Publications by authors named "Ajay Nair"

Background: Children who sustain femur fractures are exposed to medical radiation as part of their treatment. In addition to standard radiographs and fluoroscopy, computerized tomography (CT) is a major source of ionizing radiation (IR). These patients frequently undergo CT scans during their treatment.

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To explore the mechanistic underpinnings of caffeine as a potent antibacterial against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 via in vitro functional assays, whole-genome sequencing, and in silico docking studies. In vitro studies established that caffeine's minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against S. aureus ATCC 25923 is 0.

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Background: (AX) is an aerobic Gram-negative opportunistic bacteria known to inhabit various environments and is most commonly associated with nosocomial infections in immune-compromised patients. Although rare, AX can cause a variety of neurological infections, such as meningitis, ventriculitis, and osteomyelitis. Intravascular catheters, intrathecal pumps, and contaminated surgical instruments are potential vectors for such patients.

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Harvesting nutrients from waste presents a promising initiative to advance and deliver the circular economy in the water sector while mitigating local shortages of mineral fertilizers worldwide. Urine, a small fraction of municipal wastewater, holds substantial amounts of nitrogen, orthophosphate (PO-P), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Separating urine aids targeted nutrient recovery, emissions reduction, and releasing capacity in wastewater treatment plants and taps into overlooked vital nutrients like magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K), essential for plant growth.

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Telemedicine is a promising solution to the challenges of delivering equitable and quality primary healthcare, especially in LMICs. This review evaluated peer-reviewed literature on telehealth interventions in Indian primary care published from Jan 1, 2011 to Dec 31, 2021, from PubMed, Scopus, TRIP, Google Scholar, Indian Kanoon, and Cochrane database The majority of Indian studies focus on key health issues like maternal and child health, mental health, diabetes, infectious diseases, and hypertension, mainly through patient education, monitoring, and diagnostics. Yet, there's a lack of research on telemedicine's cost-effectiveness, communication among providers, and the role of leadership in its quality and accessibility.

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Background: Neuroblastomas are rare tumors activated by the gene commonly found in pediatric patients. Due to the novelty of these tumors, there is no standard diagnostic profile. However, they have been found to express , and synaptophysin, and they can be identified with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

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Introduction: A greater sense of purpose in life is associated with several health benefits relevant for active aging, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We evaluated if purpose in life was associated with indices of brain health.

Methods: We examined data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Neuroscience Project.

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Omega-3 fatty acids play a seminal role in maintaining the structural and functional integrity of the nervous system. These specialized molecules function as precursors for many lipid-based biological messengers. Also, studies suggest the role of these fatty acids in regulating healthy sleep cycles, cognitive ability, brain development, etc.

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Article Synopsis
  • Kyphoplasty is a procedure for treating vertebral compression fractures, where a balloon is inflated at the fracture site and PMMA cement is injected to stabilize the vertebra.
  • The procedure is X-ray guided and has fewer complications compared to vertebroplasty, with pulmonary cement embolism (PCE) being a rare risk.
  • A case is discussed where a patient developed PCE after kyphoplasty, diagnosed through X-rays and CT, indicating the importance of monitoring for such complications.
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This systematic review was designed to compare the outcomes of the two braces against each other classified by the Graf method. The databases sources included PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar. The keywords included "DDH Tubingen versus Pavlik" and Tubingen and Pavlik separately.

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There has been an unprecedented increase in global demand for medical oxygen equipment to solve the acute oxygen shortages caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study aims to assess the value of improved access and use of Oxygen Concentrators (OCs) and cylinders during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. This evaluation is relevant to strengthening health systems in many resource-constrained Low- and Middle-Income Country (LMIC) settings.

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Chronic systemic inflammation increases the risk of neurodegeneration, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Part of the challenge in reaching a nuanced understanding is the presence of multiple risk factors that interact to potentiate adverse consequences. To address modifiable risk factors and mitigate downstream effects, it is necessary, although difficult, to tease apart the contribution of an individual risk factor by accounting for concurrent factors such as advanced age, cardiovascular risk, and genetic predisposition.

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In this study, a polygalacturonase (PGase) producing bacterial strain was isolated and identified as sp. 13159349 from fruit market soils, and TLC analysis confirmed its pectinolytic activity. Additionally, SSF, Plackett-Burman design (PB), and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to optimize the production of this thermostable and alkalophilic PGase.

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Background & Aims: Despite recent progress, long-term survival remains low for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The most effective HCC therapies target the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), and there are almost no therapies that directly target tumor cells. Here, we investigated the regulation and function of tumor cell-expressed Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) in HCC.

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Context: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on mental training techniques such as meditation have reported benefits like increased attention and concentration, better emotional regulation, as well as reduced stress and anxiety. Although several studies have examined functional activation and connectivity in long-term as well as short-term meditators from different meditation traditions, it is unclear if long-term meditation practice brings about distinct changes in network properties of brain functional connectivity that persist during task performance. Indeed, task-based functional connectivity studies of meditators are rare.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer deaths, primarily occurring in patients with chronic liver disease and advanced fibrosis, with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) playing a significant role.
  • Research on mouse models showed that HSCs have a tumor-promoting function, interacting with liver cells to influence both liver cell (hepatocyte) growth and death during HCC development.
  • A shift in HSC types during liver disease progression leads to increased HCC risk, where protective mediators become less active while tumor-promoting factors gain dominance.
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Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly desmoplastic, aggressive cancer that frequently progresses and spreads by metastasis to the liver. Cancer-associated fibroblasts, the extracellular matrix and type I collagen (Col I) support or restrain the progression of PDAC and may impede blood supply and nutrient availability. The dichotomous role of the stroma in PDAC, and the mechanisms through which it influences patient survival and enables desmoplastic cancers to escape nutrient limitation, remain poorly understood.

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Meditation practices increase attention, memory, and self-awareness. The neuroscientific study of meditation has helped gain useful insights into the functional changes in the brain. In this study, we have assessed the performance of meditators with different years of practice while performing an engaging task rather than studying the meditation practice itself.

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Early motor and sensory developmental delays precede Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis and may serve as early indicators of ASD. The literature on sensorimotor development in animal models is sparse, male centered, and has mixed findings. We characterized early development in a prenatal valproic acid (VPA) model of ASD and found sex-specific developmental delays in VPA rats.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Results indicate that severe asthma is associated with increased levels of neurogranin, a biomarker for synaptic degeneration, and exacerbated relationships between cardiovascular risk and dementia-related brain changes.
  • * The findings suggest that individuals with severe asthma may have a heightened risk for dementia due to both the effects of asthma on brain health and interactions with cardiovascular and genetic risk factors.
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Melanoma brain metastasis (MBM) frequently occurs in patients with advanced melanoma; yet, our understanding of the underlying salient biology is rudimentary. Here, we performed single-cell/nucleus RNA-seq in 22 treatment-naive MBMs and 10 extracranial melanoma metastases (ECMs) and matched spatial single-cell transcriptomics and T cell receptor (TCR)-seq. Cancer cells from MBM were more chromosomally unstable, adopted a neuronal-like cell state, and enriched for spatially variably expressed metabolic pathways.

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Article Synopsis
  • Fibrosis is responsible for about 45% of deaths in western countries and significantly affects outcomes in chronic liver disease, but effective treatments are lacking.
  • Researchers explored the role of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and identified the purinergic receptor P2Y14 as a key receptor in liver fibrosis, particularly in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).
  • The study showed that ligands for P2Y14 are released during cell death and activate fibrogenic processes, indicating this receptor could be a potential target for antifibrotic therapies in liver injury.
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