Publications by authors named "Aravind A Menon"

Introduction: Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) often represent early fibrotic changes that can portend a progressive fibrotic phenotype. In particular, the fibrotic subtype of ILA is associated with increased mortality and rapid decline in lung function. Understanding the differential gene expression that occurs in the lungs of participants with fibrotic ILA may provide insight into development of a useful biomarker for early detection and therapeutic targets for progressive pulmonary fibrosis.

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Article Synopsis
  • Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) on CT scans are linked to poor lung function and higher mortality, but it’s unclear if incidental interstitial lung disease (ILD) contributes to these issues.
  • In a study, 239 out of 4,361 participants were found to have suspected ILD, which correlated with worse health outcomes such as decreased exercise tolerance and higher mortality rates compared to those with ILA only.
  • Key risk factors for suspected ILD included being self-identified as Black and having a significant smoking history.
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Background The clinical impact of interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) on poor prognosis has been reported in many studies, but risk stratification in ILA will contribute to clinical practice. Purpose To investigate the association of traction bronchiectasis/bronchiolectasis index (TBI) with mortality and clinical outcomes in individuals with ILA by using the COPDGene cohort. Materials and Methods This study was a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data.

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Background: Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) share many features with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; however, it is not known if ILA are associated with decreased mean telomere length (MTL).

Methods: Telomere length was measured with quantitative PCR in the Genetic Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPDGene) and Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility Reykjavik (AGES-Reykjavik) cohorts and Southern blot analysis was used in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). Logistic and linear regression were used to assess the association between ILA and MTL; Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between MTL and mortality.

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Background: Most pulmonary conditions reduce FVC, but studies of patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema demonstrate that reductions in FVC are less than expected when these two conditions coexist clinically.

Research Question: Do interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs), chest CT imaging findings that may suggest an early stage of pulmonary fibrosis in individuals with undiagnosed disease, affect the association between emphysema and FVC?

Study Design And Methods: Measures of ILA and emphysema were available for 9,579 and 5,277 participants from phases 1 (2007-2011) and 2 (2012-2016) of the Genetic Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Study (COPDGene), respectively. ILA were defined by Fleischner Society guidelines.

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Introduction: Epoprostenol, a synthetic prostaglandin I2 (PGI) analog, has been the mainstay of treatment for severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) for the last two decades. Treprostinil, another synthetic prostaglandin analog, and selexipag, an oral selective Inositol Phosphate (IP) prostacyclin receptor agonist, have also been approved for treatment of PAH. Prostacyclin and its analogs cause a variety of side effects in patients with PAH; however, thyroid dysfunction is rarely reported.

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B-lines on lung ultrasound (US) are the hallmark of pulmonary edema. It is unknown if ultrasound machine settings or probe type matter. We created an in-vitro gelatin model.

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Bacterial pneumonia is a common and serious clinical entity. Alveolar epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages are the first line of defense in the innate immunity against bacterial pathogens. Epithelial cells are known to release chemokines/cytokines that recruit and activate phagocytic cells.

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Background: An increasing number of U.S. emergency departments (EDs) have implemented ED-based HIV testing programs since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued revised HIV testing recommendations for clinical settings in 2006.

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Scrub typhus is a rickettsial infection prevalent in most parts of India. Acute pancreatitis with pseudocyst formation is a rare complication of this condition. This paper reports acute renal failure, pancreatitis and pseudocyst formation in a 48-year-old female with scrub typhus.

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Cerebrovascular complications are rare following viper bites. A 65-year-old man presented with loss of consciousness and developed haemiparesis following a viper bite. Coagulation parameters were severely deranged.

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