Publications by authors named "Mehta S"

Article Synopsis
  • Kenya saw an increase in mental health issues, sexual activity, and pregnancies among schoolgirls due to school closures during COVID-19.
  • The study analyzed data from 436 secondary schoolgirls to explore how COVID-19 stress affected risks for reproductive tract infections like bacterial vaginosis (BV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
  • Findings revealed that the prevalence of BV and STIs rose significantly during the pandemic, attributed to increased stress affecting mental health and feelings of safety, leading to higher sexual exposure.
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  • - The study focuses on understanding how sociodemographic variables, like gender identity and systemic racism, influence health outcomes for critically ill adults, highlighting the need for better data collection in critical care research.
  • - Researchers will perform a scoping review to identify essential sociodemographic measures and involve various stakeholders in a modified Delphi survey to reach a consensus on core data variables (CoDaV) for health studies in critical care.
  • - The study has received ethical approval from the University of Calgary's research ethics board, ensuring that the process adheres to ethical standards and findings will be disseminated effectively.
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Purpose: Opioids remain the mainstay of analgesia for critically ill patients, but its exposure is associated with negative effects including persistent use after discharge. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be an effective alternative to opioids with fewer adverse effects. We aimed to describe beliefs and attitudes towards the use of NSAIDs in adult intensive care units (ICUs).

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  • * Recent studies have raised concerns about this 12-month regimen, suggesting adjustments based on patients' bleeding or ischemic risks, arguing some may benefit from shorter or longer durations.
  • * Several strategies to modify DAPT practices, such as de-escalating to less potent medications or shortening therapy, have shown to reduce bleeding risks without significantly increasing cardiovascular issues, yet the 12-month recommendation remains unchanged in guidelines.
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Background And Objective: This study aimed to report retinal displacement incidence following rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), scleral buckle (SB), or combined SB/PPV.

Patients And Methods: A single-center, case series using Optos fundus autofluorescence (FAF) images was performed after RRD repair between April 2020 and February 2022. Retinal displacement was identified by imprinted retinal vessels on FAF imaging.

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This study describes a numerical analysis on blue energy generation using a charged nanochannel with an integrated pH-sensitive polyelectrolyte layer (PEL), considering ion partitioning effects due to permittivity differences. The mathematical model for ionic and fluidic transport is solved using the finite element method, and the model validation is performed against existing theoretical and experimental results. The study investigates the influence of electrolyte concentration, permittivity ratio, and salt types (KCl, BeCl, AlCl) on the energy conversion process.

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This review explores the potential antiviral properties of various plant-based compounds, including polyphenols, phytochemicals, and terpenoids. It emphasizes the diverse functionalities of compounds such as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), quercetin, griffithsin (GRFT,) resveratrol, linalool, and carvacrol in the context of respiratory virus infections, including SARS-CoV-2. Emphasizing their effectiveness in modulating immune responses, disrupting viral envelopes, and influencing cellular signaling pathways, the review underlines the imperative for thorough research to establish safety and efficacy.

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Printed documents are a common form of evidence in forensic document examination. The integration of spectroscopy with chemometrics have evolved evidential analytical interpretation of printing inks. However, we report the first ever study that explores the examination of both black and colored printed documents combined with explorative Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and supervised techniques viz.

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Histone proteins affect gene expression through multiple mechanisms, including through exchange with histone variants. Recent findings link histone variants to neurological disorders, yet few are well studied in the brain. Most notably, widely expressed variants of H2B remain elusive.

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Background: People with HIV (PWH) who are coinfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) have a higher risk of mortality compared with PWH alone. Populations such as people who inject drugs (PWID) and men who have sex with men (MSM) are particularly at high risk for HBV acquisition; yet, limited epidemiological data from these populations exist on HBV prevalence from low- and middle-income country settings (LMICs).

Methods: We characterized the prevalence and correlates of HBV serological markers in a sample of PWID and MSM with HIV recruited across 15 Indian cities using hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), and hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs).

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  • Many households rely on inefficient biomass burning for cooking, causing $1.6 trillion in health and environmental damages each year.
  • Cleaner alternatives like gas and electricity are often unaffordable or unreliable for these households.
  • The text suggests that completely opposing fossil fuel subsidies ignores the potential benefits of subsidizing gas for cooking to improve health and reduce emissions.
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Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder of connective tissue caused by mutations associated with type I collagen, which results in defective extracellular matrix in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) cartilage and subchondral bone. TMJ is a fibrocartilaginous joint expressing type I collagen both in the cartilage and the subchondral bone. In the present study the effects of alendronate and altered loading of the TMJ was analyzed both in male and female OI mice.

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Graphitic carbon nitride mutated with metal nanoparticles has captivated great interest as an effective fluorescent sensor for the detection of harmful ions present in water. In the present work, bulk-gCN was synthesized using melamine as precursor, and further Au-gCN nanocomposite were fabricated via in-situ direct reduction deposition method. The structural, morphological, compositional, stability and optical properties of bulk gCN and Au-gCN nanocomposite were examined using various scattering and spectroscopic techniques such as HRTEM, XPS, XRD and SEM.

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Background: Self-efficacy, a patient-level factor, has been shown to facilitate patient engagement in treatment and optimize treatment-related outcomes in various health contexts. Research on interventions supporting hepatitis C virus (HCV) direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment uptake and adherence among persons who inject drugs (PWID) is needed, but whether self-efficacy factors influence DAA treatment cascade outcomes in this population has been less studied.

Methods: Using the HERO study data, we analyzed a subset of participants with any general health self-efficacy data (n=708) measured at baseline and end-of-treatment time points using a 5-items instrument (facets: 'goal setting', 'goal attainment', 'having a positive effect', 'being in control', and 'working to improve').

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Cerebellar strokes have high morbidity and mortality due to bleeding or edema, leading to increased pressure in the posterior fossa. This retrospective cohort study analyzed three outcomes following a cerebellar stroke: in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay, and total hospitalization costs. It uses data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) and aims to identify the predictors of outcomes in cerebellar stroke patients, including 464,324 patients, 18 years of age and older, hospitalized between 2010 and 2015 in US hospitals with cerebellar strokes.

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Objective: We investigated whether a zip code's location or demographics are most predictive of changes in daily mobility throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: We used a population-level study to examine the predictability of daily mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic using a two-stage regression approach, where generalised additive models (GAM) predicted mobility trends over time at a large spatial level, then the residuals were used to determine which factors (location, zip code-level features or number of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in place) best predict the difference between a zip code's measured mobility and the average trend on a given date.

Setting: We analyse zip code-level mobile phone records from 26 metropolitan areas in the USA on 15 March-31 September 2020, relative to October 2020.

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Background: For patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), primary care can serve as a pathway to medication for OUD (MOUD). No community-based studies have examined whether people with OUD engaged in primary care are more likely to a) initiate or b) continue MOUD.

Methods: Data were collected 2014-2020 from two subsamples of the AIDS Linked to the Intravenous Experience (ALIVE) cohort, a community-recruited cohort of people from Baltimore who have injected drugs: 1) people who reported past-six-month illicit opioid use and no MOUD (360 participants, 789 study visits), and 2) people who reported MOUD and no illicit opioid use in the past six months (561 participants, 2027 visits).

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A 34-year-old woman presented with insidious onset and gradually progressive cerebellar ataxia over 10 years, with generalised convulsions. On examination, there were myoclonic jerks, choreiform movements and cerebellar syndrome. Her family history suggested an autosomal dominant inheritance with anticipation.

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Background And Objectives: Renal involvement in systemic sclerosis remains a significant concern with the focus often centered on scleroderma renal crisis (SRC). However, the broader spectrum of renal manifestations, beyond SRC, remains underrecognized. In our case-control analysis, we describe other causes, risk factors, and renal outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in systemic sclerosis other than SRC.

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Background: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing gram-negative rods (ESBL-GNR) are a rising cause of bacteremia in kidney transplant recipients (KT). The study purpose was to examine patient mortality, allograft survival, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the end of 1 year, and readmission rates while looking at treatment strategies among KTs with ESBL-GNR and non-ESBL-GNR bacteremia at our institution.

Methods: This study was a retrospective, cohort analysis of KTs with gram-negative bacteremia from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021.

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We previously showed that stroke alters circular RNA (circRNA) expression profiles. Many circRNAs undergo epitranscriptomic modifications, particularly methylation of adenosine to form N-methyladenosine (mA). This modification significantly influences the circRNA metabolism and functionality.

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Research Question: Is withholding anticoagulation for patients with isolated or incidental subsegmental pulmonary embolism clinically and cost-effective compared with full anticoagulation for 3 months?

Background: There has been an increase in the diagnosis of subsegmental pulmonary embolism since the advent of computed tomography pulmonary angiogram to investigate patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. Subsegmental pulmonary embolism is not often detectable with older nuclear medicine-based diagnostic imaging for ventilation/perfusion mismatch. The case fatality of pulmonary embolism has reduced as subsegmental pulmonary embolism diagnoses from computed tomography pulmonary angiogram have increased.

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Our study aims to synthesize existing evidence of dupilumab for alopecia areata (AA) in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). We searched MEDLINE and Embase on March 1, 2024, using keywords related to AD, AA, dupilumab, and pediatric patient populations per PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A mean SALT score reduction of 42.

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Background: No routinely recommended cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction equations have adjusted for CVD preventive medications initiated during follow-up (treatment drop-in) in their derivation cohorts. This will lead to underestimation of risk when equations are applied in clinical practice if treatment drop-in is common. We aimed to quantify the treatment drop-in in a large contemporary national cohort to determine whether equations are likely to require adjustment.

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Background: While modeled estimates and studies in contaminated areas indicate high lead exposure among children in Bihar, India, local data on lead exposure in the child population is limited.

Objectives: To characterize lead exposure, and assess potential sources of lead exposure among a state-representative sample of children and their pregnant mothers residing in Bihar.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 697 children under five and 55 pregnant women from eight districts in Bihar.

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