Publications by authors named "S V Aswathy Raj"

: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted unprecedented vaccine development efforts against SARS-CoV-2. India, which was one of the countries most impacted by COVID-19, developed its indigenous vaccine in addition to utilizing the ones developed by other countries. While antibody levels and neutralizing antibody titres are considered initial correlates of immune protection, long-term protection from the pathogen relies on memory B and T cells and their recall responses.

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BK viremia (BKPyV-DNAemia) and nephropathy (BKPyVAN) are significant causes of morbidity and mortality in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). Vitamin D supports immune function, yet low 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is common among KTRs. The association between serum 25(OH)D, measured 61 days to 2 years post-transplant, and subsequent incident BKPyV-DNAemia and BKPyVAN was examined in KTRs without previous BKPyV-DNAemia or BKPyVAN, respectively.

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Importance: Administrative health data serve as promising data sources to study transgender health at a population level in the absence of self-reported gender identity.

Objective: To develop and validate case definitions identifying transgender adults in administrative data compared with the reference standard of self-reported gender identity in a universal health care setting.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this cohort study conducted in Alberta, Canada, data from provincial administrative health data sources including inpatient hospitalizations, emergency department encounters, primary care visits, prescription drug dispensations, and the provincial health insurance registry were linked and used to develop 15 case definitions (9 for transgender women and 6 for transgender men).

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Article Synopsis
  • Invasive candidiasis (IC) is a major concern in hospitals, often difficult to diagnose due to limitations in blood culture methods.
  • A study evaluated the effectiveness of the FungiXpert® BDG Detection Kit for diagnosing IC, showing it had a sensitivity of 60.52% and specificity of 81.81% among 80 patients tested.
  • Results indicated that higher BDG levels correlated with more severe outcomes, suggesting the kit could be useful for diagnosis, especially in resource-limited settings.
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Wastewater contains various emerging contaminants, including heavy metals, residues of pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. Therefore, irrigation with wastewater can enhance heavy metal contamination in soil and adversely affect plant growth. To mitigate this problem, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) can improve plant growth under heavy metal stress.

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