Publications by authors named "Devika S"

Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the prevalence of dog bites and human rabies deaths in India, where a significant portion of global rabies cases occurs, aiming to assess progress toward a 2030 elimination goal.
  • - A nationwide survey found that in a year, there were approximately 9.1 million dog bites in India, with 20.5% of those bitten not receiving necessary anti-rabies vaccinations (ARV).
  • - The study estimates around 5,726 human rabies deaths annually, indicating that, despite some progress, there's still a critical need for improved vaccination and prevention strategies.
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Introduction With technology advancing across all fields, the utility of digital screens is increasing among all age groups for various purposes. Research indicates that while digital technology presents clear advantages, prolonged exposure can have detrimental effects on various aspects of health, behavior, emotions, and cognitive functions like attention and working memory. A crucial cognitive process for learning and information processing which is working memory, can be affected by factors including screen time.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Conducted between July and September 2022, the research screened 443 participants, finding that 14.67% had abnormal hemoglobin fractions, with a significant prevalence of β-thalassemia (13.99%) and a lower prevalence of α-thalassemia (0.68%).
  • * The findings highlight the need for more awareness and screening initiatives for hemoglobinopathies in tribal communities, advocating for government and NGO involvement to enhance health conditions for these populations.
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In India, the incidence of mucormycosis reached high levels during 2021-2022, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this, we established a multicentric ambispective cohort of patients hospitalised with mucormycosis across India. In this paper, we report their baseline profile, clinical characteristics and outcomes at discharge.

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Background: India has been implementing active case-finding (ACF) for TB among marginalised and vulnerable (high-risk) populations since 2017. The effectiveness of ACF cycle(s) is dependent on the use of appropriate screening and diagnostic tools and meeting quality indicators.

Objectives: To determine the number of ACF cycles implemented in 2021 at national, state ( = 36) and district ( = 768) level and quality indicators for the first ACF cycle.

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The potential for influenza viruses to cause public health emergencies is great. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2005 concluded that the world was unprepared to respond to an influenza pandemic. Available surveillance guidelines for pandemic influenza lack the specificity that would enable many countries to establish operational surveillance plans.

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Article Synopsis
  • A differentiated care strategy can effectively triage high-risk TB patients for comprehensive assessment and inpatient care, potentially reducing deaths in resource-limited settings.
  • In Tamil Nadu, India, a strategy known as TN-KET was rolled out in April 2022, which saw 78% of notified TB patients triaged, with notable outcomes for those assessed as severely ill.
  • The analysis identified factors influencing care retention and admission outcomes, highlighting areas for improvement, such as addressing predictors of loss in the care cascade and increasing the duration of patient admissions.
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Due to the workload and lack of a critical mass of trained operational researchers within their ranks, health systems and programmes may not be able to dedicate sufficient time to conducting operational research (OR). Hence, they may need the technical support of operational researchers from research/academic organisations. Additionally, there is a knowledge gap regarding implementing differentiated tuberculosis (TB) care in programme settings.

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Patients who undergo heart valve replacements with mechanical valves need to take Vitamin K Antagonists (VKA) drugs (Warfarin, Nicoumalone) which has got a very narrow therapeutic range and needs very close monitoring using PT-INR. Accessibility to physicians to titrate drugs doses is a major problem in low-middle income countries (LMIC) like India. Our work was aimed at predicting the maintenance dosage of these drugs, using the de-identified medical data collected from patients attending an INR Clinic in South India.

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Background: Schizophrenia is a major mental disorder characterized by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Cognitive impairment is a central and enduring feature of schizophrenia and is associated with disability. It has a devastating consequence on the individuals, families, and the society.

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Bismuth-based composite materials have unique structural, chemical, optical, and electrical properties that are highly beneficial in Photocatalysis. The layered structure and tunable bandgap properties of the Bismuth-based composites are advantageous for the absorption of solar light efficiently. Also, these properties help the separation and recombination of photogenerated charge carriers, leading to enhancement in the photocatalytic activity.

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Background: There are no data on electrocardiographic (ECG) findings from general population of Indian subcontinent. We analyzed ECG abnormalities of in adults as part of a community survey of prevalence of coronary artery disease and risk factors from South India.

Methods And Results: In this cross-sectional study of men and women between the ages 20 to 79 years, ECGs recorded digitally were analyzed using the Minnesota code.

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Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are highly prevalent in many developing countries, affecting the poorest and most deprived communities. We conducted school-based surveys among children studying in first to fifth standard in government schools in the Indian States of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Tripura to estimate the prevalence and intensity of STH infections during November 2015 and January 2016. We adopted a two-stage cluster sampling design, with a random selection of districts within each agro-climatic zone in the first stage.

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Major factors contribute to mental stress and enhance the progression of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). The factors that lead to neurodegeneration, such as tau protein hyperphosphorylation and increased amyloid-beta production, can be mimicked in animal stress models. The present study identifies differentially expressed genes (DEGs) data and its corresponding predictive image analysis in rat models.

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The title compound, CHNO, can be described as a ketone with a phenol substituent and a terpyridine ligand coordinated to the carbonyl group. The three six-membered rings of the terpyridine ligand are not coplanar. The dihedral angles between the mean planes of the central ring and the external pyridine ligands are 22.

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In the title compound, CHClNO, the 5-chloro-phenol ring and the imidazole ring are nearly coplanar, with a dihedral angle of 15.76 (9)° between them. The ethyl-phenyl ring and the two phenyl rings subtend angles of 71.

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Background And Objective: There are no data on the prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and risk factors in Indians. This study was aimed at studying the prevalence of PAD and risk factors in elderly population of northern parts of Kerala, South India.

Methods: In a prospective observational survey we evaluated men and women of age between 60 and 79 years from Kerala.

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Background: Obesity is a global epidemic. Bariatric surgery is being considered as the treatment of choice in morbid obesity. Psychiatric comorbidity affects outcomes in this population.

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Background And Objective: In the analysis of dichotomous type response variable, logistic regression is usually used. However, the performance of logistic regression in the presence of sparse data is questionable. In such a situation, a common problem is the presence of high odds ratios (ORs) with very wide 95% confidence interval (CI) (OR: >999.

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Single-site CeAlPO-5 with Al/Ce ratios 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 were synthesized hydrothermally in fluoride medium. The XRD patterns of CeAlPO-5 exhibited characteristic reflections of AlPO-5. 27Al MAS-NMR of CeAIPO-5(25) showed two unusual peaks at -20.

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