Publications by authors named "Balakrishnan P"

Background: The difference in survival between sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) remains controversial.

Objective: To investigate the comparative survival difference between SG and RYGB in adults with morbid obesity.

Setting: A meta-analysis.

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Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is emerging as a promising therapeutic agent for neuropathic and other pain-related conditions. This naturally occurring fatty acid has drawn interest because of its ability to regulate pain and inflammation. Initially identified in food sources, PEA has been the subject of extensive research to elucidate its properties, efficacy, and clinical applications.

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Background: Aortic arch obstruction and/or coarctation of aorta is uncommon (5-20%) in balanced atrioventricular septal defects. Although technically challenging, prenatal diagnosis of aortic arch obstruction in atrioventricular septal defect is critical for delivery planning and improves prenatal counselling regarding the timing of cardiac surgery. We sought to identify prenatal predictors of coarctation of aorta in atrioventricular septal defect.

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Introduction: Malocclusion, a common dental issue in children, necessitates early intervention to mitigate future orthodontic challenges. Predictive methodologies like Tanaka and Johnston analysis (TJA) and Boston University approach (BUA) aid in mixed and primary dentition analysis for optimal treatment planning. This study aimed to compare TJA and BUA in predicting the mesiodistal width of unerupted permanent canines and premolars and assess gender-based variations.

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Light exposure triggers a range of physiological and behavioural responses that can improve and challenge health and well-being. Insights from laboratory studies have recently culminated in standards and guidelines for measuring and assessing healthy light exposure, and recommendations for healthy light levels. Implicit to laboratory paradigms is a simplistic input-output relationship between light and its effects on physiology.

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The decline in dengue incidence and/or prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-22) appears to be attributed to reduced treatment-seeking rates, under-reporting, misdiagnosis, disrupted health services and reduced exposure to mosquito vectors due to prevailing lockdowns. There is limited scientific data on dengue virus (DENV) disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we conducted a community-based, cross-sectional, cluster-randomized survey to assess anti-DENV and anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, and also estimated the spatial distribution of DENV-positive aedine mosquito vectors during the COVID-19 pandemic across all the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, India.

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We present the case of a 61-year-old man who presented to his primary care provider for a routine visit and was found to have a pulsatile mass in his right neck. This case report shows the importance of a thorough physical exam during patient visits. In this case, the physical exam resulted in the diagnosis of a carotid body tumor (CBT) prior to the patient becoming symptomatic from it.

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The long-term survival benefits after surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) during cardiac surgery were not confirmed in previous randomized controlled trials or meta-analyses. This study aimed to investigate the long-term efficacy of surgical ablation in patients with AF. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched to identify studies comparing concomitant surgical AF ablation with no surgical ablation during cardiac surgery.

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Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an immune-mediated interstitial lung disease (ILD) relating to specific occupational, environmental or medication exposures. Disease behaviour is influenced by the nature of exposure and the host response, with varying degrees of lung inflammation and fibrosis seen within individuals. The differentiation of HP from other ILDs is important due to distinct causes, pathophysiology, prognosis and management implications.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess molecular changes at the 11p15.5 locus in 32 patients with isolated lateralized overgrowth (ILO).
  • Methylation-sensitive analyses revealed aberrations in 28% of patients, with some showing features similar to Silver Russell syndrome (SRS) and uniparental disomy (UPD) in 9% of cases, though patients did not fully meet SRS criteria.
  • The findings suggest that ILO could be a mild variant of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), with significant implications for patient monitoring and diagnosis.
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Aim And Background: A child's temperament, influenced by inborn traits and emotional regulation, can impact their dental behavior and caries risk. Parenting styles, such as authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or neglectful, also play a significant role. Authoritative parenting tends to yield more favorable dental outcomes, while permissive parenting can lead to a higher prevalence of caries.

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Background: Dental anxiety is characterized by distress in anticipation of dental visits, which may result in a child's refusal to undergo treatment and, ultimately, lead to parents' reluctance towards dental care.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of the tell-show-do technique, modeling technique and yogic relaxation technique in the reduction of dental anxiety among children aged 6-12 years.

Material And Methods: The study was an interventional, parallel-group, single-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial conducted on 120 children who required restorative treatment without the use of local anesthesia.

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  • A study developed a flexible biopolymer-based antimicrobial wound dressing using chitosan-agarose (CS-AG) and chamomile flower extract (CH), aimed at improving wound healing and combating bacterial infections.
  • The CS-AG bioscaffold exhibits strong physical properties such as high tensile strength and enhanced thermal stability, verified by various scientific methods.
  • The bioscaffold not only demonstrates effective antibacterial activity against harmful bacteria but also supports cell viability, making it a promising option for drug release systems and tissue engineering applications.
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We present here the case of a woman in her 40s with a history of an adjustable gastric band placed a decade ago. After the initial procedure, she had issues with a port-site hernia, mesh placement, and explantation secondary to mesh infection. Her port was removed at the time, with the tubing left in situ with hopes of future salvage.

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Background: Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are typically self-reported ability to perform complex tasks vital for independent living. There is a need for a complementary objective, performance-based approach especially in tracking outcomes in visual rehabilitation for patients with irreversible vision impairment ("low vision"). Our goals are: (1) To describe the validity of timed performance of instrumental activities of daily living (timed IADL or TIADL) tasks in individuals with irreversible vision impairment, by examining its association with visual function (visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual field), (2) To explore the correlation between TIADL and self-reported IADL.

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Pseudoachalasia is a known complication following a gastric band placement that is reversible with band removal. However, the development of a sigmoid esophagus is uncommon. Sigmoid esophagus is considered late-stage achalasia and is associated with worse outcomes with myotomy compared to earlier-stage achalasia.

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  • The study combines Prussian Blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) with αCD137 antibodies to create a new anti-tumor treatment platform for melanoma.
  • These αCD137-PBNPs maintain their therapeutic properties and were tested for effectiveness and safety in mice with tumors.
  • Results showed that mice treated with the αCD137-PBNP-PTT had a much better survival rate (50%) and no liver toxicity compared to other treatments.
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  • The study investigates the impact of hydrogen incorporation in layered superconducting nickelate films and its potential link to superconductivity.
  • Films are created by converting a stable parent compound into the desired phase using a reducing agent like CaH, but achieving highly crystalline nickelate films remains challenging.
  • Findings show that hydrogen incorporation is minimal across various samples, both superconducting and non-superconducting, suggesting that it’s not essential for achieving superconductivity in these nickelate systems.
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Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a prevalent and underrecognized disorder. A young girl with previously undiagnosed homozygous FH presented with acute coronary syndrome. Severe coronary ostial stenosis and severe supravalvular aortic stenosis from atheromatous plaque was discovered.

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Introduction Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most common surgical emergency in developed countries, whose incidence peaks in the second and third decades. The risk of mortality in uncomplicated AA is very low. There are many scoring systems to predict AA.

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In December 2023, we observed a notable shift in the COVID-19 landscape, when JN.1 omicron emerged as the predominant SARS-CoV-2 variant with a 95% incidence. We characterized the clinical profile, and genetic changes in JN.

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We present the case of an 80-year-old man who underwent a subclavian-to-distal internal carotid artery bypass with a reversed saphenous vein due to symptomatic in-stent restenosis, following a carotid endarterectomy 20 years ago and carotid artery stenting 10 years ago. The patient presented with right-sided hemiparesis and dysarthria. Imaging suggested in-stent restenosis of the internal carotid artery stent.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the effectiveness of an mRNA-based urine test, Xpert Bladder Cancer Detection (Xpert BC-D), for diagnosing bladder cancer in patients with new, painless hematuria, aiming to balance the need for diagnosis against unnecessary procedures.
  • - Involving 368 patients, the analysis showed that Xpert BC-D had a significantly higher sensitivity (96%) compared to traditional urine cytology (61%), making it a strong candidate for improving diagnostic accuracy in this group.
  • - Ultimately, Xpert BC-D could help refine the diagnostic process by preselecting patients for further invasive procedures, potentially reducing unnecessary assessments by 74.1% while only missing one low-grade tumor.
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Prcis: Diagnosis of glaucoma through telemedicine demonstrates moderate agreement with in-person ophthalmologist (MD) and in-person optometrist (OD) diagnosis, providing evidence that telemedicine is a timely, accurate screening method in settings where an in-person visit may not be feasible.

Objective: To compare diagnostic agreement of glaucoma between in-person MD, in-person OD, and a simulated telemedicine program.

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional study of patients with normal optic nerve structural and functional imaging and new patients referred for glaucoma evaluation examined in-person by an MD for glaucoma with a dilated examination and structural and functional optic nerve testing (optical coherence tomography, photos, and visual field); examined in person by an OD with a dilated examination and optic nerve testing; and structural and functional optic nerve testing reviewed separately by 2 ophthalmologists [telemedicine ophthalmologist reviewer 1 (TMD1), telemedicine ophthalmologist reviewer 2 (TMD2)] with masking of prior MD and OD diagnoses.

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