Publications by authors named "Muthu V"
Background: LDBio immunochromatographic lateral flow assay, a point-of care test, detects IgM/IgG antibodies against Aspergillus fumigatus (LDBio-ALFA). LDBio-ALFA has been evaluated for diagnosing chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) in hospital patients, though its efficacy in field settings remains unexamined.
Objective: Our primary objective was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of LDBio-ALFA in diagnosing CPA in a field and a hospital cohort.
Background: The risk factors for interstitial lung disease (ILD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are inconsistent among previous studies. Furthermore, the factors associated with the emergence of the recently defined progressive fibrosing (PF) phenotype are unknown. Herein, we analyze the risk factors for ILD in RA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMucormycosis is an emerging, life-threatening human infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. Metabolic disorders uniquely predispose an ever-expanding group of patients to mucormycosis via poorly understood mechanisms. Therefore, it is highly likely that uncharacterized host metabolic effectors confer protective immunity against mucormycosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study compares various screening methods for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in asthma patients to find the most effective approach.
- Serum IgE testing emerged as the best option, being the most cost-effective while providing high diagnostic accuracy.
- Other methods, like total IgE and imaging, were more expensive and either missed cases or required many additional tests.
Objective: Aspergillus sensitisation (AS) is seen in many patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). However, the clinical relevance of AS in CPA remains unclear. In this study, we assess the clinical significance of AS in CPA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a complex lung disease associated with significant morbidity. The ABPA Working Group (AWG) of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM) revised their management guidelines in 2024, but there is currently no standardised tool to assess adherence to these recommendations.
Methods: We extracted key recommendations from the updated 2024 ISHAM-AWG guidelines, focusing on critical areas: screening and diagnosis of ABPA, managing acute and treatment-dependent ABPA, and monitoring treatment response.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the effects of sex on outcomes of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) by analyzing data from 731 subjects over 13 years.
- Researchers compared various factors including clinical features and exacerbation rates between men and women, focusing on whether women had higher exacerbation rates.
- While women had a slightly higher exacerbation rate (44.5% vs. 38.2%), the difference wasn't statistically significant, prompting the need for further prospective studies to confirm these results.
Background: Several genetic variants are associated with the risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). These have not been systematically reviewed.
Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase and GWAS Catalog databases for studies indexed between inception and 15 January 2024 describing genetic variants associated with IPF susceptibility.
Is the Prevalence of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis Greater in Severe Asthma?
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract
December 2024
Article Synopsis
- Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) was analyzed in relation to asthma severity among 543 adult patients categorized as mild, moderate, or severe according to GINA guidelines.
- The study found that ABPA prevalence was 11.1% in mild asthma, 21% in moderate asthma, and 20.7% in severe asthma, indicating that severity does not significantly influence ABPA occurrence (P = .12).
- The research emphasizes the need for screening all asthma patients for ABPA, regardless of their asthma severity, and suggests further studies to confirm these results.
Background And Objective: There is a need for simple functional test to assess treatment response in chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) in resource-constrained settings. The one-minute-sit-to-stand test (1-min-STS) is one such test. However, the minimal important difference (MID) for 1-min-STS in subjects with CPA remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The role of 2-deoxy-2-18(F) fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) in assessing treatment response in chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) remains to be determined.
Objective: To compare changes in FDG-PET/CT parameters in CPA subjects with treatment success or failure.
Methods: We treated consecutive treatment-naïve CPA subjects with six months of oral itraconazole.
Background: Sensitization to Aspergillus fumigatus (AS) has been recently described in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, there is no data on the community prevalence of AS in COPD.
Objectives: To assess the prevalence of AS among COPD subjects.
Background: Three techniques have been described for aspirating the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, namely the wall mount suction (WMS), manual suction (MS), and manual suction with tubing (MST). However, there is no direct comparison among the 3 methods.
Methods: We randomized patients undergoing flexible bronchoscopy and BAL in a 1:1:1 ratio to one of the 3 arms.
Introduction: Rice, one of the major staple food crops is frequently affected by various biotic/abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, submergence, heat, Bacterial leaf blight, Brown plant hopper, Gall midge, Stem borer, Leaf folder etc. Sustained increase of yield growth is highly necessary to meet the projected demand in rice production during the year 2050. Hence, development of high yielding and multiple stress tolerant rice varieties adapted to wider environments will serve the need.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Post-tuberculosis lung abnormality (PTLA) is the most common risk factor for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), and 14%-25% of the subjects with PTLA develop CPA. The pathogenesis and the host immune response in subjects with PTLA who develop CPA need to be better understood.
Methods: We prospectively compared the innate and adaptive immune responses mounted by patients of PTLA with or without CPA (controls).
Prevalence of co-existent COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) and its impact on early mortality in patients with COVID-19-associated pulmonary mucormycosis (CAPM).
Mycoses
May 2024
Article Synopsis
- A study analyzed mixed mould infections in patients with COVID-19-associated pulmonary mucormycosis (CAPM) to determine the prevalence of co-existing COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) and its impact on early mortality.
- Among 105 patients with CAPM, 20% had mixed mould infections, and those with CAPA experienced significantly higher early mortality rates (42.9%) compared to those without (17.9%).
- The findings suggest that co-existing CAPA worsens the prognosis for CAPM patients, highlighting the need for further research on mixed mould infections globally.
Bronchial Valves for Persistent Air Leak: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
J Bronchology Interv Pulmonol
July 2024
Background: Patients with persistent air leak (PAL) pose a therapeutic challenge to physicians, with prolonged hospital stays and high morbidity. There is little evidence on the efficacy and safety of bronchial valves (BV) for PAL.
Methods: We systematically searched the PubMed and Embase databases to identify studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of BV for PAL.
Background: Due to a delay in diagnosis by conventional techniques and high mortality, the development of a standardised and rapid non-culture-based technique is an unmet need in pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and disseminated forms of mucormycosis. Though limited studies have been conducted for molecular diagnosis, there are no established serologic tests for this highly fatal infection.
Objective: To develop and evaluate an indirect in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) utilising antigens of Rhizopus arrhizus for detecting anti-Rhizopus antibodies (IgG and IgM) in sera of patients with mucormycosis.