Publications by authors named "Akhil Goel"
Introduction: Anemia is a global health concern, affecting over 2 billion people worldwide. Rajasthan state of India launched an intensive phase initiative to combat anemia comprehensively.
Objectives: To assess the intensive phase anemia control "Shakti Divas" initiative of Rajasthan government through process and outcome valuation, while understanding the challenges and barriers in the implementation.
Introduction: Epilepsy is a widespread neurological disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, with a large proportion of cases emerging in childhood. Many children with epilepsy in low and middle-income countries, such as India, encounter obstacles to care despite effective treatments, which add to the treatment gap.
Methodology: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.
Role of femoral intima-media thickness in risk prediction and assessment of severity of coronary artery disease.
Indian J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg
March 2025
Background/objective: Atherosclerosis is a systemic multifocal disease which most commonly involves branching points of the large and medium-sized arteries. The carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) is an established marker for increased cardiovascular risk and cerebrovascular disease. In this study, we aimed to establish the role of femoral intima-media thickness (FIMT) in predicting cardiovascular risk in angiographically confirmed patients of coronary artery disease (CAD) when compared with apparently healthy patients (having normal coronary angiogram).
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- Anemia is a significant global health issue, and this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a family-centered health education intervention on improving adherence to iron-folic acid supplements and anemia outcomes among pregnant women.
- The quasi-experimental trial involved pregnant women with mild to moderate anemia and showed that the intervention led to substantial improvements in knowledge, attitudes, practices, and anemia status, with reduced rates of anemia and increased hemoglobin and ferritin levels.
- The study concluded that family-centered health education effectively enhances adherence to iron supplementation and improves anemia among pregnant women and their families.
Introduction: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NACRT) followed by surgery has become the standard of care for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study compared the tolerability and oncological benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) with those of NACRT for the treatment of ESCC.
Methods: A prospective quasi-experimental comparative study was conducted from July 2019 to August 2023 to assess the efficacy of the NACT regimen of two cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin as an alternative to standard NACRT.
Introduction: Though open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) is the gold standard, robotic pancreatoduodenectomy (RPD) is on the rise due to its technical ease with robotic armamentarium and claim to decrease morbidity in the perioperative period. This study compares the perioperative and oncologic outcomes of RPD performed for periampullary neoplasms (PANs) with OPD.
Method: This is a retrospective study conducted from January 2018 to December 2023 for all the patients who underwent either OPD or RPD for PANs.
Background: Shear wave elastography (SWE) is proven for liver fibrosis. However, there are challenges in assessing the kidney owing to its surrounding structures, retroperitoneal location, and visceral fat. Kidney biopsy is the gold standard for estimating fibrosis, but is associated with inherent risks of bleeding and sedation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: To assess mismatch repair (MMR) status and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix and their association with clinicopathologic parameters.
Material And Methods: Expression of PD-L1 and MMR status (MSH2, MSH6, MLH1, and PMS2) was assessed on 50 cases of SCCs of the cervix by immunohistochemistry.
Results: 80% of tumor cells and 84% of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes showed PD-L1 expression.
Article Synopsis
- Maternal and child health in remote communities is often at risk due to limited healthcare access, leading to reliance on traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and raising questions about integrating traditional and modern practices.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of six studies found that training TBAs significantly reduced perinatal and neonatal mortality rates, though results for stillbirth rates were inconclusive.
- Although there is some evidence supporting TBA training benefits, the studies reviewed had methodological issues, indicating a need for further well-designed research to refine training interventions and improve outcomes.
Background: No research has been conducted to compare long-axis in-plane and short-axis out-of-plane techniques for ultrasound-guided posterior tibial artery cannulation in adults. This study compared these two procedures for cannulating the posterior tibial artery.
Methods: This prospective randomized trial included 236 adult patients undergoing general anesthesia who required arterial cannulation.
Tobacco, being an established risk factor for significant mortality and morbidity, causes over 7 million annual deaths globally. India is a country with over 270 million active tobacco users. On the one hand, although the willingness to quit amongst tobacco users is as high as 55.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Transgender people comprise an estimated 0.3-0.5% (25 million) of the global population.
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- * A total of 23 studies were included, revealing an overall anxiety prevalence of 18.7% among older adults, though results showed significant variability between studies.
- * The findings highlight the growing concern of mental health issues in the elderly population, urging policymakers and health systems to address anxiety as a public health priority due to an increasing elderly demographic and changing health patterns.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the prevalence and significance of autoantibodies in children with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
- Among 689 MASLD patients, 28% tested positive for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and antismooth muscle antibodies (ASMA), while 15% had actin-positive antibodies and 17% showed elevated immunoglobulin G.
- ASMA positivity was linked to more severe liver fibrosis and higher disease activity scores, suggesting that certain autoantibodies may indicate increased severity in pediatric MASLD cases.
Article Synopsis
- - Digital health interventions can improve care in rural areas, but their use among traditional birth attendants (TBAs) hasn't been fully explored.
- - A mobile app called "maternal and infant care" (MAI) was developed to enhance TBAs' skills, and its quality was assessed through user satisfaction metrics.
- - The MAI app received high ratings for functionality and user-friendliness, but it showed less appeal in terms of visual aspects and user interest, indicating room for improvement.
Background: In tuberculosis (TB) care and management, there are practical challenges existing at the patient-provider level leading to implementation barriers at the primary care level.
Objectives: The objective of the study is to explore the challenges and barriers faced by people with TB and health-care workers in TB care and management.
Materials And Methods: This study was done as a part of a community intervention study between November 2021 and December 2022.
Background: There are significant barriers to healthcare access in tribal areas, even though for every 834 people, there is one public physician (registered allopathic and AYUSH doctors). More than 86% of hospital visits occur in rural areas. Furthermore, the bulk of them travel long distances to reach hospitals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Indian cigarillos (bidi) are low-cost alternatives to cigarettes with only 22% imposed taxes, and turnover of up to INR 4 million per annum exempted from taxation.
Aims And Methods: This paper estimates revenue implications and potential loss of life years (YLLs) averted if the bidi industry is subjected to increased regulations and taxation. Revenue estimates at 10% increased regulation and 100% regulation were calculated, followed by estimates at taxes equivalent to cigarettes and World Health Organization-Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) recommendation.
Background: Lower limb amputation can have profound physical, psychological, and social effects on individuals. Assistive aids like prosthetic lower limbs can help an individual regain mobility and thereby affect their self-esteem and quality of life.
Objective: To assess self-esteem and quality of life in patients with transtibial amputations who are using a transtibial prosthesis and explore the association between sociodemographic and amputation-related factors with self-esteem and prosthesis-related quality of life measures.
Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the utility of F-18 FDG PET/CT in the non-invasive diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and differentiating it from pancreatic cancer (CaP) based on the amount and pattern of FDG uptake, as well as involvement of extra-pancreatic sites.
Methods: A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. Only those studies that compared the findings of F-18 FDG PET/CT in terms of SUVmax, pattern of FDG uptake and presence of FDG-avid extra-pancreatic sites in both AIP and CaP were included.
Background: This study aims to predict quantitative parameter in form of metabolic ratios to diagnose tumor thrombus on F-18 FDG PET/CT.
Methods: This is a retrospective study from Nuclear Medicine department at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India. Patients with malignancies who underwent F-18 FDG PET/CT in our department or images sent for review from February 2020 till September 2022 were screened for tumor thrombus that comprised study group.
Background: Mobile health applications are an established tool for healthcare management, patient education, and even capacity building for healthcare providers. However, its use among traditional birth attendants (TBAs) is limited. The aim of this study is to explore the needs and bottlenecks of developing an interactive mobile application for maternal and infant care (MAI) of TBAs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransanal irrigation in children with functional constipation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr
May 2024
Objectives: Refractory functional constipation is a challenging condition to manage in children. The use of transanal irrigation (TAI) is well reported in children with neurological disorders as well as anorectal malformations but less so in children with functional disorders of defecation. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness, safety and outcomes of TAI in children with functional constipation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn India, the COVID-19 vaccination for adolescents aged 15-17 years has been started since January 2022. Gluten enteropathy, also known as celiac or nontropical sprue, can arise as an autoimmune disease of the small intestines. We report a 15-year-old female with a history of allergy to gluten-containing products who came for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination to adult vaccination OPD at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is frequently misdiagnosed during pregnancy. There is an abundance of evidence, but little is known regarding the regional prevalence estimates of GDM in India. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide valuable insights into the national and regional prevalence of GDM among pregnant women in India.
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