Publications by authors named "Kriti Ahuja"

Pigmentation is a protective phenomenon that shields skin cells from UV-induced DNA damage. Perturbations in pigmentation pathways predispose to skin cancers and lead to pigmentary disorders. These ailments impart psychological trauma and severely affect the patients' quality of life.

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Mitochondria regulate several physiological functions through mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics. However, role of mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling in melanosome biology remains unknown. Here, we show that pigmentation requires mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake.

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α-Synuclein, a key player in Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies, possesses an inherently disordered structure that allows for versatile structural changes during aggregation. Microglia, the brain immune cells, respond differently to various α-synuclein strains, influencing their activation and release of harmful molecules, leading to neuronal death. Post-translational modifications, such as glycation in α-synuclein, add a layer of complexity to microglial activation.

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Introduction: One of the most evolutionary conserved communication systems, the Wnt signaling pathway is a major gene regulatory pathway that affects the developmental competence of oocytes and regulates most embryonic developmental processes. The present study was undertaken to modulate the canonical Wnt (Wingless/integration) signaling pathway in the poor-quality (colorless cytoplasm after Brilliant Cresyl Blue staining, BCB-) buffalo cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) to improve their maturation (IVM) and embryo production (IVEP) rates.

Methods: The expression of key Wnt pathway genes was initially assessed in the good (blue cytoplasm after Brilliant Cresyl Blue staining, BCB+) and poor quality (BCB-) buffalo COCs to establish a differential activity of the Wnt pathway.

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Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) pathogenesis is driven by a combination of neuronal death and neuroinflammation. We tested 42 FDA-approved drugs that were shown to induce autophagy for antiviral effects. Four drugs were tested in the JE mouse model based on in vitro protective effects on neuronal cell death, inhibition of viral replication, and anti-inflammatory effects.

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Purpose Of Review: This review delves into the prospects and challenges offered by a potential pan-histological utilization of trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Recent Findings: The HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) T-DXd has shown broad activity across cancer types, with current indications for patients with biomarker-selected breast, gastric, and non-small-cell lung cancer and relevant activity observed in multiple histology-specific trials. Moreover, two recently reported phase 2 trials (DESTINY-Pantumor02 and HERALD) have supported the potential for a pan-cancer utilization of this ADC in patients with advanced cancers expressing HER2 or with HER2 amplifications.

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Mitochondria are versatile organelles that regulate several physiological functions. Many mitochondria-controlled processes are driven by mitochondrial Ca signaling. However, role of mitochondrial Ca signaling in melanosome biology remains unknown.

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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and associated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has severely impacted human well-being. Although vaccination programs have helped in reducing the severity of the disease, drug regimens for clinical management of COVID-19 are not well recognized yet. It is therefore important to identify and characterize the molecular pathways that could be therapeutically targeted to halt SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 pathogenesis.

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Different mechanisms have been proposed in lymphomatous involvement of the optic nerve. They include isolated optic nerve lymphoma, optic nerve lymphoma associated with primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, or with systemic lymphoma. We present one case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the optic nerve in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patient and discuss the mechanism of metastasis, classification of optic nerve involvement with clinical and radiologic features as well as treatment options.

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Viral infections are one of the leading causes of human illness. Viruses take over host cell signaling cascades for their replication and infection. Calcium (Ca) is a versatile and ubiquitous second messenger that modulates plethora of cellular functions.

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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma is an indolent B cell lymphoproliferative malignancy typically affecting the elderly. Clinical outcomes of this condition have steadily improved as a result of advances in therapy. However, an increase in survival is accompanied by increased incidence of Richter transformation into an aggressive lymphoma.

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A 46-year-old Asian male with history of atraumatic fracture of femur (requiring the use of a walker), muscle cramps and loosening teeth presents to Endocrine clinic. He had elevated parathyroid hormone, severely low phosphorus, elevated bone-specific ALP, with normal serum and urine calcium. He was found to have elevated FGF 23 levels, but initial functional and anatomic imaging was negative for any localizing tumor.

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Proximal small bowel obstruction in the region of the duodenum is an uncommon clinical entity. Our case, which involves obstruction of the third portion of the duodenum due to an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), is even more unusual. A review of the relevant literature regarding duodenal obstruction due to extrinsic compression includes features that differentiate aortoduodenal syndrome from superior mesenteric artery syndrome.

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Obesity is a disease that has achieved the level that can be considered an epidemic. According to the National Center for Health Statistics data, the prevalence of obesity has increased from 30.5% in 1999-2000 to 42.

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Background: Kratom is a psychoactive substance that is isolated from the plant . The leaves can be chewed fresh or dried, smoked, or infused similar to herbal teas. The plant leaves have been used by natives of Southeast Asia for centuries.

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As healthcare professionals continue to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection worldwide, there is an increasing interest in the role of imaging and the relevance of various modalities. Since imaging not only helps assess the disease at the time of diagnosis but also aids evaluation of response to management, it is critical to examine the role of different modalities currently in use, such as baseline X-rays and computed tomography scans carefully. In this article, we will draw attention to the critical findings for the radiologist.

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Osteochondrosis is a developmental condition affecting the endochondral ossification. It is commonly idiopathic however can be due to vascular anomalies, dietary conditions, hormonal irregularity, or overuse trauma. Osteochondrosis occurring in the inferior pole of the scapula is an extremely rare condition and is referred to as roca disease.

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Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasms of the pancreas are rare pancreatic tumors with low-grade malignant potential, typically affecting young females. In this review, we discuss the surgical anatomy; the imaging characteristics, and image reporting essentials for proper surgical planning along with the atypical features which should caution the physician regarding the risk of malignancy. We also discuss the common surgical procedures and organ preservation surgeries along with a comprehensive review of the literature.

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Osteochondroses is a well-known entity and typically affecting immature skeleton with few common locations involved are femoral head epiphysis, tibial tubercle apophysis, calcaneal apophysis, humeral capitellum and anterior vertebral end plates. We report a rare case of osteochondroses showing avascular necrosis involving metacarpal heads known as Dieterich disease, involving the head of the third metacarpal and probably the first case with a history of rock climbing as an etiology. Chronic repetitive microtrauma plays a significant role in the disease, as is seen in our patient.

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The skeleton is the third most common site for metastasis overall, after the lungs and liver. Accurate diagnosis of osseous metastasis is critical for initial staging, treatment planning, restaging, treatment monitoring, and survival prediction. Currently, Tc-methylene diphosphonate whole-body scanning is the cornerstone of imaging to detect osseous metastasis.

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The manuscript describes an unusual vascular anomaly. Persistence of carotid-vertebrobasilar anastomosis is a rare occurrence with presence of bilateral hypoglossal arteries (HAs) rarer still. We present a case of bilateral persistent HAs with hypoplastic vertebral arteries which end into posterior inferior cerebellar arteries.

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Ectopic thyroid gland is a developmental anomaly that results from the arrest of thyroid tissue along its path of descent from the floor of mouth to the pre tracheal position in the lower neck. It is typically found along the thyroglossal duct with the base of the tongue being the most common site. Apart from mediastinal extension of goiter, the incidence of true intrathoracic ectopic thyroid tissue is rare.

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