Papers by Nivedita thakur
Brain communications, May 2, 2022
Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic, autoimmune, idiopathic and gradually progressing d... more Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic, autoimmune, idiopathic and gradually progressing disease. The patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis experience many problems which affect their quality of life for which they use various types of coping strategies which help them improving their lifestyle and work. Material and methods: This was a descriptive quantitative research design conducted among 100 patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis attending the Rheumatology OPD of a tertiary care referral hospital and teaching institute in India. The subjects were selected by total enumeration sampling method. Interview schedule including sociodemographic profile, clinical profile, rating scale for problems experienced and checklist for coping strategies was used and for the assessment of quality of life AIMS 2(SF) was used to gather data. Results: Most common health problem among study participants was fatigue (87%) followed by joint tenderness (78%). The quality of life in the social domain was worst followed by symptom domain whereas the work domain had a better score in terms of mean normalized scores. Most commonly used coping strategy among 73% of study participants was rest in between the work and activities. Conclusion: Patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis has an effect on quality of life as quality of life was comparatively poor in social and symptom domain but least effect was reported in work domain. Keywords: Coping strategies, health problems, quality of life, rheumatoid arthritis Cite this Article Amrit Kaur, Harpreet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur et al. Quality of Life, Problems Experienced, and Coping Strategies Used by the Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Attending Rheumatology OPD: A Descriptive Study. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Immunology. 2018; 8(2): 17–23p.
Stewardship is not a new concept for public policy, but has not been used to its optimum by the h... more Stewardship is not a new concept for public policy, but has not been used to its optimum by the health policymakers. Although it is being practiced in most successful models of health system, but the onus to this function is still due till date. Lately, few experts in World Health Organization (WHO) have realized its importance and have been raising the issue at different platforms to pursue the most important function of the health system i.e. stewardship. The core attributes of stewardship need to be understood in totality for better understanding of the concept. These core attributes, required for hassle free functioning of a health system, include responsible manager, political will, normative dimension, balanced interventionist and proponents of good governance.
The Journal of Pediatrics, Nov 1, 2004
To define the phenotype of congenital alveolar capillary dysplasia (ACD) as a first step toward m... more To define the phenotype of congenital alveolar capillary dysplasia (ACD) as a first step toward mapping the responsible gene(s). Analysis of pathology reports and microscopic slides of 23 subjects with ACD and sequence analysis of two candidate genes. Our review of the pre- and postmortem records delineates both the natural history of this condition and the associated anomalies. Our collection of families corroborates the likely autosomal recessive nature of this condition in some families and provides additional data for genetic and prenatal counseling. Anomalies of many organ systems were detected either in the prenatal period or during the hospital course. However, some major anomalies were not detected until postmortem examination. Left-right asymmetry and gastrointestinal malrotation emerge as important, previously recognized but underappreciated phenotypic features of ACD. Finally, we used sequence analysis to exclude mutations in the coding region of two candidate genes, bone morphogenetic protein type II receptor (BMPR2) and endothelial monocyte-activating polypeptide II (EMAP II), as candidates for ACD. Understanding the clinical spectrum of ACD and the cloning of an "ACD gene" both have implications for counseling, for prenatal testing, and for understanding the molecular pathophysiology of ACD and other organ malformations that are associated with this condition.
Oxford University Press eBooks, Nov 1, 2022
Neurometabolic diseases are a group of disorders that lead to a disruption in the normal metaboli... more Neurometabolic diseases are a group of disorders that lead to a disruption in the normal metabolism within the body and nervous system. Abnormalities of metabolic processes at any level can lead to a wide spectrum of clinical features and pathologies. The nervous system is particularly susceptible to metabolic derangements, either inborn or acquired. Early diagnosis can prevent or delay damage to the nervous system through appropriate treatment when possible. Many neurometabolic disorders have poor prognoses, and patients often present and succumb within months to the early years of life; however, some disorders can present later in life with varying levels of severity. In many later onset cases, the diagnosis is preceded by nonspecific symptoms including psychiatric manifestations. In addition to psychiatric manifestations, various neurological features often occur at some point in the course of the disease. Of these features, movement disorders are particularly common. In fact, many neurometabolic diseases will present with subtle movement disorders that are often missed or overlooked. Many congenital metabolic diseases are rapidly neurodegenerative and, due to the nature of such diseases, result in early demise or severe cognitive decline. While by no means exhaustive, this chapter aims to outline and discuss some of the neurometabolic diseases that present with both psychiatric and movement disorders as prominent features.
Informatica, Jun 5, 2023
Image de-speckling is one of the most challenging issues in multimedia imaging systems. All of th... more Image de-speckling is one of the most challenging issues in multimedia imaging systems. All of the available speckle noise reduction filters are nearly noise reduction capable, but they fail to restore subtle features such as low grey level edges and fine details against a low contrast background. Nonlocal mean filtering and anisotropic diffusion are two popular and effective methods for image despeckling while preserving detail. This paper presents a two-phase ultrasound image de-speckling framework by utilizing the capability of the non-local mean filtering method for de-speckling and edge preservation on anisotropic diffused images. The prior image smoothing along with edge preservation and contrast enhancement by anisotropic diffusion is carried out in the first phase, which is then followed by the non-local means method for de-speckling and edge sharpening in the next phase. The degree of speckle noise attenuation is measured on low-contrast standard and ultrasound images and compared to state-of-the-art and advanced anisotropic diffusion techniques and non-local means methods. The percentage improvement of PSNR over the existing methods is found to be in the range of 2.06% to 46.68%. The experimental results show that the proposed method is capable of reducing noise and preserving edges better than existing speckle reduction filters. Povzetek: Predstavljen je dvofazni pristop za odstranjevanje šuma iz ultrazvočnih slik, ki se je v primerjavi z obstoječimi filtri za zmanjšanje šuma izkazal za boljšega v ohranjanju robov in zmanjševanju šuma.
Journal of Huntington's disease, Nov 9, 2021
International journal of health policy and management, 2014
Stewardship is not a new concept for public policy, but has not been used to its optimum by the h... more Stewardship is not a new concept for public policy, but has not been used to its optimum by the health policymakers. Although it is being practiced in most successful models of health system, but the onus to this function is still due till date. Lately, few experts in World Health Organization (WHO) have realized its importance and have been raising the issue at different platforms to pursue the most important function of the health system i.e. stewardship. The core attributes of stewardship need to be understood in totality for better understanding of the concept. These core attributes, required for hassle free functioning of a health system, include responsible manager, political will, normative dimension, balanced interventionist and proponents of good governance.
Brain Communications
We examined an autologous mononuclear-cell-therapy-based approach to treat cerebral palsy using a... more We examined an autologous mononuclear-cell-therapy-based approach to treat cerebral palsy using autologous umbilical cord blood or bone-marrow-derived mononuclear cells. The primary objective was to determine if autologous cells are safe to administer in children with cerebral palsy. The secondary objectives were to determine if there was improvement in motor function of patients 12 months after infusion using the Gross Motor Function Measure and to evaluate impact of treatment on corticospinal tract microstructure as determined by radial diffusivity measurement. This Phase 1/2a trial was a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study in children aged 2–10 years of age with cerebral palsy enrolled between November 2013 and November 2016. Participants were randomized to 2:1 treatment:placebo. Treatment was either autologous bone-marrow-derived mononuclear cells or autologous umbilical cord blood. All participants who enrolled and completed their baseline visit planned to ...
Research & Reviews: A Journal of Immunology, Oct 31, 2018
Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic, autoimmune, idiopathic and gradually progressing d... more Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic, autoimmune, idiopathic and gradually progressing disease. The patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis experience many problems which affect their quality of life for which they use various types of coping strategies which help them improving their lifestyle and work. Material and methods: This was a descriptive quantitative research design conducted among 100 patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis attending the Rheumatology OPD of a tertiary care referral hospital and teaching institute in India. The subjects were selected by total enumeration sampling method. Interview schedule including sociodemographic profile, clinical profile, rating scale for problems experienced and checklist for coping strategies was used and for the assessment of quality of life AIMS 2(SF) was used to gather data. Results: Most common health problem among study participants was fatigue (87%) followed by joint tenderness (78%). The quality of life in the social domain was worst followed by symptom domain whereas the work domain had a better score in terms of mean normalized scores. Most commonly used coping strategy among 73% of study participants was rest in between the work and activities. Conclusion: Patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis has an effect on quality of life as quality of life was comparatively poor in social and symptom domain but least effect was reported in work domain. Keywords: Coping strategies, health problems, quality of life, rheumatoid arthritis Cite this Article Amrit Kaur, Harpreet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur et al. Quality of Life, Problems Experienced, and Coping Strategies Used by the Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Attending Rheumatology OPD: A Descriptive Study. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Immunology. 2018; 8(2): 17–23p.
Solar Photovoltaic technology has proven itself as a promising option for grid-connected as well ... more Solar Photovoltaic technology has proven itself as a promising option for grid-connected as well as stand-alone source of power in India. It is believed to be viable for off-grid usage in the remote villages in the country. The Energy and Resources Institute has developed the concept of Solar Multi-Utility centre that acts as a solar photovoltaic based energy and services centre for livelihood generation for the villages as beneficiaries. A pilot project under this concept that has been designed developed and demonstrated in a remote village in Assam, India. Scoping study of the field-level demands, willingness to pay and suitable motorization of the appliances were carried out for designing the SMU with facilities being provided on a fee-for-service basis. This system complimented with state-of-the-art remote monitoring system provides services such as bamboo stick making, bamboo slivering, spice pulverizing, battery charging, water purification and solar lantern charging. This pap...
Journal of Huntington's Disease, 2021
Olfactory dysfunction is a common symptom in patients with neurodegenerative disorders, including... more Olfactory dysfunction is a common symptom in patients with neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington’s disease (HD). Understanding its pathophysiology is important in establishing a preventive and therapeutic plan. In this literature review, we cover the physiology of olfaction, its role in neurodegeneration, and its characteristics in patients with HD. In the general population, olfactory dysfunction is present in 3.8–5.8%and the prevalence increases significantly in those older than 80 years. For HD, data regarding prevalence rates are lacking and the scales used have been inconsistent or have been restructured due to concerns about cross-cultural understanding. Pathogenic huntingtin deposits have been found in the olfactory bulb of individuals with HD, although no studies have correlated this with the grade of olfactory impairment. Olfactory dysfunction is present in both premanifest and manifest patients with HD, showing a progressive decline over time with more severe d...
Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, 2020
OBJECTIVESelective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a surgical procedure used to treat spasticity in chi... more OBJECTIVESelective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a surgical procedure used to treat spasticity in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Currently, there is a lack of work examining the efficacy of optimizing pain management protocols after single-level laminectomy for SDR. This pilot study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of SDR completed with a traditional pain management protocol versus one designed for opioid dosage reduction.METHODSThe Texas Comprehensive Spasticity Center prospective database was queried for all patients who underwent SDR between 2015 and 2018. Demographic, surgical, and postoperative data for all patients who underwent SDR were collected from medical records. The study was designed as a retrospective study between the patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) and dexmedetomidine infusion (INF) groups with 80% power to detect a 50% difference at a significance level of 0.05. Patients in the INF group received perioperative gabapentin, intraoperative dexmedetomidine ...
Neurology Genetics, 2019
ObjectiveTo determine the clinical, radiologic, and molecular characteristics of RNA polymerase I... more ObjectiveTo determine the clinical, radiologic, and molecular characteristics of RNA polymerase III-related leukodystrophy (POLR3-HLD) caused by biallelic POLR1C pathogenic variants.MethodsA cross-sectional observational study involving 25 centers worldwide was conducted. Clinical and molecular information was collected on 23 unreported and previously reported patients with POLR3-HLD and biallelic pathogenic variants in POLR1C. Brain MRI studies were reviewed.ResultsFourteen female and 9 male patients aged 7 days to 23 years were included in the study. Most participants presented early in life (birth to 6 years), and motor deterioration was seen during childhood. A notable proportion of patients required a wheelchair before adolescence, suggesting a more severe phenotype than previously described in POLR3-HLD. Dental, ocular, and endocrine features were not invariably present (70%, 50%, and 50%, respectively). Five patients (22%) had a combination of hypomyelinating leukodystrophy a...
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques, 2019
Background: Biallelic variants in POLR1C are associated with POLR3-related leukodystrophy (POLR3-... more Background: Biallelic variants in POLR1C are associated with POLR3-related leukodystrophy (POLR3-HLD), or 4H leukodystrophy (Hypomyelination, Hypodontia, Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism), and Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS). The clinical spectrum of POLR3-HLD caused by variants in this gene has not been described. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study involving 25 centers worldwide was conducted between 2016 and 2018. The clinical, radiologic and molecular features of 23 unreported and previously reported cases of POLR3-HLD caused by POLR1C variants were reviewed. Results: Most participants presented between birth and age 6 years with motor difficulties. Neurological deterioration was seen during childhood, suggesting a more severe phenotype than previously described. The dental, ocular and endocrine features often seen in POLR3-HLD were not invariably present. Five patients (22%) had a combination of hypomyelinating leukodystrophy and abnormal craniofacial development, inclu...
International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology, 2016
With the ever improving lighting and photovoltaic industries and the initiatives of various solar... more With the ever improving lighting and photovoltaic industries and the initiatives of various solar lighting programs, the market is witnessing a gamut of solar lighting products and delivery models for the same. Besides the widely used stand-alone model, the lighting services of solar lanterns and other portable solar lighting products can be alternatively delivered through charging station models; especially catering to the populace who are unable to purchase standalone models. This paper presents an approach towards designing a central charging station model for solar LED lanterns for rural areas considering the various climatic conditions throughout India, the available technology and the field dynamics. Theoretical design based on the available climatic data is presented followed by the experimental observation at a typical site in one climatic zone as a case. The paper concludes with a discussion on the way-forward towards design and operation improvements for this present model.
2012 International Conference on Advances in Power Conversion and Energy Technologies (APCET), 2012
ABSTRACT LED based Solar Lanterns have evolved as a promising alternative to conventional rural l... more ABSTRACT LED based Solar Lanterns have evolved as a promising alternative to conventional rural lighting solutions. However, with the commencement of several Solar Lighting programs and the wide variety of products being introduced in the market, there is a lack of data characterizing the quality and performance of this wide range of products. This affects their long term, reliable performance towards ensuring sustainability, cost-effectiveness and user acceptance within the rural community. This paper proposes a 'laboratory and field based integrated approach' leading to a holistic assessment of the technological gaps in the evaluation and dissemination chain of LED based Solar Lanterns. Basic laboratory tests, comparative performance evaluation, capturing of field usage parameters and fault assessment were carried out for 6 models of solar lanterns disseminated in 8 villages in India. Incorporation of additional features, design enhancements as well as improvements in systematic laboratory based evaluation mechanism have also been recommended in the paper. The findings are potentially applicable to the development of comprehensive benchmarks for performance specifications of LED solar lanterns, effective designing of such products for rural areas and ultimately resulting in greater impact of the several Solar Lighting programs on the rural society.
This paper attempts to provide an overview of the types of Solar Lighting Systems including lante... more This paper attempts to provide an overview of the types of Solar Lighting Systems including lanterns, task lights, solar home systems and torches currently available in the Indian market. The Solar Lighting Laboratory at TERI, with the support of MNRE has been involved in design, testing, and on-field assessment of solar lighting systems and experiences from this research have been compiled to provide a broad overview of technologies used in solar lighting device components, selection and testing criteria, technical challenges and quality testing. The solar lighting market is saturated with a wide range of products, differing in specifications and performance. This paper aims to establish that appropriate quality control through a testing laboratory, on-field performance assessment and national standards are essential for developing a robust and reliable solar lighting market and how these processes can be developed. We have presented our assessment of the most widely used technolog...
International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 2014
Stewardship is not a new concept for public policy, but has not been used to its optimum by the h... more Stewardship is not a new concept for public policy, but has not been used to its optimum by the health policymakers. Although it is being practiced in most successful models of health system, but the onus to this function is still due till date. Lately, few experts in World Health Organization (WHO) have realized its importance and have been raising the issue at different platforms to pursue the most important function of the health system i.e. stewardship. The core attributes of stewardship need to be understood in totality for better understanding of the concept. These core attributes, required for hassle free functioning of a health system, include responsible manager, political will, normative dimension, balanced interventionist and proponents of good governance.
Handbook of Renewable Energy Technology, 2011
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Papers by Nivedita thakur