Publications by authors named "Simran Kalra"

Article Synopsis
  • FDG-PET is becoming a valuable imaging tool for diagnosing autoimmune encephalitis (AIE), despite not yet being part of standard diagnostic criteria.
  • A study of 52 patients revealed that FDG-PET had a higher sensitivity (86%) compared to MRI (42%) in detecting AIE, with specific metabolic patterns observed in both antibody-positive and antibody-negative cases.
  • The findings suggest that FDG-PET can aid in early diagnosis and treatment of AIE, particularly in cases where MRI results are negative.
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Modalities for imaging of are limited and inadequately studied. One such modality is Tc-ethambutol scintigraphy which has shown promising results for diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). Ethambutol, one of the primary antitubercular drugs, is bacteriostatic which acts on the mycolic acid cell wall synthesis of the .

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Pyomyositis is an infective involvement of systemic skeletal muscles. We discuss the case of 43-year-old male who presented with quadriparesis, anemia, and hypercalcemia, leading to suspicion of multiple myeloma, and on FDG PET-CT, incidentally, pyomyositis was found. FDG PET-CT thus helped in diagnosing an occult infection which helped in the treatment of the patient.

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Background: The causes of autism likely involve genetic and environmental factors that influence neurobiological changes and the neurological and behavioral features of the disorder. Immune factors and inflammation are hypothesized pathogenic influences, but have not been examined longitudinally.

Methods: In a cohort of 104 participants with autism, we performed an assessment of immune mediators such as cytokines, chemokines, or growth factors in serum and cerebrospinal fluid ( = 67) to determine potential influences of such mediators in autism.

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Background: The presence of autoantibodies has been proposed as evidence for a role of autoimmunity in autism. This report investigates the prevalence of autoantibodies in children with autism using the luciferase immunoprecipitation systems (LIPS) immunoassay technology. A panel of autoantibody targets against several known and candidate neurological autoantigens, autoimmune-associated autoantigens and viruses was employed.

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Childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 1%-2% of children and adolescents. It is characterized by recurrent obsessions and compulsions that create distress and interfere with daily life. The symptoms reported by children are similar to those seen among individuals who develop OCD in adulthood, and the two groups of patients are treated with similar symptom-relieving behavior therapies and medications.

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