Publications by authors named "Kathirvel Soundappan"

Background: Although Bhutan has recently advanced beyond response to preventive services for violence against women and children, there is limited data on adolescent violence to inform policy and interventions, highlighting the need for studies like the 2016 Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS).

Methods: We have analyzed the Global School-based Student Health Survey-2016, Bhutan, to assess the burden and pattern of violence among school-going adolescents (13-17 years). Two-stage cluster sampling was done; fifty schools were selected based on probability proportional to enrollment size from where classes 7 to 11 were selected using systematic sampling.

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Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACE or childhood trauma) include very stressful and potentially traumatic events linked to a higher risk of mental health challenges and chronic conditions. India has an opportunity to study the association between ACE exposure and internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety). To evaluate the association between exposure to ACE and internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety) at a wellness centre in India.

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Unlabelled: The original Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) assessment questionnaire with 10 items has been extensively used to assess and identify associations with long-term negative outcomes in mental health, physical health, and behaviour globally. The past three decades of research has also identified a few additional categories of ACEs beyond the original ten questions. However, there is a gap in the Indian context to establish the psychometric properties of the expanded ACE Assessment Questionnaire and explore associations with mental health parameters.

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Background: Post-mycobacterial residual lung abnormality (PMLA) from prior tuberculous (PTLA) or non-tuberculous mycobacterial (PNTLA) lung infections predisposes to chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). However, the prevalence of CPA in patients with PMLA remains uncertain. We aimed to determine the prevalence of CPA in patients with PMLA.

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Objectives: Glaucoma is a major cause of irreversible blindness in India; however, if detected early, its progression can be either prevented or stabilised through appropriate medical or surgical treatment. We aim to evaluate the cost-utility of various models for population-based glaucoma screening at primary health centres in India. We also assess the potential impact of the implementation of a population-based screening programme on overall costs of care for glaucoma.

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Background: LDBio immunochromatographic lateral flow assay, a point-of care test, detects IgM/IgG antibodies against Aspergillus fumigatus (LDBio-ALFA). LDBio-ALFA has been evaluated for diagnosing chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) in hospital patients, though its efficacy in field settings remains unexamined.

Objective: Our primary objective was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of LDBio-ALFA in diagnosing CPA in a field and a hospital cohort.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study compares various screening methods for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in asthma patients to find the most effective approach.
  • Serum IgE testing emerged as the best option, being the most cost-effective while providing high diagnostic accuracy.
  • Other methods, like total IgE and imaging, were more expensive and either missed cases or required many additional tests.
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Background & objectives Studies on the effects of COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women in Asian settings, more specifically in India, are scarce. The present study evaluated the feto-maternal outcomes among Indian pregnant women who received the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods A prospective cohort study was undertaken among 430 pregnant women from two primary health centres (PHC) in Chandigarh, India during 2021-2022.

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Objective: Aspergillus sensitisation (AS) is seen in many patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). However, the clinical relevance of AS in CPA remains unclear. In this study, we assess the clinical significance of AS in CPA.

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Background And Objectives: Substance use among young college students in India poses public health challenges. This study seeks to uncover the motivation behind alcohol and illicit drug consumption, applying social norms theory.

Methods: This qualitative research utilized the framework method to analyze data from 14 college students (18-24 years) across various disciplines.

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Background: Alcohol misuse is prevalent among college students globally, including in India. Digital screening and brief interventions (DSBI) promise to address this issue. This study assesses DSBI's effectiveness in a state-wide cluster randomized trial among college students in India.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission aims to provide a unique digital health ID for every citizen in India to facilitate electronic health records (EHR).
  • A study conducted in Chandigarh, involving 419 participants, found a 78% uptake of digital health IDs, with higher usage among those aware of EHR and confident in its security.
  • Barriers to adoption included low awareness, issues with digital literacy, and questions about the utility of EHRs; increasing education and implementing data protection laws could enhance acceptance of digital health initiatives in India.
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Article Synopsis
  • Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) was analyzed in relation to asthma severity among 543 adult patients categorized as mild, moderate, or severe according to GINA guidelines.
  • The study found that ABPA prevalence was 11.1% in mild asthma, 21% in moderate asthma, and 20.7% in severe asthma, indicating that severity does not significantly influence ABPA occurrence (P = .12).
  • The research emphasizes the need for screening all asthma patients for ABPA, regardless of their asthma severity, and suggests further studies to confirm these results.
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Introduction: It is important to determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) to devise population-based cost-effective service delivery models. The present study aimed to evaluate the HRQoL of patients with refractive errors (RE) using generic and vision-specific instruments, identify the determinants of HRQoL, and examine the validity between the quality-of-life instruments for refractive errors.

Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 515 participants with RE using generic as well as vision-specific HRQoL measures.

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Background And Objective: There is a need for simple functional test to assess treatment response in chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) in resource-constrained settings. The one-minute-sit-to-stand test (1-min-STS) is one such test. However, the minimal important difference (MID) for 1-min-STS in subjects with CPA remains unknown.

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Background: Sensitization to Aspergillus fumigatus (AS) has been recently described in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, there is no data on the community prevalence of AS in COPD.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of AS among COPD subjects.

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Article Synopsis
  • The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM) has updated guidelines for managing allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) due to improvements in diagnostic and therapeutic methods.
  • An expert group utilized a modified Delphi method to reach a consensus on the recommendations, which include screening practices and diagnostic criteria for ABPA and ABPM in both adults and children.
  • Key recommendations include routine screening for fungal sensitization in specific patient groups, clear diagnostic criteria for ABPA and ABPM, and suggested treatments such as oral prednisolone or itraconazole for acute cases, while noting that asymptomatic ABPA patients do not require treatment.
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Background: Post-tuberculosis lung abnormality (PTLA) is the most common risk factor for developing chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). However, the prevalence and incidence of CPA in PTLA patients in India remain unknown.

Objectives: We aimed to ascertain the incidence and prevalence of CPA in subjects with PTLA.

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Tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) is an important intervention in preventing infection and reducing TB incidence among household contacts (HHCs). A mixed-methods study was conducted to assess the "Test and Treat" model of TPT care cascade among HHCs aged ≥5 years of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients (bacteriologically/clinically confirmed) being provided TPT care under Project Axshya Plus implemented in Maharashtra (India). A quantitative phase cohort study based on record review and qualitative interviews to understand the challenges and solutions in the TPT care cascade were used.

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Background: Heart rate varies during breathing and the heart rate variability (HRV) facilitates the autonomic homeostatic capacity. The maximum HRV was observed at around 10 s of prolonged respiration as per HRV biofeedback literature. However, there is a gap in understanding the variations in HRV by different respiration lengths during simple Bhramari practice.

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The National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) of India is implementing tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) for all household contacts (HHCs) of pulmonary tuberculosis patients (index patients) aged <5 years and those HHCs aged >5 years with TB infection (TBI). We conducted an explanatory mixed-methods study among index patients registered in the Kolar district, Karnataka during April-December 2022, to assess the TPT cascade and explore the early implementation challenges for TPT provision. Of the 301 index patients, contact tracing home visits were made in 247 (82.

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Background: The prevalence of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in Indian asthmatic patients remains unknown. We systematically reviewed the literature for estimating the prevalence of Aspergillus sensitization (AS) and ABPA in Indian subjects with bronchial asthma.

Methods: We searched the PubMed and Embase databases for studies from India reporting the prevalence of AS or ABPA in at least 50 asthmatics.

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