Displaying all 10 publications

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  1. Dash S
    Biochem Mol Biol Educ, 2019 07;47(4):404-407.
    PMID: 30994974 DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21246
    Medical education has adopted various e-learning technologies to its aid. Addition of Google Classroom, introduced in 2014, as a Learning Management System (LMS) has provided a basic, easy to use platform. This study tested its efficacy in teaching a biochemistry module to first year MBBS students in an Indian medical school. Better access to learning material and supplementary teaching resources, helpfulness of immediate feedback, and learning outside of class environment were reported by students. Preference of mobile phone over laptop to access this LMS was reported. Use of this free to use LMS can be made, and especially in resource limited low and middle income countries, to encourage greater access to e-learning. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(4):404-407, 2019.
  2. Bhaumik S, Dash S, Kakkar K
    Indian J Med Ethics, 2020 12 10;V(3):219-221.
    PMID: 33295290 DOI: 10.20529/IJME.2020.067
    Coronavirus disease (Covid-19), which originated in China, is now a full-blown pandemic which has thrown governments and societies off-track in an unprecedented manner. War metaphors have been used widely to describe the scenario, but many critics decry them as harmful narratives. In this piece, we discuss the utility of the war metaphor to build solidarity and fraternity, which will be essential to get through the crisis. We also explain how concerns regarding increased authoritarianism and state excesses due to the use of these narratives are misplaced. We then tease out the colonial era concept of war that guides the arguments against the use of war metaphors in pandemics. We argue that in the post-modern world and in South Asian and African philosophies, wars are seen through the prism of the larger cause of dharma or ubuntu and that individual losses or gains in these contexts are part of a larger cause. The use of war metaphors reflects the need to get together for a societal cause. These metaphors are largely understood across societies while other alternatives are exclusionary, poetic and tangential in nature.

    Keywords : Covid-19, pandemics, war metaphors, communication, philosophy, SARS-CoV-2

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  3. Reddy KB, Dash S, Kallepalli S, Vallikanthan S, Chakrapani N, Kalepu V
    J Contemp Dent Pract, 2013 Nov 1;14(6):1028-35.
    PMID: 24858745
    The present study was conducted to compare the cleaning efficacy (debris and smear layer removal) of hand and two NiTi rotary instrumentation systems (K3 and ProTaper).
  4. Parray AA, Dash S, Ullah MIK, Inam ZM, Kaufman S
    Front Public Health, 2021;9:704811.
    PMID: 34458226 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.704811
    Afghanistan ranked 171st among 188 countries in the Gender Inequality Index of 2011 and has only 16% of its women participating in the labor force. The country has been mired in violence for decades which has resulted in the destruction of the social infrastructure including the health sector. Recently, Afghanistan has deployed community health workers (CHW) who make up majority of the health workforce in the remote areas of this country. This paper aims to bring the plight of the CHWs to the forefront of discussion and shed light on the challenges they face as they attempt to bring basic healthcare to people living in a conflict zone. The paper discusses the motivations of Afghani women to become CHWs, their status in the community and within the health system, the threatening situations under which they operate, and the challenges they face as working women in a deeply patriarchal society within a conflict zone. The paper argues that female CHWs should be provided proper accreditation for their work, should be allowed and encouraged to progress in their careers, and should be instilled at the heart of healthcare program planning because they have the field experience to make the most effective and community oriented programmatic decisions.
  5. Dash S, Aarthy R, Mohan V
    J Public Health Policy, 2021 Sep;42(3):501-509.
    PMID: 34012012 DOI: 10.1057/s41271-021-00287-w
    During the COVID-19 pandemic, a countrywide lockdown of nearly twelve weeks in India reduced access to regular healthcare services. As a policy response, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare which exercises jurisdiction over telemedicine in India, rapidly issued India's first guidelines for use of telemedicine. The authors argue that: guidelines must be expanded to address ethical concerns about the use of privacy, patient data and its storage; limited access to the internet and weaknesses in the telecom infrastructure challenge widespread adoption of telemedicine; only by simultaneously improving both will use of telemedicine become equitable; Indian medical education curricula should include telemedicine and India should rapidly extend training to practitioner. They determine that for low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), including India, positive externalities of investing in telemedicine are ample, thus use of this option can render healthcare more accessible and equitable in future.
  6. Gopichandran V, Ganeshkumar P, Dash S, Ramasamy A
    Bull World Health Organ, 2020 Apr 01;98(4):277-281.
    PMID: 32284652 DOI: 10.2471/BLT.19.237123
    Problem: The proliferation of information and communication technologies in India has enabled the emergence of health-related digital applications, from which important ethical issues arise.

    Approach: The Aadhaar identification system provides each resident in India with a 12-digit unique identification number, linked to demographic and biometric data. Identification by Aadhaar in welfare programmes has the important advantage of ensuring targeted benefits reach the intended recipients.

    Local setting: Some of the major issues faced by the public health sector in India are inadequate funding and inefficient utilization of the funds allocated. The enhancement of currently available digital health records will greatly increase the efficiency of the health care services.

    Relevant changes: The Aadhaar identification system has been linked to several health programmes since 2013. Success was achieved in a programme encouraging pregnant women to undergo delivery at a health facility, as use of Aadhaar number ensured that cash incentives reached the correct recipient. However, interruptions in the treatment of patients with tuberculosis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome have been reported in other health programmes, due to patients fearing a breach of their confidentiality.

    Lessons learnt: Although the proposed merging of the Aadhaar identification system with digital health care records could enable greater efficiency in monitoring public health and welfare programmes, important ethical issues of privacy and data ownership and use must be considered. In joining the digital revolution, low- and middle-income countries must also develop strict legal regulation to protect data and avoid information technology companies exploiting such databases for profit.

  7. Dash S, Kamath MG, Sharma K, Lee WH, Ponusamy T, Pathmaseelan K, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Sleep deprivation is a concern in young adults and the use of mobile phone is very common in this population. This study aimed to measure and correlate the sleep quality, pattern of sleep and problematic mobile phone use in young medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale (PMPUS) and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) among medical students in a Malaysian medical college. Correlation among the variables was done using bi-variate analysis followed by Pearson correlation coefficient and 2-tailed significance. A level for p  0.05 was con- sidered as statistically significant. Results: We found significant positive correlation between poor sleep quality and total problematic mobile phone use as well as its sub dimensions, namely deprivation, adverse outcomes and control disorder. PSQI score showed significant negative correlation with different patterns of MEQ like moderate evening, late sleepers, moderate morning and early risers. Positive correlation of the PSQI with sub dimension of PMPUS re- flects unhealthy dependency on mobile phone in this population. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the unhealthy use of mobile phone adversely affected sleep quality in the cohort of young medical students. It is thus important for medical schools to formulate policies and create educational programs vis-a-vis sleep health and to increase aware- ness regarding controlled mobile phone usage.
    Study site: Indian campus of a Malaysian-Indian University
  8. Jha C, Ullas Kamath S, Dash S, Prabhu Attur R, Ramachandra L, Shenoy Kallya R
    Rep Biochem Mol Biol, 2019 Apr;8(1):72-78.
    PMID: 31334291
    Background: Following contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) may occur in patients with renal insufficiency or diabetes. Creatinine, the most common marker of CIN, may not be an accurate measure of damage and is affected by many non-renal factors. Our aim was to evaluate ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) as an early CIN marker and correlate it with paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) and creatinine before and after CECT.

    Methods: Forty-eight adult patients scheduled for intravenous CECT, regardless of indication or body region for CECT, were included in this prospective study. Venous blood samples were obtained 12-24 hours before and after contrast media (CM) administration. Ischemia-modified albumin and PON-1 were estimated using methods described by Bar-Or et al. and Dantoine et.al., respectively. Creatinine was estimated on an automated analyzer.

    Results: Significant differences in IMA (P < 0.001) and PON-1 (P < 0.001) levels were found between pre- and post-CECT samples, while the difference for creatinine was not significant (p = 0.073). No correlation was found between IMA and PON-1 or IMA and creatinine in either the pre- or post-CECT samples.

    Conclusion: After CM administration patients are subjected to oxidative stress and/or ischemia, as revealed by elevated IMA and decreased PON-1 levels; however, creatinine levels, most commonly estimated to assess reduced renal function, did not reflect the condition accurately. IMA may be a sensitive marker for CIN but further studies are required to confirm its usefulness.

  9. Klionsky DJ, Abdel-Aziz AK, Abdelfatah S, Abdellatif M, Abdoli A, Abel S, et al.
    Autophagy, 2021 Jan;17(1):1-382.
    PMID: 33634751 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2020.1797280
    In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field.
  10. Klionsky DJ, Abdelmohsen K, Abe A, Abedin MJ, Abeliovich H, Acevedo Arozena A, et al.
    Autophagy, 2016;12(1):1-222.
    PMID: 26799652 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356
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