Bikha Devrajani - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Bikha Devrajani

Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, 2019

Objectives: To evaluate shear wave elastography in differentiating between benign and malignant c... more Objectives: To evaluate shear wave elastography in differentiating between benign and malignant cervical lymph nodes in patients with oral carcinoma. Methods: 77 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma were examined by B-mode and shear wave elastography with a 14 MHz linear transducer. The integrated shear wave elastography software allowed the operator to place regions of interest of various sizes within the elastography window, and automatically displayed shear elastic modulus data (kPa) for each region of interest. The relationship between size and shear elastic modulus of cervical lymph nodes was assessed by Pearson's rank correlation test. The shear elastic modulus of cervical lymph nodes in benign and malignant were evaluated using the Mann–Whitney U test. The analyses were used with a 5% significance level. Results: We plotted shear elastic modulus (X) against minimal axial diameter of cervical lymph nodes (Y), and observed a significant correlation [ Y = 0.091 X + 4.6...

To investigate modifiable risk factors of heart disease among doctors of a University hospital. T... more To investigate modifiable risk factors of heart disease among doctors of a University hospital. This was a cross-sectional study conducting during the symposium of Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro. The young doctors were requested for brief history of the modifiable risk factors of heart diseases, the body measurements and the laboratory tests of glucose and total cholesterol. The young doctors were interviewed for the presence or absence of the risk factors, history of smoking, hypertension and diabetes in themselves and their parents. The laboratory tests included random blood glucose and total cholesterol. The body measurements included weight in kilograms and height in centimeters and the blood pressure in mm of Hg at resting position. A total of 204 doctors were interviewed, examined for the body measurements and blood glucose and cholesterol were measured. Mean age was 34.91 + 12.21 years. Mean BMI was 24.69+ 4.73 Mean systolic BP was 120.10 + ...

JLUMHS, 2009

... Diabetes Mellitus. In: Frier BM, Todd WT, Lock-wood DN, Sundar S, editors. Davidson&a... more ... Diabetes Mellitus. In: Frier BM, Todd WT, Lock-wood DN, Sundar S, editors. Davidson&amp;amp;#x27;s princi-ples and practice of medicine. ... Scand J Infect Dis 1991; 80:S1520. 4. Gilden DH, Cohrs RJ,Mahalingam R. Clinical and molecular pathogenesis of varicella virus infection. ...

International Journal of Mosquito Research, May 1, 2018

Malaria is one of the most serious tropical and very widespread disease, it is a health problem i... more Malaria is one of the most serious tropical and very widespread disease, it is a health problem in Pakistan. The objective of the present study was to determine the calcium level in the serum of Malaria Patients (n=50) with comparison to the control subjects (n=50), using flame photometer (m-410 corning). Serum calcium was increased in malaria patients as compared to the control subjects. Increased level of serum calcium is an aspect of severe malaria with the association of parasite and complications.

Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews

Background and aim: To observe the glycemic status among individuals with undiagnosed diabetes in... more Background and aim: To observe the glycemic status among individuals with undiagnosed diabetes in urban and rural areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. Methods: The findings of this study are obtained from the second National Diabetes Survey of Pakistan (NDSP) 2016e2017, a nationwide epidemiological survey. Out of 12,486 individuals approached, 10,834 participants agreed to be included in the second NDSP. An oral glucose tolerance test was used to assess undiagnosed diabetes individuals according to World Health Organization criteria. Results: The overall weighted prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes was 7.1% (2.4% in urban and 4.7% in rural areas). Based on isolated fasting plasma glucose or 2-h post 75 gm glucose load or combining both, the weighted prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes was 43.5%, 17.6%, and 38.9%, respectively. Out of the 43.5% of individuals, 15.3% had fasting plasma glucose higher than 250 mg/dl at the time of presentation. Among all the individuals, 23.7% were found to be of less than 40 years of age, 29.2% had a positive family history of diabetes, 80.8% were abdominal obese, 53.8% were hypertensive, and 98% were dyslipidemic. In comparison to the elder group, poor glycemic control of 10% HbA1c was observed in most of the younger age groups (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: A significant number of people remain undiagnosed in this part of the world. The glycemic status along with the other associated risk factors at the time of presentation is alarming. Thus, for the early detection of diabetes, awareness and education in the community are crucial. Hence, long-term complications of diabetes can be prevented.

Minerva Gastroenterology, 2021

When looking for new antiviral compounds aimed to counteract the COVID-19, a disease caused by th... more When looking for new antiviral compounds aimed to counteract the COVID-19, a disease caused by the recently identified novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the knowledge of the main viral proteins is fundamental. The major druggable targets of SARS-CoV-2 include 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), papain-like protease (PLpro), RNA-dependent 26 RNA polymerase, and spike (S) protein. Molecular docking studies have highlighted that quercetin, a natural polyphenol belonging to the flavonol class, inhibits 3CLpro, PLpro and S proteins. Biophysical technics have then very recently confirmed that quercetin is reasonably a potent inhibitor of 3CLpro. The likely antiviral properties of quercetin are anyway challenged by its very poor oral bioavailability profile and any attempt to overcome this limit should be welcome. A phospholipid delivery form of quercetin (Quercetin Phytosome®) has been recently tested in humans to evaluate a possible improvement in oral bioavailability. After hydrolysis of the conjugated form (mainly glucuronide) of quercetin found in human plasma, the pharmacokinetics results have demonstrated an increased bioavailability rate by about 20-fold for total quercetin. It has been also observed that the presence of specific glucuronidase could yield free systemic quercetin in human body. Taking also into considerations its anti-inflammatory and thrombin-inhibitory actions, a bioavailable form of quercetin, like Quercetin Phytosome®, should be considered a possible candidate to clinically face COVID-19.

Journal of Postgraduate Medical Institute, 2015

Objectives: To find out the frequency of right ventricular infarction (RVI) in patients with acut... more Objectives: To find out the frequency of right ventricular infarction (RVI) in patients with acute inferior wall myocardial infarction and also to see its clini-cal correlation and prognostic value. Methods: 198 consecutive patients with acute inferior wall myocardial infarc-tion (MI) were enrolled. Elevated ST segments in V4R or V3R to V6R were used to diagnose RVI. We assessed the incidence of ST-segment elevation in these leads and their correlation on clinical ground. Result: In 96 patients (48.5%), RVI was present. Clinical correlation showed that raised JVP was present in 58.5% and raised JVP with hypotension in 34.5% of patients. Normal JVP was present in 41.5% of patients in which 22% of pa-tients were with hypotension and 20% of patients were without clinical find -ings. Hypotension observed in 53% of patients. Complications were higher in patients with elevated ST segments in V4R (51%) in contrast to those without RVI (21%). In-hospital mortality was more than double in RV...

Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 2021

BACKGROUND AND AIM Excess adiposity is associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Amongst the... more BACKGROUND AND AIM Excess adiposity is associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Amongst the various measures of adiposity, the most appropriate one to predict the risk of diabetes remains debatable. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the ability of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in predicting type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) among Pakistani adults. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This was the sub-analysis of a large population based Second National Diabetes Survey of Pakistan (NDSP) 2016-2017. With this survey, 10834 individuals were recruited and 4788 individuals fulfilled the inclusion criteria for this sub-analysis (subjects with missing anthropometric details were excluded). Participants were categorized into two groups; subjects with type 2 DM and subjects without DM. Data of participants was collected via pre-designed detailed questionnaire. Clinical and anthropometric measurements were measured using standardized techniques. RESULTS Out of 4788 individuals, 3085(64.4%) were non-DM subjects and 1703(35.6%) were type 2 DM subjects with mean age of 39.78 ± 13.79 and 50.38 ± 11.33 years, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association of WC with type 2 diabetes after adjustment for possible confounders. Area under the curve (AUC) of WC was found higher than AUC of BMI and WHR. CONCLUSION The findings from second NDSP (2016-2017) demonstrated that WC is a better marker than WHR and BMI in predicting type 2 DM for Pakistani population.

Minerva gastroenterologica e dietologica, 2020

Aim To assess the correlation between atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and cardiovascular diseas... more Aim To assess the correlation between atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Methodology This is a sub study of the second National Diabetes Survey of Pakistan (NDSP) 2016–2017, an epidemiological survey including people of > 20 years of age and both genders in all four provinces of Pakistan. Out of 213 clusters, twenty-seven clusters were selected from all over the Pakistan. Households were identified and selected members of every 10th household were counseled to come to the campsite after observing an overnight fast. Standardized techniques were used for measuring height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Standard methods were used for analyzing biochemical parameters including oral glucose tolerance test, lipid profile and various lipid derived parameter/ratios were calculated. The AIP was calculated by using formula log10 (TG/HDL) for all survey participants. Statistical analyses were conducted by using statistical...

Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders, 2020

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is common amongst liver cirrhosis having a meritorious cause... more Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is common amongst liver cirrhosis having a meritorious cause of oesophageal varices due to portal hypertension. One-third of patients die because of bleeding oesophageal varices. In normal circumstances, ultrasound findings in portal system could predict both the presence of varices and risk of variceal bleeding which provides with contradictory results. In our study, 100 patients were assessed on the basic of portal vein size ranging from 1 cm to 2 cm Out of which, 17 patients having portal vein size more then 1.4 cm bled. From the above study it is concluded that the patients who had portal vein size more than 1.4 cm were at a great risk of bleeding from oesophagal varices.

Orthopedic & muscular system, 2016

There are various methods of treatment of closed diaphyseal fractures of femur in children, but h... more There are various methods of treatment of closed diaphyseal fractures of femur in children, but historically the vast majority of fractures of femur in children have been treated with hip spica casting alone or with initial traction followed by hip spica cast and each method has particular indications, contraindications and complications that must be considered in choosing the optimal treatment for a particular child and his/her fracture. Whatever the treatment method used we report a comparative study of thirty children aged from 6 months to ten years of age presenting with diaphyseal fractures of femur. Out of these thirty children, fifteen were treated with hip spica cast application and other fifteen children were treated with initial skin traction followed by hip spica cast. Hip spica cast has the additional advantages of being economical to the patients and the hospital services. It spares number of available beds in the hospital and is more convenient and comfortable for parents and children. Whereas initial traction followed by hip spica cast is better method of treatment in cases when there is a risk of excessive shortening. This study showed almost comparable results in the above mentioned two methods of treatment and final outcome in most of the cases was satisfactory.

Rawal Medical Journal, 2016

Journal of Bacteriology & Parasitology, Aug 31, 2015

BMC Infectious Diseases, 2021

Background Convalescent plasma(CP) was utilized as potential therapy during COVID-19 pandemic in ... more Background Convalescent plasma(CP) was utilized as potential therapy during COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. The study aimed at appraisal of CP transfusion safety and usefulness in COVID pneumonia. Methods Single arm, MEURI study design of non-randomized open label trial was conducted in five centers. Patients werecategorized as moderately severe, severe, and critical. The primary endpoint was a) improvement in clinical status and change in category of disease severity; secondary endpoint was b) CP ability to halt disease progression to invasive ventilation. CP transfused to hospitalized patients. Statistical tests including median (interquartile ranges), Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher’s exact test using SPSS ver. 23, ANOVA and Chi-square test were applied for the analysis of results parameters before and after CP treatment. SOFA score was applied for multiorgan failure in severe and critical cases. Results A total of 50 adult patients; median age 58.5 years (range: 29–92 years) received...

Pakistan Journal of Public Health, 2015