Publications by authors named "Meer H"

Article Synopsis
  • Crohn's disease (CD) significantly affects patients' quality of life, and this review assesses the effectiveness and safety of upadacitinib, a JAK inhibitor, in treating it.
  • The analysis included seven studies with 1,481 patients, and results showed upadacitinib outperforms placebo in achieving clinical remission and reducing inflammation quickly, often within five to six days.
  • While the treatment has a generally acceptable safety profile, with risks like infections and laboratory abnormalities, it presents as a promising option for managing moderate to severe CD, particularly for those who have not responded to other therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are conditions that involve the temporomandibular joints, masticatory muscles, and associated tissues, causing orofacial pain. Central sensitisation (CS) is a relevant part of the TMD pathophysiology. Migraine, psychological aspects, parafunctional oral habits and widespread pain are commonly associated with both TMD and CS and could confound the association between them.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: An integral component of comprehensive temporomandibular disorder (TMD) treatment involves what is commonly referred to in literature as patient counselling or patient education. Despite its importance, a clear definition of the concept is lacking.

Objectives: To describe the concept of counselling (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

COVID-19 arose as a pandemic that wreaked havoc all over the world. Study determines lifestyle changes adopted by people of Karachi in response to COVID-19 pandemic. This was the cross-sectional study and carried out at public sector hospital and 218 participants were selected through random sampling method.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

It is possible that the reproductive strategy of the short-beaked echidna is related to seasonal changes in fat deposition and energy availability, regulated by seasonal changes in endocrine function. We predicted that circulating leptin levels would be directly proportional to adiposity during most of the year, but that a change in this relationship would occur during the pre-breeding season to allow increased fat deposition. To test this hypothesis, we made use of a captive colony of echidnas to describe and quantify changes in fat distribution and the adipostatic hormone leptin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a major global health problem. Most previous studies focused attention on the significant role of sunlight exposure in the homeostasis of vitamin D and calcium blood levels. Magnesium is pivotal in the proper functioning of vitamin D, and the physiologic functions of different organs require a balanced vitamin D and magnesium status.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how electrical pulses affect the Néel vector in ultrathin CoO/Pt bilayers to uncover the antiferromagnetic switching mechanism.
  • Unexpectedly, the spin Hall magnetoresistance signal changes (either increases or decreases) based on the current density applied, indicating a complex response to electrical pulses.
  • By utilizing XMLD-PEEM imaging, the research highlights distinct changes in antiferromagnetic domain structure due to current application, revealing that both local and distant areas from the pulse exhibit different spin switching behaviors, likely driven by a spin-orbit torque mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Indigenous gut microbial communities (microbiota) play critical roles in health and may be especially important for the mother and fetus during pregnancy. Monotremes, such as the short-beaked echidna, have evolved to lay and incubate an egg, which hatches in their pouch where the young feeds. Since both feces and eggs pass through the cloaca, the fecal microbiota of female echidnas provides an opportunity for vertical transmission of microbes to their offspring.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The short-beaked echidna is sexually monomorphic such that gender identification without veterinary intervention is challenging. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the most optimal noninvasive genetic source by extracting echidna genomic DNA (gDNA) from fecal scats, plucked hair, and quills to perform genetic sex testing using a range of molecular markers. Sex determination of 14 captive short-beaked echidnas was determined by amplifying isolated DNA from noninvasive samples, targeting two Y chromosome (male-specific) genes (mediator complex subunit 26 Y-gametologue [CRSPY] and anti-Müllerian hormone Y-gametologue [AMHY]), in addition to four confirmed sex-specific RADseq markers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Physiotherapists are often part of a multidisciplinary treatment plan for children with headaches. The literature on physical therapeutic diagnostics and management of headaches is often focused on adults. To gain insight, identify knowledge gaps, and increase the evidence needed for clinical physical therapeutic practice with children with headaches, an exploratory method is warranted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Craniofacial- and headache disorders are common co-morbid disorders. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the research discussing craniofacial pain, especially temporomandibular disorders, and its relationship and impact on headaches, as well as suggestions for diagnostic assessment tools and physical therapeutic management strategies.

Method: A narrative structured review was performed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previously, 1-((4-(4-bromophenyl)-1H-imidazol-2-yl)methyl)-3-(5-(pyridin-2-ylthio)thiazol-2-yl)urea bearing a p-bromine substitution was shown to possess selective inhibitory activity against the Clostridioides difficile enoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase II enzyme, FabK. Inhibition of CdFabK by this compound translated to promising antibacterial activity in the low micromolar range. In these studies, we sought to expand our knowledge of the SAR of the phenylimidazole CdFabK inhibitor series while improving the potency of the compounds.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Antiferromagnetic materials have been proposed as new types of narrowband THz spintronic devices owing to their ultrafast spin dynamics. Manipulating coherently their spin dynamics, however, remains a key challenge that is envisioned to be accomplished by spin-orbit torques or direct optical excitations. Here, we demonstrate the combined generation of broadband THz (incoherent) magnons and narrowband (coherent) magnons at 1 THz in low damping thin films of NiO/Pt.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Photothermal (PT) microscopy has shown strong promise in imaging single absorbing nano-objects in soft matter and biological systems. PT imaging at ambient conditions usually requires a high laser power for a sensitive detection, which prevents application to light-sensitive nanoparticles. In a previous study of single gold nanoparticles, we showed that the photothermal signal can be enhanced more than 1000-fold in near-critical xenon compared to that in glycerol, a typical medium for PT detection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The objective of this study was to assess the association between psychosocial factors (in terms of anxiety, somatization, depression, and optimism) and pain (in terms of headache pain intensity and pain-related disability), in patients with a painful temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and one of the following headache types: migraine, tension-type headache (TTH), or headache attributed to TMD, corrected for the influence of bruxism. A retrospective study was conducted at an orofacial pain and dysfunction (OPD) clinic. Inclusion criteria were painful TMD, with migraine, TTH, and/or headache attributed to TMD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To systematically review the literature on effectiveness of remote physiotherapeutic e-Health interventions on pain in patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

Materials And Methods: Using online data sources PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane in adults with musculoskeletal disorders with a pain-related complaint. Remote physiotherapeutic e-Health interventions were analysed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study highlights the effectiveness of analyzing fecal hormone metabolites, specifically progesterone, as a reproductive management method for short-beaked echidnas in captivity over three breeding seasons.
  • The research found that fecal progesterone levels showed a significant rise during pregnancy but were delayed compared to plasma levels, making fecal analysis more useful later in the gestation period for confirming pregnancies.
  • While fecal samples proved valuable for monitoring estrous cycles and reproductive health without stressing the animals, estrogen immunoassays weren't effective for echidna feces, suggesting limitations in assessing other hormone levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The objectives of this study were to develop a fecal marking protocol to distinguish male from female samples during the echidna breeding season and to determine if normalizing fecal progesterone metabolite data for inorganic content improves the detection of biologically relevant changes in metabolite concentrations. Over a period of 6 weeks, four echidnas were provided with green food coloring powder mixed into 20 g of their regular feed with the dose adjusted weekly by 0.05 g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: Most of our current knowledge regarding echidna reproductive behaviour is based on qualitative measurements; therefore, it is unclear if specific behavioural cues could be utilised in their captive reproductive management.

Aims: This study aimed to identify quantitative changes in general and reproductive behaviour of echidna breeding pairs and pregnant females that might facilitate the detection of oestrus and impending oviposition and provide a summary of reproductive behaviour observed in a captive colony over a three-year observation period.

Methods: Three echidna breeding pairs and two trios were monitored daily for seven reproductive and eight general behaviours during the 2020 breeding season.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To assess the experience and perceived added value of an e-Health application during the physical therapy treatment of patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Materials And Methods: A mixed-methods study including semi-structured interviews was performed with orofacial physical therapists (OPTs) and with TMD patients regarding their experience using an e-Health application, Physitrack. The modified telemedicine satisfaction and usefulness questionnaire and pain intensity score before and after treatment were collected from the patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The monotreme adrenocortical response to stress may not rely as heavily on the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis compared to other mammals. This study aimed to validate a technique in which glucocorticoid metabolites could be quantified non-invasively in short-beaked echidna faeces by examining the secretion of glucocorticoids (GC) using an adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) challenge on sexually mature captive echidnas. Echidnas were housed individually for 15 days, with the ACTH challenge occurring on day five.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The Headache Screening Questionnaire (HSQ) was created and validated to enable health professionals to screen for migraine and tension-type headaches.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the HSQ, creating the Brazilian version of the HSQ (HSQ-BR).

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Poor sleep quality has been reported to be common amongst medical students and healthcare professionals worldwide. Sleep disturbance has been associated with increased rates of burnout and depression. As a result, this has been negatively impacting performance and functioning.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We present a cryogenic setup where an optical Fabry-Perot resonator is coupled to a single-mode optical fiber with coupling efficiency above 90% at mK temperatures without realignment during cooling down. The setup is prealigned at room temperature to compensate for the thermal contraction and change of the refractive index of the optical components during cooling down. The high coupling efficiency is achieved by keeping the setup rotation-symmetric around the optical axis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Anticholinergic and sedative medications are associated with poorer physical function in older age. Gait and physical function have traditionally been assessed with the time needed to execute objective function tests. Accelerometer-based gait parameters provide a precise capturing of gait dynamics and patterns and as such have added value.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF