuses on active targeting strategies to enhance pancreatic tumor-specific uptake for nanoparticles.
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- Percutaneous renal biopsy is used to diagnose kidney cancer, but it faces challenges in accurately sampling tissues.
- A new optical coherence tomography probe was developed to differentiate between tumor and normal tissues, improving biopsy guidance and accuracy.
- Convolutional neural networks were utilized to enhance tissue recognition, achieving 99.1% accuracy in identifying carcinoma and distinguishing oncocytoma, ultimately improving diagnosis during biopsy procedures.
Article Synopsis
- Homozygosity for the rs893403-GG genotype is associated with a higher risk of kidney allograft rejection due to long-term T lymphocyte infiltration after ischemia-reperfusion injury.
- The study analyzed the impact of the rs893403 genotype on kidney transplant histopathology by comparing biopsy results with genotyping and examining mRNA expression in ischemic donor kidneys.
- Results show that recipients with the GG genotype had significantly higher tubulitis scores and increased expression of specific mRNAs and proteins associated with inflammation compared to those with AG genotypes, suggesting a link between this genotype and rejection mechanisms.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the impact of preoperative chemo(radio)therapy on patients with localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma, focusing on the rare occurrence of pathological complete response (pCR), where no cancer cells are found post-surgery.
- Conducted in 19 centers across 8 countries with 1758 participants, the research shows that only 4.8% of patients achieved pCR, which is linked to better overall survival rates compared to those who did not achieve pCR.
- Factors influencing the likelihood of pCR included the use of multiagent chemotherapy regimens other than the (m)FOLFIRINOX treatment, highlighting the need for tailored therapeutic approaches.
Objectives: Renal impairment is prevalent in adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease [MASLD]) and is associated with increased mortality. Pediatric data are limited. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of hyperfiltration or chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children with NAFLD/MASLD and determine links with liver disease severity.
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- * It employs the QuanSA 3D-QSAR method, which utilizes an active learning strategy to select compounds based on their predicted activity and similarity to effective neighboring molecules.
- * Through iterative model refinement, the research successfully identifies key compounds, enhances predictive accuracy, and shows that even minimal data can help generate synthetic candidates.
Background: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) has improved clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. However, as many as 50% of patients still have suboptimal myocardial reperfusion and experience extensive myocardial necrosis. The PiCSO-AMI-I trial (Pressure-Controlled Intermittent Coronary Sinus Occlusion-Acute Myocardial Infarction-I) evaluated whether PiCSO therapy can further reduce myocardial infarct size (IS) in patients undergoing pPCI.
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- Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is gaining popularity, but it has a challenging learning curve that may hinder surgeons moving to new institutions.
- A study reviewed laparoscopic PD surgeries from two institutions, comparing outcomes and learning curves for the same surgeon at both locations.
- Results showed that the surgeon achieved the same skill level much faster at the new institution, indicating that specialized surgical techniques can be effectively transferred without losing performance quality.
Article Synopsis
- The liver exhibits a spatial organization of metabolic functions known as zonation, which is influenced by how different liver cells (hepatocytes) are exposed to nutrient-rich blood from the portal and central veins.
- The mTORC1 signaling pathway plays a crucial role in managing the liver's metabolism in response to nutrient and insulin levels.
- Research indicates that activating nutrient and hormone signaling in hepatocytes disrupts their normal development and identity, evidenced by a failure to express specific receptors and activate essential signaling pathways, which is also mirrored in a model using piglets on a constant nutrient supply.
Article Synopsis
- Cardiac surgery for coronary artery disease decreased significantly during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave, leading many patients to receive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) instead of the usual coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
- A study tracked 215 patients who underwent PCI, gathering 12-month outcomes like death, heart attacks, and other complications to evaluate the procedure's effectiveness.
- Results showed that after a year, PCI had acceptable outcomes with low rates of major adverse events, suggesting the need for further research comparing PCI to CABG in similar patient populations.
A young boy with a rare tumor presenting as an upper gastrointestinal bleed.
Indian J Cancer
March 2024
We describe an interesting upper gastrointestinal endoscopy image of a mass seen in the stomach of a 19-year-old boy who presented to us with an upper gastrointestinal bleed without any history of pain or illness in the past and was diagnosed as a primitive neuroectodermal tumor or Ewing's sarcoma of the stomach.
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- Reactivation of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been linked to various diseases, particularly neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis, according to a recent study.
- The study demonstrated that exposure to EBV and its glycoprotein M (gM) led to cognitive decline and increased anxiety in mice, alongside significant changes in brain structure and inflammation markers.
- Elevated levels of key proteins related to neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's risk were found, indicating a strong association between EBV/gM and neurological issues.
Article Synopsis
- Tumour cells rely on nutrients from their environment to survive, particularly in challenging conditions, and pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a key role in regulating this process by secreting acetate.* -
- The enzyme acetyl-CoA synthetase short-chain family member 2 (ACSS2) helps cancer cells utilize this acetate, impacting their gene expression and enhancing their survival in acidic conditions by stabilizing the transcription factor SP1.* -
- Disabling the ACSS2-SP1-SAT1 pathway in experimental mouse models leads to reduced tumour growth, emphasizing the importance of this metabolic interaction for cancer cell resilience under stress.*