Publications by authors named "Moitra S"

Despite numerous studies linking prenatal vaping to adverse perinatal outcomes, a systematic assessment for critical comparison remains absent. To investigate these associations, we conducted a systematic search of studies assessing perinatal outcomes in mothers and/or neonates exposed to vaping during pregnancy compared to those in women without prenatal vaping exposure through MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PROSPERO, and Google Scholar until July 5, 2024. We performed inverse-variance random-effects meta-analyses for maternal and neonatal outcomes of 23 studies with a total of 924,376 participants with 7552 reporting vaping-only use during pregnancy.

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Exposure to artificial light-at-night (ALAN) has been linked to cancer risk. Few meta-analyses on this topic have reviewed only breast cancer. This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze existing studies on ALAN exposure and cancer incidence, thoroughly evaluating exposure assessment quality.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The review explores allergen immunotherapy (AIT) as the only disease-modifying treatment for IgE-mediated allergic diseases, detailing its two main forms: subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT).
  • * AIT has been shown to effectively alleviate AC symptoms, reduce medication needs, and enhance quality of life, with SLIT noted for its better safety profile and overall long-term benefits.
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CYP5122A1, an enzyme involved in sterol biosynthesis in Leishmania, was recently characterized as a sterol C4-methyl oxidase. Screening of a library of compounds against CYP5122A1 and CYP51 from Leishmania resulted in the identification of two structurally related classes of inhibitors of these enzymes. Analogs of screening hit N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)-4-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)piperazine-1-carboxamide (4a) were generally strong inhibitors of CYP51 but were less potent against CYP5122A1 and typically displayed weak inhibition of L.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluates the effectiveness of Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) spirometric reference models (both race-specific and race-neutral) in healthy Indian adults, as there has been limited research on their applicability in this population.
  • Results showed substantial differences in lung function measurements (FVC and FEV) when using race-specific GLI equations compared to widely used Indian reference values, indicating a significant bias.
  • The findings highlight the necessity of establishing and validating appropriate lung function reference models for Indian populations rather than relying on global standards, as the GLI models do not match Indian equations closely.
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The secretion of alarmin cytokines by epithelial cells, including thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), interleukin (IL)-25, and IL-33, initiates inflammatory cascades in asthma. However, alarmin cytokine expression in the upper airways in asthma remains largely unknown. We recruited 40 participants with asthma into four groups as per the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) steps (10 in each group of GINA 1/2, 3, 4, and 5).

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses how workplace exposures lead to various respiratory diseases, citing a joint statement by the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society in 2019 that highlights this issue.
  • Recent publications have confirmed the significant role of work-related factors in diseases like asthma and chronic bronchitis, although research on some conditions has been limited.
  • Understanding the impact of occupational exposures is vital for developing public health strategies and improving patient care, emphasizing the need for collaboration among healthcare professionals and policymakers.
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Synthetic drugs currently prescribed for the treatment of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) are non-specific, toxic, demand extended therapeutic regimes and are of varying efficacy. Along with the challenging demographic and socio-economic hurdles, the everincreasing risk of drug resistance is another major problem to be addressed. Cysteine protease, Heat shock proteins (HSP-90), Trypanothione reductase (TR), Farnesyl diphosphate synthase, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, UP-4-galactose epimerase, and Cytidine triphosphate synthetase are potential enzymatic targets for the development of novel inhibitors against HAT which are the main focus of this review.

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This paper presents a magnetoencephalography (MEG) study on reading in Bangla, an east Indo-Aryan language predominantly written in an abugida script. The study aims to uncover how visual stimuli are processed and mapped onto abstract linguistic representations in the brain. Specifically, we investigate the neural responses that correspond to word length in Bangla, a language with a unique orthography that introduces multiple ways to measure word length.

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Article Synopsis
  • Allergic diseases are a significant global health issue, and this study examines the impact of exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) on such conditions, with a focus on asthma, allergic rhinitis, and skin allergies.
  • The research included a thorough review of 12 studies, revealing that higher exposure to light at night correlates with increased risks for allergic diseases, particularly asthma and allergic rhinitis, with notable effects seen in younger individuals.
  • The findings suggest that evening chronotype and night shift work also contribute to these risks, indicating that light exposure at night can significantly affect allergic health outcomes.
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Introduction The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is fast changing across the world, especially in the context of rapid urbanization, adoption of Western lifestyles, and an aging multi-morbid population. Over the last three decades, India has undergone a significant demographic and socioeconomic transition. For effective targeting of health system resources and services, it is essential to understand how the prevalence of NCDs varies among population groups across India.

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Introduction: Asthma is one of the common chronic polygenic inflammatory diseases. Genome wide association studies have identified ADAM33 as an asthma candidate gene. The present study investigated possible association of rs2280090 (T1), rs2280091 (T2) and rs3918396 (S1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ADAM33 with aeroallergen induced asthma in West Bengal population, India.

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Background: The explosion of information, misinformation and disinformation (the "infodemic") related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on digital and social media is reported to affect mental health and quality of life. However, reports assessing the COVID-19 infodemic on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with chronic diseases are scarce. In this study, we investigated the associations between the infodemic and HRQL in uninfected individuals with pre-existing chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other CRDs.

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Background: Although previous reports link exposure to insulating materials with an increased risk of mesothelioma and chronic respiratory diseases, studies evaluating their associations with the risk of coronary artery diseases (CAD) are lacking.

Aims: We aimed at evaluating the associations between exposure to insulating materials and the 10-year risk of CAD among insulators.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 643 adults (≥18 years), full-time insulators from the Local 110 Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Union in Edmonton, Alberta.

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Background: Trypanosomiasis, caused by protozoan parasites of the genus, remains a significant health burden in several regions of the world. Cysteine proteases play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of parasites and have emerged as potential therapeutic targets for the development of novel antiparasitic drugs.

Introduction: This review article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of cysteine proteases in trypanosomiasis and their potential as therapeutic targets.

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The accessibility of sterols in mammalian cells to exogenous sterol-binding agents has been well-described previously, but sterol accessibility in distantly related protozoa is unclear. The human pathogen Leishmania major uses sterols and sphingolipids distinct from those used in mammals. Sterols in mammalian cells can be sheltered from sterol-binding agents by membrane components, including sphingolipids, but the surface exposure of ergosterol in Leishmania remains unknown.

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Background: Previous studies on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in asthma have mainly focused on clinical and environmental determinants. Little is known about the role of social determinants on HRQoL in asthma.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the association between social deprivation and HRQoL in asthma.

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