Publications by authors named "Niraj Kumar"

Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a significant public health issue in India, attributed to various etiologies. In eastern Uttar Pradesh, Japanese encephalitis (JE) was the leading cause of AES (10-14% of total AES) until scrub typhus (ST), caused by , was identified in cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples of AES patients contributing more than 60% of AES cases. This study investigates the prevalence of JE-ST coinfection and compares clinical outcomes among JE mono-infection, ST mono-infection, and JE-ST coinfection.

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 Diagnosing movement disorders can be challenging owing to their similar clinical presentations with other neurodegenerative and basal ganglia disorders, like idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD), essential tremors (ET), vascular parkinsonism, multiple system atrophy (MSA), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Technetium-99m labeled tropane derivative (99mTc-TRODAT-1) imaging can help in diagnosing Parkinson's disease at an early stage to help early initiation of the treatment. The current study aimed to evaluate the role of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 imaging in differentiating IPD and Parkinson-plus syndromes (PPS).

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Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is primarily driven by the protein Alpha Synuclein (A-Syn) accumulation. Synphilin-1 protein, encoded by the SNCAIP gene, which co-localizes with A-Syn is a known risk factor for PD. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), is a cluster of retinal degenerative disorders, and Cyclic Nucleotide Gated channel subunit Alpha 1 (CNGA1) is one of the initial genes associated with RP.

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  • - This study investigates the socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral factors contributing to dengue outbreaks in the Gorakhpur region of Uttar Pradesh, India, focusing on patients recently discharged from the hospital.
  • - Key findings reveal that males aged 19-45, predominantly from urban and lower-income backgrounds, were most affected, with low awareness of dengue and limited healthcare access, as only 10.8% had health insurance.
  • - The research indicated that education level, income, and preventive behaviors such as using mosquito repellent were significant factors influencing dengue infection rates, highlighting a substantial knowledge gap in rural populations compared to their urban counterparts.
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Latency is the major obstacle in eradicating HIV from infected patients. Recent studies have shown that BET protein inhibitors can successfully reverse this latency by inhibiting the binding of BET proteins with positive cellular cofactor P-TEFb. Thus, availability of P-TEFbs plays an important role in HIV transactivation.

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Introduction: In people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we aimed to estimate: (1) the prevalence of glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycaemia (GIH); (2) whether the prevalence of GIH varies by age, baseline diabetes status, treatment duration, ascertainment of glycaemia, definition of hyperglycaemia, study design and year of publication; and (3) the relative risk (RR) of new-onset hyperglycaemia in exposed vs non-exposed to systemic glucocorticoids.

Methods: We searched electronic databases until 9 November 2023 for randomised controlled trials and observational studies including adults diagnosed with COPD, with or without diabetes at baseline, using systemic glucocorticoids equivalent to prednisolone ≥5 mg/day for ≥3 days if exposed. Hyperglycaemia was defined as a blood glucose above a study-specific cut-off.

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Background And Objectives: Although widely described in Parkinson's disease (PD), peripheral neuropathy (PNP) is scarcely reported in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). We aimed to compare the frequency, clinical and electrophysiologic characteristics of PNP in PSP and PD patients.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 23 PSP and 93 PD patients.

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Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) has emerged as a key area of interest among researchers worldwide, including those in India, who have actively studied the disorder over the past several decades. This review meticulously explores the extensive range of Indian research on PSP up to the present and offers insights into both current initiatives and potential future directions for managing PSP within the region. Historical research contributions have spanned 80 publications from 1974 to 2023, encompassing diverse themes from clinical phenotyping and historical analysis to isolated investigative studies and therapeutic trials.

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  • The national early warning score (NEWS) aims to enhance the detection and assessment of severe acute illnesses in NHS patients, specifically evaluating its effectiveness for cardiac surgery patients.
  • A study of 3710 adult cardiac surgery patients assessed how well a NEWS trigger score of 5 predicted patient deterioration and outcomes after surgery, finding that 4.4% of patients prompted Critical Care Outreach Team (CCOT) calls.
  • Results showed higher in-hospital mortality rates for patients referred to the CCOT (10.5%) compared to those not referred (3.9%), indicating a need for tailored scoring systems for better patient outcomes in cardiac care.
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Background: Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has a poor prognosis with current treatment options including chemotherapy and androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI) medications. Poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors alone and in combination with ARSI has recently been incorporated in management for mCRPC deficient in BRCA1/2 genes. However, downregulating androgen-receptor signaling using ARSIs can upregulate the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, promoting tumor cell survival.

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Parkinson's disease psychosis, characterized by confusion, visual hallucinations, and delusions is a nightmare for the patients and caregivers. Classic neuroleptics aggravate the motor symptoms, hence the need for an effective atypical antipsychotic. Currently Pimavanserin is the only approved drug for Parkinson's disease psychosis (PDP), however it is not readily available.

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Increasing demand of protein biotherapeutics produced using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines necessitates improvement in the production yield of the bioprocess. Various cell engineering, improved media formulation and process-design based approaches utilizing the power of OMICS technologies, specifically, genomics and proteomics, have been employed; however, the potential of metabolomics largely remains unexplored. Metabolomics enables the detection, identification, and/or quantitation of small molecules, commonly known as metabolites, in and around the cells and may help to unlock the cellular molecular mechanism(s) that regulates cell growth and productivity in the bioprocess and improves cellular performance during the bioprocess.

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  • * A mathematical model was developed to examine how different exercise durations and intensities impact tumor suppression, indicating that longer and more intense exercise is generally more effective.
  • * Interestingly, the model finds that an intermediate duration of exercise is the most efficient for tumor suppression, and varying exercise patterns can enhance cancer treatment strategies.
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Distributed quantum computing is a promising computational paradigm for performing computations that are beyond the reach of individual quantum devices. Privacy in distributed quantum computing is critical for maintaining confidentiality and protecting the data in the presence of untrusted computing nodes. In this Letter, we introduce novel blind quantum machine learning protocols based on the quantum bipartite correlator algorithm.

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We report a case of a 22-year-old woman who presented with recurrent episodes of quadriparesis, often accompanied by jaundice. Neurologic examination showed symmetrical proximal predominant quadriparesis with generalized hyporeflexia. The differential diagnoses included were of metabolic, inflammatory, genetic (including channelopathies), and autoimmune causes.

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In this paper, an experimental investigation has been performed for the three different micro-fabrication techniques for optimization in the development process of the W-band planar beam-wave interaction structure. The W-band planar beam-wave interaction structure has been developed using three different micro-fabrication methods, namely micro-EDM (electric discharge milling), wire-EDM, and micro-milling. The effect of each fabrication method on the developed structure is analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and ZETA 3D optical microscopy for their optimization.

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  • Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a major global health issue, particularly affecting children under five, with 95% of deaths occurring in developing countries.
  • A study conducted at ICMR-RMRC in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, found that 4% of children with ARI tested positive for Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV), leading to a mortality rate of 25% among infected patients.
  • The research emphasizes the urgent need for routine testing for hMPV in the region and suggests further investigation into the virus's impact and characteristics.
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This review presents an in-depth examination of implantable antennas for various biomedical purposes. The development of implantable antennas, including their designs, materials, and operating principles, are introduced at the beginning of the discussion. An overview of the many kinds of implantable antennas utilized in implantable medical devices (IMDs) are presented in this study.

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  • Catheter ablation (PVI) is an effective treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), but it has a relapse rate of 15-50%, especially in hypertensive patients.
  • This meta-analysis included 637 patients from 8 trials, showing that adding renal denervation (RDN) to PVI significantly reduces AF recurrence and lowers blood pressure.
  • The combination of RDN and PVI does not negatively impact kidney function, suggesting RDN is a valuable adjunctive treatment for AF in patients with resistant hypertension.
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Variational quantum algorithms, a popular heuristic for near-term quantum computers, utilize parameterized quantum circuits which naturally express Lie groups. It has been postulated that many properties of variational quantum algorithms can be understood by studying their corresponding groups, chief among them the presence of vanishing gradients or barren plateaus, but a theoretical derivation has been lacking. Using tools from the representation theory of compact Lie groups, we formulate a theory of barren plateaus for parameterized quantum circuits whose observables lie in their dynamical Lie algebra, covering a large variety of commonly used ansätze such as the Hamiltonian Variational Ansatz, Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz, and many equivariant quantum neural networks.

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Objective: Although previous studies have described phenomenological diagnoses, they lacked description of aetiological spectrum in patients visiting movement disorders (MD) service. Herein, we classify the MD phenomenology and describe aetiology wise distribution of each phenomenology in patients visiting a tertiary care movement disorders service.

Methods: Collected information included demographic profile (age of onset, age at presentation, gender, duration of illness before presentation), predominant MD phenomenology [such as parkinsonism, dystonia, ataxia, tremor, chorea, ballism, myoclonus, tics, stereotypy, restless legs syndrome (RLS) and others], diagnostic evaluations and detected aetiology.

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Synopsis of recent research by authors named "Niraj Kumar"

  • Niraj Kumar's research focuses on integrating advanced scientific methodologies, including metabolomics and mathematical modeling, to address issues in bioprocess optimization, cancer suppression, and quantum computing.
  • He is exploring the underutilized field of metabolomics in enhancing the production yield of protein biotherapeutics from Chinese hamster ovary cells, while also utilizing mathematical models to shed light on the mechanisms through which exercise may suppress cancer progression.
  • Additionally, he is contributing to the field of quantum computing by developing innovative blind quantum machine learning protocols, highlighting the intersection of privacy and distributed quantum technologies.