Publications by authors named "Virk S"

Introduction: Many interventional strategies are commonly used to treat chronic low back pain (CLBP), though few are specifically intended to target the distinct underlying pathomechanisms causing low back pain. Restorative neurostimulation has been suggested as a specific treatment for mechanical CLBP resulting from multifidus dysfunction. In this randomized controlled trial, we report outcomes from a cohort of patients with CLBP associated with multifidus dysfunction treated with restorative neurostimulation compared to those randomized to a control group receiving optimal medical management (OMM) over 1 year.

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Background: Early recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia (ERAT) is common after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). The specific clinical and arrhythmia characteristics of ERAT influencing late recurrence risk in persistent AF are unclear. In addition, the impact of different ablation strategies on the incidence and prognostic significance of ERAT remains unknown.

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Background: Prior studies have linked sarcopenia and fat infiltration in paraspinal muscles with lumbar pain, spinal pathology, and adverse postoperative outcomes in lumbar spine surgery. A recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based method for assessing muscle health, incorporating parameters such as Goutallier Classification (GC) and the Paralumbar Muscle Cross-Sectional Area to Body Mass Index ratio (PL-CSA/BMI), has shown that higher muscle grades correlate with significant improvements in patient-reported outcomes. Despite these advancements, there is limited research on the associations between paralumbar muscle health and factors such as age, BMI, walking tolerability, and spondylolisthesis.

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Diazirines are versatile carbene precursors that are extensively used in biological target identification experiments. However, their photo-activation wavelength ( 365 nm) precludes their use in living organisms. Here we show that a reconceptualization of the diazirine hybridization state leads to conjugation of the diazirine motif to longer-wavelength chromophores.

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  • - The study aimed to analyze how the density of bone foam affects the amount of subsidence caused by expandable interbody cages during spinal procedures.
  • - Results indicated that higher bone foam densities led to reduced subsidence depths; for example, at a force of 150 N, the mean subsidence was 2.0 mm for 5 PCF and only 1.1 mm for both 15 and 20 PCF.
  • - The findings suggest that surgeons should consider bone quality when using expandable interbody cages, as the relationship between bone density and subsidence can influence the effectiveness of the procedure.
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  • Lumbar microdiscectomy is a common surgery for treating symptomatic lumbar herniation, and this study focused on comparing outcomes between primary and revision surgeries.
  • Researchers used a large database to analyze data from over 37,000 patients who had either primary or revision surgery from 2019 to 2022, excluding patients with sepsis or cancer.
  • The results showed that patients undergoing revision surgery had longer hospital stays and higher rates of complications like wound infections and bleeding events than those who had primary surgeries.
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  • The left ventricular summit (LVS) is a key area where epicardial arrhythmias frequently occur, making it a significant focus for medical professionals.
  • Ablating arrhythmias at the LVS is particularly challenging due to its complicated anatomical structure and proximity to other vital heart areas.
  • This review provides an in-depth analysis of the LVS anatomy and offers a thorough overview of the techniques used for mapping and ablation of LVS-related arrhythmias.
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Introduction: Blood transfusion is crucial, but low-income and middle-income countries like India face a severe shortage of banked blood. This study focuses on the Empowered Action Group (EAG) states in India, where healthcare is limited, and health outcomes are poor. Our objective was to assess the blood banking infrastructure and access to blood products in these states.

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  • Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) measures how blood vessels respond to stimuli, with this study focusing on differences during the cardiac cycle rather than just average data.
  • Involving 71 participants, techniques included assessing responses to increased and decreased CO2 levels, revealing that CVR was higher during systole while relative responses varied across diastole and systole.
  • Results indicated that females showed stronger absolute CVR responses, particularly in certain cardiac phases, suggesting that sex-related biological factors may influence these vascular responses.
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Background: COVID-19 has adversely affected the different aspects of work and society. Due to the decline in economic activity globally, employees were exposed to conditions in which they were forced to work for reduced working hours leading to an increase in time-related underemployment.

Objective: The goal of the present study was to determine the extent of time-related underemployment and the rate of unutilized labor resource in the Agro-based Industry.

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Study Design: Cadaveric study.

Objective: Compare discectomy performance between transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) done via an endoscopic versus a tubular technique.

Summary Of Background Data: Performance of an adequate discectomy is essential to lumbar fusion when performing a TLIF.

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  • Spontaneous pneumothorax (PTX) is more common in COVID-19 patients, leading to worse health outcomes compared to those without PTX.
  • In-hospital costs and lengths of stay were significantly higher for COVID-19 patients with PTX, with mortality rates showing a notable increase.
  • Demographic factors like being Hispanic, male, or obese were associated with a higher risk of developing PTX in COVID-19 patients.
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  • In patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), while restoring blood flow is crucial, many still experience poor microcirculatory perfusion, leading to worse outcomes.
  • * A meta-analysis of 12 studies involving 1915 patients found that adjunctive intracoronary (IC) thrombolytic therapy during primary angioplasty significantly reduced major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and improved heart function, particularly with certain types of thrombolytic agents.
  • * The therapy did not increase the risk of mortality or bleeding, suggesting it could be a safe and effective treatment option in STEMI cases.
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Background: The available literature indicates a link between SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and a heightened probability of experiencing negative outcomes for both the pregnant patient and the developing fetus. We compared clinical outcomes of pregnant patients with or without COVID-19 hospitalized during delivery.

Methods: Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to compare outcomes and was adjusted for patient-related, hospital-related, and illness severity indicators.

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Purpose: ASCO/College of American Pathologists guidelines recommend reporting estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) as positive with (1%-100%) staining. Statistically standardized quantitated positivity could indicate differential associations of positivity with breast cancer outcomes.

Methods: MA.

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Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent arthritis type and a leading cause of chronic mobility disability. While pain medications provide only symptomatic pain relief; growing evidence suggests pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS) is chondroprotective and could have anti-inflammatory effects in knee OA. This study aims to explore the efficacy and safety of oral PPS in symptomatic knee OA with dyslipidaemia.

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Background: COVID-19 survivors may develop long-term symptoms of fatigue, dyspnea, mental health issues, and functional limitations: a condition termed post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a recommended treatment for PASC; however, there is a lack of data regarding PR's effect on multiple health indices and the factors that influence patient outcomes. The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of pulmonary rehabilitation on functional and psychological parameters in patients diagnosed with Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC), thereby offering insights into the efficacy of such interventions in improving the quality of life and clinical outcomes for these individuals.

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Purpose: Tissue-derived tumor mutation burden (TMB) of ≥10 mutations/Mb is a histology-agnostic biomarker for the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) pembrolizumab. However, the dataset in which this was validated lacked colorectal cancers (CRC), and there is limited evidence for immunotherapy benefits in CRC using this threshold.

Patients And Methods: CO.

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  • SOT recipients are at a higher risk of acute kidney injury but have similar mortality rates from COVID-19 compared to non-transplant patients.
  • The study analyzed inpatient outcomes using data from the National Inpatient Sample, focusing on COVID-19 admissions in 2020 while excluding patients under 18 and those with dual organ transplants.
  • Age over 65 was a significant predictor of mortality in SOT patients, indicating a need for more research on transplant patients’ outcomes during COVID-19.
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  • The study investigates corn biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake during the V6 growth stage, highlighting the importance of synchronizing nutrient supply with crop demand to minimize nutrient loss and improve efficiency.* -
  • Corn recovery from early nutrient stress, where no fertilizer was applied initially, was assessed under varying soil moisture levels using different irrigation systems, revealing significant reductions in biomass and nutrient uptake.* -
  • Results showed that early nutrient stress led to yield reductions between 1.58 to 3.4 Mg/ha, with more severe impacts (37.6-38.2% reduction) under subsurface drip irrigation due to water stress in topsoil.*
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Introduction: Cholelithiasis is widely prevalent in India, with a majority of patients being asymptomatic while a small proportion experiencing mild complications. In the laparoscopic era, the rate of cholecystectomies has increased owing to early recovery and fewer complications. In asymptomatic patients, the risk of complications must be balanced against the treatment benefit.

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  • - The study compares 30-day mortality rates in elderly patients after emergency surgeries for spine fractures and hip fractures, noting that spine fractures have a higher mortality rate (9.4%) compared to hip fractures (5%).
  • - Researchers analyzed data from a large surgical database, focusing on various factors like demographics, comorbidities, and hospital stays to determine independent predictors of mortality.
  • - Findings indicate that in addition to the type of fracture, factors such as disseminated cancer, functional dependence, and longer hospital stays contribute to higher mortality risk, while being female, having a healthy BMI, and shorter operation times serve as protective factors.
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In rural settings worldwide, many people live in effective blood deserts without access to any blood transfusion. The traditional system of blood banking is logistically complex and expensive for many resource-restricted settings and demands innovative and multidisciplinary solutions. 17 international experts in medicine, industry, and policy participated in an exploratory process with a 2-day hybrid seminar centred on three promising innovative strategies for blood transfusions in blood deserts: civilian walking blood banks, intraoperative autotransfusion, and drone-based blood delivery.

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