Publications by authors named "Kajal Patel"

Xylazine, commonly referred to as "Tranq," is an alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonist that is FDA-approved only as a sedative and tranquilizer for veterinary use. However, its use as an adulterant in various illicit drugs, including fentanyl, has been on the rise, leading to its street name, "Tranq-Dope." Intravenous injection use of xylazine produces distinctive skin ulceration with accompanying necrosis, which can be considered virtually pathognomonic.

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  • The study addresses the difficulties in diagnosing secondary infections among ECMO patients, particularly influenced by the presence of the ECMO circuit during influenza or COVID-19 infections.* -
  • A retrospective analysis of 84 adult patients revealed that procalcitonin levels had 67% sensitivity and 30% specificity for identifying infections, with a low positive predictive value of 14.5%.* -
  • The findings suggest that while procalcitonin may serve as a potential marker, its effectiveness in diagnosing secondary infections in this context is limited, emphasizing the need for further research.*
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Plastic is an important part of today's human daily lifestyle, and it is classified as a "global pollutant" due to its durability. The natural degradation of plastic is extremely slow and will take a hundred years or more. The ultimate destinations of plastics as well as their effects on the ecosystem vary with the type of plastic and the rate of their degradation.

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West Nile Virus (WNV) is an arthropod-borne virus that is spread through mosquito vectors. WNV emerged in the US in 1999 and has since become endemic in the US, causing the most domestically acquired arboviral disease in the country. Mosquito surveillance for WNV is useful to monitor arboviral disease burden over time and across different locations.

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Background: Kratom () use in the United States is becoming increasingly popular and its legal status varies widely from state to state. Multiple reports of adverse events associated with kratom use have ranged from liver injury, seizures, psychiatric disturbance, and rarely death.

Methods: This study investigated coroner autopsy reports from Kern County in California for the year 2020 which included qualitative data on substances from blood toxicological reports.

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  • Seizure semiology reflects the clinical signs linked to different brain regions within an epileptic network, particularly in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE).
  • A case study reports a patient with treatment-resistant seizures, showing symptoms like nausea and lip-smacking, which was diagnosed as left hemisphere MTLE through EEG and MRI assessments.
  • Following surgery, the patient remained seizure-free for 14 years, but later relapsed with similar seizure symptoms, indicating that seizures can emerge from remnants of the brain network even after the original affected area is removed.
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Land use and land cover patterns impact soil properties and negatively affect soil microbial community and related processes. However, the information regarding the influence of urban land use on soil microbial composition and functioning is limited. Here, we investigated the impact of urban land use patterns on soil microbiological parameters by comparing five contrasting anthropogenic land use classes, i.

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The "Roundtable on Young Adults with IBD" is a year-long learning community consisting of monthly discussions between providers, patients, and healthcare partners. The group aims to enhance outcomes for the young adult IBD patient population. The first discussion centered on the difficulties that IBD patients face during the transition from pediatric to adult care and how care can be improved for young adult patients during this phase.

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The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize bovine-vaginal probiotics genotypically and phenotypically using and evaluate their performance in buffaloes with endometritis. For the isolation and characterization, vaginal swabs were collected from 34 cows and 17 buffaloes, and 709 primary bacterial isolates with probiotic activity were obtained using MRS agar media. Two isolates KUGBRC (LPKUGBRC) and GBRCKU (PPGBRCKU) demonstrated optimum probiotic activities as compared to GG including, acid production, secretion of fatty acids and exopolysaccharide, cell surface hydrophobicity, self-aggregating and co-aggregating capacity with pathogens, anti-microbial activity and bacteriocin-like compounds against pathogens and in cell-free supernatant and absence of hemolytic activity.

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Periodontal disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent dental diseases. Fortunately, it can be prevented if identified early, especially for high-risk patients. Dental electronic health records (EHRs) could help develop a data-driven personalized prediction model using advanced machine learning development of clinical decision support system (CDSS) as in our Phase I, II AMIA-AI showcase.

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Background: Propylene glycol (PG) is used in a variety of cosmetics, food and pharmaceuticals. PG is a known sensitizer but also irritating when patch tested (PT).

Objectives: The aims were to investigate the frequency of contact sensitization to PG and to identify cases of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD).

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Understanding heterogeneity in shy or inhibited children's risk for poor socioemotional adjustment can inform intervention targets. The present study considered temperament traits associated with approach and regulation that may alter trajectories away from internalizing behaviors and poor socioemotional competence among shy toddlers. Fifty-five 22-24-month-old children (22 boys) preselected for parent-reported shyness were observed during laboratory tasks designed to measure shyness, activity level, positive affect, and inhibitory control between January 2016 and January 2018.

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Background: Ultrasound-based transient elastography (TE) is a non-invasive alternative to liver biopsy for the staging of hepatic fibrosis due to various chronic liver diseases. This meta-analysis aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of TE for detecting liver cirrhosis (F4) and severe fibrosis (F3) in patients with chronic liver diseases, in comparison to the gold standard liver biopsy.

Methods: A systematic search was performed using PubMed search engine following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines from inception to May 2021.

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Heavy metals beyond their permissible limits are major contaminants and causes of concern due to their persistent nature and health hazards. Several studies validated the utilization of plants as biomonitors and bioaccumulators for heavy metal pollution. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the proficiency for heavy metal monitoring and mitigation by commonly found plant species in urban areas of Delhi.

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The rise in urbanization has led to an increase in dust pollution which is hazardous to the health of living beings. The role of roadside plant species in intercepting particulate matter and improving air quality is well reported. Hence, this study was carried out to determine the ability of various plant species to intercept atmospheric dust and withstand the abiotic stress triggered by dust deposition.

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The transplacental route of vertical transmission of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) has been known for over a decade. Here we present evidence which suggest HBV can replicate in placenta. Forty-one HBsAg positive and 10 control pregnant women were enrolled in the study after obtaining informed consent.

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Background: Anticholinergic medications are drugs that block cholinergic transmission, either as their primary therapeutic action or as a secondary effect. Patients with dementia may be particularly sensitive to the central effects of anticholinergic drugs. Anticholinergics also antagonise the effects of the main dementia treatment, cholinesterase inhibitors.

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South Asian (SA), including Asian Indian and Pakistani Americans, have a high burden of cardiometabolic risk factors and low levels of physical activity (PA). Increasing PA in the U.S.

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Chronic non-specific contamination of the reproductive tract in animals is a major issue during early postpartum, natural coitus, or artificial insemination. Uterine infection is one of the major concerns reducing fertility, production loss, and early culling of the animals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify any novel bacterium if present in the uterine environment of causing infections.

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