Aarti Avinash Kinikar, MD: Pediatrics

Pune, India

Role:

Scholar

BJGMC-JHU Fogarty HIV-TB Program Trainee

Education:

MBBS (1984); DCH (1988); MD-Paediatrics (1988), DNB-Paediatrics (2003); MRCP-UK (1995).
Medical Education- Grant Medical College – Mumbai University, India.

Overview:

As a medical teacher and a pediatrician working in a government medical college and hospital I am interested in generating interest motivating medical undergraduate students to think and participate in pediatric infectious disease research especially in the field of Pediatric HIV and TB epidemiology, as well as clinical profiles and prevention and treatment for children. I am personally interested in looking at the implementation and challenges faced in caring for children with HIV and TB under national programmes and finding solutions that can help implement these programmes effectively for the benefit of children coming to government hospitals . A specific clinical research interest is to investigate chemoprophylaxis options for children in contact with adults that have sputum-positive MDR TB.

Honors and Awards:

Awarded Fogarty Fellow Scholarship at John Hopkins University, Baltimore USA; for training in Paediatric HIV, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, (2007)
Awarded Overseas Doctor’s Training Scheme fellowship by the Royal College Of       Physicians , UK in 1994 for higher studies in Paediatrics
Awarded ONE of the 20 INNOVATORS IN INDIA who are changing lives – For Bubble CPAP   Invention during Swine Flu Pandemic in India . Awarded by INDIA TODAY – April 26th 2010 Issue.
AWARDED PROVISIONAL PATENT for   low cost indigenous   bubble CPAP      ventilation circuit – Mumbai 2011.
AWARDED THE DR SHARADINI DAHANUKAR “BEST MEDICAL TEACHER” 2013 AWARD BY MAHARASHTRA UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES , NASHIK.
TWICE Won the First Prize in Teachers Category at Inter- University Research Convention – AVISHKAR 2010 and AVISHKAR 2011- organized by Governor of Maharashtra.
Received “Suchintan Trophy” – Thrice ( 2004; 2005; 2010 ) for Best Research work presented at Annual Research Conference at B.J. Government Medical College, Pune.
Member and Principal Investigator for Clinical Trial of IMPAACT Network    ( HIV/AIDS; TB; Malaria and other Infectious Diseases since 2000. BJGMC-John Hopkins University , USA-Clinical Trial Unit, Pune, India

Faculty Mentor(s):

Bob Bollinger, MD, MPH

Amita Gupta, MD, MHS

Studies/Projects
Publications
News

The Regional Prospective Observational Research In Tuberculosis (Report) India Phase II Common Protocol

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2022-01-10

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Hinduja Hospital

Purpose and Scientific Aims The purpose of the RePORT India Phase II Common Protocol is to collect and utilize data and specimens for tuberculosis (TB) research, leveraging the existing infrastructure, processes, and scientific partnerships established under RePORT India consortium. The RePORT...

Childhood ‘Omics’ and Mycobacterium tuberculosis-derived BiOsignatures (COMBO) for TB diagnosis

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2021-10-18

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The overall objective of the project is to identify Mtb- and/or host-derived biosignatures in children that can achieve World Health Organization (WHO) target product profile (TPP) accuracy thresholds for a non-sputum biomarker-based triage or diagnostic test for childhood TB. We hypothesize that...

The Pharmacokinetics, Safety and Acceptability of New Child-Friendly Formulations of Clofazimine and Moxifloxacin in Children Routinely Treated for Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis (CATALYST)

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2021-04-26

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PK, safety and acceptability data and practical guidance on the optimal dosing of new more child-friendly formulations of moxifloxacin and clofazimine in children are urgently needed to inform their current and future use in children with Rifampicin-Resistant TB (RR-TB). Both medications have a key...

Pregnancy Associated Immune Responses to Tuberculosis and HIV in India and South Africa (PARTHISA)

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2020-01-14

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Dr. Jyoti Mathad is Co-PI of this study. Purpose: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of maternal mortality, especially among HIV-infected women. Women are most likely to develop active TB during and immediately after pregnancy. The immunologic conditions responsible for this phenomenon are not...

Increasing Market and Public Health Outcomes Through Scaling Up Affordable Access Models of Short Course Preventive Therapy for TB (IMPAACT4TB)

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2019-12-17

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Primary Objective: This study is being conducted in Brazil, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. The overall goal is to reduce TB incidence among (1) people living with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy, and...

T Cell Biomarkers and T-regulatory Responses to Pediatric TB

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2019-11-21

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The goals of this study are to: Validate host T cell biomarkers for diagnosis of pediatric TB Investigate the phenotype and functions of T-regulatory cells in pediatric TB We will use cryopreserved PBMC samples from CTRIUMPH cohorts: Pediatric unconfirmed TB, confirmed TB, latest Tb, and no TB...

Prevalence of Tuberculosis in Severely Malnourished Indian Children

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2018-12-18

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This study is funded and conducted under the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center. PIs are Robert Bollinger, MD, MPH; Dr. Muralidhar Tambe, BJGMC Severely malnourished children are vulnerable population for communicable and non-communicable...

Host RNA Expression for Diagnosis and Monitoring of Pediatric TB in Africa and India

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2018-12-13

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We are leveraging the RePORT platform by including a cohort of Indian children together with South African children in a large validation study to study on changes in gene expression profiles during treatment for TB

Characterization of TB-specific T Cell Responses in Highly-exposed, but Uninfected Health Care Workers in India

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2018-10-25

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This study is funded and conducted under the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center. PIs are Robert Bollinger, MD, MPH; Jyothi Rengarajan, MD, Emory University. Primary Research Question Do health care workers who remain TST...

Assessment of Depression and Anxiety among HIV-infected Adolescents in Pune, India

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2018-07-22

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This study is conducted under the TREAT Asia Network and funded by amfAR. PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of depression and anxiety among adolescents living with HIV in India and their determinants. DESIGN...

Evaluating the Source of Neonatal Bloodstream Infections due to Classically Hospital Acquired Pathogens in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Pune, India

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2018-07-12

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Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College

This study is part of CDC's Safe Healthcare, Epidemiology, and Prevention Research Development (SHEPheRD) Program under Domain 7: International HAI and Other Adverse Healthcare Event Prevention. The PIs for this study are Dr. Julia Johnson of Johns Hopkins and Dr. Shilpa Naik of BJGMC. CoPIs...

Optimal Approach for TB Screening among HIV Infected Indian Children

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2018-06-11

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This study was terminated May 20, 2019. It was funded by the Fogarty International Center at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Determining TB status (ie, uninfected, latent, and active TB disease) is more difficult among children, particularly HIV-infected children...

Implementing the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program to Reduce Healthcare-Associated Sepsis in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Pune, India

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2018-04-19

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This study is part of CDC's Safe Healthcare, Epidemiology, and Prevention Research Development (SHEPheRD) Program under Domain 7: International HAI and Other Adverse Healthcare Event Prevention. Dr. Aaron Milstone is the PI, and Dr. Amita Gupta and Yuka Manabe are Co-PIs. The Study...

Perceptions of HCWs on Barriers and Opportunities to Airborne Infection Control Guideline Implementation

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2017-12-07

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This study was terminated in December 2020 It was funded and conducted under the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center. Led by Dr. Nishi Suryavanshi, this qualitative, cross-sectional study is assessing healthcare worker (HCW) perceptions about...

P1070: Dose-Finding and Pharmacogenetic Study of Efavirenz in HIV-Infected and HIV/TB Co-Infected Infants and Children ≥ 3 Months to < 36 Months of Age

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2008-12-05

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This study ended March 10, 2015. This multi-country trial was conducted in India, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, under the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) Network and funded by the U.S. National Institutes of...

A5207: Maintaining Options for Mothers Study (MOMS): A Phase II Randomized Comparison of Three Antiretroviral Strategies Administered for 7 or 21 Days to Reduce the Emergence of Nevirapine Resistant HIV-1 Following a Single Intrapartum Dose of Nevirapine

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2004-12-20

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This study was terminated January 16, 2014; it was conducted under the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) and funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. A major disadvantage of giving SD NVP is the potential for maternal development of NVP resistance and additional...

Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV: India SWEN Study

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2002-06-07

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This study was officially terminated August 2018. Primary and secondary analyses of the India SWEN study, an NIH-funded phase III randomized controlled trial of an extended nevirapine prophylaxis regimen among 783 HIV-infected pregnant women and their...

Characterising cause of death among people treated for drug-susceptible TB in India

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2023-01-12

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The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease

Annually, 1.5 million people die of TB.1 India has thehighest burden of TB,1 and in 2020, the case fatality ratio (CFR) among people with drug-susceptible TB was 4.3%.2 Even after treatment, mortality is more than two-fold higher among people with prior TB compared to the general population.3...

Predictive performance of interferon-gamma release assays and the tuberculin skin test for incident tuberculosis: an individual participant data meta-analysis

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2023-01-05

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EClinicalMedicine

Background: Evidence on the comparative performance of purified protein derivative tuberculin skin tests (TST) and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) for predicting incident active tuberculosis (TB) remains conflicting. We conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis to directly...

The Kynurenine / Tryptophan Ratio is a Sensitive Biomarker for the Diagnosis of Pediatric Tuberculosis among Indian Children

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2022-12-22

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Frontiers in Immunology

Objectives: Pediatric tuberculosis (TB) remains difficult to diagnose. The plasma kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (K/T ratio) is a potential biomarker for TB diagnosis and treatment response but has not been assessed in children. Methods: We performed a targeted diagnostic accuracy analysis of four...

Randomized Clinical Trial of High Dose Rifampicin with or without Levofloxacin versus Standard of Care for Paediatric Tuberculous Meningitis: The TBM-KIDS Trial

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2022-10-29

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Clinical Infectious Diseases

Background Pediatric tuberculous meningitis (TBM) commonly causes death or disability. In adults, high-dose rifampicin may reduce mortality. The role of fluoroquinolones remains unclear. There have been no antimicrobial treatment trials for pediatric TBM. Methods TBM-KIDS was a phase 2 open-label...

Concomitant pulmonary disease is common among patients with extrapulmonary TB

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2022-08-12

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International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease

Dr. Shivakumar and his group discovered that a high proportion of patients classified as EPTB in India have concomitant PTB. Their results support the need for improved symptom and CXR screening, and recommends routine sputum TB microbiology screening of all Indian patients with EPTB.

Development of shortened HIV-related stigma scales for young people living with HIV and young people affected by HIV in India

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2022-07-31

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BMC Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Background: HIV-related stigma is associated with poor quality of life and poor healthcare-seeking behaviours in young people living with HIV (YPLHIV) and young people affected by HIV (YPAHIV). India has an estimated 120,000 YPLHIV and 4 million YPAHIV, but efforts to measure HIV-related stigma in...

Performance of Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert Ultra for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis among Indian children

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2022-04-01

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International Journal of Tuberulosis and Lung Disease

OBJECTIVE: To assess Xpert® MTB/RIF (Xpert) and Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) performance in diagnosing pediatric tuberculous meningitis (TBM). METHODS: We conducted a study among children with suspected meningoencephalitis in Pune, India. Clinical, radiological, laboratory, and treatment data were...

Shorter treatment for non-severe tuberculosis in African and Indian children

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2022-03-10

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New England Medical Journal

BACKGROUND Two thirds of children with tuberculosis have nonsevere disease, which may be treatable with a shorter regimen than the current 6-month regimen. METHODS We conducted an open-label, treatment-shortening, noninferiority trial involving children with nonsevere, symptomatic, presumably drug-...

Implementation of the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program to Improve Infection Prevention and Control Practices in Four Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Pune, India

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2022-01-06

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Frontiers in Pediatrics

Objective: To implement the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) in four neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Pune, India, to improve infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. Design: In this quasi-experimental study, we implemented CUSP in four NICUs in Pune, India, to...

Utility of the interferon-gamma release assay for latent tuberculosis infection screening among indian health-care workers

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2021-07-13

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Indian Journal of Community Medicine

Background: The utility of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening among health-care workers (HCWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains unclear. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study among HCW trainees...

Association of Maternal Inflammation During Pregnancy: Relationship with Birth Outcomes & Infant Growth Among Women with and without HIV in India

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2021-01-12

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JAMA Network Open

Abstract Importance The association of elevated levels of specific inflammatory markers during pregnancy with adverse birth outcomes and infant growth could indicate pathways for potential interventions. Objective To evaluate whether higher levels of certain inflammatory markers during pregnancy...

Tuberculosis preventive treatment should be considered for all household contacts of pulmonary tuberculosis patients in India

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2020-07-29

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PLoS One

PLoS One: Dr. Mandar Paradkar and colleagues conducted a CTRIUMPH study that supports TB preventive therapy for all household contacts of pulmonary TB patients in India

Impact of the Fogarty Training Program on Trainee and Institutional Research Capacity Building at a Government Medical College in India

Post Date:

2020-07-28

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Annals of Global Health

Gauri Dumal and colleagues assess the impact of the 5-year HIV-TB research training program on building individual research capacity at BJGMC.

Mullen Scales of Early Learning Adaptation for Assessment of Indian Children and Application to Tuberculous Meningitis

Post Date:

2020-07-04

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Journal of Tropical Pediatrics

Introduction: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) results in significant morbidity and mortality among children worldwide. Associated neurocognitive complications are common but not well characterized. The Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), a well-established measure for assessment of...

High Burden of Bloodstream Infections Associated with Antimicrobial Resistance and Mortality in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Pune, India

Post Date:

2020-05-18

Publication:

Clinical Infectious Diseases

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing threat to newborns in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study in three tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in Pune, India, to describe the epidemiology of neonatal bloodstream...

High prevalence of late presentation of ART-naïve perinatally infected children for care in Pune, India

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2020-02-19

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AIDS Care

AIDS Care : There is an urgent need to identify strategies that improve linkage of perinatally infected ART-naïve children to care, and earlier than what is currently observed.

Challenges in conducting trials for pediatric tuberculosis meningitis: lessons learned in the field

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2019-10-01

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International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease

International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease: Researchers describe the challenges associated with conducting the first randomized clinical trial of antimicrobial agents in pediatric tuberculosis meningitis.

Delays and barriers to early treatment initiation for childhood tuberculosis in India

Post Date:

2019-10-01

Publication:

International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease

BACKGROUND: India accounts for 27% of global childhood tuberculosis (TB) burden. Understanding barriers to early diagnosis and treatment in children may improve care and outcomes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed among 89 children initiated on anti-TB treatment from a public hospital...

Vitamin D status and risk of incident tuberculosis disease: A nested case-control study, systematic review, and individual-participant data meta-analysis

Post Date:

2019-09-11

Publication:

PLoS Medicine

Background: Few studies have evaluated the association between preexisting vitamin D deficiency and incident tuberculosis (TB). We assessed the impact of baseline vitamins D levels on TB disease risk. Methods and findings: We assessed the association between baseline vitamin D and incident TB in a...

Infection free "resisters" among household contacts of adult pulmonary tuberculosis

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2019-07-18

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PLoS One

Despite substantial exposure to infectious pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) cases, some household contacts (HHC) never acquire latent TB infection (LTBI). Characterizing these "resisters" can inform who to study immunologically for the development of TB vaccines. We enrolled HHCs of culture-confirmed...

Pages

How a Pune trial SHINEs light on shorter TB treatment for children

Post Date:

2023-06-26

Source:

The Indian Express

Last year, based on SHINE research, the WHO strongly recommended shortening the TB treatment duration in non-severe paediatric TB cases from six-four months.

Uniting for a Healthier India

Post Date:

2018-02-14

"The Indo-US clinical research & education partnership started with a single NIH grant to study maternal-infant HIV transmission." Now with 76 studies underway, this short film chronicles the history & impact of our work in India.

Mexico conference: Experts from BJ Medical College make presentations on TB, treatment

Post Date:

2017-11-09

Source:

The Indian Express

Four fellows from the BJGMC-JHU Fogarty HIV-TB Training Program make national headlines in India.