Publications by authors named "Joseph Aj"

Objective: To study the prevalence of synchronous oesophageal cancer in patients with head and neck cancers using Narrow Band Imaging and Lugol's chromoendoscopy.

Materials And Methods: Study design: Prospective cross sectional diagnostic study. Method: 63 recruited patients with head and neck cancers, underwent haematologic evaluation, histological confirmation, imaging which included contrast enhanced computerised tomography(CECT) of the Neck and when indicated an additional Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) scan followed by UGI endoscopy using white light followed by Narrow Band Imaging(NBI) and Lugol's chromoendoscopy(LCE).

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A young man in his early 30s presented to our hospital with upper abdominal pain radiating to the back, progressive jaundice with pruritus, low-grade fever, vomiting and significant weight loss over 4 months. The syndrome of extrahepatic biliary obstruction was considered. There was no significant past, personal or family history.

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  • The study investigated the presence of myositis-specific and myositis-associated autoantibodies (MSAs/MAAs) in a group of Indian children with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) and how these antibodies relate to clinical features and patient outcomes.
  • A total of 43 children were assessed, with 81.4% testing positive for at least one type of autoantibody; the most common were anti-NXP2, anti-TIF1γ, and anti-MDA-5.
  • While many patients showed positive responses to treatment, the study found no clear link between the specific autoantibody profiles and the successful achievement of complete clinical responses or remission.
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To explore various approaches in the management of pterygium and to propose a simplified treatment algorithm for its surgical management. A retrospective analysis of 9219 eyes was done. Group I included patients with primary single-head pterygium, most undergoing pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft (CAG).

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Background: The pathophysiology of Acute Pancreatitis (AP) may be complicated by endothelial activation. von Willebrand Factor (vWF)- ADAMTS13 axis is a marker of endothelial activation. The study aimed to investigate the axis in AP, comparing it in patients with and without persistent organ failure (OF), with and without pancreatic necrosis, and correlating it with the standard severity scores (CRP, APACHE II, BISAP, SOFA, and qSOFA) METHODS: vWF-Antigen (vWF:Ag), vWF-Collagen-Binding-Assay (vWF:CBA), and ADAMTS13 activity (ADAMTS13:act) levels were measured within 5 days of symptom onset in consecutive patients (n = 98), who were admitted with a first episode of AP (Dec 2021-May 2023).

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  • A study examined the effectiveness of rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) compared to non-ROSE during endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) of pancreatic lesions from 2019-2021.
  • Results showed a high diagnostic yield in both groups (96.4% for ROSE and 94.5% for non-ROSE), with most lesions being malignant.
  • While ROSE did not improve diagnostic yield or decrease the need for repeat samples, it was associated with fewer passes needed to obtain samples.
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Background: Bile cultures are often sent with blood cultures in patients with acute bacterial cholangitis.

Aims: To assess the yield of blood and bile cultures in patients with cholangitis and the clinical utility of bile cultures in guiding therapy.

Methods: All patients diagnosed with cholangitis, based on the Tokyo 2013/2018 guidelines were recruited retrospectively over ten years.

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Purpose: To compare the predictive accuracy of Barrett total keratometry (Barrett TK) toric calculator with the measured posterior corneal astigmatism (PCA) by using Pentacam in toric intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation.

Methods: A prospective analysis was done on 118 eyes requiring toric IOL power implantation. The absolute prediction error of the Barrett TK toric calculator and the measured PCA in the online toric calculator were assessed and compared to the standard Alcon toric calculator (with Barrett toric calculator incorporated).

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  • ENPP1 is linked to poor cancer prognosis and regulates the immune response by hydrolyzing cGAMP, which activates the STING pathway to enhance anti-tumor immunity.
  • Research using single-cell RNA sequencing found that ENPP1 promotes the growth and spread of breast tumors by reducing the effectiveness of cGAMP-STING signaling.
  • Blocking ENPP1 activity could be a promising treatment strategy for breast cancer by allowing cGAMP to activate STING, potentially improving patient outcomes after therapies like pembrolizumab.
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Background: Early-onset idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (EOICP) is a disease that affects young individuals. Data on pregnancy outcomes in EOICP are limited.

Aim: To assess the pregnancy outcomes in patients with EOICP and the effect of pregnancy on the course of EOICP.

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Ulcerative colitis (UC) is often associated with anemia. Hepcidin, the central regulator of iron homeostasis, is known to be induced by inflammation and suppressed by anemia. It is not clear how hepcidin is affected in those with UC, when both inflammation and anemia may co-exist.

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Introduction: breast cancer is a significant global challenge. The risk of breast cancer among nuns is high mainly due to the basis of nulliparity. Among the effective approaches to addressing breast cancer is early screening.

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Background: Post-cholecystectomy, benign biliary strictures are challenging for both patients and surgeons. Bismuth classified benign biliary strictures into 5 types. This study aimed to review these isolated hepatic duct strictures which were not included in Bismuth classification.

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Background: Fundic gland polyps (FGP) of stomach are benign, while some hyperplastic polyps (HP) may harbor dysplasia or malignancy. Conventional white light endoscopy (WLE) cannot reliably distinguish FGP from HP. We investigated the role of image-enhanced endoscopy in differentiating FGP from HP.

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Background: Multiple genetic risk factors for Crohn's disease (CD) have been identified. However, these observations are not consistent across different populations. The protein tyrosine phosphate non-receptor type 2 () gene plays a role in various aspects of host defense including epithelial barrier function, autophagy, and innate and adaptive immune response.

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Accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (AEDP; Fosha, 2000, 2021b) is an integrative, healing-oriented, mind-body, affect-focused therapy. A posttreatment outcome study demonstrated AEDP's effectiveness (Iwakabe et al., 2020) on a variety of measures of psychological functioning.

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Primary follicular lymphoma of the gut (PFL-GI) is a rare entity. This study aims to compare the clinicopathologic features of PFL-GI with cases of gastrointestinal involvement by disseminated nodal follicular lymphoma. This is a retrospective study with 6 cases of primary follicular lymphoma and 8 cases of secondary involvement of the gut, over a period of 9 years.

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Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasingly diagnosed in South Asia. This survey by the Tamil Nadu Chapter of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology (TNISG) documents the demography, clinical profile, and therapeutic practices related to IBD in Tamil Nadu.

Methods: TNISG members from 32 institutions completed an online cross-sectional questionnaire on IBD patients from March 2020 to January 2021.

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Inflammatory bowel disease patients are at risk of hepatitis B infection. Data on this prevalence from South Asia are limited. We conducted a prospective study comprising of 76 inflammatory bowel disease patients between October 2013 and August 2014.

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Introduction: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a clinical condition which could be fatal if not identified and managed appropriately. Knowledge of this condition is mostly confined to individual case reports and literature reviews in India. In this retrospective study we describe HAE cases which presented to a tertiary care centre in India over a period of three and half years.

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