Publications by authors named "Muhammad Ali Butt"

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat early-stage gastrointestinal neoplasms. While effective, ESD can be technically challenging due to limited submucosal visibility, prolonged procedure time, and increased risk of adverse events such as perforation and bleeding. The S-O clip, a traction device designed to enhance submucosal exposure, may help overcome these limitations and improve procedural outcomes.

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Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is a safe and effective treatment for most large colorectal lesions Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) can be performed in cases suspicious for superficial submucosal invas. This decision is often operator dependent and based on optical diagnosis of polyp morphology and surface vascular and pit pattern. Here, we conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of ESD performed for colorectal lesions in North America to evaluate the proportion of ESD performed for benign colorectal lesions.

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Metasurfaces (MSs), two-dimensional arrays of engineered nanostructures, have revolutionized optics by enabling precise manipulation of electromagnetic waves at subwavelength scales. These platforms offer unparalleled control over amplitude, phase, and polarization, unlocking advanced applications in imaging, communication, and sensing. Among them, plasmonic MSs stand out for their ability to exploit surface plasmon resonances (SPRs)-collective electron oscillations at metal-dielectric interfaces.

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Upper gastrointestinal tumors, including ampullary adenomas, occur frequently in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Guidelines recommend upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in FAP for surveillance of gastric and duodenal adenomas. However, adenomas can rarely arise from biliary epithelium in patients with FAP.

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ObjectiveNecrotizing pancreatitis (NP) is a severe form of pancreatitis that often necessitates intensive care and can result in significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate racial and gender disparities in palliative care (PC) utilization among mechanically-ventilated patients with NP.MethodsIn this retrospective analysis using the National Inpatient Sample from 2016 to 2020, we investigated 84 335 patients with NP requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, and the utilization of PC services and their disparities based on gender and race.

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Background: Statin therapy is widely utilized for preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, both as a primary and secondary measure. Despite the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases' endorsement of statin use in cirrhotic patients, practitioners exhibit hesitancy, primarily due to concerns regarding hepatotoxicity. This study aimed to evaluate statin prescription patterns in cirrhotic patients by primary care physicians (PCPs) and cardiologists through a survey.

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Article Synopsis
  • 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 this work, a plasmonic sensor based on metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide for temperature sensing application is numerically investigated via finite element method (FEM). The resonant cavity filled with PDMS polymer is side-coupled to the MIM bus waveguide. The sensitivity of the proposed device is ~ - 0.

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Purpose: To compare the risks of adverse outcomes, including mortality, gastrointestinal bleeding, and venous thromboembolism, between COVID-19 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and those without IBD.

Methods: We analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample between January and December 2020. The study included adult patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) who contracted COVID-19.

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Background: Pancreatitis is one of the leading causes of gastrointestinal-related hospitalization, with significant morbidity and mortality. SARS-COV-2 virus can access the pancreas via angiotensin-converting enzymes and can cause direct and indirect injury to the pancreatic parenchyma. The objective of this study to understand clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 with and without pancreatitis utilizing National Inpatient Sample database.

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There are numerous scenarios where the photographer is in difficulty and unable to capture or shoot video as required. This could be due to several factors such as limited space, decreased visibility, and an obstacle in the way. Therefore, this project implements the idea to capture and shoot video of the desired subject through an automatically controlled robotic camera with no need for a photographic bloke.

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Background/aim: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematologic malignancy that accounts for most annual deaths from leukemias in the United States. Although rare, cutaneous manifestations may be the first clinical sign of AML. Henoch Schonlein Purpura (HSP), as a manifestation of AML, has an unknown incidence.

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Article Synopsis
  • The rate of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) has risen since the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting a need to understand the impact of having both infections simultaneously.
  • A study of over 1.6 million patients revealed that those with both COVID-19 and CDI experienced significantly worse health outcomes, such as higher mortality rates and increased hospital stays.
  • It is crucial to improve anti-infection practices like hand hygiene and antibiotic management in hospitals to help reduce the risks associated with concurrent COVID-19 and CDI infections.
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Article Synopsis
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has led to over 6.5 million deaths globally, with many patients suffering from COVID-19-associated ARDS (CARDS), which is characterized by unique differences from typical ARDS in its impact on the pulmonary vasculature and gas exchange.
  • Current treatment recommendations include lung-protective and prone ventilation, along with the use of neuromuscular blockers and pulmonary vasodilators for those facing severe hypoxemia, although studies show inhaled vasodilators provide only temporary relief without reducing mortality.
  • This review focuses on the key management strategies for ARDS, contrasts CARDS with typical ARDS, and assesses the current evidence surrounding inhaled pulmonary vasodilators specifically for CARDS patients.
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Unlabelled: Tacrolimus is commonly used as a prophylactic against acute rejection in transplant patients. Tacrolimus toxicity has numerous presentations that have been well documented in the literature and can be induced by a wide variety of agents. We present a novel case of tacrolimus toxicity in a cardiac transplant patient induced by outpatient treatment for COVID-19 pneumonia with ritonavir-nirmatrelvir, which was successfully treated with phenytoin therapy.

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In optical computing machines, many parameters of light beams can be used as data carriers. If the data are carried by optical vortices, the information can be encoded by the vortex topological charge (TC). Thus, some optical mechanisms are needed for performing typical arithmetic operations with topological charges.

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Acute bronchitis is a self-limiting disease, characterized by mild constitutional symptoms and a cough lasting two to three weeks. The disease usually occurs secondary to viruses; therefore, only symptomatic and supportive care is advised for the patients. Despite the recommended guidelines, most patients are prescribed antibiotics.

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Optical vortex (OV) beams are widely used for the generation of light fields with transverse energy flow inducing orbital motion of the nano- and microparticles in the transverse plane. Here, we present some new modifications of OV beams with autofocusing properties for shaping complex transverse energy flow distributions varying in space. The angular component of the complex amplitude of these beams is defined by the superpositions of OV beams with different topological charges.

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In this paper, we have numerically investigated a metasurface based perfect absorber design, established on the impedance matching phenomena. The paper comprises of two parts. In the first part, the device performance of the perfect absorber-which is composed of silicon nano-cylindrical meta-atoms, periodically arranged on a thin gold layer-is studied.

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Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type II (APS II) is a rare endocrine disorder that involves the adrenal gland (Addison's disease), thyroid (autoimmune thyroiditis), pancreas (type 1 diabetes), and other non-endocrine organs. Herein, we report a case of a 58-year-old woman with a past medical history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Addison's disease, who initially presented with nocturia, polyuria, abnormal sweating, fatigue, hair thinning, heat and cold intolerance, and progressive darkening of the skin for the last few months. After a thorough evaluation, she was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis, and thus, she met the criteria for APS II.

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Diffraction is a phenomenon related to the wave nature of light and arises when a propagating wave comes across an obstacle. Consequently, the wave can be transformed in amplitude or phase and diffraction occurs. Those parts of the wavefront avoiding an obstacle form a diffraction pattern after interfering with each other.

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In this paper, a racetrack ring resonator design based on a subwavelength grating double slot waveguide is presented. The proposed waveguide scheme is capable of confining the transverse electric field in the slots and the gaps between the grating segments. This configuration facilitates a large light-matter interaction which elevates the sensitivity of the device approximately 2.

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We report on the direct low-repetition rate femtosecond pulse laser microfabrication of optical waveguides in KTP crystals and the characterization of refractive index changes after the thermal annealing of the sample, with the focus on studying the potential for direct laser fabricating Mach-Zehnder optical modulators. We have fabricated square cladding waveguides by means of stacking damage tracks, and found that the refractive index decrease is large for vertically polarized light (c-axis; TM polarized) but rather weak for horizontally polarized light (a-axis; TE polarized), this leading to good near-infrared light confinement for TM modes but poor for TE modes. However, after performing a sample thermal annealing we have found that the thermal process enables a refractive index increment of around 1.

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